Pep Talk

Today is the First Day of the rest of my life!

I am having a conquer the world kind of moment. I awoke with my husband's alarm clock at 5:45, so I have a bit of free time this a.m. The kids don't have school today or we would be already in the middle of the morning rush.

I have come up with strategies to balance the things that I am "struggling" with today and so Here I Go! (struggles = budgeting...food, time, money)

If you haven't figured out...this is a pep-talk blog with a couple pictures thrown in for good measure.


Here are 3 of the kiddos playing in the snow. It is a few weeks out of date and I am happy to report we are snow free. Our temps got to 68 degrees last week, but have returned to the 30s today. The week before last we had some negative digits - it's hard to figure out!

Anna loves to be outside. She doesn't care if it is raining and -4 degrees, she still asks if she can play outside. There can be ice covering every surface and she will ask, "Can I ride my bike?". I do remember all my other kids with similar attitudes at her age. Joel actually is outside the most of any of my kids, because he can be outside alone and he loves to shoot hoops and ride his bike and play in the snow. I might have mentioned this before...but it was Joel (w/ a bit of assistance from Ken) who helped Anna build the snowmen in the last post. When he isn't fighting with Anna, he is very sweet with her.

Carolyn likes to be outside and has done her share of sledding this winter. That said, she also loves to curl up with a good book. (I should get a picture of THAT if I want to remember her childhood.) My mom said I read all the time, but I think she reads more than I did...but maybe it is just a change in perception. Now that I am the person who is always saying, "stop reading and get your jobs done", maybe it just feels like she is reading more. A sweet Carolyn note - early January she and I were at the Dollar Tree and she was already thinking about what she was going to buy everyone for Valentine's Day. She used her own money and bought everyone a treat. She isn't the best at keeping a secret :) but I love her generous spirit. It is rubbing off, as Joel just bought Carolyn a birthday present at the book fair. (Her birthday is about a 1/2 a year away.)


If you haven't noticed, Matthew is NOT in the snowy picture at the start of this post. He did go sledding once when Ken took the kids to their favorite hill. Other than that he hasn't really joined in. He has been a help shoveling, but doesn't seem to crave the white stuff anymore. When he was little he wanted to be outside 24/7! Now, not so much. Last year, he was out less than the other kids, but this year he has had almost no interest in the frigid temps. Another change in Matthew is that he has become a wonderful baby-sitter. He actually PLAYS with Anna. The other day, Ken had to leave with Joel and Carolyn about 5 minutes before I got home. I arrived to find Matthew playing Sweet-Streets (small doll-houses) with Anna. Later that day, even though he wasn't officially baby-sitting, he was playing hide and seek with her. I love to see that tender, care giving, side in him.

Ok - it is hours after I started this post and now our house is in full swing. Wish me luck as I go try to balance the day!