So, How 'Bout Them...

New Year's Resolutions?! They're already going down-hill, for me! Ah, who needs 'em anyway!

This year is just as crazy as last year, just minus the chicken pox this time (knocking on wood). Terra started Girl Scouts and the cookie sales started on Friday! How about that! Alright all you "dieters", start buyin', you KNOW you'll have crashed or sabotaged your diets by the time we get them to you anyway! LOL I seriously think that picking the NEW YEAR to sell them was a bad idea! Oh well.

I received a new calling at church. I was released from the Relief Society Music and put in as a Primary teacher. I have the CTR 5 class, which means I'm teaching James' age group. Don't get me wrong, I love my kids...but it seems like since I'm in there, my kids act up more...or maybe they're acting the same as before, I'm just witnessing it first hand now. Herumph! One of my resolutions was to have more patience with my kids. That doesn't bode well when I see that they're not acting the way they're supposed to - I completely lose my reserve to be patient and, well, lets just say that I end up not liking myself by the end of the day because I might have said hurtful things...So, it really struck me hard when they set me apart on Sunday (my second Sunday teaching). In the blessing I was promised that as I served valiantly in this calling, that I would have more patience with my own children at home, that life's circumstances wouldn't seem so stressful and that I would grow closer to my spouse as we endeavored to do the Lord's errand. I was encouraged to attend the temple regularly and that the Spirit would speak to me and lead me in ways to teach my/the children (I couldn't understand which word he used there...kids started to get restless - either way, I'll take it).

That blessing really left me to ponder quite a few aspects in my life. I seem to fall short in SO many ways, but my kids are all still alive and they SAY they still love me (well, the older two do anyway...we're still trying to get Tyler to say it...we're getting closer...and Celeste? Well, she gives me slobbery kisses, so I'll just take that as an 'I love you'!).

It led me to rethink my resolution, rather than just give up on it altogether. We came home and it seemed like the kids didn't wear on my nerves the way they had been for the past 6 or 7 weeks. I actually enjoyed having them around (not that I didn't before...I better stop before I dig a deeper hole). They still don't listen to simple instructions, but I don't blow a fuse at them when they don't, I simply explain it better...and give them an ultimatum of sorts - very calmly too. I'm quite impressed with myself.

Although, today, I find myself faltering again. Chris is on a business trip that seems to get longer and longer as the day progresses. He's probably not going to be back in time for Terra's Girl Scout Ceremony tomorrow night. She'll be "sworn in as a Girl Scout" and receive a pin for her vest. The stress of not having him here for something so important to her is aggravating me a tad, causing me to snap at the kids more. So, what did I do today? I went and got dinner rather than cooking it. I think its saved me for the evening. I'm already getting pj's on the kids (it's only 6 pm) and letting them play video games for a while before bedtime. I still need to pull Terra away from them and have her do her homework with me, but I'll get to that...eventually.

A hot, uninterrupted, bubble bath sound really fabulous right about now...anyone want a few children for a couple of hours?!

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Two days before Christmas, one of my girlfriends and her family had a house fire. Not much was able to be salvaged from the "remains". Here is a couple of news reports on it, if you want to read about it (they almost all say the same thing).

http://www.9news.com/rss/article.aspx?storyid=129431
http://www.kdvr.com/news/sns-ap-co--strasburgfire,0,1122261.story
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_14055910
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They've since found a small home to rent temporarily and have been receiving tremendous amounts of help from the community and surrounding areas. Thanks to all who have prayed for them and we ask that you continue to pray for them. If you wish to donate anything, please do it in the form of a gift card, they're being overwhelmed with the amounts of things they are having to go through right now (and nowhere to really put any of it in storage).

New Frustrations Being Made Better By Christmas Spirit!

If you'll recall, I'd posted about my daughter being afraid to go to school all of a sudden. We thought that had been fixed and that she felt safe again. We were wrong. I had to bribe her to go to school the last two days before Christmas break began. I used the bus as leverage...she could ride the bus TO school if she would just go! On Friday, she (well, I) forgot her morning snack and realized this just as the bus was coming into view. This didn't leave me enough time to run back in and get it before the bus would get there. I promised her that it would be there for her when she got to school. When I got there the teacher questioned where Terra was and I explained that I had to bribe her to go to school and the reasoning...what was going on. Her teacher called me a liar (the NERVE!) and told me that that wasn't true, that *I* had been lied to and that there must be something else going on outside of school because she's always just fine when she gets to school. I had it out with her right there. Let's just say that teacher and I aren't exactly on good terms right now (and that she was put in her place and admitted her wrong-doing in the matter after a second chat after school)...it's a good thing that there's at least 2.5 weeks until I see her next.

We haven't had much progress by way of therapy for Tyler...we've had the sickies the last two weeks in a row and might have another bout of them again this week. We'll see how everyone is feeling on Tuesday morning.

I've started doing a sale until the end of the year for PartyLite, but haven't been having much luck (not that I expected a whole lot this close to Christmas, but I was hoping for at least something)! So, I've decided to offer this "prize sale" at my sister's party out in Salt Lake City, UT the day after Christmas.

*Each buying guest that has an order totaling $40 is eligible to get an item at half price in the catalog AND having their name entered into a drawing for a $20 gift certificate to use toward their next order on here! If you'd like to contact me for directions to get to this party or would like to make a purchase toward this party, please go to the link (to make a purchase click on "shop", click on "find your host" and then type in Nicole Keller, then click on her name and start shopping).

I'm all done (or was until this afternoon's realization of ONE more gift to buy) Christmas shopping! That is an amazing feeling of accomplishment. Now Santa's elves just need to come help me wrap these last few stragglers! Christmas music just as a way of making life wonderful again...especially after a bout of stress and anxiety that's happened around here. ALSO, we might be able to leave for "home" a day earlier than first thought! YAY! We'll know more tomorrow! I'M SO STOKED FOR CHRISTMAS!

Pity - Party Of One

Today has just been an off day. I really wish that there was a pause button on life just so I could take a breath...come up for air.

Tyler has been having a couple of down days...but, on the plus side, I can now understand some of the basic things that he's saying! That is HUGE! I find myself tearing up now with that realization (yes, I'm a boob!).

Chris threw his back out somehow (he thinks it's because of his visit with the chiropractor, that somehow she loosened things up enough for it to go out...lol, he thinks that his tight muscles before wouldn't have allowed this to happen to him). He's been taking some muscle relaxers every so often to help him sleep and by morning he feels semi-normal again, only to go to work and sit in a car for hours on end...causing the pain to come back.

Terra's been having issues with one of her teachers and a couple of bully-boys at school lately. In just a matter of a couple weeks, she no longer wants to go to school. She cries when we mention it and, even though it's her snack-day tomorrow, she still doesn't want to go...she really won't be going tomorrow because of the sickies. I'd thought that maybe she was making herself sick thinking about going back to school, but since the boys are now tossing cookies, that's been ruled out.

Celeste suffers from constipation issues, no matter what we try, she's still having problems. So, everyday, a couple times a day, I have to sit and hold her while she screams and pushes and cries until it's all over and done, and then she's happy and chatty again. Not on my fun list!

James ran out of pullups last week, so we told him he just had to stay dry and get up to go potty. The first night wasn't so great. He'd wake up screaming when he'd wet himself. We thought, well, at least he's recognizing it. It took him a day or so to finally tell me that when he peed, it got onto his arms (which are VERY sore and have open wounds from his eczema) and made them hurt really bad. This might be a morbid/mean thought on my part, but at least this might push him into training completely, faster. He's done really well most nights and has had a confidence boost...his teacher has noticed a bit of a difference at school with how he is doing.

And then there's me. Where to start...LOL! The other day, we needed to get to the post office before it closed, Chris had to drop off his van at the repair shop in town (just down the street from the PO) and he was running just a little bit late. I also had a party to do that night. He called and said he was close and to meet him there. It didn't dawn on me to just have him walk to the PO and I'd meet him there instead, so I hurried and was rushing the kids out the door. Whining ensued because shoes could not be found...I told them they didn't need them because they wouldn't be getting out of the car anyway. Finally I got everyone out to the car and as I was running, full speed, around the back side of the suburban, I glanced behind me to see what the noise was (wood falling off the pile), and ran full-force into the ball hitch! I did a flip and a twist and all sorts of graceful moves before hitting the cement floor. I thought for a few minutes that I'd broken my leg (mid-thigh). I finally managed to pull myself into the car and sobbed the whole way to the repair shop. If a cop would have been behind me, I'd have been pulled over for sure...I was driving with my left foot and could barely see the road through my tears. I got there and picked Chris up and we drove to the PO. Once there, we learned that the card machines were down and that they were hoping they'd be working again the next day. So, all this pain and agony for NOTHING! So, we got home, I got ready for the party and realized, there's NO WAY I can lift that box and walk on my leg...I could barely support myself. So, Chris came with me and dropped me off, carrying the box for me (even though his back hurt), and then came back to pick me up later. I was probably the worst consultant ever that night...I'd forgotten things at home, and couldn't stand up for long...and even had to assign someone to hand out tickets for a drawing. How's that for lame (no pun intended).

So, tonight, there I was...feeling sorry for myself (because the sickies have taken up residence in our house again...and both parents are gimpy), when I came across this blog that I'd read before about 10-11 months ago. I now find myself kicking myself for feeling so down and glum. This woman is AMAZING and strong. She is grateful for extremely small things in life (one post the first time I started reading was that she was happy that she could wipe herself again and had privacy in the bathroom again...read the blog, you'll understand when you read it). It made me think that I should start being more grateful for the small things in my life that DON'T go completely and insanely wrong!

So...here's my "Spectacular Sunday" post (seven things I'm grateful for).

1 - Not having a broken leg after my accident...although I'm thinking the muscle might be torn...only time will tell. I CAN WALK!

2 - Having a husband who will help me clean...even when he's in the middle of a video game (yes, he's a gaming geek) or watching a movie. He just presses pause and comes and helps me out so I'm not so overwhelmed anymore (like just now when both boys woke up crying and vomiting...yeah, that was great fun).

3 - Mt. Everdish is almost gone!

4 - That this particular sickie-stomach-bug seems to be only a 24 hour thing (we're hoping anyway)...Terra hasn't thrown up for almost 2.5 hrs now! WOOHOO!

5 - The stomach-bug hasn't hit me or Chris yet...that's always a perk and I'm hoping it skips us entirely!

6 - My house didn't burn down when Tyler was playing with fire a couple weeks ago. My mom just told me about some houses in her neighborhood that just went up in flames this evening and rumors are saying that the fire-fighters are being treated for hypothermia? I'm praying for all involved in that one...

7 - Living right across the street from the church...it has it's perks...this morning we woke up late and were only 5-ish minutes late for church...if we'd have lived further away, we would have probably missed the first block entirely!

Rearranging things

Do you remember when you were younger and how much FUN and EXCITING it was to rearrange furniture/rooms?! Maybe it was just my family. Ok, yes we're weird! We used to map out, on paper, how the room would look and where exactly we'd put everything and then we'd set to work. The room would be spotless and put away when we were done and we'd be happy and content for...maybe a week or so. Then the "newness" would wear off. What brought on this memory? I moved my office around. More like I changed rooms with it. It used to be in a nice out of the way room and now it is in a nook/corner of my kitchen. I have my reasons for moving it out of that room (and no, we're not adding to the family anytime soon). Every time I'd walk away from the office, Tyler would sneak in there and get to work deleting programs, rearranging my hard drive, etc. I decided that my kitchen would be a better spot for that. I'm not sure if that was a wise move or not. It feels weird being right in the center of everything while trying to have some "me time" checking emails and Facebooking. I guess this will just have to be one of those things that just "grows on me."

Going Semi-Private

How might I go "semi-private" you might be asking? I've decided to pull this blog from Facebook, so if you'd like to still follow, please add yourself to my "Coolest Fans" list off to the side of this post at nelsonscrazychaoticzoo.blogspot.com !! In this blog's place on FB, I'll be posting recipes and other ideas from sandishomecookin.blogspot.com .

They've done it....AGAIN!

Chris and I went on a date to the temple tonight and on our way back (since the babysitter doesn't charge when it's a temple date) we stopped at Wendy's to get some shakes for everyone...sitter included! We got home and walked through the door and found E (the sitter) cleaning up flour in the kitchen. She quickly explained that they were going to make cookies and while she was searching for the baking soda, the kids dumped the flour all over the floor (sound familiar?...see almost all of the previous posts...especially the first ones of this blog)! So she decided to clean up the mess (bless her heart) and started the vacuum up. Well, that's been acting up some the last little bit, and she said she smelled something burning...like the belt or something, so she stopped. But while she was cleaning that up, the kids had gone into the pantry and opened up the wheat, flour, oats and dried beans and started making a mess in there (I have no doubt in my mind who the ring-leader was in all this). So, to distract them, she decided to get them snacks from the fridge. They decided to have apples (even though the kids knew those were off limits...they're for Terra's snack on Monday). James got a hold of the knife and cut his finger...causing E to look for the first aid kit...which I've hidden from the kids, but not well enough since they're the ones that told her where to look. But see, I know my kids well enough to know that if the apples aren't pealed, they only take a couple bites out of them and then start a food-fight-war with the remains. The chicken-scrap bucket is now full of apples and crunched up chips (they'd also gotten the chips and dip out and there is now dip on my play room floor). We decided to feed the rest of the oats (since it would be WAY too tedious a task to salvage them) to the chickens. So all the wheat and junk that was on the floor in the pantry, got mixed in the big storage bucket where the oats once resided and was set outside the back door for tomorrow's feeding frenzy.

I really feel bad for E since she felt terrible and that this was her fault. WRONG! They've done this to me NUMEROUS times (mostly when I'm largely preggo and can't chase them down...)!! I kept reassuring her and she kept apologizing...so I changed the subject while driving her home. Now I'm thinking that she deserves a LOT more than a small shake from Wendy's as compensation for the pain and suffering the kids put her through!! I hope they didn't scare her away like they have a couple other people (seriously...I got a phone call the next day from them asking me to never ask them to sit again...wow). I LOVE YOU E!!! And just consider yourself officially initiated into the clan...okay?! *sigh* On a positive note...no major tantrums today from Tyler, so the therapy tactics are working a bit better (?) or maybe he's just finally getting used to the change around here (?) either way...I'LL TAKE IT!

As Promised...

Here are a few pics from Terra's b-day party! Thanks everyone who helped out!

The lovely cake! (it's supposed to be a tiara on top...LOL)

The pinata!

Freeze Dance.

Pin the kiss on the Frog Prince.

Just a goofy face she was pulling!All the "princesses"...couldn't get a pic with ALL of them smiling though! It was a blast!