Seasonally Confused

Yes. After much bike riding and "spring coat wearing" this weekend/past week, my children are riding bikes...outside...with snow pants, winter coats, hats, mittens, and boots on. Mind you...it's snowing...AGAIN. It's really quite amusing...the seasonal confusion, not the snow. As you know it's my worst enemy. Just when we started to see grass, not necessarily GREEN grass, but grass none-the-less, it SNOWS...AGAIN! I am stuck in my own personal hell. Pray for me.

Do bicycles even come with snow tires?

Because I think we need them today!

A Survey

Stuff we really want to know...

1. Why do you have the number of children you have? Well, we have two boys then a girl. (Three kids in 2.5 years). Kalie just seemed like a perfect way to end our family. She is our princess and will always be...if we could have chosen the order of our children, it was always boy, boy, girl...so the boys could protect their sister. I'm glad that's the way we were blessed.

2. What do you think about a woman running for President? I think it's history in the making. I know women have done many amazing things over the years. Since we have never had a woman president I question how a woman would make decisions based on facts and not emotions, though. Clinton would not be my choice, for the record.

3. How do you feel about teenagers in today's society and on what authority do you have these feelings? Teenagers are interesting. I know teenagers today are doing things I would have never considered doing when I was that age. I know they get a bad rap at times but I also know (because my husband has been working with Jr Highers and High schoolers for 15 years) that they can be challenged spiritually like no adult can. They have a faith in God that is pure faith. Once we become adults so many things get in the way of our faith.

4. Why do you like the music you do? I love music that makes me want to get up and move. I don't like any artists in particular but I do like songs that make me want to dance or clap my hands or swoop my children into my arms and spin them around! I love it all, country, pop, oldies, rock and the occasional rap song! I love songs that bring me back to another time and place.

5. Do you believe we are a product of our upbringing or do you think we create who we are by our experiences? Why? I think we are both. I think that we are highly influenced by how our parents raised (or didn't raise) us. I also believe that the way we are raised causes us to make certain choices in a certain way. We do forge out on our own from under the shelter of our parents and fumble with choices but I think our upbringing brings us back around.

6. What color shoes do you have on? Just kidding!!! What is your greatest strength? (Don't be humble, be honest.) My greatest strength...when I figure it out, I'll let you know. Any suggestion welcome. :)

7. What are you thoughts on Homeschooling? Why? I think it's great, more power to the mom's who can do it...but it IS NOT for me. I think it produces kids who are wonderful thinkers. On occasion I have seen it produce kids who are socially challenged though.

8. Why do you like your spouse? Come on be specific!!! Brian is an amazing man. He is a hard worker and he is highly motivated to take care of our family. I know that he stands behind all that I do and I know that he will still love me wholly 100 years from now.

9. What are your thoughts on texting (cell phones, not IM)? I love my cell phone and I love texting my husband. I can give him little encouragements throughout the day and/or grocery lists.

10. What kind of car do you want and why? 2008 Ford Mustang GT in Silver, because it's cooler than a minivan. Or a Lexus GX for when I have the kids, ya know.

11. What do you need to be happy, really happy? See #10 hahahaha, just kidding. I think to be happy I really just need to let go of the little things that bother me on a daily basis. I need to give so much over to God to be in control. I find I need to be in control a lot and it just never works out right for me.

12. What memory makes you smile every time you think of it? My babies when they were freshly born, holding them in my arms. And praying in the prayer room (at Crown College) with Brian before our first date.

13. Describe in one word how you feel at this very moment. Cold

14. If you could redo one moment in time what would it be and would it completely change your whole life or just a situation? Well, without going into the details there is a moment I would love to changed that would have made my life very different, but I also know that it has shaped me into the person I am right now.

15. OK, you have done so good so here's the last one...Did you feel like this survey challenged your thoughts a bit? It was hard...I had to really think and I started and restarted it several times!

Twas'

Twas' the night before Monday
and all through the house
not a creature was stirring
but maybe a mouse.
The children were nestled
all snug in their beds,
on top of the covers in sleeping bags.

With mom still in jammies
and dad in Arizona,
it had been a long day,
mom needed a Corona!

The dishes were done,
in the washer with care,
in hopes come morn'
a cupboard they'd share.

The coffee was ready, "brew" button pushed
perkin' at 6, I won't be draggin' my tush!

Homework finished. Tears shed.
Baths taken, stories read.
We were all lucky no one was dead.

So there you all have it
the blog that I bode
Now I am off to pick up toys
in my humble abode

for they lay on the floor
and I wish them out of sight...
Happy Sunday to all and to all a good night!

Coffee, Green Grass & Smack Down

So it seems as if some people are not too happy with my blog, or lack-there-of. So I have been informed that I need to add something, anything, other than that stupid "Addendum" blog. So Amy and Kim, this is for you, and anyone else who checks daily hoping for a nugget, just some little ole nugget of info.

Here it goes.

No. I can't write about that.

Hmmmmm, not that either.

What abouuuutttttttt....no that won't work.

Let's see...maybe, I think I have seen this before...5 Things I love for the 5th of March???

Da da da da

5 things I love for the 5th of March

5. When my kids come running after dinner to give me a kiss because their father has said to them "You better kiss your mother good-bye". We have a little tradition after dinner at the Stewart house, it's called "Smack Down". What it entails, well, let me just tell you that recently we had to put a stop to Smack Down because we didn't have health insurance! Now that United Health has us covered, it's on, baby!

4. Even though it gets annoying at times, I love the way my kids fight over who gets to sit by me at dinner or while we snuggle before bed, no assigned seats here, folks.

3. The way Kalie stumbles into the kitchen in the morning and sleepily asks me for coffee (in her teeny tiny San Diego Zoo mug). She's ready for Switzerland, Kim!

2. Good friends, good coffee (Dunkin Donuts) and great conversation. Thanks for always listening girls!

Drum roll please...

And the number one thing I love

snow

just kidding, I really hate snow and I cannot wait to see green grass again...currently not found anywhere in Minnesota due to the ridiculous amounts of snow that have fallen over the past 5 months.

So there you have it. A new blog. And lucky for you, I have two others in the works, just to keep you coming back!!!

Addendum

The homework fiasco of last week worked itself out. Remember I wrote the letter to Mrs. Schleper explaining that we didn't finish? Well, she sent a letter back explaining that we didn't need to read it all. It was just for fluency! Good ole fluency! Hooray.

What a way to start Monday

First off let me tell you that this weekend was not the norm. I have been sick. I feel like I just got over a cold and now it's back. It's nasty.

So I have not been myself.

Saturday as Brian sat in a library room struggling with his Edward Jones homework, I cracked the whip at the kids (not literally). They pretty much did chores for three hours. I kept repeating the mantra "we all have to do things we don't like to do". But they did them. And I was thankful. This left me to do some things that needed to be done. For instance,

• finish the mountain of laundry and vacuum the laundry room floor that has been covered with said laundry. Now I just have to put it all away. =[
• Clean the overflowing, smelly cat box. Not my favorite job.
• Organize the books in the boys room and clean under the bed...I think I threw away 10 pounds of junk (old books, "baby" books, broken toys and of course, the ample amount of "artwork" that comes home from school).
• scrub the dickens out of the boys bathroom (eeewww, it almost smelled worse than the cat box)

Sunday, Brian blessed me by taking the kids to church and the mall play area so I could stay home to rest. By Myself. Which I did, half-hearted (why is this hard for moms?) I ended up listing things to sell on eBay. They probably aren't even going to sell. The kids and Brian came home and we rested some more. All the while, Caleb's homework burning a hole in his backpack. Unfortunately, procrastinator me, has taught him how to procrastinate. Bad news.

This brings us to this morning. Good Ole Monday. Brian left at 5:30 to get crackin' on his homework for the day. I rolled out of bed at 6:45 after being given a slight heart attack by the sound of the alarm. Stumbled to the kitchen to make some much needed coffee...no coffee filters! BAH! I had to supplement by folding a paper towel. I MUST have coffee! Kalie gave me heart attack #2 by standing behind me without saying anything. Off to get the boys up. Caleb is already an emotional wreck but he manages to get dressed and come upstairs so we can tackle his homework, which is USUALLY 3 stories to read maybe 4. Easy Peasy. We can do this while we eat breakfast. Well, it was 12 stories! There is no way to explain the feeling I had. I reverted back to high school days and felt sick to my stomach with the thought that this homework was not going to get done. With all of my lessons on Saturday about doing things we didn't want to do but had to, I forgot to mention that we always have responsibilities. And homework is his responsibility. But it's my responsibility to remind him.

I felt like a failure. If I had opened his backpack on Friday, I would have seen that it was not usual homework. We would have worked all weekend to read 4 stories each day so it wouldn't have been such a big deal. I wrote Mrs. Schleper a note, explaining that 'we hadn't finished the homework and I kept it home so it would get done tonight. I would return the book tomorrow'. Was that the right thing to do? It was a parenting problem...we dropped the ball. I could have signed the homework sheet and said he did it when he hadn't. I could have "forgotten" to put the book in his backpack and returned it tomorrow completed, without saying anything. Surely she must know that it was my fault anyway.

School was always hard for me. Homework was hard. I hated taking tests. I had friends who didn't study and still got A's and B's...I studied and got C's or D's. It makes me sick to think I have to go through this again. I want better for my kids. I guess this is my first lesson.

Alas, we are home

We just returned from an amazing trip to California! We left a blustery Minnesota for sunnier shores at 8 in the morning on the 21st of December. The kids were amazing on the plane and thrilled for our adventure. We have not all been to California together- ever! So this was a big deal.

The weather there was incredible! But, in my opinion, anything is better than 20 degrees and snow on the ground! We spent many a day on the beaches of the Pacific Ocean, soaking up the sun and thawing our frostbitten bodies. But the white runs deep and wouldn't ya believe, not a single one of us came back with a tan???

We stuck our fingers into sea anemones in the tide pools...we collected rocks and sea shells. We went to the San Diego Zoo with our Grandma Sharon, Great Grandma Carol and cousins, Erin and Brian and our second cousins, Marley and Gwenna. We had a wonderful Christmas day with lots of presents and laughs. Dinner was prime rib roast with other tasty sides. There was even a bread fight (with designated 'butter free' rolls)! The kids were instructed on "roll throwing ettiquette" and luckily no other vittles were tossed! Fun for all.

We ventured up the coast of California for three hours and landed in our old neighborhood of Ventura, California. While we were there, we went to the Ventura Pier (our favorite spot to stroll when the boys were very young) and walked out far into the ocean. We played at the play area until the sun set. It was a highlight of our trip.

Mostly we had an amazing time with our kids. It was wonderful to enjoy them without daycare kids around and the distractions of home...t.v., computer, phone, Playstation. They were surrounded by grandma and great grandma's menagerie. Two dogs, a cat, a bird, three tanks of fish plus an outdoor pond full of Coi!

http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=213876044/a=48551552_48551552/t_=48551552

Check out the pictures here...but be warned, there's a lot