Haunted Gingerbread House

Today for our Art, we put together and decorated a gingerbread house. I did this mainly for Miriam and A.J. (my nephew), but Lily had to be involved too. I bought this after halloween for $2, that is why it is haunted. I can't resist a sale and it is something fun to do for little money. Why do I choose to do such messy things?? The older kids weren't too bad, but Lily was just playing in the decoration candy and trying to eat it. Anyway, the kids had a lot of fun and like their creation. Here is a picture of the end result (ignore the messy table!).

Bored & Waiting

Do you ever feel like you are just waiting. Not for anything in particular- just waiting for anything. I feel that way today. There are actually things I am waiting for. I have a couple of clients due very soon so I could get a phone call at any moment. So right now I am waiting. I even have a hard time sleeping at night because I am listening for that phone to ring. So I am very bored with this waiting game.
I'm also just plain bored. Not that there is absolutely nothing to do. There is always something to pick up around here. But, I cleaned house pretty good this week, since my mom was coming. I am caught up on laundry and dishes. Bills are all paid, checkbook is balanced, and groceries have been gotten. In other words, all my chores are done. Plus, my mom is here so my girls are entertained. I went and got the mail and it was all junk. Nothing to even sort through. I don't have the money to go shopping or to the movies or do anything exciting. So I'm writing in my blog. And now I'm done. And I'm bored.

Feels Like Friday

I know it happens to everyone, but today really feels like a Friday. I have to keep reminding myself that in reality, it is Thursday. I wonder why this happens. Is it because I have already done enough this week to fill 5 days? This has been a busy week. We have started back homeschooling, been painting the Living Room, and cleaning house. I'm also feeling rather lazy today which is normally a weekend feeling. Or is it just wishful thinking that the weekend is here? I am really looking forward to this weekend. I'm having a friend over tomorrow, my mom and nephew are coming to visit, we're having dinner at a friends house, and Jeremy is taking the kids to a car show (so I get time alone). Plus, I plan on having all my chores done tonight so I don't have anything to do this weekend.
Well, whatever the reason, the girls and I have had a good "Friday" so far. We went out for lunch and got groceries. I love to grocery shop (yep, it's true). It goes back to that getting a good deal thing. I love to compare prices and products and see what I can get for my money. The bad thing about this is that it takes me a little longer to shop. The girls are usually good for about 15 minutes, then they start finding things to entertain themselves. Whether, it's touching everything (which inevitably will make something fall), fighting, or talking/singing loudly. Today, they were confined in a race car buggy so I only had to deal with fighting and Lily's occasional "I'm stuck". I'm also in a 'let it slide' kinda mood today. We usually have better days when I'm in that mood. Not that they get by with anything, but I don't sweat the small stuff. So we'll see if their daddy is in a 'sliding' mood when he gets home and tries painting while I cook dinner!

The Money Pit and Molly, Molly, Molly

Our house is fast becoming a money pit. We are slowing fixing things around here so that someone will buy it soon. We put a new roof on last spring, but many more things need to be done. Right now, half of the front of my house is painted, I have a plywood window in my bedroom, and my living room is a mess due to us painting. The painting actually started as fixing the wallpaper and quickly changed. So we are having to pull the wall paper down, scrape off the old paint under it, plaster in the rough spots, sand, prime, and then paint. It is a long process even (or especially) with all 4 of us helping. On top of our home improvement, our sewer pipes have decided that this is a good time to give us trouble. Despite my husbands best efforts (and he is really good at this stuff), we are having to call someone in to fix it. This will probably involve digging up our front yard, replacing the pipe, and lots and lots of money we don't have. At least the sewer will no longer back up into my tub when I do laundry!
Miriam got her American Girl doll on Friday. If you can't guess, her name is Molly. All Miriam wants to talk about is Molly. She wants to watch her Molly movie every day. We are reading the book she came with. Of course, Molly goes everywhere with us. As I write this, Miriam is leaning on me and whining to put a picture in Molly's locket. Molly is starting to annoy me, but she makes Miriam very happy. Lily is picking up the Molly fever also. Lily actually cried when the movie ended last time. She said "Molly gone, gone!" and I had to comfort her.

Addictions

This morning I saw a segment on the Today Show about being addicted to Chapstick. The anchor readily admitted that she was addicted. I'm not alone! This is something I have readily admitted about myself for years. It certainly feels like an addiction when your lips are dry and you keep licking and the only thing that can make you feel better is chapstick. It is 10 times worse if you have lost your chapstick or your children have gotten ahold of it and it's the middle of the night! During the segment, she asked if this addiction was bad and the dermatologist said no since your lips do need that extra moisture.
So my question is, are there good addictions? Chapstick is certainly not my only addiction. I don't do drugs, drink, or smoke, but I do need a caffeinated drink each day. I also usually crave something sweet each day. I'm sure there are other things I can't think of right now. Why can't I be addicted to exercise or healthy foods??
In reality, I believe that no addiction is good. An addiction is an extreme need that you can't live without. I really don't like wanting a Dr. Pepper each day or the headache I might get if I don't have one. I truly believe the motto "Everything in moderation". Having a coke is fine. Drinking it all day, every day- not okay. So, maybe I should try to limit my use of chapstick. I'll try to resist and ignore my dry lips. Maybe I can try a substitute or combine my addictions. I think I'll buy some Dr. Pepper or Chocolate flavored chapstick. But then I'll lick my lips and need more... chapstick.

My 15 Minutes

I'm gonna be famous! Well, I kinda felt like that today. I had a photography session at the Times Free Press and then an interview. They are doing a story on Doulas for the Healthwatch Magazine which is in the paper twice a year. I may even get put on the cover! The worst part was I had a zit beside my mouth and the best part was that more people will learn about doulas. It should be coming out in February. If you miss it, don't worry, I'll have about a dozen copies to share. I may even get some more work from it. I truly believe what I do helps women and I hope that comes across in the article. I have several births coming up and I can't wait. I will be attending my first homebirth soon. It is always so exciting to attend a birth. I hope these go as well as my last one did.
On a yuckier note, we've had a lot of sewer problems and Jeremy had to spend a lot of time on that yesterday. He has finely gotten a temporary fix, but we may have to do a lot of work this spring. This is in addition to all the other work our house needs and we're in the middle of doing. Sometimes, I wish we would have stayed in an apartment. At least we will be moving soon if we can sell this house.

Happy New Years

We had a wonderful New Years Eve. This is when we celebrate the holidays and the girls get their gifts from us. A friend of ours and her grandson stopped by for an unexpected visit which was very nice. We threw streamers and popped confetti. We wore our party hats and got out the noise makers. Then the girls ripped into their presents. Lily pretty much opened them, pulled the stuff out and went on to the next. I'm not sure if she actually "saw" what she got until later. I think they were both very pleased. We then toasted to the New Year at about 9pm and were all in bed asleep by 10pm. Every year we take a picture in front of our "Happy New Year" sign. These are always special photos to me.
I thought about making New Year's resolutions, but I couldn't think of anything I really wanted to change. Sure I would like to lose a few pounds, move to a bigger house, and have another child, but I don't think any of these would make me happier than I am now. I want those things, but I am so blessed as it is. When I was thinking about this, I decided that I would make an effort to be more content and happy with the things I have. I guess that is a resolution of sorts. I really look forward to this year and what it will bring!