the present

I have been following this blog for a while now. Shawni's posts are always fun, full of great photos and inspirational, but yesterday's post really struck a chord with me. One of my New Year's Resolutions is to spend more one-on-one time with my kids, especially with Michael. He has stretched me so thin in the patience department that I often find myself more frustrated with him than I am happy to be around him.

Did I just admit that?

Crap...now everyone knows I'm not the Mother I'd always hoped I'd be. I struggle with day-to-day tasks and the continuous balancing act that comes with motherhood (and life in general). My Michael is a stubborn, independent, strong-willed three year old. Part of me loves that he is such a challenge, because his distinct traits will serve him well later in life...but sometimes I just wish he made things a bit easier for me. Sometimes:) Regardless, I'm going to enjoy the present!

So click on one of the links and see for yourself what a wonderful blog 71 Toes really is!

my kids make me smile

Maya is a sweet girl who is turning into a sassy young lady. Have I ever told you how much fun these pubescent times are?! I'm just thankful she is far far better than I...because (ask my parents) I was a nightmare during my pre-teen and teen years! Slamming doors was my forte. In fact, I lost my door because of my door slamming skills. Thanks Mom and Dad...I hated you for it at the time, but now I love that I have an effective discipline strategy in my back pocket in case my kids are also door slammers:)

Sometimes I glance over at Maya and she flashes me one of her famous cheesy grins. I've never met anyone who smiles as often as Maya does. She smiles just because she likes to smile. It never fails, if I walk into a room that Maya is in...she says hi to me and grins from ear to ear. Always. In all honesty, sometimes it drives me nuts! Maya is her father's daughter...those two are perpetually positive people! Now I'll be the first to admit that I'm just a crabby pants sometimes, but I love that Maya smiles. Maya likes attention. She loves to be loved, and loves to make sure I know that she loves me. Maya has a heart of gold.

Michael is my little ham. His whole face lights up when he smiles. You could power a small country with the wattage in his grin. Even when he does something naughty, he bursts into laughter making it nearly impossible to discipline him. I can barely keep myself from giggling.  Michael is tough to discipline...but he gives the best hugs...when he wants to of course:) He's also a bit of a stinker (kind of like his Mommy) but more than makes up for it in his energetic hugs and kisses. Again...only when he wants to...he is a three year old after all!

MacKean has always been my sweet little silly monkey. He's a cuddler and likes to bury his face into my neck and then look up at me with a huge grin on his face. Then he does it again. It's a fun little game we play:) I often find myself needing both hands for a task so I put MacKean on the floor. It never fails, he sticks out his cute little lower lip, it starts to quiver and then comes the waterworks! He's very sensitive, and I find myself picking him right back up again. Of course he rewards me with more smiles and cuddles. He's a little love bug!

Three kids + three VERY different stages in life = one happy Mom/Step-Mom:)

40 Days 40 Bags

The stockings hung on the wall (no fireplace here) and stared at me day in and day out. Tonight, I finally defeated their taunting glares. 

I'm starting over. It is a new year after all. And yes, I do realize it's already 22 days into the year. I'm a little slow:)

One of my friends recently posted something on FB about how she was going to declutter her home in 40 days. One bag a day. Yeah! What a great way to get motivated to take control of my house. 

For me, physical clutter turns into emotional clutter. The more stuff I have staring at me, the more stuff I have to think about. So as part of my processing, I have decided to do the 40 Days 40 Bags method of decluttering.

I'm going to fix my crap to space ratio, one bag at a time! 

processing

Between the holidays and a whirlwind trip to Alabama and back, I don't know where the time has gone! Sorry you guys have been a little neglected, but I'm guessing (and hoping) everyone else was busy too. 

My head has been all over the place lately and every time I sat down to write a post, I just stared at the monitor. Thoughtless. 

So this is what I have to say right now. 

I have a lot to process.

Death.

Family.

Lack of holiday cheer.

Religion.

You know...the basics. So for now, I'm going to get back to the basics. Then, when my head is on straight again, I'll get back to you. 

Thanks for your patience and we'll talk soon!