I really haven't been posting a lot lately. I just haven't felt like I've had a lot to post.
I'm starting to attend an institute class one day a week. It is for two hours on Thursday mornings. The first class I decided that morning to attend, and then went home and forgot all about studying the next two lessons until the night before the second class. Angela wound up getting sick that night, so I missed the second class. I really didn't open my manual to read anything at all, until today.
Today is Stake Conference- it is held in an auditorium at a High School and Rich and I in the past wind up really not hearing any of the speakers because we are so busy trying to keep the kids occupied and quiet. With auditorium seats that the kids can't sit in very well and no good area out in a hallway to listen while the babies toddle around- well we decided not to take the entire family to the Stake Conference today. Rich went and took Ashley with him for a special Daddy daughter time. He would have taken Alex with him as well, but lately Ashley has been provoking and picking fights with Alex and Alyssa so we thought the day would be calmer for everyone if she was taken and given a lot of one on one time with Daddy. So... Rich and Ashley are off at Stake Conference for the majority of the day. They'll get home around 1:30-2pm I'd guess.
Alex just thrives in the big brother role here at home when Ashley isn't around to but in and boss all of them around. He has been playing games with Alyssa and Angela and helping them do things. We played Monopoly Jr all together, and then he played Jenga and DVD Bingo with them and I decided to come into my room and read for the Institute class a little bit. I'm hoping I can get myself into the regular habit of reading one chapter for the class and studying it each day. I do pretty good with the reading habit- picking up the scriptures each day and reading from them, but I have a hard time focusing and concentrating and really "studying" from the scriptures. I'm hoping taking this institute class will help me regain some of those questions that arise from studying the scriptures.
So I came in here and had a great time reading the scriptures and reading from the manual. Marking passages from the scriptures and the manual that really stood out for me and writing down thoughts and insights that I gained while reading. I am such a procrastinator that so many times I'm playing catch-up, and I don't get to really enjoy the process of doing something. At least for today, right now- I got to enjoy the process of studying this morning and learning. I hope I can continue to do this and enjoy it and grow from it.
Of course something happened in the house while I was doing that. Angela climbed up onto the cabinet in the laundry room and found the water bottle that was full of black beach sand from our trip out to Santa Rosa last summer... 1/5 of the bottle wound up all over the top of the washing machine and cabinet and the floor. I can still be grateful for two things though:
*it was only 1/5 of the bottle, and not the entire bottle!!
*just this morning I took the clean clothes that I had folded and stacked on top of the washing machine yesterday, and put them in a basket and took them to my room; so it didn't get dumped on top of all of my hard work yesterday washing and folding the clothes... :)
Sunday, September 09, 2007
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Slowing down... or is it?
It seems as if life is starting to slow down a bit, but then I look at my calender and it's fuller than ever! I think having this time while Alyssa and Ashley and Alex are at school and Angela takes a nap is really really helping me deal with the business of things. I have missed having regular nap times- I haven't had any from Angela since she was born, so it is a nice little blessing that she falls asleep when we take Alyssa to school each day- and stays asleep when we get home and I put her in her bed and it's QUIET so she doesn't wake up from hearing others in the house. I'm able to do a little bit of cleaning, and just spend a little bit of time relaxing and doing whatever I want to do in the house for a couple of hours. I've really noticed that I have much more patience with the kids during their cranky hours after school and before dinner.
That doesn't mean I'm not very ready for the kids to go to bed at bedtime, but I know I am handleing things a lot calmer than I have in the past during the few hours after then get home and before Rich is home when we have to work on homework go to Karate, and I work on making dinner.
One bonus about being busier, is that we are in the house a lot less, and it isn't getting as incredibly messy. It's much easier to get the kids to pick up a few things than when they get out every single toy and article of clothing and it's all over their rooms. :)
I need to get some pictures up soon of the kids... maybe I can get them up this next week. :)
That doesn't mean I'm not very ready for the kids to go to bed at bedtime, but I know I am handleing things a lot calmer than I have in the past during the few hours after then get home and before Rich is home when we have to work on homework go to Karate, and I work on making dinner.
One bonus about being busier, is that we are in the house a lot less, and it isn't getting as incredibly messy. It's much easier to get the kids to pick up a few things than when they get out every single toy and article of clothing and it's all over their rooms. :)
I need to get some pictures up soon of the kids... maybe I can get them up this next week. :)
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Ah... busy life
I've had three busy days this week, and tomorrow is going to be busy too.
Sunday was Alex's birthday, so that was a big day and we had church and stuff... it just seemed very long and full between church and celebrating Alex's birthday, and getting ready for the first day of school the next morning.
Monday the kids went to school, the bus was 20 min later than the paperwork said it would be, but if finally got here. I then dropped everything (house was a mess from breakfast) and went to the Y with the younger girls since I had missed the last week and a half of exercising. I did the elliptical for 45 min and then we raced home. I got a quick shower in and then my friend came over.
We cooked from 11am till 2:30 pm and made about six or seven casserole style dinners. Then I used the next two hours to package them up into more individual portions and to clean up the kitchen from all the cooking. It seems like a long time, but it really went by quickly and I was glad that I could do it for someone.
So I was in the kitchen from 11am till 4:30 with really only a couple 5 minute breaks to put Angela down for a nap and stuff. Then the kids got home at 4:15 and they had 20 minutes to relax and then it was time to go to Karate. We went to Karate and I took the kids in and realized that I forgot to bring my checkbook, and I had to pay for belt testing yesterday, or there would be a late fee of $10 per kid we would have to pay too. So I left Alex and Ashley in their class and ran home to get my checkbook. I got back and normally their class is relatively small with about 8-10 kids in it at the most. I think there were about 20 kids there yesterday. The parents area was packed! So I stood by the front desk for the rest of the class taking turns holding Alyssa and Angela.
Then we went home and had dinner and FHE. By the end of FHE you could tell the kids were not used to the busier schedule of school days because we had melt down after melt down from the kids... One after another for about 20 minutes when we decided that it was bedtime for everyone right away.
We got everyone asleep and instead of doing the smart thing, I went upstairs and watched a movie with Rich and we wound up staying up till 1am by the time we went to sleep... dumb dumb.... lol!
This morning we got up and got the big kids off to school. Then we went to the Y and I got on the treadmill. I got on there and probably tried running too fast- I did 1/2 mile at a 10 minute mile pace and was gasping for breath, so then I walked for another 1 1/2 miles and then did a circuit of weight machines before it was time to go home. At home I grabbed a 5 minute shower and then we had people coming over for playgroup at our house. They were here from about 11:30 till 1:30 and we had a fun time.
Then Alyssa and Angela and I went for her to see her classroom. We met the teacher last week (well we already knew her, but found out we would have her) and today the kids got to go around and look and play in the centers around the room. Then we came home, and had about an hour until Alex and Ashley would get home. Now they should be home in about 15 minutes... Ashley and Rich have a date tonight and are going to Incredible Pizza, so the other kids and I are going to eat leftovers- I don't have to cook... lol!
Tomorrow I have a dentist appointment in the morning, and then Alyssa goes to her first day of school at 1pm. I'll take Angela to our friend house and go with Alyssa for the first 1/2 hour or so. Then we'll have karate after school, and home really quickly to eat and cub scouts that night after dinner.
Sunday was Alex's birthday, so that was a big day and we had church and stuff... it just seemed very long and full between church and celebrating Alex's birthday, and getting ready for the first day of school the next morning.
Monday the kids went to school, the bus was 20 min later than the paperwork said it would be, but if finally got here. I then dropped everything (house was a mess from breakfast) and went to the Y with the younger girls since I had missed the last week and a half of exercising. I did the elliptical for 45 min and then we raced home. I got a quick shower in and then my friend came over.
We cooked from 11am till 2:30 pm and made about six or seven casserole style dinners. Then I used the next two hours to package them up into more individual portions and to clean up the kitchen from all the cooking. It seems like a long time, but it really went by quickly and I was glad that I could do it for someone.
So I was in the kitchen from 11am till 4:30 with really only a couple 5 minute breaks to put Angela down for a nap and stuff. Then the kids got home at 4:15 and they had 20 minutes to relax and then it was time to go to Karate. We went to Karate and I took the kids in and realized that I forgot to bring my checkbook, and I had to pay for belt testing yesterday, or there would be a late fee of $10 per kid we would have to pay too. So I left Alex and Ashley in their class and ran home to get my checkbook. I got back and normally their class is relatively small with about 8-10 kids in it at the most. I think there were about 20 kids there yesterday. The parents area was packed! So I stood by the front desk for the rest of the class taking turns holding Alyssa and Angela.
Then we went home and had dinner and FHE. By the end of FHE you could tell the kids were not used to the busier schedule of school days because we had melt down after melt down from the kids... One after another for about 20 minutes when we decided that it was bedtime for everyone right away.
We got everyone asleep and instead of doing the smart thing, I went upstairs and watched a movie with Rich and we wound up staying up till 1am by the time we went to sleep... dumb dumb.... lol!
This morning we got up and got the big kids off to school. Then we went to the Y and I got on the treadmill. I got on there and probably tried running too fast- I did 1/2 mile at a 10 minute mile pace and was gasping for breath, so then I walked for another 1 1/2 miles and then did a circuit of weight machines before it was time to go home. At home I grabbed a 5 minute shower and then we had people coming over for playgroup at our house. They were here from about 11:30 till 1:30 and we had a fun time.
Then Alyssa and Angela and I went for her to see her classroom. We met the teacher last week (well we already knew her, but found out we would have her) and today the kids got to go around and look and play in the centers around the room. Then we came home, and had about an hour until Alex and Ashley would get home. Now they should be home in about 15 minutes... Ashley and Rich have a date tonight and are going to Incredible Pizza, so the other kids and I are going to eat leftovers- I don't have to cook... lol!
Tomorrow I have a dentist appointment in the morning, and then Alyssa goes to her first day of school at 1pm. I'll take Angela to our friend house and go with Alyssa for the first 1/2 hour or so. Then we'll have karate after school, and home really quickly to eat and cub scouts that night after dinner.
Friday, August 10, 2007
Another week has passed.
The week was not as busy as last week, but it still seems to have gone by fast. :)
I put a few more pictures on the picture blog from our trip over to the Tulsa Zoo a few weeks ago..
www.newtonaaaa.blogspot.com
One more week and then school starts! I am ready for us to get back into a school schedule, except for the waking up and having to start the day off right away instead of the more lazy mornings we get to have in the summer. :)
I put a few more pictures on the picture blog from our trip over to the Tulsa Zoo a few weeks ago..
www.newtonaaaa.blogspot.com
One more week and then school starts! I am ready for us to get back into a school schedule, except for the waking up and having to start the day off right away instead of the more lazy mornings we get to have in the summer. :)
Friday, August 03, 2007
Busy, busy, busy week...
Wow... it's friday and I don't think I've posted on here in a while... this week has flown by. We've had stuff going on all day long all week long.
Monday we got up and got everyone dressed and went to the Y for me to exercise. Then we had a whole armload full of errands that we spend the entire afternoon doing. We ran in for about an hour after we finished the errands and Alex and Ashley changed their clothes for Karate, and off we went to Karate. Then back home really quickly to eat dinner and then we had a baseball game. Then home and into bed.
Tuesday we had playgroup at our house. So I got up early and exercised to a dvd that I have at home while the kids were asleep. Then everyone got up and had breakfast. A friend of ours called to see if her daughter could come and spend the day playing with Ashley- because she was helping her hubby with some work and needed a little less child distractions. :) So we went and picked her up and came home and did a little bit of cleaning up to get ready for playgroup. Our friends came over for playgroup and we had a fun time. Afterwards we had another little girl Ashley's age stay over to play with her and the other friend. It was so nice, because the big girls let Alyssa and Angela tag along with them and play with them all day long. I was able to wash, dry, fold AND put away all of our laundry in the whole house. For a few hours, I had all of our clothes in the house clean! lol! A friend and I have started making double dinners for our two families once a week, so tuesday night is when I don't have to worry about making dinner and I just get it delivered to me at dinner time... very nice.. :) We had a yummy dinner and then we had our last baseball game of the season that night.
Wednesday we got up and got ready for the day. Then we went to the Y for me to get my exercise. After the Y we grabbed some lunch for the kids and meet up with another friend at the Omniplex. It's a museum with tons of hands on stuff for the kids to do... I guess you could call it a childrens museum with all of the kid specific stuff they have- but they also have some other exhibits that are not specifically for kids. We stayed there till the last minute and then raced home to get Alex and Ashley's uniforms for Karate. Then we went to Karate, and then came home and had dinner.
Thursday was Alyssa's birthday. I got up and got us ready for the day. I put Alyssa's cake in the oven and was going to have us ready to go to the Y when it was done, but then we got a phone call and I lost track of time and over baked the cake a little bit and then stayed on the phone even longer and by the time I was off the phone, it was too late to go to the Y. So I just did my exercise DVD at home again. I spent the rest of the day working on Alyssa's cake. I did marshmallow fondant for the first time. Here are some pictures: www.newtonaaaa.blogspot.com
The kids had a fun time helping with it. Then we made some yummy dinner to share with my friends family. It doesn't sound like a lot, but it really did take all day long to do the cake. :) It was fun, but time consuming. After dinner we had Alyssa's family birthday party.
Today... I'm heading to the Y in a few minutes, and then we are coming home... the kids will probably play in the sprinklers this afternoon, and I'll have a little more relaxing afternoon than I've had all week. :)
Monday we got up and got everyone dressed and went to the Y for me to exercise. Then we had a whole armload full of errands that we spend the entire afternoon doing. We ran in for about an hour after we finished the errands and Alex and Ashley changed their clothes for Karate, and off we went to Karate. Then back home really quickly to eat dinner and then we had a baseball game. Then home and into bed.
Tuesday we had playgroup at our house. So I got up early and exercised to a dvd that I have at home while the kids were asleep. Then everyone got up and had breakfast. A friend of ours called to see if her daughter could come and spend the day playing with Ashley- because she was helping her hubby with some work and needed a little less child distractions. :) So we went and picked her up and came home and did a little bit of cleaning up to get ready for playgroup. Our friends came over for playgroup and we had a fun time. Afterwards we had another little girl Ashley's age stay over to play with her and the other friend. It was so nice, because the big girls let Alyssa and Angela tag along with them and play with them all day long. I was able to wash, dry, fold AND put away all of our laundry in the whole house. For a few hours, I had all of our clothes in the house clean! lol! A friend and I have started making double dinners for our two families once a week, so tuesday night is when I don't have to worry about making dinner and I just get it delivered to me at dinner time... very nice.. :) We had a yummy dinner and then we had our last baseball game of the season that night.
Wednesday we got up and got ready for the day. Then we went to the Y for me to get my exercise. After the Y we grabbed some lunch for the kids and meet up with another friend at the Omniplex. It's a museum with tons of hands on stuff for the kids to do... I guess you could call it a childrens museum with all of the kid specific stuff they have- but they also have some other exhibits that are not specifically for kids. We stayed there till the last minute and then raced home to get Alex and Ashley's uniforms for Karate. Then we went to Karate, and then came home and had dinner.
Thursday was Alyssa's birthday. I got up and got us ready for the day. I put Alyssa's cake in the oven and was going to have us ready to go to the Y when it was done, but then we got a phone call and I lost track of time and over baked the cake a little bit and then stayed on the phone even longer and by the time I was off the phone, it was too late to go to the Y. So I just did my exercise DVD at home again. I spent the rest of the day working on Alyssa's cake. I did marshmallow fondant for the first time. Here are some pictures: www.newtonaaaa.blogspot.com
The kids had a fun time helping with it. Then we made some yummy dinner to share with my friends family. It doesn't sound like a lot, but it really did take all day long to do the cake. :) It was fun, but time consuming. After dinner we had Alyssa's family birthday party.
Today... I'm heading to the Y in a few minutes, and then we are coming home... the kids will probably play in the sprinklers this afternoon, and I'll have a little more relaxing afternoon than I've had all week. :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)