December 26th 2007

10 lbs heavier - All the Holiday gatherings are over with, The tree has been taken down, decoration already put back in boxes awaiting a nother year. Had a very nice Christmas it's always nice to get together with loved ones, but after all the hustle and bustle it's nice when it's over with too, yet sometimes it leaves me feeling a little blue. such hype over Christmas - we bake these 5 million cookies, spend this many hundreds of dollar, stay up late wrapping all the gifts, decorate your house with mini twinkling lights, Pick the perfect tree, and decorate it just right, listen to Christmas music galore, plan all the gatherings, so much to do and in just a blink of an eye it's all over with and waits for you until next year so we can do it all over again. Today was a very productive day, but of course I wish I could have gotten more done. I am on vacation this week so I have lot's of expectations, I seem to get so caught up in what I want to get done that I forget the most important thing of all, is to spend time with my kids... not often we get to spend all day and night together with no other peoples kids running around. We have been ice skating alot, each night I have gone out with the kids.. today I bought a new pair of skates, Rick got me a gift card to the Play it Again Sports Store. I wore them for the first time tonight and my feet are sore! I also did something out of the ordinary tonight, met my sister Stacy and Cheri for dinner, it was nice to take a break from all the work.. Sometimes I feel like I have forgotten how to have fun, because I am so consumed with getting things done, and getting to the next. We bought the kids a PS2 for Christmas so they are very happy little did they know it is a gift to us too because it seems to keep them busy and not riding on us on what they can do or if you will play with them.. I also have been using it as a bargaining deal. Today I had Nicholas earn his self min. to play on the play station... He cleaned up this area and he earned him self a game time. It actually worked... I also made the kiddos go out side today... I told them for every min they play outside they earn them self a min to play on the PS2... Ha, that's just brilliant! because now I have just kept them busy for 2 hours not bothering me :) Well this holiday has wore me down, I had to stay up until 3 a.m. playing Santa clause the other night, and I still am not caught up on some rest. so I am going to go hit the hay and catch some zzz's
until I write again

December 19tIh 2007

I sit here at 9:30 almost un able to keep my eyes open... but want to write what I did today. It was fun today, I watched 7 kids and we had our christmas party. One of the little girls I do daycare for was so excited for the party today, she told her mom that she couldn't wait because we were having a special birhday party for Jesus. Makes me happy to know she got that from me :) We decorated cookies, watched the Grinch, went sliding, opened presents and played a couple games. After daycare I baked another two kind of cookies to bring to parties, and for the second time went out ice skating on the rink, Mike was out there for her first time.. she at least didn't need a goalie net for support although she did fall many many times. Sat. we will put skates on Brooke and see how she does. Rick worked some more down in the basement. 5 more days until christmas, will he acheive my challenge to have Nicholas room done by Christmas????????? Tomorrow we are to go to Michlyn's Family Night Out at her school. They will be skating and sliding.. Well, I can't keep my eyes open.
until I write again.

december 17th 2007

A quick up date on my not so quite life. I only have a few min. so I am going to do this fast. Mikes recital yesterday day was adorable, and Nicholas scored a goal at his game... today I watched just 5 kids today, so decided to take advantage of that and scrub my cupboards down and oil them... it's been a while they really needed it. Nothing to exciting has happen to day, after daycare, I went out and hung some garland and lights on our front porch... looking pretty! now tomorrow I will try and get the lighted deer out... OOh last night, I tried ice skating for my first time... and it was fun! I am sure I looked absolutely pathetic out there... I used the Goalie net for support... I had to wear Rick's hockey skates because I don't have a pair, so hoping I might get a pair for Christmas... I asked Rick to pick me up a walker too! what a great idea.. you know one of those old peoples walkers.. it would work perfect! Rick got Nicholas' ceiling done in his room, now we have to paint and get carpet in, and Nicholas will be ready to move in... FINALLY! Rick has been working hard on that room lately... I challenged him to have it done before Christmas, but that was two - three months ago... nothing like waiting to the last min.! Nicholas and I made a blanket for Tennah.. Nicholas drew her name for christmas so we made one of those tie blankets, Whiney the Pooh. well, I suppose it's already 10:00, and rick is waiting for me to go down stairs with him to look at the color of paints we have for Nicholas' room. then I suppose I better hit the hay, tomorrow I will have just another 5 kids... Maybe I will get my dusting done... trying to do a little cleaning each day so for Sat. when we have Rick's folks over and brothers/wives, the house will be somewhat decent...
ONLY 4 MORE DAYS UNTIL I GO ON VACATION! very much looking forward to it.
until I write again.

December 15th 2007

Can't believe Christmas is 10 days away. This year Christmas has come so fast. I haven't even yet got the out side decorations up, I did however get done with my shopping and caught up with wrapping, and got my Christmas cards sent out but a few. Today wasn't just any ordinary day... Today was an awesome day. Angie my dear friend invited my kids over to play so that I could have time to wrap, just the younger two went to Angie's. and the older two had plans with my nephew Jake and his girl friend Holly to go sledding and to a movie... So I got a quite house for about 3 hours! I kept so busy wrapping that the time just flew by. I love my kids but boy ooh boy it is certainly a treat to have some time alone. so thank you Angie, Jake and Holly, may not seem like a big deal to you, but it was awesome and huge for me!

We put another sheet of ice on the rink tonight, it is looking really nice... all's we need is some pretty lights and a couple goalie nets... Wish I knew how to skate.

Tomorrow is going to be a fun day. Nicholas has a hockey game and Michlyn has another dance recital, unfortunately they are at the same time... Rick and Brooke will go watch Nicholas and me and Erica will go watch Mike.

Erica is doing so much better with the anxiety by Friday she hadn't had one complaint or crying before school, I really do believe she was sick with a virus and made her anxiety all the worse. Well, she is doing better now, but I am a little worried because in a week the kids will be off for another 12 days of school, I hope she doesn't go back to not wanting to go to school after being home with mom and dad for that long. Christmas vacation is going to be so nice... starting December 21 at 4:40 p.m. I will have off until January 2nd at 6:00 A.M. Rick also has that time off. Not sure what we will do, I know I would love to go visit mom and dad.. I don't think we will though we are going to take that time off all together to just be together, I don't want to have any BIG projects planned, just spend time as a family. We will probably go sliding and ice skating 1 of those days at the pit, watch movies, sleep in, and I know Rick and I love to go shopping, that's when you find the super deals! You know, stores getting rid of winter stuff getting ready for spring already, I usually like to buy a couple new Christmas decorations..

I have been listening to alot of cool 108. they have great Christmas music that reminds me so much of when I was younger, with mom and dad. Mom and dad made such a big deal of Christmas it was so awesome. Mom always made ton's of food, and we would get dressed up in our finest and spend 1/2 the night picking the spot we were each going to sit to open all our presents.. I tried that a couple years ago with my kids, talking to them about where they were going to sit.. it was such big deal for me when I was little... but they seemed to not care, just looked at me funny.. when I was little Christmas Eve at midnight we would eat oyster stew a tradition I remember Grandma and Grandpa Branstner started. Mom and dad didn't just buy us a couple gifts, we got gifts galore! a kids dream!! then we would go to bed and get to open more from Santa in the morning... and spend all day and night checking out and playing with all our new stuff, we would eat left overs all day... ooh I loved my childhood Christmas... I like to think about how excited I was as a kid and to think my own kids are that excited. But then I think maybe their not that excited. well, not as excited as I was... my mom didn't just do things simply, she went all out... it was like that for any holiday. O.k. well, it's getting to be 11:30, and I am so tired.. all the kids are lying on the living room floor watching hockey with Rick.. and Rick is sitting at my feet waiting patiently for a back rub...
until I write again.

December 9th 2007

It's been a long time since I have blogged, thought I better get on and record some thoughts. since I know longer write in my journal... I like looking back and seeing where life has taken me and in what direction. alot has been going on around this house. Our focus the past couple weeks have been on Erica. She is dealing with some anxiety issues. doesn't seem to want to go to school anymore. every day for the past 2 weeks it's been a battle to get her to go. she phycially can make her self sick from head aches, neck pain, chest pain, dizzy, throw up etc... all signs of anxiety. we have her going to talk to a tharpist about her fears. she fears being away from mom and dad, more so dad. she says there is something more wrong with her rather then just anxiety. she can't breath at times. and is afraid to go to school in fear she will stop breathing and never see us again... what a hard tormenting fear for a 10 year old to have to carry around. I here it's normal for her age to go thru anxiety issues like this. I know I did... I always would fear when mom went into the grociery store and I waiting in the car that she would never return, she would be kidnapped so I would keep a constant eye on the exit door... when she would take a while, I would then start imagining someone taking her out the back door... or someone was holding all the customers hostage inside at gun point... But mom always returned, I remember bing afraid to sleep at peoples houses... I really dont' know what I feared, I just know it was absolutely tormenting to be away from home at night time.
Well, so much has happen the past couple weeks that I am not even going to try and recall everything... it's just been very stressfull, and I have cried many tears. So, I will focus on today. Erica and Nicholas have a friend over from last night, Rick took them to see Monster Trucks. we bought Nicholas 4 tickets to bring friends, thought that would be a cool thing for him to be able to invite new kids to. But he just wanted to invite is friend Allie and said he didn't want to invite anyone else because he might accidently ignore Allie and make her feel bad. So he gave the other two tickets to Erica, so she brought a friend. they got home very late last night. but had a blast. they are waking up now, and are planning there day of slidding and possibly ice skating... Rick has made the kiddos a ice rink. I want to get out there and decorate with lights and old christmas trees, I would love for it to look like a little white wonderland. I bought Rick a portable fire pit for christmas so I hope he will get that up for a little area for the kids to warm up... I can bring out hot cider and coa coa to them... I have it all planned out... hope it turns out like I imagaine... ha ha ha... Alright, kids are up, and screaming... suppose I should make some breakfast. I will try not to let that much time go buy between blogs.
until then...