Life has been very busy

I need to start with an apology  for having abandoned the blog for the last few weeks!

So much has happened, I am excited to share with you all of the new goings on at our house...In no particular order, here goes nothing!

First, Dilly has TEETH! She has gotten her first two teeth peeking through, both are on the bottom and both are RAZOR sharp! We've begun introducing her to solid foods and so far a few favorites include; avacado, scrambled eggs, cheese, strawberries and rice chex. She really loves playing with Lissy Jane and working so hard at being able to do what Lissy does!

Second, well, I hate to admit it, but we are taking a break from potty training. It's just been so stressful! UGH! Lissy is definitely moving in a good direction and is interested in the goings on in the bathroom, but she is just not communicative enough for this to stick right now.

Third, for those of you who are not Memphians, this is going to sound crazy....but we just got done with our 5 days camp out to get Annie into White Station Middle School's Optional Program. The camp out started on Thursday at 830am when one of the moms started the line! Earliest one yet! Geez... We ended up having fun as a family at the camp out. Food trucks from Fuel, Mark's Grill, Square Meal on Wheels, Central BBQ and the Tamale Trolley all showed up at different points. The kids played on the lawn of the Board of Education and we made a ton of great new friends. Overall, not a bad weekend.

Fourth, not sure who knows, but I am now teaching at White Station High School! I am very ecited to have returned to the school where I went to high school and taught last year. It is a great excitement to be back and I have been blessed with an amazing roster. Literally, every class has an amazing community feel and is quite dynamic. Here's a couple pictures of my classroom.

So, all in all, there has been a lot going on! Hopefully, I can get back on track with all the things that you all like to see. Keep cheering us on, it's great to hear from you all about all the goings on in our little cozy house!

Simple Solution Sunday

Sometimes the only thing that prevents us from doing something is that we're not totally sure how to finish it. For example, today's simple solution is one such issue.

I have been wanting to clean out my linen closet for quite a long time. However, my biggest issue was finding somewhere for all the rejected linens to go! So, today's simple solution is more of a "duh" than an "oh cool".

With the help of my husband and a matter of about 1 hour we cleaned out the linen closet. First things first, I spread linens put in the hallway and the bathroom so that we had a good view of what linens we had. Then we selected what we wanted to keep and put it away, including putting king size sheets in our bed trunk in our bedroom and making Annie's bed. Finally I bagged up items to donate. As you can see from the after picture, I apologize for no before picture, the closet is tidy with room to spare, two giant bags are being donated and several lives will hopefully be positively effected by it.

This is my simple solution. When it is time to clean out closets, look around your city or your neighborhood and find an organization to donate the items to. If all else fails, take them to your local Goodwill. Their website, www.goodwill.com has some useful info on evaluating your items for donation. I highly recommend looking first at your church, school or work and supporting the efforts of others in your immediate circles, but if you don't know of such efforts, donation is an excellent next choice.

Love!

Potty Training

The experts say that your child will show you they are ready to be potty trained and that's how you will know that it is time to start potty training. Some parents call this the struggle or battle of wills. It is most definitely a challenge for all involved. For the parents, this is letting go of your baby in some regard and giving them a new independence. For your tot, this is the first time they truly get to call the shots. This can be a trying time for all involved.

Other experts say that once these signs show up, you can potty train your child in just 3 days. This may be true for some children, but certainly not all of them.

This weekend we started to try to potty train MelissaJane. She has shown interest in the bathroom and the habits of others. She says pee pee about 85% of the time that her diaper is wet or soiled, so we know she can communicate her needs.

Since we had such good background evidence, she spent all of Saturday naked from the waist down. On Sunday morning she got up and used the potty for all of about 3 droplets. While Geoff was out running errands he bought some underwear in her size. She was VERY excited to see the underwear and put them on, but the concept was not sticking.

This is not a successful attempt #1. And oddly enough, my memories of potty training Annie and Jonas were that it went much more smoothly. Annie simply said ok when we suggested it to her. Jonas, quite honestly, was potty trained mostly at school. I was told by his teacher that the next week I was to bring him to school with several changes of clothes and several pairs of underwear and by the end of the week we were done. It was great! I was hoping that MelissaJane would be like her sister and it would just click. I guess we'll have to try again.

Tonite when you say your prayers, say one for us that this all goes smoothly and quickly.

Love!

First Run

Today I dragged myself to the gym, put my big fat  uncomfortably sized self on the elliptical and then the treadmill and exercised. It wasn't pretty, it wasn't my best, but it's done.

I set a big time goal of running 500 miles this year. (It's kind of a big deal I said that out loud, so please hold me to it.) and today I snapped down 1.5 of them. I have 363 days left to get another 498.5. Seems manageable, but you'd be amazed at how quickly life stomps all over your good plans! Lol! Don't I know! I'm the mom of 4, who was told there wouldn't be a #3 without IVF....guess life proved that wrong! Times 2!!!

I'm hoping that 2013 can be a year of growth and change and learning and becoming the best of me yet. Wanna come along for the ride? Tell me about your goals.

2013, day 1

I don't know if I'll keep up with my blog posting everyday. I don't know what the future has in store. I don't even know what will happen tomorrow.

Here's what I do know:
1. I love my family.
2. I do NOT want that to change.
3. I need to make sure I do everything to keep things moving in a positive direction for my family.

Here's my pledge for 2013.

I pledge to make 2013 a year of healthiness.
I will work on being healthier for my kids; eat a little less, get back to running, rest when I need it.
I will work on mental/emotional health for me and my family; less yelling, more play time, and talking things out.
I will work on marriage health; date nights, talking things out with Geoff, not going to sleep before resolving things.
I will work on financial health; saving, setting realistic goals, more dinners at home.
I will work on Classroom health; setting boundaries, planning for lessons effectively by reviewing data, and really listening to what works with the kids.
I will work on business health; set boundaries, be reasonable and set measurable, reasonable goals.

I'm hopeful that at the end of this year, my family, my life, my work and I will all be in a better place. Help me with this journey? Post in the comments any suggestions you might have.