Days like today call for...

SPRINKLES

(This post is a reward to myself for completing part of my to do list.  Go me!)

Our afternoon snack...  Apples and Peanut Butter

WITH SPRINKLES

 Taylor wasn't quite sure...

 They were a hit.

They made our day a tiny bit brighter...

Oh yeah... And I cut my hair yesterday!  I now am the proud owner of bangs!  More on that later!

My day of productivity

... has hit a wall.  I need to just jump in and get crap done.  But I can't get off of here.  I need to make a list and check crap off... I need to do these things, but this funk is hard to get out of.  : /

Getting off this black hole called the computer is the first step...

I'm even shutting it off (which hasn't happened in a week or 2!  Bad, I know.)  So BYE!  Seriously.

Its been a while...

Staind used to be my FAVORITE band... so I've got that song in my head now.

Moving on... It has been a while since I posted.  Even before Maddie's birthday I was slacking.  My 365 project is out the window, but I'm planning on catching up.  I've made lots of things lately with my sewing machine... and have to post these things... some of which cannot be posted until packages are finished and have been shipped ;)

I'm in a funk today.  It's been building up over the past few days.  It's really cause I have a cold or something.  Because of this cold I feel sluggish... don't want to do anything, and my lack of productivity has made my funk worse.  The guilt builds up of not having a perfectly clean home, perfectly clean, entertained kids... and yeah.

So I'm posting on here to motivate myself.  I will have our apartment cleaned by tonight.  I will make the phone calls that need to be made.  I will catch up on homework left undone... and I will finish packages that need to be shipped to new little babies ;)  I will also update you on these things later.  After that stuff is done... Then I clear off my camera and post all the going-ons here!  And there's been plenty!

Okay, so ready... set... here I go.  Off to be productive.  (Wish me luck!)

Happy Birthday Moo

Madison has a magic all her own.

When she smiles, there is a sparkle in her eye I've never seen in anyone else.

It's like her smile dances on her face.

She is so expressive.

Her heart is not on her sleeve but in her eyes.

You never wonder what she's thinking... You can see it plain as day.

When she's happy you know, and you sure as heck know when she's not!

Maddie's heart is gold and her mind is steel.

You'll never see another person more caring and loving,

but you'll never see one so stubborn and set on her own path.

She is a little mother, to her dolls, to her stuffed animals,

and to anyone who will let her pretend to feed them or baby them.

And she can throw a tantrum better than anyone I've ever seen in my life.

That saying about dynamite and small packages is the EPITOME of Madison!

She has brought such joy to my life.

I was so scared when I first found out she was on her way to us,

but the moment she was born, we felt whole.

Maddie is a great little sister.  She adores Taylor and mimics her every move.

They truly are best friends and it's great to watch them grow together. 

She wants so badly to be big, but she's so small. 

With her buddha belly and her ghetto booty, it's a wonder she can stand up straight.

Her size only adds to her magic.

Maddie amazes me everyday with how she's growing and learning.

It breaks my heart that my baby is now 2, and no longer a baby.

But I'm so madly in love with this little girl she's becoming.

And I'm so excited to celebrate this wonderful day with her.

Happy Birthday Moo!

Weekly Update

I have started watching kids in our apartment.  So far, there are 4 kids total that are here different times and days during the week.  Tuesdays and Thursdays are the worst from 2-6 because all 4 kids are here, plus my two.  They are 21 months, 4 months, 6 months, and 9 months.  The first ones arrive at 7am, the last one leaves at 11pm.  So my days are LONG.  It gets a bit nuts here during those times, but it's alright.  It's extra $$, and every little bit helps so yeah.  It's one of my ways of contributing to our welfare (along with couponing and making homemade stuff instead of buying store bought.)

I bought a sewing machine!!!  It's an upgrade from the one I was looking at.  WOOHOO.  I haven't been able to use it like I want though.  Mainly because I'm watching kids all day(and night) long, and I have to do homework before play!

I started school on Tuesday. I'm taking 8 classes.  My plate is definitely loaded right now, between school and watching kids... it's never-ending.  Plus there's taking care of my family and also the usual cleaning and laundry (which has increased due to the 4 month old who has reflux.  I think I've washed every blanket in our house in the past 48 hrs.)  I got really overwhelmed on Wednesday and was thinking about putting school on hold.  Yes, 2 days into it, I thought about quitting.

But I said a prayer and told God if this was where He wanted me and what He wanted me to be doing, then He better help me, cause I can't do it on my own.  And He has for sure.  Many times I'm able to keep my cool when I think I could bust.  I'm able to remember and comprehend things from school that I haven't thought of or understood in 8 years.  I'm able to feed 2 infants and entertain another one all at the same time.  And, I'm able to somehow find time for housework in all this.

In addition to what I've already mentioned, we've had the missionaries over like crazy lately.  They've met with 2 of my friends, but we've also had over another investigator from the teaching pool for the Elders to teach.  She has 2 girls almost Taylor's and Maddie's ages, so it's nice to have them over.  But, it's also time I could be doing school work or cleaning or laundry or grocery shopping (our shelves are SO bare.  I gotta get some tonight.)

The reason behind me having the Elders over so much is the blessings.  Right now in my/our life, we can't live without those blessings.  If feeding the missionaries, or opening our home to investigators keeps the spirit in our home and our hearts, then so be it.  We'll do what we have to.

With all this, there's not much time to blog. So don't be expecting much.

Ringing, Ringing, Ringing in my head

Have you ever tried to do something and you get interupted so many times you almost wonder if maybe you shouldn't be doing what you were doing?

I laid down to take a nap cause my head was killing me! 

So far I've had 4 phone calls and 2 texts.  

My poor nap was not meant to be.  

Guess I have to get rid of this headache some other way.

World on my Shoulders

I can't say no.  

I really have an extremely hard time with it.  

If you ask me for a favor... I'll say yes.

I can't help it.  

I'm a people pleaser.

I want to make you happy.

I overload myself so badly by doing this though.

My latest issue is with watching kids.

I was suppose to interview with someone this afternoon, but all my spaces are filled already.

So I had to call her and cancel.  

I hate it. 

I know she's in a tight spot, can't afford much, and needs someone fast.

I want to be able to help, but I just can't.

So I said no.

And why should I worry?

She's not my problem... right?

It's not my responsibility to find someone to watch her kids.  

But yet I feel responsible and guilty.

But I can't take on the world.

So I have to learn to say no.

Nap Time Vs. Me Time

I laid the girls down at 1:00 today for their nap.  It is now 2:35 and they both finally just passed out.  I have threatened, bribed, spanked, yelled, and just about everything else besides holding them down.  They know the rules and will repeat them to you if you mention them.  "No Talking.  No Getting Up."  That's it.

The reason it is driving me so nuts is because there's so much here on my computer I need to do today, including typing up some stuff, and getting ready for school.  I didn't have the time to sit in their room with them or lay down with them.

I finally gave in.  I grabbed a magazine and sat down on the end of their bed to start reading.  Within 5 minutes, they were both out.  I also realized I was more relaxed thanks to the little break from fighting with them and trying to get stuff done.

Maybe I should do this more often... take a second to relax, read a book, and bore my kids to sleep.  Guess this means I need to buy more magazines to read at nap time :)