Hey There! Do I know you?

Tomorrow I anxiously become best friends with a long time enemy...a full time job.

It's been way too long, but we're old friends and we'll just pick back up right where we left off. Right? WRONG! 

Though I hate to admit it, me and full-time work have had issues in the past. It's like a really bad relationship that I keep getting sucked into. You know the abusive, controlling, I should never have even done this but keep doing it over and over and over anyways type. I always get way too attached. It always gets way too controlling. In the end, nothing good ever comes of it.

But, I'm not the same person I was back then and I think I've found the right one this time. The one God has prepared me for and led me to...a real, live teaching job to call my very own! 

In an effort to keep the ball rolling at home, without the little things & my sweet kiddos falling apart or a certain hubby taking on all the work or me losing my mind feeling overwhelmed, we've been cleaning, organizing, and putting some routines in place to make sure everything gets done and everyone is helping out.

One such thing is setting up chores and allowances for the boys. Our boys have ALWAYS had chores...more like helper expectations. They help with dishes, clean their own room, put away laundry, take out the trash, etc. But, it's always be a rather haphazard method of completion. Now, everyone knows just what to do on a daily basis.

All the chores that don't really need to be done on a daily basis are put in a  cup as extras. They can choose to do extra if they want. These are also the ones momma and daddy will be working through. They're actually quite excited to do all the things they've already been doing. Something about having it written down on a popsicle stick and stuck to the fridge makes it more appealing than it being spoken by a parent. Go figure!

Then of course there's the most exciting part. A new job means we can actually give our kiddos an allowance. While mom and dad will be learning and implementing new budget strategies, our kids will get to do the same. Their allowance is set at a certain amount. They can be fined for not completing their daily chores or rewarded for going above and beyond. Fines come at the cost of $$ or loss of electronics time.

So, each kid has their own wallet, zippered pouch for sorting their allowance between tithing, saving, and spending, and register for tracking all of it. By the end of the month we'll be opening up a savings account for each kid. I think I want to get them tithing envelopes as well. Their spend money stays in their zippered pouch unless we are going shopping or they've asked to spend it on something. Then they can take the money out and put it into their wallet. Controlling, yes I know, but we want them to get in the habit of thinking about what they want to spend their money on and planning it rather than just spending it because they have the money there with them at the time they see something.

I'm excited and hopeful about the system. Updates will follow I'm sure.

Today's to-do list:
Write to do list.
Drink a pot of coffee.
Survey this weeks sales ads.
Plan meals/shopping for the week.
Try not to eat all of the banana bread.
Create Menu Planning/Shopping command center for front of fridge.
Clean and organize master bedroom.
Plead with Nathan to clean the master bathroom.
Drop off dry cleaning.
Eagerly wait for FedEx to drop of my shipment from TN. **see edit below**
Prep for babysitter for tomorrow.

Shipment delivery was originally scheduled for Nathan's day off but was pushed to today. Scheduled to arrive between 12-4pm. Delivered promptly at 430 in the blazing 106 degree AZ sun while Nathan was still at work. All 300 or pounds of stuff made it off the truck, off the pallet, across about 100ft of sidewalk, and now sits at the bottom of our steps. Waiting for Nathan to help when he gets home.

A New Season

Sports Sports Sports!


With three boys in the house, we were bound to get to this point. Practice nearly every afternoon during the week. Games on Saturday. Snack schedules and making banners. Extra laundry. Trying to avoid fast food drive-thru's even though there's barely any time to prepare dinner. I wouldn't say I dreaded it...but I was definitely unsure of the effects it would have on all of us.

So, we're 2 weeks into the season and are adjusting surprisingly well to the practice schedules. Mom's homework and sleep have suffered slightly, but should even out and return to some sort of normalcy after this week. Dad's been a great help building the boys skills. And, Gavin is enjoying making new friends with siblings of the other teammates.

This past Saturday we weathered an unseasonably warm, 90 degree, sun-shiny day and cheered on two of our boys as they played their first games of the Spring season. 

Mr. M is trying his hand at Baseball for the first time as a Skyhawk! Mom needed a bit of a learning curve to figure out the rules, stances, etc., but Dad's had lots of practice in this area. Baseball definitely suits Mr. M's personality much better than soccer did.

He went to bat twice this game. The first time he hit a line drive just to the right of 1st base and was tagged out. His second time resulted in a pitch right to his kidney! He's one tough kid and his walk brought in the first run for his team!

Sweet C is having fun with soccer this season and is doing a great job helping his team The Little Scorpions. This season the kids are working on learning positions and playing defensively. It's really fun to see the growth in the playing skills.

On Saturday, he had me and Dad (and brothers too) on our feet cheering as he controlled the ball across nearly half of distance of the field, kicking it straight for the goal where it was blocked by another player at the last second!



Mom needs to step up her action picture taking skills though...it's tough to get a good shot. :/

Even though Lil' G isn't playing a sport this season, his presence is certainly made know to all. He leads the best cheer section EVER! He's so encouraging to his brothers and their teammates. 

Needless to say, I'm one proud Momma!

Hello Again! How've you been?

I will update this blog. I will update this blog.

Gosh, do I really have time to update this blog?

I would say that life is busy, but I really hate that phrase. It drags along the enormous, overbearing baggage of "I'm a frazzled mom who just can't keep the days straight let alone finish the dishes or remember calendar commitments." Nope, life is not busy...it's just life.

Since my last post, we have changed jobs, changed residency, and changed hearts. We are learning to accept a new kind of normal with smiles on our faces. Not those forced smiles, but genuine REAL cheesy smiles, because life is too short to be anything but happy.

Our kiddos are growing. Mr. M ---who's too smart for his own good--- informed us the other day that in 11 years he'd be 21 and then he'd be allowed to sit in the sports bar area of a restaurant and watch TV while eating his chicken strips and fries. Let's hope that's all he's doing in there. Sweet C is taking on the role of middle child with more gusto than I care for him to have, but I'm hoping that determination will pay off in adult life...if he survives that long. And, Lil' G isn't quite so little any more. That kid is just nuts. We really should begin marketing his comedy tour. We'd probably find ourselves with a nice nest egg from the profits of his antics and heart-melting grin.

Hmmmm, lets see if I have a picture to brighten your day!