When Life is a Roller Coaster!

Yesterday was a roller coaster of a day.  We had some snow Saturday night....probably 4 or 5 inches.  It was heavy, wet snow.  I enjoy looking at snow from inside a nice, warm house, but I am not an outdoor lover.  I tend to be a "faller", so ice on the ground is not my friend.  Being cold and wet are not my favorite things, either, so I am not a skier or a sled lover either.

I love seeing the excitement that the kids feel over snow!  I love the idea of them building snow men and having snow ball fights(that don't end with someone getting pegged in the face!), but then the reality sets in.  In order for that outdoor fun to happen, everyone needs snow gear!

Ugh!

Boots and snow pants and gloves(that fit) need to searched for and then put on.  It.takes.forever to get it all out and on and then get them stuffed out the door.

What's even worse is when they all trek back in....wet and dripping and leaving all their snow articles strewn from the front door to wherever they manage to get the last piece of clothing off!  Small piles of wet snow lie on the floor as land mines for dry socks to step in for the next few hours!

It just seems like a lot of work for the relatively short time they are playing outside.

I know...I sound like such a 'snow Scrooge'...but like I said before, it's just not my thing!

The whole getting everyone ready makes me feel inadequate...which is a struggle of mine anyway.  With so many kids, we have boots in just about every size imaginable!  We have a slew of gloves that every year I go through and match up to make sure they still have a mate.  As far as hats go....we have plenty!  It's just getting it all together to make sure everyone has what they need.

Eventually, everyone gets something to wear that (mostly) fits.  It reminds me of the scene from Yours, Mine, and Ours when the kids all go to get rain boots and one of the younger kids gets what's left and they are several sizes too big.  (Only their closets are much more organized than ours!)

My struggles with feeling inadequate as a mom/wife, and the ridiculous amount of fear I often seem to be dealing with emotionally, will definitely be a part of my resolutions for the New Year.  That and finally losing this baby weight....a final last hoorah to feel good about myself as my 30's are slipping away.(only 18 months left!)

Jay was feeling down yesterday....a combo of vaca ending and mulling over a comment one of the kids made to him that made him introspective and feeling inadequate as a parent...there's that word again!)  Then, he and Jon and Mike tackled cleaning out the cellar from our recent flood.  The boys were incredibly helpful and they got quite a bit done.  But, right before they called it a day, Mike flicked some sawdust in the air and something got in Jay's eye.  It was all red and irritated and sore despite his attempts to flush it out.

We got to spend time with some friends mid afternoon....the highlight of the day.  By the time we left their house, Jay's eye was really bothering him.  Being a stubborn man, he just wanted to wait until today to go to the eye doctor instead of having to wait in the er.  He (finally!) went at 8:45...and wouldn't let Mike go with him to drive him despite his impaired vision!  Ugh!  Stubborn man!!!  Thankfully, the er wasn't crazy and an eye flush, antibiotic drops, and the diagnosis of a scratched cornea later, and he was home by 11.

In the midst of the eye issue, Jay had left visine on the counter in the bathroom when he was trying to flush out his eye.  Luke walked in to take a bath 4 steps ahead of us and drank some of it!  I called poison control and they said he would be fine.  That all happened around 7.  Starting at 10:30, Luke would cry every 15 min(!!!) saying either gibberish or that his tummy hurt until 2:30.  Add in Kate's multiple wakings and I have bags under my eyes that reach to my knees.:(

Today is a new day, though, and I have plenty on my to-do list to keep me busy.  Our New Year's Eve is fairly tame....my sister and her husband and a couple of friends come over.  Nothing super formal...just apps and desserts.  Though even that will be a challenge with such little sleep!

I hope you have a great...and safe...New Year's Eve!

As we jump into 2013, I hope it holds lots of happy surprises for all of us!

And sleep....lots and lots of sleep!

Maybe this will be the year I actually sleep through the night....but I won't be holding my breath!