header

I want to be able to customize my header but have not been able to figure out how to do it. It probably doesn't help that I don't have photoshop.
So here is a picture of Bud and Sweet Pea. He is helping put her shoes on. Very cute. I will probably change it if I can ever figure out how, obvioulsy it is too big but this is a start.

Goals

I feel I have been in a baby haze for the past 5 years. You know the one, where you are pregnant, have a baby and just when you feel you are getting back to normal do it all again. Granted Sweet Pea is 19 months old so this haze has lasted a long time. It really needs to end. With Bud going to kindergarten I am feeling the beginnings of new energy to get my life back in order. To do that, I need some goals and I need to be accountable which is why I am writing them down. I am going to make a chart of the below goals and hang it somewhere (like at my computer) and make sure I am accomplishing them. They are not anything big or drastic b/c obviously I don't want to overwhelm myself. Anyway, here they are:
1) Send a card to a different friend every month (plus actually send birthday cards). Who doesn't love getting real mail? I know I do and it can be such a blessing when someone sends one unexpectedly.
2)Make one new recipe a month. I have a huge folder of recipes that I have cut out of magazines and I don't even know if they are good. So my goal is to try them, if they are good write them on a recipe card and file them away, if they are bad toss them.
3)Bake something with the kids helping at least once a month. I am having to bake more now with Bud's peanut allergy and what kid doesn't love to pour ingredients and stir things. It is so much easier, quicker and less messy without them:-) But it is good for them to help. If anyone has any great baking ideas that doesn't include chocolate chips (cocoa is okay) or peanut butter, let me know. I could use some fresh ideas.
4) Create a chore schedule for Bud and Princess and keep them on track. I really have been wanting to do this for a long time. They occasionally help set the table and put groceries away but I want them to learn responsibilty with helping around the house before it is time to start allowances.
5) Journal 2 times a week. In college, I journaled almost every day. It really helped me process things and get them out of my head to keep me from stressing about things too much.
6) Read the Bible 4 days a week. I know that I should do it daily. When I did my 21 day challenge, I was doing pretty good with it. But at this time, if I make the goal too high, I won't follow through. 4 days seems more reasonable for me and it is certainly better than what I am doing now.
7) Go on at least 1 date a month with husband. This summer has been bad for this. I cannot remember the last time we actually went out just the 2 of us to a movie or dinner. Maybe it was our anniversary in May. Not good.
8) Have at least one night or weekend date with a friend without kids to go shopping or even just have coffee or lunch. I definitely don't do enough just girl time. Playdates don't count b/c we are too distracted with the kids.
9) Make my kids go outside more. I am so bad at this. Simply b/c I don't always want to be out there too. And Sweet Pea isn't old enough to go in the back yard by herself. I know winter is coming but I am going to buy some raingear and get them out there stomping puddles. They definitely don't get enough fresh air.
10) Eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables at least 5 days a week. Okay, so I am not bad with veggies believe it or not. But I have a hard time with fruit. I love fruit, I just tend to eat carbs when I am hungry and don't make it a priority unless it is super easy. I need to set a better example for my kids. I am not going to say every day though, again I don't want to set myself up for just giving up b/c it is too overwhelming.
That's a good start.

Some long term goals:
1) Take a cake decorating class. My grandma was great at decorating cakes and I have such great memories of them. If I am going to keep up with the pirate, princess and other kinds of cakes, I might need some other skills.
2) Organize pictures and put them in albums. This includes ordering pictures that are stored on the computer but that I have no hard copies for.

I am sure there are other big things I want to get done but those are the only 2 I can think of at this time.
Now I need to go make a chart! Wish me luck.

Kindergarten

Bud starts kindergarten tomorrow. I am so excited. I know I should be sad. But the thought of having 4 hours with just 2 kids on my 2 days home makes me happy. I will probably get sick of the dropping off and picking up and look forward to the days he is home, but right now I see things getting accomplished around the house that I just don't have the energy for. Or even errands being run without getting 3 kids in and out of the car.
Last year was a disaster when I dropped him off at preschool. I don't know who cried harder, him or me. Probably him as I didn't do any screaming while the teacher held me, although she did have to tell me gently to just go, he would settle down. He and I have already talked about how this year will be better. He has met his teacher and sat at his desk, plus he only has 7 kids in his class. I think it will go great.
Now I just have to get over my anxiety about his peanut allergy and how he will be exposed to foods I don't know about.

OPAM

One project a month. I have seen that on a couple of blogs and think it is a great idea. I have been struggling to keep my house in order. I get the basic cleaning, laundry, picking up toys kind of thing done. But when it comes to the deep cleaning and organizing, I tend to be hit or miss. So my new goal. Take one room a month, (pair a bedroom and a bathroom since the bathrooms are easy organizing wise) and go from top to bottom. Including, steam cleaning carpets, washing baseboards, reorganizing and cleaning out closets. It seems a little less overwhelming than trying to do it all at once. Maybe once I get through round one, it will be easier to keep up on it. We will see. I will keep you posted.
Husband requested our bedroom be the first room. So along with our bathroom that is the goal. If anyone has any good ideas for cleaning shower doors, I would greatly appreciate it. I just cannot get the soap scum off, not to mention the yucky stuff on the bottom. I might just have to buy a new one and start over. :-)

When did my 5 year old son become a teenager?

Last night I was telling son to get ready for bed. He takes a loooong time to get ready for bed. I usually have to threaten and give him a countdown, etc. So, last night I was telling him to brush his teeth, get his jammies instead of lying on the floor naked after his bath. He said to me "whatever". Whatever! When did he learn that word and how to use it properly in a disrespectful, dismissing way. He said it just like a teenager would.
Husband wasn't surprised that he has picked up attitudes from daycare. But I was. Of course, after his time out, he couldn't even remember what he had said. So I guess there still is some innocence left in him. It's a good thing we still have a few years before he actually is a teenager. I feel I am barely surviving this stage.

Men are from Mars...

I will start by saying I have a pretty great husband. He stays home one day a week with the kids, he helps with laundry and picking up and even cooking occasionally. However, sometimes he just doesn't get it. Granted, I am only home with the kids by myself 2 days a week. I work 3. I need that balance for my mental health. On weekends, we generally do things as a family or husband and I might do something while the kids are with grandma or nana. Until recently that is. Husband and friend bought a canoe together. Which is great. I want him to have hobbies and to do things with friends, that is not a big deal. He also has a Bible study 2 saturday mornings a month. Again, I want him to study the Bible with other men. When he doesn't canoe, he plays basketball in the morning with his friend (he needs to exercise) Here is my problem. In the last 3 weeks, he has been gone a lot. On Fourth of July, he was gone several hours playing basketball with said friend and installing an air conditioner in another friends apartment. Then saturday he had Bible study and he had also talked about going canoeing with his friend. It is great that he has stuff to do, but what am I doing while he is out having fun? I am home, with the kids. Doing the same thing I do during the week. Yes, I could take them somewhere but honestly it is a lot of work taking my three kids somewhere with just me. Or even with a friend. So he wouldn't go canoeing with his friend b/c I made him feel guilty about it and we decided to go to a lake and go canoeing as a family. Well, our youngest daughter got car sick on the way there and threw up everywhere so we had to turn around and go home. So that outing failed miserably.
Then last weekend, I finally convinced him to go canoeing and he did but again was gone for half a saturday. This weekend. He had to work for a few hours today. I knew that. What I didn't remember is that he had Bible study this morning (2 hours), then he has to drive to Salem and work (5 hours) plus we are adding his mom to our cell phone service so he decided to leave early and do that before working since he would be in Salem already. So again, here I am on a saturday with the kids feeling stuck. Here is the kicker. When I try to explain to him how I am feeling. What does he say? He says "it sounds to me like you resent your life". Aaagh. Now as a women reading this, is that what you heard? Because if it is, let me know. That is not at all whatI was implying. I love my kids. They are my life. I cannot imagine not having them. They melt my heart all the time. But I need a break sometimes too. How hard is it to understand that? He just doesn't get it.
The good news, my mom is coming to save me and let me go off by myself for a little while to recharge. Thank goodness for moms!

Allergies

My son has an allergy to peanuts. We figured this out a few months ago after eating 1/2 a peanut butter cookie and then have a reaction to it a couple of hours later. He doesn't like peanuts or peanut butter, so avoiding them for him is not hard. Except for the fact that tons of stuff have peanuts, peanut oil, or have been processed in plants with peanuts. I bought some mint chocolate chip ice cream never thinking I needed to worry about it. You guessed it, made with peanut oil. Oh and if I have a craving for a candy bar. Do you think I can find one without peanuts (b/c we aren't even supposed to have that stuff in the house)? No except for maybe plain hershey's chocolate. Three muskateers, kit kats were two that should not have peanuts in them or even the possibility of a peanut but they do. Frustrating.
Anyway, that is not the point of this story. Yesterday, as far as we can tell, Son had nothing at all even remotely close to eating peanuts of any kind except maybe a few Junior mints in the early afternoon. But I am pretty sure I checked the label. Last night about 10 he woke up coughing, running nose, feeling like he was going to throw up, and had bloodshot eyes. The same reaction he had after eating the cookie. He even said he needed medicine like when he ate the peanut butter cookie. So he obviously felt the same. We have no idea what could have triggered it. It was hours after eating. Fortunately, Benadryl stopped it from progressing. But it is scary. Scary that he has this allergy and it can hit him when we aren't even sure why. Now we are starting a journal for when he has these reactions. To see if there is a common theme. Hopefully, he won't have anymore. But we will keep his Benadryl and EpiPen close by just in case.