:: getting things done ::

I love feeling like I have accomplished things and this week I have! 

It has been overwhelming for me this week.  The kids and going through all this again with Larry working.  It isn't my favorite thing in the world to do but it is where we are at and it is getting things accomplished.  Larry told me by New Years 2 more debts will be gone.  If that is the case I will have no more debt!  I finished mine last year and took on his 2 credit card debts since I could get him a lower interest rate that he had and all we will have is the new van debt and what he has left from his last credit card he has.  I can't wait to tell you all when the last 2 are paid off!  And that I am done with my debt and how much we have paid off!  It is crazy and will surprise you all and is embarrassing but so worth paying off after 2.5 years off trying and going through getting out of debt! I haven't used a credit card in 2.5 years and my credit card amount is 0.00!  I have it just in case we have an emergency and to keep our credit score good.  I was so humbled when we saw our credit score when we bought the van it was 1/2 better than when we got the Kia before Hunter was born.  It was fun and exciting to see it and to know we were putting money down for the van :)  Baby steps but we are learning.  But enough of that back to my getting things done!  It just makes being overwhelmed with life to know that we are so close to being out of debt even if we all can't be together like normal families.  We just want to be normal but we got us where we are right now and this is how we can get us out of our past wrongs.

I got alot done this week!  I had Monday off and I took Hunter to school and Grace to daycare and came home and went to bed cause I woke up with a headache and unhappy children cause I didn't take Hunter to daycare and Grace didn't want to go to daycare.  So I got home and I went to be at 9:30 am and woke up at noon!  I haven't slept that well in ages and my headache was gone.  I think I needed the sleep and needed to rest up.  Then I went and tackled Christmas shopping and 2 birthday boys presents!  4 stores later I was done and picked up my kiddos and felt so much better about life!  I also finished Grace's birthday invites for the family!  My rule I made was that the kids have to have their birthday at our house until they are 5.  Why?  Cause I was trying to get out of debt!  It is so much easier and cheaper to do parties at your house and not invite friends and their parents cause it just cost more.  So Grace has one more birthday to deal with at our small house.  I feel bad for family about making them all come to our house and deal with the close quarters but next year it will be different!  Anyways, kids don't really have friends until Preschool or Kindergarten so this works perfectly!  Her invites are pretty cute too for her dog party she even told me she loved them :)  The VERY cool thing about her birthday party is her Papa will be here for it!  This is the first time he will be present for her birthday!  She turns 4 on January 8th and her party we are doing on January 1st so he can be here for it.  I don't think she will mind that it is early she just doesn't know it.  It will be a win win situation.  She will have her Papa here and her Papa will be happy to be here for it.  Amazing what you do for the people you love. I have always in the past done my kids birthday parties on their actual birthday so it isn't confusing for them.  This year I am branching out and making my man feel a part of his daughter's birthday.

I have also gotten chores and projects done around the house and it feels so good to get them done and out of the way!  I got my kids school paper bins done and I love them! 

I ordered my Christmas cards!  I love them!  I used a groupon or Living Social for Picture People when Larry was home a couple months ago and got us to get family pics done and some of both kids!  It was the best idea ever cause we bought the CD of the photo shot and now I used the pics and put them in our Christmas card!  All I have to do now is drag my kiddos to Costco!

I started walking!  Baby steps, but I was able to get out 2 times this week with Misha and get our walk on!

I did laundry today and I had no laundry in the washer or dryer or the basket.  I started with a clean laundry room!   I haven't done that in forever!  It was such an awesome feeling!

I am halfway done using my candles. :)

I haven't really blogged about Hunter's hockey stuff.  He passed the skating class that put him in learn to play hockey a couple months back and he was so excited and went to the first class and the first fun hockey game.  He was so cute and in his element.  Then that week I got a call from a lady that said they had a problem with Hunter and that he needed to go back to his skating lessons and take a few months and try to pass it again.  He was the youngest in the learn to play hockey and the slowest.  I was so bummed and so mad at how they approached it.  I put him back in skating lessons and Hunter was so bummed cause he wanted to be with his friend and keep doing hockey but he was a trooper about it and did what he was supposed to do.  So he didn't pass all the elements of the last skating class and I had been dragging my feet all week to sign him back up in that class.  I called today to sign him back up in the skating class and after I did the person I was talking to asked if he was trying to be a hockey player and I said yes and she said there was a new class that was starting that he could go into!  I was very hesitant cause I didn't want to go through this again and pull him out.  I had the lady ask his coach if he was ready and I got the call he could go into this new class!  I am so excited for my Buddy!  I signed him up!  It doesn't work with my work schedule but with my mom's help and Larry's too when he is home we will get him there!  When I picked Buddy up after school I replayed the voicemail of the lady saying his coach said he could go to the class to learn to play hockey and he was so happy and he told me "mama that almost makes me cry" and I told him Buddy it made me cry knowing you can go to the class to learn to play hockey!  So we are back to learning to play hockey and goodbye learning to skate!  And if they tell me again he can't be there I will not be happy and they will have to talk to the coach that told him he could!

My Grace has been using up paper and tape like crazy!  She is my little artist and I can't keep up with her!  She draws and writes so good and she is only 3.5 almost 4! If you tell her to draw something she will.  If you tell her to write something she will just tell her the letter.  She is crazy smart.  So this year both my kids are getting something used for Christmas and I am using what I got and making it cooler for them and saving money at the same time!  I would tell you what I am doing but maybe Christmas week I will I don't want to spill it!  Just know that my kids will love both things and I spent maybe $100 each more or less on both of them because of the used gifts they both got!  I am so excited about it all and that I came up with the idea and that I kept with my goal! 

I think that is all I can think of about getting things done at least I finally blogged now I just got to take pictures with my camera and not my phone!

Here is a picture of my Buddy at his Feast at Kindergarten!  My mom went for me since I had to work.  The bummer part of working is you have to miss out on fun stuff like this...



But he had a great time and it didn't phase him that I wasn't there :)  He is too darn handsome I can't stand it!  I am so proud of him and what he has accomplished so far in his 5 year lifetime!  Have I blogged that he can read up to a First Grade winter term kid and further!  Yep!  My Hunter he amazes me!  I don't have to read books to him anymore he reads every word almost perfect!  Yes, he will miss one or two here but he is dead on with reading!  If I read a book wrong he will tell me cause he is reading along with me.  So proud of my big boy don't know how he got so smart but he is and his sister isn't too far away from him!  So proud of both my kids they are both sharp little cookies!  Watch out world for my little Robinson's!

Night and hugs to you all.
Al

:: taylor swift ::

My favorite artist for November is Taylor Swift.  This song is my fav right not cause it isn't repeated over and over again on the radio.  I love the music!  The words are ok.  I just love songs that have guys and girls singing in it.  Enjoy :)



and I also like this one too...



I seem to like songs about relationships it might be because Larry isn't home right now and working and for some reason I listen to music more when he is gone.  It must be because when we were seperated I listened to music alot and listened to the words more and grew from that.  It is amazing when you go through stress of everyday life how even music can make everything better.  Just singing songs, dancing to music, and singing at the top of your lungs makes everything happier. 

My candle goal is going great!  I have used up all my tealights and my candle that has a wick that sounds like a fire.  I have one of my big candles going right now and it is 1/2 way burnt.  So excited to go through my candles and I can't wait to get new ones!  Goodbye ones I have had for years hello new ones that I will not keep as long as these!

Kiddos are great I will blog about them next time, promise :)

:: fall goal number two ::

I am happy to say that I already finished my second goal!  Yeah, me!  It was degut my yard and prep for Fall!  I did this last Sunday while the kids were playing in the house.  I love doing deguting plants!  Larry isn't a fan and doesn't understand why I have to chop it all to the ground but I just do!  I love knowing that when it gets really cold and snows that my plants and bushes aren't dying anymore and their leaves are not looking yucky.  I love the look of that is is Fall and I have prepped my yard for it!  I got my pumpkins I grew in my garden on our porch and all the outside toys are put away so they don't get ruined for next year.  All the junk under my little carport is gone and all that is left is recycling and the garbage can.  Larry helped me a couple weeks ago gut the garden as much as we could and just knowing it looks better and things are not dying and rotting makes me smile.  My other goal is to get so many other projects done this weekend that I have just kept putting off for the last month.  Will see if it gets accomplished.  Another part of goal number two is to post pictures from each month last year and present and see how big my whomps are growing!  Here is the first picture it was when family went to the railroad farm in Canby :)

 

 

And when I get the pics of each of my kiddos on their school pumpkin patches I will post them for you!

Fall goal number 3 is read more, watch more movies at home, and save money for my first pair of cowboy boots!


:: lucy and hunter ::

Lucy is 11 years old and in the last year or so she has starting to be a more lovely dovey cat.  She has never, ever been a lap cat.  She will give you head butts and let you pet her and she has the softest fur ever and has seen I got her when she was a kitten.  Besides me her fav is now Hunter.  Hunter loves her even more now that she is all about him.  Kramer used to be his fav but not anymore.  Lucy and Hunter are buds.  This is her new thing in the above picture.  She waits for him in his bed.  :)  Remember she is 11 years old and the last year or so she found a safe haven in Hunter's bed away from Kramer and she loves being up high.  Dude has the top bunk.  So she climbs and claws her way up to his bed up his ladder everyday during the day and every night.  Sometimes she will sleep in there with him it depends if the kids are too loud when they go to bed.  When I start getting the kids going to go to bed if she isn't in his bed already she is on her way and will go in after he does.  I put a gate up in front of their door cause I don't want Kramer to sleep with them cause he wakes them up but when I move it in the morning Lucy will sometimes go in there to wake him up in his bed.  Or she will knock down the gate to get in his room.  It is so crazy.  So, I thought I would give you a little info about my oldest animal and my oldest kiddo and the love they have for each other.  Super sweet!

:: fall goal number one ::

My first goal for this Fall season is to use up all my old Party Lite candles and Yankee candles (the top ones) and get more Scentsy candles (the bottom ones)!  So I started this goal last year and this is what I am left with from last Fall!  I am so close to getting my old candles out for some new ones!  But I will let you know that my ultimate fav candles are the flamless ones from Costco that have timers in them!  I ask for more each Christmas!  They don't smell and they light up when you want them to and I just love, love, love them. 

 

So there you have it!  I hope to get more Scentsy warmers cause at the moment I only have one but I can't use it until I have reached my goal and then I will go to town with them! I love candles in Fall but I have had alot of these in the picture for a few years and these puppies have to go and be burned up in my house ASAP! Burn with the old to get ready for some new!

:: my girl and her papa

Someone took this picture this weekend at a reception we went to and I just love how Grace's eyes sparkle and how happy she is and her Papa can make her this way all the time :)

:: fall ::

I love Fall.  It is my fav season of the year.  Here is why...

candles

sunflowers

pumpkin pictures with my family

the crisp cold air

rainboots

tea and warm beverages

watching movies

boots

leggings

baking cookies

 

I can't believe October is here! My kids are in full swing with school and they both love it now! It took Grace a week and half and now she loves it. I think she had to get used to her weeks being different and now she has friends at school and share days have started and she was excited when her brother did share days now she does. My kids had there school photos last week and we got Grace's back and she looks like such a big girl in them. I can't wait to get Hunter's! I also used a Groupon at Picture People to get a family picture of the 4 of us when Larry was home and it was so fun and I am so glad I did it! Now we will have updated school pictures on the wall and a family picture of us all. Here they are!

 



 This is the one I used with our Groupon!  We haven't taken a family picture like this for a couple of years :)

 This is so my kids.  Silly.  Always silly

 They were pretty much done posing by this picture.

 Love.  This so shows my kids to a T.  My girl loves her brother and he is just him.

 A little to much saying cheese on this one.

 Jump.  Grace did this the best.

 Grace showing some of her attitude.

 My big boy.

 He makes me smile.

 My big girl.

 She makes me laugh.  She looks scared here.

 My baby.



I am so glad I used this Groupon!  It was fun and even though my kids had no clue what they were doing we did it as a family and when we were done went to there favorite resturant...Spaghetti factory for a very late dinner.  Alot has gone on and I have taken tons of pictures but with my phone but my camera is on my desk!  Larry has changed jobs and we are Canada bond again.  But this comes with alot more money and hopefully all our debt Larry's and mine will be paid and we will be able to sell our house debt free and be Canby bond where both kids go to school.  That would be a great dream will see how the winter goes and next March we should see the benefits of continuing this path of Larry being gone and me and the whomps doing what we have done for years.  Sigh.  I wish it wasn't this way but maybe it was meant to be. 

Happy October everyone!




:: mumford & sons

This is my favorite band for October just a week early :)  Enjoy

:: my goal this week ::

Oh this is a doosy of a goal!  My kitchen cabinets, fridge and pantry are full of food and whatever that I need to do a big clean out of it and use up stuff and get it eaten and cleaned up.  I have couponed alot and stocked my pantry up and now I need to use it up.  I started this goal this weekend I am going to try to use up as much as I can without going to the grocery store to buy more food.  I will still go to the store to get the kids there must have's but other then that we are going to clean up and use up what I have.  I am doing this to get all my expired stuff out and try something new!  I bought a book that I am so excited to get! 

http://www.easylunchboxes.com/trader-joes-book/

And I love Trader Jo's!  But I want to go on my first big food shopping trip to TJ's and not have to worry about where to put everything in my fridge, freezer, cabinets, and pantry cause I have no room!  So will see how my big clean up goes and the best part is I will be saving money this week which is another good thing :)  Will see how creative I can get with what we have the kids are gonna love me they are such picky eaters this will be fun!

Also, promise to take pictures with my awesome camera!  I went to put batteries in it but I don't have the right kind!  So when I do make it to the store sometime it is on my list to get said batteries then watch out world pictures will be taken and put on my blog!

:: life ::

 

This is me in a nut shell...

 

  *** Right now I have one whomper asleep and one awake and I have Keith Urban going on my iTunes on the computer.  This is just another night in my life.  :) 

*** Both my whomps are in school!  This is the first year ever and let me tell you it is alot to keep up with it but I am secretly liking it.  Don't tell anyone.

***  I have made 2 Pioneer Woman recipes in the last 2 days this is so a record!  I am getting better at this thing called cooking. :)

*** I am so much stronger that I love it when someone calls me Boss it makes me feel in charge!  Cause I guess I kinda am and I am liking it, alot!  No lie :)

***  I probably drink to much wine, but if you were a single parent most of the month you might drink too much wine, too.  Just saying.  It makes me feel like an adult after I have worked all day and then I need to be the parent to my whomps who need me the most right now.

***  Larry might start going back to Canada and go back to his previous job but different position and something more cool for him.

*** My buddy can read like no other.  He can ready level 3 books and I can't keep up with him and his reading.  He amazes me.  He hates to color but loves to learn.

*** My big girl is finally excited to go to her first year of Preschool!  It took 3 days of going and now she is set and is excited to go tomorrow!  She is not to far behind her brother in how smart she is.  She learns from him and soaks in all he learns and runs with it.

*** I am overwhelmed with the housework on the weekends but by Sunday I get a hand on it and take over and get it done.  Last weekend I tackled the outside.  Baby steps but it is starting to look better.

*** I still haven't started walking for my goal of doing a half marathon next year but I will start soon, promise!


I was going to try to download a picture of my whomps but I don't have any!  They are all on my phone so I will see what I can do tomorrow!

Night.

hugs,
me

:: camera ::

I finally took my camera out of the house in I don't know how many months.  I got a new camera strap that made it more spiffy and it was more padded then my last strap and I was so excited to use my camera!  And take tons of pictures for you all!  But I forgot to check the battery in it and it was dead so I went to my old stand by my awesome phone.  On my list of things to do is get batteries for my camera :)

I jazzed my blog up a bit and added my boys pic instead.  I got lots going on and can't wait to blog it!  Back on FB but I think I am going to slow down on that and blog more.  Lucky for you all who read my blog :)

hugs, me.

:: meet and greets ::

Today was BOTH my kids meet and greets for school!  Seriously, this is a big day for me!  My baby is in her first year of Preschool and my oldest is in Kindergarten!  Please make them stop growing!  This was my first official day going back to working 4 days a week and now I have Thursday's off!  Whoo Hoo!  Not great on the paycheck but I am thinking being a mom once a week and taking my kids to school and picking them up is going to make me feel better about not doing it the other 4 days and having to work and rely on family to help me.  So, my first Thursday off I got to go to both my kids meet and greets!  Yeah!  It was fun!  We started off the morning dropping Hunter off at Nana's and Larry and I took Grace to Hunter's old Preschool and she got to officially go in his old class and do stuff that Hunter got to do and she didn't and she was a happy little clam.  She get's to have one of Hunter's teachers and meet a new one and she fit in pretty good.  The only thing she didn't do was talk to the boys in her class but that will have to come with time.  She is so excited to be in Hunter's old school I think she will do ok there.  Will see next week that is when she starts!  It is so weird for me to put my baby in a school and know she isn't with me and her brother who she depends on all the time but thank goodness she knows one of the teachers and she knows one of the girlies in her class! 

My buddy had his meet and greet today and this one is harder for me.  He is getting so big and it is a a class he goes in 5 days a week and that is a big step for me.  He also has to do buses for a couple of the days and that is hard for me.  I wish I could be a stay at home mom so my kiddos don't have to go through this but it isn't going to happen.  He met his teacher and he was a little shy but I think he will come around.  His teacher said his class has alot more boys then girls in it the most she has ever had so maybe it will be good for him to be around this many boys but in Preschool is fav was a girl :). 

It was a hard day for this mama and I think next week will be harder.  I am going to try my best to make it to both kids first day and pick them both up but with work it is tough but I am going to try my best for me and for my whomps.  Crazy that they are both in school!  But they both need it cause they are so smart and they need the socialization and this is the best way I think I can give it to them. 

We survived meet and greet will see how next week goes :)

:: family rules ::

I have wanted a framed art that I have loved for awhile and I am gonna buy it soon just haven't yet but this is what it says.

FAMILY RULES

keep your promises

Share

think of others before yourself

Say I love you

LIsten to your parents

Do your best

Say please and thank you

Always tell the Truth

Laugh at yourself

Hug often

Use kind Words

Love each other

I think this framed art says it all.  When I get this wall art I am putting it up above my desk so I see it, Larry sees it, and whomps see it.  It is a good family motto. :)



:: me ::

I love Irish or any soundtrack kind of music and my new favorite music artis is Elizaveta!  So she is my music fav for the month of July even though the month is almost over.  I love her crazy look and I wish I could sing as high as she does :) but I was not blessed with that octave. 

Today my youngest was too grumpy and my oldest and I went skating and had a good time until he was too tired and I realized I need to get them out more and running. But that makes me sad cause I feel like I am trying so hard to be a mom and take care of the house that I realize that I am failing in keeping them in shape so it makes me sad. So I gotta figure out how to take care of me and them in regards to our health so just another thing to add to my list but I love them so it is worth it.  I wish I lived in Canby sometimes cause this would all be so much easier with family right there but gotta do what we gotta do just wish I knew how it is all gonna work out. 

So I gotta figure out what to do with me and how to change my attitude about it all and do better for me kids and get them out and about in the outdoors and still get the housework done and get them into making their world healthy for them and it all starts with me.  me.  so I better be a good example and get them out of our doors and realize that our house can just be messy and we need air and we need to work our leg muscles cause Hunter's get tired after a half an hour on the ice and we/I need to see we need to work on our strengths in our muscles and it all starts with me and how I show/train my whomps how the real world is in regards to how we work our muscles and bones and the bodies we have been given.  me.  i am the one to show them.  good luck to me :)

:: weekends ::

I am not gonna lie weekends are hard for me.  Why?  Cause I don't want to do it all on my own.  Stupid, I know.  But after doing this for over 3 years and 1 year by myself I am not a fan of weekends.  Not going to be until we are all together and I don't have to do it by myself anymore. Why?  Cause it is so much more fun to have our Papa with us cause I know I am not alone, I know that I will have help, I know that I will have an adult to talk to in the house and be an adult with, I know that I will be able to sleep in or go take a walk by myself, I know that I don't have to take care of the house and yardwork by myself, and I know that I will have Larry with me and have some us time.  When he isn't here it is just me and the whomps and I am doing it all.  So I am still not a fan of weekends and now it is a little harder cause Hunter's skating lessons are on Wednesday evening instead of Saturday mornings so now I really have to keep us going and clean the house and yard on Saturday instead of Sunday. So it brings me to tonight which is another night getting ready for a new weekend and for some reason I am bummed because me, him, and the whomps are were we are at today.  The picture above makes me smile cause my mom has captured this smile on Larry and Grace twice now in two seperate pictures and it shows how much we all need him here but we know we can't have him so will enjoy him the weekends that he is here with us.