A typical Friday Night

Our dogs just hanging out. Aren't they sweet? Yes, our dogs do seem to match our furnishings. And oddly enough they also have the same color hair as our daughter. I sure have a thing for the color red.

3 Things I'm Grateful for:

1. Cuddling with these two at night.

2. Having my house cleaned by professional cleaners today.

3. Snuggling with each of my kids tonight.

Favorite Moments in a Day

I do love routines. I find I'm one of those boring people that thrive on what's familiar in my everyday. I like to have schedules and know what's coming up when. I'm not good with surprises or change. I'm just a conservative person by nature. However, there are other times when I feel too locked into a day and my routines feel tedious, boring and sometimes unpleasant which in turn leads me to feel overwhelmed, unhappy and stuck. So to help myself get over that I decided to look for the moments in the day that I cherish and I'm grateful for.

My first favorite moment...standing in the shower and feeling the hot water pour over me. I usually wake up feeling exhausted from lack of sleep and this first moment of hot water in a very cold bathroom in the dead of winter gives me the strength to open my eyes just a little. I could stand there for hours in that moment.

Second favorite moment...when I get to walk into each of my children's bedrooms for the first time and greet them to the new day. Most of the time my children wake up very happy and love to see me. It's my chance to be with each of them by myself for the first time of the day. I love this moment.

Other favorite moments...picking out my daughter's hair ties, walking outside for the first time of the day and breathing in the fresh air, drinking my cold chai tea and milk, checking my email, getting a magazine in the mail, waiting for the moment that BW walks out his classroom door and makes eye contact with me, getting hugs from Bubba, playing with my youngest two at the park, holding my daughter in the sling as we walk her brother to his class, seeing my daughter waving hi to me in the window when I drive in the driveway, my mom surprising me with leftovers so I don't have to cook that night, stepping out of the car at mtn school and breathing in that wonderful fresh air, watching the boys excitedly run up the hill to school, having the house to myself during naptime, having alone time with each of my kids, watching them play together happily, having just cleaned the house and feeling content, cuddling on the sofa with Morgan or James and checking my favorite blogs, watching the hand strike 4pm and waiting to hear the garage door open for hubby to drive in, snuggling with my kids at bedtime, climbing into bed at night knowing I'll finally get to sleep now, sleeping in on Sat mornings, looking forward to the weekends, eating a yummy breakfast, having a clean kitchen, watching the kids sleep in their beds, dreaming about fantasy vacations, watching a favorite dvr'd show at the end of the day, decorating my house in my head.

Ahh..I needed that today. To just remember what I love in those small moments that make up a day.


Do you have favorite moments in a day?

My List of 34

Since I'm still thinking about Resolutions, I have something new I want to do. In a few months I will be turning 34. To help myself celebrate and honor my 34th year I want to make a list of 34 things I would like to try or accomplish before my birthday the following year. I'm starting a few months early since my birthday is not till April, but I figure I'm such a proscrastinator that I could really use the extra time. This idea was borrowed from a lovely blog I indulge in reading called Hula Seventy.

1. Sew something

2. Find chairs for my art room

3. Go out to a new restaurant with just my hubby

4. Get curtains for my bedroom windows

5. Go on a vacation to anywhere

6. Read a "classic" book

7. Add exercise back into my routine

8. Cover my cabinets in fabric

9. Walk across the Golden Gate Bridge

10. Visit a new park once a month with my kids

11. Write down a menu for the year

12. Set up a living will and trust

13. Camp in our backyard

14. Finish 3 parenting books

15. Start a scrapbook for each child

16. Fill up all my empty photo frames

17. Finish all 3 of my kids' sock horses

18. Decorate a room in my house

19. Take my kids to a flower garden

20. Go to a concert

21. Visit Sausalito via ferry

22. Have tea with my girlfriends

23. Go skiing

24. Plan an RV trip

25. Visit another state

26. Get my piano tuned and start playing again

27. Visit a really big flea market

28. Recover my couch in white linen

29. Design a tree house

30. Blog at least 25 times in a month

31. Plant a new "room" in my garden

32. Start composting

33. Plant 5 new rose bushes

34. Get involved in a community event with my family


Well...there's my list. Now let's see how far I can get on it this year!

Does everyone love Fridays?

I just love Fridays. It's the most special day of the week. It has the promise of the weekend to look forward too. I always wake up on a Friday with a small shout of "YES" it's Friday! I even entertained the naughty idea of keeping my oldest out of school today just so we could all be together and do something fun. It was just a brief moment but it was a naughty indulgence, I know.

So what did we do today?

We spent the morning at a park near Boy Wonder's school making new friends and then we went out to lunch!! Yipee!!

I always find it amusing that when you walk into a restaurant with children that the host will take one look at the children and then try to find the most obscure back corner to set you so the kids don't disturb the other patrons. Today was no different. He immediately wanted to set us in the second room of the restaurant and then turned back and gave an apology and asked if we wanted to sit in the front (as there was no one dining in the back at that time of the day). I laughed and said it was fine wherever he wanted to seat us. It wasn't going to spoil my special treat (someone else cooking a meal for me) and I know my 2 youngest well. They are 3 and 1 and not the most refined diners. But I was so proud of them...they did very well especially since I was by myself with them. I love breakfast places and Hobees has the best blueberry coffee cake that they serve on the side of their breakfasts. They also serve the children a complimentary fruit plate that looks like a smiling face on arrival and bring a basket of crayons and coloring pages. It is a very family friendly place and very crowded on the weekends. The kids settled in and did beautifully.

After dining for an hour we still had a half hour before picking up Boy Wonder. This is the tricky time of the day for Busy Girl as she likes to nap then and a full tummy in a warm car, that is the perfect combo for sleep. So we had to go somewhere to keep her awake long enough to pick up Boy Wonder and get him home before she fell asleep. We decided to head back to school and play in the school's garden. We haven't yet had a chance to visit the garden and since it's a large enclosed space away from the classrooms it seemed a perfect place to play for a half hour. Bubba and Busy Girl spotted a pile of discarded debris in the far corner of the garden and sat down in the dirt to look for bugs but instead found little colored plastic beads. It was a very interesting find in a pile of dead plant materials and it kept them busy the entire half hour hunting for each bead that was uncovered with small sticks they were each using. So we were in time for Boy Wonder and headed home for my favorite part of the day on Friday..kids' naptime where I can then blog away. What a great random day today was. Hooray for Friday!

3 things I'm Grateful for:

1. Having such a wonderful day with Bubba and Busy Girl.
2. Today is Friday, which means tomorrow is Saturday...yeah!
3. The kids had time to play with friends afterschool and I got a chance to talk with my grown up friends.

Resolutions

Did you make any new Resolutions this year?

I did, like usual. I have a list of resolutions and like every year I'm very hopeful, almost giddy at the thought of starting a new, getting a do-over, trying out things in a different way. It's a brand new year and I'm thinking it's going to be a good one. It's an odd year this year so it's bound to be good. How I love my odd numbers.

So...you ask...what's on my list?

1. To live a more simplified life.
2. To live with more gratitude.
3. To be more thankful.
4. To live a healthier life.
5. To focus a little more on me.
6. To be more positive.
7. To spend more time with family.
8. To spend more time with my girlfriends.
9. To spend more time with just my hubby.
10. To be happier.



I have taken a good long hard look at myself both inside and out and realize that I'm not so in love with this girl I'm seeing. Over the past few years a little more of myself has been neglected.  It's time to put me back on my to do list. Fix up this old girl who really isn't that old. I need a little more joy in my heart not just for my sake but for my family's too. And I believe the ticket to my happiness is being more positive, simplying my life, living with more gratitude, eating better and exercising again and making a little more time for me. It's time. We've only got one shot at this life and I'm ready. Now...I just need a plan of how to do all that.

I think I'll begin by ending each post with 3 somethings I'm grateful for. 3 of course being my favorite number.

I'm grateful for my hubby making dinner for us tonight and then taking the rambunctious bunch off to run it out in the playroom so I could have an hour of alone time.

I'm grateful I've finished paying bills for this month and won't have to do it for another 30 days. (I really hate to sit down and pay bills and then go to the bank afterwards. )

I'm grateful I thought to look at the gas tank today while I was running around and realized I was on E for empty. That would have been a disaster tomorrow on the way to school with a car full of kids.

Hey..your turn..what's on your list of resolutions?

New Beginings

Once upon a time there lived a young and handsome man who fell in love with an equally young woman who was light hearted and full of dreams.

They imagined a wonderful life for themselves surrounded by kind family and friends.  They worked hard to build their castle and dreamed of the day they could bless it with children.

As the years passed, three beautiful children, each 2 years younger than the next, found there way to them.  They have survived their children's early babyhood years and gained many super powers to help them on their quest as they find themselves entering the next stages of their young children's lives...school'hood.

In the spirit of the new year, join us on our adventures as we navigate this thing we call life.   Our intentions are true, and we are hopeful for simplicity, community and laughter.  If nothing else our journey to our Happily Ever after will be full of silliness and much Random too. 

Cheers for a grand new year!!