Baby it's Cold Outside!

Brr...winter is upon us!  It's cold and cold, and cold.

I don't like cold.

Jaron doesn't care if it's cold or not.

He loves snow, he is praying for snow and heading out to play in it as much as possible whenever it does snow.

We got Jaron a sled for Christmas this year...and between our little hill at the house and the big hills nearby he is going to have a lot of fun....provided I take him and don't freeze to death!

It's going to be an interesting Winter!

So Long 2013....Hello 2014! Let's Be Better!

Okay, I'm a horrible blogger...but I am starting fresh again!

So here it is 2014!  I have to retrain my fingers to type that new number, try and remember to write in on my checks and other items and all around just figure it all out...by the time that happens usually the year is half over!

Last year at this time I was feeling very low.

This year I'm feeling pretty good.  I'm feeling more motivated, ready to face the year ahead and make some changes for the better of the family.

My word for the year is Better as in do everything a little bit better than you did the year or day before.

This hopefully will be fun.  Some areas I want to be better:

• I want to be a better wife.  To give and be the help that my husband needs and to help him be a better husband to me.  We have been married coming on 15 years this June and I think that no matter how good things may be we can definitely be Better.
• I want to be a better mom.  I want to teach my children, love my children and help them to grow to be better kids.  This is doable and a growing experience all in one!
• I want to be a better eater.  I need to up my fruits, vegetables and healthy foods and limit my bad habits.
• I want to be a better exerciser...here's how I hope to do that

I had Dan move the treadmill upstairs and into the living room.  If I see it everyday I will be more likely to walk on it instead of putting it off when it's in the basement.

• I want to be a better housekeeper.  This is an area I really struggle with...so again, it will be baby steps but if I am better today than I was yesterday than my house will be better off for it!
• I want to be a better teacher.  I'm a good teacher but there is always room for improvement!
• I want to be a better blogger and not fall off writing in May or June and not pick it up for a long time.  I was better last year than the year before but I can definitely do better.

So that's my goal for the year...to be Better.  What's your goal?  How will you be better?

It's time to put down some thoughts...

I feel the need to write today.

I haven't felt like writing for a long time.  

I've been BUSY....I mean super busy....I mean so busy that at times I can't believe how busy I am.

It's hard to write when you are busy.

When I am busy I tend to complain, and when I write when I am busy I post more complaints than anything at that shouldn't happen.

So no complaining...just commenting.

I've enjoyed the fall...with the exception of getting sick.

See I lost my voice...a major part of who I am is my voice.  I talk a lot being a teacher, I also sing a lot and I was unable to do that.  It was rough.

It was also good I think.

I'll tell you why...I had to listen more.

I had to stand and understand that it's okay to be quiet.

It's hard to be quiet...it's hard to not speak when you like to talk.

But it's good, its necessary and it's revealing.

I'm trying to be quiet more...to listen, to think, to be okay with the stillness.

So I'm trying to adapt, to change and to be quieter...it's hard, I'm a loud person but I think it will be good!

Looking at the Calendar

I looked at the calendar and realized that I am a very bad blogger as I last posted in June and now it's ALMOST JULY!

Can we say busy?

Yes we can!

This has been a very busy summer!

So Far this summer:

The kids have gone camping twice.  Jaron caught 1 fish, Janea 3 fish.  They had a great time with their grandparents and I am grateful for the time they have with them.

The Firstborn well, she is now officially a TEENAGER!  I am not old enough to have a teenager!  I can't believe how mature and awesome she is and I am looking forward to seeing how she will grow and change.

Dan and I celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary by going out for a steak dinner and seeing Monster's University without the kids.!  It's amazing how far we have come in our marriage and seeing how much better friends and partners we are as the years go by.

We spent the 4th with friends and had fun lighting off fireworks and such, Jayden isn't a huge fan of the noise though.

Jayden has moved into pullups and we are beginning the potty training process.

School starts for me the 5th but for the big kids on the 15th.  So we are gearing up for the new school year and hoping we get everything done!

It's a crazy life, but it's mine!

Feeling Old

It's June.  

Can't believe it's June already.  Seems like this year is just whizzing by!  Every time I blink some new thing is happening or some new milestone in our life is starting.

June is an important month around here.  The firstborn becomes a teenager officially this month.  She has been a teenager in attitude since about 5 but she is officially a teenager in a week!  Can't believe it.

We're in that phase of life where it is the end of the world to get our picture taken, it's embarrassing to be seen with Mom and Dad, and we just don't know where we are going in life.  She's growing up so fast.  Hard to believe that just 13 years ago I was not really ready to be a mom, and guess what I still don't feel like I am ready to be a mom!  She has taught me a lot as I am trying to teach her.  Can't believe how fast life is moving and how much she is growing and maturing.  

At 13...Janea  enjoys

arguing...both for fun and in debate

theater...both watching and performing

superheroes and their movies

Dr. Who...if the TARDIS ever shows up I am sure she will join the doctor

Zombies and "real" vampires...not the Twilight ones

Love my firstborn, my teenager, the one who keeps me on my toes!

Fun in Forts

Call it brotherly love, call it survival mode, call it staying sane on a rainy day!  I call it fun!  The boys have been into building forts in the living room this month, and while it makes a rather large mess it's nice to see my boys playing together!  True, the 10 year old does most of the work but I think they both have fun!

They have gone from one room to 3 rooms...still working on making it just right~!

Happy Birthday

Dan's Birthday was on Thursday!

I am very thankful for him!

A Month of "Mayhem"

Anyone else feel like the month of May is moving too fast?

It's only the 7th and I already feel like it should be over.

May is important in our family for many different reasons but this May is extra hectic....so far this month this has happened.

May 2-3:  "I HATE SHAKESPEARE"--Janea was in her first school production as a middle -school student.  She did a great job!  I am one proud Mama and look forward to supporting her through many more productions!

May 3-5  Fishing with Grandma and Grandpa!  We went down for Kids Fishing Day at Bennett Spring...love this place but it was COLD!  We got a record snow in May here in the great midwest!  Usually the first of May is warm and nice...this weekend not so much but we still had a great time and the kids enjoyed fishing, feeding the fish and hanging out with their grandparents~

May 4th was also a big day as my wonderful parents celebrated their 40th Wedding Anniversary!  I pray that Dan and I are able to have as productive a marriage as my parents have!

May 6th--Beautiful weather returned and we decided to enjoy an evening at the park.  Jayden loves the park!  As we were going I remembered that our church had a fundraiser for our Mexico team at Burger King...so we went and supported them and I didn't have to cook.

This week has brought Wax Museum of Famous Missourians for Jaron and he dressed up and did a speech on Walter Elias Disney for his Famous Missourian.

Janea is finishing up her Map Testing and working on finishing the school year with many research projects.

Wednesday is AWANA awards night for Jaron

Thursday is Dan's birthday and Muffins with Mom for me and Jayden at our school.

The weekend ahead is full of Mother's Day and Calvary's commencement for my parents....and until school's out I don't think we get to have a breather as we have upcoming meetings and inductions into NJHS for Janea!

Thankful for a busy month and enjoyable things!

I'm Quirky and I know it

Today I realized that I am really a weird person for many different ways...and I am cool with that....

I like ICE cold water BUT I prefer my soft drinks lukewarm and room temperature.

I love playing outside and being in the great outdoors BUT I don't like the smell of children after they play outside.

I hate having cold feel at night BUT I can't sleep in socks...I will kick them off in the middle of the night.

I hate listening to people snore BUT I can't sleep if I can't hear a fan because I worry that the air will be too still and I will suffocate.

I love snuggles and hugs BUT I hate them from little feverish bodies and then I feel bad because that is when they need them most.

I love Spring and Summer and warm weather BUT if I have a sunburn I get really resentful of them.

I know in the grand scheme of things these things don't really matter but I do find them a little interesting as I continue the journey of improving myself.

BUSY

So I am  busy right now.

Super Busy...you know the kind, lots of stuff going on, lots of programs for the kids, lots of places to go, lots to do...BUSY.

I'm rushing here, I'm trying to do this, I'm trying to finish that, I'm going so fast I don't know if I am coming or going.  I'm BUSY.   And it's not the good kind of busy...some of it is, other is not.

I've got stuff for my class at my school:

• Mother's Day Projects
• Finishing Portfolios
• Finishing Lesson Plans
• Finalizing Summer Stuff
• Keeping up the the Schedule
• Parent Teacher Conferences

I've got stuff for the Big kids

• Janea's in drama, so that means play practice, chauffeuring her to rehearsals, late pickups from school, Saturday workdays
• Jaron will have a 504 meeting for some issues he is having and that means taking time off work and finding childcare
• Youth Group
• Last nights at Awana
• Going on a weekend with Grandma and Grandpa
• Projects, Map Testing and Finals

I've got stuff with Jayden

• Muffins with Mom
• Parkwood Sunday
• Well baby checkups and special outings to the park

I need time with the hubby but we are currently juggling all the little stuff.

It's busy...and I feel like I am failing.

But I'm not,

I'm making the time, I'm trying to meet the needs of the family.

I'm a little stressed but I am trying to prioritze and make sure that the important stuff gets done, that I am meeting all the needs of the emotions and not just focusing on the checklist.  It's hard, but I am doing it.

So we are Busy...and we will make it to SUMMER!!!  Only a few weeks left!

"Sticking" Together

"Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones but words will never hurt me"
remember that rhyme?  It isn't true...words do hurt but this post isn't about the words it's about Sticks.

Sticks....lots of sticks!

We have 4 large trees in our front yard.  We have one large tree in our back yard.  We had a very snowy winter...which means lots of sticks have fallen off of our trees and into our yard.

The husband hates sticks!  Especially when he is mowing our yard.  They kick up, poke, clog the mower.  So every time he mows he sends the 10 year old around the yard to look for sticks.

The 10 year old isn't the greatest at finding all the sticks...but he gets a lot of them. I too went around looking for the sticks and Dan helped a lot too!

The big question then becomes what are we going to do with all these STICKS!  It's usually a really high pile!

This weekend we took care of the sticks by burning them.  In the past  we have burned them in the fireplace...a horrible messy job that drive me as the mom crazy!  There will be stick particles and dirt everywhere.  


The husband knows that I hate this so we went out and bought a fire-pit this weekend.  And we burned sticks yesterday...for almost 2 hours!  We had a lot of sticks.  

Dan was busy mowing the lawn, so I got put in charge of manning the fire.  I really don't fire.  I was badly burned as a young child and fire makes me really nervous.  But the job needed to be done and I am a much more logical choice to man the job then the 10 year old.  The firstborn was off doing the drama thing at her school.

So yesterday the lawn got mowed, the sticks got burned, we worked together.  It was good...I smelled terrible last night and was super tired but I felt like we had accomplished something.

On a cute note...the toddler got a lawnmower for his birthday from Grandma and Grandpa and he was going around and around the house yesterday just like daddy mowing the lawn!  I wish I had had my camera out to capture the cuteness of it all!

A Parenting Perk

This month we hit the start of a milestone year...the year where we will have a 2 year old, an 11 year old, and an "official" Teenager...13!

I'll be honest, I'm a little bit intimidated by the the layers of parenting this brood.

We are now juggling tantrums, school projects, school activities, boys looming on the horizon, and the never ending driving to this event and that event.

I will admit though it has it perks.  We have a built in babysitter(if her schedule allows)  case in point  last night.

Yesterday and every Friday my class at school is very CRAZY!  We have 8 very loud boys in the class and they are very crazy and by Friday it's brace yourself, and hold on for dear life!  It was extra crazy yesterday.  And I was kidded out...literally.

So Dan and I talk frequently as we drive home for work and I suggested that I could use a night off this weekend if Janea was game to watch the boys...he had had a very busy week as well and was also in need of some spouse time so he volunteered to get her from Drama practice and then informed her of the plan.

I had enough Papa Johns' reward points for a free pizza!  The kids love pizza so that was their dinner...I just payed for extra cheese sticks on the side.  Dinner for them, under 10 bucks!

Dan and I enjoyed a nice meal out without the kids.  It was nice to talk and chat in the car, to enjoy a meal with no real interruptions and me not having to think about cooking something!

An hour and a half off.  It was nice, it was really nice and it basically cost us very little for babysitting...a pizza dinner and new ear buds for Janea.

I'm very appreciative of a daughter who is willing to babysit and allow us as parents some much needed time off as a thank you for all we do for her!

Happy Birthday's!

This week was Jayden's 2nd Birthday and the anniversary of my sister's birth!  They share a day!

They are honestly some of my favorite people in the world!  So thankful for both of them and their special days!

Happy Birthday to you both!  May you each have many more years of love and fun!

Toddler Fun

Tonight, Jayden and I played in his room and we did the following:

• Built a train set, took it apart, remade it, and then drove a car on it....bububububub...
• Climbed on the bed and spun in circles(I didn't do this but sat and watched)
• Hid 2 legos in a blanket bucket and then hid ourselves in the bucket and then covered mommy up and said peek a boo
• Cooked some imaginary food and shoved it in mommy's mouth...(still working on the concept of gentle)
• Sang Ring around the Rosie about a 100 times and got dizzy and fell down.
• Shared kisses and hugs
• Got into jammies

Now he just needs to go to bed, cuz mommy is TIRED!  Jayden is still going strong but boy, I'm tired!

Love My Little Man!

Sanity

I'm quickly reaching my breaking point,

My sanity is leaving me.

I've forgotten how hard parenting a toddler can be..

Jayden is busy.  He turns 2 in 9 days.  He is curious, he is fun loving he is in a word....EXHAUSTING!

The toddler after he spilled half a bottle of lotion all over himself and my kitchen!

Today, he went to my workday and staff meeting with me.  It was not a relaxing time during the meeting, and I really hope my coworker took good notes because I was not really paying attention.

We got in the car to come home and he fell asleep.  I thought I could transfer him to his bed...WRONG...he woke up and then hasn't napped since 12:40 this afternoon.  It's dinner time now and he is going strong.

I needed nap time today.  I needed quiet and peace and a moment to breathe....and I didn't get them.  I'm a little bit angry about it too.

I love my son, I do, he is a joy to my life and a lot of fun to be around.  He is also into everything.  I was working on dinner and turned around to find him standing on my kitchen table trying to get into the cake container to have a piece of leftover birthday cake!  ON THE TABLE???  WHY???

He is running around without a diaper, just pants, I know this because he keeps taking it off...might mean he is ready to potty train, might mean he likes freedom...probably means a mess for me to clean up soon...

See...  I am quickly losing my sanity...

I'm praying for wisdom, strength and sanity!  Also for ease in potty training!

Beautiful Easter Weekend

Friday the weather was fabulous!  So we took the kids to the park and walked the track around!  It was a great day for some exercise!

 Jayden and Jaron enjoyed playing on the equipment at the park too!  Janea and Dan walked while the boys played and then we all walked together!

 Saturday we went to my parents house and dyed Easter eggs!  Jayden loved it and we had fun hanging out with my parents and sister!  

 Sunday we enjoyed a wonderful morning at church and then the family came over for Easter dinner and birthday cake as Jayden turns 2 very soon!  I didn't get pics today since I didn't have sufficient memory!  Mom took a bunch and as soon as I get them I will add them to the post!

Very thankful for a time of family fun and refreshment!

Little Things

I've been feeling rather under appreciated lately and then I am reminded that I matter in little ways:

A mom at work thanked me for writing a simple note on a daily sheet reminding her about a sack lunch being needed.  She would have forgotten otherwise but my note helped her and made her day smoother.

My daughter is on spring break this week and wanted to help mom out by working at preparing dinner for the family.  I helped some but she did quite a lot of it...and it was good!  Thanks to the firstborn for her help tonight!  I appreciate our wanting to help me by doing something I normally do!

The husband made the bed for me, I had taken off the sheets this morning and hadn't yet made the bed and he helped me out by putting the fresh sheet on, new pillowcases, and other things just because he loves me!  I'm looking forward to sleeping in a clean bed tonight.

The toddler is growing up, I can now peek in his classroom and see him throughout the day and he doesn't cry when I leave.  He knows that I am in the building and that I will come and get him when I am done with work and the teachers he is with take good care of him.  It makes the day move much more smoothly.

The 10 year old is going to make a cake tonight,  I am thankful that the kids are learning how to do more and more things and do them well.  I will have to help him but he is capable of doing a lot of it himself!  I'm glad he is growing and maturing.

A Warm Day in March

Cheese!  So much fun!

Tic Tac Toe

Stop trying to take my picture mom!

Motorcycle man

Such concentration

Through a tunnel!

Jayden loves the slides

Brothers and friends and sliding partners!

I don't want to leave!

Swinging for 5 minutes before we head home

Busyness and other whatnot

So here it has been about 2 weeks and I have fallen off the blog wagon...but not really.  See I've wanted to blog, had some posts in my head but honestly, we have been soooo busy this month!

So here's an update:

I turned 36 on the 6th...yes, 36...and I am old.  This birthday has been rather hard and I really don't like that I am now closer to 40 than 30 and it's mind boggling how old I am.  Dan and the kids took me out for dinner on my birthday and my folks had the kids and I over on the day after my birthday.  

Dan and I decided it was time to get me a new camera for my birthday!  HOORAY!  My other camera wasn't closing in the battery hatch and so I downsized to a small compact point and shoot with more features than my other one and better resolution.  I love getting to play with my new toy!

Friday the 8th Janea had a debate tournament at her school.  They were hosting so judges were needed.  I went to the evening session and judged storytelling and I enjoyed it very much, The firstborn and I didn't get home until rather late though and so the next morning was very tiring as the toddler decided to get up at his normal time!

 On the 9th we had AWANA Grand Prix...and Jaron raced his car...didn't place well but that's okay. Janea and Dan stayed home with Jayden since he and the car race wouldn't have been a good fit.

Sunday the 10th Dan and I got to go to the Matinee performance of Calvary Bible College's Seussical.  It was a lot of fun and nice to be out together without the kids.

 This week was weather week in my classroom and on Monday night I made Rainbow stew for Rainbow day.  The toddler decided that he needed to try it out for me and pose for the camera at the same time

The toddler is fascinated by all things big kid and this week he also decided that he needed to do homework with his brother.  

  

I can't believe my baby is going to be 2 in just under a month.  It's been a crazy busy month and it isn't slowing down at all...but that's a snapshot of my life right now!

Sometimes

Sometimes your plan isn't what you want...but it's sometimes what He has for you.

Sometimes you feel angry or tired...and God is there to help you.

Sometimes you get angry and use inappropriate language...and God gently taps you on the shoulder and reminds you that you are better than that.

Sometimes you feel down and crazy sad...and a song of Praise will lift your Spirit and turn your focus on HIM.

Sometimes you get angry and ask Why?....and sometimes there is no immediate answer, but He is still there.

Sometimes you wonder why you are given something you didn't know you wanted or needed...and God reminds you HE is in control.

Sometimes you can't believe you are getting to be so old and yet you are so young and immature in your thinking...I'm thankful God is not like me.

Sometimes you need to step back, breathe and just be thankful for the life you are given.  I'm that sometime today...thankful that my God is bigger, and greater than anything I can feel, think or wonder.