Weeks 45, 46 & 47 Happy December

It's been a whirlwind month...lots of fun... lots of planning and lots of thinking...

With the end of the year approaching, I have been thinking about 2011 and about the changes I have gone through.. some big and some small..some have stuck and some have not...some have changed me inside and in ways that I could not verbalize.

I have loved this journey and have realized that I have miscounted some how!! So it looks like I will only have 50 changes this year!! BUT... 2012 will be one of my biggest chnages ever... but you have to wait a few weeks more to find out what...

Week 44- Turkey Day Table for 4

This year for Thanksgiving, we sat down to a small dinner.. just the four of us. No driving...no big dinner... no stress.
Don't get my wrong.. I love my extended family... but this year, we just wanted to just enjoy our new home... and eat our salmon (we have introduced fish back into the diet) and it was perfect!!

Week 43- The No Fuss Birthday Party

It's an oxymoron, right? But this year... I knew that LG wanted to have a party and he wanted it at home...and he wanted a Super Top Secret Spy Party.
I have been known to go over the top... to stress about something to the point of exhaustion but I was determined that THIS would not happen with this party...and I have to say.. it was perfect!! LG had a blast... and I even let him help decorate (which was a BIG change on my part!!)
I learned that it's ok if the vision in my head doesn't actually happen...that what matters are the memories that my family is making in the process!!

Week 42- Marital Bliss

The Hubby and I just celebrated 8 years of marriage... and I'm not going to say it was all smooth sailing. As the song goes "love is not a fight, but is something worth fighting for..." We have had ups...and we have had downs...we have laughed and cried...but we have never gone to bed angry and we have never let an argument last longer than a day.
I think one of the biggest changes that I have made in my marriage is to understand that it is NOT just the 2 of us.. but that our marriage works because we have invited Christ into our lives. It works!!!

Week 41- Bus Pass

I knew it was going to happen...the day that we told LG that we were going to move, he asked about riding the bus to school. I said "Yeah, sure...when we move" knowing that it was in the future... Then the day came for us to ACTUALLY move.. he asked again...I said "Yeah, sure..but I have to change our info at your school first..." We unpacked boxes...and he asked AGAIN...I changed the info at school..and signed him up for the bus... "I said, you'll start next week..." And then "next week" came and he reminded me (many, MANY times) so it happened.. my little boy.. my baby..my first born changed into a bus rider!!

The first few days, he just rode the bus home from school.. I would walk down to his stop (which is ONLY down the street) and would meet him. He looked SO big getting off the bus with the other kids. So happy..so proud!!

The he said to me.."I want to to take the bus TO school.."
Woah!!
The bus picks up at 7:49am.
Our household IS NOT morning people.
This is going to be hard.

But, this morning, we did it.. up, dresses, breakfast eaten, teeth and hair brushed and out the door to the bus stop...
and suddenly, my baby boy is a big kid...a change that I SWEAR happened overnight!!

Week 40- Another Candle on the Cake

It's a change we cannot avoid..a change that happens every year... and change that I L-O-V-E!!!

MY BIRTHDAY!!!!!

Yes, I am one of those people that counts down to their birthday...and I celebrate my half birthday too! I LOVE birthdays..not just my own. I love making that person feel special.. after all, it IS their special day!! It's something that my mom did for me..and that I do for my kids...making their birthdays a BIG DEAL... 'cause that what they are! :)

I don't care what the number is... I don't care that I have closer to 35 than to 25... all I care about is that I have another year to enjoy..to love, to laugh and to spend with my loves ones!!

Bring on the cake!!!

Week 39- Address Change

All the planning and packing and preparing and patience (looks like this post is brought to you by the letter P) have paid off and we finally have moved!!!

I have moved before...and it's not an experience that I love...I dislike it with every part of my being. I stress out...I cry...I freak...I even yell... it's very hard to have your world rocked like that. Especially when you're attempting to keep some everyday order going too... just becuase you're moving, doesn't mean that life stops..you still need to shop for groceries, wash clothes, get the kids to school, shower..brush your teeth...etc. I wish there was a pause button, where I could focus JUST on the move..and then restart life when the last piece of tape seals the last box. But sadly, that cannot be...and for a few weeks, my life is like a snow globe with all my life's bits and pieces swirling around me while I try to shove them into boxes...sigh...

BUT...the happy news is that it's done.. NO, we are not 100% unpacked and I don't think we will be by Thanksgiving, BUT..beds are in places, dishes are unpacked and the laundry have re-piled itself..so, LIFE is back on...just in a new location.

Week 38-A Change on the INSIDE

I have been feeling a change on the "inside" of me... in my heart...in my soul.
I have always considered myself a Christ follower...attending church regularly, doing good, loving others... but recently I have began to feel different... as if I have "grown more" in my Christian life. And this song is what my "heart" sings:

Week 37- Purge..Purge..Purge

Since the house is now ours, we now feel like we're "allowed" to start packing...and packing in my head also meaning "purging." I love it! Throwing it out... giving it away... my favorite saying is "if you haven't used it in 6 months.. you will never use it... so, get rid of IT!"
But it's hard... we become attached to material things.
Emotionally attached.
These items remind us or a person, of a time, of an event...
but, what I began to think about is, 'Why am I attached to this thing, when I can be attached to something more substantial?"
So, this opened my eyes...and gave me the "ok" to get rid of the things...but not the memories.

Week 36- Home Owners!!!

It finally happened... we signed THE papers.. we OWN the house!!!
This is a change that we have been praying about for months... a change that has brought about many other changes in our lives. And it will continue to bring more changes... and I am so excited about what will become!

Week 35- Back to School.. Back to School...

The Hubby and I have enrolled in Marriage Care University (MCU) at our church. We don't look at it as if we're facing any BIG problems or that we're in "need" of counseling... we're just "continuing our education." :) The best quote from the The Hubby is this, "Why would you try to patch up the holes in your roof in the middle of a hurricane when you could be prepared BEFORE the storm?" The "course" we're taking is called "Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage."

When The Hubby and I were engaged in 2002, we took a pre-martial class called "Saving Your Marriage Before it Starts" and it was amazing. I think that if we hadn't taken that class, we would be facing a different kind of "course" today. I am not saving that we DON'T have our problems, because we do.. we argue and we fight.. but we know how to work them out and we have learned that in the end, we BOTH know that this is a fight worth fighting for.

It saddens me that when we tell friends and family that we're taking this class, their first response is, "Is everything alright?" People automatically go right to the negative.. when in my eyes (and The Hubby's) we're just doing some "fine tuning" of our marriage. Just like you bring your car into the mechanic to get the oil changed and the tires rotated every few months, we're just making sure all our parts are oiled and running smoothly.

Just think that you bought your brand new car, and then never took it to the shop to get it checked out...the check engine lights comes on, the brakes start to squeal and the tires start to get thin... once you do take it in (practically dragging/pushing/pulling it in) you hear ALL that is wrong with it and HOW much its going to cost..and you might just decide that it's not worth it and you don't even know WHERE to start...and it might just be easier to send it to the junk yard.

Marriage is a beautiful journey... it has highs and lows.. it has ups and down... but I am glad that I have been given a wonderful man to take this journey with me and everyday, in the midst of all our messy days and sleepless nights... I look at the man that I have married and thank God that He gave me this gift. And I will keep this marriage "fine tuned" and "running".

Week 34- Friendship, Fellowship & Food

This week marks the beginning of my 2nd year with MOPS and this year I am excited to be on the 2011-12 Steering Committee as the Publicity Chair (i.e. newsletter, emails, social media)
When LG was born in 2005, I found a mom's group that I felt that I fit right into... I found mothers that I could relate to...mothers that were going through the same thing that I was..at the same time. The kids began to grow, they began to walk, began to run, and our lives began to change. Soon our weekly play dates turned into monthly and then into "whenever we can meet up" My life was filled with 4 year old fun... and then I found out that we were expecting LC. All my friends have "BIG KIDS"... who will I have play dates with? Who will this little one grow up with? Last fall, I joined MOPS... and I found a group of mothers that I fit right into... I found mothers that I can relate to...mothers that were going through the same thing that I am!

Week 33-Just Say No

Hi, my name is Katy and I'm a sweet-a-holic! I LOVE cookies, cakes, ice cream, candy...I could go on and on. I have a secret affair with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and will hide them in the freezer for a mid day treat! I convince myself that I "deserve" it (and many days, I do!) But I am making the choice to go... COLD TURKEY! That mean no more mint chocolate chip cookies, no more double fudge brownies, no more Ben & Jerry's ice cream... and here is the REAL problem... I LOVE TO BAKE!!! So, I will keep my baking... but I will send the yummy confections, right out the door. I will share them with family and friends... even strangers... I will watch THEM enjoy the yummy treats and relish in the happiness that it brings them. And yes..I will treat myself... when I feel like I deserve it!

Week 32-Why do they call it a SHORT sale?

Today was supposed to be our (2nd? 3rd?) closing date... we're still in the "hurry up and wait" mode and I know that this is where my faith is being tested. As my mother has reminded me, "you laid it down at the cross, do not pick it back up when things start to not go the way you want them to..." We have faith in His choice for us. We know that He lead us to this home. I felt the love and the warmth the moment I set foot into the dark wood front door. When LC, The Hubby and I were there, I kept thinking, "All we're missing is LG and then it would be complete." I could see our little family in the walls of the 1950's home.. I could hear the laughter and I could see the parties in the backyard. I still can. I know it will happen... but it will happen in His time.. and I am learning to "let go and let God"

Week 31- It Feels Like Yesterday...

The BIG DAY is finally here.. my little baby... the little one that changed my life forever (and for good!) ...the baby that entered the world with lungs blaring and a little pee on the nurse had his FIRST day of kindergarten today! We have started a new chapter in our book of life... and it's a chapter that I knew was coming, but one that I wasn't fully ready to start. I know that he was in preschool and mommy's day out programs, but we always had our spcail days to hit the zoo, or story-time, or to head out to Sea World just becuase we wanted to see the sharks and play in the water... those days are gone. Starting today, he will be in school 5 days a week, from 8:30am to 3pm. Starting today, he will learn and grow on his own... coming home to share with me all the exciting things. Starting today... I look at my baby and I see a BIG KID!

Week 30-A Happy House

While preparing for LG's start of kindergarten... we have begun to revamp our "House Rules" and I feel that it's been a nice change or everyone... we have seen less yelling, less crying (from mommy especially) and more togetherness... it's a proven fact that kids like structure. We just have to provide them with enough to learn their mistakes from and grown from...

Here are OUR "Rules for a Happy House":

1) R-E-S-P-E-C-T! No Disrespect to Mommy, Daddy or Brother

2) Yakkty-Yak...Don't Talk Back!

3) Be polite! Use “Please,” “Thank You,” “Yes Mam/Sir,” and “No Mam/Sir”

4) Don't be an Octopus! Keep Your Hands and Feet to Yourself

5) No Door Slamming…ever!

6) Thumper said it best...No Name Calling or Disrespectful Faces

7) When told to do something, do it with a SMILE J (no grunting/noises/faces)

8) Dinner is over when Mommy and Daddy are done. It's not an all night diner!

9) Be Polite...If a Door is Closed… Knock First! And then wait...

10) Sharing is caring...ALL toys in the Living Room or Play Room are shared. If you want to play with a toy alone, you must play with it in your bedroom.

Week 29-UnPlugged

I'm not talking about the MTV show from the 90's where artists "unplugged" their instruments and played their songs acoustically... I'm talking about a full 3 days of "unplugged-ness"... no phone, no text messages, no internet, no email, no FaceBook(!!!)... it was one of the HARDEST changed that I did but once it was completed.. it was one of the MOST rewarding changes! I'm shocked as to how obsessed we are with being "connected" when in reality.. we're so "DIS-connected" ... unplugging myself made me aware of my everyday and made me closer to my everyday!

Week 28-Changes all around

This week, LG went to camp at our church, Discovery Church...an awesome camp called U Games. And everyday, when he came home.. I saw changes in HIM that I was amazed at and gave me peace as a parent. Many times, we're not sure if we're doing the right thing when it comes to parenting... its a scary roller coaster... but when you hear your child come home and say to you 'Mommy, I want Jesus in my heart..." You just KNOW that you're doing something right! And amazingly, it brought changes in me that made me want to be stronger in my own faith... how awesome is that?

Week 27-A Week Off

It's been six months of change so far! I cannot belive it... 26 changes in my life and I'm learning so much about myself... it's a beautiful thing!!!

Week 26-Not Your College Road Trip

This week, the boys didn't have camp... and I was antsy... so, we left town and headed to Melbourne (where my in-laws live)...ALONE... no Hubby...just me and my boys... ROAD TRIP!

It was wonderful... and I was actually rested and ready to return home ready to face the daily challenges. Yes, I was still on "duty" but not in my own house... so I was able to focus JUST on my boys and enjoy them without stressing about laundry and cleaning and etc...

I will admit, I was nervous... but now, after the fact... I'm ready for more adventures just me and my boys... this is a change I can see far into the future!