Fun Thanksgiving, Craziness Ever Since

We really did have a fun Thanksgiving. The kids loved seeing their cousins. It was fun to cook good food for more people! All my cooking turned out good this time! :) ...even the new things that I tried for the first time.

Things have just been so busy since then...at work, at home. The kids both have colds, so you know how that is. Grumpy and wild! A bad combination! I also put up the Christmas tree and that seemed to make the kids even more excited and hyper. The good news is that MB pulled down the tree only once so far, and I caught it before it hit the floor. He keeps pulling the garland off of it, but that's OK. We get to have fun decorating it over and over and over again! Woopee!

I have to describe today in a little more detail to show you why I feel like my blood pressure went up today. First of all, MB got up during the night because he was uncomfortable with his cold. He actually climbed out of his bed and went running and screaming down the hall in the dark! I had to chase after him and sleep with him out on the couch. Then we woke up around 9AM and he wouldn't eat anything. He then opened the fridge and pulled out the eggs. I assumed that he wanted scrambled eggs, so I started cooking some. Whenever I turned my back, he was back at the fridge pulling out more eggs! I kept having to run over and get them from him. I finally got smart and put them out of his reach on the counter top. He went to the living room and was busily playing, so I hurried over and returned the eggs to the fridge. The next thing I know, MB has eggs splattered all over the floor and then he slides right through them and falls with his blankies. So he had raw eggs all over himself and his blankies and the floor! He had returned for a fifth time to grab the eggs from the fridge. The persistent little bugger!

I was so mad, but it all cleaned up. Then I got the kids out to the store for Popsicles which is the only thing that they want to eat with these colds. Sigh. It's all very funny now, but I really wondered if things could get any crazier. That's a dangerous thing to wonder. :)

Guests for Thanksgiving & Mixing Traditions

We just found out that we are going to have guests for Thanksgiving. :) I am very excited. Mark's brother and my sister-in-law plus their three children are coming up next Tuesday! We just saw them a few weeks ago and stayed there for the first part of our vacation in Kentucky. That was the best part of our trip. I'm really looking forward to seeing them again. I love talking to my sister-in-law, so this will be very nice. We didn't think that they would be able to come, so this is such a great surprise! It is such a treat to see the cousins playing together, and what fun it will be! Now I have some motivation to CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN this weekend.

When I first moved to this area, I was surprised when my mother-in-law cooked sauerkraut to go with the turkey and stuffing for Thanksgiving. That is a traditional Thanksgiving side dish here! And it's not the sauerkraut that I grew up with. It is cooked with caraway seed, apples, potatoes and sausage in the slow cooker. It is delicious. I'll have to get some tips on how to prepare it this way. Then I'll definitely have to make my mom's version of Southern cornbread dressing. It's going to be a mixture of traditions. It'll be fun!

Olives for Me!

Isn't this the cutest? One of MB's favorite treats is OLIVES of all things! He really loves them. He wanted green olives with his breakfast and later black olives for a snack. He requests them by name. I'm not sure why he loves them so much. I like them, too, but not for breakfast.

I need to try to find ways for the kids to get exercise when the weather is yucky outside, especially since Winter is at our doorstep. There are things to do like going to storytimes at the library, but those things aren't the same as running and playing outside. It seems hard to find outdoors things to do in the cold weather with little kids. I'm trying to remember if I played on my swing set when it was cold outside when I was a kid. I think that I did sometimes, but it didn't get as cold down South as it does here. I'm not complaining, though. Really..the Winters are beautiful here when it snows.

What Really Matters

Today I took action against my negative thoughts and worries and took the kids to the park to play even though I didn't feel like it. It was cool outside and MB is still getting over his cold. He was all action today, though, so he must be feeling better! I'm Mrs. Mopey Worrywart much of the time and THAT MUST CHANGE. Anyway, I took the kids to the park, and they were so happy. I could tell that the fresh air and play made them feel better and act better. I felt better, too. :)

I have to realize that my main priority is helping my kids to have happy lives. That's really truly one of the most important things to me. I think that getting them to play and taking them to places that they can play with other kids or do fun activities is extremely important. I've been mopey and have not been going out much, but I think that I need to do it no matter how I feel. It's bound to make me feel better anyway. I also want to have a more positive attitude. There's no good in worry or negativity and it rubs off on the kids in a hurtful way. I know because my mom was a negative and depressed person. I know the effect that it can have on children.

Taking action to help the kids...I can do that. :) Tomorrow I plan to take MB to a story time program at the library while MG is in her preschool class. This is much more meaningful than wasting money on shopping, and it's free!

It's a Madhouse!

I telecommute some evenings. That's what I'm doing tonight. The kids have been wild monkeys all night, and it sounds like a zoo out there. Sure, working from home is great, but sometimes it's really hard to concentrate if you're telecommuting from THE ZOO. The kids have been pretty wild all day plus they have colds. Maybe they'll be all wound down by the time I am off from work. :)

One thing that has been difficult is getting any type of cleaning done. I really suck at cleaning, & I don't know why. I feel that I have cleaned things up if I am so lucky to get the dishes done and the trash/diaper pails changed so the house doesn't stink. Sometimes I try to pick up toys. Is this just how it's going to be until the kids get a little older? Also, I sometimes don't notice the mess until it has become a mountain. Then I feel so overwhelmed and can't seem to find the time to clean it all up. I guess that's what I should be doing each night, but I'm so tired then! Excuses, excuses. Then a "certain person I know" fusses about the mess even when I've worked on it, so I do feel overwhelmed and unmotivated by it all. Ugh!!!!

Other than that, I've really been feeling much better. Not so depressed!

Brainstorming Changes

I have been thinking alot lately. I am really feeling more positive and want to explore ways to improve things for my family. I sure feel lack of motivation at my job. It also feels like a negative atmosphere for me. It's been good to telecommute alot and be here for my kids, but it's a sedentary job, and I'm at home too much. It has had good aspects because my kids do not have to be in childcare. I LOVE being with my kids.

I realize that with preschool and kindergarten coming up in the next few years, my schedule wouldn't be serving it's purpose any longer. I would actually be seeing less of the kids with my working nights and every other Saturday. We need the money, so I do need to work. I also think that it's good for me with my shy tendencies because I'm forced to talk to people. :)

So here's my plan. My biggest concern before looking for a job would be to make sure that I have a good place for my kids to learn and be taken care of. MG is doing well in preschool now, and MB will be old enough to start next Fall. Some childcare centers offer preschool and are learning centered. That's my task. I want to check out the preschool and childcare programs and get my kids on waiting lists. Then I could start looking at job ideas.

One initial job idea would be a teacher assistant position at a local public school. (This is something that I've done before). We have a new school opening next Fall, so their may be positions opening up then. The pay is not the greatest, but I would be working a schedule similar to my kids' schedule...especially when they're both in elementary school. I also like working with kids and it would help me to be more in tune with the educational needs of my own kids. There also might be the opportunity to continue on with the library as a substitute working occasionally to fill in and make extra money. The thing that would be nice is that I would be home in the evenings and on weekends and in the Summer. That would allow more time with the kids and MM or allow time for the substituting to earn extra money. Right now I have very little time with MM or family time where we're all able to do something together.

Sigh. Those are my ideas. I know there are probably a million "what ifs". With my depression problem, I tend to not take action on making good changes in my life. I tend to procrastinate. I am starting to feel better now that I'm getting treatment, so I hope that this will help motivate me. :) Please feel free to send any ideas or thoughts my way. :)

It Was Worth It

We really enjoyed our family time and taking the kids trick-or-treating. It was fun! Here's a pic of our little Elmo and Snow White with her kitty friend. :)