Chaos

Some days are rough.

I'm physically and emotionally SPENT!

Working way beyond my contract hours at school has me clawing for spare seconds to spend at home with my family.

I'm so exhausted that communication isn't always clear which results in petty arguments over the most ridiculous things (like whether or not I want Don to pack up the leftover meat for my lunch tomorrow).

No matter how rough some days might get, I hope my kids ALWAYS know how much I love them. Today, I'm pretty sure I failed them. I'm sure it won't be the last time, but that doesn't make it right.

2nd Grade Music Program

Every year, I'm in awe of the talent that Shannon Souddress is able to display through her students.

I also find myself wishing I had half the beauty and talent that Braelyn has...just WOW.

Tonight, the 2nd graders put on a music program called, "Lights! Camera! Action!" They sang songs from Finding Nemo, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Spongebob, Polar Express, etc.

Braelyn played the character, Mae West - go ahead and Google her. :)

Here are a few pictures from the show:

Pictured: Ayva, Mikayla, Braelyn, and Emily

Pictured: Shannon Souddress and Braelyn

Pictured: Braelyn (She was laughing because someone messed up the microphone.)

Pictured: Braelyn

Pictured: Braelyn (I love that everyone is laughing in the background!)

Pictured: Robin and Braelyn

Pictured: Braelyn, Abby, and Robin

Pictured: Braelyn, Jacob, and other 2nd graders

You're Gonna Miss This

Have you ever heard the song, "You're Gonna Miss This" by Trace Adkins?

It couldn't be more true. Those stages of parenthood that you think will never pass as you're living through them, go all too quickly!

There are days that I just want to sit back and watch the kids play. I'd like to pretend that there's no work to get caught up on, no laundry, no dishes in the sink and just enjoy watching them be 7 and 4. There just isn't enough time in the day... (sad, huh?!)

In order to help with this, I've come up with a new rule for our family. TV goes OFF at 6pm on weeknights. Kids are to just play, read, and enjoy being kids without being zoned into a TV show. SO MUCH FUN! I truly hope it's a rule we can stick to. It's nice to have family time for a little while before the kids go to bed.

I'll leave you with the lyrics to "You're Gonna Miss This":

She was starin' out the window of their SUV
Complainin', sayin', I can't wait to turn eighteen
She said, I'll make my own money and I'll make my own rules
Momma, put the car in park out there in front of the school
And she kissed her head, and said, I was just like you

You're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days
Hadn't gone by so fast

These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this

Before she knows it she's a brand new bride
In her one bedroom apartment and her daddy stops by
He tells her it's a nice place, she says, It'll do for now
Starts talkin' about babies and buyin' a house
Daddy shakes his head and says, Baby, just slow down

Cuz' you're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days
Hadn't gone by so fast

These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this

Five years later there's a plumber
Workin' on the water heater
Dog's barkin', phone's ringin'
One kid's cryin' and one kid's screamin'
And she keeps apologizin'

He says, They don't bother me
I've got two babies of my own
One's thirty-six, one's twenty-three
Huh, it's hard to believe

But you're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days
Hadn't gone by so fast

These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this

You're gonna miss this
Yeah, you're gonna miss this

Don's Resolution (Well, not by his choice...)

Don got himself this new toy for Christmas 2013:

As we were discussing resolutions on New Year's Eve, I decided that Don's resolution would be to prepare a meal for our Woodbridge family once a month through the year of 2014. He wasn't so sure at first, but halfway through January he's already planning ahead for the rest of the year. There are a lot of fun things he's planning to cook. :)

This weekend (Saturday, January 11) Don prepared a NICE meal for everyone. Our guests included the Rays, Stevens, and Cowdreys.

Don made ribs, brats, hotdogs, and chicken this time.

Next time, I'll try to get some pictures of the actual food before it's all gone. This stuff was gobbled up pretty quickly! :)

January Race

I'm sticking with my resolutions and planning to run a 5K each month during the year of 2014.

This month, I chose to run the Pacesetter Neon 5K in Wylie for two reasons:

1) It's close to home, and I'm not going to find many so convenient.

2) It supports the Pirate Pacesetters, and as a form a Pacesetter I can't help but support the girls.

I ran this race with Helena, Russell, and Shawnell (pictured)

Helena is a great pacing partner during these runs. Every time I want to stop, I keep going because I don't want to let her down. Evidently, she thinks the same of me.

Here are the final results for the race:

I've already registered for my February 5K, Heart and Sole 5K at White Rock Lake on Feb. 15th. I can't wait to see how the results (mostly time) compare to this one.

Mom's Little Helper

I made calzones for dinner tonight...yum! I'll be doing that again.

Click here for the recipe I used. 

As a mom it's usually much easier to make dinner on your own without any extra little bodies in the kitchen, but sometimes it's fun to have a helper. 

Isn't he the cutest boy you've ever seen?!

I did have to do a little extra sweeping after dinner prep tonight (notice the flour on the floor), but it was worth it to see him having so much fun helping me. 

Gift Card Day

The kids each got some gift cards for Christmas.

Braelyn got a gift card for Claire's, and Donny got one for Chuck E. Cheese (or Chuckin' Cheese as he would say). 

Today was Gift Card Day.

I took the kids to an early lunch at Chuck E. Cheese (before it got too crowded) and let the kids play for a couple hours. 

Luckily, my friend Helena joined us so I had an extra set of eyes on the kids. :)

After lunch, we went to Claire's so Braelyn could spend her money. She ended up buying a mini-brush that folds up (perfect for her purse) and some S-clips for the rubber band bracelets kids are making these days. 

While we were there, we had some fun taking pictures with the fun glasses. :)

Fun times! :)

New Year Resolutions - 2014

We make them every year.

It seems like every resolution I read has something to do with weight loss, getting in shape, eating right, etc.

I'd like to do all of those things. Really, I would. They're a constant work in progress, though.

However, these are my resolutions this year:

1) Run a race each month. (I've already registered for January and September.)

2) Blog more. This one is a special request from Braelyn. She enjoys reading my old blog books. Since I don't really keep up with baby books like a "good mom" should, I guess this is the next best thing. :)

Let's see how I do!