Pup-sicles

Living in northwestern Minnesota with any type of dog is a chilly thought but having small dogs is unthinkable but that's my life.  Tom and Jerry are litter mates but it's almost impossible to tell.  They are Chihuahua/Pommeranian cross.  Tom is about 5 lbs. and Jerry is about 7 lbs.  They are full grown and exactly what I wanted.   In the last week or so, the temps have made their normal dips into the teens and the dogs come in after doing their business just shivering.  Last year's dog jackets were in bad shape so I searched for a sweater pattern and came across this one.  I love how perfect it fit each of them and the pattern was easy to follow.  Thank you so much for sharing this!

Commercialization? Every holiday's trend..

I overheard a radio discussion on the thought of Valentine's day being another commercialized holiday and that the need for a specific day to validate the love we have for others isn't and shouldn't be necessary.

After listening to a few of the comments, I found myself agreeing with the thought. And in turn, I've always been happy to receive flowers, candy, jewelry, etc, on any given day! :)

On to my point - Having 4 children is no small feat. I love them all dearly but I'm one that struggles with limits.. gifts, toys, clothes.. you name it! A trend this year is a Valentine's cards that opens and has a song playing or a personally recorded message, how cute! I found myself shopping for cards for the kids and couldn't pass these cards by. (yes, I stood in the aisle and opened every single one, some twice!) I struggled selecting a card for each of the kids, then I struggled with the thought that if I get these cool cards for each of the kids, I'd have to hear the song blurb for a while because they wouldn't want to let go of them, then I struggled with the price, and decided to get one of the cool cards for my spoiled rotten daughter.. she is the only one that can read, so.. I then had to find cards for the boys, then Ben, then grandparents, friends, cousins, uncles, aunts.. Oh wait!!! That's going to cost hundreds of dollars and who actually keeps valentines, unless they're handmade??? Ah-ha! So, the kids will be making valentines for a few people.

Another con in the whole commercialization dilemma is that 4 kids require 4 sets of valentines for school. Okay, that's not so bad, right? Well, 4 kids in activities outside school means additional parties, gifts, etc. I get that we should all love each other, but honestly.. maybe we could just promote being more tolerant or something instead of the perpetual need to spend money on random, meaningless holidays for kids who really only want the candy and could care less about the sentimentality behind the holiday.

Monster Jam 2009

For the last 3 years, Alex has attended Monster Jam at the Fargo Dome. This tradition has quickly caught on and Isaac is eager to join them in this event. Much to his disappointment, he couldn't attend this year because he's only 2 and we (I) decided he wouldn't keep his ears covered and for this event, it has to be a must. He has been promised next year. :)

Serenity was away for the weekend visiting her cousins so it was just Ben and Alex. With our tickets this year, we received complimentary pit passes. Alex was pretty hesitant about going down in the pit with the monster trucks but once he was there, I think he had a great time!

One of the few warm winter days..

We've had very few warm winter days this year, thus making it very difficult to plan any sort of outdoor activity for the kids. Rumor had it that we would have a Saturday in the mid to upper 30s so the whole family decided it would be good to get out and do something.

Ben's parents were visiting for the weekend and it was the perfect time to go skiing. Ben, his dad, Serenity and Alex made a day trip down to Andes Tower Hills in Alexandria. Although they got a late start, it didn't effect the amount of fun that was had.

The little boys, Betty (Ben's mom) and I went shopping and had a fun time just hanging out together. We're all so glad that Ben's parents are able to travel and partake in our children's lives. Love you B&B.

Mid-winter cleaning..

So, one of the tasks that has been keeping me from posting is cleaning.. I have 4 kids, a dog, a cat, an assortment of hobbies that I'm currently undertaking, an assortment of hobbies I'm not currently undertaking but have supplies for, need I go on? If you've been to my house, you know that I'm a piler. I can't avoid it! I don't know how not to pile things here, there and everywhere. I'd like to be one of those people that doesn't have clutter in their life and can sort through the mail before they get it in the door, but I am not that person. I like to attribute my tendency towards piles to my crazy craftiness and strange abilities. I look at myself and I realize I'm a bit more capable of some things than other women I know, not that I'm complaining, nor am I boasting, I just know this about myself, good or bad. I also tend to become emotionally attached to pretty much anything, something my poor children have inherited.

With all this stuff flying about my head, I find myself mid-project a lot and mid-project is how many things stay. Bringing all this into context with my post title "Mid-winter cleaning," tomorrow I'm going to attempt to clean my studio. I've even gone so far as to ask for help from my dear friend Liz. I only hope she can break me of my bad habits and help me reduce the clutter of unused props, drops and random stuff, not to mention the craft supplies that I really have no time to use, nor do I expect to use any time soon. My heart is sad and a bit tense at the thought of giving up some of my favorite hobbies, but I realize that I'm not really giving them up, I'm just putting them on hold until a later date, just as I have put them in the closet because I can't use them currently.

So, until tomorrow... wish me luck because I REALLY need it, more for my heart than my ability to clean. The relief will be lovely though! :) Thanks Liz!

Where have I been?

A big apology for my overly busy life and my high level of procrastination. So, here I am!

As life goes, I've realized, once again, how quickly time flies. Today, I purchased a new car seat for Elijah, my seemingly new baby. The car seat is the convertible type, used for 5-80 pound children. As I installed the car seat in the van, Isaac, my "little dude", chatted with me. He asked if the seat was for him and I told him no that it was for the baby. He then asked if he could get in it and I told him no, that it was for the baby. Every time I spoke, he confirmed my statements by repeating each word. Later, we were inside the house and he told Alex about the new seat and that it's for the baby and that he can't get in it. It was such an eye-opening moment to hear him chatter on about our conversation with such knowledge and clarity. It made me think about how quickly the future takes place, it comes so very quickly.. My biggest fear is the thought that I might miss out on something important while I'm not looking...

2 months??? Where did you go?

Oh my! I didn't realize how long it had been since I posted last. Sorry to my dedicated readers, however few of you there are. :) I'll try to do better as the year winds down and 2009 begins!

Today has been another typical day at our house.. Serenity stayed home this morning from school because of a stomach ache. About 11:30 she decided she could stand the pain and went to school. (I think she's trying desperately to NOT repeat last year's attendance record which included many missed days of school.)

I decided that since she was a trooper I should probably do the same and brought Alex to preschool. (this is no easy task, with Isaac and Elijah in tow!)

The little boys rested well, after a fun-filled vacuum experience. Isaac has taken to "bakuuming" with me. Thankfully, all my base molding is solid wood, not to be dented or scuffed by my hard working 2 year old. As usual, I found myself doing something unintended as I cleaned the floors.. under the refrigerator.. yuck!

I spent the quiet hours of nap time editing, chatting and talking on the phone. It wasn't overly restful for me, but I was able to make my first sale as an Independent Demonstrator for Uppercase Living. Thanks sis. ;)

Upon the big kids getting home from school, I realized that my darling daughter wasn't feeling any better. She spent the snack time lounging on/near me at which time I discovered her roasting forehead. To my surprise, her temp was 102.5! Poor girl.. Ask-a-nurse reported that there have been several cases of a fever virus going around... I quickly responded with a comment I had made a few days ago.. that we're all seemingly healthy.. As with most of life, it's bound to change!

In an attempt to be a better planner and healthy eater/food preparer, the split pea soup is fragrantly simmering in the crock pot awaiting Ben's arrival home from work.

That's it for now as the rest of the day is a mystery. I hope yours goes well.