Halloween 2010

Hope every one had a BOO~RRIFIC HALLOWEEN!!!

~Love~Smile~Enjoy~Happiness~

~RA~

My Sick October and New Goals....

So we all have goals in life, right?

We usually think about them around the end of or beginning of a new year. But I am thinking about some goals for my life NOW! I have been sick, functional, but sick and tired all the time all month long with bad headaches and body aches as the weather keeps bouncing up and down since the end of September! And now that October is coming to a close I have been really sick with lots of snot, tons of coughing (so much so that my diaphragm hurts, wish it was a little lower and from doing sit ups or crunches! lol) my throat hurts, my eyes are gunky when I get up in the morning, my ears feel like there is something in them, and I'm still getting those head aches!!! I am so tired, I'm up half the night coughing, you know b/c when it's time to go to bed that is when all the coughing and snot come and in the wee hours in the morning (3am) when the meds wear off!!! Gross I know but you get sick too and it's never pretty!

So now that I have a little more energy (of core that depends on the time of day and how many Advil I have taken!) I look around my house and see......

*It looks like a tornado hit it!!!

*Toys everywhere!

*The hair (cat, dog, and even people too since there are 5 of us living here) is very visible on the dirty linoleum floor!

*I have keep up with the dishes and the laundry other wise we wold be naked eating out of our hands.

*Oh and did I mention the cat box smells pretty bad!!!

Lol!

So this brings me back to my goals: clean house! exercise! eating well! taking care of ME so I can keep taking care of others! RIGHT!?! Well not so easy when you put 3 others ahead of yourself + your husband (sometimes). I thought with all 3 kids in school that finally I would be able to have time to work on said goals, but 2+ months later it is apparent that it is not so easy. I need to do some real soul searching and really work hard on them and that is my GOAL as I get better from this nasty head cold! WORK HARDER at working on having the CLEAN HOUSE, getting a WALK in every day (future goal is to turn walk into run) with the dog, and EAT BETTER!!!

*More veggies and fruit less fast food, sodas, burgers, hot dogs, and about half the meals I make for dinner and eat for lunch! Need to find healthier meals, like a fish one, that the family likes. I am baking chicken breast more then frying, baking lots sweet potatoes instead of using the bagged mash potatoes, and making my own pot pie instead of buying the boxed kit these day so I have been trying!!!!

*As for the walking that one should be easy. I drop off my oldest at middle school come home and have 30 minutes of free time before I have to wake up the other 2 kids. So instead of going back to bed b/c you know I not fall back into a good sleep in 30 min. I should leash up the dog and walk for 15 min. then turn around and walk back for 15 min.! I could even try to drop off the boy 10 min. earlier and make it 20 min. out, 20 min. back! I will start this Monday and it will be good for me and the dog since her only outing these days is the itty bitty townhouse sized fenced in back yard.

*The hardest is the clean house! Yes cleaning is not my favorite thing to do, in fact I HATE it! There is so much stuff w/ no where to put it! Thank goodness it is not so bad that we need to get a hoarders show out here to help us, but there is a lot of stuff in this small old home and there are 5 of us living here! Like the place doesn't have a pantry so we turned the closet for the coats into one so now were do you put coat when it is cold out? The up stairs kids closets were shelved before we moved it which is nice for toys but not hanging clothes. So I got some of those hooks that stick to the wall, you know the command ones, to hang on the wall by the front door, not pretty but it works for now. But back to my point it is not a very practical place for a family w/ a lot of stuff so stuff is every where and makes cleaning hard! Braking it down is the way to do, now I need to come up w/ a routine schedule (easy part) to do ever week and (the hard part) sticking to it! I often say I will do this today and then don't saying I will do it tomorrow and well it never gets done that way. I know that Wednesday is the perfect day to do the bathrooms b/c the boy do it on the weekend and don't always do a great job but it gives it a couple of days between. Vacuuming and sweeping should be done daily but that I know is unrealistic for me to get done right now so twice a week sounds better, maybe vacuuming Mondays and Thursdays and sweeping Tues. and Fri. w/ moping on Tues. Laundry and dishes are a daily things as needed. Now dusting, that one of the ones I hate so I do it sadly ones a month or so, maybe I should it do Thurs. The cat box I really should do once a week and a good day would be Tues. since the trash man comes Wed. morning. So the schedule is looking like this....

Mon= vacuum, couponing

Tues= sweep/mop, cat box, bring trash cans around

Wed= bathrooms, boys bring trash cans back

Thurs= vacuum, dust

Fri= sweep

weekend= boys clean bathroom

every (school) week day= walk dog

laundry, dishes and trash as needed

spare time need to reorganize= boys room first, then Lila's, mine, redo laundry room when I have a little extra money (need new laundry sorting baskets and a pace to hang stuff to dry)

How does it look? Did I leave anything out?

Grocery shopping is done after we get payed so that varies which mean meal planing varies.

I am feeling good about this! I will let you know Friday how I did this week, wish me luck I will need it if this head cold doesn't go away soon!!!

And remember.....

~Love~Smile~Enjoy~Happiness~

~RA~

Lila Sing's "The Leaves on the Trees" Song

Lila at preschool singing a cute little song w/ her friends! It is hard to see her she is in the corner w/ the cluster of classmates in light pink and white!

~Love~Smile~Enjoy~Happiness~

~Ra~

Lila's Preschool Days

Lila playing in the mornings @ her Preschool

Sept. 2010

One Very Busy Little Girl

~love~smile~enjoy~happiness~

Beach Trip 2010

Beach Trip

Sept. 11-13 2010

On our way to the beach we stopped at this rest stop that this really cool!

The Boys got out to pee and check out this very cool Howitzer Cannon

in Warsaw NC!!!

Lila was sleeping by this point so I stayed in the car w/ her.

We made to the beach and had to spend the first night looking for

cool sea shells left over from Hurricane Earl that swept through

our coast just days before!!! We were thankful that it was not

very strong hurricane by the time it went up the coast!

Everything look good when great when we got there,

almost like it was never there!!!

The 2 next days we played on the beach and in the pool!!!

Ate great FOOD (found a new favorite restaurant) at Rucker John's

Saw very Cool Things...

like the sand castle someone worked very hard on and the big snapping turtles in the sound behind the restaurant!!!

We also went to Fort Macon on our last day @ the beach which was a very cool place to explore (we did the aquarium last year so did not do that this year)

We So LOVE The BEACH!!!

One day I hope to have a beach house!!!

Until then...

~Love~Smile~Enjoy~Happiness~

~Ra~

Our Trip to Fort Macon

Fort Macon, NC

Beach Trip

Sept. 2010

The Boys thought it was so cool it rhymes w/ bacon!!! Lol ;~)

Everyone LOVED going to a peace of history,

even my hubby that was not sure if he wanted to go or not!!!

The kids keep running from room to room to see

and hear more about the wars that used the Fort!

It was a great stop in our beach trip, we loved learning

and exploring a little of NC history!!!

Diary of a Wimpy Complaining Mom!!!!

Complaining Session!!!

So I'm NOT complaining at my hubby again and since no one reads my blog I am going to use it tonight as my "Diary of a Wimpy Complaining Mommy!" So here it goes....

We rent our place b/c it is cheap and in the area we want to be, it is a cute town little town house, middle unit. But it is old and has problems, lots of them and once one get fix it seems like there is another one! The AC unit, dish washer, water leaking from the unit on the left then the one on the right, leaky sinks, leaky tubs..... and so on and so on!!! Now it is the shower in the kids bath room, you turn the nob so the water will go up to the shower and NOTHING!!! Now I am no expert but if the water is on and it is not coming out the bottom or the top were is it going AND THAT CAN'T BE GOOD!!!! So now we need to call the land lord to come and take a look at it but he sometimes take forever to fix some thing like the leaky faucet and he has not been able to fix the dish washer that will run all night if you don't baby sit it!!! In the mean time I am currently sick (head and body aches, throat is itchy, tired, but no fever) for the second time (felt fine last week but was like this the one before!). So every one is using the shower in my bath room =( Which is fine for a day or 2 but it is helpful to be able to bathe the 3 yr. old while one of the boys is shower in their bath room!

Another thing to complain about is that I am soooooooo TIRED!!!! I am not doing a very good job of keeping the house clean, I feel like I am living in the van dropping off and pick up all 3 kids, I am having nightmares, and I am very stressed out!!!! I thought (silly me) that once all 3 kids went to school I could get it together have the house clean every day, walk the dog (which would give me the exercise I need to lose those pesky 10 lb that are bothering me), volunteer at the schools, and still have free time to read a book or scrapbook or something for me!!! But no I was in a dream!!! I have 3 kids at 3 different school going at 3 different time to drop them off and then picking them up at 3 different times so I spend a lot of time going back and forth, to and from!!!!!!!!

And a lot of my energy is spent fighting w/ my 8 yr. old to do the simple thing he is suppose to do on his own like starting his homework, getting ready for school, getting in the shower, reading before bed time!!! Everything w/ him is a battle and it is waring me down!!! So while I have 3 very short hours (more like 2 and half b/c I have to drive home and and drive back) 3 days a week while Lila is at school, I usually spend them on the couch w/ the tv so I can relax and breath for a couple minutes and watch someone else problems on a show or 2! Yes I am very productive!!!! Very wise w/ my time!!!

Well it is time to battle the bed time w/ the said 8 yr. old, WISH ME LUCK, even though I know I will win (I always do b/c we all need sleep even him!!!)!!!

~Love~Smile~Enjoy~Happiness~

(So am trying to get there!!!)

~The Wimpy Complaining Mom~

~RA~

Starting The New School Year 10-11

Boy it feels like I have not been on here in FOREVER!!!!

What has been going on with us?

Well all 3 kids have started school!

JESSE

Jesse started Middle School (6th grade)!!!! Big step for him (and me), he is going to the same middle school I started in the middle of 6th grade when my family first moved here. He seems to like it most of the time but it can be hard and frustrating at times.... and well you get a lot more homework to do with all the classes you have to remember.... and getting a locker for the first time.... and there is the fact that you have to get up earlier!!! (getting up earlier is the hardest for me!) And we also got hit in the car pool line by a truck that did not even stop or seem to notice it bumped me, yes it was the big truck fault for trying to squeeze by a van! Hello I was there first!!!!! I get to line way early so I can be up front on purpose so I can be out sooner!!! But back on Jesse, he LOVES coming home an hour and half before his brother comes through the door, it's like a breath of fresh air, no one picking a fight with him, no one telling him what to do, just an hour and half of freedom!!!!

COLE

Cole started 3rd and got a teacher that is new to the school but is in her 4th year of teaching I believe. She seems very sweet but has picked up on thing I have been noticing for a while, like that he is still writing his 'b's and 'd's, 'p's and 'q's, '2's and 's's. So I am so pushing for him to get evaluated through the school if we can if not I will have to look for someone that is hopefully some what covered by our insurance but hopefully we can get it done soon!!!! I need all the help I can get with him, he is a challenging child to rase!!! But he seems to like the year so far, he has some of his old friends in his class which is always nice! He has signed up to help in the library (hoping that it will get him reading more being around all the books) and he has signed up for the Scrabble Club (that one I am hoping it will help w/ spelling and sportsmanship, loosing w/ some grace, can't always be a winner.... and so on, lol)!!!

LILA

Lila has started her first year of PRESCHOOL!!!!!!!! She is doing 3 day 3's going Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday!!! She has a blast playing with her new friends, arts and crafts (the school a lot, she comes home w/ something almost every day!!!), playing on the new playground (new to her), and making snacks like mud pudding cups w/ gummy worms!!! Lol =) New to me is that she eats lunch there, the boys preschool did not do lunch at school. The hard part is now I have to make 3 lunches in the morning! I think she LOVES going, even though her mommy gets very lonely at home w/out her!!!

The HARDEST part about all 3 of them going to school now is that they are all going to 3 different school and I am driving them at 3 different times in the morning and after noon!!! So right now it feeling a lot like I am living in the car! I not going to push my kids on to the busses (I road them most of my school years) but this is getting hard and the gas I am using!!!! My car seems to be on empty every other day (really a full tank is lasting about week)!!! But if it makes my kids happy and it's one less thing they have to stress about I will be there to pick them up on time (really it's always early but they don't see me till they are out) every day!!!!

~Love~Smile~Enjoy~Happiness~

~Ra~