New Year...New Goals...New Resolutions...

Well I want to start blogging again. Why? Well I hate how much time I spend on FB. I hate that I'm not taking time to document our life. We have a wonderful life and I often take it for granted. Looking back on my blog I loved how I use to share little stories and pictures. Now I just post silly little comments on FB.

Don't get me wrong FB has it's positives. I really enjoy using it to keep in touch with my California family, cousins, college friends and friends I don't get to see very often. I enjoy keeping up with some famous people. And the not so famous people who inspire me to be better. I also love funny e-cards and those meme thingies :)

So why blog again? I want to use this as a journal. A way to write down thoughts and stay accountable. I don't care if no one reads it. Though I do think it would be cool if I helped inspire someone. I know I follow a few blogs of my friends and they are always inspiring me!

I really want to stick to my goal of losing this unhealthy weight I carry around to be healthier for my family. I really want to spend time reading God's word. I DO NOT do enough of that. I don't want to live in fear of all my little fears. I have many. They really weigh me down at times. They suffocate me at times and leave me in a dark place.

I'm very blessed to have Jason. Some people may think I overuse or misuse that word...BLESSED. I don't think I do. When I use it I truly know it's a blessing from God. A God who loves me and never leaves my side.

Yesterday, January 3rd we had a snow day. I wasn't feel well at all from a nasty cold so decided to take the down time to get myself prepared for my new year. I found this blog awhile back, thank you Kathy, that I have really enjoyed reading. She wrote the book, 1000 Gifts. I really like what she says, but her writing voice was hard for me to follow at times. I like her blog and here is the link.

www.aholyexperience.com

I decided to use a few of her ideas. I really like her daily chart so I'm going to try it. I am changing it to a weekly chart. I think it will work better for our family.
Here's a sample... work in progress.

Ann also talks about having a manifesto for the year! It's basically a wordcloud! I love this idea. I've made one for myself and one for our family. I have printed a few and will hang them around the house and one for my desk at work! Our family wordcloud we came up with together. We also made a list of Our Family Goals for the year.

I'll be honest. When we had our family meeting to go over these things and develop our family wordcloud and goals Ben said, "Another one!" I told Katie & Ben I know I'm always trying new things but I need them to be patient with me and to also take INITIATIVE to be a part of this and be accountable! They are almost 13 & almost 10. I need them to be on board, try harder to help around the house and to be accountable. I tell them all the time I don't like going into crazy momma mode to get them to do things. 

Please don't get me wrong, they are awesome helpers...when I make them help. 90% of the time it's me nagging them. They don't initiate chores on their own. That's probably my fault. I'm lazy too. But this year we are CHANGING!! We are MOVING FORWARD. Not looking BACK. We are taking initiative and going to be INTENTIONAL as a family to work on our home. 

Some verses that came to mind last night as I was working on my new "charts":

Proverbs 31:17 "She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks."

& 

Titus 2:3-5

New King James Version (NKJV)

³ the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things— ⁴ that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, ⁵ to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.

Here is my wordcloud for 2014.

Here is the one we came up with for our family for 2014.

Well, we will see how this goes. I will have faith. I know it will take time. I know I need to be patient. I know I need to make good choices on what I eat. I know I need to control my impulses for food, buying and yelling to quickly at my family.

It's going to be a long road, but I am ready.

2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV 

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

~Lynn

Summer Wrap Up!

Summer wrap-up in pictures! It would take way to long to go into great detail of our summer. Let's just say this...

We had a terrific, exciting, productive, family and friend filled summer!!!! WooHoo!!!!

In ABSOLUTELY NO PARTICULAR ORDER!

(But the picture above was from June)

Introducing Erin Riley C.

July 22, 2011

Jason & the kids visited New Hampshire to visit

Grandma & Grandpa

Fun Pictures from Sebago Lake this summer!

We had a wonderful time!!!!

We took a trip to Rhode Island with friends to check out the BIG waves! We had a BLAST! We ended up going again when school was postponed because of Hurricane Irene!

Science Museum! Kids LOVED it!

Random pictures of summer fun with friends & Daddy put in new kitchen counter tops

from trees he took down from our yard! It looks gorgeous!

There you go. Our summer in a nutshell!

Now on to FALL!!!!

A year???

Update!

I can not believe I haven't written on here in a year!

I miss blogging.

I should start blogging again. Like my Dad keeps telling

me it's a great place to write down the funny things the

kids say.

They are growing up so fast! This last year has gone by like

a flash!

Katie is now in 5th grade!! Yes, 5th. She's in middle school

and LOVES it!

Ben is in 2nd grade and has had a fantastic start to his year!

Here are a few pictures to get us all updated in pictures!

Oops!

Ben had a big oops at dinner tonight and it was funny!

Katie started by telling us about their safety drill today. They practice walking to a nearby location in case there was ever an emergency where they needed to leave the school building.

Ben piped in that it was called an "evacuation drill" and a couple of people got green cards.

Dodododododooooooooo.....

I look at him and he has that face...that "oh no" she caught me face.

Mommy, "Who got a green card?"

Ben, "Oh like a few people"

Mommy, "Did you?"

silence....

Ben shakes his head.

Mommy, "Why?"

Daddy, "What's a green card?"

Katie, "Oh that is when you do something your not suppose to be doing."

So the story goes that he was talking. And walking on the curb. He had gotten a warning before the green card.

Oh, Ben. Well, at least he turned it around and didn't go on to get the yellow card and the reflection chair! The card system started last week. This is the first we heard about it.

I guess that's a good thing.

I have to say, Ben has been doing awesome at school. Lots of friends are noticing a change in him. He is working hard on listening the first time! He seems to really like 1st grade and it shows, because he is cooperating in the morning and getting himself ready without me asking him 20 times to get dressed!

Katie LOVES 4th grade. I know, no surprise there! She has a great class and teacher. Katie has all the rules down and luckily has another organized teacher! She has talked about it being a "Responsive Classroom" several times and really enjoys all the activities that go along with this! She is getting excited to start band and on Thursday she comes home with her TRUMPET! Yes, I said trumpet. My little princess is playing the trumpet, not the flute! This should be very interesting. Who wants to take bets that Ben sneaks in and gives a few blows on it the first night?

I am surviving at work. I say surviving because it has not been the smoothest of starts for us in the special education world this year. Any and all prayers are welcome! I need them on a daily, sometimes hourly basis : )

I have a new schedule this year (still .8) and I'm really going to enjoy it once we get into the swing of things. I will be home for the bus on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday afternoons. Last week on our way to swim lessons Katie out of the blue told me she loves my new schedule. I smiled and said great and then she went on to tell me that she loves that I'm home to get them off the bus, take them to swimming and then still have time to do things before dinner. She also loves that I'm in a good mood now. Last year, I got home later and would come home in a grumpy mood some days according to her.

Uh-oh. I could have gone into a lengthy speech on the what it's like to be a working mother, and I'm trying my best, but I didn't. I agreed with her and said, yes I love being home more afternoons early too!

See I can drop things. And yes, there were several stretches last year that I did come home grumpy.

Jason is cruising along. He handles the afternoon load on Monday and Wednesday and of course as always does fabulously! He seems to like my new schedule too, although he didn't comment on my mood improving! His new favorite activity is watching our NEW solar power meter thingy! Each day I arrive home and get a report on how much power we've used, saved and what ever else that thing tells us. Very exciting!

Ella has adjusted to all of us going back to school/work and seems no worse for the wear! She goes right into her crate in the morning, gets new chewy things and is so happy to see us as we all arrive home at different times!

Hope everyone gets out and enjoys the beautiful fall weather we are having! We sure are!

9/11

Where were you?

That seems to be the question of the day each anniversary on FaceBook and when talking with people about one of the worst days in our recent American history.

Today I find myself stopping every so often and sending up a prayer to our heavenly Father asking Him to be with the families of those who lost loved ones. We should also be saying a prayer for those who survived. What must today be like for them?

I am so thankful to live in the country we do and have the freedoms we do. It was a horrible day. It was a horrible event that happened on our soil. I know I for one never thought we would be attacked 9 years ago. From that day forward I had a whole new appreciation for our I am our military. For providing us with protection each and every day here on our soil and abroad.

Today is about remembering. It is not a day to point fingers. It is not a day to judge the war. Should we have gone to war? Should we still be fighting a war today?

That should not be up for debate today.

Today, stop and remember those who died. Stop and remember those men and women who protect us each day. Stop and remember to pray to our heavenly Father. Pray for what is on your heart today.

I am.

My Star!

Ben came home today, Friday, with a certificate..."Student of the Week". YES!!!!!!! He's been in school 4 1/2 days, went to the "reflection chair" once and came home with that! I am so happy and proud of him! He has been working so hard on his behavior and listening! Not that his behavior is bad, he likes to goof around and forgets to listen.

But who cares right now! I am over the moon proud of him for making better choices! I just love that boy soooooo much!

Last Days of Summer and 1st Day of school

The last Sunday before school started we headed to the beach with some friends. It was a beach we've never been to and it was great! Small, quiet and great sand for building sand castles. We had such a relaxing and fun afternoon with family & friends.

I can't believe K is going into 3rd and B into 1st!

WoW! They are both getting so tall and if I do say, they are great kids!!!!

She insisted she could handle this book bag! I think it's too big, but it was a battle I did not want to fight that day!

Trying to get Ella to take a picture!

There they go!