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!

Saturday

Oh my goodness...I am so grouchy today!  I think that sleep deprivation, too much sugar, and no quiet time is starting to take it's toll.  That, and I'm starting to feel like I will never get a handle on all this clutter.  I truly love Christmas....it's just so tough to organize afterwards.  We don't go crazy with presents, and neither do our families.  But, with just the sheer number of people in the house, gifts times 10 is a lot to find homes for.

It's also a great opportunity to do a pre-new year cleanse....of stuff that is!  The girls will be going through their drawers today to purge things that don't fit anymore.  I did the same to Luke, Peter and Kate's drawers  yesterdays.  As for the older boys....I just try to avoid their rooms at all times!

I also got all the sheets washed yesterday...way behind on that!  It was one of those things on the list on my head that makes me feel like a bad mom.  But it's done for now...and everyone has flannel to keep them toasty warm:)

I'm off to the grocery store for a few things and then Ellie's basketball game.  I am very much looking forward to heading to our friend's house tonight with only the girls for some (very needed) grown-up time!

Lazy Day

Today has been a really nice day.  Jay had today off, so we had a VERY lazy morning.  Kate and Luke came down with colds and did not sleep well at all last night, so we didn't even get out of bed until 8.  Then we hung out in our pj's most of the morning.

Jay did some woodworking...finally(!) getting the chance to work on the base cabinets that I desperately need in the family room.  I did more laundry and continue to tackle the post Christmas clutter.  You know.....I got to sort through things that don't fit to make room for the cute clothes that the kids got for Christmas!

I even got a power nap in:)

 Here's Peter playing with one of his Christmas presents...the Crayola light Globe.

 Kate is eating breakfast and looking quite cute:)

 This is Luke waiting patiently for his breakfast.

 Here's Daddy working on breakfast.....scrambled eggs:)


The best part....Jay has tomorrow off so we get to do it all over again! :)

The Day After Christmas.....

Twas the day after Christmas,
when all through our home,
not a room was uncluttered,
with plastic, paper and foam

The stockings were emptied,
all over the floor,
bags of paper and cardboard,
were piled high by the door.

Tired faces are many,
from waking too soon,
little things often ignored,
are now ugly moments of gloom.

Goodies and treats,
are seen all around,
kids search through the bags,
til their newest treasures are found.

Kids on vacation,
enjoying their toys,
issues with sharing,
leads to loud, screechy noise.

Toys put together,
not quite a snap,
And really all I want,
is to take a nice nap!

Moments like these don't come every day,
kids (mostly) at home,
ready to play,

Milling around,
oh what will they do,
candy, and Risk, and some videos, too.

Waiting for Daddy,
to get home for the night,
our tag team approach,
makes everything right!

Merry Christmas!

On this beautiful family day, mixed with lots of emotions, sleep deprivation, and way too much sugar(!).....I wish you all a very Blessed Christmas!

Here are a few of our highlights.......

 A special  Rudolph:)

 A little boy with a favorite present!....of the moment, anyway.  He loved his new tool belt(from Grandma and Grandpa) and tool bench(from Grandma and Pa)!

 A tired Daddy with his beautiful baby girl:)

 Nap time!

 I'm not supposed to tell you that the teenagers are playing with Legos.....(hee hee)

Pretty girls making piggies in a blanket....

 Santa Peter

Playing Risk together...one of Andrew's gifts.

My favorite moment....snuggling with Luke late this afternoon with a sleeping baby next to me reading Where the Wild Things Are (4x).  I'm so grateful for my family!

Wrapping Up Advent

Today's Quiet Moment Saturday, December 22 Take the time. Don’t be forever dashing. Try sauntering. The word saunter has an instructive background. It’s from the French Sainte Terre, Holy Land, and refers to the easy pace taken by the pilgrims who were enjoying the trip itself as well as relishing the goal. Life itself is a holy land, and deserves to be enjoyed en route. Joseph Gallagher

Love this quote!  Especially the line "enjoying the trip itself as well as relishing the goal."

I wanted to make my Advent this year more about living in the moment and listening and moving the way the Spirit lead.

Did I do it perfectly...umm..definitely not!  But I think even trying to keep my focus on God and His Will for me, even in the little things, has made a huge difference in my Advent!  (Hopefully, it will be something that continues to change me over the next year!)

There was something that struck me in our Deacon's Homily today.  He was talking about Mary's visit to Elizabeth and how John the Baptist "leaped in his mother's womb" upon hearing Mary's voice.

I was thinking about how Jesus would come to me this Christmas.  How will I receive Him?  Will I recognize that He is even there?  I want to!

I can see Jesus in the love of my family....any special gifts they may have chosen for me; all of us being home together and creating memories of another Christmas we are blessed to share; the kind words from friends....

I was also thinking about how I can bring Jesus to others.  My words and actions can be life giving, and way more powerful, if I am offering them with Jesus' love.  My words and actions are so much more powerful if I am trying to follow the path that God is showing me.

I can say that, during this Advent experiment, the times that I have heard God's whispers and acted on it have been incredibly satisfying experiences.  Despite the craziness that the to-do lists that I have this time of year, I feel like I had more peace and more energy to get things done....even when I was doing the "extra" things I felt God asked me to do!

Part of that is because I had more peace letting go of some items on the list rather than try to stuff in everything I wanted to do.  Guess what?  Even though I didn't do everything, what I did do is so much more satisfying and I don't even miss what was erased off the list!

I'm not completely finished!  There will be things to do tomorrow to finish preparing for Christmas.  There's a cheesecake in the oven as I write and 2 more to be baked tomorrow.  There's always the laundry and the dishes...and some extra cleaning to get the house ready for Christmas Day.

My hope is that I will spend the last day of Advent giving joyfully of my time and energy to make Christmas Day fun (and tasty) for my family.  Most importantly, I want to give my kids a cheerful mom that puts their need for time and attention above a perfect house!

And now I am off to have a "picnic" with a special little 3 year old who is looking for attention:)

Looking at the Blessings Within the Speedbumps

I am still in denial that Christmas is only 3 short days away!  I continue to try and keep on my schedule for shopping and baking while keeping up with the laundry and the dishes and the rides to and from basketball!  (All without losing the holiday spirit!)

Tonight I hit a speed bump.  Thankfully, I have spent my time laughing over it and not crying!

A couple of days ago, I was playing with Luke and Kate on the floor and Kate hit me right in the teeth with a Thomas train she was holding in her hand.  My two front teeth, which were shattered when I was in 8th grade in an incident that involved a classmate diving over me and hitting my head hard enough to smash my mouth against the cement wall, felt "not right".

Fast forward to tonight around 9pm and I was sitting at the computer checking my emails when I pushed my tongue against my teeth, which still didn't feel right, and a chunk broke right off!

I am absolutely serious!

Three days before Christmas....on a Friday night...and I have a broken front tooth!  I look like I belong on that show "Moonshiners" that I have had to suffer through watch because my teenage sons think it's hysterical!

Never mind a Christmas outfit...I will just find a pair of farmer jeans!

The first thought through my head....super glue!

My second thought...one of my best friends is a dental hygienist.  No answer at her house.

My third thought....we have a family that we are friends with through the kid's school and the dad is a dentist.  So I called him...asked about the super glue.  Turns out it's a no-go because our mouths secrete an enzyme that breaks down super glue.

Thankfully, this wonderful man, who is not supposed to work until after Christmas, is going to fix my tooth tomorrow morning.  I am so grateful....the blessing within the speedbump:)  Thank-you, Dr. Gomes!

So even though my baking list is a mile long, tomorrow morning will be spent fixing my smile.  And that is ok!

Guess I can wear my Christmas outfit after all!

Jay's reaction, other than laughter...."You're the prettiest red neck looking woman I know!"  Thanks, honey! Then he said that I reminded him of the gopher from Winnie-the-Pooh because it sounds funny when I say the "s" sound.:/

"All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth" takes on a whole new meaning!

I hope you get a good laugh at my expense:)  Sometimes comic relief comes from unexpected moments!
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How does this fit into my 2012 Advent Challenge?  Well, I am grateful that I had the peace to not freak out over my broken tooth and I am thankful for our family friend who is taking his personal time to fix it for me.  God must be at work if I can still be calm despite the interruption in my lengthy to do list....and the way I look with a broken front tooth!