Summer Reflections

Last summer was pretty epic.  For the first time in my adult lifetime, I wasn't working 50+ hours a week.  I actually had a REAL tan (not from a bed) because I took the boys to the beach 3 or more times a week.  Chris was working a crazy schedule with a lot of overnight shifts, so it made sense for us to spend a lot of time away from the house so he could sleep. 

This summer hasn't been quite as fun as last summer, partly because I'm busier and partly because Chris is working a crummy afternoon shift that really puts a damper on beach days - when they have to end by 2pm, they really aren't much fun.  However, we did get to take a trip to northern Wisconsin for Chris's birthday in early June.

It was a surprise I had started working on back in January, when it was comforting to think of a warm summer weekend spent at a cabin on a lake.  On the morning of his birthday, Chris opened several clues:  sunglasses, a map, Corn Nuts and Coke (his favorite roadtrip snack) and, finally, a brochure from the cabins.  It was soooo hard to keep the secret for all those months, but totally worth it!

We took the kids out of school for their last two days and drove 7+ hours to the Delta Lodge.  It was just as I had imagined and the weather was perfection.  It truly couldn't have been better.  The boys spent a lot of time kayaking and swimming and the little guys just loved playing on the beach.  Even Scrabble had a good time running loose for the weekend, something I'm sure his little doggie mind has always dreamed of.  Here are a few pictures:

This was definitely the highlight of the summer for us this year.  What was your favorite 2012 summer memory?

Ladies and Gentlemen

For anyone who doesn't know, I have my own wedding planning business.  After years of working in hospitality and doing weddings for hotels/resorts, I broke out on my own last spring.  It was so scary at that time, as I had always been the main breadwinner in the family and now we were going to have to figure out a way for me to go without a regular paycheck.  Chris stepped up and is now working full-time, while I continue to build this little business of mine.

One of the things I looked forward to was working for myself and not having to deal with some of the nasty people I encountered.  Brides were, for the most part, really nice to me but every so often I would have a "persnickety" one.  I was always able to let that roll off my back, knowing that she was probably going through a lot of stress during the planning so they never bothered me.

The ones that drove me over the edge were my co-workers.  It was a VIPER PIT at my office.  Seriously, I can't imagine ever being such a miserable person that you take it out on everyone around you and get AWAY with that - that was the worst part!  At the resort I last worked, it was as if a culture of back-stabbing was no only permitted but ENCOURAGED!  I endured three years there and it was HELL, but I'm so glad I took that job because only a job that BAD would have FORCED me take the leap out on my own.

Fast-forward to yesterday when I had a wedding at a local restaurant.  I was thinking about how grateful I am not to have to deal with miserable people on a daily basis (and for 9+ hours a day, too!) but how I STILL encounter people who are so mean and nasty to me.  Why?  I just don't get it.  I understand that sometimes wedding planners come into a place and try to order people around, but right from the beginning I make it clear in ALL my dealings that I am only there to represent the bride and help both her, and the vendors, with whatever I can. 

I guess I am spoiled because I worked at the Ritz-Carlton for years and the motto there is, "We are Ladies and Gentlemen serving Ladies and Gentlemen."  At orientation, every new employee is indoctrinated with the motto and the meaning behind it:  ACT like a lady/gentleman and treat everyone you come in contact with as one, too.  That doesn't JUST mean the hotel guests, but also outside vendors and mostly the people you see every day, your co-workers.  I'm not saying it was the most perfect environment and no one ever fell short of this, but at least the company itself set the bar high for its employees.

Most of the local vendors here know me and they are very nice.  I'm happy to have this small-town area where I do deal with a lot of the same (nice) people for most of the weddings I do.  I guess I just want to know what the heck happened in society that people are allowed to treat others like doormats so much of the time.  It's a real shame.

Wow, it's been a long time!  I don't even recognize the "new" look of Blogger (which might be 6 months old by now!) It's been busy around here, to say the least. 

I over-commit myself all the time - have I mentioned that before?  I think it's because I'm competitive and want to challenge myself all the time, but I'm certainly not about to do a triathalon or anything.  (Although that would be AMAZING, wouldn't it?)  So this week I am committed as such:

6:15am - Neighbor girl arrives, as her normal sitter is on vacation. 
7am - Hopefully I'm done with my shower so I can focus on waking up the boys and making breakfast for 5, instead of 4
8:15am - Everyone (including neighbor girl) out the door to go to VBS at our church
9am - 12pm - Work in the nursery at VBS, caring for the 3 and unders of the teachers.  (Had to change TWO diapers today - boy, I sure don't miss that mess!!!)
12:30pm - Back home (send neighbor girl home) and get the boys lunch
1:30pm - Struggle to get at least one of the younger two down for a nap
Afternoon - try to get some work done - I have three weddings in the next two weeks!  YIKES!
2:30pm - Mumble something to Chris as he's on his way out the door to work.  Perhaps "Who are you again?"  It sure feels like that most of the time!

Then the rest of the afternoon is usually spent breaking up fights, trying to keep them from killing the new kitten (oh - didn't I mention we recently added a third pet to the mix?) and debating whether or not to turn on the A/C.  (I've found when it's off, they spend more time outside so it's worth a little sweat to promote that, I feel.)  After dinner, there's showers/baths and bedtime, then more of my busy-work.  WHEW!  At this rate, summer is REALLY flying by!

We are doing virtual school for my two older boys this year.  It's worth a try.  Homeschooling myself turned out to be a lot more than I could handle, esp with my start-up business, and I feel public school wasn't working for either of them for different reasons.  I am still planning on sending William out to pre-school because he will love it and it will also make things around here a lot quieter for the older boys doing their schoolwork.  We should be all set with enrollment and look forward to receiving the computers and other materials in a few weeks.

I'm excited for the school year to start, because it always feels like a great time to get organized.  To that end, I splurged and ordered myself an Erin Condren planner.  I can't wait to get it!!!  It should be here in a couple of weeks and it starts in September, so that will give me ample time to get it all set up.  I am thinking about doing a vlog review on it when I get it, so stay tuned for that.  Before I ordered it I watched a ton of YouTube reviews on it, so I'll get a kick out of doing my own, I think.

Hope everyone out there in blog-land is having a great summer!

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!