2010 New Year's Resolutions

I've been thinking about them all week. I want to make them attainable. And I tried to pick both spiritual and practical goals. Here they are:

1. Smile more. It's not that I'm mad. But most of the time I'm just tired (of laundry, messes, whining, etc.) or worried (of not meeting school goals, speech problems, reading issues, etc.). But I've been hearing for months now that my joy should be rooted in being a Daughter of God. And so if I take that one step further, whether there are messes, dirty clothes, average instead of genius kids (LOL) should not rob me of my joy. I should wake up and smile because I've woken up! I should be smiling because I have so many blessings to create laundry chaos and messes. Speech problems are certainly better than other kinds. And I need to smile more because I want my children to remember as happy. I would hate for them to say to their spouses or children one day, "Let's go visit the cranky hag and see what's bothering her today." This is my number one resolution.

2. Grade school work daily. While not as spiritual as smiling, I think this one change will make us all happier and more organized. When I was only schooling Isabelle, I would grade her work right after she was done. Now, I find that I get days behind and both Isabelle and I are frustrated over this one little part of our homeschooling. She can't move on until I've given her feedback. Or, if she does move on, I get frustrated when I finally grade school work to discover that she's been doing days worth of work incorrectly. I think my main problem is two fold: I don't have a specific grading time AND I don't have a specific turn in bin for Anna and Isabelle. I can't tell you how many times we've had to search for completed work. I still haven't figured out whether each child should have a turn in bin and where to place them. But I do know I will grade school work in the evenings while watching t.v. or before getting on the computer.

3. Family prayer time after dinner While we do pray as a family every evening, I think that it would be better if we moved it up to an earlier time so as to have everyone awake and get more participation. Right now we say our prayers right before everyone gets in bed. Problem is, on nights when we are out or we stay up late, the tendency is to tuck everyone in bed and forgo prayers. So, I'm thinking that maybe we could say family prayers right after dinner. Everyone is together and perhaps it can be more meaningful. Also, I would like to start staggering bedtimes. Currently everyone goes to bed at the same time. But I think Catherine needs to go to bed about an hour earlier. And Isabelle has wanted to stay up reading but shares a room with Catherine. I was thinking that Catherine could go to sleep an hour before Belle. So, again, prayer time needs to be at a different time.

4. Laundry. I don't know how much more I can post on this subject. I just need to commit to doing some everyday. My problem is that I do none for days and days. I'm still purging. Maybe if we all had 2 outfits (week day wear and Sunday best) I could stay on top of it. Wouldn't we be a sight by Friday (my kids are still learning the fine art of napkin use). I have a huge laundry room, good machines, able and willing folders, and lots of hampers. If I could pick btwn a nanny, cook, housekeeper and laundress I would pick the laundress, hands down!! But until she comes knocking to offer me her free services, I have to wear a smile and cheerfully do some loads everyday.

5. Do something nice everyday for my family. I want to show tangible signs of my love for my family. And I want to do the things I don't think I have time for. So, I've made a list and I will try to pick at least one everyday. Some of them are easy to do. So I will strive to pick something I don't get to often. Here are some of the items on my list:

Play a card game with kids.
Do a puzzle with kids.
Crochet with girls.
Write a love note to Craig and hide in his luggage (for trips).
Bake cookies and have tea time.
Build tents in living room AND play with them.
Cook their favorite meal, set table beautifully with candles (can you believe I got this as my penance 2 weeks ago ... Sophia said she liked that priest and asked when would I be going to confession again)
Watch a family movie WITH popcorn.
Light a fire in the fireplace and share stories of when they were little.
Watch old movies of when they were babies.
Give praise reports during dinner (I need to do this everyday)
Make special desserts to celebrate Baptism days and Saint Name days.

I could go on and on. I think the key, for me, is having the list to look and pick from. Most of these are focused on the kids. I have plenty for my sweetie but don't feel I should print them! ;-)

And so, these are my five resolutions. I have probably 1000 things I could improve. But these are the five things I'm going to really focus on in 2010. Wish me luck!!! And have a Happy and Healthy New Year!!!!

Introducing ......

PRINCESS!!

She joined our family back in February. How rude of me not to introduce her sooner. She seems to love us and we certainly love her. She's a well behaved lady who loves to be petted. Her favorite past time is playing with the children and chasing cats. She likes stuffed animals and baby toys. She's learning that they're not meant for her.

I'm not a "dog person" and had a rough start with her. I didn't introduce her sooner because I wasn't sure I wanted to keep her. But with the help of the children's tears and Craig's strong leadership (read: stubbornness), and many episodes of The Dog Whisperer, I can confidently say she's a keeper!

Isn't she beautiful?

For the AFV Team

Just so I can't be accused of discrimination, these pictures are for the AFV Team (Advocates For Veronica) .................

What color are those eyes? I'm holding out for green. Craig says they're brown.

Guess who's standing up and walking along furniture? And climbing stairs? And getting into lots of trouble?

Sleeping .... again? She's developed this habit of only sleeping when being held. Good thing my girls don't mind!

At a swim meet ......

My version of a baby gate .......

Is the AFV Team happy?

Re-evaluating Priorities

I've been doing alot of soul searching these past few months. Actually, Craig and I have been talking ALOT lately about how our family life has changed as the kids have gotten older. So many activities to run to .... swimming, choir, piano, co-op, swim meets, book club, mom's night out, pro-life meetings, etc., etc., etc.

I miss the days of just watching the girls dance to music after dinner. I miss the days of sitting in front of the house while watching the kids roller skate and on their bikes.

I understand that as kids get older, life gets busier. But I think that somehow, Craig and I lost the reins and the activities have become like a run away horse buggy.

And so we've been talking and praying and talking and praying.

The girls and I have been going to daily mass since about February and that has really changed the rhythm of our days. I now get up early. I can't believe it!!! I never thought I would be getting up voluntarily at 6:30am. My goal is to push it back to 6am and eventually 5:30am by September. But, with that early wake up time comes early bed times!!

Some things are a priority like mass, school and piano. I think everything else can pretty much go on the chopping block. And so the chopping has begun. I have been part of a discussion group for over a year now. We meet at Olive Garden to discuss home management(HomeAdvantage) and glean wisdom/tips from each other. While I've learned alot from the other ladies, I've also decided to step back from this group. It can be more social than instructive at times. ;-)

And because I've joined the Gabriel Project at our church, something had to give. .

The next activity on the chopping block is ....... swimming. *wince*

Swimming has been a blessing but has also brought many caveats. Dinner HAS to be ready by 4pm so that my swimmers can digest and be ready to dive into the pool by 5:30pm. Swimming requires a heavy commitment of time (daily). Absences are unforgiving and show up in swim meet times. While Isabelle has LOVED it, she misses being home in the evenings (when Craig isn't working). She's tired in the mornings because bedtime is usually around 9pm (after showering, eating a snack and talking/praying/getting ready for bedtime). She misses hanging out, being read to, and enjoying slow, peaceful dinners. And I miss her.

After all, she's only 11!!!

And so, we're starting to re-evaluate everything we're doing. Because activities can be the same as clutter in a house. If it goes unchecked, too much can come in through the front door and create havoc.

Ironically, because we're so busy swimming, we've lost our time to bike ride, roller skate, visit the YMCA for rock climbing and go on post dinner walks. When we lived in College Station we went on walks DAILY and even visited friends. In "the woods" our neighborhood was so beautiful and we loved walking in the evenings. We have yet to go on a family walk and we've been here over 2 years!!!

The chopping block is out. And we're cutting back.

I'm curious to hear from those of you who swam when you were young. At what age did you start and how often did you swim? I'm thinking maybe we just need a break from year-round swimming until she's a little older. Time to regroup. A year or three to enjoy being young.

I think I'll start re-reading my David Elkind books. ;-)

May Crowning Cake

Tonight we celebrated a May Crowning with some families. We prayed the rosary and then enjoyed snacks. I volunteered to bring the cake and ... tada .... this is how it came out. At the last minute I ran over to my mom-in-laws and she made some roses for me. I've always wanted to do a rosary cake!! I finally got the chance! BTW, those are M&M's!!

* On a side note: I had a great time and really enjoyed myself with these ladies. I always do. Unfortunately, they don't live on my side of town but I'm not going to let that be such an obstacle anymore. Thank you so much for your supportive comments and heartfelt prayers!! I wish I could get together with all of you IRL!!! The private emails made me feel so loved. The reminder to lean heavily on my Lord was just what I needed to hear! Love you!!

Boys & Their Hobbies: Part II

A while back I posted my thoughts on the need men have for meaningful hobbies.

Craig has taken on a new one, thanks to a lovely family we know! ;-) Yesterday, he went paintball fighting with my dad and my cousins. Today, he spent some time in the back with the kids. Anyone who's been over to our home would know we DO NOT have acreage and that my backyard is NOT set up for this kind of recreation.

So, after an hour of shooting I had to put my foot down. After all, they had stained my fence and bird bath. Instead, I sent them packing over to my mom-in-laws. She has a wide field perfect for target practice

Thank you, dear S. family, for introducing us to this wonderful sport! LOL!

The Posse

I just couldn't resist!! I used to love shooting with my cousin.

Isabelle

Anna

Sophia

Kolbe

Catherine, shooting air!! LOL!!

Veronica

She's gaining weight!! YEAH!! Today we went in for her 2 week appointment and she weighed in at 8 lbs. 3 oz. Not exactly back at her birth weight but she gained 7 oz. in only 5 days!!! I'm feeding her often and encouraging her to eat for as long as possible. We go back on Friday and hopefully she'll be back to her birth weight.

Also, today she had her first real bath. Up until now she's either taken a bath with me or just had a light sponge bath.

Can I just say that this was the MOST difficult newborn bath I've ever given!! LOL! It had NOTHING to do with Veronica and all to do with the 5 children cramming around me to get the best view.

And the whole time I kept yelling to Craig, "Don't get me in the pictures .... PLEASE!!"

I was still in my pajamas and an awful mess.

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Other great achievements today:

Isabelle: Scored a 100% on her math test!! Woohoo!! She always does well but gets SUPER DUPER excited with perfect scores. That's probably because I get SUPER DUPER excited with perfect scores!! LOL!

Anna: Went to swimming and let me leave!! YEAH!!

Sophia: Finished Lesson 50 of 100 Easy Lessons. We're half way done!! Now, just another 50 lessons to go! *groan*

Kolbe: Reached Lesson 25!! He's half way to Sophia!! Also, he's starting to write his numbers. This is a biggie because he can hardly hold the darn pencil much less make it do what he wants.

Catherine: Still potty trained!! No accidents. And ....... she gave herself another haircut!!

Me: I survived since Craig had to "go back to work." Of course he was home all day but I had to start pretending like he wasn't. LOL!! I didn't try my hardest to pretend!!! LOL!!

Tomorrow he flies out and doesn't return until Thursday night. I guess tomorrow I have no choice, huh?!

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Here are the big sisters giving me a helping hand:

And just one last picture of my sweet angel.

Introducing .......

Veronica Grace

October 27, 2008

2:55 AM

8 lbs. 8.5 oz

20 inches long

Born via waterbirth

We're home now and resting. And VERY happy!! Thank you for all your prayers! I'll chat more later. Enjoy the pictures.

Zoo Pictures

WARNING: Post with gazillion pictures!!

Here are some pics from our zoo visit yesterday. No, we didn't see any elephants, giraffes, rhinos, hippos or any other large animals that kids normally like to see.

When Isabelle was only in 1st grade, we used to go to the zoo ever two weeks with another family. The MODG syllabus said to go to the zoo and museum instead of using science books. Well, I took her at her word. We went faithfully.

In fact, we went so often, my kids got used to spending 30+ minutes staring at one animal. Since then we take very slow walks around the zoo with the promise that we can always come back in a few weeks. ENJOY!

These flamingos were Catherine's favorite!!

Asiatic Black Bear. He was actually playing and hanging from the bars. We stayed with him for quite a while. We also enjoyed watching the birds eat his fruit. Isabelle identified a Starling.

Komodo Dragon

Kids sitting on a Komodo Dragon. This is their favorite statue.

Python

Here's Catherine pointing at the monkeys who were doing a wonderful job of acting silly and swinging all over the place.

Can you find Nemo?

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We spent a long time in the Butterfly House. The kids loved it in there. The rules include not touching the butterflies, flowers, or fruit. And no running or getting off the path. At some time or another Kolbe, Catherine and Sophia broke all of the rules. ;-)

In Sophia's defense, the butterfly landed on her (which is allowed). But then Kolbe wanted to hold it and Sophia was attempting to pass on the butterfly. I managed to stop the transfer. Notice the butterfly's wing is damaged. We didn't do that!

Older sisters taking care of our little monkey!

Jaguar, up close and personal!

Oldest sister with youngest sister! I love seeing these moments!

My favorite spot to sit while we .......

..... had ICE CREAM!!!

A zoo trip isn't complete without these yummy treats!!

Hope you enjoyed your visit!