It's All Been Decided

To no one's surprise I have to say I am tired, so very, very, tired.

I've made some executive decisions to make my life a wee bit easier for the next few days until my husband is home for good.

1. Get rid of rooms for the children and bunk everybody up in the master suite...this will save me numerous walks down the hallway everynight for each call of "Mommy" I receive. {lastnight it was about 30 times}

2. Instead of fighting with bed times I have decided to just let the children run till they drop whatever time that may be. {I am hoping this will cause them to sleep in a bit after being up for a late night}. Though this may work I may lose my mind having them up past 8:00 pm.

3. I refuse to clean the house for the next week and a half...if your my friend don't come over unless you can handle side stepping toys and a dirty floor {toilets are good got that done yesterday}

4. Chicken Nuggets, Strawberries, Cookies, Cereal, and Carrots and Dip will be all that I will serve for the next week and a half. {It's all that is requested so why fight it}

5. Clothing will be optional {thanks to Sasha's many, many flip outs over clothes this past week}

6. All Dogs will goto Kennels.

7. The baby just might go for an overnight with Grandma ;).

8. There must be good wine in the fridge at ALL times so I can take the edge off when the children are up running around till they drop for sleep.

9. There must be good dark chocolate in the house {preferably my favorite red wrapped ones} so Mommy can have some food with her while she hides in the bathroom when she needs some alone time.

and last but not least....

10. Daddy is NEVER allowed to leave longer than one week EVER again.

How does that sound?

Anyone have anything else to add? I'd love your suggestions.

Wordless Wednesday

There are no words except "EWWWWWWW"

and "Go wash your hands!"

For more WW pics go check out 5 minutes for Mom.

Life Interrupted

Today I will be tackling my life.

Yup, the daily chores, the dressing of the kids, feeding of the kids, dealing with the kids.

I may have time to get myself dressed and my makeup is on from lastnight so I am set.

I'll be back tomorrow with hopefully something wise and witty to say......or I maybe I'll just have a great pic for Wordless Wednesday.

I tried writing two posts this morning and I even found it too depressing to read so I'll leave you wandering some other more cheerful blogs for today.

I am always on twitter though......:).

Quotable Monday's

Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier.

Be the living expression of God's kindness:

kindness in your face,

kindness in your eyes,

kindness in your smile.
-Mother Teresa

Shout Out Sunday

Ever wonder how to raise great kids?

When I had my first baby I did most things so much "by the book" that it almost seemed mechanical. Do not get me wrong...I gave my first baby as much love and attention as any of my children but I felt like I needed to find my own mothering path...and I did when he was a toddler.

I had bookmarked this article many years ago and still like to go back and read it.

Personally, I think raising great kids is more than getting them to use their manners or have them listen to you ALL the time (laughing hysterically here).

My idea of raising a great kid is when I hear from a friend how polite my child was or how they were kind to another child. I also hear stories where my children are being a bully etc but we try to work on those...they get praise for the good stuff. Honesty, respect, responsiblity, and teaching empathy (yes it needs to be taught) are very important.

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For those of you that might be looking for something more than what is here on this earth you must check out Conversion Diary. Five years ago this woman was a content atheist and is now a woman of faith. I love this post about when she first realized she was no longer an atheist.

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I tried this recipe a long time ago and it now is one our family favorites,

Farmhouse BBQ Muffins (scroll down in her post)

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And for those of you that know me you may be surprised (or not) that I like this show.

My favorite is Luann with Jill coming in a close second.

I think it's hilarious what these women think is important in life and man are their some wicked cat fights. This is my new brain numbing tv show and if I can ever keep my eyes open long enough I might just start knitting again while watching it.

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Your Gonna Miss This Moment

Once again I found some time to participate in one of my favorite bloggy carnivals. This is like no other that I have found yet because it really gets you to focus on what is important in life...those that we love.

This past week was a tough one....baby crying lots, kids fighting, marriage issues and busy busy busy. I got through it and am one day closer to having a much slower life in a week and a half...not too mention seeing my husband graduate and we are all so flippin excited about that.

Back to my YGMTM.....

I have a couple moments.....like this one this morning........

This is my monkey from when I was little, he was and still is precious to me jsut like the monkey that put him here. This is Sammy's idea of putting away the toys I guess. I left him up there because I kind of like the company and the idea that it was Sam who put it there...he is a strange child but we love him anyway!

I also will miss seeing this in my living room.........

I of course love to construct them I just dislike the criticism I receive from my 6 year old!

Last night I helped out at our Mom's Morning Out used clothing and toy sale...OH THE DEALS I got!!! It was another successful sale and I wanted to take pictures to post and totally forgot...you all would be amazed at what a well oiled machine (wink wink April) this sale is. It's a whole lot of work by many people and it usually goes amazingly well. I love being part of it and I love when I get home and my kids think the stuff they got (all used) is cool. Here is my Princess Sasha with an outfit (jeans, top and shoes) with Ariel the Little Mermaid on them (her favorite princess).

And I did purchase 4 toys..got of rid of much more. Sasha wanted this stroller and diaper bag. Did I mention her outfit (not the sweater) cost $10.00...including shoes!

I will miss this because right now they don't care if it's brand name, where it came from or how much it cost. All she cares about is that it's pink and has Ariel on it. I hope I do a good enough job parenting that they will never care about brand name stuff, but I know first hand how much peer pressure can be hard to veer away from.

And I will REALLY MISS THIS, because I am 99.5% sure this is my last baby and he is growing up waaayyyyy to fast.

Now go on over to Pam's blog for a visit and check out some other great YGMTM posts!

The Finish Line is in Sight!

8 days

This is the number of days we have left till Daddy comes home for good.

You will all be so happy to not hear me speak of his absence again. Remember the last few weeks of my pregnancy with Gage...in October..it was all I could speak of.

But seriously, the support I have received from friends, family and readers of this blog has been wonderful and very helpful for my frame of mind.

These last few months were definitely a test for me and not just my husband who really had to take tests. I don't think I have ever been tested so much in a spiritual way as I was in the past 16 weeks. I do think I failed on a lot of levels but in other ways I think I grew and I realize I am not even anywhere near the finish line, but I am close and that is what I am setting my sights on.

I have a couple of busy days ahead of me and hopefully a relaxing weekend with no plans of yet. Okay I lied, I always have plans brewing in my little brain. One of my goals this weekend is to finally use the Lush products I bought and have me a nice bath. I have some cards to make and it's my sister in laws birthday. I also need to get the kids suited up for Daddy's Grad (and myself, possibly a paid for pedicure?) and we will be ready to leave for the grad.

The kids are extremely ecstatic to hit the waterslides at the hotel and see "Wachel and Sarah". I want to see my father in law go down the waterslide....;).

When this is all said and done I wonder when we look back will I see how tough it was? I know when I had the twins it took me having another baby to realize how hard it was having two babies and a three year old to care for. Now it's hard having two three year olds!

So I thank any of you that have left comments, sent me emails or said a prayer for me and my family. Every bit of support was felt and I am pretty sure my prayers and yours were what got me through this with my sanity intact.

And completely unrelated to this post is this commercial (click on the left on "see the commercial") I wanted to share it because it's funny and oh so true.

Wordless Wednesday

It's hard to be the princess....

For more WW participants go here.

Faking It Was Never One Of My Strong Points

Today at our Mom's group we had a wonderful and wise woman speak. We often have these "Marriage Talks" and they are always interesting and sometimes you learn something about yourself in another Mother's talk of her own life.

I truly enjoyed the talk today but couldn't help but leave there feeling more guilty about my Mothering than anything.

The speech was NOT at all meant to make you leave feeling this way...it's me...all me.

I always know and think I can do better.

I try not to raise my voice but it happens more than I want.

Today was a rough day emotionally. I finally broke down completely to a friend on the phone and then while rocking baby to sleep. I had a good cry, felt sorry for myself yet do not feel any better...geez wonder why?

Did I mention I have been a single parent and feeling quite lonely for the past 15 weeks?

But these feelings were there before my husband left for college...it is something I need to conquer...work on...and hopefully move on without hurting too many people in the process.

I wish I had something cheerier (is this even a word?) to post about but I am an open book and wear my emotions on my sleeve. So if you run into me somewhere just don't take it personally if I am not as chatty as I usually am, or if I break down and cry and fall into your arms...just kidding I would never do that.

I hope someday I can look back and find something I am proud of that I did for my kids...not just the stuff I want to forget and want them to forget.

Tackle It Tuesday

If you read my tackle last week you remember I was just starting a big job of sorting clothes and finding the bed that was hidden in our spare bedroom in the basement. I did say I'd have the finished project by this weeks Tackle It Tuesday and that is what motivated me to finish the job...well, somewhat finish there is more that I want to do in this room but at least the big tackle is done.

Before

After

See, I told you there was a bed under all those clothes!

And no, I did not just throw all the clothes in the closet of this room! The clothes are in bins and all sorted. It really did not take long, it's just finding time to do it without being called every 5 minutes by the kids.

I still want to vacuum the carpet and sort out what is on the floor in the one corner but I am happy that the room is at least useable now.

To get to this room you have to cross the kids play area in our basement. I was going to show you when I do work like this other places in the house suffer and this time it was the playroom but I am too embarrased to post the pictures of the destruction.

Here is a small taste of what I have to clean now......

Go check out 5 minutes for Mom and see what other Mom's are tackling today.

Quotable Monday's

If chocolate is the answer,
The question is irrelevant.
-Anonymous

Shout Out Sunday

One of my favorite magazines is Real Simple.

It's has alot of tips, reviews, and organizing ideas.

I recently went on their website and was impressed.

What I am not impressed with is smells around my house.

I really dislike air fresheners you spray in the air unless they are water with some sort of essential oil in them.

There are many places in the home that I have no idea how to freshen..that was until now...go here to find out how to keep many places in your home smelling clean and crisp.






The year end of school is right around the corner.

I like to give the teachers an appreciation gift of some kind to thank them for putting up with teaching my child through the past year.

Little Birdie Secrets has some great ideas posted for teacher appreciation gifts.






A few weeks ago I tried out a recipe for homemade popcorn chicken.

Due to financial restraints and the fact that a restaurant is soooo not desirable as the only adult tagging along four children 6 yrs and under...I thought I'd whip up a batch of my own popcorn chicken.

And in my 6 year old's own words....

"This is the best popcorn chicken I have ever had!"







If you have not heard about the Twitter war against Ashton Kutcher and CNN then you must go read this article to see all the good things coming out of it.

I really am starting to like that guy.





Yesterday was my Mom's birthday.

She passed away 7 years ago.

She would have been 57.

I remember when I just started to follow Gray's Anatomy on TV and in this episode George's Dad has just died from Cancer (like my Mom).

He states exactly how I feel...it was the biggest AHA moment of my life and sometimes when you can summarize a feeling you have it helps you deal with it a little better...this scene did that for me and I will always remember it.

Miss you Mom.

Your Gonna Miss This Moment

My children are completely embracing my husband's career change. From trucking company to law enforcement, from big yellow loaders to possibly high speed chases...big difference.

We were very fortunate that we could watch every week on a local channel what exactly he does in college. My oldest son has already a love of documentaries..thanks to Mighty Machines and Hard Hat Harry...so he thoroughly enjoyed watching this show. I truly believe that seeing what their Dad was doing helped them with their heartaches of wanting their Daddy home.

Most children want to be like Mommy and Daddy at some point and right now my son wants to play exactly what Dad is doing. The other day we were outside "running" off some steam and all of a sudden Owen yells "MARCH" and this is what I saw beside me....


On the documentary we are watching the recruits must learn how to march in drill...not as easy as it looks. My son gets his Dad to put him through the paces on the weekends and they even pulled off a salute when he yelled the command.....

Can I remind you that she is 3 years old!!!

Yes, I will miss this time when she does everything her big brother says.

I am VERY proud of my children and how they handled their Dad's absence these past 4 months.

Go check out Pam's blog to read some other great YGMTM!

(p.s Carrie see why I am so jealous of your "green grass", it's still spring in Canada)

Procrastination Station

I'm in a slight funk and I need help to get out of it.

I really do not want to blame my ability to never get a job finished on the fact that I am busy with my children and our daily life but seriously....that is what it is.

I could get all the things I want to do (noticed I did not say need) done when the kids finally go to sleep at night but I'm tired..I'm only human and after 15+ hours serving my children I am ready for sleep too.

When the twins were babies I would push my way through fatigue to "get things done" and I don't mean things like I want to do now (scrapbooking, exercising, reading, movies etc.) I mean laundry, meals, housecleaning etc. But I realized when I had Gage how important it is to get my rest. I am so much nicer when I am rested ;).

I guess I really did not need to title this post with the word "procrastination" because I am not trying to stall getting the job done on purpose, I am putting it off to meet the needs of something more important.

Yes, I am important and finding time for my things that lift my spirits is a good thing BUT I also want to do what I think is my job right now and that is serving my family. I can't imagine doing anything else...it's a tough job and it makes you become more balanced in every level of your life....physically, spiritually, emotionally, mentally...I have learned things being a parent that I never would have learned otherwise.

So, right now...I will not beat myself up if I can't get back down to my office to scrapbook a page in their books. I will not think I am the worst mother in the world if I have to put a coat on my daughter full of mud splatters because I saw how much fun she was having getting that mud splashed on her. I will not feel bad when I have to apologize to my six year old for yelling at him but know that he is learning that I am only human and when we hurt someone we need to ask for forgiveness.

Nope, the stuff I love to do will be there when my children are a little bit older and I have a wee bit more free time for those things. Right now, I need to concentrate on them and their needs. I really think that I have not been doing that enough and I want it to change.

I think I solved my own problem...thanks for reading.

"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others,

faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. "

-1 Peter 4:10 [NIV]

Wordless Wednesday

A boy and his truck.......

Thumbs UP!

For more WW particpants go here.

Tackle It Tuesday

Did I ever mention why I love Tackle It Tuesday?

It's totally a motivation tactic for me.

See, I get distracted easily becasue I try to do too much in too little of time. So when big job comes up I worry if I'll ever finish.

I found posting it on here helps me find the motivation to get the job done.

I will warn you now what you are about to see can make your heart skip a beat...especially if you are one of those super organized people (I am only semi organized but I blame it on the fact that I have 4 little kids...;))

So here is my spare bedroom in the basement FULL of clothes that either do not fit my children so they must be stored, clothes that need to be sold (the girl clothes, sniff sniff), or clothes that need to be given back or away.




This room has been easy to ignore and just keep throwing items in their since it is unfinished and far away from me most days. But now that my husband will be a shift worker I need to get this stuff out of here so he can sleep during the day.


I did make progress yesterday and was hoping to finish but you know those four little people that live with me? Well, they did not cooperate with the plan so my tackle will be finished for next Tuesday.


Go check out what other Moms are tackling.

Quotable Monday's

The whole day is before me,

I hope I do it justice.

-Susan B. Anderson via twitter

Joyeux Paques or Happy Easter

I had to say Happy Easter in French

because that is what I hear around my house.

I hope you are all enjoying what Easter is really about

and spending time with family and/or friends.

"Let us celebrate the feast not with the old yeast,

that of corruption and wickedness,

but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth."

—1Corinthians 5:8

Rambling Thoughts (once again)

Ah once again you are all subject to my ramblings because I just cannot decide on what to post today and feel like posting..make sense? good..moving on.

As my 6 year old son and I watched American Idol lastnight I was surprised that I had never heard of the guest artist Flo Rider. After hearing him sing/chant/rap...now I know why.

I thought American Idol was a family show?

Here is the chorus to the song Mr. Flo Rider sang...

"You spin my head right round, right round, When you go down, when you go down down"

Huh?

So I distracted my 6 year old by asking him questions. I really did not want him going to school and singing these few words like he tends to do with most songs that he hears...funny good memory for lyrics but not for instructions from his Mother...sigh.

On the up side, as of today there are 17 more days till my husband's graduation and we can bring him home....yes I said 17.....we have 68 days behind us, 68 long days and nights. I am proud to let you all know that my husband was voted valedictorian for his class and he also has some surprise up his sleeve about the grad. We are all pumped to see him marching and finally be done with this whole bit and move onto a new life of shift work and having Daddy around again.

I have now become in love with duct tape...it's holding a few cupboard doors on in my kitchen (I dont' really want to go further into this because I am very angry with the business we went with).

I guess "kind of" holding a cupboard door up.

They are beautiful cabinets, we are just having issues with the doors staying on.

We can't find the seat for Sammy's three wheeler and without snow pants it hurts his butt to sit on the bumpy spot so...a towel and duct tape did the job.

My double stroller broke last year...the part that keeps the sun out of the child's eyes...once again we used duct tape to patch something that's broken.

OH yeah, and look who started solid foods this past week...

It went really well but there were distractions......

You'd think these two have never seen a baby sit in a highchair before.

And you will be happy to know that we are enjoying lots of sunshine and warmer days therefore I have not complained much about the weather and my mood.

This makes me smile....

I was so happy to see my driveway I had to take a picture.