Its "Chirstmastime"

Yay, I'm ready!

I'm going to make cookies and decorate, and I'm excited about it!

This is the first year in a while that I have acutally been "excited" about getting ready for christmas and enjoying the process.

The boys are excited about decorating the FREE tree we got today (Thanks to my mom's Realtor). They are at the monster truck rally tonight, so i'm going to get the house in order and maybe get a couple of batches done.

Ah....let the season begin.

Just throw it away, already.....update

Well, THIS is why i didnt throw it away....see!

Just throw it away, already!

I'm cleaning my unfinished basement. Why is it that I have a difficult time throwing the most insignificant thing away? I found a small refillable binder (2x3?) the paper in it is yellow. I took it from my mom's when she was cleaning -- maybe i can use it for something. You know what? since i took it, i havent used it! it went in the garbage, it came out. Its sitting by the garbage....oh, what to do, what to do.

Not my plan...

Well, Lucas got me sick, although a variation, but I'm sick. I woke up feeling horrible, i had a load of things on my list, but had to whittle it down. I felt so horrible last night, and Scott was out for the evening with friends.

Things that stayed on the list:
--Chiropractor
--"weigh-in" at the club (lost 2.5 pounds this week!)
--crawling into bed at 2pm, getting up at 4:30
--pkg to UPS for my in-laws
--crawling in bed at 8pm

Things that came off the list:
--Volunteering at the school library
--Hair cut
--Feeling good, and enjoying the evening with the boys.

Scott ended up coming home for a while - he was with friends watching the first Daniel Craig James Bond movie, then they went to the later showing of the new "Quantum of Solace", he came home to help get the little guys in bed, but then joined the guys at the theater. Boy I was crabby and lethargic.

Today, Scott had planned to take all the boys to stay at his parents house (they're still out of town), so I can have some time at home to focus on organizing. they're still going to go, but I'm afraid I'm not going to have quite the energy and accomplish as much as i wanted to. Oh well.

I'm feeling a little better, just achy. Time to get organizing.

Not a great blogger

I'm not a great blogger - i have a number of half written posts that sit in my "drafts". I have a grand idea on what i want to say, of what i'm feeling, but i just dont seem to find the time to type it all out. Actually, i might just post what i started - we'll see.
'
Tonight I sit at home with Lucas. He's thrown up 4 times since midnight. He doesn't have very good aim, either. So, i have laundry. Thank you scott for cleaning up the floor last night. you're a good man.

Lucas is laying beside me on the couch looking at his star war legos. you can tell he's not feeling well...he's just laying here. sweet, yet sad.

I'll stop this thought now and post...then i won't add to my drafts list. :)

Caretaking

I am a caretaker:

I am a mother of 4 boys.

I am a wife.

I am managing my in-law's mail while they are on an extended trip.

I am watching my mom's parakeet while her home is on the market.

I am watching my friend's 2 parakeets while her family is in Florida for a week.(yes, that means 3 birds in the house!)

God has equipped me to be a caretaker, I can embrace that.

Saturday

What a difference one week makes! Last week, I was running around with my head cut off, trying to finish my mom's house. Today, I am home with the boys. Boy, its been nice. I've gotten a few things done, did a few more things, relaxed for a while, talked with some neighbors. Its been very nice. I haven't conquered the world, but I sure feel good about it, anyway.

Part of my time was spent praying for the MN men's Tres Dias weekend, and for Scott, who was giving a talk. God worked out the timing and the time i signed up for, he was preparing for his speech. Amazing. I got a text from him later saying that it went well, but I'm excited to hear more about it later.

Tomorrow I play keyboard for worship, so i need to prepare myself for that. Aaron will stay home to watch Eli -- he's been sick with a fever since Wednesday. I'll bring Lucas and Justen with me.

We're hoping to see Scott's parents tomorrow, as they are planning on leaving on their big trip next week http://peganddavem.blogspot.com/.

Gonna go fold some laundry now. :-)

Grades

We're now 2 weeks into school and my older 2 boys (Aaron, 10th grade and Justen, 7th) are finally getting their grades posted online. This has always been difficult for me. I am a perfectionist in many ways, and its hard to see not so perfect scores on assignments or tests.

Its a struggle because I don't always know the appropriate way to be a mom in this area. I need to encourage my kids to do their best, but also accept when they have, and still have gotten a poor grade. It's not always easy to decifer if its a lack of understanding or lack of effort.

Hopefully this year, things won't be so stressful in this area. Lord, give me wisdom.

It is finished!

Hip Hip Hooray! I made it and we did it! My mom's house is officially on the market - so, if anyone knows of someone looking for an awesome home in Burnsville send them our way.

http://www.cbburnet.com/CustomModules/Property/PropertyResults.aspx?SearchType=1&SearchID=1&SearchValue=12809+hilltop

Mom's house

My mom's house is almost ready-i can not even begin to count the hours i've poured into this job. I looked back at my calendar - its been less than 8 weeks since we first met with the realtor and decorater and set our plan in motion - 8 weeks!

God has been so good every step of the way, but i'm tired and i'm done. Tomorrow is my 20 year reunion, i have company coming, i need to get a pedi, i need to color my hair, wax my eyebrows, and pick out something to wear from my closet, but i'm too tired. Maybe in the morning.

Band -Aids

While I was posting my last blog, I heard my name , called, "Mom!" This kind of call can only mean ONE THING: BLOOD. So, I stopped what i was doing, and ran to see what was the matter. It was nothing serious, a scab had just let loose and there was blood oozing all over his foot. So I sat him up on the counter, washed off the blood and put a new Band-Aid. When the boy left, I stopped and looked and had to laugh: I have a box of 280 Band-Aid Brand Adhesive Bandages. Its the big box, the kind you get at Sam's, and it's well used.

You see when it comes to my kids and their boo-boos, I do not skimp. I am prepared. Hopefully it will last the summer.

17 Years

I never got a SHOUT OUT to my husband of 17 years.

Hoot!!!!

As of July 6, 2008, Scott and I have been married for 17 years! How can it be? I'm too young! Well, not really. I got married at 21, he was 23. For our parents, that was the age to do it, for our peers, a lot of people waited and today, it is almost unheard of.

I think about my marriage, and though its had its ups and downs. I can truly say I HAVE BEEN BLESSED!! Scott is the one for me: He is patient, he is kind, he is self-less, he has a dry sense of humor. He is artistic, he looks good in a tan. He likes to drive a nice car. He loves ME.

I love you, Scott, we've only just begun!

Summer

Summer is a little daunting to me. It starts out exciting because we dont have to get up early for school, we can be more leisurely about life. But its never the way it seems to work out. Either we have so much scheduled, I drop lifeless at the end of the day, or we border on boredom and idleness. Why is it so hard to find a balance?

I get tired of being the "Cruise Director" of the home. Because everyone wants to have fun, but no one wants to work (me neither, but it's got to get done sometime).

I get tired of being the referee.

I am tired of the boy who only wants to use the blue bowl or plate.

I want to be the mom who has it together, where the house is clean the kids are happy, and I'm happy. Today I am not happy, and I'll never really ever have it together, but I know God is my strength and tomorrow is a new day.

Laughter lifts the soul

My friend Jamie E, commented on my blog from yesterday and sent me a link to another mother's blog. I decided to check it out. As i scrolled down her page, i came to this link.

I laughed so hard i cried - which i needed so badly. Thank you Jamie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-Bjmy-CbWw

enjoy!

A little black rain cloud...

I really considered whether or not I wanted to start a blog. I have enjoyed a friend's blogs and she is always so interesting to read and usually so positive about life, this is what inspired me to start my blog. BUT, I was afraid I couldn't things to write about that would be interesting or positive, or even that well written. But, alas, I decided to give it a go. I'm a mom, not a writer, so it takes some effort for me to write, so I don't always get to sit down and type.

Today I need to sit down and type.

It may not be that positive, happy or interesting. But in an effort to be REAL, I will blog today.

Sunny skies: It started out very nice, this Sunday. Today is our anniversary, Scott and I have been married for 17 years, if you can believe it. We decided at the last minute to attend church last night so we could sleep in this morning. It was a good call. I think I was the first one in the house to get up. I was able to do some reading, and have a little time alone with God. It had been a busy week, and I neglected my time with HIM, and it was a blessing to reconnect.

Still sunny (and hot!): Scott and I got a chance to have a nice quiet conversation on the deck in the gazebo, we played badminton with the kids, and even played a Scrabble with Aaron and Justen (the kind with real tiles, not online).

Not so sunny: Later, Justen had a friend over this afternoon, and they wanted to ride the 'new' pocket-bike that Justen just bought at a garage sale. With permission from his mom, Justen's friend, took a ride on the bike. The problem was that he had a little trouble and ran into a parked car. Everything turned out okay, but the stress of the situation overwhelmed me about 2 hours later, and I lost it.

I was angry at myself that I hadn't listened to my gut about not allowing others to ride the bike. I was angry that Scott wasn't out supervising the whole event. I was angry that in trying not to be the "overprotective mother," I neglected some basic rules of safety: "Listen to your instinct".

So, now my day is done, I now need to reflect on the great parts of the day. It was a wonderful day, with only one little black rain cloud.

Thank you, Lord, for your protection, for my faithful husband, and my beautiful boys.

Life is good, even if it is a little cloudy.

July, already?

Can't believe its July already. Some ways June seemed like a long month, in other ways, I can't believe its done.

Life is a balance for me. It's hard having a 15 and a 13 year old, along with having a 7 and 6 year old in the same family. The older guys dont want to do what the younger boys want to do. And the younger ones, usually CAN'T do what the bigger ones want to do.

I try not to get caught up in the the business of the summer and schedule every moment (I dont have the money for that, anyway). But again, there's a balance of being too busy and being idle.

Yesterday we had 9 kids out running in the backyard with the blow-up pool and slip and slide going. THAT's what summer's about, if you ask me.

Overall, i think it's been a good summer --- so far!

I hope to post a few more blogs this month :)

May is Done!!!

Can i just say that while i love the month of May, I'm glad it is over?

Here is a list of recent family birthdays:
May 3, Peg, my Mother-in-law
May 13, Rich, my brother
May 15, Scott, my husband -- this year was the big 4-0!
May 18 Macey, my niece
May 24, Chris, my sis-in-law
May 26, Lucas, my 4th son turned 6
May 26, Pat, my sis-in-law
May 29, MY BIRTHDAY!!!!
June 3, Caden, my nephew
June 8, Justen , my 2nd son became a teenager (13!)

So add that up with all the end of the year school events, a wedding and all the regular events in life and May ends up to be ONE BUSY MONTH. Whew!

Getting to the "Heart" of the Matter

Last week I had a procedure done on my heart, called a "catheter ablation". I had been having PVCs (premature ventricular contractions or "skipped" heart beats) and been dealing with these issues since September, and it wouldn't go away, even with giving up my beloved Mountain Dew. So rather than be on beta-blockers, with average results, i opted for the procedure which has a 90% success rate.

I have to say that I wasn't nervous at all when I scheduled the procedure. I was looking forward to it. I couldn't wait to be done with all this irregular heart beating stuff. But as the days grew closer, i realized that even though this is a low-risk procedure, there could always be complications, right? Well, i know that it doesnt help to worry about stuff, but to have a healthy appreciation for the reality of life.

I'm happy to say that procedure went well and almost immediately, i have felt better. Almost wish i had done it sooner. That's it! No more crazy heart beat!

And that, my friends, is getting to the heart of the matter. :)

Serving

Recently, I had the privilege to serve at a MN Tres Dias weekend for women. All I can say is that GOD is good, and powerful. Wow!

It is something that i had not planned on doing, serving. It was something i didn't want to do. The planning for the weekend had been going on for months, and i "knew" i wasnt supposed to serve. Well, you know what? God called me to serve. So, the night before the 3-day event, God called me, and i left less than 24 hours later.

And you know what? God knocked my socks off! I don't think i've ever been in a place that God has used me as much, or that I've let him use me as much as that weekend.

I would recommend that if you are looking for a time of spiritual revival, attending a Tres Dias event would be a great place to start.

How do you spell S-V-E-N?

While i was out with a couple girlfriends yesterday, we came upon local celebrity Sven Sundgaard from KARE 11. I'd have to admit that it was kind of exciting to be in the same place as SVEN. Unfortunately, my friends, Lisa and Jamie, were UBER excited, so it wasn't just "Hey, there's the guy from KARE 11". It was, "Oh, my gosh! It's Sven!!!, Jamie, move over so i can get a picture. He wont know were taking a picture of HIM on our phones." "Oh! go get some pop, Sven is at the pop-machine." At this point, I'm dying, can I crawl under the table? The place was pretty busy, but SVEN and his friend found a recently vacated table right next to us. Lisa, however, did not realize that this was the case, because she leans over to me, "is it spelled... 'S', 'W'?" At this point I'm like, "SHUT-UP. He's right here."

Anyway, once they finally sat down and started eating, we got involved in our own delightful conversation about Wedding Reception details. How FUN. if you want to check out some pics from the day, check out Jamie's blog at : http://jwillowb.blogspot.com/

Good Friends

God has blessed me with some good frienships. Not that we are measured by them, but sometimes it feels good to gab on the phone for 59 minutes and not worry about anything else for a while!

Green Apples

Lately, for some reason, Lucas has had a thing for Green Apples. Well, we haven't had any apples since we got home from our vacation, so yesterday, we bought some.

Today, all the boys are outside playing with the neighborhood friends. Lucas decided he wanted an apple, which meant EVERYONE needed apples. So to save on apples, i cut them up and everyone got a bowl with 4-5 pieces in them.

The problem with boys and apples in bowls is that, the apples have a tendency to jump out of the bowl. I had to rinse Eli's apples off, and then, later, Lucas came in with muddy apples.

I did my motherly duty, rinsing them and shaking them dry, placed them back into the bowl. As Lucas was walking away, quietly he said, "Thank you mom, you're a real hero."

Who knew what a simple act of apple washing would be deemed as heroism? Sometimes being a mom is awesome.

There's no way i'm ready for this...

I knew it would happen....eventually. Maybe in the year 2014 or something. But not now. Aaron is interested in a girl. Yikes! I'm not sure he would officially say she's his girlfriend, but the number of texts on the cell phone says differently.

Again, I'm too young for this. He's too young for this. What? I had a boyfriend at his age? Oh. I guess I was into boys then. Oh. I guess that means that this is normal. Oh, dear.

I'm definitely not ready for this.

Welcome home, Really!

Just would like to comment on what a welcome home we got with this rainy yucky snow. Nothing like going from 85 and sunny to 32 and slushy.

Hee. Sometimes you gotta love Minnesota.

My, how time flies...sometimes.

Time sure seems to go fast these days. I know our parents always said it, and when we were in the 3rd grade, you couldnt BEGIN to understand what they meant by "Boy time just goes so fast these days!".


Well anyway, I guess i'm at that stage right now. When did I get so old!!!???


I CAN NOT believe that its been exactly one year since my cruise with my mom. As i was chatting with my mom today, i realized last year, March 14, 2007, we were leaving the port of Callao (Lima), Peru on our 12 day cruise up the coast of South America and through the Panama Canal.

On the other hand, it has been a TREMENDOUS year, emotionally, financially, spiritually, and in that sense, it seems like forever. So glad that God has brought us to where we are right now, and know that even a year from now, we'll be in a different place.


The good thing: I might actually be inspired to work on my album for this trip.

Yikes!

Okay, here's my first blog. Scary. Stay tuned for more.....