Life is Fluffy

 Sometimes it's hard to remember how spoiled I am.
It's hard to remember instead of goofing off with my kids, I could have to work.
It's hard to remember that instead of having all day to plan and thaw and cook what were having for dinner, I could have to do in in an hour after I got home from work.

Sometimes I get caught up in the day to day.
I get so lost in the laundry that I forget that it's OK to stop and read to my kids.
I get so lost in the daily maintenance that I forget to soak up the Sunshine.

There is a special time in a child's life when all they want to do is go outside. All they want to do is play with their parents.

All they want is for you to stop what you're doing and show them that they are loved, in a way they understand.

There is a time in a parents life when they need to remember to stop, let the dishes be, and set up a monster train track. Put on their silly hats and be a child again. Show your kids that you know what they are talking about, you know how they feel. 

Little boys have a very active imagination. I have found that with my 2 little guys, all they want is to be heard, and taken seriously! 

 All they want is an outlet for what is going on in their extremely active little brains.

I get so caught up in feeling sorry for myself and my lack of ability to keep a neat and tidy house, that I forget that the reason my house isn't neat and tidy is because we live in it.

We have 2 boys who are free to be little boys.

We have 2 boys who are free and encouraged to use their imagination.

We raise our kids with choices and consequences.

"We labor to make a house a home, then every time we're expecting visitors, we rush to turn it back into a house." ~Robert Brault

My new years resolution this year is to NOT make a resolution. Resolutions get broken. They are never kept. And I think the concept has become lost. I do not have problems I need resolved. I do not have any intent on fixing things about myself. I have a plan.

*I plan to work out when I remember, Not because I need to loose weight, or because I think my hubby would like me more if I were thinner (That's right, like, not love. cuz lets face it, Love is not the problem). He likes my curves, and I kinna do to, but because it's what is going to keep me healthy and happy. It's what my body needs to keep going.

*I plan on enjoying my kids more. Taking time to get to know who they are, and not who I think they are.

*I plan on taking time for me. Taking the time to be a little selfish once in a while, because I can't care for my family if I don't care for myself.

I plan on enjoying time. Time with family, friends, and especially time with my Hubby!

So here's to you and your plans for the new year!

Here's to an enjoyable  year that is filled with laughter, smiles and lots of great memories!

Grapefruit

When you live with someone, it's easy to find faults in them. Sometimes a little too easy. I recently read this really great article about that very topic. The Article is; The Grapefruit Syndrome, by Lola B. Walters.
It is about a wife who reads somewhere that couples should have regular talks and discuss things about the other person they find annoying so that they can work on fixing the "problem". The Husband goes with it and they sit down, She goes on to tell him that she can't stand the way he eats grapefruit. He, of course, tells her he doesn't have anything to complain about.
As I read this article I found myself agreeing with the concept of having a discussion similar to this.
"It might be good to get these things out in the open" I thought "I know there are things I do that annoy him. and I'm sure I could come up with 1 or 2 things"
But then I read on. She says towards the end "Husbands and wives need to keep in perspective, and usually ignore, the small differences in their habits and personalities."
Ah-Ha!! So True!!
So. Although there are things that you do that annoy your spouse, friend, partner, or who ever it is that you live with. And there are things that they do to annoy you. Who cares! Get over it. Ignore it, or learn to love it.
One thing that I know I do, that I have no control over because it happens to everyone, is my hair. It gets all over everything!! It's in the wash, it clogs the drain and vacuum. It's in the socks, the towels, shirts....you name it. My hair is super thick, and getting long, so as I go through the day it gets left everywhere. Long strands of chocolate brown hair left where ever I have been.  I find it super annoying to find hair everywhere, but my sweet husband has learned to accept it, and love it. He always says that if anything were to happen to me he would have to move, because finding my hair all over the place would be to much!
Lets try and keep things in perspective, because lets face it. You chose this person for a reason, and they chose you. Remember that reason and Love all those crazy little things that drive you nuts. At least you have someone to make you crazy! =)

Welcome Christmas

We had a GREAT Christmas. It was our first in our new/first house! My Parents Came for the whole week and we had a blast!

I got Daddy Rock band For Christmas but with everyone here we had to bust it out early!

We made our Traditional Candy Trains

Papa read the boys their Christmas Eve Story

They got cars in their stockings

Lots of books

Daddy got a fully stocked backpack for school

More books

I got a new camera

TRAINS!!!!

Bubba actually kicked his leg up right before this pic was taken

Nana got a new Coat

Bubba hid under the table every time he wanted to eat a piece of candy

Woody and Buzz have joined our family

LOTS Of this

A little of that

Cutie Patootie

Mentos Geyser, courtesy of my father

Santa brought Daddy everything he would need to change the oil in my car

Bear had to check for monsters before he could go to bed

Isaac had to go to war,

Papa's hat as his "Captains hat" and Glow stick flashlights in a lifesaver can as swords

This is how our day ended

I hope yours was a fun as ours!!

Make New Friends

But Keep the old

Thanks Babe! I LOVE My new wedding ring!

Don't forget about the Eclipse Tonight! And YES. I am Talking about the Moon,  and NOT the Twilight books!

FYI

I was checking out a blog today and ran across a quote she stole from someone elses blog

I am just a regular girl.

A wife who loves her husband, but doesn’t always show it.

A mom who adores her babies, but runs out of patience.

A friend who cherishes her girls, but forgets to return calls.

A person so energized by being creative, but not without dry spells.

I am a homemaker who would rather rearrange furniture than dust it, repaint a bathroom than clean it, eat out than sit down and plan meals.

{Written by Emily}

I read this and HAD to repost because I think it describes most every woman on the planet!!

LWHC

If you know my sisters and I, you know how different we all are. I have 2 sisters and we are all as different as they come. As different as Spring Summer and Autumn.

Spring -  Silly, Happy, Light hearted like the Bird

Summer - Tan, Beaches, Eyes like Sparkly Water

Autumn - Warm but restless like wind. Sweaters and Cider

As you can imagine, with 3 girls so different, how do you pick a movie?! Christmas made it easy. Little Women. It has a part for everyone. We would all take turns calling out who we thought we were most like. Jo is my favorite. Always has been. She is fun, crazy, intelligent, a bit of a tomboy, and isn't afraid to chop off her hair to pay for a train ticket and then stay up crying about it!
I love Little Women, and I love hot chocolate.
So, as I sit here, not being able to speak because I'm the mother of 2 very LOUD boys;

I drink this:

While watching this:

"I could never love anyone as I love my sisters" - Jo

Tis the Season

A little Christmas tree prep

What?! How did you get YOUR Tree home?!

My big strong man

A little lights

A little Ornaments

Some silly faces

one attempt at a good one

Yay Lights!

Deck the halls boys!

Top it off

Voila!!

Merry Christmas!

Ripe Old Age

Today we went shopping.

We only went to 2 stores. Nothing major. Christmas shopping mostly.

My Bubba Dude! He so sweet, and kind and giving...when he wants to be. I think that is the mentality of every 3 yr old though.

While at our last stop they boys wanted to go and play in the designated, under lock and key, child area. So I dropped them off with the trusted employee supervisor and got what I needed.

Well Tis the season for the Salvation Army bell ringers. I imagine a pretty boring, job. To stand in one place ringing a bell that most people find obnoxious or just flat out ignore. Bubba loves these bell ringers.  He loves to put coins in their little red buckets and then tell them Merry Christmas, a pick me up I would imagine for them.

Today I was done. I was out of patience and I was hungry. I was in "shopping mode" and I was in no mood for dilly dally, or lolly gaging. Bubba asked for some coins and I told him not today. I just wanted to go home and eat. He asked again. I again told him not today. When we got to the car, he asked again. But this time he had a suggestion, and I  quote;

"How about you put the bags in the trunk and then we can go back to give that ringing man some coins?! Is that a bery good idea?"  I sighed, looked at him and said. "Ok" Both boys proceeded to throw their hand in the air yelling "YIPPEE!!!!"  in the middle of the parking lot. I finished putting the bags in the car, dug out 2 dimes for each boy and walked them back inside (we were first in the row of cars so it wasn't a big deal to walk our cart back into the store).

It's amazing what your kids can teach you if you're willing to stop and really listen to what they have to say, or want to do.

I doubt that 40 cents will save someones life, or make some kind of serious impact in the salvation army budget but there it is. Lesson learned. It's never to late to do a good deed. It's never to late to help someone out.

As the boys left the "ringing man" with 40 more cents in his bucket, I will never forget what he said to them;

"Thank you for helping someone less fortunate then you. Merry Christmas boys!"

So as I went home with my trunk full of goodies, and essentials. I felt blessed and humbled. Blessed that I married a man who would go to the ends of the earth to provide for his family, and humbled that my little boy knows when to not take no for an answer!