J funnies ...

On Saturday the girls and I were doing some scrapbooking together and J started doing this really silly laugh. She had H and I in hysterics because it was so funny. Then she started telling us to try it, but for some reason we just couldn't do it nearly as funny as she was. So a few minutes later, she's still trying to teach us the laugh, and out of the blue she says "You've got to put a little BOOM in it!" .... Needless to say, that just made us laugh even harder! I have no idea where she came up with that expression but it sure was cute!

This morning we woke up to LOTS of beautiful snow. I love snow days!! Anyway, J was standing at the window watching the snow and she says "Mama, the trees are dancing!" ... another adorable comment that I knew I just had to write down. What a nice way to start our week!

I don't usually do this on my blog but ...

I know a lot of other Moms (and Grandmas) read my blog ... so I'm going to ask some parenting advice. And let me just start by saying that I adore both of my children with all of my heart. But we all know that parenting is hard work, and sometimes we need a little (OK, a LOT) of help with it. I pray daily for the strength and patience I need to parent my girls well, but sometimes I also need a little practical advice from other parents ... you know what I mean??

So, here goes:
One of my children is not a good listener. Most times I have to ask her 4-5 times before she will do what I have asked.

I have disciplined her for it, but being that she is very sensitive she just gets really upset, and I wonder if she really got the message.

I feel as though all day I am saying "YOU NEED TO LISTEN TO MOMMY". I have tried the tough approach and I have tried the compassionate approach.

Sometimes I don't know if she is disobeying, because she is the type who is VERY easily distracted. So on the way to put her PJ's on, she sees a toy and she stops ... then I tell her again to put PJ's on and she walks to the dresser and sees a book and stops to look at it ... so I tell her a 3rd time and she gets halfway undressed before stopping again to pick up the toy ... etc, etc, etc, on it goes.

Could this be a symptom of ADD? (I'm not trying to 'label' her, just trying to understand the behavior.)
Or do you other parents just think it's out right disobedience?
I feel as though she could be disciplined ALL day long and she would still act the same way because like I said before she's very easily distracted.

I know she has the ability to focus, because she does well in preschool. And she is a quick learner, even times when I think she isn't paying attention and she ends up retaining information.

So, what advice have you got?? I am really struggling with this one. And feel free to email me if you need lots of space to write! Thanks friends!

Did you know?

That if you click on any of my pictures, it will come up with a larger size. So in case anyone wants to get a closer look at those wrinkles around my eyes, you can do so at anytime!!

Great little websites ...

So like most years, one of my 'resolutions' is to try to have more discipline in eating right and exercising - the two big E's. Not by any means two of my favorite things as I LOVE food and I LOATHE exercise.

Still, I know it's something I need to do. I've noticed this slow weight gain that has happened to me over time. Mostly I realized it because I have a closet full of things that don't fit anymore.

Now please don't anyone panic. I'm not looking to be skinny minny, anorexic girl. I just want to shape up and start living more healthfully. (And I'm a little scared to be revealing this to all of you, for I fear this makes me have to be accountable for my words!!!!)

Anyway, I found these two very helpful websites to help keep me on track. On the first one you can input your daily progress, such as everything you eat and all your daily activity. And it will show you how many calories you've used and how many you have left. It's called myfitnesspal.com -- you can link right to it from here.

The next cool site is called hungrygirl.com, they show you lots of cool low fat recipes and substitutions for lots of your fave foods. Even yummy lower fat versions of your favorite Starbucks drinks. And, you can subscribe to their newsletter and get daily emails from them about new items/recipes. It's pretty cool. And the best part is, Hungry Girl is just like me, she LOVES food!

So if anyone else out there would like to join my quest for daily discipline, please let me know. I'd love to have some accountability/encouragement partners!

Another Christmas celebration

About 5 years ago we started something new with Bob's family. A new Christmas tradition. Instead of everyone stressing over spending too much or what to buy for each other, we decided to pick names and just buy for one person.

So far it's been great, their are 8 adults so we each pick one name, and you have $50 to spend on that person. That way you can buy something kinda decent without breaking the bank or your Christmas budget!

I also have to mention that we always have so much fun together. We are so blessed by wonderful families and great memories. Since we don't get together nearly as often as we should, the girls get so excited when we say we're going to visit their cousins. My nephews are so adorable. They are very close in age to the girls and they always have so much fun together. The boys are: Thomas (6), Jonathan (3 & 1/2), and Andrew (just turned 1).

I included some pictures of the fun day we had together.
Isn't he cute? Oh, and the baby is adorable too! :)
Andrew is such a snuggly little baby!
J turned into a real stinker!
Erin (Glenna) and Aaron
Robin and Dan
Kristen, Dan and silly boys
My fam
The girls (laughing at something!)
The boys
I think this is officially my last post about Christmas ... until next year!

New Years Eve

It's pretty rare that Bob gets to be home on a New Years Eve. In fact, since he works evenings he really only gets it off about once every 7-8 years when it falls on his regular day off. So needless to say, NYE has never been a big thing for us ... the girls and I are usually in bed LONG before midnight and we make no special occasion of it.

Well the past TWO years we have been lucky enough to have Bob home since NYE was on his days off. So last year we started a fun tradition and invited some friends over to 'party' with us.

My friend Sarah has always told me of the fun NYE celebrations they host where about 30-40 ppl all come over to celebrate and then crash wherever they can find a pillow. I always thought that sounded like SO much fun so we decided to try it. (On a much smaller scale though!)

Last year we had a few friends over and some even made it to midnight. And all the kids stayed up too which was fun, even though we knew they'd be cranky the next day. This year we did the same. We only had 2 other couples over, but with all the kids it added up to 13 ppl which was perfect.

We ate yummy stuff, had some fun drinks, and played games while the kids watched movies downstairs. Then one couple and their kids spent the night, since their drive was too far to go after midnight. And yes, our kids and theirs all stayed up till midnight! (After I tucked them in it took all of 5 seconds for them to fall asleep!)

I didn't take too many pictures, guess I was too busy having fun, but here's a few of the kids (taken at about 11pm) as you can see they still have plenty of silliness and energy left in them!

Oh, and the fun disco ball headbands were a steal from Target (2 for a dollar!)


Poor Ben, stuck with all the girls!


It's just too bad it will probably be another 7 years until we can do this again!

I'm just trying out ...

a new color scheme and blog format. Not sure if it'll stick, but we'll see! Comments are welcome!!! :)

Christmas pictures...

So I have to say, this Christmas was definitely the most special one we've had yet. It always seems like we put all this hard work and effort into planning a big holiday and it either becomes so stressful that it's not much fun ... or, someone gets really sick and all the plans must be re-arranged.

This year we were fortunate, and the sickness waited until exactly the day AFTER Christmas to start ... and I didn't allow myself to get all stressed out about little things so that I was truly able to enjoy every moment of the season.

I recently heard a few people say that Christmas is not their favorite holiday. They prefer Thanksgiving because it's just food and family - very simple. I, on the other hand, love everything about Christmas. I love that it's not just for one day, but for an entire month! I love listening to the carols for weeks, I love getting lots of cards in the mail, I love going to Christmas parties with friends, I love decorating the whole house and enjoying all the pretty lights, I love planning and shopping and wrapping things for the special people in my life, I love sitting at home on a snowy night to watch Christmas movies and eat popcorn, I love the foods of Christmas like fruitcake and egg nog and Christmas cookies, oh and yes I do love baking cookies too! There are so many things to love about this holiday!

A few years ago when H was about 3 yrs old, she saw me packing everything away into boxes after the Christmas season and said 'I'm gonna miss Christmas!' ... well, as much as I love Christmas, I'm usually ready by January first to start putting things away for another year. I'm ready to stop eating all those yummy fattening foods, to get back into a normal routine, and start a new fresh year!

So what was so special about this year?

• Well, first we got to enjoy several warm, cozy nights at home as a family. We played games and watched movies and enjoyed the falling snow outside.

• Second, we had a snowy December! That always puts me in the holiday spirit! We had a couple of fun days sledding and playing in the snow too.

• Third, we enjoyed a couple great Christmas parties at friend's homes. Great friends, great food, great fellowship!

• Fourth, we got to enjoy all our favorite traditions, without anyone getting sick! Yippee!

• Fifth, the girls were really into the spirit of things this year, their excitement was contagious!

• Sixth, H accepting Jesus as her personal Savior on Christmas Eve -- the best gift any parent could ask for!

• And finally, our families. They are all so special to us. We had my Mom, Bob's parents and Aaron & Glenna all spend the night on Christmas Eve and it was so much fun to all wake up together on Christmas morning.
  

Here are a bunch of pictures to enjoy ...

My Mom and J

My Mom and H

The girls loved their new vests and hats

J checking out some new toys while Casey supervises.

Glenna and Bette, all tuckered out from all the excitement.Flower centerpiece from the shop where I work.

Ready for Christmas dinner

YUM Daddy! You're a great cook!

With Bob's parents.

With my Mom.

Aaron and Glenna

Mom and I

Bob and I

My family.

With Grandma S.

LOTS and LOTS of cards!!

Oh, before I forget ...

I still have to add Christmas and New Year's pictures and updates ... so stay tuned!

This week is my week to get everything back to normal (take down Christmas stuff, back into the swing of school, etc... ) so I will update the blogs and pictures as soon as possible!

I've been carded.

My dear friend Pauleen has "carded" me, not sure exactly what that means, but I received these instructions so here goes!

Here are the rules:

1. Each player starts with 5 gifts that they would want for the New Year. Following Pauleen's example I did more than 5 but I think that's OK. :)
2. People who are “CARDED” need to write their own Blog about their 5 things & post these rules.
3. At the end of your Blog, you need to choose 5 people to get “CARDED” and list their names.
4. Don’t forget to leave them a COMMENT telling them they’re “CARDED”, and to read your Blog.

Spiritual Needs

*To be diligent with spending time in the Word. (me too Pauleen!)
*To spend time in prayer - specifically for my hubby and children.
*To set a better example for my kids by having daily 'quiet' time with God.
*To set a better example of Christlikeness by not losing my patience and yelling so much.
*To follow the Holy Spirit's leading in where I should be serving in the church.

Physical needs (as in my body)

*To be disciplined to eat right.
*To be disciplined to exercise.
*To set a good example of health for my kids.
*To go to bed early instead of staying up too late.
*To not give in to junk food just because it's quick and easy.

Fun needs

*To read through all the books I want to read.
*To catch up on my scrapbooking.
*To keep in touch better with my friends and family.
*To have more date nights with hubby.
*To have more fun with the kids.

You know it's funny ... as I read through this list of 'wants' ... it's almost like my list of New Years resolutions!!!

So I guess these are the things I'm going to resolve for the New Year. And now I get to 'card' the following people ...

Mary N., Amy D., Nicki W., Lynn W. and Carol T.

Happy New Year!