preparing for tomorrow

i am a big fan of getting as much done today as you can in anticipation of tomorrow. a number of years ago i was introduced to flylady and our families household changed dramatically as a result. some of her main points is to shine your sink before bed, get dressed and tie your shoes in the morning and do whatever you can to prepare for tomorrow, today. some of the other things we have enlisted into our household routine based of the flylady regimen is to clean using a timer (15 mins. max per room), instead of cleaning we call it "house blessing", creating and following a weekly menu. i am thankful for a husband and kids (note pic of kids packing their lunches for tomorrow) that is very helpful in maintaining our household with me and for the help flylady has given me over the years to let go of the perfection of maintaining a household. in it i have found peace and feel as though i am able to actually "live" in our home and enjoy our household to the fullest - or at least most days :)

Oh dear

in my attempt to play my 2nd game of soccer i ran out on the field pre-game to warm up and kick the ball around. and then it happend, "ouch", i felt a snap in my quad and in that split second i was faced with the decision to fall on the ground and cry or stand there and smile until dave noticed that something was wrong. i ended up standing there with a bizarre smile on my face tring to get daves attention. finally he ran over and helped me to the side-lines. oh my goodness, there is a reason i'm not athletic. seriously, you can hurt yourself! i sat the entire game out with an ice pack. fortunately my sweet son prayed for me to feel better and that the rest of the team would be safe as they continued to play. we lost.

67 days

lilly asked me today to count how many days until florida. we looked at the calendar and counted...67 days! this year will be our fifth year heading to our favorite getaway, don pedro island, for two weeks. we have some dear friends who have opened their condo to us over the years and we have enjoyed it to its fullest. these trips and memories remind me how important vacations as a family are. sometimes i can't believe how much the kids remember from our times and how much they love remembering every trip.

therapy

i see a counselor. i actually have an appointment tomorrow morning with jodi boyd at westshore integrative health. therapy/counseling has been an amazing journey for me and i am so thankful to have the opportunity and insurance coverage which allows me to see her and share my heart every other week. my road to ongoing counseling began as a quest to "fix" my insomnia when the traditional route of medical care wasn't working. now, over a year later, i can't help but look at counseling as a necessity for the well being of my mind, heart and soul. i have found it to be a safe and unapologetic place for me to just "be" and learn how to empower and love myself enough to move beyond my own anxieties and live life to the full potential that God created me to. i love to talk about my experiences with counseling and am very open about the fact that i see someone and have encouraged many a friend to at least consider seeing someone. out of curiousity, what are your thoughts on counseling/therapy? why do you think there is, at times, such a negative stigma with the idea of seeing someone about the way you feel?

muscle confusion

my body hurts. literally. hurts. after playing my first game of soccer my body is paying the price. i have done some pretty intense workouts and felt it over the next couple of days but i swear, nothing like this! i have heard it said that day 2 is the worst (which would be today) so, i am hoping tomorrow will be better. i like to walk and move without my muscles screaming at me. dave is enjoying laughing at me and reminding me that our next game is friday night. which reminds me, if you are looking for a good laugh and live in the muskegon area come on out and cheer us on. i guarantee a good laugh - at least a me :)

soccer

i am not a soccer player. or at least not until tonight. over the course of the last 13 years there has been a lot of soccer in my life. however, tonight i became a player. i don't like to admit that i am competitive, but i am. i had a blast out on the field and can't wait for our next game next friday at 10pm (in case anyone wants to babysit). i am not great or even good - but it is a good time.

box vs. bottle

with our mimi and papa in town we got in the car and headed into grand rapids for the afternoon. we began our adventure by going to modern skate where my brother steve works and watched some pros at "work". luke is really into skateboarding and stood in awe (as we all did) at these amazing athletes. afterwards we drove into downtown and spent the next couple of hours walking the streets and enjoying the day. one of our stops was market street deli on monroe. that is where i saw my very first box of water. the story the owner shared with us is that some young local guys thought it would was smarter and more environmentally sound to box water instead of bottle it and have over the course of a relatively short period of time have been able to market such a product nationally. we bought a box ($1.61) and shared the crisp, clean water. thought it was pretty funny and wanted to share the image. i love creativity!!

family game night

i love that our family loves to "play" together. i was thinking tonight as we all sat around the family room talking that it won't be to long before the last place my kids will want to be on a friday night is home playing a board game with their parents. so, i am soaking in these precious times of family fun while i've got them. the kids were surprised tonight with an impromptu visit from our mimi and papa from naperville. we all got to play one of our favorite games, pictureka! daddy won, this time!!

happy birthday susie

we had a fun evening with family celebrating susie's birthday. susan, is my beloved step-mom who turned 53 yesterday. i am blessed to have her in my life and love that she is a part of our family. susan, you are a beautiful woman, wife and mother. thank you for loving me, my family and my dad.

boring

i am literally posting today just because i am committed to posting every day this month. nothing spectacular happened today, it was just a regular ordinary day. as i reflect on today i am reminded that ordinary days are as much a blessing as a spectacular day. i am blessed to be living such an ordinary life full of taking kids to school, making lunches, doing homework, grocery shopping, and all the other things in between. i am blessed to have gone a date with my husband tonight while the kids were at church and can't wait to eat chocolate ice cream in bed while watching last nights episode of lost. what a life?

journals

do you journal? in a way blogging is a sort of journal i guess. i loved to journal and doodle throughout high school and college. i have several pages of written prayers, dramas and nonsense documented on paper. it's fun to go back and read them and remember when life was so less complicated and yet far more dramatic. i can't say i actually stopped journaling however i did change how/why i journal. shortly after lilly was born i decided to start writing to my kids. i have three journals, one for each of them, and in them i write to them and pray for them. i tell them what they are doing or what funny things they are saying sometimes i write concerns or even my own frustrations with them. i used to try to write in one each evening before i went to bed, now i'm lucky if i write in one each week. but, i'm so happy i have them and feel so blessed to see how God continues to move and work within each one of them. one day i hope to give each of them their journals, my hope is that they will receive it as a gift. they are each such a gift to me (at least most days).

reminded

dave reminded me today that because the kids were off school today, it was still valentines weekend and not too late to distribute the kids cards and decorate the cookies. so, i thought it totally appropriate to share this image! we had a blast this weekend celebrating our families love to the fullest.

good intentions

some times i feel like my life revolves around good intentions. take these valentines day cookies for example. my intention was to bake valentines day cookies and decorate them with my kids and have a festive time last night. when time got away from us, we told the kids we would do it today actually on valentines day. and then today came and after church i needed a nap and before i knew it, it was time for the kids to go to bed and the cookies still sat undecorated on their cooling rack. also note that i had made the frosting and pulled out everything to decorate the cookies, all we needed to do was sit down and actually "do" it. similarly the kids valentines cards, that were purchased with the intent of giving one to each of them, sit inside their meijer bag awaiting the 30 seconds it would have taken to make a good intention a reality. i am good at coming up with good ideas, i am even good at implementing them, but i suck and following through. i hate this about myself. fortunately, i know i am loved in spite of my good intentions by both my husband and my kids. hopefully the cookies will still be good tomorrow!!

my valentine

a few weeks ago dave went to denver for mid-winter (yearly conference for covenant pastors). while there he put his christmas money to good use getting a new tattoo. i knew he was thinking of having my named inked on his arm - but it still surprised me when he texted me this image with my name inset a sacred heart. i thought it was appropriate to share this photo as dave is my valentine and has my heart. cheesy i know, but oh so true!

opening ceremonies

we are watching the opening ceremonies right now. although it is WAY past the kids bed times i am so happy to be sharing this with them. caleb is really excited to watch the games and you can almost hear his own dreams finding life as his excitement continues to escalate for the upcoming games. i can't remember the first time i watched the olympics but i do remember sitting in awe of the athletes and i loved hearing their stories. some things never change. do you have a favorite olympic story?

favorites?

i am a week behind on private practice (this will be a spoiler, if you haven't seen it yet...) and got to watch last weeks show this afternoon. so, the topic of favorite child came up when a family was faced with a decision to save one of their twin daughters with their newborn sons cord blood. the father at one points says (my version, of course) that "parents don't want to admit that they have a favorite, by they do...i love nikki but save kelly". well, it got me thinking. not so much about what kid i loved more, because i love all my kids. but it made me start thinking about how i relate to each of them differently, one maybe more easily than another. however, my love for each of them is so deep i don't know that i have words to describe it.

thank goodness for snow plows & little boys...

i would like to say a great big thank you to my boys who shoveled our front walk after school and to our wonderful snow plow! of course we pay for the snow plow and the boys didn't complete the job without tears, yelling and a "talking to" from dad. however, at the end of the day i am thankful to know it has been taken care of. speaking of being taken care of, i took care of lilly today. she stayed home sick from school. i thought we had already gotten everything there could be gotten for this winter season, however it seems more infection is lurking. boo! i woke up with her around 2am with a horrible croupy cough and then sat with her the majority of the day. one of the hardest things to observe is your child just lying there willingly. it makes you take back all those times you cursed under your breath at them for being SO full of energy. she is keeping all fingers and toes crossed that she will not have a fever in the morning because she really wants to go to school. tomorrow is there 100th day of school and their valentines day party - she has her clothes already picked out for the occasion. we'll see.

so, more people than i realized actually read this blog **blush**, with that said, i have had several people ask me how our conversation went with lilly about repeating first grade. dave and i told her on saturday morning. based on the advice her teacher (the amazing tracey fritz) we told her that she was asked to be a "first grade expert" next year and that she would be able to help the new first graders in her class next year. at first she was very excited and then like a light bulb going on she began to realize that her friends would be moving on to 2nd grade and that she wouldn't be with them. there were a few tears but in the end we were able to end on a very positive note and she continues to be excited about her new title. thank you to all who prayed for this conversation and we continue to covet your prayers as we try to be the best parents we can be to these munchkins.

answers...?

lots of promises very little answers.... i can't believe we are so hooked on this show. in all honesty we didn't start watching the show until the second season - but we have been loyal viewers ever since.

shopping...with kids...

it is amazing how fast kids grow. just when you think you are going to be able to save a few bucks, you realize the kids have outgrown (or blown holes in their jeans) their clothes. so, today we found ourselves at old navy looking for new clothes for the boys. thankfully, we had money set aside from christmas (thank you mimi and papa) to buy plenty of things. the kids were AWESOME at the store, which is saying something. as i was checking out i looked over and all three kids were posing with the mannequins at the front of the store - hilarious!

saints win!

in case you're living under a rock and didn't hear, saints won the super bowl. i wasn't really rooting for a team but we had fun hanging out with friends. every year super bowl sunday has a special little place in my heart because it marks the anniversary of the first "date" dave and i ever went on 13 years ago. back then he was just a guy i had a crush on - now i love that he is the guy who is my best friend, father to my kids and husband. happy super bowl sunday!

sharing a bit from my past...

we had a family packed day of fun today beginning and ending with great food! dave and lilly opened up the "diller diner" for breakfast this morning and made blueberry waffles - yum! we then proceeded to head to grand rapids to watch avatar in 3D at the imax. we thought that an hour early would get us there in plenty of time to get tickets - but the show was already sold out. so, we ended up just seeing it in 3D. we all really enjoyed it - caleb and luke "loved it". afterwards we headed to east town for chili dogs and one of my old stompping grounds; yesterdog! it was awesome!! it brought back so many memories walking into the joint and realizing nothing has changed - i swear the same kid behind the counter is the same one that served me back in highschool. caleb L-O-V-E-D his cheddardog, luke was not as impressed, which began an evening debate about who made a better chili dog, portillos or yesterdog. don't get me wrong i love portillos - but when it comes to chili dogs yesterdog has my vote!

exact quote from luke as i was taking his picture, "i get they are going for an old look, but i don't like the 'dirty' look". he cracks me up!

yum, yum, yum!!!

lilly jane

sweet lilly jane is 6 years old and in the first grade. as of this past week she has lost another front tooth and loves to flash her toothless smile to just about any one. speaking of her smile - she has one of the best smiles i have ever seen. there are times when i think her smile might swallow her face because it is SO big! hmmm, lilly jane.... she is bursting with innovation, creativity and athleticism. she struggles academically - however she knows/understands colors and style unlike any other child i have ever met. she radiates confidence and isn't afraid to walk up to a complete stranger to compliment their shoes, hand bag or even nails if she is so inclined. she still sucks her two fingers and uses one of my shirts to snuggle with. she is very sensory oriented and needs to touch EVERYTHING. one of her favorite colors to use while coloring is brown - she told me once she loves to use the color brown because it seems to "go with everything". what little girl, or kids for that matter, loves to color with brown? lilly will find out this weekend that she will be repeating first grade. i'm a bit nervous at how she will take it - since she is very social and has a lot of friends however we know that it will be the best thing for her and her academic future. lilly LOVES her babies and shows off her lovey dovey side when she is playing with her baby dolls. for christmas we bought her a guinea pig and she treats it like her very own baby, wrapping it in a baby blanket and pushing it around in her stroller throughout the house. i love watching her play "mommy". lilly is a natural leader. my daily prayer for lilly is that she won't be discouraged when she academically struggels and that we will find ways to help her work to her strengths (which are many!). I pray that she will continue to be surrounded by people who will encourage her creativity and not squelch it. i love my sweet lilly jane and can't imagine my life without her energy and enthusiasm.

luke duke

where to begin with this one! out of all the kids i feel like he is our most complex...or maybe he is the one i have the hardest time figuring out. luke is funny - really funny and yet very unsure of himself. although he can cry easily - he fights hard. he loves to play and will invite anyone to join in on the fun. if he believes he is surrounded by something unfair he will do everything in his power to make it right. he struggles with anxiety yet can come off as though he is the most confident kid in the room. he is very competitive yet struggles with competition. he asks very difficult questions and seems to be ok when we are unable to give him a definitive answer. he embodies justice and can become physically ill when he is made aware of a cruelty or injustice whether it be in our house, community or world-wide. he oozes love and compassion. he is a math wiz and loves to figure out stategies. my daily prayer for lukie is that he will find peace throughout his day and not fall victim to his anxiety/worry and that God will continue to build on his innate character to love justice and mercy. he is amazing!

caleb david ...

since i posted newborn pics of the kids yesterday i thought it would be fun over the next few days to post their most recent pics and share a bit about each one....caleb is 9.5 years old and in the fourth grade. caleb is very smart and has an amazing ability to communicate his thoughts, feelings and emotions both verbally and written. he works really hard to be funny (which he is about 60% of the time) and isn't easily intimidated. he is strong, not strong willed, but strong in spirit. he is quick to be compassionate no matter the cost to his reputation and regards friendships as precious. he loves to read, draw and write comics. he is both clever and creative. my daily prayer for him is that God will protect his innocence and further grow his compassion for people. i adore him!

when they were babies....

this past weekend we re-did lilly's bedroom and in the mix of it all i found her newborn hospital picture. as i stared at that little wrinkly baby in the photo i started to cry. now don't get me wrong i can cry along with the best of them, but this cry was different. it quite literally came out of nowhere. in that moment i realized that i didn't remember her or the boys as babies. sure, i remember the crying, the not sleeping, the spitting up, the not sleeping, the soar nipples, the not sleeping, but i couldn't remember what they looked like. over the last couple of days it has driven me crazy trying to remember, so i finally went in search of newborn pictures of each of them and thought i would share them (they are all 2weeks old in these photos). it's hard to imagine how fast time goes by when you are in the throws of it all.

allowances

in case you haven't noticed, i haven't blogged in a while :) so, i thought i would start off the month of february with a BANG and try to post every day this month! although the last several months have been filled with fun and adventure i've decided to release myself of any need to write about what has happened in the past months (unless of course i want to) and instead focus on what is happening in our lives at this moment.....

today we are introducing allowances to our kids. yes, dave and i may be a bit on the delinquent side of this however we just hadn't ever really sat down and came up with a good system in which to distribute money to our kids and in turn help them to understand what appropriate giving, saving and spending looks like. now i'm not saying we came up with a fool proof plan/idea however i am excited to begin this process of stewardship with our kids.

although all of the kids will be receiving their first allowances this week we decided that the amount in which each child will receive is dependent on their age (caleb $2, Luke $1.50, Lilly $1). however, in an attempt to make our lives easier and help the kids to feel as though things are more equal we came up with "diller dollars", theylook similar but each have a different value. this way we are will be able to distribute our "diller dollars" accordingly each week and then have the kids cash in their "diller dollars" at the end of each month for real money which we can then help them divide into what will be given, saved and available to be spent.
in accordance with receiving their allowances we are also establishing a "responsibilities" sheet for each child. this sheet will list out each of the kids daily & weekly responsibilities which will be expected of them in order to receive their allowance. at this point we have kept them pretty basic, because at the end of the day i really want my kids to stay kids for as long as possible.so, now i'm curious.... parents, how do you "do" allowances with your kids? what are your thoughts on allowances? how did receiving or not receiving an allowance shape you?