Coming Up For Air...

Life has been busy, crazy, hectic, stressful, and a bit over-whelming for our family this last month or more. For years now we have talked about selling our house and moving closer to Bill's work, family and church. It's not that we are all that far away from it all, but it is enough to make us think twice before participating in a church event, or making a quick trip to Granny and Paw-Paw's house.

In the Fall/Winter time frame we were seeing so many houses on the market that were in the location we wanted to live and were a nice improvement on our current house size. But we weren't ready to move at that point. So now, with it being a so-called "buyer's market", we decided to go for it. We worked really hard in March and beginning of April to get our house ready, and on my birthday it went on the market. For that first week, we had a showing every day. I'm sure many of you out there have been through it.... The quick, complete house cleaning every morning, grabbing kids and dog and racing out the door to go hang out at a park for several hours while the house is being shown, preventing the kids from hanging any of their artwork about the house, keeping the kids out of the house as much as possible to keep it neat and only allowing one toy out at a time to keep the mess under control. I wasn't exactly enjoying the whole process, but I never dreamed that after only ten days on the market, we'd get an offer. So just like that, our house was sold. But we haven't found a house yet. We are wondering if it really is a blessing that our house sold so quickly!

But the Lord works in mysterious ways. When we have seen a house we like, we've found out an offer was just placed on it that same day. We've put offers on two houses so far, and in both cases, others had also put offers on them that were higher than we could go. God was making it very clear to us that these were not the houses for us, even if we thought so. We are actually preparing to put an offer on a different house today, one that we've looked at many times and has sat on the market for awhile now. We have been aprehensive about this house, and yet loved it at the same time. I feel that God has been leading us back to it through all of our house-hunting. It will be interesting to see if it actually works out. In the meantime, we are just praying that by our closing date (less than 3 weeks away!!!!), we'll have some where to go - house or apartment, just as long as it's not a cozy spot under a bridge! ;)

And through all of this craziness, life is moving on. Baseball has continued to take much of our time. We're still trying to keep up with our school work, though not as well as I'd like. And today is Bill's birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SWEETHEART!!!! We're doing our best to make it fun and special, despite everything else we have going on. And tomorrow is Alex's birthday. So I also have a party to plan (just a small one this year ;) ) and a cake to bake.

I know it's all going to work out in the end. But getting through it has been and will continue to be hard. I'm just trying to keep my faith in God and know that He is in control.

The missing baseball cap...

is no longer missing. It turned up today in the van, having been stuffed into one of the compartments by Nathan's seat. Now we have two.

First Games

Today, both Alex and Nathan had their first T-ball games. Nathan's game was this morning and unfortunately, Amy and I had to miss it because of her Little Gym class. But it sounds like he had a great time. You might notice there are more pictures from his game than Alex's. That would be because I was in charge of taking pictures at Alex's game... while I kept an eye on Amy and Nathan (Bill was helping in the dugout). And though at times Amy and Nathan sat fairly happily next to me and watched the game, those moments only lasted about 2 minutes and then they were all over the place. But I did manage to get a few other shots, some where Alex was happily playing in the dirt, or looking off into the outfield while the other team was at bat. It was too cute. Kids are so easily distracted at this age. :) Oh, and you might also notice that in the picture where Nathan is fielding the ball, he is not wearing a baseball cap. That would be because we discovered it missing this morning when we getting Nathan ready for his game. A complete rampage of our entire house turned up nothing. It's vanished without a trace. Thankfully, even though his first game was played hatless, we were able to purchase another one for him later in the day. This is a very good thing because his team pictures are tomorrow!!!

Easter

I hope you all had a blessed Easter! We've been so busy lately, as you can tell by my lack of posts. But here are some pictures from our Easter activities (and yes, those are pictures of Easter morning, not Christmas :) ).

Amy on the Easter egg hunt

Alex and Nathan on the Easter egg huntNathan checking out the egg contents...Amy, wearing her chocolate bunny

Easter morning!Ready for church!Posing at Granny's houseThe whole familyTime to dye the eggs
Amy, just chillin'

A stomach bug?

That's what we're still trying to decide this morning. Amy woke yesterday morning and threw up several times. I immediately put her on the couch and covered her with a blanket, declaring to all that this was now the "sick" couch and this was the "sick" blanket, both of which were to be avoided by all but Amy. I take all precautions I can, but of course, with a stomach bug everyone usually gets it anyway.

As sick as the poor little thing was in the morning, after some lemon-lime Gatorade (thanks, Celeste!) Amy began to perk up. By 12:30 pm she informed me that she was hungry, so I began giving her oyster crackers. Not only did she keep them all down, but she downed over half of the large container of Gatorade and ate almost as many waffles for dinner as I did - plus half a banana! And other than a restless night's sleep (probably from over-eating), she didn't have anymore incidents. She's been actively playing all morning. So maybe it wasn't a stomach bug afterall? Whatever it was, I hope it's over and that we see no more of it for quite some time!

Something really cute...

A few minutes ago Alex came downstairs and told me to come upstairs with him. The way he put it was, "Mommy, come upstairs. You'll want to take a picture because you're going to see something that's really cute!". Then he took off back upstairs. So I obligingly grabbed the camera and headed upstairs where I found several somethings really cute in my bed...

Paper Art

In our house, we go through lots and lots of paper. We let the kids use the paper from our computer, and it amazes me how soon I'm having to refill the printer paper because it disappears so fast. Our downstairs is cluttered with drawings and creations out of paper. And though I'm tired of the mess, I am certainly not tired of this amazing display of creativity.

Nathan's skills at drawing and cutting out have been improving quite a bit in recent weeks. He really watches Alex and has learned to make cuts in his drawings to allow for leg movement or for the mouth to open and close. His drawings are becoming more detailed and not just the same thing every time; he's actually creating things. This morning he made a dog with spots (similar to a dalmation) and attached a leash so he could walk it. It's so fun to watch children be creative! Alex is in the kitchen right now making a book about Winnie-the-Pooh. I hear him sounding out words as he attempts to add the story with his pictures. I can't wait to see the results!

He attached the black thing (see by the head) just before I took the picture. I asked him what it was and he informed me that it's dirt. Makes sense.

The Busy Life

Here I thought my life was already busy, but I guess I didn't know the half of it! Tonight, we began a new phase in our lives... sports. Nathan had his first Mini-Tee Ball practice. And next week, Alex starts his Tee Ball practices. I never realized how seriously these people take tee ball, but both boys practice two nights a week. Alex practices for one hour each night. Nathan practices for TWO hours each night. Yes, I did say two hours. Both happen on the same nights. Both happen during the same time frame. Both are at separate fields. What a crazy schedule we are going to have starting next week! And poor Amy. Her one activity also happens to fall on one of those nights. And since there are only two adults to cart them to these three different activities that all occur at the same time each at different locations, we will have to reschedule Amy's Little Gym.

Yes, life just got even busier...

Teaching a Child to Read

As a new home schooler this year, I just assumed that the Explode the Code phonics currriculum would be enough to teach Alex how to read. I do think it helps tremendously with the process, but it is meant to be more of a supplement. And since we started with the "Before the Code" series, we especially needed some extra help.

A fellow home schooler spoke of how much they love using 100 Easy Lessons. I made a mental note of this, and when I saw that someone had a used copy for sale at only $5, I jumped on it. We started the reading program early January and I am absolutely loving it. Both boys participate and really like it, too. Alex has reached a point where he can sound out simple words, and for some he simply sees the word and immediately says it. He enjoys trying to read anything and everything. We are only on Lesson 26 of the 100 lessons so he is a tad limited by what he can read, but I am so impressed with this reading program. Nathan is really picking up on it, too! I may need to work extra with him because he is falling behind Alex, but he is still learning a great deal.

I was worried that teaching reading was going to be one of my biggest and most pain-staking challenges regarding home schooling. But what a joy it is to teach a child to read!!!

Where Does the Time Go?

In April I'll turn 33 years old. Yes, I know that is not old. Of course it's not... But my heart (and sometimes my body) tell me otherwise. I'm not going through a mid-life crisis; I'm not upset over my age at all. My concern is over the quick passage of time and how I'm spending it.

Life keeps us so busy these days with home-schooling and all of our extracurricular activities, not to mention the day-to-day chores and unexpected tasks that come our way. I keep so busy, I don't always notice how very quickly my children are growing up. My oldest is almost 6 and my youngest, who I feel like should still be crawling around on the floor, is almost 2-1/2. How did it happen? I feel like I missed something. In fact, I am so terrible at journaling that in many ways, I have missed things. None of my children's baby books are filled out very well. Poor Amy - pretty much any milestone recordings I've ever made for her were done in this blog. And I often don't get around to blogging everything. My kids will someday come to me wanting to know details about their childhood, and the only information I'll be able to share will have to come from my memory. That pretty much means they won't be hearing many details!

I've had several reminders of late at how quickly life is passing. My nephew, who I can still remember as a baby and toddler, is now a senior in high school and will be graduating this year. And then this past weekend I went to Austin for a wedding. It was a wedding of a young woman who I babysat for many years. From the time she was about 4 until she was too old to be babysat (and I felt too old to be still babysitting), I was the prime babysitter for her and her little sister. And here I was, at her wedding. And during the reception, they flashed through picture after picture up on a large screen and I saw so many pictures of the little girl I remember from so long ago. And yet, it doesn't seem so long ago. Where did the time go? The picture below is of me with these two beautiful grown up women who are now the same height as me - maybe even taller! And though they remember me and all of the games we used to play together, they are not the same little girls anymore. Where did the time go?

I remember my dad telling me a long time ago when he and I were out on a walk that the older you get, the more quickly time seems to pass you by. At the time, either in high school or a freshman in college, this information didn't seem too important or all that believable for that matter. I was complaining about wanting a stressful week to be over and he was giving me the old "don't wish your life away" speech. But now, here I am, finally seeing what it was he was talking about. It really was a "don't wish your life away" speech, and that advice should be taken seriously. I can remember when the holidays at Christmas seemed to go on and on and on and I just couldn't wait for Christmas day. Now I want Christmas day to take it's time coming, because the holidays seem so short. Summers used to feel like they lasted forever, but now they go by in the blink of an eye. It's becoming difficult to remember what year we're in. I have to think about it every time I write the date. My dad was right. Where does the time go?

There is really not much I can do about the passing of time. I can't stop all of our activities so I can keep things a little slower... a little duller. I can't stop my children from growing up. But I do plan to take in every moment and try to enjoy this time that God has given me here with my loved ones. It is often so easy to wallow in self-pity when the days get difficult or I feel too overwhelmed by life's challenges. But why waste those precious moments in feelings of sadness or depression? No one knows how much time we have here on this Earth, and what time we do have goes so fast. Every minute we have should be treasured and used wisely.

So on that note, I think I have spent enough time sitting in here at my computer. Now it's time to spend memorable moments with my children!

Back Again!

Once again, my geranium has company...

Happy Valentine's Day!

"This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins... if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us." 1 John 4:10-12

Today is a special day where we make an extra effort to show our loved ones how special they are to us. Of course, we should do this every day, but especially on this day. I used to be pretty good about sending cards to relatives and friends to let each of them know how much we love them. I even used to make my own cards! But times have changed and now I do good just to encourage and help the kids make cards for others. And this year we seem to have hit an all time low with the cards. I'm just hoping to get each of the kids to make their daddy a card before he gets home from work!

Despite our failure with greeting cards this year, I have tried to make today a little special for at least my own children. Thanks to a dear friend who loaned me two eggs this morning, I was able to make chocolate chip muffins for the kids' breakfast. We had peanutbutter and jelly sandwiches cut in the shape of a heart for lunch, with Valentine candy from Granny and Paw-Paw for dessert. And each child is going to get a small heart-shaped box of chocolates and a Webkinz once their daddy gets home (I don't want him to miss seeing them get their Valentine surprises!). Hopefully we can also fit in a little Valentine craft before the day is out. And of course, we must watch Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown at some point, too. And for dinner, leftover lasagna. Yes, sadly, leftovers. But it's been over a week since we had it (I froze the leftovers) and it's not something I make very often. So, despite being leftover and not as romantic as steak, it will still be somewhat special. :) Here are some pictures of our day so far...

And since Valentine cards did not get mailed this year...

Happy Valentine's Day from our family to yours!!!

A Picture Post

Alex and Nathan, showing off their homemade firefighter helmets.
Amy, all set for Little Gym
Nathan and Amy
Alex with his sock puppet
Nathan, posing with his lunch plate (notice the face out of food)
Amy, with her favorite lunch item

Neglectful Again

Once again, I have been neglecting my blog. The funny thing is, there have been multiple occasions where I have purposefully taken pictures of the kids with the intent to blog and just never got around to doing it. Of course, yesterday we went bowling with the Contenders - Alex's second time to bowl but Nathan and Amy's first. I remembered my camera so I could capture the moment (and blog about it), but then managed to forget the camera out in the car. And once you've paid and have everyone in their bowling shoes, it's too late to run back out to the car for the camera! So no pictures to blog for that event. I can say that they all had a wonderful time, especially once one of those special gadgets to help young kids bowl became available. They loved using that thing! Sadly, that wasn't until our game was almost over.... not that we even got to finish. When little kids bowl and the ball takes several minutes to slowly make its way down to the pins, your game takes a long time. And I learned yesterday that you actually have a time limit! Oh, well. They had a great time and I've promised we'll do it again soon.

My camera is still out in the car, but as soon as I can, I will post pictures as an update to what we've been up to these last couple of weeks. And with any luck, I will post a little more frequently from now on!

A Walk Thru the Old Testament

Today Bill and I did a Walk Thru the Old Testament Seminar at our church. It was a long, but amazing day. The first session of the seminar was given during the normal worship service, and then those who wanted to participate in the full seminar stayed for the remainder of the day, taking lunch and snack breaks throughout the day. I am so grateful to my wonderful parents who so lovingly looked after the kids while we participated in the seminar. There was childcare available at our church, but I can't even imagine how Amy would have handled such a long day!

We were literally at church the entire day, and I can honestly say it was an incredible experience. The speaker was fantastic and I feel liked I learned so much about the Old Testament in that relatively short amount of time. I've never been good about reading the Old Testament because everytime I start to read it, I get lost in all of the detail and history. This seminar did a great job of breaking it down into key points and providing a means to rememember everything. I tend to be very quiet and perhaps a bit uncomfortable when in large gatherings of people. But this seminar has you standing up and really participating - as in literally performing hand motions and speaking key terms out loud - throughout the session. You even get into smaller groups to practice what you've learned several times. And though my shyness caused me some distress during this whole process, I actually had fun and learned so much. I can honestly say that I don't remember all of the 77 pieces of information we covered today, but I certainly know a lot more than when I walked into church this morning.

If you ever hear about this being given at a church near you, I highly recommend it!

Just Another MeMe

Celeste posted this fun meme and I thougth I'd join in. It's always fun to share a little about ourselves...

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? My middle name comes from my Aunt (Elaine), and my first name (Robin), I believe, was suggested by my Grandmother after a young lady she worked with at Sears.
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Maybe a week ago?
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Sometimes.
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Boars Head BBQ Chicken.
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Three.
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? I'd like to think so.
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? From time to time.
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes.
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? No way.
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Frosted Mini Wheats.
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? No, that takes too long.
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? No.
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? vanilla (or Dreyers Peppermint, but it's only out at Christmas)
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Their smile and how they present themselves
15. RED OR PINK? Pink.
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF? I am easily stressed and am too impatient.
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? Bill, anytime he's gone.
18. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Denim jeans and navy slip-on tennis shoes.
19. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? A Powerbar (and, if I am to be honest, a couple of french fries)
20. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? The kids playing - they love their new Surf's Up penguin toys we got from McDonalds today
21. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Cornflower Blue
22. FAVORITE SMELLS? The smell of wood burning on a cold day and most definitely Circle E Candles Apple Strudel and Christmas Spirit - love them!!!!
23. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My sister-in-law.
24. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Football
25. HAIR COLOR? Brown.
26. EYE COLOR? Hazel??? They are mostly green with a ring of brown.
27. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Yes
28. FAVORITE FOOD? Ice cream. Does that count?
29. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy endings.
30. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? I, Robot.
31. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Gray.
32. SUMMER OR WINTER? Autumn.
33. HUGS OR KISSES? Hugs.
34. FAVORITE DESSERT? Ice Cream (it's my favorite everything)
35. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? Real Learning: Education in the Heart of the Home
36. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? The Death Star.
37. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST NIGHT? King of Queens.
38. FAVORITE SOUNDS? Birds chirping outside, my children's voices (when they are happy), and sometimes no sound at all.
39. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? I'm not a big fan of either, but I prefer the Beatles.
40. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Germany
41. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? I suppose I can quilt and cook okay, and I've always love to draw. I wouldn't say I'm exceptionally great at any of these things, though.
42. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Beaumont, TX

Check out what you are checking out!

More than likely, you all do this... But with three little ones running rampant through the children's section of our local public library, I don't always look through the books they have chosen to check out. I'm usually just anxious to get us checked out and back out to the car. Most of the books they select come from the picture book section and are very safe, albeit sometimes, a bit gross or stupid (we tend to only read these once). But this past trip to the library we brought home a book that literally shocked me.

Nathan has been into Superman lately, or at least the idea of Superman. He doesn't know anymore about him than that he is a superhero who wears an "S" symbol on his chest and a red cape. But while they were (supposed to be) sitting and looking at books as I attempted to locate a few educational books for Alex, Alex came across this book for Nathan about Superman... This, of course, was right at the end of our library visit and Amy and Nathan were getting a bit loud and restless, so I simply said "great" and we checked out. Several days went by before Bill and I really took a look at what was in this book. Oh. My. Goodness. Okay, growing up, my brother collected comic books and I would frequently read his X-Men, Spiderman, etc. comics. And of course, the drawings and subject matter were... well... not what I would consider appropriate for young children. I was not little when I read them. I wouldn't expect to find these comics in the children's section of our library.

But here it was. Yes, the Superman drawn on the front seems harmless enough, but look a little further and you find half-dressed, extremely built women, risque illustrations, and very graphically violent pictures. Does this sound like something you'd want your young child to read - or more importantly, look at? Of course, I know that I should always check the content of the book my child is checking out, but I was still shocked by this one. Really. Check your kids' library books.

Nathan asked about his Superman book last night... I felt bad as I ignored his requests and simply turned his attention to a different book. I didn't tell him that Daddy has it and will, first chance he gets, take it back to the library, perhaps even stopping to offer a comment or two on where this book really belongs.

Making the World a Safer Place...

On the way home from an outing yesterday, Alex informed me that when he grows up ("to be a daddy"... to my kids, those words go hand-in-hand with "growing up" :) ), he is going to be a superhero. And not just any superhero. He is going to fight sharks, crabs, and alligators. I can breathe easier knowing that, thanks to Alex, I will be safe from these evil villains of the Earth's waters... Can't you?

Alex the Chef

I've always thought of Alex as being very creative, but lately he seems to be carrying it to a whole new level. From making his 3-dimensional paper animals, to wanting to build a house he could live in, in our backyard (with running water, I might add), he has just been amazing us. Poor thing has been so frustrated by some of the things he's wanted to do that Bill and I have had to say no to. He just doesn't understand why we won't let him make a video game (player and games). We've tried explaining to him that we don't have the plastic, electronics, etc. necessary to build it. But he huffs and puffs and sticks out his bottom lip at us, anyway. He's also asked to build a real rocket with metal. Again, no metal or means to make a real rocket. The model rockets we made last week did seem to help satisfy that request, however, though he was a bit confused by the lack of metal on our models.

So I was thankful this evening that his latest idea I could actually allow. He came to me and said he wanted to make something he could eat. I said maybe, depending on what he wanted to make (I was really scared of what he had in mind). He said he wanted to use carrots, apples, and cheese. Well, it didn't sound very appetizing, but I said okay. He asked to use my Pampered Chef chopper to chop up the carrots and apples, which was definitely the only option since a real knife was out of the question. I had him place the half-chopped (have you ever tried using that chopper?) mixture into a dish, and then he sprinkled some shredded cheese on top. Then we placed the lid on top and put it in the oven for awhile. Of course, the cheese melted and the apples cooked rather quickly, but the carrots were still rather crisp. Alex didn't care. He said it was done and that it looked delicious. And if you didn't know what it was, it did look somewhat appetizing. So I served it up to all three kids with their dinner. Upon seeing the funny expression on Alex's face as he took the first bite, I asked him if he liked it. Immediately he said, "Yes, it's very good." And then after eating much of his other food and not once touching his own recipe, he looked at me and said, "Actually, it's not very good." I think that was the consensus among all who tried it. He informed me that all it needed was small marshmallows on top... Um... Yeah... I'm sure that would fix it. It will be interesting to see what Chef Alex comes up with next!

Happy New Year!

2008 already... It's so hard to believe. I don't think I ever got used to writing "2007"! But the start of 2008 will always be memorable for our family. We started out our New Year's Eve celebration by going across town to my brother's house to let the kids do fireworks together. At first, I wasn't sure Amy and I were going because she'd been a little sick with cold and slight fever. But she was much better all day yesterday and acted like her usual self. So we decided Amy and I would go, too. We had actually been invited to spend the night, but our dog Shelby would need to be let out and we were also worried about her being extra scared from all of the fireworks (Shelby is a very timid dog who is unsettled by even the slightest outside noise). And though the kids were disappointed they would not be sleeping over at their cousins' house, they had a fantastic time eating pizza, doing fireworks, drinking hot cocoa, and indulging in ice cream before finally heading home.

Bill and I had planned on putting the kids straight to bed (an easy task since they'd all fallen asleep on the way home) and then ringing in the New Year with a glass of champagne while watching the New York City ball drop on television. We still did that, but not with the same happy disposition we'd expected. When we arrived home earlier, we noticed water pooled on the garage floor, apparently coming from the door into the house. Upon further inspection, we discovered that a pipe under a sink in the upstairs master bathroom had sprung a leak while we were gone and flooded the bathroom carpet, as well as leaked through the ceiling of the downstairs bathroom. Bill had to cut away part of the ceiling in the downstairs bath to let the pooled water out, as well as cut out much of the carpet in the master bath. This, of course, was not how we were expecting to ring in the new year! I'm trying to look at the bright side - if there is one! Maybe I can get that tile in the master bath that I've always wanted???

On a different note, I guess I should make a few New Year's Resolutions, something I normally do at midnight on New Year's Eve, but our minds were only on our new remodeling project last night. So, here's what I can come up with off the top of my head:

1. Cut way back on the sweets, as I have gotten quite accustomed to grabbing a cookie or piece of candy as a snack lately.

2. Begin a new exercise program. I used to be very good about putting regular exercise into my schedule, but over the last couple of years, my only exercise is housekeeping and chasing after the kids. And although that is some pretty good exercise, it's not quite enough.

3. Plan ahead better on our homeschool lessons. I'm tired of trying to prepare lessons at the last minute. I want at least 3 weeks worth always planned out.

4. Finish some of the home improvement tasks I've began, such as the wallpaper I started pulling off the kids' bathroom walls. I thought it looked bad before I began peeling it away! Let's just say that I've only pulled off small sections, all over the place. It looks dreadful. I really should finish that little project.

5. Spend more time just playing with the kids. I spend time with them when we are schooling and at other times each day, but not so much where we are just playing together. I really want to have more of that kind of quality time with them.

6. I want to make more time for just Bill and I. We used to carve out Friday nights after the kids would go to bed to just sit together and watch a movie or play a board game. Over the past couple of years, however, it seems we always have too many individual projects to keep us busy every night. We need to go back to planning one night a week to spend with each other.

I know there are other things, but this is the best I can do right now.

I hope you all have a wonderful and blessed New Year's Day!