Crazy-Busy

Well, I'm so stinking busy that I don't even have time to blog! So, I thought I'd just say HI and tell you all that I'll be back when I find an extra hour or 3 in my day :)

P.S.

I have scheduled my 1st official cleaning for March the 8th. I am so excited :)

How Could I Have Forgotten?

I meant to post the day after Valentine's Day to let the world know what my hubby gave me: A bi-weekly house cleaning!!!!

Maybe it's not the most romantic gift in the world to some of you, but it's the best gift in the world to me! He knows that my forever-dirty house is a weight on my shoulders and since I never seem to have time to clean it, I continually gripe about it. And now, with the new work-from-home-job, I have even less time to clean. So, I'm thinking that this particular gift was just as much for him as it was for me...I get a squeaky clean house every other week, he gets a squeaky clean house every other week, and no one will have to listen to me gripe about my dirty house.

How can I not love this man?!?!

A Treat for Me!!!

Well, last night didn't work out exactly like I'd hoped, but I certainly can't complain. Though Michael agreed that we could go out to dinner, I changed my mind and decided to save the money by cooking at home. It was a relatively easy meal to throw into the oven, so I figured I should just 'suck it up' and cook. The fact that kids wouldn't stop crying and fighting with each other might have played a small part in my decision to not go out in public, but that's just a hunch.

After the kiddos finished inhaling their dinner (Ian had 2 bowls of casserole after eating a bowl of salad - guess the little booger was hungry!), we headed upstairs for jammies and teeth. After the kids had a fair amount of wrestling time with daddy, I took Morgann to her room to read "Lilo & Stitch" while Michael read a Thomas the Tank Engine book to the boys.

Once they were in bed, Michael allowed me to take a hot bubble bath while he ran to our favorite drive-thru daquiri shop. He brought home my favorite frozen yummy, a Pink Panther (Mai-Tai, Pina Colada), and gave me some time to decompress, while reading my newest People Magazine. We capped of the evening by watching 24 followed by Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, so I was in a good mood and very ready for bed by 11:30PM.

I am truly blessed to have a partner to help me get through the daily grind of being a mommy. I am so thankful that I do not have to walk this journey alone - I have a loving husband to help carry the load, and a loving Savior to help carry ME when I cannot walk any further!!!

P.S. Thank you all for your words of encouragement. I can always count on you guys to uplift me when my days get tough. You're a blessing to me and I appreciate you too :)

The Never-Ending Sob

Do you mommies ever have days when at least 1 of your kiddos will not stop crying?!? I'm having a day like that. I'm a mommy on the edge at this point and am having to use my super-mommy powers (and maybe a little of God's grace) to keep from throwing said child out the back door to cry to his heart's content. It is, after all, cold outside, and he's running around in only a diaper, socks and long-sleeved shirt. I'm not really interested in giving the kid a cold. But, I'm thinking that a little bit of peace might be nice.

The problem is that he's crying because of me! I spanked him when he chose to climb onto the kitchen counter to swipe his sister's left-over sandwich, then into the pantry to eat applesauce. I understand that he was hungry, but all I asked was that he wait until I could get him a snack, which was only about 3 minutes later. But, since he has already eaten a 'snack' (an entire sandwich), he's not getting anything else, and he's very un-happy about it. I think that if I actually gave him something, he'd take one small taste, then walk away in victory, never to return to it. But instead, his retaliation is to follow me room to room, crying almost uncontrollably (it's amazing how he can turn the waterworks on or off at will). I guess he's thinking that if he keeps it up, he'll eventually get what he wants. Boy is he messing with the wrong person!!!

I think I'm more stubborn than he is....

Although, I'm leaning toward an early dinner if it will help him to stop screaming, crying, and stomping through the house. Is 3:30PM to early?!?!

*I've been reconsidering the whole early dinner thing. It's approaching 5:30 and I'm now leaning toward heading out for Mexican food! Hubby wasn't very keen on this idea at first, but I've been 'working' on him. We only eat out once a week, so this would be it. I just can't decide if I should do the 'right thing' and cook the dinner I had planned (Clean Your Plate Casserole from the trusty MOPS cookbook) or throw it all out the window (metaphorically speaking, of course) and head out for some yummy Tex-Mex, which would include a frozen margarita, of course. Decisions, decisions...

The Phantom Photographer

Now, who can resist this face?!?!?

*I found these pictures on my camera when I downloaded some other photos. Apparently Morgann decided to test her photography skills by snapping a few candids of Ian when I had my back turned. I'm still a bit puzzled as to why he's making this face.

Ruined Plans for the Weekend

Don't you just hate it when you make plans to do something, only to have them completely ruined 24 hours before they were supposed to happen? Thanks to our lovely (but typical) Texas weather, this exact thing has happened to us and I'm irritated!!!

After having temps of 70 degrees this week, with sunny skies and cool breezes, I figured that Saturday would be the perfect time for us to finally have a family day at the park. Alex received a bike for his 6th birthday, (his 7th birthday was in December), so Michael & I decided that it was time to actually use it. The plan was to take the kiddos and their bikes to the nearby park where Michael would spend some time teaching Alex to ride. It's a 2-wheeler, so this is a milestone for our little man. I was even planning a picnic!

This morning we woke up to clouds, rain and temps in the 40's! Uuuggghhh!!! Tomorrow's forecast: Cloudy with highs in the 50's. If it doesn't rain, we may still attempt the trip to the park, but a picnic is definitely out of the question. Why can't the weather ever cooperate with my plans?!?

A Traveling Companion

I keep wondering if he's going to actually eat the banana he so meticulously peeled? He's been carrying it around for about 30 minutes.