4 Kids + 1 Momma = Chaos

It is hard to believe that a new year is here. 2012 …I was thinking the other day about how there was such hype about 2000 and the millenium and now…amazingly…in the blink of an eye…it is 2012.
My life has changed so much in the last 12 years.
I was just taking on the part of my job that I totally love and has become such an integral part of me.
I was preparing for my life as a mom and could have never imagined how much heartache – and heartjoy it would bring me.
I would get to work for 7 years with someone who set the standard for honesty and communication, and who taught me so much about how to be a leader…and I endured his departure despite the personal sadness it caused me.
I lost my mother – who I miss almost everyday and wish that she could know my children.
This year I have endured the most stressful year of my career and it has brought me to my knees on more than one occasion. I have wondered if it was worth it and whether I should “pack it in”. And I have had the blessings of friends who have picked me up off my knees and helped me to keep moving on.
I look forward to 2012. I will keep moving forward and know that the right path will show itself.
I hope that you all have a year filled with more blessings than sadness – but enough sadness to recognize your blessings and the wisdom to dwell on what is important and not on what isn’t.

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Over the weekend we went to Dollar Tree to get some staples and some “jingle bells” for the Annual Jingle Bell Jam at one of the elementary schools. While there, I let the kids pick one thing to get. Matthew picked a watch – and in response to that – Amalia picked one that had a plastic Belle attached to the cover.
This morning at breakfast I saw that Belle was no longer on the watch – but she is wearing it. So I asked…
And she said…”I took it off and put it in my backpack because my friends were making fun of me for liking Princesses!”
I’m so sad for her…do kids really grow up so fast that you can’t like Princesses in the 1st grade?????

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Monday evening I picked up the kids a little early and while driving home we were discussing what homework we would be doing and Riley interrupted me and said…
“Can we all sit around the Christmas tree and say 3 things we love about each other first?”
(Crickets)
“Of course…what a great idea!”
…and so we have done that every night we have been home this week.
(I would like to say that it has grounded them and led them to be more eager to do homework when we finally had to…but not so much…)
But it has been a great way to hear what they think and have the express what they like about each other.

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Yesterday we pulled out the indoor decorations from the attic. This is my most dreaded activity of this season – and if I am honest, has prevented me from decorating on a couple of years pre-kids. (I have to add that putting them away might be a close second in hated activities and has resulted in a Christmas tree being up in February on a couple of occasions as well!)
But, after yesterday, I have to admit that I might have a few years where these activities won’t bother me so much. Why you ask? Well…Riley was so excited to put the tree up that he:
1) Put 2 loads of laundry in the machines and folded and put away 2 loads -so that we could clear the hallway to safely bring the supplies downstairs
And
2)He went up the attic stairs and handed me down the supplies and he happily went back up there to put the empty boxes away!
This is the first year that he also knows about Santa and we have been talking about him keeping the magic going for his brother and sisters. He has done a good job except for a couple of times where – when angry with me – he has threatened to tell the Santa secret. But he has been able to calm himself enough before he did. Yesterday he was reading to us from the latest “Diary of a wimpy kid” book and he got up and whispered in my ear…”I am going to skip this next page because it talks about the Santa secret”… And then proceeded to read the next page.

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Finally a weekend off – no calls.  Today is a busy day with grocery shopping and one friends birthday on the agenda.  I haven’t been grocery shopping since November 1st weekend (except for buying the turkey for Thanksgiving)…so we will head out ot Costco to get staples while the birthday party is going on. 

This morning I got up early to do some baking and cleaning.  We had some back up in the sewer outside the house this week so my laundry had built up and I have about 4 loads to do (and hopefully fold and put away this weekend).  I have cinnamon rolls for breakfast in the oven now and am going to buy some supplies for making some Christmas gifts. 

Lunch supplies for the next 2 weeks are also on the list …(there were some sparse supplies and some unusual combinations this week to say the least!).  I have…despite my tendencies toward procrastination and succumbing to the stress of trying to think about what to serve each day…been really successful at making and packing lunches 4 out of 5 days every week of the school year so far. 

Tomorrow we don’t have any defined plans and I am hopeful I can get off my butt and brave the trip to the attic to get the Christmas Tree and inside decorations down and put up.  Next week we start Basketball (for the boys) and Cheerleading (for the girls).  I am going to have to think about what to have for dinners. 

I have nearly finished the shopping list for Christmas.  Just one more present for each of the girls and then some socks and underwear (did your mother’s give you socks and underwear in your stocking each year like mine did?) and candy for the stocking stuffers.  Given that my sister and her kids cannot come to our house this year the tree will look a little sparse but all of the kids are getting one present that they really like / requested and a couple other ones that I know they will like.  I am really trying to stick to the 3 gifts (like the wise men) approach.  They will get extra things from some friends of mine and it is plenty. 

Meanwhile today I ordered a family gift for all of them.  I have been thinking of a Kinect XBOX 360 program but have been wavering about more screen time and saw this today and knew it was the better choice…all of my kids love to sing and dance to music and I (hope) this will give us things that we can do instead of individuals doing games…

This Memorex MKS-SS1 SingStand Home Karaoke System is on sale at Amazon for $59.00 (originally $99) is perfect.  The boys can attach their ipods to it and then we can use the microphone to sing along and practice their moves.  I also bought an extra microphone for $16.99.  I’m looking forward to this on Christmas day.

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