Catch up. Not Ketsup.

I admit. I have about 4 posts that I have started and not completed.


It's sad. I know you want to see the mounds of rock that we broke our backs moving from a large pile and spread out. I say we. I mean we for most of it. Then it becomes he. But whatever.


I'm sure you are wondering if I even photo graph my kids anymore. 


I do.


Downloading those onto the computer...


Another story all together.


Let me give you the quick and dirty.


I'm behind. As usual. I should not be surprised by this.


I blame my Kindle. It has books on it. I read them.


I procrastinate other things.


So here't the top 5. 


1. Monkey broke his arm.  (ok ok. I'm going to download a photo now.)

I am happy it wasn't jumping off the bed. No, nothing like that.


He was jumping on the couch. After repeatedly being told not to. He waited until we weren't in the room. If we can't see him, it didn't happen, right?


He has been great about the cast for the most part. He would rather hide it in his jacket then flaunt it around like a green trophy attached to his arm. 


It comes off tomorrow.


2. It snowed.  It snows here once a year. Weird. It can be December, March - whatever. Always random. Valentine's Day this year.

I'd like to say that I immediately ended nap time and dressed them all up in their winter wonderland snow gear and set them out to do snow angels and build snowmen.  That did not happen.  We barely remember to get jackets when we leave the house. We do not own snow garb, so, only Agent P got to play in it while it snowed.


Don't judge me. Agent P went through 3 outfits and 2 hot baths to recover from this adventure. Do the math ;). The twins got to spend some time in the snow after nap and it was half melted away.


3.  Some of last year's projects are getting worked on now. 


It's hard to keep up around here. Seriously. Especially when we opt to spend time with friends and have BBQs and not do yard work/house work/project.


But, here is the raised beds getting painted. Not filled or planted mind you, but at least painted.

Yes, it looks pink. It won't stay. It will be brown. Trust me.


Next on deck? Finish beds, yes...but after that? Chicken coop!


4.  Soccer ended.  It started in November I think, maybe earlier. Then there were rain outs and holidays and whatnot.  But, now it's over.  Agent P LOVED it. It was overwhelming at first and the learning curve was tough, but by the end he really had a good handle on it. I think in the 12 or so games they had, he scored 3 goals. Not bad for the youngest and smallest!

5. The big boys jumped in the pool over the weekend.


It was 56 degrees. The pool, not the air temp. The air temp was closer to 75.  It was a dare and Agent P was first to get in and reluctantly ADog went as well. No one wants to be out done by their younger brother. Plus, Agent P was getting a trip to get ice cream and ADog would be devastated to not get to go.  My sweet husband did NOT get in, but he got ice cream too...for driving I guess. ;)


There. That is something right? 


Cheers!

Predicted Profession

For Grandpa's birthday, Mini P (age 4) made him a card...with no help.

Can you read it? Do you need help?


"Hbe=Happy, bty=Birthday, GPU=Grandpa, LV=love, Ainslie=Ainslie.


If she doesn't get picked up by Hallm@rk, I'm guessing she will make a good living writing (and interpreting) vanity license plates.

FFOOOUURRR!!!!!

In December we took the kids golfing. Not the kind of golfing where you get to drive a cart and soak up the nice AZ winter sun chasing a little white ball around. The kind where you try to get a very colorful ball in an hole at the end of the green that is very lumpy, uneven, not well kept and definitely impossible.


I'm so glad that the kids aren't too competitive or the over celebrating type..

We had a really hard time keeping track of the score. I think that had to do with the amount of times that each person hit the ball at the same time that someone else was hitting the ball. I have to say, it was far more efficient to just have them all hit until they got it into the hole than take turns. Some people had upwards of 10 strokes....every hole.

And some were more interested in what the bumper boats were doing...

at least they all sat down for a nice picture at the end...

Real Man

Most people never really contemplate the definition of a Real Man. Sometimes, people will confuse man stuff with a Real Man. Just because a guy might do yard work or sweat or maybe smell gross - it doesn't make him a man. I'm saying it mostly just makes him a smelly man.


However a REAL MAN by MY definition is a man who does the unexpected. Steps up when he's not expected to. Steps up when he's not asked to. Steps into situations that are hard and the rewards are not immediate but spread out and sometimes few and far between.  


A REAL MAN is a man who loves unconditionally those in his family and sometimes not in his family. They work hard and make difficult sacrifices.


This guy:

is a REAL MAN.


He stepped into my life long before he married my mom. I've known him longer than I can remember and have always loved him. But, sometimes I didn't show it. But he loved me anyway.


He married my mom when I was 18. I was already an adult, but a bit messed up, not ready to be an adult. But he loved me anyway.


I spent a lot of time trying to put my messed up life together, thinking I didn't need my him or my mom. Pushing him away. Yet, he still loved me.


I am not biologically his.  But he loves me like I am.


So through the thick and the thin, he has loved me. He is a REAL MAN because he loves me even though he doesn't have to. He is my dad because he CHOSE to, not because he had to. He is in my daily life because he WANTS to, not because he has to.  He is what all men should strive to be.


Happy Birthday to one of the Best Men I know!!! We love you!!!

Get Real.

OK, so, I have been blogging for sometime now. I don't know how long. Couple years? I supposed I could look on my blog and see when my first entry was, but really, that requires a little more than I am willing to give today :). (and you will find that statement more than ironic since the premise of this WHOLE post is about ME giving more effort...whatever.)


And while I am not a person who makes "resolutions", I have decided to put more effort into making my blogging more real.  To me, resolutions imply that it is OK to not fulfill them and just try again next Jan 1st.  To say I'll put more effort into it means I'll try really hard, but not punish myself with guilt if I don't. See how that works? So, how about I just agree to try harder and call that good.


Anyway. There it is. REAL.


So, for my first more real post.


Last night I went to "High School Information Night" with A-Dog. Because apparently he will be in High School next year, or so he says. Here in our district we get a choice of which HS we would like for him to attend. He has it narrowed down to 2 (from 4 or 5 I think, so glad I paid good attention last night) which is the 2 we already had it narrowed down to before we went. But, we did get to hear from each school and that helped to confuse us more. One is in the lead the other is still an option. Make sense? Crystal clear? Ya, thought so. Try living it. 1 school is lottery, don't get me down that road.


So, then after we decide on a school, then he will have to start thinking about what classes he wants to take. There is an option to take AP (advanced placement), honors, pre-AP in some subjects. It's all so stinking confusing. Certainly it was not this confusing when I went to school. I just showed up and they gave me a schedule. Or, that's how I remember it....Then there is zero hour in which said child will need to be at school by 7am-ish. Doesn't that sound horribly early? It does to me.  What the heck is zero hour and what classes would be held then? 


So, I can see that we have a long road ahead of us and we have about a month to pick a school. I know. Not long enough. But, school will start in July...so, no messing around!


I can tell by the number of times you crossed your eyes in boredom, you just can't wait to hear what HS he will attend, especially because you likely have not idea what difference it makes anyway.


But, that's all I have right now :)

Fashionista

I learned 4 years ago that boys wear clothes and girls wear outfits.


I never knew.


Then I was given a bag of clothes from good a friend - all in outfits. 


I was beside myself confused.


All this time I thought you just threw shorts and t-shirts in a drawer and made sure that any combination matched and there was never a risk of some sort of fashion disaster.


So, after 4 years, I've learned to place 'outfits' in the drawer for Mini P to choose from.  We've still been given many of her clothing items - and this year they came from a wonderful family who felt that a pair of jeans with every shirt was the solution. 


What a relief.


Her drawers are now filled with jeans and shirts to go. There are still a few outfits in there that have leggings, so there is always a risk that she may go off and create a whole new look for herself....adding her own touch...

Nationals Business man meets Hula Spidergirl

She has her own style that just can't be contained by outfits!

Love this girl to pieces!

Organizing an organizer

I will admit, I can sometimes be a control freak.  I am proud of myself for even typing that and admitting it. Part of being a control freak is to try to convince yourself that you are not. I said sometimes and some may argue with that. 


Whatever.


Argue all you want :)


But I have to tell you, there are some things I have let slip over the last few months that would indicate that I am no longer in charge and I am not as organized as I originally thought I was.


Today I filed.


I have a basket on top of the filing cabinet that I just toss receipts, statements etc into. Why don't I just put them in the file, sitting 4 inches from the basket? Hard to say. Not a priority I suppose. Lazy? Probably closer to the truth.


So, today I filed.


Dare I admit that there were items in there dated back to July?


Geez. 


This year I had my Christmas cards done and printed and sitting in my room since mid-November.  I mailed them out as I got cards in (using the address on return label). I had to get on Agent P's computer to get to my addresses (since there has been so many computer swaps in this house) - so it just didn't happen.


I still have had 4 sitting to mail. 3 addressed. 1 I need to look up. At least I have stamps now.


We barely got our Christmas tree and decorations up. They may have never gotten up, but A-Dog was leaving on the 18th. Thought he should see that we weren't total losers - that we did put up a tree.


Let's not even talk about how clean my house isn't. I just kept shoving toys into corners. Wiping what you could see. Hoping no one noticed the slight stick that the kitchen floor had been sporting.


Hoping that someone would notice and do something about it.


They didn't. 


I even debated lying to telling everyone in the house that everything was SO dirty because I was conducting an experiment to see who in this house was going to clean (insert room: the bathroom, bedroom, laundry room) when they just couldn't stand the filth anymore. Turning it around to not look like I was slacking.


No one asked.


But truth be told, it was me who couldn't stand it anymore. And I'm betting they didn't notice. If they did, they didn't say. Likely out of fear of being told to "clean it yourself".  


So, Jan 1. I cleaned. The kitchen, my bathroom, Christmas got put away, 5 loads of laundry got done, a few things got put away, A-Dog helped me with the twins room and did some clean up in his room. It wasn't easy. 


It's not perfect. 


But it is better.


Until next time.


Which I hope is before summer.