Why am I here???

Sounds deep doesn't it?? Like I'm going to do some gut wrenching soul searching right here on my blog for you.

I'm not.

I'm just literally wondering why I'm here...in this chair...still in my PJs....when I need to be running multiple errands and cleaning my house. Darn computer. Darn cold weather. Darn overwhelming to do list.

Sigh...

I am a world class procrastinator. Is there a prize for stellar procrastinating?? I would win it. Seriously.

I need to go to Toys R Us today. What a nightmare! I almost had a nervous breakdown in there the other day -- the type of breakdown I usually reserve for Wal-Mart or Sam's Club. But I stood in a big, long, slow-moving line in the electronics department only to find they couldn't give me the great deal they were offering because they were out of two parts of the package deal. I am headed back there today to fix it, but I am not looking forward to it. So here I sit...stalling.

I have approximately 262 million things to do this coming week. I have not purchased one teacher's gift or mailed packages to out-of-town family. I have pretty much decided for the first time ever I will not be sending Christmas cards, but knowing me I will decide all of a sudden I really need to send them and will be panicked to get them out. I have a birthday party to send invites for and party favors to buy. I have a lot of dust bunnies in every room of my house, ironing to do, laundry that grows overnight. My dog needs a bath. The list goes on and on.

And yet here I sit. Which is probably the answer to my question. Why am I here?? In this spot and not running around doing those 262 million things??

Because it is so much easier.

But time keeps slipping away...and I had really better get a move on. This procrastination thing is surely the cause of much of my stress.

So farewell for now. Maybe for Christmas Santa will bring me a big ol' heap of motivation. Goodness knows I need it.

In Honor of the MANY Amazing Women I Have the Privilege of Knowing

A friend sent me this email the other day -- I've received it several times, but each time I read it I have to laugh. I also reflect on the truth that lies beneath the humor.

A man was sick and tired of going to work every day while his wife stayed home. He wanted her to see what he went through so he prayed: 'Dear Lord: I go to work every day and put in 8 hours while my wife merely stays at home. I want her to know what I go through. So, please allow her body to switch with mine for a day. '

God, in his infinite wisdom, granted the man's wish. The next morning, sure enough, the man awoke as a woman. He arose, cooked breakfast for his mate, awakened the kids, set out their school clothes, fed them breakfast, packed their lunches, drove them to school, came home and picked up the dry cleaning, took it to the cleaners and stopped at the bank to make a deposit,
went grocery shopping, then drove home to put away the groceries. He then paid the bills and balanced the check book. He cleaned the cat's litter box and bathed the dog. Then, it was already 1 P.M. and he hurried to make the beds, do the laundry, vacuum, dust, sweep and mop the kitchen floor. He ran to the school to pick up the kids and got into an argument with them on the way home. He set out milk and cookies and got the kids organized to do their homework, then, set up the ironing board and watched TV while he did the ironing.

At 4:30 he began peeling potatoes and washing vegetables for salad, breaded the pork chops and snapped fresh beans for supper. After supper, he cleaned the kitchen, ran the dishwasher, folded laundry, bathed the kids, and put them to bed.

At 9 P.M. he was exhausted and, though his daily chores weren't finished, he went to bed where he was expected to make love, which he managed to get through without complaint.

The next morning, he awoke and immediately knelt by the bed and said: 'Lord, I don't know what I was thinking. I was so wrong to envy my wife's being able to stay home all day. Please, oh please let us trade back.. Amen!'

The Lord, in his infinite wisdom, replied the following: 'My son, I feel you have learned your lesson and I will be happy to change things to the way they were. But, you will have to wait nine months, since you got pregnant last night.'

Women rock -- plain and simple. And I am thankful for the many women in my life whether they be relatives, friends or simply acquaintances, who have inspired me by their courage, strength, tenacity, creativity, faith, humor, thoughtfulness -- so many things. Men would be a mess without the women in their lives.

This journey of life can be so stressful and downright difficult at times. What a blessing it is as a woman to have other females -- mothers, sisters, cousins, co-workers, girlfriends, etc. -- to support us along our bumpy path! Thank you to each of you for being my friend and my inspiration and for reminding me I'm not alone in the overwhelming responsibility of being a wife and mother. You are amazing!

Enjoy your weekend!

Aspirations

Since it has been so long since I've actually blogged, I am unsure if I've already shared this story. If I'm repeating myself, forgive me.

A couple of months ago, I was driving my daughter somewhere and she was quietly observing things as we passed them. We came to a stop light and were sitting there a few minutes when all of a sudden she pipes up, "Mommy, I think I want to be a blower when I grow up."

Huh?...I think to myself...a blower?? Did I hear her correctly?

So I ask..."A blower? What do you mean?"

"Like that guy, " was her reply.

I looked out the window to see a man using a leaf blower to clean dirt off of the parking lot of a repair shop. That was her latest aspiration. A blower operator.

"You want that job when you grow up? I thought you wanted to be an artist or a vet?"

"Well, I like those too, but a blower makes the world clean."

If she only knew that it would take a lot more than a leaf blower to make this world "clean". But it's a nice thought nonetheless and I had to give her credit for wanting to clean up the place.

My oldest son has also added a new profession to his list of possibilities as of late. He told my brother-in-law as they were talking on the phone the other day that he wanted to be a lion tamer.

A lion tamer? Really? How cute is that? Unfortunately, my brother-in-law kind of laughed at him and I think it hurt his feelings. He's 10 -- if he thinks he wants to be a lion tamer, then I say let him. That is the great thing about being a kid. You can hope and wish for these things before the responsibility of adulthood and the working world becomes a reality. If my child thinks he wants to tame lions, so be it. At least he has an aspiration to do something. He can add it to the list of other aspirations I've heard him mention -- marine biologist, paleontologist, wildlife photographer.

Oftentimes I am very saddened by how quickly our kids are pressured to grow up. Let them be kids for goodness sake. Why do they need the pressure of being a grown up thrust on them at a young age?? Why do people insist on exposing them to things that children do not need to see or know about? Let them be innocent -- let them be young -- let them have imagination and hope for things that may be a little silly or unrealistic. It makes me sad that peer pressure makes children feel bad about themselves if they do like things that are considered "uncool". Who decides what's cool anyway??

When my kids are older and doing whatever it is they end up doing with their lives (which is going to happen in the blink of an eye), I am quite sure they will get a kick out of knowing that they aspired to lion taming and making the world sparkling clean.

For now, I plan to encourage their childhood dreams and aspirations and to continually let them know that I believe that they CAN do whatever it is they hope to do.

Are you there blog? It's me, Rita...

Wow -- five months since my last post. Where does the time go?

As most of you know, in a few short weeks, I will be turning the big "four-oh" -- that's right, 40. I don't mind too much other than the fact it sounds weird when it comes out of my mouth..."I'm 40." Forty? Really?? Wasn't I just 25 yesterday?? Apparently not.

For the past year or more I have really struggled. This was supposed to be my year of "getting it done" -- that's what I called it right here on my blog nine months ago. However it has turned out to be my year of getting stuck in a rut without a road map out. I haven't accomplished nearly enough. Do we ever feel like we've accomplished enough?

I often feel like I've lost my sense of joy -- instead of living my life, I go through the motions -- one day to the next -- here's what has to happen today, let's get it done. I have let many things I enjoy completely go -- blogging, scrapbooking, etc. I'm starting to think I'm having a mid-life crisis of sorts. Do females even have mid-life crises??

Thank goodness for the virtue of hope -- because without it, I likely would have given up long ago. I still have hope. Hope that I will find peace again. Hope that God will give me the grace to be a better mother, a better wife, a more productive human being.

That part about being more productive needs to start right now, so I am keeping this post short -- my house in in desperate need of a good cleaning.

Enjoy the weekend -- and since today is September 11th (even though my post may come up with a different date -- I started it several days ago) -- let's all remember to count our blessings and to carry on -- filled with HOPE and gratitude.

A New Chapter in My Book of Moral Teachings

Hmmm...where do I even begin with this post...

The other night, my oldest son was a horrible brat (and that is the nicest way to put it). Thank goodness I wasn't there to witness it first hand because I may have inadvertently caused an earthquake here in K-town with an explosion of my temper. It happened at soccer practice -- my husband coaches him -- and when they got home, Ryan looked at me with a face that said, "I am in big -- no, HUGE trouble!" When his dad asked him to tell me what he did, he moaned and begged to keep it between them, but that wasn't going to happen, so he told me the things (that's right, not one, but TWO big blunders) that he did.

The first one involved him yelling out to one of the boys during practice and making a joke about this boy's size/weight. (My son is not a tiny kid, so why he would do this is beyond me.) He says he did it to make the other boys laugh. WHAT!?!?! I was literally shocked...and horrified. I think my mouth dropped open when he told me and I know my eyes bugged out of my head. I was floored that my son was so mean. And to top it off, the boys were messing around after practice and my son decided to throw a handful of dirt at this very same boy to "be funny". He threw it at his head and got it in his eye, which I'm sure was very painful. He and this boy get along fine, so why my son decided to act so horribly is beyond me, but I was absolutely fuming! I cannot tell you the countless number of times I have had discussions with my kids about not hurting feelings and how making someone else the butt of your joke is never funny. It's just plain mean and disrespectful.

So here comes the part about the new chapter in my book. You can imagine that I spent the rest of the evening preaching to my son. Lucky for him it was a short evening because part of his punishment was he had to go straight to bed when he came home. I truly could not get over the shock of what he did. As Ryan was going to bed, I was sitting there with him, making sure he really understood why what he did was so wrong and trying to make a comparison for him to really get it.

Now, let me tell you that I grew up in a very strict Catholic house. I should have been able to reference something from my religious upbringing -- or even an example from my own childhood of a bad choice I made and the consequences (I can think of several now). But instead, I heard myself saying to my son....

(this is almost too embarrassing)

"Ryan, it's like that time on SpongeBob..." I went on to remind him of a time when SpongeBob was making squirrel jokes to make everyone laugh -- but one of his very best friends who is a squirrel was incredibly hurt by his actions.

The minute it was coming out of my mouth, my brain was screaming at me, "What in the world are you doing?? Referencing SpongeBob -- are you kidding me???" A part of me wanted to laugh -- and a part of me was stunned. Of all the things I could have said, I chose to refer to SpongeBob. Wow. But as I looked at Ryan and tried to focus, I realized a lightbulb had gone off in his head. My reference to the sponge was getting through and I could tell he knew exactly the point I was trying to make.

So for all of you good moms who are able to pull references from better and more meaningful sources, I applaud you. I think my brain has gone to mush -- or maybe we just watch far too much SpongeBob in this house. But I guess if my son got what I was saying, it really doesn't matter. The lesson is the important thing no matter where it comes from.

Which Came First...the Chicken or the Egg?

I have been pondering lately why I always feel like my life is completely...hmmm..."disheveled". I look around me and it looks like something exploded in my house. Clothes, shoes, papers upon papers needing to be filled out or filed away, mega amounts of art supplies and toys, toys, toys. Dust, leaves, grass, dirt tracked in on cleats and by the dog. Laundry that grows overnight. Days come, days go -- and not nearly enough is accomplished. Can you say Calgon, take me away?!?!?!? I am overwhelmed and end up wasting time because of it.

Sometimes I wonder if the way I feel inside is caused by what is on the outside -- or if it works the other way around. Am I feeling so disheveled because of my surroundings -- or is the way I'm feeling inside causing the lack of organization on the outside? Reminds me of the whole chicken or the egg question. Which causes the other? Or is it a combination of both and therefore it's just basically a big, vicious cycle that I can't seem to break. It's so frustrating.

Regardless of feeling buried in too many things and not having enough time or motivation, I am so grateful for my life. My children are such a blessing. I swear there are so many days I feel like I am completely failing as a mother -- but then a really great day will come along and I think, okay...maybe I'm doing something right. Maybe. Hopefully.

Anyway -- I realize I haven't been blogging or visiting or keeping in touch like I should. But I am here, just not very focused or organized. I hope all my blogging buddies are doing well and enjoying some peaceful days. Sooner or later I will find my peace -- inside and out.

As I leave, I thought I'd share some recent photos of what is occupying our time these days -- soccer, Easter, and a bonus picture of our pup Nola just because she's so cute. Ignore my windblown crazy hair -- my life is one constant bad hair day! :)

Enjoy your week!

Painting Tips a la Rita

Yes, it's true -- I remember how to blog. You had your doubts, I know. But here I am ready to share some of my painting knowledge with you.

Today, I have some house cleaning that needs to be done, but I also have a painting project that we started over a year ago and have not finished. (Sad, but true.) So today, I decided to paint a bit before cleaning house. Why? Who knows -- but I thought I'd share some tips I've learned along the way.

1 - Dog hair does not make for a nice texture on the wall you are painting, so if you're tempted to try it -- mixing dog hair with your wet paint -- I do NOT recommend it. Lock all curious long-haired dogs in a room or get them out of the way somehow before you paint.

2 - When you tell your four-year old not to touch the walls because they are wet with paint -- be sure to repeat it about 32 times. Apparently repeating it 12 times is not enough. You will have a handprint on your wall and a little one with a colored hand.

3 - Do not wear one of your favorite shirts or sweaters to paint just because you are too darn lazy to change.

4 - Do not tell yourself it's okay to paint in a spot where you have not taped the woodwork. You will make a mistake -- no matter how careful you are.

5 - Feel free to take a break and do something fun -- like blog or share a bag of Cheez-Its with your dog. I did both.

6 - If your husband tells you he will help with this particular project do not believe him. He lies. He will back out. (This one may only apply to me, but you never know.)

7 - If aforementioned husband comes home and immediately critiques your work (as I am quite sure mine will do), make sure all sharp or heavy, blunt objects are out of your reach. You will want to use them. Tell him if he wishes to judge -- he can paint it himself. (In the nicest possible way of course!)

8 - Once you start getting paint on things that should not be painted -- step away from the roller and/or paintbrush. It's time for a break or simply time to quit. Trust me.

9 - Most importantly -- if you are ever looking for help with your own painting project, do not -- I repeat DO NOT ask me for help. You will regret it! I am the anti-Martha Stewart and you do NOT want me touching your walls!

10 - Finally, once you are done -- give yourself a little pat on the back. It may not be perfect, but you've accomplished something and it feels good.


Happy Weekend Everyone!!!

Letting the Joy In

Lately, I've been feeling -- hmmm...what's the word....maybe just plain old "blah".

I want to feel joy -- and peace -- and calm -- and content. But I just haven't been able to. I have moments...fleeting, little moments...but that's about it.

Too much to do -- too many worries -- too much stress. I suppose I bring it on myself. And I'm the only one who can fix it. I have to figure out how to rise above. But it has been a chore to do that lately.

Sometimes I wonder if it's the time of year. Or perhaps because we've all been sick at my house pretty much continously for a while now on some level -- one after the other and it just makes things seem sluggish. I don't know.

I struggle with finding balance BIG time -- am I the only one? Balancing focused time with my kids with the many things that have to get done -- the places we have to go -- the plans we need to make -- the sports, the scouts, the projects for school, the usual day to day stuff -- all the while with time just FLYING by at light speed. It really is. March already? Are you kidding me??

I find joy in little things. I need to remember that. The world feels like it's falling down around us some days -- but I want to focus on my little world -- my faith, my family, my dear, dear friends (I just love you all!) -- and protect and embrace the joy and surround myself in the happiness that comes from those things.

I am TOTALLY babbling today -- venting really. And believe it or not, today I am actually feeling pretty good -- a bit more light-hearted than I have been -- so don't take my rambling as complaining or moaning and groaning. I'm just thinking out loud -- letting some of the pent up blahs spill out I guess.

Okay -- enough of that. If you have any magical formula for finding balance and not worrying and feeling stress when you're a wife and mother -- please share it with me. I am always hopeful that SOMEDAY I'll get a grip! :)

Have a great weekend!!!

There are bricks in my chest....

at least that is what it feels like. I think I am getting sick and it really does feel like I swallowed a large brick and it is lodged in my chest or something. I am also ridiculously tired, but part of that is having children who won't sleep through the night lately.

Anyway -- I have been a horrible blogger and blog visitor and I am attempting to remedy that situation. Not tonight though. I just can't muster the energy.

I miss all of you in blogland. Darn Facebook has ruined me, but I really do need to get back to blogging. It's something I enjoy usually and it seems for the past several months I have just let the things I enjoy fall to the wayside -- scrapbooking, blogging and a few other things.

As I leave you -- I was wondering if you could do me a favor. If you are the praying type, please say a prayer or two for a family I heard about today. My husband coaches my two older kids in basketball through a church program here. We heard this morning that one of the other coaches had a three-year old who got pneumonia and he or she passed away. Just three years old! It breaks my heart. I don't even know them -- but I'm sure they could use some prayers.

Love to my bloggy friends -- catch up with you soon!

Four Years to Build a Snowman

I know what you're thinking....it took you four years to build this little snowman? And how in the world does someone spend four years building a snowman?? Let me explain.

This week marks the four-year anniversary of the kids and I living in Tennessee. (My husband moved a few months before us.) In four years, we have never had enough snow to build an actual snowman. That all changed yesterday.

The kids were dismissed from school early and in fact, they have a snow day today. (Which initially I was excited about, but as the day progresses, I'm wondering if I'm really excited...they have had some moments, let me tell you! LOL). Anyway -- we played in the snow for a long time yesterday and it was a blast!

I remember our first or second winter here and a local friend of mine called one day to see if the kids had "played in the snow". I was puzzled because we had just had the slightest dusting of snow and when I looked out my window I saw a little snow and a whole lot of mud! I'm from northern Illinois -- I could not imagine playing in the snow unless we had several inches on the ground. After several winters here, I have come to realize that this is the South and playing in the snow means doing your best with whatever falls from the sky -- even if it's 1/4 of an inch!

Still, my northern-minded self has never really taken the kids out to play in less than an inch of snow. So yesterday, my youngest son at age 4 had his first real experience with a snowman and snowballs. My other kids have no real memories of playing in the snow either -- even my oldest son, who has seen pictures of himself in the snow, but can't really remember being in it.

I have to admit -- I think I had just as much fun as the kids!

I know some of you are sick of the white stuff and I understand. When we lived in Illinois it often felt like we had eight months of winter. But when you don't have snow often -- it sure can be fun!

Hope you're having a good week -- Happy Tuesday!

Pro Bowlers Tour -- Here We Come!

A few months ago, my children received a Wii game system as a gift. My youngest son, age 4, quickly became addicted to Wii Sports -- bowling in particular.

In no time, he had the "record" score in our family. He also quickly developed his own style. He has a whole bunch of stunts (bowling standing backwards, laying on the ground, with his eyes closed, spinning in a circle) -- and he can get strikes while he is doing these stunts. I know you think I'm lying, but I promise you I speak the truth. (I have witnesses! LOL) He is quite amusing to watch and has entertained not only our family, but some of our friends on many occasions.

Yesterday, he set a new high score -- 289, which is 11 strikes and one spare. He got that same score four different times. He was determined to get a perfect game, but 289 was the best he could do. Pretty good if you ask me!

This morning, he was on a mission. The boy is somewhat of a perfectionist (which worries me a little because so is my oldest son and it can be a bad thing at times!). But because he had to be perfect, once he started bowling if he wasn't getting a strike every single frame he would start over. (And over and over again!)

His persistence paid off -- and look what my amazing little world class Wii bowler did this morning --



(not the best quality photo -- I had to snap it quickly before he changed the screen! -- but you can see what he did!) A PERFECT GAME!

He was quite excited to say the least!

So look out all you professional bowlers out there -- I realize this is just a Wii game, but we may be on to something here!

Have a great day!

Wow!

Last night, my husband and I had the good fortune to attend a concert by these guys -- that's right, The Eagles. They were amazing, incredible -- simply fantastic!

I have always said the best concert I ever saw was the Eagles when they were on their Hell Freezes Over tour in the early to mid 90s. When my husband surpised me with Eagles tickets this year for Christmas I couldn't believe it.

I hadn't been to a concert since that last Eagles show and I have to admit...I wondered as we were on our way to the show, if they could possibly be as good as the last time I saw them. I mean -- we're talking a 14 or 15 year difference and the Eagles have been around for over 30 years. You always hear stories about older bands not sounding so great as they get older. But I have to say -- I think they were even better than the first time I saw them. They are such talented musicians and they put on such an enjoyable show. Three solid hours or more of music. And when we left, we were thinking of all the songs they DIDN'T play -- and realized if the Eagles played all of their hits at a show (including solo hits by Glenn Frey, Joe Walsh and my boyfriend Don Henley...hee hee) -- it would probably last five or six hours!

They played seven or eight songs from their latest CD, Long Road Out of Eden -- beautiful, beautiful songs. I am getting that CD as soon as I can.

If you ever have the chance to see these guys -- and if you are a fan...heck, even if you aren't a big fan -- you have to go. You will enjoy every minute of it.

And finally I have to give a shout out to my girl Wendy. My husband and I rarely get out of the house just the two of us and especially not on a school night for the kids! Wendy hung out at our house with the kids way past her bedtime so we could enjoy our concert. Thanks Wendy -- you know I love ya!

Hard to believe it's Wednesday already! Hope you're having a good week! Chat with you soon!

It's 11:20am -- do you know where your....

shower is???

Apparently I don't. Because it's 11:20am and I am still in my PJs.

So pathetic.

The kids have the day off. They too are in their PJs. We are practicing the art of being lazy and I might add -- we are doing a darn fine job. We could give lessons.

I am also sad to say I am mildly (or more than mildly) grumpy today -- I am blaming it on hormones, because I really have no other reason and as a girl it's my right to use hormones as my excuse, is it not?? That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Speaking of sticking -- the most beautiful big white snowflakes are falling outside and actually sticking on the ground!!! I am loving every minute of it. I know many of you are so sick of snow you want to hit me for saying that, but we rarely get snow here and I am downright excited. I've been having snow withdrawal. I also know our Tennessee snowfall won't last long -- it never does -- so I have to enjoy it while I can. It just looks SO peaceful and beautiful outside. And we don't have to go anywhere today -- you can't beat that!

Alright -- I think it's time for that shower -- and to do some laundry -- and to clean some floors -- and to feed some children. My lazy extravaganza has come to an end.

Happy Monday to you -- chat with you soon!!!

Keeping It Real

During the school year, my kids attend a weekly religion class at our church. Last year, when we met one of my son's teachers I knew immediately that I liked her. She was one of those people that just made a fantastic first impression. She was exuberant and had the warmest personality. It was obvious she loved children and I was glad to know she would be teaching my son.

After only one or two classes, she was diagnosed with cancer and was forced to quit volunteering her time at church. I didn't see her after that and since I didn't really know her well, I didn't keep up on how she was doing. At one point, I had heard she was doing well and feeling pretty good. After that, I didn't think much of it.

Sadly, this past weekend we heard that she lost her battle to this awful disease. I learned things about her I never knew. She was just 40 years old and had five children -- all of them still at home, the oldest in high school, the youngest around my son's age. I also learned that she made the same impression on many others that she had made on me. I feel certain she touched many lives in a positive way during her 40 short years on this earth.

Why do I share all of this? Because to me, hearing this news has made me very thoughtful this week. It has been a reality check for me -- something we all need from time to time. It has given me the push to reflect a little more on what is truly important and it has served as a reminder that the day-to-day things that often cause us frustration just really aren't worth the anguish.

As I have gotten older, situations in my life have changed me. I tend to be anxious and feel stressed in many situations. I get overwhelmed. I used to be MUCH more laid back and try as I might to be laid back now, I tend to let anxiety or stress get the best of me. It makes me really sad that I have become this way. So when I hear about lives cut short, it makes me realize -- I need to calm down. I need to take a deep breath and not be so stressed out. I need to enjoy the little moments of each and every day instead of worrying so darn much. There are a lot of things to be worried about, it's true -- but there's only so much you can do in most cases. And it certainly shouldn't take the joy from your life. Life is too darn short.

Here's hoping YOU are enjoying your weekend and that you are not a stressed out worrier like me! I STILL have not been visiting my friends on their blogs (I blame Facebook! LOL) -- but I think of you all often and will continue to try to stop by and see what you're up to! Have a great day!

Just Popping In

I must be crazy. I decided to join Facebook this week and have now given myself just one more way to spend time on the computer. It's no wonder I never scrapbook anymore. I am either on this computer or reading or a tired bump on a log when I actually get some time to myself. I still keep hoping that once I get around to re-organizing my scrap supplies, I will get motivated to be crafty again. I have so many photos just waiting to be shared. They aren't much good sitting in a file on my computer. And I keep having that nagging feeling that I am just letting the memories of our family adventures and the funny day-to-day things slip away. I know I won't remember it all when I finally do sit down to scrapbook. My memory is not what it used to be and although I try to write things down in a journal or notebook sometimes, I'm not very consistent about that either.

I have to say, joining Facebook has been a lot of fun. I have heard from several people I haven't seen or heard from in years. I think it's such a cool way to stay connected.

Tuesday marked the official end of our holiday break. Getting back into our routine this week has been rough. None of us are doing very well. Four days into it, we are all still tired and just not feeling in sync. I'm sure it will be better next week, but wow -- it has been a very disjointed week for everyone at my house!

Well, I have a very full day of cleaning, a few errands and laundry ahead, so I guess I better keep this short.

Hope you all have had a great start to the new year. Enjoy your weekend!

Elaborating

Well, geesh -- when I made my last post I had every intention of posting again that very same day or possibly the next and all of a sudden it's January 4th. Oops -- so much for getting it done! LOL

Anyway... here's why I've decided to call 2009 the year of getting it done.

The beginning of a new year is a time when I think most of us have that feeling of motivation -- a clean slate, a fresh start. Not only is it a new year for me -- it's the year I turn 40. FORTY!!! I can't really wrap my brain around it yet, but here's what I do know. I'll be forty and there are so many things I want to do -- and darn it, what am I waiting for??? Time certainly isn't slowing down and obviously, I'm not getting any younger. Time to get it done, wouldn't you say??

I have a really awful habit of concocting what I think are great ideas in my head...and then not acting on them. Laziness, lack of self-confidence, fear of rejection, lack of time, feeling overwhelmed at how to get from point A to point B -- so many things keep me from moving forward when I have an idea. Then my ideas just kind of fall to the wayside and time marches on and before I know it six months have passed.

I know not all of my ideas can come to fruition. But I'll never know which ideas will pay off if I don't get organized and act on them. So this year -- it's time to get it done! (And although I am not a superstitious person by any means, I have always thought that odd numbered years are nicer to me than even numbered years...crazy, I know! LOL)

I hope you all have a wonderful 2009 filled with many blessings and dreams fulfilled. Happy Sunday! Chat with you soon!

The Year of Getting It Done

That's what I'm calling 2009. I'll be back to elaborate later. Right now I'm headed out the door.

Happy New Year everyone!