Not Me Monday

No, I did not get up this morning and rush out the door without my hair washed. No, my hair was not one big greasy mess stuck to my head. No, I did not take the kids to the local indoor pool and get said greasy hair wet then load the kids back into the vehicle to drop them off with their dear dad so I could go and help serve my "Hot Lunch" duty at Dos' school (with my hair in the shape it was in). And, no, I did not leave the house looking like pigs lived in it while I went swimming and lunch serving - No, Not Me!

Green Acres IS THE Place for Me!

No cute pics today, just a simple rambling which I am very good at and for some reason think that others out there want to hear. Deep down I want the farm, the seven kids (yes, seven), the land, the shop my husband has always wanted, the cloth diapers, the large family-sustaining garden, children who have a strong work ethic, respectful children who love mom and dad and grow up to be extremely productive citizens and amazing world changing Christians. I love the scripture that says Abraham died in peace and as crazy as it sounds - that's what I want - to live this amazingly long full life and to die in PEACE.
Now, if all of this sounds good then why isn't it happening? We have had our house up for sale for nine months no takers. It seems like me and my man have the same ideas (except for the seven kids - still workin' on him:) but this mortgage is killing us. Did we bite off more than we can chew? Heck yeah! but we've learned the lesson now can we move on?
I read last night in Haggai, (yes, a random Old Testament book which I am reading Old Testament books at the pleading of a friend whom assures me I can get to know the loving character of my God by reading them) this, "Why are you living in luxurious houses while my house lies in ruins? this is what the Lord Almighty says: Consider how things are going for you! You have planted much but harvested little. You have food to eat, but not enough to fill you up. You have wine to drink, but not enough to satisfy your thirst. You have clothing to wear, but not enough to keep you warm. Your wages disappear as though you were putting them in pockets filled with holes! (emphasis added)

So, is this simply because of the economic times my house is delaying sale or is it because me and my man are not currently tithing due to our lack of money? Don't get me wrong, we are surviving where we are and I am enjoying it also. But our dreams are elsewhere. Are they being delayed due to our lack of giving the first fruits? or is it a time where time and patience will sale the house and we will move on?

Hey, What if We go...

Can not believe I forgot to share my family's spontaneous trip! Last week my man was off work and he was helping me make the bed. We were talking about how great it would be to take a trip somewhere since the weather is so BLAH here. At that moment we decided we would head up to Chattanooga! It was awesome! We threw some clothes in a bag and headed out the door. I loved it:) And where did we go you might ask?

The Tennessee Aquarium of course! We found a great and super cheap hotel in Ft. Oglethorpe, GA (a town I had never heard of but it is only 8.6 miles from the aquarium). The whole experience was just what we needed. We went on a Tuesday and no one was at the aquarium so the kids could run wild and it didn't matter.

Would love to show more pictures of our trip but for some reason I can not figure out how to place my pics exactly where I want them on this page and it is driving me crazy. One would think that I would be able to edit my blog the way I want it but NO I have been trying for 20 minutes now to move pics and it simply is not working.

On to the important stuff. Dos and Tres absolutely loved the hotel. They are now the age where they can really enjoy a new environment. Plus this was the only place where I allowed jumping on the bed. It was a real treat!

For the aquarium we all loved it because of so few visitors the workers really took the time to talk to us about the exhibits and the kiddies even got to pet a Sable rabbit. Not sure why the rabbit was in the aquarium but since this place also houses birds, snakes, and butterflies I guess the more the merrier:) When the kids started whining we simply loaded up and went home and they slept on the way back.

I completely enjoyed this trip and hope that we will continue to do drop-of-the-hat type of activities.

Nothing New Under the Sun

I am sure that every blogger questions her motives as to why to start a blog. Me? I am doing so now. Why do I blog? My husband doesn't like the idea of me putting my thoughts and feelings all online. I have told no one I blog except my BFF. And I'm not even transparent in my blog, I keep everything "cutesy and nice" for fear that someone who might read what I have to say might possibly think, "she's not a good Christian". So, why do I blog? What sense of satisfaction comes from strangers reading my thoughts? Do I not have enough people in my life to tend to and maintain relationships as it is already without adding numerous unknowns? (Slightly tickled that I think there are "numerous unknowns" reading my blog)
I had an English teacher who use to say "there is nothing new under the sun" and tonight however depressing it may seem for me, there is nothing new under the sun. Here I am again - overweight, in a time of extreme productivity which means I can not calm down to sleep which will eventually lead to me dropping the ball somewhere then getting behind to attempt to try and catch up with my list and be productive. Is there no happy medium?

Oh, What Fun It Is To Ride...

and what a ride it is! Christmas preparation, participation, and enjoyment is in full swing. I took the kids pictures this weekend and of course it is rare that all three are smiling but I still have the memories:) We had a fantastic weekend with Uno and it was a busy one. Our area actually had its first snow - well, "dusting". We ran out to get the kids pics in it but little missy wouldn't have any of it.

I had envisioned these three perfect children smiling perfectly and everyone who saw the pictures to be in agreement that all was "perfect". No, that is not how it worked out.

Much like everything else in life, imperfection and frustration crept in. At the end of the day (after two hours online trying to find the exact Christmas card and placing the correct order), I was able to say I had completed my task written on the day's list of To Do's. We'll see how the Christmas cards are received (hopefully with oohs and aaahs). Here are some of my favorite shots:

All three kids got along great this weekend and that meant the most to me and Numero Uno. His work Christmas party was yesterday. His work does a great job of trying to make this a wonderful family event. I look forward to getting back the family pictures taken there. His company hires a photographer for the event and each family can have its picture made.

Well today was an exceptionally productive day so I better head to bed so tomorrow will be also:)

-The List Maker

Get Ready, Get Set,...

It's been way too long since I've posted. Want to say I am proud that I now have one follower:) I am slightly tickled at the fact that it is my BFF.

True to my list-loving self, I started mapping out my holiday schedule last weekend and for next month it is going to be one wild ride. I'm trying to remind myself to enjoy each day.

Let me back up first and say, the Auction was a huge success. CCS raised $25,000 in that one night and it was our FIRST ever auction. I'm extremely excited about the future of this event. Here is a pic of Little Man in his school snapshot. These snapshots were sold the night of the auction for $5 a pop. The Saturday after the auction me, Numero Uno, my BFF, and her man all went to Lynchburg, TN to the Jack Daniel's Distillery. It was nice to be away from the kids and no stress for a day.

The weather was beautiful and we ate at Miss Mary Bo Bo's Boarding House. The name is a mouthful but so is the spread that they put on for each person that eats there. You get two dining options: 11:00 a.m. or 1:00 p.m. and I love it! Some of the best food you will ever put in your mouth and it is served in the old boarding house fashion (groups of people sharing a meal together around one table).

Going to historical places or any place that has a story to tell is on my "Love It" list. To hear how someone succeeded or the struggles or joys in the journey give me a weird sense of peace.

Now as far as me being off to the races, that is because I have figured out that there is a lot of activities going over the next 39 days. So much happens everyday that I wish I could remember most of it:) For instance, my man decided to get me a washer and dryer (well our broken down dryer really determined the buy) and he tried to sneak in a Christmas present but I found it. And what a find it was - a KitchenAid stand mixer. I kinda feel misplaced, I mean now my clothes are dry on the first cycle of drying time and when I bake something I basically stand there while everything blends together beautifully.

This Thanksgiving I have MUCH to be thankful for: I have an absolutely wonderful husband with whom I love him more now than ever (and not just because of the gifts), three amazingly witty and funny children, a beautiful home, a fantastic extended family, HEALTH, and God who is sweetly merciful in His guidance of me. Please do not mistake my thankful heart for someone who has it all together - no, that is what I have my lists for:)

Today is the Day!

So today is the day! The Holiday Auction. If you are curious as to how I am doing, I am up at 4:00 a.m. trying to finalize my "list" for today. Pray for me that I will not leave anything out:)

Here Comes that Rainy Day Feeling Again.

What is the matter? I am so annoyed, mad, frustrated, want to be left alone yet want someone to sympathize with me.
So, what brought this on? I am SO glad you asked. Last week I thought I would be proactive about the upcoming holidays since being proactive is one of the Seven Steps of Highly Effective people. My brother lives out of state and my sister's in-laws live out of state so my family (mom, dad,& siblings) rotate when and where we spend holidays. In trying to accommodate the traveling brother who would come to Alabama in November then have to come back in January to celebrate Christmas with us I tried to come up with a happy medium. You know what? The whole family agreed to meet him in Memphis. I text him to tell him the good news and guess what? He backs out saying he can't have anybody resenting him so they're traveling. I look at it as he's rejecting a good thing PLUS he's playing the martyr.

My whole family also has decided to go to Disney next year and since this will be a BIG expense we had mentioned that we would not buy gifts but put money toward the trip. Well who do you suppose does not like that idea? My brother. So finally I told my sis who seems to be the one getting the full truth of how my brother feels about my plans, "Fine, just tell me when and where to show up". Then she tells me I'm being a "butt". So, am I? Am I being ridiculous when I was only trying to plan good things for a smooth sailing holiday time? Well that idea is already shot right out of the gate since in the preparations we're all annoyed with each other . My brother and sis make the point they just want to sit around on the holidays and not do really any activities together. You know what my ideas were? For the kids to make crafts and the family to do a service project. No those ideas I guess will rock the boat too much. Yes, I guess my sis is right. I DO like to plan out what we will do. The idea of 17 people sitting around one house with nothing to do does not appeal to me for how I want to spend my Christmas.

How can I put their needs first? I mean isn't that what I am supposed to do? Does that mean I sit and engage them in conversation since there is nothing else going on? I guess I can do what my brother's idea is and go to a movie which by the way is another added expense. I mean is no one else bothered with the cost of a family of five going to the movies these days?

Like I said, I'm frustrated, annoyed, and mad. Lord, what is the right way to handle this? Because right now I know how the holidays will play out - my brother and sis making fun of me saying "Remember when [me] tried to get our kids to make crafts for Christmas?"

I Love Fall!

Oh, I love Fall. I love the weather, the leaves, the smells (like leaves burning or hay from a hay ride). Tonight we got the pleasure of going to Daystar's Fall Festival. It was such a good time for the family:) Probably what was very enjoyable to me is this is the first year in a long time where Numero Uno and I were able to do a church function without being involved in the production of it. Please do not get me wrong - I firmly believe that every part of the body of Christ has a role to play in service; however, in this time in my life I believe God has me in a growing and receiving encouragement role. The People Pleaser in me feels like I need to justify my actions but I'm not. I know where God has me and I'm not going any further in that. I will say as a side note that He is revealing to me that I am way too judgemental of others and I am working on acceptance of everyone and everyone's need for a Savior. There is a song I don't know the name to it but the words make me tear up every time..."Your name is Jesus, Your name is Jesus. Your the Wonderful, Counselor, my Friend. ... I know You have brought me through all the days of loss to the cross, You knew, oh You knew, I need a Savior" How true! I need a Savior.

Okay, that was a big tangent. Uno was not with us since he was at his mom's house but Dos and Tres had a fun time. We all took our time, let the kids pick out which rides they wanted to go on and they completely enjoyed themselves. Tres only rode the cars and the carousel but Dos was more adventursome. Although he did climb back down the slide ladder after realizing the height of the slide:)

I would say the doozy ride for me was the Orbiter which I had to ride on with Dos. Too bad Numero Uno didn't get to appreciate the full effects of the Orbiter. Tres experienced a sugar high halfway through the evening. Finally we put a stop to the candy consumption and they packed the rest up in their plastic pumpkins.

On my list for the rest of the week? A lot of fall functions. Tomorrow is the Pumpkin Party for little miss at MOMS group then in the afternoon I have to go up to the school for Auction work. Tomorrow evening we're having some of our good friends over for a grill out (or in depending on the weather). Friday brings the Fall Carnival at Dos' school and Saturday we have grandparent visits, trick-or-treating the neighborhood, hay rides and a bon fire to cap off the night. To say the least we will be busy and you know what? I'm lovin' it!

Shhh...Did you hear something?

What you hear is the sound of seven boys screaming, running, yelling, and wrestling on a 30 acre farm! Uno celebrated his 9th birthday in Camp Out style. I can not believe he is nine. I can still see his cute chubby cheeks and his mischievous grin. He has lost the chubby cheeks but still has the same grin. It's more of a twinkle in his eyes which he shares this common characteristic with his Daddy and his sis:)

We partied Saturday night at Granny and Pawpaw's. The boys ages ranged from 6 to 10 (not including Dos who got to tag along for a short time) and surprisingly they all got along great. Uno got to pick his guest list and thankfully each one was able to come. I picked up the cake which was a hunting theme as requested, got the burgers and dawgs that were grilled, wrapped all the presents that came from us and grandparents, and yet I still forgot to take pictures of the cake. This is what I have.

Yeah, better Moms have come before me and I am sure there will be more to follow:) Uno had given me a list of "wants" and we tried our best to provide. He really did get some good stuff. He asked for a Nerf Dart Tag gun and Bruder toys. Let me just say if you have never viewed Bruder toys for your boy(s), do so! They are great and detailed. Uno has always and I mean always been fascinated with construction equipment. I mean the real deal stuff. I remember when he was 4 or 5 asking Numero Uno if he could get a dump truck (the real thing like you see at a construction site) when we got "rich". Every year I would think his likes would change and every year they have remained. Last year Nana and Pop got him a cement truck. So far he has a bob cat, a fork lift, a utilities truck, and now a crane and a cement roller. The look on his face conveys how he feels about Bruder toys:) http://www.brudertoys.com/ Numero Uno and I took Dos and Tres present shopping Friday to help pick out big brother's gifts. We found Smith's Variety Shop in Mountain Brook Village (http://www.smithsvarietyshop.com/) and we loved it! The cutest store with lots of great gift ideas. I have already vowed to come back for some Christmas shopping and all their gift wrapping is free!

Here are some last highlights of the fun-filled birthday party:) Here's to another year with an amazing boy.

-The List Maker

I Simply Remember My Favorite Things...

What to do when you and your Numero Uno exchange unpleasant words or you realize that although you showed your house twice today it still is not selling? I think of things such as my little girl is currently fascinated with her Cabbage Patch baby and "feeding" her her bottle (or should I say bottles?)

Or I think of my lovely boy who is completely intrigued with a Spiderman puzzle he got for his birthday and has literally spent everyday putting it together then tearing it up and reassembling it. He is so proud of himself and honestly I am proud of him for the way he sticks with it. It is a challenging puzzle for his age.

This is what I get to enjoy daily and enjoy I do. Also, one of my favorite things is a wonderful fall day which was today! As I stated earlier, we had two different showings today so we were out of the house from 12:00 to 4:00. We picked up McDonald's and went to Sportsman's Lake Park. If you ever come to Cullman, please check this park out. We greatly enjoy it. It is not real fancy but the scenery is beautiful especially on a fall day.

We had a picnic at one of the picnic tables. Miss Maybelle was able to go with us since we could not leave her at the house for the showing. After the picnic, we took a walk half way around the lake (because last time we realized Dos and Tres could not handle the distance), played on the playground, walked to the duck pier, and finally carved a Jack-O-Lantern out of a pumpkin we purchased from Wal-Mart earlier in the day. Which if you had the chance to hear Dos you would know that we carved a "Jack-a-Lacker" today:)

Yes, even when tempers flare or there are momentary upsets, a few of my favorite things put it all back into perspective.

How to Draw a Crowd

I wrote that title as if I know the answer to that dilemma, which is what it is right now. A dilemma. In less than 3 (count them) weeks I will be in charge of the first ever Holiday Auction for Cullman Christian School in which 250 people are to be in attendance and right now I have only 75 tickets sold. Ouch!! So, how do I draw a crowd? I mean the food is going to be great, the entertainment just right , and all of our volunteers have been busting our behinds to get great stuff donated and we've done it. Now, we just have to get warm bodies in the seats. Incentive levels have been given out to kids but it doesn't seem to be working. The crazy thing is that if each of our students would only sale two tickets a piece we would meet our quota.

Any ideas? I'm open to suggestions. Preferably in a "Step 1,2,3" format:)

Impressive

So, I'm completely impressed with Mckmama. There are moments I would like to capture and write down but then I think no I don't have time or either I don't make time. Then I read of mamas who are doing a darn good job of capturing the moments they have with their kids on paper. Hats off to Mckmama.

So, as I always do, I will piggyback on this great idea and let you in on a really great day I had with my kids. I woke up today with a feeling that I was going to accomplish my "list" for the day and pretty much I did with wonderful extras. I was able to get my morning routine accomplished without a hitch (bed made, laundry washed, dishes unloaded). Me and the kiddies enjoyed breakfast together with Tres' hair looking too cute cause I gave her a haircut last night.

Since me and Numero Uno have been Dave Ramseyin' it, I have actually had some cash to spend on myself. So I loaded my babies up and we went to Wal-Mart where count em' - I got TWO bottles of scented hand soap. You so have got to know the tight wad in me that never buys anything nice. This was a treat!

After Wal-Mart we went to Sportsman's Lake park where I had every intention of bringing my camera but of course forgot. The weather was perfect. Tres had her hat on that has points on it to look like a crown. And Dos made friends with every single kid on the playground. It was a lot of fun and I actually ran around and played with them. We laughed and swung and ran and slid and seesawed and fed the ducks. While feeding the ducks and geese old bread, I look over at Dos and he is EATING the old bread. Days like today are awesome little windows of Heaven. One thing I would like to replay over and over after my kids have grown is their laughter!

This afternoon we all got to load up and see Granny and Pawpaw. Once we left their house, Numero Uno, myself, and the kiddies went to Sweet Peppers where kids eat for 50 cents on Monday nights - yeah!!

Dos is looking more and more like a little man. Sissy is nothing but a big mess. Her smile can cover "a multitude of sins".

Auction

I am still working on the Holiday Dinner and Auction. It is three weeks away. Number one on my list? To get 60 more items procured by October 26. Number two? To get all 200 invitations sold. Both doozies in my book. But besides the big stuff there are details to be hammered out like: The Teacher's Table is going to have a treasure box that everyone has to buy keys for to try and open the box. Where am I to get a lock on a treasure box and 200 keys to sell? Also, the friends that I have invited only five have responded back. I still have to make contact with the other 10. Oh, which reminds me that Number Three on my list would be to follow up with the student incentives and see which students sold the most and which class had 100% participation.
I think I will have to wait back and hear from my Auction Team and the school secretary on Numbers 1 and 2. So I will tackle Number 3 first thing:)
Lord, please let this auction be a success.

Children

I have said time and again - every day is like Christmas with my children. The opportunity to be a mother has been my greatest success and sense of worth. Even now as Dos and Tres are still not asleep, I would do anything in the world for them.

So, what do you do when you want more kids and your spouse does not? Well, the truth is he only wants one more and I feel like I want three more. Is it crazy that I'm secretly praying I get pregnant with twins? No, I think the heart of the matter is I'm having to wait on God's timing and right now that is killing me.

These pics are too sweet. It was a sunny fall day and I had just decorated the front porch. Fall is my favorite time of year.

Am I a Closet Homeschooler?

Dos is in preschool two days a week. While I am thrilled that he is getting a great social and educational environment there, I have a huge desire to provide learning settings for him with me. In our everyday life, I want to be the one who opens new doors of learning for him. As I have mentioned before, I absolutely love http://www.mamahomeschool.blogspot.com/ She does a fantastic job of offering a variety of learning prompts for her kids. I have used several of her ideas with my kids.

Last year, I took the list of Before Five in a Row's recommended books and made various lesson plans for Dos and Tres (as she could participate). Did I do all the books? No, because throughout the year I would take the BFIAR list and see if the local library had these books. We were not able to cover every book but the ones we did, we loved! I think Blueberries for Sal, Yellow Ball, and The Big Green Pocketbook were my favorites. Oh, also The Carrot Seed. Dos was so intrigued and ask leading questions and it seemed like he was truly a sponge taking it all in.

Following this experience, this year since he is in school part time, I still am desirous of leading him in learning. His preschool teacher has done a wonderful job of already listing out themes for the whole year and I simply look at her theme and try to supplement some activities on the days Dos is not in school. This week is Pets and it just so happens that my favorite blog, mamahomeschool has done the book Angus Lost and shared her activities. Unfortunately, our local library does not have this book. What I did was take several books I had in my private library that related to dogs (which our are only type of pets) and read them to the kids.

We also listed out ways to care for our pets (the pic to the left) and then played a matching game of dog pics. The great thing about the matching game is that I laminated the paper and allowed the kids to mark on it with an Expo marker so that once we were finished matching they could erase and start all over again. I tried to do the Dog Lotto game; however, my game board was too flimsy and did not withstand my kids' tugging:)

Bible time today focused on Noah and the Ark which was great because we got to talk about animals some more! We also used this time to incorporate math by counting the animals. I have A Beka 3 year old curriculum for math, art, and letters. Although I am just starting to use it and may change my mind - I'm not real impressed with the math lessons. They seem to lack creativity. Back to the Bible lesson....we made an Ark, colored it, and loaded it with all of our stuffed animals. I also had a picture book which told the story of Noah and we read it together. I am amazed at how much Tres is picking up just by sitting with her big brother.

I have no clue what the future holds for my kids. I would never have considered home schooling but now I wonder what will be. If all I do as far as homeschooling is this, then I'm fine with that. I like only having to be responsible for "lessons" a couple of times a week. But in my mind, I would love to have more children and enjoy the thrill of leading them in school lessons. And if they go to school for their education, that will be fine as well since I am already completely busy with Dos' preschool.

Aaaaahhhh!

I am in panic over this Holiday Auction. What if I'm not doing it right? What if I fail? Aren't those always my thoughts when I take on a project or a new task? Is is these thoughts that sabotage my success or are they whispered truths to keep me RUNNING toward success? Either way, I am meeting with the Marketing Coordinator tomorrow and maybe I will walk away with a sense of ease.

It has not been helpful that me and Tres have been sick for the first half of the week. Also, Numero Uno's direct deposit was messed up and his company in order to correct the error had to take the entire paycheck out of our account and will not be able to reimburse us til Monday. Aaahh! and Dos has decided today is not a good day to take a nap even though I was SO looking forward to nap time since I only got two hours sleep last night. Oh well, I guess we will all have an early bedtime tonight:)

There are friends of mine that are extremely detailed in their planning and I am very impressed with their work. One of my friends is the leader of our prayer group. She takes the time each week to type out each girl's prayer request on cute stationary in cute font and delivers it each week. Now, me? I'm the girl that is the visionary not the detailist. You would think I would be since I have such a love for lists. I mean, there is no piece of art more beautiful to me than a well laid out monthly calendar hanging for all the family to see:) Okay, slight exaggeration, but I do love a well planned calendar. So, what's my solution? I'm going to contact my detailed friend and set up a meeting time that she can help me detail out this Auction. Yeah!

Blogging

I got hooked to reading a couple of blogs. One is www.mamahomeschool.blogspot.com which I love! And the other is www.punkincenterusa.blogspot.com . A couple of things I like about thei's is they have a list of all the blogs they have sited or viewed recently to the right or left of their blog. How do they do that? I had envisioned that I would have my blog posted daily but that hasn't happened yet. I feel like I'm supposed to have a picture in each post but again that hasn't happened yet.

Dos and Tres are playing with their Power Rangers and Barbies on the back porch. I got both groups of toys at the Cullman Kids' Mart. In fact, most of the kids' stuff comes from the kids' consignment sales. My favorite one is Wee Swap (www.weeswap.blogspot.com) which is an upscale resale group.

Uno gets his first progress report today and I'm curious to see how he did.

Numero Uno and I are going to watch the Alabama game at his sister's house tomorrow night without children! I could care less about seeing the game, it's the idea that he and I will have a somewhat date night that I'm looking forward to.

Already Busy !?!

I have had the misconception that life would not really become hectic until closer to the Holidays. Boy, was I wrong! The Holiday Auction that I'm heading up is keeping me steadily busy plus with our house on the market I feel we are on the move constantly. For example, we have shown our house 7 times in the past two weeks. This is great and speaks favorably for our real estate agent, Sandy Morgan from Coldwell Banker of Cullman. http://www.coldwellbankercullman.comI LOVE to take a nap when Dos and Tres lay down and it has been a long time since I have had the pleasure of taking a nap with them.

I will interject that my day with them has been perfect. The rain from the past couple of days has brought in a cool front and the temperature outside is in the 70's with a nice breeze. We have spent most of the day outside playing hide-and-seek as well as working in the garden. Mainly right now in my garden I'm trying to clean it up because most of my plants have produced all they're going to right now and look pretty ugly left where they are. We also made homemade pizza and ate lunch on the back porch. What a great day!

Now, I am trying to put together a list of events that are upcoming that I need to keep up with. Here's what I have so far: 1. Organize Dos' Field Trips (at least the stuff that I as Room Mom am in charge of) 2. Fall Carnival 3. Holiday Auction 4. Grandparent's Day at school 5. Field Day Now, I believe #4 and 5 are not until the Spring which is a relief but if I don't put it on my list now, I will completely let them slide without a second thought.

Honestly though, I love what I am doing. My heart's desire was to be a help to my kids no matter what age they are. I was afraid that once they got out of the baby stage I would be lost. Never fear, life as a Room Mom is keeping me plenty busy!

Love,

The List Maker:)

Another Day

Here I am with my little girl sitting at the kitchen counter. We are blanching green beans and counting "1,2,3" over and over. We are visiting a new church, Daystar. www.daystarchurch.tv
I have been raised Baptist my whole life so in beginning to visit this church my guard was way up. I still have my guard up a little because I want to make certain this is the church my family and I are supposed to be at. I will say that during church service today, Numero Uno, participated the most I've ever seen him participate in a church service. This church seems amazing and a source of hope for me right now. We had one more church on my "list" to visit but we feel so comfortable here that I think we'll stay for now.
I am so tired right now and yet there is still a list of To Do's:
1. Fold Laundry
2. Put up laundry
3. Cook supper.
4. Bathe kids.
5. Continue to cut out letter and number cards for the K3 class.
6. Plan out Tuesday's Volunteer Kick-Off party (did I mention I'm heading up a Holiday Auction for Cullman Christian School?) www.cullmanchristian.org

I am getting my second round of squash and zucchini coming in. I still have tomatoes, okra, cucumbers, watermelons, and green beans making. In my next garden, I don't believe I will plant as many cucumbers as I did this year.

Since Numero Uno is taking Uno back to his mother, me and Dos and Tres are chillin' out here at the house. I love Sunday afternoons. Now, if I can only find the motivation to complete today's list:)

Preschool

Little Miss looked too cute in her "shades". I hated that she had to have her eyes dilated.

Here is Dos after a day of school. He is so tired but in a good way. He was able to tell me about all he did today including drawing a "beautiful picture for Mama".

As I noted earlier, Dos, started preschool this week. He only attends two days a week but I'm tellin' ya - it's killing me! My baby is almost 4! I know that they say time passes quickly and us Moms have got to let our kids go, I just thought they meant middle or high school. But preschool? My heart hurts when he leaves. I've even considered homeschooling which if you knew me that would be nothing short of a miracle. But then I see how happy he has been to go to school. Tuesday, his first day, he didn't even hug me goodbye. He just took off to his class line and then with the cutest smile gave me a goodbye wave as if to say,"Seriously you need to leave now".

Meanwhile, my list for today I thought was fairly straightforward but man did time fly. Before I knew it, I was again waiting in the pick up line for Dos. Today I got to take Tres to the eye doctor, Dr. Paula Robinson, from Dr. Jill Meyer and Associates. Dr. Robinson looked to see if my little girl has RP which is a degerative eye disease on my husband's side. Good news is her eyes look great! The bad news is this disease does not usually exhibit itself until later in life.

One more thing has been added to my "To Do's": Room Mom for Dos's class. Now before you think, "oh man, that stinks" I wanted this position. I love this kind of stuff! My joy right now is getting to laminate and cut out letter and number flash cards. Thankfully I do not have to have them turned in til next week because I believe it will take me that long to get all 1500 (that's right 1500) of them completed:)

The List Maker

I am a list maker - always have been, always will be. There is something in my nature that absolutely loves the sight of a good list, including the beautiful numbers that signify in what order each task is to be completed. Even more beautiful is when I can take my pen and cross off a completed task!

Being a wife and mom, a list is crucial to my well-being and success. So WHO makes my list? Numero Uno is my wonderful husband. He is the calm one who makes my life sane. As far as children go: Uno is my 8 year old stepson who is a handsome, very caring with a twinkle-in-his-eye THIRD GRADER! Duos is my 3 year old son who just started preschool this week (that is a WHOLE other blog), and Tres is my 2 year old daughter who right now is still not a sleep in her bed even though I have already sang, "Something Beautiful" and "Baby Mine".

For my overall Life List: 1. Grow old with Numero Uno.

2. Have seven children.

3. Travel to Italy and Greece.

4. Not allow mean people to hinder my life.

5. Be kind and loving to my family.

6. Write a book.

So, I seriously doubt #2 or #6 will ever take place but for some reason I would like them to.