Anniversary Get Away!

Tomorrow Mike and I are departing to Tofino for the weekend! We are celebrating our 8th wedding anniversary!!!!!! I've booked 2 nights at the Tin Wis (www.tinwis.com) and am very excited for some down time. Plus, it's much easier to find child-minding for 2 rather than 3!

TMI?

I am a very matter of fact person. In fact, I would call myself frank. I believe in being frank. To me, being frank isn't synonymous with rude, harsh, brutally honest or hurtful. But I try not to beat around the bush and just say it like it is. This ideal carries in all aspects of my life, including parenting. I sometimes wonder if I'm giving them a little TMI (too much information)? This doesn't mean that I give 100% facts on anything that comes up (ie: I feel they're too young to know the exact details of intimate relationships). I do try and keep things somewhat age appropriate, but at the same time, keep them informed. We've discussed divorce, body parts, death, homosexuality, single parents, people with disabilities, people who are different colours, etc. It comes up! What are you supposed to do? I don't want them to be the girl with no fore-knowledge of menstruation who thinks she's dying when her first period arrives.
At times, this can lead to some funny little incidents.
- After giving birth to Lucy, for a week or two I was using these super jumbo jumbo maxi pads (not the norm!). As Ella was 2 at the time, the bathroom door wasn't really ever closed. She started putting pads into her panties/pull-ups and insisting she also had "blood" and was in pain too.
- Lucy shouting at Ella to "get out my room! right now!" Ella calmly explaining that it's not her room since dad and mom pay the mortgage and have technical ownership.

- Me explaining going to the hospital lab for blood tests and having to pee in a cup. Lucy telling everyone "my mom peed in Nana's cup" (my grandma who is currently hospitalised. Apparently she has the only cup in the hospital, thus that must be where I peed?)
- Lucy wistfully wishing dad could be come in the day with us. Ella explaining that if dad didn't go to work we wouldn't have a house, mom's car, or food to eat.

Elementary School Road Rage

With Ella turning 5 this past summer, naturally when September rolled around it was time for her to start Kindergarten!

This has been an exciting and scary thing for her but she has done absolutely wonderfully with the transition! I had to walk her in on the first day but from then on, she has been happy to just waltz on in, and most recently asks me to wait by the gym because she can go all by herself. She has surprised me with how well she's settled in, but I couldn't be more pleased. She has also settled in well with the other kids, and often comes home with exciting tales of what the day contained. I am also really enjoying having down time with Lucy, and can't believe how easy it is to get more done! Lucy has become my wonderful little "baby prep" helper.

The only "challenge" thus far has really been the SCHOOL PARKING LOT!

I am at a loss for how much of a ridiculous circus the parking lot is before AND after school (toss up which is worse). There is ample parking in the lot plus lots of street parking. Yet still people feel the need to "create" spots wherever they find most convenient, long term park in the "express drop off" lane, and literally park in the drive-thru lane. It seems that drop off and pick up cannot be completed without some irritating incident.

The other morning, I had dropped off Ella and was driving through the "drive-thru lane" (kind of like a horseshoe with parking around the outside and middle) when this silly woman ahead of me possibly didn't notice she had traffic aka ME behind her and stopped parallel to another vehicle to shoot the breeze (the other vehicle was parked in the "express" lane, but wasn't "express" enough in my opinion) She had left some gap to the side of her but it was questionable whether or not I could squeeze through, and due to her lack of communication (aka didn't "wave" me through) I didn't know if she was stopping for like 2 seconds or what. I also didn't feel visibility was great, and I am very cautious since there are small children about. After waiting patiently, I decided to proceed thru the gap and it all worked out and I managed to only mutter a few choice words in her direction. There is also another mom who speeds like a demon, cranks nuts, and cuts off getting into the exit lanes (one lane for right, one for left).



It seems to me like it's the same vehicles always causing the irritations. I do not know how long I will be able to keep my cool for. I hope I don't wind up going all "Evelyn Couch" one day. For one, I don't have "Face it girls, I'm older and have more insurance" in my favour....

Hopefully I can keep it together for a few more months, I'm sure it's my pregnancy "anger management" problem, and sure to look much rosier come January.... 







The Newsroom

This summer on HBO Mike and I started watching a new series called "The Newsroom".

Starring Jeff Daniels!

We both found it thoroughly enjoyable, very entertaining and witty, yet thought provoking. SO if you're looking for something good to watch, give it a try!

Also starring Sam Waterson (Law & Order), the mom from Dear Frankie, and the oldest daughter from Dan in Real Life. Oh, and Jane Fonda.

Hospital

This weekend I was driving with the kids to the ice arena to catch Mike's first hockey game of the season. We had picked up some hot chocolate and on our way were passing by the hospital. The following conversation took place in the back seat:

Ella : "Look, there's the hospital!"
Me: "Yep, remember when mom went there to have Lucy?"
Ella: "Yeah, hey Lucy (in her most enthused voice) guess what?! That's where mom is going to go to have our baby brother!! The doctor is going to so carefully cut open mommy's tummy and so carefully take out our brother! Isn't that neat?!"
Lucy: "Oh! Yeah!"
Ella: "And Grandma will take us to visit mom and we can hold our brother! Want to?"
Lucy: "Yeah, sure!"
It took a lot of self control not to burst out laughing because she was honestly being so sweet. I'm kind of impressed how much detail she remembered since it has been awhile since we discussed Lucy being born. Actually, I guess it's a little easier to explain a c-section than a vaginal birth?
And yes, Ella was accurate in the baby's gender, we did find out last week that we are having a baby boy!

God Only Knows

Yesterday the kids and I packed up and headed to Nanaimo for the afternoon/evening. We spent the afternoon with my kid sister & her twin girls. Beban Park was hosting the National Dog Agility contest (?) plus the 4H barn was open in anticipation for the big exhibition later in August. Ella LOVED the dog show (dogs were doing these like obstacle courses, it was pretty neat) She thought our dog would do great in the contest (I don't think she realized how obedient those pups were, ours is NOT!) She must be blinded by her love.The 4H barn was nice too (really clean and pleasant smelling) and they had all the farm animals one could imagine. The only downside was 2 super creepy turkeys. They were like, panting due to the heat I'm sure and their necks were doing this totally revolting quiver thing (I'm such an excellent describer, haha) They was nasty, but otherwise our visit was great.

These are about what the gruesome twosome looked like....gross right?

Then in the evening, we went to my nephew's baptism. My sister had asked me and my other sisters to perform a musical number, which she accompanied on the piano. It went well, though I am keeping my day job ;) It was nice to spend time together and be there for my nephew's milestone.
On the nice quiet drive home, I was feeling contemplative. Possibly because I'm noticing how everyone is growing up, or it may have been the Beach Boys singing "God Only Knows". It was nice look and see how much all my family means to me. I love being part of a big family. I love my parents, they are truly wonderful people. I love having sisters and brothers. I love being surrounded by all the little people of our family. I love my daughters. I love love love my husband. There is SO much wonderful in my life and SO much to be grateful for.

History repeats itself...

Guess what noise I awoke to this morning, at 5:00 am? Cat yowling outside the bedroom window. Guess who's cat it was? MINE! After a long 6-8 week disappearance, she has returned! She even looks great, well fed and lovely.
So when it was actually time to arise at 7 and the kids got up, I told Ella there was a wonderful surprise for her. She was DELIGHTED and kept saying "I can't believe Puss-puss is home!". So we went out and gave her some lovin'. While I was getting ready for work and the kids were having brecky, Ella kept sneaking back outside to see her. And she had some more interesting ideas of where the cat had been. 1) Hibernating in the garage (that means sleeping for a really long time) 2) Catching mice far away 3) She was home all along, just hiding on us
She was also saying the funniest things to the cat. "Guess what Puss-puss? Mom's having a baby!!!" "We've had lots of mice since you've been gone, now you can catch them for us and leave presents!" "I love you Puss-puss". She was being SO cute and sincere.
We are glad to have our happy wanderer home again :)

An apple a day...

So last week the girls and I went to see the doc (who remarkably looks identical to the "red" Wiggle, Murray...my kids call him Dr. Wiggle behind his back) We got to hear the baby's heart beat which came in at 145 beats per minute (fyi, that is in the girl range)

Anyone see the resemblance??

Also during the visit, Dr. Wiggle checked my blood pressure (which has shot up during my third trimester during our first 2 pregnancies, and made life difficult) Lo and behold, it was elevated :( I was really upset, this is SO much sooner than I've ever had issue. So already my nice little once a month check ups have been bumped up to every 2 weeks and I have to start monitoring daily at home. Some other direction the doctor gave were the following:
- No alcohol OR caffeine

- Limit sodium intake to absolute minimum
- 20 mins daily exercise
- No licorice :( **did you know that licorice is high in sodium and linked to bp problems?! I didn't!**
- RELAX
I go back to check in on the 7th, my home readings haven't been too bad. I'm trying to be optimistic :)
Also, a fun little aside, Mike and I have laid money and shook hands about the baby gender. I am SO sure it's a boy, and he is SO sure I'm wrong (again). I've got $50 riding on this, September can't come soon enough, the suspense is torture!

 I'm hoping that might be the doctor's response to the baby's gender? One can only wish....

Baby #3

It was with great delight and anxiety that we recently announced the expectation of another baby! Baby Arbanas #3 is coming, due January 20th, 2013. I really and truly am thrilled, and when I say anxiety I just mean that I worry about me being able to do it, like my body holding up and the transition of adding to my little flock.
I have found out, as I've aged, that I have a tendency to be worrysome and anxious about lots of things. I used to consider myself to be so laid back, now "laid back" would never make it onto a self made list of attributes.
Anyways, I am now 14 weeks along and things are going well. Morning sickness has abated (this was the worst I've had although it didn't last as long as normal), I am still very very tired. Tomorrow we (me and the kids) will get to hear the baby's heartbeat at the doctor's office. I've had an ultrasound already and there is definately only 1 baby ;)
The kids are very excited too. Ella is so positive and upbeat about everything, and often mentions things like "when the baby comes...." and "when I'm a big sister again...." . She also often attempts to get Lucy pumped up by saying to her "Wow Lucy! Soon you get to be a big sister too!!!" (she always uses her most enthusiastic voice) Lucy doesn't really seem to get it yet, she insists that she also has a baby in her tummy... I'm sure she'll catch on real quick once the baby arrives...haha. Although, Lucy is the best little mother to her baby dolls and very much adores her younger cousins.
Mike is saying this time that he wants a girl....he is trying "reverse psychology" this time as both times when he's hoped for a boy he's gotten the opposite. We'll see how his logic works out. We are hoping to find out the gender at the end of September! I will be very happy to have a healthy baby of any gender....(such a "mom" thing to say) but it's really true. I actually kind of feel "boy" vibes, we'll have to see if I'm right....
Also on that note, we are gratefully accepting baby boy name suggestions as we have NONE! Ok ok, I have none and Mike likes names like Thor, Jake, Tucker...more or less anything you would name a dog? So feel free to send suggestions our way!

Where is Puss-Puss?

Flash back to a year ago, our cat went missing and was assumed dead. Then she miraculously returned!
Back to current day, our cat is missing again :( She has been gone for about 3-4 weeks and is assumed to be dead, again. I'm a little sad but OK as she was aged and  had a happy and productive life (consider that her eulogy). But yet again, I've been faced with the challenge of breaking the news to the kids. Lucy didn't really get it. I told Ella that once again our cat has disappeared. She was crushed.
"Oh noooooo! Where did she go mom?!"
"I'm not really sure, but I think she may have died."
"Maybe she went on holidays?...Maybe she left because her and Betty (our dog) weren't best friends any more?...Maybe she found a new family?....Maybe she got lost?"
"Maybe, but I'm pretty sure she went to heaven"
That seemed to have sorted it out for her, as heaven is a wonderful place where great-grandparents live.

Mousey-wousey

Our beautiful summer weather has finally arrived! We've been enjoying 30+ degree weather every day this week! One of the perks of living where we do is having my Grandpa 2 doors down and his fabulous in-ground pool! This summer has been a turning point with the kids. Ella is FINALLY getting comfortable in the water and doesn't require any assistance (other than a life jacket). And Lucy has become sensible enough not to jump in randomly and can roam a little pool-side without risking her life. It's great! Finally I can single handedly take the kids swimming without losing my mind.
So we've been hitting up the pool everyday and we all love it! Earlier this week we had my sisters up so there was a couple days of a bigger crowd but yesterday it was just us! Lucy was wandering around a bit and Ella was swimming in the deep end. I took the opportunity to dive under and swim down to where Ella was. When I popped up from below, I noticed something fishy floating around....as I got closer to take a look to my horror it was a dead mouse! (Note: I am ridiculously frightened of mice, my reaction to them typically borders on psychotic) I shrieked (way more calm than usual!) and quickly exited the pool and instructed Ella to do the same! I was brave enough to scoop it out with the net-scoopy-thing and flung it over the fence! Ella and I then started laughing our heads off :) It was pretty funny.

Ella is 5!

So on July 1st, 2012 our daughter Ella turned 5! I cannot believe it's been that many years already as I can still vividly recall her as a newborn! We are so pleased with the little person she is growing into.
Ella is feels very deeply about everything and everyone. Sometimes it worries me to see so much of myself in her! She loves her family with all her heart. She dotes on Lucy, often talking her into playing "kid & mom" which entails Ella making all the rules and schedule and Lucy following obediently. She LOVES animals of all varieties (we wonder if she might become a vet?) and especially likes her responsibility of feeding our dog and letting her out in the morning. Ella can be very shy but tends to warm up quickly and be very friendly. We cannot wait to see what the future has in store for her!

That is first thing in the morning on her big day. We celebrated by having all our family come over for food and cake. She was so happy to have cousins to play with! And even got the #1 item on her list, an Easy Bake Oven! :)

Body body

This post is not what I envisioned for my first post back after the long absence, but whatever, I have a few minutes and it's where my mind is at today!
I've been thinking a lot about my body lately, and got an e-mail this week that tapped right into my line of thinking.
"A woman's attitude toward her own body is fraught with misconceptions fueled by a world that celebrates an almost prepubescent female body as the ideal norm.  For most of us, time moves on.  We are not seventeen, a number of children have made their way through our birth canals, and gravity is exerting its inexorable pull.  Whenever we  look in the mirror, we are reminded of what we are not....
  I cannot help but think, as I remember the births of each of my children, that this human body, also can make us most divine--that the peculiar pains of a woman's flesh reach her exquisitely, intimately.  What they teach she cannot know beforehand or even know that she needs to know.  But when the pain subsides or is grown accustomed to, she realizes that some time during the darkest of nights or mundanest of mornings, knowledge has descended like the dews from heaven and enlarged her soul....
Unfortunately, the experience has also enlarged her hips and thighs.  Stretch marks ornament my breasts and hips like silver ribbons.  My hips are two sizes wider, my feet a size bigger than when I was married--my very bones have expanded in response to my mothering.  Some of the effects are temporary, just for the moments of pregnancy....these pass in their time, but the memory remains....
In that memory lies the glory of this earthly body: though we may be resurrected in a perfect frame, the lessons taught me by my mother-body will rise with me.  The sacrifice, the pain, the fear and faith of my mothering will sink into my soul and remain with me in the eternities.  My spirit and this woman's body inseparably connected constitute my fullness of joy...
  Time writes its messages on all of us.  Our very bodies have become our book of life, "an account of our obedience or disobedience written in our bodies."   To what have we been obedient?  To the purpose for which we were made; to provide a body and a safe haven for the spirits entrusted to our care.  If we mother well, we wear out our lives bringing to pass the lives of others.  Of the physical fruits--our wider hips, our sagging breasts, our flatter feet, and rounder buttocks--we need not be so ashamed."    - Tessa Meyer Santiago
Maybe it's been that I've been thinking hard about instilling good self image and body image for my girls (and myself), maybe it's been all the Dove Self Esteem Fund commercials on TV that make me cry. I don't really know, but I feel like I shoulder a big responsibility having been entrusted with daughters in this world that would have us view ourselves on such a harsh scale. Anyways, I vow to be kinder to myself.

Willow Prank

This post is to document a "practical joke" from a co-worker.
I have a hunch my siblings will appreciate this (especially Matt) :

Yes, that's Burglecut's head pasted onto Dad's body....

 Haha Mike's head pasted onto "Razelle"'s body 

Needless to say, these little surprises really brightened my day! Hope they brighten yours!

Pedestrian P-off

I am currently working more than usual as a dear co-worker has broken her leg. As such, I am also under more than usual stress and feel really scattered and just kind of like a frazzled-mess. I am OK with this. But as a consequence of this, my emotions are a little frazzled too and closer to the surface (a shock to find out that they could be any closer!) SOOOOO, that being said, the following happened during my lunch break last week:
Drove 2 blocks away (whatever, it's cold and I was in the hurry) to fetch a quick bite and return to the office to consume it. The little plaza where Subway is located has a one-way parking lot with 1 exit onto the same busy street which I work on. In order to pull out, you must cross a sidewalk in your automobile. Me (being the extremely pedestrian-aware driver that I am), I stop (correctly) prior to the sidewalk and checked both ways for pedi's, saw none in either direction, thus proceeded further waiting for a break in traffic to complete my pullout. I was literally there for 30 seconds and had the break I was waiting for to make my right hand turn. I checked back to my right side to confirm safety that way before proceeding, just in time to see a mature "gentleman" (I use this term loosely) approaching on a bike. He seemed startled by my car, as if I had snuck up on him(?) and jerked to an awkward halt. Then HE proceeded to shout (with both arms in the air!) "F _ _ _ YOU!!!!!!" at the top of his lungs. I gave him a confused look (seriously, his reaction was a little extreme given the circumstances) then continued in my procession to re-join traffic. My confused reaction quickly gave way to hilarity, and then just as quickly to sadness (whatever, like I said, emotions close to the surface). I don't think anyone has ever been angry enough to shout swears at me before? Anyways, I managed not to cry (yay!) and finished off my workday. In hindsight, it now is just plain funny to me. So weird and random. Obviously his life is more stressful and scattered than mine, given his reaction to my small "offense". I fear I will never forget his enraged face.

This pic is as close to a relica as I can find, since I wasn't fast enough off the draw to snap a pic with my phone....

2 Years Later...

Today is Lucy's 2nd birthday! For whatever reason, the memory of the day that my kids were born remains so vivid, and every birthday they have all day, I remember. I am just in shock how quickly the time flies, I can't believe it's really been 2 years!
Anyways, we are delighted with Lucy. She is such a character, she really spices up our lives! I see SO much of her dad's personality in her...and a bit of myself too (like her red hot temper :S) Lucy has the funniest little sense of humour, she often notices things and will say "funny!" and then have a little chuckle about it. She likes to make others laugh too, often purposely making funny facial expressions, noises, etc. to encourage laughter. She has been such a joy right from infancy, a good eater and a good sleeper. Lucy is affectionate, she likes to give kisses & hugs. She loves snuggles with stories & songs before bedtime. She adores her "blankie" and "binky".
We love Lucy with all our hearts and are SO excited for the years to come and what will be! Happy birthday Lucy-Loo!!! xox

Operation Birthday-Gift Continues

SO...on Monday evening we rolled the coin that Mike gave to Ella....remember the estimate of $10??? Well it was $57! Haha a little higher than anticipated! Anyways, we bagged it all to take to the bank the following day and have some paper money in it's place.....Then I told Ella she should get the $5 I gave her to add to it.....so she went to get her piggy bank where it had been safely stowed. She gave the piggy to her dad to help empty and he pulled out the 5-bill....followed by another...and another....and another....and then a 10-bill! (definately more than I had given her!!!) So I say, "holy Ell, where did that all come from?!" and she says (so matter of fact like) "From your purse"...Apparently she had been stealthily swiping 5's from my purse whenever the opportunity arose for the past 2 weeks! Oh man, anyways, we tried not to laugh too much (don't want to encourage burgling) but I put back her "stash" where it belonged in my wallet. So then on Tuesday we went to Toys R Us and Ella picked out Lucy's dream come true!

So this is "Baby Darla" and she cries real tears! Haha, Lucy will be delighted!

Birthday anticipation

Lucy's 2nd birthday is quickly approaching. We were discussing this a couple of weeks ago and Ella had the idea that she would like to save up and buy her sister a gift. A baby doll to be precise. I told her I thought that was very kind and if she would like to do some chores I would pay her. So she's been doing little jobs like cleaning her room, helping pick up and put away things and being very helpful "looking after" Lucy. She has managed to accumulate $18. Last night her dad gave her a job that promised $2. After she was in bed, Mike emptied out his change stash in his truck. It filled up a little box (probably actually about $10 worth), which he put on the shelf and told me to give it to her when she got up this morning. When I gave her the news of her good fortune, her little face just lit up, she is so excited to get something for Lucy! We are going to roll the coins up tonight and I'll be taking her first to the bank tomorrow and then to Nanaimo so she can pick out something wonderful ;) I am so proud of her (for working towards a goal & also for being so excited to do something for someone else) I can't wait to see how this pans out!

Gaga for Gaga

I had a funny little memory from this fall and realized that I hadn't blogged about it!
A few of us teamed up to throw my sister Kate a bridal shower in October. On the night of, I let Ella tag along as one of the "big girls" for the event. One of the shower games we played was name-that-tune (love song edition). The cd player used for the game was Ella's unit (it's bedazzled!) After we were thru playing our game, she thought we'd all like to listen to her cd that had come with the unit. I interceded before she could have success with the endeavor, as she was trying to put on Lady Gaga.....she was crushed :(
Fast forward to a few days ago, I was driving the kids and put in a random cd I had found in my car (this random cd turned out to be the very one from the bridal shower, hence my funny recollection) Anyways, as the first few bars of "Pokerface" started to play, Ella exclaimed "Hey! I've been looking everywhere for this!" No sooner were the words out of her lips, I look in my mirror, and both girls are boppin' like crazy to the beat. Too funny.

Oh Deer!

On Friday night, on his way home from work, Mike hit a deer (again!) This time in his Colorado truck, and the front end took quite a hit, unfortunately. On Saturday morning the whole fam was heading to town to grocery shop, go to the insurance broker, and other typical weekly chore-type running around. Annnnnyways, we get to the part of Beaver Creek Road where his little incident happened, and Mike points out the "carcass" at the side of the road (gross right, but Ella was quite interested in the story) So we pass by it, then Ella says:
"You know dad, you should bring that deer home one of these days."
"What for?"
"Well, then we'll have more meat for sausage, smokies and jerky...mmmm I loooove meat!"
"No honey, that deer won't be any good for meat"
"Aw man!"
We had quite a laugh....

Loyal Ella

An aside note before I write about the current topic, so far my new cleaning schedule is working out wonderfully! I will confess that Thursday last week was missed due to special circumstances (we were away all day and most of the evening too) So yay me!

Now for the real story, sometimes my kids do or say things that make my jaw drop (and then laugh hysterically) This is one of those instances.
On my way to work one day last week, we went through one of my fave morning drive-thru's...ok it's McDonalds...I looooooove their cranberry orange muffins! (If you haven't tried one, you should!) So we (both kids are in the backseat) pull up to the pickup window and there was a friendly fellow working who was rather chatty. No biggie. As we're pulling away the following conversation happened:
Ella: "Mom, do you know that guy?"
Me: "No, why?"
Ella: "You should tell him that you're married to my dad."
Me: "What?!?"
Ella: "And that you love him."
Me: - speechless -
Ella: "Maybe he'd want to marry me?"
Me: - hysterical laughter -
So.....where did that come from???? This girl is only 4 years old! I'm choosing to look on the positive side of things, at least she knows that her mom & dad love each other? IF she is this boy-crazy at 4, I'm not looking forward to her being 14....And now we know that she's got her dad's back.....funny girl!

Sisters!

As part of the Tuesday cleaning schedule, I was working in the girl's rooms and of course they were tagging along and "helping"....I had stripped down Ella's bed to change it and some of the pillows and large stuffies were in a pile on top of the toy bin. The girls decided to make that into a nest where they climbed in together and just cuddled up. They were SO cute and cozy, it just melted my heart.
After dinner, I cut up an orange for them to have. In the past I've cut off the peel for Lucy but decided to cut hers like Ella's so she could learn how to eat it like a big girl. Ella took it upon herself to show Lucy how to do it, she was so sweet and patient. Lucy caught on right away and they happily munched their oranges together.
As Lucy is still building up her language skills, there is often times when I'm baffled as to what she is trying to tell me. Almost always, Ella can easily translate, and after she does, Lucy pipes in with a hearty "Ya!" & nods.
All day yesterday and already this morning too, I've been watching my girls and how they are together. Most of yesterday afternoon I had a lump in my throat and was fighting back tears in my eyes (whatever, I'm sensitive) as I watched how sweet they are together and what good friends they are already. It brings back my own memories of growing up with sisters and what a special relationship that is. There is nothing in the world like a sister.

Me+Clean=Happy

OK so I've said before that mess and clutter in my home bring out the worst in me. Years ago I made a cleaning schedule, which I was very good at doing for awhile but then it got kind of outdated as we added kids to our family, life got busier and blah blah blah. Basically it's been rotting on the side of my fridge for awhile and I decided yesterday to make a new one and to STICK WITH IT! So here's what I came up with:

Monday - Collect household garbages, clean main bathroom **note: Tuesday is garbage day**
Tuesday - Tidy, dust & vacuum living room. Tidy & vacuum both girl's rooms
Wednesday - Clean laundry room, wash floor. Do any extra kitchen details
Thursday - Clean master bedroom & bathroom
Friday - Steam clean kitchen area/dining room floors, vacuum living room

Now of course there are things that get done everyday (dishes, sweeping up, etc.) but at our house this covers the other things that need doing....I used to get overwhelmed with doing everything on Saturdays for example, but I find smaller jobs done daily work way better for me! Also bear in mind that I work on Mondays & Fridays so I chose easier jobs for those days when I'm a little burnt out....I highly recommend making a schedule or list, it's very satisfying to check things off! For me it brings a sense of accomplishment.

Resolutions

So 2012 has officially begun! I've been thinking on the new year for the past week or so and decided that I needed to come up with a "resolution"...Upon further thought & self reflection, I came to the conclusion that I don't need just A resolution but I needed to make some resolutionS. So here is what I came up with:

1) To keep on making (and make more) healthy alternatives in my diet (and in my family's diet)
2) To be even more active (this was a change I made in 2011), so adding 1 more day a week as an exercise day
**1 & 2 go together in an all over healthier lifestyle (which is my goal as opposed to a weight loss goal)**
3) To make more progress on my journey as wife & mother (this includes paying more attention to the details of my home, being more patient/understanding & being more organized)
4) To be more aware of myself and how others perceive me - my whole life I've been accused as being a "snob" or "intimidating" when in reality I'm actually VERY shy & sensitive. I've decided to try and be friendlier and to make baby steps in going out of my comfort zone....(this goal makes me nervous and will require the most amount of work)
5) To take a class of some sort...I've been out of school a long time and figure it wouldn't hurt to learn something new...I'm debating on cooking, exercise or art...we'll see what happens!

I'm hoping that by putting these goals out there that it might help me stick to them better? We'll see how it goes...I've enjoyed the experience of really looking at myself and deciding what I want to work on, and not "change" but to "improve" on....All the best to everyone out there who is trying to do the same thing :)