I have GOALS

some things I want to do in 2014:

Learn to crochet

See Thor's Well

Finish painting the hutch

Ride a steamboat

Go to the Portland Zoo

Learn to bind a quilt

Read a non-fiction book every other month

What are you going to do in 2014?

Calendar

I made myself a calendar this year. I wanted each month to remind me to be a better mom. Some of these sayings I heard or read somewhere and some are ones that I came up with myself. Just thought I would share. 

January

Feb

March

April

May

June

July

 Aug

Sept

October

NOvember

 December

Progress Report

I can't believe how much progress I have made since the beginning of the year. And most of it came from tweaking our routines to better fit our needs. It's amazing to me that just rearranging a few things in our schedule can make life SO MUCH EASIER. My house has been cleaner, I feel like have time to do things that I need to do and WANT to do, and I feel calmer.

And that's the goal. I want to be a calm mom. An intentional mom. A proactive mom. For too long, I have been frazzled and reactive.

But just setting up a better routine has changed a bunch of that.

That and I am participating in a 21 day Purge. I made a list of 21 areas (like cupboards, toy boxes, drawers, etc.) that need to be cleaned out. Each day, I tackle one area, and get rid of a bunch stuff, and then I organize what is left. It feels so good to purge.

So something I have learned thus far on my journey to CALM is:

A place for everything, and everything in its place.

A time for everything and everything it its time.

Favorite Reads of 2013

These were my favorite books I read in 2013. I would recommend any of them. 

Happier at Home



Edenbrooke



How to Talk so Kids Will Listen



Adventures is Gentle Discipline



Ramona the Brave



Raising the Spirited Child


Heaven is Here

Books I have on my list for 2014:
Sink Reflections
I am about half way through this book now, and it is already changing the way I do lots of things around my house. It's helping me gain balance in my life. Highly recommend it.


Blackmoore

Deliberate Motherhood 12 Key Powers


Siblings Without Rivalry


The Out of Sync Child has Fun

Welcome 2014

I love New Year because I love new beginnings. I love the chance to start fresh and new...but I must say I was sad to say goodbye to 2013. It was a happy year for us. Quiet, uneventful, and relatively healthy. And I'm kind of scared to move on because 2013 was so good, maybe 2014 won't?

Not to be pessimistic...I am hoping and planning on 2014 to be the best year yet.

Don't mountains inspire you?

 Mountains fill my spirit in so many ways.

There is pretty much nothing that can't be cured by a good walk in the mountains

 Doesn't this make you long to be there? I see this picture and automatically try to breathe in the mountain air. These pictures are from our trip to Yosemite National Park. It was love at first sight. So grateful we took the time to go there. It filled me up to the brim with mountain goodness.

More Inspiration. Isn't it beautiful? 

I know a lot of people out in the blogosphere pick one word each year to focus on and that is definitely my cup of tea. Last year I picked the word "EDIFY" I tried to limit the kinds of media that came into our home to only things that edify...not just make you feel good or entertain you, but instruct, lift, and change you. I also tried to edify. I tried to not complain too much or criticize too much. I certainly changed over the year and I am ready to head into 2014 with a new word. It took me along time to come up with my word this year. But I have finally decided on the word "CALM". Often my days are NOT calm. I feel frantic trying to keep up with housework and kids. But I want balance, discipline, order, routine, structure, and peace. 

I have made lots of lists and plans in preparation for my pursuit of "CALM," and I am excited to get working on it. I know that things can't be calm all the time, but I can aim for it always. wish me luck.

Amelia Turns One

How does this

 and this

change to this so quickly?  

Sweet, Baby Girl! You are growing too fast.

Amelia has such a fun spirit. So sweet and tender yet adventurous and teasing. she loves to wrestle and growl, but can be still as can be all snuggled up to you. So playful.

A very observant baby, catches on so quickly to things. And don't you even think of leaving her out! She wants to be in the thick of things, and doing what everyone else is doing. And she better get her own of whatever is being handed out. That is for sure. 

The other day I heard her in the kitchen whining, so I went to see what was wrong. I found her next to the shoe basket, trying to put her little shoes on. I put them on, then she grabbed my hand and led me to the back door. 

"Out! Out!" I couldn't resist that little plea so we went for a walk. And I must say it was a good idea. Anytime she sees her older sisters getting coats and shoes on, she hustles over to get hers too so she doesn't get left behind.

BATHS

talking on the phone
"Hi Daddy!"

CAT CAT CAT

always in the dish detergent packets

ring around the rosies

rides her little car

never left out or left behind

lots of spunk

little hugs

slobbery kisses

determined to feed herself

I love this little girl so much. She has brought so much fun and energy into my life. Not that we were lacking any of that... But I sure do appreciate what she adds to our family. 

Fall Catch Up

Fall was so beautiful this year. It was amazingly dry and sunny.

 Amelia turned one on NOv 14th. That was the fastest year ever! She had an African animal cake. 

Katie turned 5 on Nov 9th. She has been planning this Hello Kitty cake since the day after her birthday last year. no joke. She begged for me to let her decorate it herself so I let her have at it with minimal help from me. Did a pretty good job huh?

I will post more about each of their birthdays another time. 

Christmas Time

Katie and Grace had well-child checks on Friday. They each got shots, and were so brave. I was a very proud mama. I told them about how one time when I got shots when i was a little girl, my mom took me home after and made cookies with me to help me feel better. Of course my kiddos thought we should do that too, and I said we could. Unfortunately, we ran out of time on Friday, and then again on Saturday, but finally, on Sunday we got around to it. 

Every Christmas growing up, my mom would make lots of Christmas goodies, including these wreaths. We make them using Rice Krispies and M&Ms now, in place of the corn flakes and little red hots combo we used when I was little. 

It's so fun to bring back traditions from my own childhood and share them with my kiddos. I once read an article about resilience in children and factors that contributed to children's ability to cope with adversity. The number one factor contributing to resiliency was how much family history each child knew. Surprising, huh? The study found that children who knew their roots, you know, things about their parents' childhoods, things about grandpa and grandma, family traditions, and heirlooms, were more likely to cope well than children who had no idea about their family backgrounds. Even children that came from single parent homes or homes that were poverty stricken were more resilient if they had a good understanding of family roots. The researchers found that children develop a sort of anchor, a sense that they are a part of something bigger than just themselves, when they know about who and what makes up their family. And that anchor keeps them grounded when hard times come.

Anyway, I've been trying more to share memories with my kids, and tell them about things that they have in common with me and my parents, and my grandparents. I need to be better about writing them down. That's for sure.

In fact, while I am at it, I should record one more Christmas cookie memory. I don't ever remember taking gifts or cookies around to neighbors or church friends, when I was a little girl. But at some point, I think when I was 13 or 14, my mom asked if we would like to make cookies for different families we knew at church and in the neighborhood. Mom, of course did most of the work, baking up all sorts of treats and cookies. But I remember helping my sisters scoop them onto plates and covering them with plastic wrap, and loading them into the car. We went around caroling, and delivering our goodies while we looked at Christmas lights on Christmas Eve. 

I remember thinking that it felt so good to give for once instead of receiving. We had been on the receiving end of things for several years, since my parents had divorced and life had turned upside down. That night really helped me feel like we had something to offer, that we had something to give. We wouldn't always be the ones needing a hand, but we were able to give back a little of the kindness that had been shown to us. And I think that was my favorite Christmas from those growing up years. The Christmas I was able to GIVE.

Albany rarely gets snow, and if we do it's an inch and doesn't last more than an hour or so. So we had to document this very rare snow storm. Katie and Grace ate a sickening amount of snow. I didn't help it by using a jello packet to make "snow cones." Very fun day.

THe snow stayed almost a full week and I was so grateful for it. I love snow, and it made everything feel more Christmassy.

we had to dig our winter things out of the attic where I had stored them all since we never need them.

 isn't he so handsome?