I don't know what I am doing!!!

Well...here I am...almost 1 year later since I last posted. I have thought many times 'I should update my blog' and well, I just haven't done so. Today I have decided to do just that. I am really not very successful. I have found some great backgrounds, but then it changes my entire layout. Or my picture gets cut off. After about 3seperate attempts I finally decided just to write a post. I'll revisit the design thing a little later on. After all I have other things to do....like check on my children or finish the piles of laundry that I have waiting for me. So here is my post after about 362 days of hiatus and my blog looks a bit frazzled and out of control. And that is OK by me......for now anyways!!



~Joann

Cranky Pants!

I've been feeling a wee bit cranky these past few days. Most likely due to being sick, not sleeping well and running around everywhere with all my little munchkins.

There have been times when it feels like it would be so great to just be mean. I mean what a relief that would be to just really say what first comes to your mind. Not that I would actually do this, but I'm just thinking how wonderful it might be to just say what really comes to mind...no filter, just say it. Of course this would be ideal if you could do it without actually being hurtful. Just a wee bit of a stress relief! I know people who very much do this and well, let me tell you it doesn't serve them well. They find themselves in predicaments that I could not/would not imagine being in. I have enough going on in my life I don't need to bring any more excitment or stress to it! I most definitely know that being mean is not the answer. And I have not been mean. I have just been thinking about what I want to say when I shouldn't. And then move on.  So, what is the answer when you feel as though you do not have one ounce of patience left? When you don't think you can handle one more child crying (over stupid little things, that really have no life relevance!), when you do not feel like feeding one more mouth, when you do not want to find the 'blessing' or good things in life, when sometimes it would be nice to just be selfish? 

This is me right now. Cranky, tired, desiring to be selfish. Yet still taking care of my children, my husband, all those wonderful things that I signed up for many years ago. Sometimes you just have to suck it up and keep on trucking along.

~Joann

Summer Days

Here we are June 11, 2010 and I am just now checking in. I would swear that since 'summer' is here and school is over we appear to be busier than during school. Park adventures, playing outside until it is bedtime, VBB (vacation bible blast!), running errands, t-ball practice and games....and it goes on. All in all it has started off to a fun summer, only seems to be busy. This is apparent to me when it takes me almost the whole week just to get laundry done. We are either not home for a long enough to do it or there are a gazillion kids hanging around it just doesn't get done...not to mention the short cute little guy who still needs quite a bit of supervision while outside. So, needless to say I have several sorted piles of clothes in the middle of my family room waiting to be washed. Atleast I have folded them once they are done...that must count for something.

I have become un-inspired to cooking. Don't get me wrong I like to cook and bake, however I lost my zest, excitement, just plaine energy to come up with something EVERY night. At the end of May I started writing a menu for the first half of June. And that list is completely blank - except for the days of the week on it. How about some effort for trying??? Does that count? There is always tomorrow...

I have grass growing out front and some out back. I am quite excited at how it looks, especially since it was just mowed last night. Part weeds, part grass makes for nice greenness!! I also made a new flower bed in the back yard. Now I just need to get back to weeding it and put up a boarder around it and I'll be happy. Ok, as happy as one can be about slaving away at yard work.

My kids have been driving me nuts - and normally they don't (that much!) I have noticed them being mean and rude to one another....drives me bonkers!!!!! I still love them and wouldn't trade them for ANYTHING!! Or any other kid(s).

I still want to redo my Blog and blog more often. I suppose I should make myself a schedule then I would do it....probably not. It's not that I am all that poor at time management, I just don't have much time. When it comes to sitting and breathing for a few minutes in peace/quiet versus writing a blog - I usually pick that sitting quiet option.

Emily has started playing T-Ball. She is very cute at it, of course there isn't much she isn't cute at!!! She has fun with it. Although I must say that I am excited to have her back in dance. She loves that sooo much. Nathan has decided to not playing baseball this summer, which is fine by us!

I am slowly fading at focusing on writing this and have started thinking about how the house should be picked up and laundry tended to....so I am off for now.

~Joann

Days 5 - 10 of Summer Break

Ok - here is a recap of our week - exciting I am sure you will find it to be - here goes:

Wed, Day 5 - Good ol' fashion, piddles around the house, play games, jump on the trampoline, run in the sprinklers, do nothing energy excerting type of day!!!

Thurs, Day 6 - Lazy morning, make picnic lunch, head to America the Beautiful park (forget the camera), take the neighbor girls with to the park, run around like monkeys, come home from park and eat popsicles on the patio, run thru more sprinklers, fun!

Fri, Day 7 - Drag all the kids on many errands - bank, bread store, sign up for VBS, Old Navy, Wal-Mart, treat the kids to McDonalds - nice torn cup holder spills 2 large drinks all over the passenger side of my suburban (Grrrr!!!), score many deals at Old Navy - this proves I should shop more often to find more deals!!! :) Ha Ha Ha. Head home to relax and let Ryan nap, drag kids back to Safeway to finish grocery shopping since it is a holiday weekend and I have no plans on going to the store over the weekend....for ANYTHING!!! Semi-bride my kids to buy tortilla chips since they don't want to go with me, back home and making Nachos for dinner....what's not to love about Nachos for dinner???

Sat, Day 8 - Lazily wake up (not really because I have a 15 month old who doesn't like to sleep past 7...ok who doesn't like to sleep past 630), treated the kids to donuts, got veggies together, made a brownie dessert, some fresh tomato bruschetta and got some other things together to take with to a friends house for lunch, head to friends house and stuff our faces all afternoon while our kids watch movies/video games and blow bubbles, had fun watching Ryan learn to say bubbles and get a soapy mess, home in the early evening to bathe and head to bed after a good afternoon of being in the nice warm sun!! Thankful that Jimmy helped put up their huge umbrella to shade us!!!

Sun, Day 9 - Actually slept in...until a bit after 730-ish!! YAY!! Kids slept way late, went to the 11 o'clock service (felt a bit weird to go to church at this time, but we didn't want to miss it!) Stopped at store on the way home to get a last minute dish idea - luckily we went to safeway where noone else was shopping!!!, headed home, baked a cake and brownies, started laundry (not really - more like putting the baskets by the washer if that counts???), had a late lunch and fruit for dinner, fell asleep so fast I barely remember getting ready for bed. Oh, wait I didn't get ready for bed I just crawled in bed and fell asleep!! weird!

Mon, Day 10 - Happy Memorial Day!!! Got up with a bang!! Started more laundry, caught up with the 4 loads that were washed and not folded, cleaned the bathrooms, hubby cleaned up outside, frosted the brownies and the cake, cut Jimmy and Nathans hair, went and got my haircut (still unsure if I like it or not, never really liked that 'just cut look' - you know the sharp angles and cuts) and bought some Sonic ice (the best and cheapest around!), finished picking up around the house and other little preperations for our BBQ, watched kids play in the sprinklers, eat a bunch of food, clean up from bbq - and now here I am ready to call it a day!!!

And on to Day 11.........tomorrow!!

~ Joann

Day Four of Summer Break - 2010

I know it says day 4 - I am sure you are wondering what happened to day 3...well for those who are interested it still happened. Only thing is it was a typical Sunday around here. Actually it was quite the relaxing do nothing but hang out with the family sunday. We went to church (thought provoking and inspiring as always!) and then served in the nursery for the second service. Came home for a good leftover lunch and then just hung out around the house. Played some games, watered the yards, kids jumped on the trampoline...just fun stuff.

But, on to Day Four -

We started off going to the Dr. for Ryan's 15 month old check-up. He is doing smashingly well - growing and developing just fine. He is still on the lightweight side of his weight (20 lbs, 11.5 oz - 6%) but tall as a weed (33 inches - 77%). He impressed the Dr and got 3 of his shots. Poor little guy was a bit mad but quickly calmed down once the shots were done, his pants were on and mom was holding him. That is I am sure what he wanted more than anything at that moment.

Then we were off to our first Park adventure of the summer. I decided that each week of summer we would check out a new park in town. We can definitely go to more than one, but atleast one per week (a new one that we have never been to). Just for something different and to check out the city more. Sounds fun, doesn't it? At the end of the summer we shall see what turns out to be the best park.

This park is called Jared Jenson Park, it was built and named after a Colorado Springs Police Officer. He was killed in the line of duty a little over 4 years ago. So tragic and definitely hit home....I suppose that would be another post some other time. The park was real fun, very clean and nice, the kids had fun (except Ryan he was asleep while we played).

~ Joann

Day Two of Summer Break - 2010

Another fun filled day at the Lowe house - had some friends over for a good part of the day (the ones that we watched and spent the night). Played outside, before the wind got really crazy!!!! We built a fort, that the kids are sleeping in tonight, except Ryan. The kids always like building forts, so today we rearranged a bit of the furniture to get the blankets to stay covering them up and make more room inside for them to sleep. They made it quite cozy inside - I almost slept in it. After our friends left the kids put on a little 'show'. They often do this. They come up with wild 'ideas' and things for us to do or to show us. Tonight was a raffle in which I won a bunch of books....yay!

After the show it was off to dinner. We treated our kids to McDonalds for dinner. I know so exciting, but it fit in our budget and our kids like to go there from time to time - so we treated them to dinner. Very nice since it gave me a break from cooking dinner. We headed home for an ice cream treat and then off to bed, in the fort.

And now off to bed.....until tomorrow...

~Joann

Day One of Summer Break - 2010

Here we are - day one of summer break. Kids finished school yesterday with fun activities at school, cupcakes, movies, ice cream - all things that show end of school celebration and start of summer. If you have been following the weather here in Colorado Springs then you know that there has been absolutely no sign of summer around here. For that matter no sign of spring, really. Until this past week. The last few days have been beautiful. Comfortable. Not too hot, not too cold. Perfect!

Our day started with a BANG!!! Our youngest awoke at 545 am, our oldest shortly after around 630 am, and the other two close to 700 am. Seriously people!!! Why when they have the opportunity to sleep in they dont? This is what I forsee....I will spend the next month or so coaxing them into late slumber only to spend the month before school starts again begging them to get up early. Oh, the Joys!! The kids watched some cartoons, ate breakfast when they felt like it while I piddled around the house. Trying to get our internet to work (thanks to the car accident yesterday down the street!), cleaning the litter box, doing a load of laundry...you know the normal stuff that happens around here.

I gave the older three kids a composittion book for the summer. They can write what they want, about our adventures during the summer, how they are feeling, what they like or draw a picture. After getting the books all ready to be used we were off.....Ran a few errands. Dropped off a gift for Nates teacher (that I forgot to bring the day before...oopsy!), went to the Milk store - for Milk of course - stopped at home to grab some water bottles and get the milk in the fridge - then off to the park. We spent a good amount of time at the park, played with some friends from the kids school and enjoyed the nice warm weather. 

Once we headed home we did some quiet time playing a game/watching a movie or if you are Ryan you took a nap. I finished planting my flowers I had purchased a few days ago and was able to get my flower bed in front weeded. Now if only the grass would grow a bit faster my yards would look fabulous!!! 

Our dinner was a a team effort. All of the kids (with the exception of Ryan) helped make Macaroni & Cheese. They did a great job reading the directions, getting the ingredients together, and stirring the noodles. All while not complaining or arguing with each other. Yay!!! 

After dinner our neighbor friends came over to play as well as some friends that are staying the night. Fun night of jumping on the trampoline and watching a movie.

I'm not sure if every day is going to be this exciting or busy....then again most of our days are busy like this to some point. Stay tuned for the next day of summer update!


~Joann