Just Our Thoughts

For Christmas this year, a friend of mine sent each of my children a stuffed animal from her collection. I took a picture of each child with their animal for her. Then I discovered the scrapbook option on photobucket. I'm going to explore it more.

I recently subscribed to Simple Mom's feed via email and have really been enjoying her posts. The one I read a week ago was particularly motivating. At least my thoughts have been going nuts since and I've read other posts (here and here) linked in her "morning routine" post and developing a project of sorts for the next year. Each month I plan to pick a habit to focus on to develop and maintain. I hope to take items from my 101 in 1001 list. I have considered listing the 12 habits - one for each month - but I don't want to choose them all today. I want to choose them, based on need, as each month comes.

I have decided on January's habit; I want to start getting up early again. While pregnant with Baby R, I had started getting up before DH and the family. I would get dressed and start coffee, read my Bible and just have some time for me, before the day started. We instituted the rule that the children had to stay in bed until I got them up. Being that DH is not a morning person, we find the morning runs much smoother if he has very few distractions! Children up and about and asking for things - breakfast, TV, candy, etc - is just too much.

So, my plan for January is to start getting up before everyone again. I'd like to aim for 7 AM at the latest, but Baby R has been getting up around 6 AM for a feeding, so I may go with that time - whatever her morning feeding is each day. Time will tell. If the feeding is at 5, it won't happen! In addition to getting up early, I want to institute a morning routine. (Items in bold are in my current morning routine.)

• get dressed to shoes including hair and face
• swish and swipe the bathroom
  
• start the computer
• start the coffee
• start the washer
• read/study Bible

I think this is very do-able. I have done this routine before and I used to love getting up early. It was only due to being so tired at the end of my pregnancy and recovery that I have been sleeping in. I have a vicious circle that I am living in - late to bed, late to rise, day starts later, nap time runs into supper time equaling a later bedtime again. I feel like I'm getting nothing done and am getting further behind. One item on my 101 list is to have a regular routine to our day. I thought programming the children was the way to go, but now I am realizing that I need to get myself in order first and they will follow my lead.

We had a small wedding because I am my parents' only daughter and my dad wanted to walk me down the aisle, to give me away on my wedding day. We had planned to elope, but our pastor advised us to go with the wedding, for our parents' sake. We had cousins to do readings and play piano and sing. Family and friends took part wherever they could. I couldn't have asked for anything more except that I know how much it would have meant to my man for his parents to be there. They just couldn't make that happen but his brother and his best friend were able to attend.

Here are the last eight years in review:

We got married in December. I got pregnant almost right away. I graduated college the spring of 2001. Baby #1 (now 7) arrived in October. We took a trip to visit DH's parents whom I hadn't met. I got pregnant with our second baby who arrived by c-section in October of 2002. During these two years, DH changed jobs 3 times - the last being season landscaping. In 2003, he quit landscaping and started on with social services - taking on two different positions with them. I got pregnant with baby #3 and DH took on another job - delivering water. In November, DH started on with a chicken farm and baby #3 arrived and returned to heaven in March of 2004. DH continued on at the chicken farm until December of 2004 when we picked up our family and moved across the country to be nearer DH's parents. I was pregnant with #4. While in Ontario, we lived in three different homes, DH had two different jobs and baby #4 was born in June. Work was scarce in Ontario and my best friend found us a job and a home back in Alberta, so in February of 2006 we returned to the prairies. Since returning, we have moved once, had two more children, gone through a bankruptcy, and DH is working at his second place of employment.

Now, eight years, six children and many moves and job changes later, we are still growing in love and in our understanding of one another. I think this process of marriage and knowing each other is an ongoing process and a process that I enjoy. I believe that only through God's mercy, grace and love has our marriage become what it is today. There have been times we have wanted to call it quits; we saw no reason to go on. The fights were terrible - shouting and name calling, blame and guilt. But we didn't; God saw us through every single fight, every single low point. And all the highs too.

We are strong, and our marriage is strong. Are we there? Have we arrived? I don't think so. I don't know that we ever will here on earth. But I think I can safely say that our marriage is a good example to others. I don't say that to brag. We haven't done everything right, far from it! But we learn and try and we change. We are real - what you see is what you get - people.

I look forward to many more years with J. I want to have more of his children. I want to follow him wherever he takes this family. I'd really like to settle down and have some stability that way, but I'd move again, if he and God deemed it necessary. I'll go through the renovations on this church. I'll work beside him in whatever adventure he finds. I want to grow to love him even more than I do now and yet my mind does not see how that is possible. Yet I know it is. When I hear of people being married thirty, forty, fifty years, I am in awe. In today's society that is more and more rare. I want to be one of those couples.

Thanks to listening to my ramblings. Off to celebrate with my guy!

I did not tell my DH that he could start using power tools at 11 PM, after the children had gone to bed.

I did not "disappear" into my music using my new mp3 player - a ZEN Mosaic.

I did not serve leftovers for meals for two days, and those leftovers were not mac and cheese with wieners. We certainly did not encourage Cutie Boy to use the word wiener in reference to a body part.

We did not load 94 2 by 4s and 40 2 by 6s into our porch area in preparation for building the loft; we certainly wouldn't have done that on Christmas afternoon when we all were feeling so very ill! (We left the flooring outside.) I didn't move two dressers and a set of plastic drawers into our already crowded library to make room for this construction either! And Saturday I did not crowd the already crowded living room with a dining room table, a couch and a rather large plant.

I did not serve chocolate for breakfast at all this week.

Oh, I most certainly did not send all five children to bed at 6:30 PM on Christmas Eve night. And DH certainly wasn't asleep in his chair at that time. And then DH and I did not stay up until 2 AM wrapping gifts and watching A Christmas Carol. And then I wasn't up with sick kids between 4 AM and 6 AM only to be woken by excited girls at 6:45 AM. I most certainly did not get up with them then and open stockings and calling grandparents waiting for the others to wake. Do you think we woke the others when we got bored? We wouldn't do such a thing. Not me! Me, a mother of 5, would never wake a sleeping toddler to open Christmas gifts on Christmas morning!!! HAHAHAHA!

I didn't take a picture of my sick DH and post it on my blog. I wouldn't do that. (heehee)

I didn't change the setting on the coffee grinder and not tell my DH, just to see if he'd notice.

I did not try to post this Not Me Monday post on FRIDAY night, thinking it was MONDAY the next day!! Nope, not me, because I can keep track of the days of the week.

I can't believe it is Monday again, already! This last week has gone by so fast. For more Not Me! Monday check out My Charming Kids. Except that due to the holidays and the fact that their baby is very very sick, Mr. Linky is not up! They could use all the prayers they can get for their little guy.

This song was song at our wedding. On the 29th of December it will be 8 years of wedded bliss. Oh, we have had our troubles. Our married life hasn't been easy, nor has it been uneventful, but we have grown in so many ways, Mostly we have grown to love each other more. We've added 6 children to our little family, only five of which God has blessed us with keeping them here on this earth. We love every one of them and value everything they add to our family dynamic. Love those near and dear to you today.

1. You know you haven't really cleaned out your sink in a while when the fruit flies come at you as you run water down the drain!! EEEKKKK. Ok, it's not that I didn't do the dishes, because I did. We don't have that many dishes to go all that long without doing them. What I didn't do is check the sink drain thingie.

2. Kids sing funny things: "O, come let us open a door on him, Chriiissstttt the Lord."

3. Christmas is a fun time of year!

4. My DH does not like surprises. He'd way sooner know what his gifts are then be surprised Christmas morning. So, Daddy gets gift cards here on in! LOL.

5. Having chocolate in the house to save for a special day, doesn't get saved because every day is a special day, right? heehee.

6. I don't know how to keep a secret! Seriously, four times in one day I almost blew a Christmas surprise for the kids. DH had to rescue me. Oh well. Maybe next year the secrets should be kept from me too. lol.

7. While DH may not like surprises, I love planning them. Does that mean I like surprises and DH should try harder to surprise me with things??? I think so! Someone, can you get that through to him? Just kidding. He is catching on, just as I am catching on that he doesn't like them.

8. My dishwasher broke. It stopped washing the dishes on the top rack. While the dishes look clean, if you rub your hand across the surface of a dish, it is covered with speckles of food particles. EWWW and GGRRRRR. Back to hand washing!

9. I don't mind hand washing dishes under specific circumstances. It is quiet. I am undisturbed. I am alone. No one is screaming. OR DH is cooking and the kids are playing in the next room. What I do not like is lots of distraction while I'm doing dishes. It frustrates me and I forget things or break dishes - like leaving taps running in sinks that have their drains plugged. And I definitely cannot cook and wash dishes at the same time! I do know how to wash dishes. I think it is a valuable skill to have and I'm not really all that sad that my dishwasher is broken. I mean it is a great convenience and "maid-servant" but I don't have it and I don't have a IRL maid-servant, so I guess I'll have to do the dishes and train my daughters to do the dishes!

10.

11. I'm not so good at getting to the post office to get Christmas gifts out on time! Oops. Sorry, my dear family members, the packages will get there, I promise!

Today is Christmas Day. This is the day we celebrate the birth of our Savior! I am thankful for the gift God sent to earth.

For more thankful posts, visit Grace Alone.

Hi again. I have been posting quite regularly and hopefully not too often for my readers.

I just wanted to bring your attention to the snow scene at the top of the page! I am hoping to change that picture with the changing seasons. Through that process you will be able to see the changes we make to the outside of our home as well. The outside changes will be slow. Nothing is planned until spring/summer when we need to rebuild the front deck. Any of you who have visited are well aware of the dangerous climb to our front doors.

Inside, changes should be happening more often. For instance, beginning any day my maintenance man will start building the loft bedroom. He has the materials priced out and the plans drawn. I've started taking items downstairs that don't really need to be in this room; we aren't using them for the most part anyway. My main room is starting to look and feel cleaner and more comfortable, more peaceful. I will continue this transfer of boxes and items tomorrow.

I am excited about the changes in our home. I'll keep you updated.

Well, here's another "episode" of Not Me! Monday. Click on the link for other blogs participating this week too.

I did not whine and complain about my dh being out M,T,W night without me, leaving me home alone with the children for way too many hours at a time. I didn't throw it in his face that he got to go out of Christmas dinners while I ate Mac&Cheese again. I wouldn't do that because I knew that he didn't want to be at those dinners.

I didn't let my sick husband sleep until 2:30 Thursday afternoon. I wouldn't keep the kids quiet for him to sleep so that he could get better. And I certainly didn't join him Friday morning until noon! And not Saturday either! I wouldn't do that and use the TV and gingerbread and gingersnaps to keep the kids busy so we could get better by sleeping away this sickness.

I didn't take a sick family to church just because I needed to get out! And of course I was totally critical of all the other mothers who brought their sick families to church!

I didn't let another mom hold my baby for the whole service so I could concentrate on the message and wasn't at all okay with the distraction that Baby R caused with her laughing during the sermon. I wouldn't want anyone else to enjoy her giggles. (She's only 2 months old and adorable.)

Oh, and in that same service, I wouldn't tell my Cutie Boy to spit his mouthful of muffin into my hand so he wouldn't gag. I wouldn't do that because I know that it is disgusting and makes DH cringe and gag. Nope, not me!!!

The temperature around here is so very very cold (-30ish C). So, DH and I wouldn't send our four oldest outside to play. Nope, not us. And we certainly didn't use their outside play time to make sandwiches in peace! And even though they didn't seem ready to come in yet, we would never interrupt their play to get them back in the house to eat only a very very few minutes after sending them out. (Seriously, it did take longer to get them dressed and undressed then we let them play outside.)

I didn't drink 5 cups of coffee in one day without re-hydrating with water.

I didn't try to make the pain of my headache from this cold go away by drinking Butter Ripple Schnapps right out of the bottle. I'd never do something like that.

I didn't say that I liked doing dishes by hand when my dishwasher stopped working this week.

I didn't stay up until 4AM Saturday morning chatting online with a friend (until 2AM) and then with DH until we finally fell asleep. I would never do such a thing when I have been and still am so very sick.

I didn't create another Yahoo group only days after decluttering my yahoo group list to cut down on email. And I most certainly won't be on the search for more yahoo groups on different topics any time soon.

And I am certainly not using Baby R's nap time to sit and write this post. I wouldn't do that when I have a stinky bum to change, lunch to clean up, dishes to wash, clothes to wash, hang and fold, a floor to sweep and maybe mop and kids to put down for a rest time. I wouldn't do that. Not me, not ever!

Oh my! What a week we have had! DH was home sick both Thursday and Friday. I have been sick since Friday. We slept until noon Friday and Saturday! And we needed groceries and it is so cold outside and no one wanted to go, but DH decided he would go get a few things. Being sick and having my mind set on one way to do things, we got in an argument. He left to get groceries; I was still mad.

While he was gone, I started supper. Lost track of Cutie Boy, assuming he was with his sisters playing because they were making enough noise for me to think the whole neighborhood of kids was in the next room. I went about my business of making supper and DH came home and we worked together while working out our argument. I left the kitchen to go and check on the laundry. I had to go by the bathroom to get to the washer and out of the corner of my eye saw W there.

At first I didn't think anything of it but then realized that he was putting hand towels in (I thought they were going in) the toilet! I almost lost it but I didn't. "What are you doing?!?!?" DH came running to see what my exclamation was about. I was trying to remove W from the general area as well as remove the towels from the toilet and holding Baby R in my other hand! I lifted the towels (about four of them) to find rolls of toilet paper - whole rolls - filling the toilet bowl!! FILLING! RIGHT FULL! I saw the empty bag on the floor but could not remember how many had been in there.

J said, "I'll take over." So I stood back and let him. I brought him a trash bag to put the ruined rolls in and walked away not really wanting to know how bad the damage would be! Cutie Boy was told to sit on the bottom step and not move until supper (not that long away). I never did get to the laundry but went back to making supper while J finished in the bathroom.

I later asked J about what he found in the toilet. He was able to save 4 rolls that didn't get wet and thankfully, W had not flushed the toilet but there were two rolls that were soaking and moved to a trash can!

So in thinking about this incident, and being a homeschooling mom, I have been trying to come up with something educational from this experience. It was a lesson in volume. He was experimenting to see how many toilet paper rolls it would take to fill the toilet bowl. (I hope I've used the right term, but regardless, I think you get the idea.)

Now, someone I told about this incident earlier, brought the following to mind:

What if he'd unrolled all those double rolls of toilet paper and put them in the toilet????

Not going there.

My brothers and I would gobble these up when mom would make them for an after school snack!

Texas Brownies

These tender brownies are quick to prepare, using ingredients that are handy in the kitchen. This recipe make a large pan. Great for a potluck.

For one 17 1/2 by 11 inch baking pan, 48 brownies, you will need:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1/2 cup shortening

1 cup strong brewed coffee or water

1/4 cup dark, unsweetened cocoa

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 eggs

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. vanilla

Frosting:

1/2 cup butter or margarine

2 Tbsp. dark cocoa

1/4 cup milk

3 1/2 cups unsifted powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Tips:

If you don't have buttermilk on hand, substitute 2 tsp. vinegar or lemon juice. Mix into 1/2 cup milk. Or use powdered buttermilk. Mix according to package directions.

Preparation:

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, and the sugar.

2. In heavy saucepan, combine butter, shortening, coffee or water and cocoa. Stir and heat to boiling.

3. Pour boiling mixture over the flour and sugar in the bowl. Add the buttermilk, eggs, baking soda and vanilla.

4. Mix well, using a wooden spoon or high speed on electric mixer.

5. Pour into a well buttered 17 1/2 by 11 inch jelly roll pan.

6. Bake at 400 F for 20 minutes or until brownies test done in the center.

7. While brownies bake, prepare the frosting. In a saucepan, combine the butter, cocoa and milk. Heat to boiling, stirring.

8. Mix in the powdered sugar and vanilla until frosting is smooth.

9. Pour warm frosting over brownies as soon as you take them out of the oven. Cool. Cut ino 48 bars.

Preparation time: 15 min.

Baking time: 20 min.

Oven temperature: 400 F

Enjoy!

I'm looking into this book too. I love books like this. I've already ordered from my library and do plan to buy it!

Oh and this blog - Halving it all - is great. One woman and now her family's journey to halving it all.

Halving It All: Library Books!

Tammy, over at Pink Stinx, awarded me with this award.

The rules for this award are:
1. Put the logo on your blog.
2. Add a link to the person who awarded you.
3. Nominate 10 other blogs.
4. Add links to those blogs on yours.
5. Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs.

Not sure I'll get 10 but we'll see when I get to the end:

What the heck was I thinking . . . .

Remembering the Lives

Halving It All

11th Heaven's Homemaking Heaven

Okay, I only found that many, but I tried.

Merry Christmas to you and yours from those of us at the Harris House!

Only 4 more days!!!

I really enjoy both this song and the movie The Sounds of Music. (There is another really fun version of this song that my brothers and I loved to "dance" to but I couldn't find it on youtube.) I think I may have to pull out my dvd of this video. My girls like it too! I hope you are having a wonderful December.

Check out Sign, Miracles and Wonders for more great music links.

Hey, a friend sent me this link. The songs are available for 48 hours, but I don't know when the 48 hours started. All you can do is try!

Merry Christmas!! Only 6 days left!!!

I am blogging. I am cranky and I don't like it. I mentioned to a friend that I wanted to blog but at the same time didn't because I'm feeling so grumpy. She said to do it anyway, that it might help turn my thoughts around and get me back into good spirits! I said, but, but but. But she's right. I don't just have to blog about the happy things. Life isn't always happy!

I am a mother of five. I am a wife. Usually I put them in the other order, because really I am a wife first but these days my DH has been so very busy with other things. His work requires him to attend four Christmas parties/dinners. One for the typical staff party and three more - one for each senior's manor that he does maintenance for all year long. Tonight was the last one. It ended up the way things were planned that he was at 5 Christmas parties/dinners in 7 days. Well, 6 if you count the children's Christmas party put on by the fire fighters Saturday afternoon! I think the man has had a lot of turkey! I got to go to 3 of those 6 with him but could not justify the expense of a sitter for the other three! Plus being introverted and loving to stay home, for the most part, it would add stress and tire me out. But I'm not sure these parties haven't added stress anyway.

The kids miss their dad for one. I miss him! He has to set up for these parties and clean up after them. Plus there is the addition of the occasional fire page (could be an accident, as they respond to those as well). He got one of them tonight while at his Christmas dinner (the 6th in 7 days).

It's cold here. Really quite cold. I am without a vehicle and groceries are running low. Not so low that we can't survive, but low enough that I'm getting sick of pasta and having to really think to find something to serve that everyone will eat! Not that they are eating anyway as we've had a bit of a fever running through the group. And it's not that the money's not there to go and get groceries, but without a vehicle and the cold temperatures and the new baby (almost 2 months) I can't go without making some arrangements. Now, typically, those arrangements would be fairly easy to make. I have lots of offers of help, but with DH so busy I find it hard to discuss such things with him. He hardly answered his phone today.

Baby R has been particularly needy and only wanting me - whether she's asleep or awake! Cutie Boy has been missing naps - not quite tired enough at nap time but exhausted by supper time! K was the first with the fever and so I didn't have her help as much this week. CJ helped some, but because K does so much usually, CJ's not quite as reliable or efficient. And now, CJ had a fever today. Good thing K was feeling better.

Miss M is such a willing helper, especially in the kitchen. I need to remember that!

So I was thinking, at the beginning of December, that this month was going to be a relaxing one. At that point I only knew about 3 parties/dinners we had to attend. And they were going to be fun. And those three were. I'm tired. I'm starved for adult attention. Oh, DH's not ignoring me, but I'm getting the tired him. Not the happy-go-lucky, I'm here for you him. And everyone is pretty busy. Christmas is a busy time and it is sneaking up on us!

At least we got our Christmas shopping done. Most of it. DH and I did all of the shopping - for us and for them. Now, K and CJ want in on the action! So, if my man can ever find a little time to be home, we've kinda decided to take each one out to buy something for each of us. That will be a tonne of fun for them! Now I just have to wrap it; that's the funnest party for me, that and the opening of the gifts on Christmas morning! I love filling the stockings!

Usually DH and I watch tv and wrap gifts on Christmas Eve after the children go to bed. It's some special time together; we really get to talk about the kids and how much they are going to love the gifts. Then we go to bed really really late (but that's nothing new!). Then Christmas morning we'll have to wait for DH to get out of bed. He's so not a morning person!!! And he'll make an effort to get up earlier for us, because he knows the rest of us LOVE Christmas morning and are morning people. We'll have bagels and cream cheese and sausage. And a late lunch/ early supper.

This year we are changin' it up! We aren't having turkey. (Can you guess why?) A number of reasons. I have no oven to cook it in. DH's had a lot of turkey and I'll get some this coming Sunday at a friends' home. And we want to! This year we are serving everyone's favorites. Here's the menu:

• Egg rolls (deep fried) with plum sauce (DH's request)
  
• Garlic and Butter Shrimp (DH)
  
• Sweet and Sour Meatballs with Rice (My favorite!)
  
• Peas (mine)
  
• Wonton Soup (DH's; if we can find it, because I don't make it)
• 5 Cup Salad (marshmellow and fruit one; me and the kids)
  
• Stuffing (stove top from a box; DH's)
  
• Mac and Cheese and Hot Dogs (kids)
  
• Strawberry Shortcake (CJ)
  
• Banana Splits (me)
  

I can't wait! The girls will love helping with the different parts! I love teaching them to cook and to work together as a family. I'll try to get pictures, but it is so exciting some times that I forget to pull out the camera.

So, I'm excited for Christmas and it seems so far away yet! Oh, I know, the next week will fly by, but I still am getting very impatient.

And although I gripe and whine about it, we are so blessed that DH has a good steady job. Sometimes the politics over there are a nightmare but he likes the work and the clients. And he is really taking great care of his family! I am a blessed wife and mother.

But sometimes it sure feels good to vent and talk it out with my readers!

I'm off now, as DH has come home during the writing of this very long post, to spend some time with him and enjoy a quiet evening infront of the tv, discussing much that is on my mind.

Blessings to you and your families from us at the Harris House.

Seems like everyone is talking about the tough economic times. I read this blog post today and simply said, Wow! Yes, we are blessed and God will not leave us!

For more photos with words, check out Pink Stinx.

I'm not perfect; we all know it.

Here's my second attempt at Not Me Monday.

I did not misplace both pacifiers sometime Saturday night or Sunday morning. My daughter's need to suck is so strong that I would always have these in a safe place, maybe even attached to her.

I didn't do my errands and head for home only to turn the wrong direction to go read my mail in a parking lot down the block because I wasn't ready to go home yet. I wouldn't do that because I miss my kids so much when I'm away from them. On top of that, I did not go to two Christmas parties this weekend and leave my children with sitters!

I would never serve a gingerbread house and donuts for breakfast so I could sleep in.

I was not so disorganized this week, that Cutie Boy had to wear Princess Pullups until I could get to the store. Nope, not me! My boy is all boy!

I am not hormonal and therefore I did not almost start to cry when Grandma Irene came by with a mended blanket that my grandmother had made for one of my girls before she died. I did not gasp in sheer shock and pleasure. Nope, not me, because I am very level and never super emotional!

Check out My Charming Kids for more Not Me Monday posts. Come and laugh at yourself, just a little.

This was another favorite growing up. I love this version!

For more great music by other bloggers, click the pic!

I haven't done a Works for Me Wednesday post in a LONG time, but I just had to write about this!

All of my crib sheets came apart at the seams, and they were therefore useless as sheets! I know I could very well sew them back up, but I discovered that double-sized fitted sheets folded in half the long way work very nicely. All four fitted corners are on one side of the bed (I put them on the back, against the wall, as we are using the crib as a toddler bed) and then just tuck in the other side. My son slept very well last night, without fighting with his sheets and blankets. I will be doing this from now on. I have a bunch of double sets and no double bed! We sleep on a queen and the spare is a queen. I was going to get rid of these sheet sets - nice flannel - but now I won't!

I hope that helps someone else in a similar predicament.

For more WFMW posts go to Rocks In My Dryer.

Okay, I'm gonna try this. I think I need this little giggle at myself and my week.

Early this week I did not purposely wash and dry 4 loads of laundry and leave it unfolded in baskets knowing full well that two dear ladies were coming the next day to give me a hand. I wouldn't want to give them something to do.

I did not buy my DH his favorite kind of chocolate along with a couple other boxes and then go ahead and eat my whole box in one sitting. Following that, I did not proceed to eat DH's box of chocolate and share it with the children. And following that, I never would have shared a third box with the children!!! I wouldn't do that, because I have self-control.

I did not take away all snacks for two days.

I did not just throw another blanket over a wet bed in the middle of the night just so I could go back to sleep quicker. And I didn't tell one of the girls to do the same on at least one other occasion. I'm not lazy or overtired.

I also did not use the tv as a babysitter so I could take a nap. I did not give in to Cutie Boy's tantrums when I said he couldn't watch Elmo in Grouchland for the gazillionth time this week. And I certainly did not reserve more Elmo dvds through our library system for him either. I would never feed such an obsession.

Oh, and I did not allow my son to rip and tear at board books to just to keep him quiet and in his bed.

There are many many more Not Me Monday posts over at My Charming Kids. Go take a look and a laugh with others this week.

I'll start with the thank you portion of this post, as a lead in to the moment I took for me. In early November, I was looking for recommendations for a digital camera. Well, I didn't get any comments or recommendations on my blog, as you can see by going to that post and looking under comments. However, a friend from high school, whom I have reconnected with through Facebook, messaged me there. She was so kind and generous, saying she had this camera in the closet that they weren't using and did I want it. I was in a state of shock, well, very surprised anyway. All she asked was that I pay for the shipping! Well, it's not very often that you get a deal like that. I asked for more info on the camera and also sent that information to my computer / technology savvy brother for his input. Regardless of what he said, though, we had decided that it was a deal we couldn't pass up. Thanks so much, S!!! Here are some pictures taken with the new "toy".

So, what did I do for me this week? I took the time to get to know the camera a little - snapping pictures like a crazy woman. Who could help themselves with such beautiful children as I have??? Then one evening when all was quite and I had nothing to do because all my work was caught up (HAHAHAHA!) I took the time to install the programs on my computer and learned how to get the pictures from the camera to the computer and then send them to the grandmas and Facebook. It was so much fun and now it's quite easy to just snap a few and transfer right away! The grandparents are going to be very happy to see more pictures of this bunch. (Both sets live too far away to visit often. Although I was blessed to have my parents visit three times this year!! Maybe I'm the favorite. heehee. Just jokin' boys! We all know K is the fav! hee hee)

What did you do, in a moment, just for you this week?? Look for more "moments" over at ShakeTheSalt.

Fun.

Relaxing.

Festive.

December has arrived! Christmas is coming. K has been counting the days since the last week of November. Our little community has a Christmas Light Up Parade each year in early December. This year, the parade was on Friday, the 5th. In the past we have ridden in the fire truck with DH and the other fire fighters, throwing candy to the onlookers. This year with baby R being so new and adding to our family we decided that we'd split up. DH offered to take those of the older ones that wanted to ride with him while I took the little ones to the parade where another fire truck would be sitting. Only K decided to go with her dad.

I bundled the others up; the weather has gotten a little cooler, hovering around the freezing mark. I had them dress in hats, mitts, snow pants, winter coats and boots. We put Cutie Boy in the stroller and Baby R in the wrap under my coat. Off we went walking the two blocks to main street to see the other firemen and parade onlookers. Baby R slept the whole time, snug and warm. Cutie Boy would not keep his hat and mittens on and I was so worried he'd be cold before the parade was over. He proved me wrong. I had to stop Little M from licking the metal billboard outside the auto shop, telling her that it would bleed. Well, given the funny look she gave me, I should have known she didn't understand. A few minutes later she was back with a question. "Mommy, will that bar bleed if I put my hand on it??" I was so confused, but I finally got it and explained to her that I had meant her tongue would bleed, not the sign! And CJ just wanted to run in the street with all the other kids that were waiting for the parade too. Unfortunately for her, I'm a mean mommy, and made her stay on the sidewalk, even though there was no traffic on that street.

We planned nothing on Saturday. We thought, if we got to it, we would decorate our Christmas tree. We get a live tree every year so we usually wait until about 10 days before Christmas. However, we were given one off the float from DH's work. We started early afternoon to get it decorated - moving furniture, cleaning the floor, pulling out decorations, finding something put stand the tree in. Sigh. Then the phone started ringing. DH was on call this weekend. He was finally finished at work around supper time. We hate a quick supper (I'd put it in the crockpot that morning) and then got at the tree. We had a lot of fun! The children did most of it. DH did lights and some of the decorations higher up on the tree, but let me tell you, the bottom of the tree is well decorated!!! They had a blast. I mostly took photos with my new-to-me camera and bounced Baby R in the wrap, directing "traffic" around the tree.

Today was your typical rushed Sunday morning, because Mommy and Daddy slept in, ignoring the alarm. We got there, a little late, without forgetting anything at home. We got everyone settled in the pew, when much to our surprise, the fire pager goes off! And DH's on the run again - with my diaper bag still in the truck, unbeknowns to me. Baby R slept through the whole service. I enjoyed listening with no distractions. We had a potluck after church and while I was dealing with Baby R (she was hungry), I was informed that Little M had an accident and needed clothing! Uh oh! We searched the church for the diaper bag. Not to be found. I am so blessed by my church family. One lady took Baby R and kept her happy while I helped Little M, while another took CJ to the fire hall to get the diaper bag from the truck! And then, we were done at the church before the fire fighters were done at the hall and I was without a vehicle to get my five children home. Again, my church family came to my rescue. A couple guys went and picked it up for me. I knew someone else would take DH home from the hall. Once home, we've had a very relaxing evening.

What a weekend! Tomorrow starts a new week, leading to another very full and fun weekend!

Busy.

Fun.

Relaxing.

Festive.

My brothers and I (there are three of them and one of me) grew up running in circles to this song. We had a great tape of children's Christmas music and this was one of the songs on that tape. My mom had made these great big pillows - we called them "the big red pillows". We would stack these two pillows on top of each other in the middle of the living room floor and run around them like crazy and at "stopping" points through the song we'd stop and flop onto the cushions and onto each other! It's one of my fondest Christmas memories!

For more great songs visit Signs, Miracles and Wonders.