I don't know whether to laugh or cry!

See my previous post first if you have no idea what I'm talking about ...

This pretty much sums up the way my day started and the reason I feel like I do ... I'm not sure whether I should roll on the floor laughing or sit in a heap and cry!




{But it IS nice to know I'm not alone!}

Bad Day

I don't know what's wrong with me today. I feel overwhelmed and I can't stop crying.

I feel like we are always behind in our school work.

I feel like I can never keep the girls on task and focused during school time.

I feel like I can't even walk out of the room to go pee without them getting distracted.

I feel like my house is always a mess, my bed is never made and I can't keep up with it all.

I feel like I'm trying so hard to lose weight and get in shape but for all my exercise and eating well the scale just won't budge.

I feel like I have a to do list that's a mile long and growing and yet never seem to get things done and checked off.

I feel like I can't seem to keep up on a schedule for any more than a couple days.

I feel like I have obligations and responsibilities to others that I just feel too overwhelmed to fulfill right now.

I know that God is in control, but I'm having a bad day and just needed to vent. To shed my tears and voice my frustrations and hand it all over to God.

My Red Neck Family

We celebrated Christmas with Bob's family this past weekend and everyone thoroughly enjoyed this goofy dress up wig ... I thought they all looked like a bunch of rednecks - especially my daughter with her missing front tooth!!


My nephew ...
My red neck daughter ...
Another nephew ...
Red neck Grandpa ...

My Hero!

This is one of my very best friends, Sarah. She's about 36 weeks pregnant in this picture with her 4th child!
Last night she gave birth to Marissa Faith - at her home - one hour before the midwife could get there! Her {lawyer} husband delivered the baby! (I think he might have to consider a change of work!)

This couple makes some gorgeous children ... these are their other 3 girls; Madeline, Mariah and Molly ...

Congrats to all of you Sarah and Stuart! We love you and are so happy for you! I can't wait to meet your new little Marissa in a couple months. {I will post some pics as soon as I get some from Sarah!}

Kindergarten

I always wanted to be a Kindergarten teacher. And I always wanted to be a Mom. I'm living out my life's dream right now being able to home school the girls. I'm thankful for the freedom and the resources to do what we do.

I love that my sweet little kindergartner can do her creative writing in the comfort of our own home, at our own dining table, with her favorite stuffed animal by her side if she wishes, even wearing PJ's if she wants. Especially on these days with negative temps outside - it's so nice to just be at home.

Imagination

Some days they pretend they're Hannah Montana, or princesses, or movie stars ...

...sometimes they wear a football jersey and HSM sunglasses ...

.... or a very summery dress in the middle of the freezing winter ...

But they're ALWAYS using their big imaginations and it just warms my heart!

I'm back ...

out there in the bloggy world that is! I have decided to put my blog back out there in bloggy world and no longer have it set to 'private'.

This is a big step for me and I've spent several hours going back through old posts to remove my kids real names. For now, while I'm getting used to being 'out there' in bloggy world - I'm going to use alias's for the girls. So I will call them 'Hope' and 'Joy' for now.

Also, I checked on my dashboard and discovered that there were TONS of comments that I had not moderated yet! I thought blogger would email me every time someone commented but I guess not because I had never seen these comments before. So I apologize to those of you who commented and never heard a response from me, or never saw your comment show up. I will definitely try to check the dashboard more often.

One more thing. Because I'm using alias's for the girls, it means that I'm concerned about their safety with being out there on the world wide web. So since you all know and love me I would appreciate it if you also refrain from using their real names, and refrain from commenting on the specific location (state or town) where we live. I feel that these are a couple ways that I will feel safer about being on the net. And if you catch me blogging something that seems to revealing - please alert me! I know it will take some getting used to to change my habits!

Thanks friends ... love ya! Kathy

Under Renovation

Oh my poor, sad blog. So lonely, so neglected. I've been trying to spruce it up with a new look but just can't find one I'm happy with right now. I also have lots of ideas in my head of blog posts, but no time to get them all written down.

So forgive me for the lackluster look and the lack of interesting things to read. I promise I'll be back in full force very soon.

Love, Kathy

Miss Smarty Jeans

First, a little background story ...

My daughter has the worst time finding jeans that fit her. Actually, finding ANY pants that fit her. See she's a 'normal' sized kid living in a world where all the clothes are made 'slim fit'. It's awful. It's been frustrating on many occasions to go into a store and try on 10 or more pairs of jeans in sizes WAY too large for my child - and still have not a single pair be able to get over her thighs and butt.

And I'm not being an over-protective parent when I say this - but my child is no where near overweight or fat. She is very healthy and very athletic, but she does have thighs and a butt and is not a 'slim fit' girl.

So for a long time now we've resorted to buying her stretchy pants or wearing skirts. But she's a typical 7 year old girl and she loves jeans. She wants to wear jeans and be like all her friends that wear jeans. (And no it's not a school thing, remember, we homeschool?) She begs me to take her jeans shopping all the time and we always leave the stores frustrated.

Anyway, getting on to the story ... today I felt like I actually had the patience to deal with jeans shopping so we went to the mall and I decided to try GAP. I hardly ever go in there and anything my girls have that is GAP was bought at the consignment shop - not full price! But I figured I'd give it a shot.

Well, GAP has these wonderful jeans in PLUS sizes for kids! How wonderful! Problem is, that the PLUS is actually TOO big for my child. (I told you, she' s just normal!) So we try on the 'regular' fit ones too ... and I hold my breath as I wait outside the fitting room door ...

AND THEY FIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Perfectly! And she loves them! woohoo, success, finally!

So we did find one pair of plus size that you could pull those little tabs tighter on the inside of the pant - you know what I mean? So she ends up with these 2 pairs that she likes.

Oh, and you have to know that because she does have plenty of clothes at home already and it's not like she 'needs' the jeans, I had told her that we'd go jean shopping but that she'd have to use her own money to buy them. And no, I am NOT a mean mommy! She had almost $100 saved from birthdays, teeth and Christmas ... so she had plenty to spend on jeans and of course Mommy's always halfway to broke! Just kidding, but you understand, right?

Anyway, so we go to check out with the 2 pairs of jeans and I squeak out a little compassion for her and say 'How about I'll pay for one pair and you can pay for the other, sound good?'

One pair is $20 and one pair is $15 -- yes, it's way too much for children's jeans but don't even go there with me ... remember the long struggle we've had looking for jeans??!!

So H replies to me, 'Can I buy the $15 ones and you buy the $20 ones?'

????!!!!!! Are you kidding me? I've just been outsmarted by my 7 year old! She has more money than me and she wants ME to pay for the more expensive jeans??!!
Even the checkout girl was laughing ...

So you know what I did, right? I paid for the more expensive pair. 'Cause that's what Moms do. =)

Current Faves

• Yummy organic Turkish blend coffee from my sis in law

• Sparkpeople website - Join the Bootcamp program with me and together we can lose our behinds in 2009! (It's FREE to join!)

• Fat free Vanilla Caramel Coffemate creamer - Yes! Finally my fave flavor comes in fat free!

• Buy one get 2 free groceries that save me a ton of dough!

• My new foot spa from my wonderful mother in law - seriously, just a 20 min foot soaking in the evening is one of the most wonderful things a Mom can do for herself!
  

• My new One Year Chronological Bible New Living Translation (got a small bonus from work and bought it for myself) - I feel like I'm reading the greatest story ever told (well I am!).
  

• A warm, heat filled house - it's been SO bitter cold here lately. I'm thankful that we are safe and warm in our home.
  

• Storyteller's Club - I'm doing some serious catching up on my scrapbooking thanks to this awesome club. (No, I don't get any credit for talking about it!)

• Finding great workout clothes on the clearance rack at Kohl's! I actually enjoy working out when I have some cool new duds to wear!

• My amazing, hardworking hubby ... he works hard so I can be at home with the girls - even when the temps are freezing (he does an outdoor job) he works so hard and provides for our family. I'm so thankful.
  

• Clementines ... wow, I never liked Oranges before but these little beauties are awesome. Are they only available at this time of year?
  

• Dasani water ... call me crazy but I really do think it tastes better than other bottled waters!

• When CVS has a sale on the exact kind of shampoo and conditioner that I currently love, exactly on the week that I'm about to run out!

• Beautiful sunshine ... even on the bitter cold days when we can't be outside - at least we can enjoy opening up all the curtains and letting the sunlight pour in.
  

• Google Reader - WOW, why didn't I know about this before?? My life is so much more simplified now and I can follow all my fave blogs so much easier! This is awesome ... and if you have no idea what I'm talking about let me know and I'll clue you in.
  

• The Yada Yada Prayer Group by Neta Jackson ... I'm loving this book! It's really opened my eyes in many ways and also been refreshingly funny at the same time. Guess that's why it was 2008 Novel of the Year! {I love when she learns to accept that 'I'm just a sinner!' - can't stop saying that to myself ... "I'm just a sinner!"}
  

• The Bachelor is starting again in just a couple of days ... and it's Jason the single Dad! Can't wait to watch! (I know, I'm pathetic!)