i traveled more than ever….did some BIG fun stuff.
i loved this year.
all the christmas decorations are put away.
i cleaned out my closet today….and cleaned my room….and my bathroom….hours of cleaning. as much i hate cleaning….i love when it's done.
four bags to donate…three bags of trash.
now for my new year's eve celebration….i am going to clean the craft room. i haven't gone in there since september. no joke. it is an avalanche waiting to happen.
but i NEED it for craft weekend prep.
and that is in 26 days!!!
so i will be a busy busy girl this month.
………………………………………..
by the way….
i have received the nicest emails and gifts this month from blog readers!! that is so cool.
i have such awesome readers.
that is YOU.
YOU are awesome. thank you. so much.
i hope you are doing something way cooler on this new year's eve than cleaning a mountain of junk. but if not….and you are chillin' at home….browsing pinterest….eating cookies….
new jammies….the kids loved theirs and i bought some for me too…thanks aunt jan for the gift card!!
family gifts… we give one gift for each of our kids to open that is for the whole family.
the sandwich maker is a HIT. they were so excited about it.
the headphones are to stay attached to the desktop computer and no one is allowed to take them off. this way there is always a pair of headphones when i say "turn the sound off your game" or "i don't want to hear your music turn it off please" and so now they can listen to their game and i keep my sanity.
sibling gifts….they each got each other little things this year with their own money. that was really cute. they got us gifts too.
annie made these personalized travel mugs for me and craig. i could not love them any more!!! they are perfect! talby gave me these sweet birds. and scott picked a starbucks gift card for me. sean got me a neck massager pillow but i couldn't find it to take a picture. i think one of the kids confiscated it already!
then we gave our gift to them. we give ONE gift to each one of them. we started this three years ago? i think. it was to the point of ridiculous with all the gifts they were receiving. we knew we could not control what others would do so we changed what we could do. buying less. they have ENOUGH already. they have TOO MUCH already. so they get one gift and they have been fine with that…it's just the way it is.
annie got a keyboard. (my friend suggested the headphones…best idea ever!) talby got an iPod dock/clock.
scott wanted strength shoes….for basketball….muscle building shoes.
sean got a 3DS that we found a fabulous deal on. and lauren got an iPod classic that we got through craigslist.
we don't get them whatever they want….but we try to get them something nice that would enjoy… but that we can afford. and we do not do gift cards. or money.
it has helped cut back on the excess.
AND their stocking (gift bags) are filled with little goodies that are picked just for them… like basketball socks, saxophone reeds, lipstick, squinky sets and candy.
we had a chirstmas dinner. IN THE DINING ROOM. craig made a ham…so good!! i made cheesy potatoes and cream corn and fruit salad.
and cream puff for dessert.
we went to my parents house and had another BIG dinner there.
my mom made all the little girls matching fur vests…super cute!
17 people in one room opening gifts….chaos.
my dad had this shirt made for me. 🙂
he is so silly. i LOVE IT!
and today i am sitting in a quiet house because scott is at basketball with craig, sean and talby stayed with their grandma and aunt, annie is playing with our neighbor and lauren is asleep. so i frosted cookies peacefully. and i will make some gingersnaps now.
then we are onto craig's mom's for christmas there.
how is your holiday going? everyone getting along?
it started out a little rough. i thought "it's so cold, i'll make the kids some breakfast…they will like that" (you know…like those good moms) i made them scrambled eggs. NO ONE wanted them. rejected.
i drove my kids to school and went to get gas on the way home. i was so happy because i had $1.00 off my gas per gallon from our fuel points! (we bought gift cards to buy the gifts we are already going to buy anyway and that way you get 4X fuel points until the 11th… it is so RAD!) after i finished filling up…. my car wouldn't start. i was in my pajamas!! and my cell phone was at home on my bedside table. i waited and hoped it would fix itself. it didn't. so i had to go and ask for help in the store…. in my pajamas. niiiiiiiice.
two different guys tried and they finally got it going. thankful for that. i went straight home & cuddled on my couch with a cup of hot coffee & tried not to move for the rest of the day.
here are my feet…. parked in front of a space heater…. all day.
i wore my hat all day… and that blanket.
i kept my hands warm too.
i sat here until i had to pick up the kids. and i FINISHED all my photo editing!! hallelujah. when my computer broke awhile back all of that work had to go on hold so i was still not done. but now i AM! finally.
i made my christmas card online. i finished up my online shopping.
oh internets….how do i love thee.
i have one more thing and I AM DONE with all my shopping! that makes me happy happy happy.
but we have no decorations out other than the tree. so that will be started on today.
AND my washing machine is still broken. i know right?!
it was the week before thanksgiving!!! can you say S L O W ? ? ? not too happy with our service center…. not at all. they obviously don't have five children & don't understand the enormity of three weeks with no washing machine. it's safe to say my kids' hygiene could be a bit gross at this point.
i did hop up to put dinner in the crock pot and make some cookies. it seemed like a cookie kind of day.
i LOVE when my kids come home and they are overjoyed by homemade cookies on the counter. that's a good feeling. much better feeling than having your scrambled eggs rejected.
some happy mail arrived from heather bailey….lovely fabric but what i love even more is this cup!
MOM's ONLY. no one else may use my cup. ever. MOM's. don't even try it.
i found some cute stuff while surfing….
border line ugly/really awesome mirror that would probably rock in my house at pier one. it's BIG
love this zebra chair…. it was at Kirlands. cute set of pencils… at paper source.
you can believe me when i say…. i got on the NOTIFY ME email when i saw this watch.
i fed my kids a quick dinner at 5 and then they all loaded into the car with Craig and left for the WHOLE night to go to a KU basketball game! he had a few tickets and wrestled all day with who to pick to go with him. and then finally decided to find two more and take them all. i love that. i love that he didn't want any one of them to be sad so he found a way to take them all. this was the picture he sent me. he said annie fell asleep after half time. HA!
as soon as they left i sat right back in my spot and kept working on pictures!
i got up again at 11:15 and put on real pants instead of pj pants and my coat and went to walmart for this…
annie's teacher is starting a KNITTING CLUB during indoor recess. i teared up when i read the note. that is the cutest, sweetest, most adorable idea ever. how awesome is she?!! would you volunteer to teach first graders to knit? me either. she is amazing. and annie was SO excited about it.
so it was worth the cold trip at 11:15 to an empty walmart to get knitting supplies for today. totally.
ok…. it's TIME TO DECORATE THIS HOUSE for christmas.
crank up the Vince Guaraldi Trio. (hee hee hee)
oh yeah…. i know how to rock.
happy wednesday. i hope you get some chrstimas cheer going on at your house too.
i had the rare opportunity to have talby to myself. i don't even remember where the other kids were? but it was just the two of us. we went to the grocery store and got the ingredients for OREO pops. (and an entire cart full of groceries too)
pretty simple really. lollipop sticks in oreos….dipped in almond bark…dipped in sprinkles. we let them harden on waxed paper.
we had a system going of me dipping them in the almond bark and she did the sprinkles.
YUM. they didn't last long. not even an evening…..everyone loved them.
maybe THIS is the one where I will win the iPad?!!??
🙂
we all know that it's not about the prizes.
being generous is FUN. it bring YOU joy. it is a blessing for everyone involved. the Lord loves a cheerful giver! you can't NOT be happy when you GIVE….it's the best feeling!
the idea of the project was to read the two David books we have "no david!" and "David gets in trouble" then the kids would draw a picture of themselves getting in trouble for something THEY would do or have done.
they didn't quite get what i was saying but it still tured out ok.
they basically copied a page from the book instead. i was thinking they would be a little more original. and i chose these books because the art is a little messy and not perfect….as encouragement. i wanted them to see that it's ok to just have a triangle nose or funny shaped hands. the picture isn't ruined when things aren't perfect.
we drew with pencil. then filled in some oil pastel. then watercolored. then added black detail when it was dry.
sean's work…..eating all the cookies.
first annie drew herself just standing there crying. then she didn't like it and threw it away.
then decided to copy the picture exactly. she did pretty well at that!
talby drew herself having to eat brocolli. this is pretty realistic.
i think we will keep trying the book ideas. it is fun to see how other artists work and their materials.
craft thursday has been slow going for awhile. it's because of tired mommy.
because annie asks to make something almost everyday.
so ready for the heat of the sun on my face. i need it.
i was beginning to go a bit stir crazy.
i came out to take these pictures not because of the weather and certainly not because it is pretty outside. because it's not. everything is still DEAD. but i came out to take these photos because…..
MY GIRLS WERE PLAYING TOGETHER. nicely. and laughing.
it's been awhile.
and i really miss it.
i have to grab those moments when i can. take notice. cherish it.
because the fighting is a real downer.
i think the fighting (with each other and with me) is something i feel and felt surprised about with parenting.
no matter how well i speak…. no matter how well i care for them…. no matter how many cookies i make…. it doesn't make them nice.
they still fight.
ugh.
and i have been exhausted by it. i AM exahsuted by it. i want it to stop. i can't take it!!!
i don't know if it will.
i don't know how to change it.
but i want to if i can.
i think we are normal. i think their feelings….emotions….reactions are "normal".
i can't be the only one who is feeling like this.
i can't be the only one who feels at a loss for dealing with fighting….unkindness….anger….outbursts.
so….that is it.
i have no answers. i just feel depleted by it.
i miss diapers and bottles and cuddly babies that don't call names or throw things or slam doors.
i am trying to notice the great times. encourage more good times. reward the GOOD behavior…..the kindness……the LOVE. to talk kindly myself. to calmly respond to fits….to insults….to the crazy.
i fail a lot.
but i am trying.
but dang it….it is SO hard!!!!
who knew i would need to be so strong?
i don't really know how to get there….how to become strong(er)?
prayer?
that's it.
it is all i've got right now.
and really….that is a pretty great thing.
because GOD wants the best for my kids. for me. for us.
but working through it…to get there….to get to the good…….AAAAAAAAAAA.
yikes.
this post was completely unplanned. it just came pouring out of me. kind of scary.
