Virus!

Well this is no fun at all, but I have a pretty bad virus in the computer that's preventing me from blogging. At first it wasn't letting me post pictures but now it's not letting me post at all. So frustrating! I am now posting from the tablet but it's not letting me post pictures either. That's too bad because I've taken some pretty good ones as of late. I will try to get this situation remedied ASAP.

I started using a daily/monthly cleaning schedule as part of my New Year's Resolution, but I fell off the wagon a couple days ago. My most dreaded chore BY FAR is cleaning the bathrooms and that's on the docket for Saturday, so that's about when I started slacking. If I could afford a cleaning service just for that ONE chore, I would happily do everything else, even scooping the cat litter! I'll have to get back on track tomorrow.

The business has been picking up lately, too, with lots to do for my existing brides and a few consultations for prospective couples. It's definitely keeping me busy!

The two older boys have adjusted nicely to getting back into traditional school but have already brought home some unwanted friends: germs! Sammy's eyes are all red and goopy today so no school for him tomorrow and Owen had the flu last weekend. Yuk! This is something I didn't miss when they were home with me.

Headed to bed early to read my book club selection: "Night Road" by Kristin Hannah. Pretty good so far!

Goodnight from (finally) snowy Wisconsin!

Resolutions

Every year I make resolutions and every year I break them. Some people use that as an excuse to stop making them, but I still think it's a good idea. Just because you fail at something certainly doesn't mean you shouldn't keep trying! So this year, here are the resolutions I'm going to REALLY try to keep:

1. Focus on my health.
I could say that I want to lose 15 lbs like I have every other year, but that really hasn't gotten me anywhere. And at my age, who really cares if I'm a size 4? (Well, I do...sort of.) But nearing 40 (gasp!) has got me thinking about how I feel and I know that is directly affected by what I eat and what I do (as in, staying active.) So this year I am going to be more deliberate in both areas, making sure I take the time to plan healthy meals for myself (even if the kids won't eat them) and get my heart pumping every day.

2. Simplify.
Otherwise known as ORGANIZE! I am a pretty organized person and I know that because I get a rush of adrenaline when I clean and/or organize something. Pretty sick, eh? When I left my full time job in May, I really thought I would have this place organized top to bottom within a month. Well, guess what? Didn 't happen. Why? Because when you have four crazy boys, your life is more about putting out fires than anything else.
What's changing, then? I have a cleaning schedule from www.moneycrashers.com and it's posted just inside my kitchen pantry. I believe the reason this will help me is because each step to cleaning a room thoroughly is listed - nothing will be forgotten. And I like the idea that if you keep up with what's on the schedule, when you are done for the day, you're DONE! Like today is my living room day and so I'm not worried about anything in the kitchen, as that's going to get done on Wednesday. I'm hoping this will help me not only keep the house clean and orderly, but also free up time for me to spend with the kids rather than fretting about all the things that need to be done.

3. Make time for God.
I must admit, I've been a lazy Christian in the past few years. I go to church because I love the people there and it's nice to have a Sunday morning outing. I also know it's a good experience for the kids and they have a great youth program. But as good as our preacher is, I don't know that I really put into practice the great messages he shares each week.
I have downloaded an app on my new tablet that will have me reading the entire Bible in a year - the Old Testament once and the New Testament twice - so I'm setting aside time for that each evening once the kids are in bed. And I've also committed to praying with them EVERY night before bed (something that's been hit-or-miss) in the past and to saying grace before dinner. I also want to spend more time outside enjoying God's creation. I think that's a great way to honor Him and remember how awesome He really is.

4. Love more.
This one will probably be pretty difficult for me. I find that I've gotten so busy and preoccupied that I don't take the time to really FEEL anymore. My mind is constantly racing with the next thing to do and I worry something will be forgotten. But what I've forgotten to do a LOT is just to love my kids, my husband, my friends and family. That's tough for me to admit, but I'm going to change it in 2012.

So that's how I'm going to reinvent myself in 2012. Wish me luck!

The End of the World

**Note: the title of this post is an homage to one of my favorite songs...no, not the one by R.E.M., but the old one sung by, I believe, Johnny Mathis. I know the song from the late 90's when Vonda Shepard sang it on the Ally McBeal soundtrack; beautiful version of it.

Anyhoo....

I'm sure by now everyone's heard that world is going to end in 2012. Specificially on December 21st, 2012. That's the day the Mayan calendar runs out so that MUST mean we're all doomed, right? (Maybe the Mayans just figured THEY wouldn't be around by 2012 so why even bother continuing the calendar.) There are lots of theories out there as to what's going to happen on 12/21/2012 and there are probably a lot of people out there who are pretty freaked out. Personally, I don't believe it's going to be the end of civilization but what if I did....

That's what I'm asking myself these days: what if I knew for a fact that we have less than a year to live? Less than a year for me to spend time with my kids. Less than a year to get outside and enjoy nature. Less than a year to show the people I love how much they mean to me. How would I choose to spend these last months...days...hours?

I have a lot of resolutions for 2012 - probably more than I've ever had before - because I have realized that whether my life ends in 12 months or 12 years or 112 years, I have choices to make about how to spend the precious time I do have. Tomorrow is promised to no one, so how do I want to spend today? And if I were gone tomorrow, how would I want to be remembered? It's the choices I make every day that will determine that.

I'll post about my resolutions this week in the hope that will make me more accountable. The usual ones are on the list, as well as a couple new ones that I think will enhance our life as a family. Happy New Year to the Blog World - make 2012 the BEST year of your life!

New Year, New Me!

Ok, so it's been FOREVER since I've blogged but that is about to change, my friends. I have a whole bunch of things I will be blogging about in weeks to come and really want to use my blog as a way to get all this STUFF out of my head. You know, the stuff that keeps me up at night and hardly ever lets my mind REST (which is what I need so badly!)

I know it's a bit strange to be blogging about the new year on Christmas Eve, but for us it's actually Christmas night. We did the official Christmas morning this morning and it's a good thing, as Chris was scheduled off today but just got called in to work tonight. A co-worker called in "sick." (But I'll bet he's not too sick to use his Packers tickets tomorrow!) So the kids have gone from totally wound up and wild, to deliriously happy and exhausted from the excitement. It's gonna be a restful evening for me - EXACTLY what I asked for for Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night! Back soon!

Fingerpainting

Our local library has the BEST programs. I take the boys there every Tuesday morning for Tiny Tots. William and Luke get to sing songs, learn rhymes, listen to stories and do a craft. Miss Pattie is the lovliest woman; she knows all the kids by name and is so warm and sweet. Both my boys give her hugs before we leave and I can tell she is genuinely touched by these little guys.

Last week we made a special Wednesday trip to the library for the "Messy Art Club," which meets every other week. They were offering fingerpainting, which is something I would love for the kids to do more of but NOT in my house!
Things started out very nicely. Note the CLEAN white aprons...

William was BY FAR my neatest artist. He had one finger for each color and there was NO mixing!

You can see there was some serious mixing with the older boys, but thankfully they were able to take care of cleaning up their own mess.

Speaking of mess...

YUK! Not only did he squish the paint through his fingers and then smear it up his arms, he wanted to touch everything and everyone in the room! I just BARELY spared the American Flag! I cleaned him up three times in one hour and each time he screamed bloody murder and thrashed about wildly.

I brought changes of clothing for all the boys, but not for myself which was a mistake. Oh well. I doubt people who see me out with four boys in tow expect me to be put-together anyway.

Almost Two and A Confession

I had to get a picture of Luke this morning with "Eyebrow Bear." We went to Build A Bear this summer when we were in Michigan and this is the bear he picked out himself. Do you see any resemblence? Tomorrow is the anniversary of my official due date with him, but he was overcooked (just like his brothers) so his birthday isn't until Tuesday. We are having a small birthday party for him on Sunday so perhaps I will get some pictures and post.

There's a TON going on around here that I haven't had the time to blog about but will try to soon. However, there's one thing I want to confess to the Blogosphere:

I HATE eating with my children.

There, I said it. Am I a horrible mother or what?

I know how important family dinners are. I understand the statistics, about how families that sit down to dinner together are less likely to end up with kids on drugs and in jail. Don't get me wrong - I am ALL FOR family dinners. Just not with MY family.

Here's the scenario: I spend an hour or more preparing a meal. I don't do anything crazy or gourmet and try to make just a basic meal that will be acceptable to kids. Tacos. Fried chicken and mashed potatoes. Lasagna. In the middle of cooking I may or may not have to deal with at least one of the following distractions:

Two or more of the kids fighting
Luke dirtying his underpants
William screaming at the top of his lungs for no apparent reason
Something being thrown dangerously near the TV
Luke wedging himself between myself and the counter and begging to be held
More William screaming (this phase has been going on for about 6 months now)
One kid tattling on another for something
(You get the idea - it's pretty much chaos at all times)

So I finally finish dinner and ask them all to come up to eat. I dish up four plates and cut the meat. Then I ask them again to come to the table. Maybe one shows up. Then I get all their drinks. Then I say again "Come eat." MAYBE three of the four are now at the table, but I almost always have to physically chase at least one down.

That's when the worst part begins: the complaining. There is almost NOTHING I can put in front of them that doesn't disgust them, UNLESS I made them PBJ's every night. But I refuse to do that. Is it that outlandish to think they might eat a NORMAL meal every once in a while? Seriously, it's SOOOO discouraging!

So then the next 20-30 minutes is a rapid succession of "stop touching him," "get back up to the table," and "JUST EAT!!!" It's truly the worst part of my entire day with them, almost without fail. Isn't that just PATHETIC???

So the last few nights I have made dinner for everyone and then I leave and walk the dog. I come back 30 minutes later and clean the kitchen. Perfect! I am soooo much happier this way! I don't even feel really bad about it because family dinners at our house are enough to drive ME to drugs!

Any moms out there with older kids - will the experience EVER get any better?

Toy Harvest

Yes, I am one of those parents who often wonders WHY we spend so much time and money on picking out just the right toys for our kids to play with, especially with this (see video) going on at our house these days. And the best part about these "toys" is that when the kids get tired of them, they will end up in a tasty salad with crumbled feta and fresh dressing rather than thrown all over the living room for me to trip on.