:)

M'deary has been a dear. I don't remember the last time I slept in and when I rolled out of bed he announced that he was taking the kids to the zoo. I didn't even press him to take a camera. I was so grateful.

Just wanted to record here what set me laughing for a few minutes. I was showering Bryguy and was rubbing in shampoo. He looked lost in thought and I asked him what he was thinking about. He responded "I really wish I had hair all over my back, mom"

"Oh. Why?" I asked.

"It would be really cool" becoming aware that I can't control my smile at the thought of him filled with glee over a hairy back.

He wouldn't tell me any more and I felt bad for laughing, but I just couldn't help it. They think the funniest things. I probably would've heard an earful if I could control myself, dang-it.

St. Paddy's Day, Bryguy's Bday and Chickies-in no particular order

Repurposing and stuff

Sometimes when I get too bored or tired with a situation, I get silly. We have been neverendingly sick as previously posted. I am done with that.

M'deary came dragging out of bed one day and I have been noticing his raggedy shirt that he won't get rid of because it's "soft". He even wears it inside out lest a seam should rough him up. He has been wearing this same sleeping shirt raggedy for a year or two and it had gaping holes. He was a bit grouchy when I ripped a piece off and put it on his head. What? I just explained the situation with sick. I needed a release and he kindly took it.
He is a good man to find the humor and I promised him a brand new "soft" shirt that would actually be a shirt and not a wearable rag pile. (see he had to cut the cuffs off too because they were all frayed and stringy)

Don't worry, though. Babs with her hoarding tendencies has repurposed the beloved shirt and turned it into a cape which looks marvelous with her vampire teeth.
"N stuff: The boys needed haircuts in the worst way but ol' waste not want not dictates that I buzz them instead of shelling out cash for haircuts. I only know how to buzz, not cut-unfortunately. But we did have fun mohawking for a minute.

More stuff: Even though we were still recovering, a very nice hint-of-spring-around-the-corner day came and we dragged our snotty noses outside. Because we had to. There is only so much indoors that a person can handle. Bryguy in his new coat.
We then discovered in our what we thought was dormant garden a TREASURE!

For much of the afternoon we harvested carrots from last years garden. I thought they would be frozen and thawed mushy, but who knew? Sometimes they can grow in the winter which will change my strategy for planting this spring.

At first, Babs did NOT want her picture taken....

But then I told her how cute she was and she quickly perked up.

These two divas would rather watch and hold the bounty buckets.

Goosie has a new prediliction for screaming. Fun, fun.
Claus is cute as can be and was having a grand time.
Just have to post another Bryguy because will so seldom cooperate with looking+smiling at the same time at the camera. I think every combination of these two I have quickly loaded onto this blog because it happens so seldom.
Here's Bitty with the bounty. Yummy.

Sick

I felt really bad taking these pictures because everyone was so miserable. I felt, however, that I should document what happens all winter long at our house. They all have fevers, sore throats, nausea, and various levels of GI complaints.

I promise they all wanted to be at the table with a popsicle-even though they look like they would rather be sleeping. That's what you get with a hubby who works med/surge in the hospital, 1st grader, kindergartner, preschooler, and nursery germs. Add to that nail biters, nose pickers, and just nervous finger-in-the-mouth habits and it all results in mucho sickness pretty much constantly. Good news?? It is all taking place at the same time this time. Fingers crossed that we won't share it around again :)

Day 30: Picture of me today and 20 goals I want toaccomplish

Some kids won't stop to have their picture taken, so you get what you get.






Whew! 30days in a (almost) row is a lot! And this is as close as I can get to a picture of me today. It is yesterday and I gift you this lovely sight of me rolled out of bed, no makeup, no hair done, but out there sledding. So that's why there is hideousness.

Does anybody even have 20 goals at a time, or am I just an underachiever???

I guess if I think about things to do today and say that they are a goal and not just a task to accomplish, then I could come up with 20.

1. Pay off some principle payments this year to bring mortgage down faster
2. finish Madeline L'engle's Wrinkle in Time books that I have rediscovered
3. get to church on time, HAPPILY-or else!
4. keep my counters and surfaces cleared of clutter
5. move all the stuff that is office-y into the room recently vacated by Goosie
6. attend some of the Relief Society meetings and get to know more people in our new area
7. invite a family once or twice a month for dinner
8. get outside at least once a day
9. finish the last of the caulking and painting
10. practice the piano at least 3x a week
11. plan meals for the week
12. get more involved in my childrens' classrooms
13. vacuum out the van
14. read to each child or the whole group at once every day
15. find some kind of decorations for my room
16. put up new FHE board and actually hold official ones instead of winging it or forgetting
17. Schedule my next day every night so I don't forget my appointments
18. answer emails when I open them
19. begin to do some preschool activities with the younger kids to prepare a little for Bryguy's kindergarten next year
20. make plans to go on an official date, not just a stay at home goof off together date.
    

Day 29: In this past month, what have you learned?

Hmmm. Related to blogging or in general?

• If you blog every day, your loyal group of 5 or so readers tire of commenting, whereas they feel inclined to cheer you on if you post once every two weeks or so :) Thanks loyal friends, I'm not dissing the comments, just realizing on commenting on my friend's 30 day challenge the same thing.
• Goosie sleeps in very strange positions...
  

It is possible, with a little snow fun, to get what M'deary terms "snodaggits"
Claus is a time enigma. It can take him a full 45 min to an hour to eat one bowl of soup (with dreaded veggies), but a ginormous donut? All of 1.5 minutes.

Day 28- A picture of you last year and now, how have you changed since then?

This is me last year when I was a mom to Babs and a foster mom to Claus and Bitty. How have I changed? Well. Now mom to five-which has been a sharp learning curve, let me tell you. I have become the queen of multitasking. I used to think I was a nice person. Now I know otherwise, because when you are tired and frustrated and all seems to be combining against you and your family-then you find out the kind of person you really are. So, I would say that I am now more aware of my weaknesses and am working on them. I have also learned how to ask for help-still despise doing it-but I have to lower my pride and let my family, husband, and friends take the load off sometimes. I have learned that Heavenly Father has a plan for my family and that things work out for a reason-or don't work out-sometimes according to our own choices and sometimes for reasons unknown to us. Yet through it all, I have felt a comfort that what was happening was right, even though it was hard.
Superficially, I have shorter hair-yet essentially the same hairstyle (if you could call it such) as I ever have had. I'm a little bit heftier and more out of shape-except my bulging forearms from carrying Goosie. I live in a different location and have felt like I lost a lot of my support group in my hometown, but am making it just fine.