Not too Sure

So I am not sure exactly how long it is that AJ and Anna have been living in town but its great to have them so close. At first I was concerned that we would be bombarding them but honestly I wish we could see them more. I need to set more time aside for my extended family. Even if its just an afternoon of coffee and cake (which sounds amazing). Maybe this spring and summer will be more conducive to that plan. Recently I have had the itch to spend more time with my family. Don t get me wrong, AJ and I hated each others guts for a very long time. But in all honesty I miss the kid. We disagree on many topics and sometimes I think differently than he does, but the light hearted and loving demeanor that both AJ and Anna bring is refreshing in this gloomy weather. Speaking of bright and cheery... I was asked to drop by Younkers dept store and take a peek at the new living room set that they have picked out. I think they are having a little trouble deciding between a gray color and an ivory. Immediately my choice would be gray because of the girls... they are so messy. But for their lives I am not sure that its all that necessary. I had to consider also the fact that there is little natural light to the room and dark furniture will make it seem smaller. It was a tough choice but in the end I think they made a great choice

Hardy Har Har...

It’s a funny story to everyone (and I even have to chuckle a bit… post snorting fire from my nose of course). It’s just too ridiculous not to share. So a few months back Kyra dropped her cell phone in a toilet and I razzed her so bad for it. Like who had their phone anywhere near a commode and then why is it out and in use when you are on the pot. Well now I get it. Not my phone per say but the whole “things ending up in the toilet.” For me it was my wallet. I know… I am embarrassed. And more than anything reminded that Karma is alive and well in Green Bay cause that’s what I get for being a jerk and laughing at Kyra. Darnit!!! Luckily it WASN’T my phone but I still had to go through my entire wallet and pull out the cards, sanitize them and let them air dry. Not to mention the paper bills (I didn’t clean those though cause we all know what strippers do with singles anyway… just kidding!!! I totally did… or did I?) In the end I was able to salvage most of my wallets contents before sending it to the refuse of the landfill. Damn shame and a sad sad day. Life lesson for sure… don’t put your wallet in the front pocket of a hooded sweatshirt hahahaha.

WE all Scream for Ice Cream

Who wants to eat ice cream in THIS weather? Apparently there is no off season for my girls in terms of the chilly dairy delight. They love that junk. Every time Auntie Karla comes over Katie runs out and checks to see if they will be going to smart cow (an ice cream chain). Two reasons I don’t take them: number one- I don’t like ice cream (yes I am a mutant) and number 2- it’s ridiculously expensive. Like laugh out loud you have to be kidding me expensive. Argh. I am not saying that they aren’t allowed to eat ice cream (Culver’s is another family favorite thanks to both sets of grandparents lol) it’s just not something that I choose to participate in and therefore I don’t ever suggest it. Seems reasonable to me J  I have recently been spending some time out at my parents’ house (refereeing for the most part) as now that they are settling into retirement mom is going a bit stir crazy. She wants my dad to go through the boxes and boxes of paper work he has in the basement from when he was still working at the office. The flip side to this is that he in turn wants her to work in her multiple storage/decoration rooms and thin them out a bit too. It’s hilarious (and terrifying) to listening to them banter back and forth… both with valid points, arguments and inevitably a jab or two (still accurate lol). It’s hard once in a while to think about the fact that my parents are aging. When Dad got so sick it really f*d up my world. At the age of 27 I was nowhere near a place to mourn my father’s death. Luckily I didn’t have to (technically) but the hole that was left is still empty and I don’t know how to fill it. (not to get heavy here but I need to get it off my chest and this seems like as good a time as any.) I watched him go through and organize all their financial papers, home info, loan and various other important documents all into a neat little three ring binder. That’s it. Their life was neat, orderly and packed into less than a square foot. It wrecked me. But in a way it has helped me on the path to healing. How? Because it has made me take a closer look into the life I have worked for, am continuing to work for and realizing that it’s not what I had planned (or want). In a way sure! Beautiful babies, a loving husband and a home, car and great job. But it’s not where happiness is. Happiness (as I am learning) comes from within. And now I need to find it. I forgot what it’s like to laugh. To feel the sun on my face and appreciate the little things. To play in the puddles and worry about the laundry later… I have to find that girl again. My parents asked me what I wanted for Christmas. I had a quick and simple response: marriage counseling. Looking back though…now I think it’s my turn. Here we go my friends… wish me luck.

Pizza Ranch = Weight Loss

One of our New Years resolutions (just like a billion other people) was to lose a little weight around the midsection. As a family. The girls have been a bit resistant to the change in diet but I can’t let them live on cookies and crackers forever. I have slowly introduced a bit more fruits and veggies into their daily regime and switched the juice out for water. A decent start if I do say so myself. Tim and I have both tried to watch what we have been eating for a while now and have collectively lost over a hundred pounds in the last year. Lil pat on the back dear. This being said… today we went to the gym as a family (my parents gave us a family membership for Christmas) and we all had a good time. Kyra was initially terrified of all the general “gym going” stereotypes: they are all going to laugh at me (more Carrie-like now that I type it, oh well) and that all her fat was going to jiggle around. I had to stop her there and remind her that she was not fat, and if she was indeed fishing for a compliment that was the one time I would fall into that trap. If she wants to be treated like an adult I expect her to act like one. I do not encourage her harboring a poor body image whether it be genuine or not. Anyhoo… to now totally contradict myself (as per usual) we finished up our workout and followed it with a trip to Pizza Ranch (the family’s favorite buffet spot). The girls just love it so much… maybe even more for the novelty than the actual food. Although that ice cream machine is a total dream come true for the little stinkers.

Mommy's Lil Helper

Baby Via (who is 3 and a half and definitely not a baby anymore… sad face) is such a great little helper in the morning. When Katie gets up for school around 7am, Olivia tends to get up right with her. The girls are so darn cute in the morning and it’s about the only time I get to cuddle with them so I soak it up while I can. They typically have breakfast together (Katie loves snap crackle pop =  rice krispies) And Via just goes with the flow (not to say that she doesn’t have an opinion but she is still sleepy at this point and frankly doesn’t care). We get Bella on the bus after having to bribe her with various sweet/caffeinated incentives (typically a sip off of mommy’s diet coke) and then Via and I take a minute to gather ourselves and plan out our morning. With all this crazy winter weather recently it sometimes is hard to go run errands so much of the last few weeks have been spent around the house. I am trying desperately to get the closets and various cupboards cleaned out and organized. Not only does it supply fodder for the upcoming rummage sales but it also makes me feel accomplished. Don’t get me wrong, I like to have my dishes washed just as much as the next guy… but I don’t have that overwhelming sense of awesomeness… like when I clean out a bathroom drawer. Crazy I know. But honest.

Brrrr.... Its cold out there

Last month went far too fast for me. I felt like I was running a marathon (not that I honestly know what that feels like lol). There is so much to keep track of and all the little stuff adds up to take up more time in my life than I am willing to give up. Not to mention that the bambinos are darn cyclones being cooped up in the house all day. Winter really is hard for us because it’s too cold to play outside so they get creative and bring the fun indoors. Like in this picture. We (and by we I mean they) thought it would be a great idea to set a slide up in the house. That part I was okay with. However using every blanket on the first floor (including those off their bed and the laundered ones in storage) really ticked me off. I sat on the couch to take it all in and was overjoyed with how much fun they were having. I keep forgetting what its like to be that carefree. I need to remind myself that life will only happen once (hopefully) and to get all bent out of shape not only gives me wrinkles but teaches my children to do the same thing. Now I cant say that I am going to let them do whatever they want to, because that is definitely not the point of this exorcize. But I honestly think this is God (or whoever) telling me to slow the hell down and appreciate what I was given. Touche higher power--- message received.

Snow Snow Snow

January and February are busy months for our family in terms of Birthdays. Anna, Nikki, all 3 of my cousin Theresa's boys were born in January and Theresa in February. Crazy right? SO this year we decided to celebrate as a group. I know we were just over that a way a few weeks ago but what celebrating Christmas made me realize (and hopefully the rest of the family too) is that we have only so much time to spend together. And if we don't take advantage of it now... it will be gone. Especially with my grandmother's declining health... it seems like now or never (for reals). So we made the trip over to the western side of the state in a sort of caravan style. Mom and Dad left with the two little girls on Thursday after Katie got off the bus at noon. AJ, Anna, Kyra and I left on Friday evening after AJ was done with work. Timmy stayed behind because he had to work until 9pm and frankly I have no interest in driving that late or leaving super early Saturday morning. I think he has a hard time when we visit over there because he doesn't know what to do with himself. It makes me a little sad that we are doing family things without him but it is what it is I guess. Anyhoo--- Saturday morning AJ, Anna, Kyra and I went to the Amish dent and ding store to look for treasures of the edible variety. I have always had super good luck finding various deals on some of our favorite things so I guess you could say I am an addict of the Amish resale. I can accept that :) Afterwards we all packed up and headed over to my cousin Theresa and Andrew's farm to celebrate such a momentous month of births! The kids ran around like crazy and it was such a joy to hear all the laughter and stories being told. There were a few birthday cakes that my cousin Kristina made (she is amazing in all things culinary and otherwise... totally jealous lol)  And we filled our bellies and then bundled up for the outdoors.... because.... we were going sledding. All of us. And it was great. Andrew and his dad had plowed down a bunch of the corn on the hill they have behind their farmhouse so we were able to fly down the hill. It was cold but super fun. The kids even decided to swing on the play set in the backyard. I didn't think Dad was going to go but he was all about taking the grandkids (boys and girls) down and up the hill again. Who would have thunk it?