"We need more PINK!"

I know you want to know how Wednesday went, but let's just say that plan failed miserably and leave it at that. Now on to a brighter subject, but not without some disgusting background:

My morning started before the sun had shown up today. Becca had shared the twins bed last night, not an uncommon occurrence, and since it generally helps everyone sleep, Tony and I usually let it go. This morning, however, it had really bad consequences.

The sudden realization in the middle of the night that your child is sick to her stomach is not a happy one. When one walks into the child's room to clean things to find out that she was sleeping next to her two sisters, one does not think happy thoughts. Tony did the cleaning of the items on the bed, I took the girls. Becca really wasn't done being sick anyway.

I promise this gets happier.

Becca and the girls eventually went back to sleep, and Tony did laundry and gave up on his now quite crowded bed. I became quite stuck with three girls cuddling up next to me. Tony took Micah to school and went to work. When the girls and I finally got out of bed, I decided that today was a movie day. Time to chill and do nothing but rotate between rotting our brains with TV and reading princess stories.

By 2 everyone was feeling better but me. I had to get Micah from school, but I really didn't want to move. The best thing about the whole situation was that no one had any homework that they needed to finish up before Friday, and the kid's chores were pretty much done (with a few exceptions). We could still basically just be lazy.

The girls had other plans.

Micah decided that everyone was being entirely too loud so he retreated to his DS. The girls decided that they needed to dress up and have a parade. Actually it looked like a protest. I think if they knew what one looked like, they would have been holding big signs. They just kept chanting over and over, "we need more PINK!" This with tutus and all the sparkles that they could find attached to their bodies.

I know, you probably think it's cute, right? I have little protesters complaining about their environment. When they are older they will probably be chanting that they need more green or something. Still, I being the big bad mom, silenced their demands and told them that there was definitely enough pink in the house. To which my darling Becca replied, "but mom, the walls in our room are purple."

I still have no plans to paint their room, nor their bunk bed, nor any other piece of furniture in their room pink. Nope, the next home improvement project in my house will not be pink, no matter how much they protest. Still, I hope that one day they become rockers or goth or something so that I can one day I can remind them of this day.

I should have gotten it on video.

It's Wednesday!

In the middle of the week is a day that gets rather long. That day is Wednesday.

Why?

First of all, my school age kids have a minimum day. That alone could make for a long day depending on attitudes. Having been a home schooled kid, I had at one point pondered whether or not I wanted to home school my kids. Wednesdays are the days that make me wonder why I would ever consider it. Don't get me wrong, I love my kids, I love being around them, but there are times when I just need some time without them. That time may as well be when they are learning something and socializing. Besides, the twins get more time with just me while the others are at school. Not the same as individual time, but we do get to play...except on Wednesdays.

Wednesdays I hurry to get my chores done and clean something, only to have something happen in the other room (because I'm not playing with the twins, I'm sure) and basically a big mess erupts. The thing is that if I don't get things where they need to be before Micah gets home, nothing will be accomplished because I will have a tantrum on my hands. Of course then Becca will have some problem that she needs me to solve, and then the twins will have made a different room than anyone else is at explode.

All of this is wrapped up as quickly as possible, I feed all the kids with whatever is handy because I have probably not thought about dinner in time, and then I rush everyone out the door for church.

How do I solve this issue? This morning I decided that since Micah and Becca had finished their homework for the week (with the exception of a reading log), I am going to teach the two of them how to do laundry. They already have some of the concepts down, so I really just need to get them to help me effectively. This eliminates some of the issues of my having a busy morning, because I can just do a few things and then devote the afternoon to laundry, giving me time to catch up on other stuff tomorrow. I hope Micah goes for this. He likes helping me do stuff, though, so I'm not really expecting too much of a fight.

I probably should have put something in the crock pot for dinner, though.

So, it's almost time for me to pick up the Micah and Becca from school. I hope this works.

Keeping My Mouth Shut

You know if you read my previous blog that I am in a waiting stage in my life. This is kinda a continuation of that same topic, though not entirely.

I hate knowing secrets. Seriously. Not just dislike. Not just irritated by them. I hate knowing secrets. Well, let me clarify. I hate not being able to talk about something. I hate having to be careful not to say something that will let on that I know something that I am not supposed to say anything about. I know, that wasn't clear.

So lately I have had to keep my mouth shut when a certain subjects come up that I know something about that I can't say anything about. The subjects keep coming up, too! I have even had to make decisions based upon that knowledge that I have and then not be able to explain why I am making that decision. Yeah, that was not cool. What's even worse is that I am not able to keep my body language tamed, so people know that I know something, but I don't say anything about it. Then people get all offended and I just try to walk away.

Soon one of the secrets will be revealed, and that will be a relief. Of course, that will still only be one of the secrets. That might be worse. I think I still might need to keep my mouth shut still because I think if I talk about one thing, everything will come spilling out of my mouth.

What I think I am trying to say is that I need to keep my mouth shut for a while. Do me a favor and don't ask me any questions. I may know something, but I might not be able to tell you. Please don't torture me.

Thanks

"Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise;
When he closes his lips, he is considered prudent."
Proverbs 17:28

Waiting

At the moment I feel like I am waiting for something to happen. It's weird. There are several changes that might happen in the near future, most of them I can't even talk about. It feels like the calm before the storm. I have this idea in my head that if I do anything beyond the normal routine, the effort will be worthless because everything around me is going to change anyway.

I'm an action kind of person. If I'm not doing something, and rushing the entire time, I feel like I'm doing something wrong. It's so hard to wait for stuff. Especially when I am waiting on someone else.

So here I am. I am attempting to adjust my attitude. The changes are going to happen, life will still go on. I'll still have to wait no matter what my attitude is.

There are tons places in the Bible that talk about waiting. This is an awesome Psalm that encourages me. It reminds me to wait because God is faithful.

Psalm 40

1 I waited patiently for the LORD;
he turned to me and heard my cry.

2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.

3 He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear
and put their trust in the LORD.

4 Blessed is the man
who makes the LORD his trust,
who does not look to the proud,
to those who turn aside to false gods.

5 Many, O LORD my God,
are the wonders you have done.
The things you planned for us
no one can recount to you;
were I to speak and tell of them,
they would be too many to declare.

6 Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but my ears you have pierced;
burnt offerings and sin offerings
you did not require.

7 Then I said, "Here I am, I have come—
it is written about me in the scroll.

8 I desire to do your will, O my God;
your law is within my heart."

9 I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly;
I do not seal my lips,
as you know, O LORD.

10 I do not hide your righteousness in my heart;
I speak of your faithfulness and salvation.
I do not conceal your love and your truth
from the great assembly.

11 Do not withhold your mercy from me, O LORD;
may your love and your truth always protect me.

12 For troubles without number surround me;
my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see.
They are more than the hairs of my head,
and my heart fails within me.

13 Be pleased, O LORD, to save me;
O LORD, come quickly to help me.

14 May all who seek to take my life
be put to shame and confusion;
may all who desire my ruin
be turned back in disgrace.

15 May those who say to me, "Aha! Aha!"
be appalled at their own shame.

16 But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation always say,
"The LORD be exalted!"

17 Yet I am poor and needy;
may the Lord think of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
O my God, do not delay.

The Vacation

Well, this weekend was interesting. I shall attempt to write about it while watching the presidental inauguration.

We started out on Friday with the long drive up to Napa with my FIL and SIL and the twins. That was fine up until we were almost there, and my MIL suggested that because of rush hour, my FIL should drive a different way, and then gave directions that way. This began his irritation. I decided at that moment to keep my mouth shut as much as possible for the rest of the trip. When a man is getting directions in the night time when you can't see signs very well, and really are tired after a long trip, I think that the best thing is just to be quiet so he doesn't fume in your direction. It didn't help that my SIL was irritated at him, either. So, whether I saw the sign or not for the turn that was missed, I wasn't saying a word. Nope. I made a great effort to not pay attention to the road after a while. Carrie may argue with her father all she wants, I am not going there.

We got there, and I have to say, My FIL didn't really vent his frustration to everyone in the room. He may have been irritated, but it wasn't as bad as I expected.

It was already past bedtime, and as my FIL had pointed out several times in the last hour, there was not a good place to stop and grab dinner easily on the way there, so the kids had some pizza at Grandpa Dale's house and then Carrie and the twins and I took off to find the place where we were staying. That was a fun drive as well. Driving on windey roads after dark, not really knowing where I am going, especially when they aren't well lit isn't my idea of a good evening. Still, we got there.

We checked in and then Carrie and I decided that we needed something to eat (neither of us eat pizza, and the salad that was offered wasn't going to last us the night). We went to a KFC and was promptly told that they didn't have any chicken. Yes, that's right, they were out of chicken except for 5 hot wings. I saw a Burger King, but their chicken isn't my favorite (rubber is a good way to describe it.). We drove around for a while in downtown Windsor (not a booming metropolis, but a fun place to visit in the daytime) and finally found a Taco Bell. We went back to the resort where we were staying and I got the girls in bed. I unpacked a while until Tony and the other kids finally showed up at about 11:30 that night. They were excited after the airplane, but really tired, so we got them to bed pretty fast.

The next day we went out to Grandpa Dale's house and met everyone for our trip to the Jelly Belly factory. That was fun. Micah couldn't eat any jelly beans, but there were other things that he could have, and the factory itself was really exciting for him. Watching machines do the same thing over and over was a real thrill for him.

After the tour, we had lunch. That was an adventure. We took about 20 people to Costco to have lunch because it was cheap. Yep, that's how we roll.

We went back to Grandpa Dale's house and relaxed for a while. The kids played around, and then Tony and I went out and left the kids there with Grammy so that they could play and so could we. I found a wonderful grocery store (yep, that's what excites me) and explored. The entire shopping center was just full of places that I love. It had a Whole Foods market, a Trader Joe's, Target, World Market, a big bookstore and a bunch of little shops that I could have had fun for hours at. Unfortunately, we had to get back to Grandpa Dale's because the dinner adventure was going to begin.

Apparently the dinner theater thing didn't happen. Instead, we (I think the total was 27...but it could have been more) all went to this little place (at least it seemed small compared to our huge group) that specialized in prime rib. I had fish. It really wasn't to my liking, but others liked it. I'm not a huge black pepper fan, and that was the overwhelming flavor of that fish. I kept picking out bones, too. Bones that apparently no one else who had fish experienced. Whatever. I'm not complaining, but I'm easy to read when I don't like something. They offered to bring me something else, but I really wasn't in the mood. I just wanted to get out of there. Micah's food was a challenge there, too. I made my request clear, but we had to send his food back. They finally came out with his food by the time that everyone else was done. The poor guy was overwhelmed by all the noise in the place (and while our croud had the most small children, it wasn't nearly the noisiest), and he was hungry and frustrated at the fact that everyone else could eat except him. He did rather well, though, since he had a hat on that covered his ears, and crayons and paper that I had thought to bring. Still, I think that he was happy to leave when it was time.

We went back to the resort to sleep after that long night, and everyone rested pretty well.

The next day, we went to Grandpa Dale's church. Now, their beleifs are very different than ours, but overall, I tried to suck it up for the sake of unity in the family. Becca got confused when they sprinkled a baby and talked about his salvation, but after a pretty good talk, I think she is still confused, but is going to be okay. Considering the fact that we had been talking a lot recently about making Jesus our boss, and why people in our church "get dunked," it was really just poor timing to have that other kind of baptism. Still, it was an interesting lesson in showing her that people can disagree and still love each other.

After church, the family split up. Some of us took a scenic drive and took some fun pictures of pretty houses and interesting sights along the way. Others went to Costco (there's that store again) to get supplies for a barbecue and watching football games at the resort where we stayed.

Becca and I had a fun time taking pictures with Grammy and Daddy and the twins. We stopped several times along the way, and Becca got the opportunity to work her new camera quite a bit. My little budding photographer didn't do too bad, either. Some of the pictures you see were taken by her.

Back at the resort, there was football and fun watching videos and playing on the playground that was just outside the sliding glass door of our rooms. My FIL had to leave for his plane ride back, so after a fun afternoon, those who were taking him to the airport left. We relaxed for a while, and at bedtime, the kids went to bed and Tony, Carrie, Shawn, and I played a game of Family Feud that they had found on clearance at Target. It was fun.

The next day, I spent quite a bit of the morning packing and getting things ready for the trip home. Tony was a huge help, getting kids up and ready and basically doing whatever else I asked him to do. We checked out and got in the car, but then Tony knocked on the window and asked about the coupon book for the car rental place. I hadn't seen it the entire trip. I packed everything that morning, I knew that I hadn't put it somewhere not noticing it. Still, we searched all the bags while in the parking lot. Not there. We went on our way, but the guys finally called the rental place. Apparently it was left there. So we wasted a bunch of time looking through bags that I knew it wasn't in because it was left at the car rental place. Not that I was in a hurry, but the guys were going out to pick up my MIL and then get to the airport on time. Anyway, it worked out okay.

Carrie and I drove home. It was a long drive, but it wasn't bad. I enjoyed the trip. We decided to take the 99 instead of the 5 because it would have more places to stop if necessary. We stopped a few times, so I still think this was a good idea, even if it took a little more time. I think Carrie was really tired, but we made it home by 11:30, so it wasn't too bad. Hopefully she gets a nap after work this afternoon.

Overall, it wasn't a bad trip. There were some things that could have gone better, but it wasn't as bad as I expected. The thing that was wierd about the whole thing was that I kept thinking that I was going to have to talk to Tony's family more, but really I didn't even get the chance to do that much. At the big dinner, I was surrounded by my kids and not really interacting with others much except maybe Carrie because of how we were all seated. I didn't really visit with them much at all. Still, Grandpa Dale got to meet all the great-grandkids, and I think that was pretty much the purpose of the visit.

Anyway, that was my weekend, how was yours?

The Trip

Since my adoring fans asked (all two of you who read and respond to my blog...and one of you is family!), I am writing about my trip this weekend.

On Friday the twins, my father-in-law, and my sister-in-law, and I will be driving up to Napa to visit with my mother-in-law's dad. I know, that sounds strange. Tony, Micah, Becca, and my brother-in-law and his daughter, Cassidy will be flying up there, and my mother-in-law is already up there. My husband's brother is going up there, too, along with his family, but they are driving separately.

Confused yet? I am. It gets worse as things change for the trip back down.

Micah and Becca will be going on an airplane for the first time. It should be interesting. Micah isn't into noise. Hopefully he doesn't go crazy. Tony will be there to handle it, though. Apparently, Tony will be taking care of just Micah, because Cassidy and Becca want to sit together to play. Honestly, it isn't that long of an airplane ride, so I'm thinking it really won't be a problem...but if it is, it will be over soon enough.

The visit should be interesting. We will be visiting people who don't have kids around regularly, and especially not that many kids so young. My mother-in-law says she doesn't think her father knows what he is getting into. Not that any of our kids are bad, but there are a lot of them. Plus they are all pretty young.

We will be staying at a place that is about an hour away from Tony's grandfather's house. That's kinda irritating, but it was free. I plan on changing the kids into jammies before the ride to the place we are staying so they can fall asleep in the car.

Can you tell I'm not super excited about the trip? I'm basically going to show off my kids in a place where they may or may not feel entirely comfortable. I am going to bribe them to behave. That might work for Micah and Becca, but the twins are 2. Bribery for them usually means candy, and that doesn't have all day benefits. They won't be alone in this, though, my nieces, Cassidy (who just turned 3) and Emma (who is a month younger than the twins) will be there to help cause all kinds of trouble.

I hope everyone keeps their sense of humor.

One of the things that Tony's grandfather plans for us to do is go to a dinner theater thing. That should be...interesting. I hope the show is exciting and not scary. I have no idea what it is. You would think that I would know this stuff, since my kids are going to see it, but I have not been able to get any information about it. I have asked, but no one knows. I figure if we have to walk out, we will. I'm hoping it doesn't come to that, though. I also hope that it isn't too terribly loud. I wish I could get my son to wear something to cut out noise. He is sensitive about things touching his ears even more than the noise, though.

On Sunday, we may or may not be going to Tony's grandfather's church. I don't really know the plans there. If we aren't going to church, I think Tony is going to do a Bible study for at least me and the kids, and anyone else who wants to join, probably. Going to a different church is always interesting. Especially with Micah. People don't always know how to take him. My brother-in-law's church was welcoming to him (and since they aren't a quiet church, his outbursts were not a big deal for them), but that was a different denomination. I don't know how Micah will do in a a Methodist church. That will be something to see. Not to mention the rest of the kids. The twins don't even sit through our church services, and Becca thinks our service is boring...

We come back on Monday. My father-in-law will be flying back on Sunday, though, so that he can work on Monday. That means that my sister-in-law and I will be driving back with the twins by ourselves. That doesn't bug me, though. I know Tony and Micah and Becca will be flying back on Monday, but I don't really know how everyone else is getting home. I think it's similar to how they all got up, but I don't really know.

So that's what I will be doing this weekend, and well, we could use some prayer.

Fire!

The worst part of parenting is the emergencies. If you don't have kids yet, just know that with children come emergencies. Yesterday we had one.

I was busy with the twins. They had decided that nap time just wasn't happening, and we were in the bathroom for something like the 5oth time that day. We sat and sat, and Micah came and asked if he could have a taquito for a snack. I made the mistake of saying, "yes, in a minute." Apparently, that was taken literally. It took the girls and I well over a minute in the bathroom.

Micah knows how to work the microwave. Micah knows how to program the thing to do things that I don't know how. He doesn't, however, know how long it takes to warm a single taquito. In the middle of the screaming fit from a very tired toddler, I didn't hear the buttons being pressed to start the microwave for 2 minutes...the time that it takes for my microwave to cook a bag of popcorn, something that Micah does for himself all the time.

Did you know that if you cook a single cheap frozen taquito on a paper plate for 2 minutes, it will catch on fire? I know that now!

I came into the kitchen to a small fire and Micah trying to blow it out like a candle. I quickly smothered it with a towel, not knowing exactly what was burning. I should have known, but I really didn't think about it. The fire wasn't that big, but it sure did smoke up my house. My microwave doesn't work anymore, but that was the extent of the damage. It didn't even completely ruin my towel (it was a bath towel, laying on the ground because I had grabbed it to clean up a water spill from a twin incident earlier that day).

So, now my house smells bad. I mean it really stinks. I am trying everything, but it just isn't going away. Hopefully my mom will have some success over the weekend airing it out while the rest of us are away. I feel bad for her, since this was supposed to be a relaxing weekend for her, but if airing out the house is the worst work that she has to do, she probably isn't doing too bad.

So that was my minor emergency. There have been worse emergencies in parenting, but that was this week's. That means that there shouldn't be any more, right?

My Husband

My husband is wonderful. He gets up every morning and gets the school kids ready for school, and changes the small ones and when he still has time, he gets the twins breakfast, too. All this so that I can spend a little more time in my bed (usually reading, but sometimes I am still sleeping).

Once my husband goes to work, my day begins. I get up and do all of the morning stuff. If my day goes bad, I can generally call or text or otherwise message my husband and he listens and tries to encourage me. Of course, there are times when he can't be there for me, but when he can, he is there.

When he comes home from work, he eats dinner and entertains the kids. At bedtime for the kids, he reads the stories, and we tag team to get everyone otherwise ready.

Saturdays are when things vary. Tony generally has something that he is doing, whether it's something at the church, umpiring, or just something around the house or on the computer. If the activity is something that a kid can come along, he usually takes one or two with him. He doesn't take all four places by himself, but really, who can blame him? I do it, but I'm crazy.

Sundays Tony and I tag team to get the kids and ourselves ready for church. That's usually a pretty big mess. My husband lacks girly fashion sense, and Becca used to be a help for him, telling him what can and cannot go together, but her taste in clothes got weird, so there are times when I have to re-dress the girls. He doesn't do hair, either, at least not girl's hair. These are just not skills that he has had to acquire yet, and that is totally understandable. The other day when I was not feeling well, and didn't get up to finish Becca's hair for school, it looked like a daddy did it. It was functional (sort of) but not exactly beautiful. Still, I think it was a good try.

This Sunday evening my husband is being ordained as a pastor. Tony is worried about kneeling for a really long time, but he will be fine (if not, I'll be there to video the fall so we can all laugh later). Anyway, I just thought that today would be an appropriate day to brag a little on my husband. He is an awesome man of God who cares for his family well.

The service on Sunday will be interesting. I'm leaving the girls in childcare, they won't sit through that long service, but Micah will be in with us. I think I'll bring some legos or something. The normal crayons probably won't last through the really long prayer session (when Tony will be knealing), so I'm thinking a bigger goodie bag will be appropriate. I was debating bringing Becca in, but she gets bored during a regular service, and this one will probably be worse from a 5 year old's point of view. Still, I'll be prepared just in case she decides she wants to come. She has been known to do that kind of thing if the kids that she wants to play with aren't in childcare. My little social butterfly gets that from her daddy (well, she certainly didn't get it from me).

So, that's what's happening this weekend.

Exercise and Cleaning

Exercise and cleaning go hand in hand, I think. If I don't get up and do my morning exercises, I don't end up getting my cleaning done, either. This is probably why I don't do much when my mom or Tony is home. I just don't like doing my exercising in front of them. It's irritating to have someone sit and watch you do stuff like that. I don't know how people on those videos do it.

I never had the urge to get stuff done in my house until there was a real reason for having it clean (like if someone was coming over or something), but since I started the exercise stuff, I have really looked around and started to get things together.

So when I was thinking about the way that these two were connected, I thought, wow, that sounds like I was going through depression or something. I mean, exercise is supposed to give you the good hormones that help you out of that stuff, right? Still, I played with my kids and stuff, but I always wanted to be away from my house. Hmm. I don't know. I am probably over analyzing myself. Besides, it's over now, anyway. I'm out of that funk and am getting my house and health back in order.

So this morning, I got up and put my shoes on, though I really hurt (I have a horrible ear infection), and did my walking in the livingroom (I know it sounds weird, but it's a video, and it works better than walking at the mall), and then began my cleaning routine. It's just a little bit at a time so that I don't get out of the habit because it's too much, but it's better than before.

So, how long am I going to keep this up? It's my desire that it just becomes habit and that I don't get into the huge mess pattern again. If that works, I hope that my children will pick it up from me and that they won't have to learn these habits on their own like I did. Knowing how much my messy, sedentary lifestyle affected me, and I want better for them.

A fun verse:
"Now reform your ways and your actions and obey the LORD your God. Then the LORD will relent and not bring the disaster he has pronounced against you." Jeremiah 26:13

Clutter

I am beginning my organizational goal this week...tomorrow. I decided I really needed to do some research on how others have done it and made it stick. So here I am at the computer this morning reading stuff about cleaning. That and my mom is off work today and I really want to work on this when no one else is (oatmeal break. My husband is the most wonderfullest guy!) (Tony wrote that last part...) around (I might get interrupted or something).

Yeah, I might be procrastinating. Still, I'm going to start this goal. I mean, why make a goal if you aren't even going to try to achieve it?

I went to this site that my friend, Jennifer recommended and it seemed a little odd, and a whole lot of work just to do the cleaning and organizing and decluttering thing. But when I really think about it, I need all the reminders and tips and stuff if I am going to be able to persevere. Yeah, I really need someone to nag me, and I'd rather that come it an impersonal email than from someone who I know and love. I know that there is no accountability in that, but I really do want to do this enough that the reminders will hopefully be enough. Plus I plan on blogging about some of it along the way. My hope is that by the end of the year I will be able to post pictures here of every room in my house (and possibly my shed, but that may be a little too much, I'll decide in the middle of the year). I'm also wanting to throw a party here, but I don't know what for except just to celebrate a clean home (by messing it up with a party...maybe not...I don't know).

Anyway, one of the things in the emails that I got from flylady (the site that my friend mentioned to me) was this place called freecycle. There you can post stuff for other people to come take it off your hands and use. I love that idea. I've been trying to get all my baby stuff into someone else's hands for a while, because I hate to throw it all away if it can be put to good use. The idea of a garage sale is a headache in itself. I could post stuff on craigslist or ebay some of it, but I like the frecycle idea. I don't know if I will actually do it yet, but I looked it over and I'll decide later (yep, I'm procrastinating again).

Just an update on organizing my children, I have to say, the handipoints system is working for us. Becca has been wonderful at getting her chores and homework done on time. Micah is starting to get into it since I stopped printing out the checklists and just let the kids check stuff off on the computer. Ali and Zoe still don't understand, but since Micah and Becca are getting excited about the points, they are, too.

So I'm working my way towards organization taking baby steps. I'll get there. It won't be overnight, though.

2009

I am now going to make an attempt to put together my goals for this new year. These really aren't in any particular order, so don't think that any of these is more important than the others.

The first thing on my to do list (or whatever you want to call it) for this year is to be more organized. That goal is kinda big. My house is normally barely contained chaos, and so this goal will probably begin in my home. I want my house to look less like a tornado visited each day. This has been rough. I like to blame this on my children, they are quite tornado-like in nature, but really, I'm just not an organized person, and so it will actually take effort to change my routines so that I can keep up with everything.

My next goal is to be physically healthier. I know, I've really already begun that fight, but still, I really want to be able to say by the end of this year that I am a lot healthier than right now. More specifically, I want my cholesterol to be a lot lower than the present (at least 20 points), and I want to be exercising a more often and more efficiently.

Now, those two are pretty big goals on their own, but I still have more.

I want to be a better cook and a better photographer by the end of they year. This means that I will have to practice a lot, and also that I will have to get over my dislike of cooking on a regular basis. I really like my new crock pot, though, and that might be what helps me get over my aversion to cooking. It will also help me (hopefully) with being organized. It feels like I'm better prepared for the day when I get up in the morning and fix dinner for the evening. When it comes to the photography, I just wanted to put that in because I feel good when I take a good photograph. It's a satisfying feeling, and I want it to happen more often. If nothing else the good feelings about photos and the bad feelings about cooking should balance things out, right?

My next goal is to be more edifying to others. I want to build others up in the things that I say instead of tearing them down. The whole idea of, "if you don't have anything nice to say, keep your mouth shut" is only part of what I am going for here. I want to do things that build people up. I'm not sure exactly how that is going to work in my life yet, but I figure that if my brain has the idea, I'll be praying for ways to put it into action. It's amazing what God does when you pray for something like that. He puts you in situations, but they aren't usually easy. Still, I think that I am far too negative about others, and I really need to work on my words and actions in this area. I'll probably be logging more about this later.

That's about it. It's a lot, but when I consider all the work that God did in my life last year, I am pretty sure that they aren't unreasonable.

So, what are your plans for the year? Do you have any?

2008

The year 2008 was a lesson in trusting in God for us.

The year began with my husband without a full time job. It was depressing for him, and rough on our budget (to say the least), and impacted our marriage. The lesson was trust in God. Looking back, I have no idea how we could have paid all of our bills at that time, but God provided.

When Tony finally got his current job, soon after that he lost what little he was getting paid at the church. That could have been hard to take, except that it really made ministry easier in some ways. We had to figure out how to pay bills again, but God provided, and He opened up a few doors in ministry because of our struggle.

Micah became progressively more aggressive this year, and I got to the end of my rope with him, too. Still, God provided a way through that, too. Once again He put me in a position with my son where I had to do something that I never wanted to do. Through that struggle with giving my son his meds, I learned so much because of all of the research, and because of my own feelings in the situation where we made the decision to medicate.

What else happened? Becca started school. Becca switched from dance to cheer leading. The twins turned two. Becca turned 5 and Barbies invaded my house. Potty training for the last time (with my own kids). Stuff that is a big deal in my book, but in the grand scheme of things is probably insignificant.

I also truly discovered my love for photography. It is something that helps me relax, and I have known that for a while, but during 2008 I really learned a lot more about it and developed a desire to go further with it.

I went back to school, tried the thought of going into nursing out, and wavered...it's not real clear anymore where I am going professionally still, hopefully I'll figure that out better in 2009.

I started a new diet and exercise regime in 2008 and drove the other adults in my house nuts with it...I'm continuing still...everyone will just have to deal. No more red meat. I'm not buying it. I desire to live a long life and not die of a heart attack because I couldn't live without my hamburgers. I will continue my search for a way to eat a bowl of oatmeal that isn't nasty because I eat it every day.

I have begun to let go of a few responsibilities at church in 2008. The process of being there better for my kids at church is has begun. I am praying for other ways and will continue this in the coming year. I want to be able to be there for my family, and I can't do that if I am too busy with other responsibilities.

Oh, another thing that I started to do more is blogging. I began this blog specifically and I am enjoying it.

So, that's 2008. This new year is another blog I think. I guess I probably should have written this yesterday, but that wasn't really possible, so here it is. I'll try to get my plans (or resolutions or whatever you want to call them) for the new year figured out soon.