Here we come, Mickey!!!

Last year, we celebrated Megan's 4th birthday at Disney World.  It was a magical week, full of fun for everyone.  I've been feeling long overdue for a return trip to The World, but Mark has not agreed at all.  He feels waiting 5 years or so would be about the right amount of time.  I'm not sure why he can't see things my way on this. 

Around Thanksgiving, I started suggesting we go for Allison's 3rd birthday.  You know - to be fair and all.  But he wasn't budging on his anti-Disney stance.

Well, a few weeks ago, I saw him measuring Allison.  She's very close to 40 inches, which is the cut-off for many of the bigger rides.  I didn't say anything, but I knew what he was doing.

Just the past Friday he made a comment about "well, if we're going to be in Florida next weekend".  You know, as if it was completely normal to expect to go to Florida in one week without any prior plans.  But that's all it takes for me to get moving and planning.

We booked plane tickets and hotel on Sunday night.  I just finished booking a rental car.  We leave in 36 hours.  I wish I had more time to plan - meal reservations, picking what we're doing each day, etc. - but I guess it will have to be more of an "on the fly" trip.  I'm sure we'll all still have a great time.  I promise pictures when I return.

Where does the time go?

My oldest is 5 today.  In some ways, I hardly remember life without kids.  But in other ways, it just seems like she can't be 5 already!

We had a celebration at preschool today for which they request photos from each year of life, along with a short blurb of what the child was like at each age.  I put this together.  Nothing fancy, but they'll post it at school for a while, so I wanted to keep the language simple and easy to read.




Looking at the first photo reminds me how much I miss having a baby around.  You know, when they're asleep and cute like that.  :)

Bad blogger...

I keep thinking I should post.  And upload photos.  Or make them all pretty and scrap-like.  But then it seems like such a big project and I just don't do it.

The joys of perfectionism.  If I can't do it right, I prefer to just not do it at all.  Which I'm sure has always been a shortcoming of mine.  It works okay when I have time or inclination, but it causes me to limit myself in other areas.  Anything that I find difficult or uninteresting usually gets left by the wayside.

Hmmm..yet another issue to work on this year.

I recently revisited my list of semi-resolutions to see how I'm doing so far:

1) Health/weight/etc. - I'm working out hard-core every day with the P90X program.  I'm struggling with eating more than I should be.  I know there are issues in my head that I need to deal with regarding eating, but I haven't quite gotten around to that yet.

2) I'm working on trying to pause before reacting to the kids - take stock of the situation, needs (hunger, sleep, love), etc, before reacting. Too often I get angry at them for not doing what I'm asking and then see WHY. I look forward to the time when they start to articulate it better themselves, but in the meantime, I need to take that upon myself. I can say that I have been doing better, but I still have a ways to go.

3) Improving my ability to schedule my time - both with work and home.  I find that I'm easily distracted and stuff slides more than it should.  I'm trying to follow the Flylady schedules - slowly getting into that.  As well as following her rules about checking what needs to be done, making lists, limiting my own time (like setting a timer, but I don't actually use one).  Again, plenty of room for improvement, but it's on my mind and I'm trying.

I'll add to that that I want to process my P365 photos at least once every two weeks, including uploading them here.  And we'll see how that goes...

Speed Scrap

I've been busy this past week. More on that later. Just a quick post tonight.

We made it out for my birthday dinner. It was a bit disappointing as far as the food goes, but we had a nice time as a family anyway.

I managed to make it home in time for a speed scrap, so I grabbed the picture of Megan that I took tonight. She is such a model lately, just posing all the time. And her outfit tonight made the picture that much better.

Credits: Kit Cherry Sugar Sunshine by Girl Friday Studio, Alpha by Delicious Scraps, Date by Britt-ish Designs.

Today I also started the P90X workouts.  90 days of hard-core workouts.  I could use a good butt-kicking, so I'm hoping I'll be able to stick with it!  Mark is doing it, too, but I'm not sure we'll work out at the same time very often.  We did both start today, so at least our schedules will be the same when we do manage to find time to do it together.

Getting started with P365

I find it really hard to begin new things. I like to research, plan, and research some more.

I decided to try Project 365 this year - taking a picture every day to document our lives. And practice photography skills. So taking pictures is fairly easy, but deciding how to scrap them is harder. I managed to get the first page done, but I've already rethought the style several times. Feels like I'm having to choose the whole design of the album - too much pressure. So, we'll just take it from here and see what happens next. Easy, right?


Credits - kit Beautiful by Delicious Scraps, font Pea Minna http://www.kevinandamanda.com/

Digi-Scrap!

I'm trying to get into digital scrapbooking. I find that I'm more into shopping for digital supplies, though, and don't take much time to do any scrapping!

But I managed to do a page the other day (with a new kit!). It was for a template challenge to try to win another kit that I like. So we'll see...



Credits:  Made with Rex and Tinkerbell by Flergs.  Template provided by Tiffany at A Scrap Away.

I tend to do very linear layouts when left to my own devices.  And without much adornment.  So using templates like this is fun for me - forces me to use elements outside of my comfort zone.  I just wish I had more time to work on things like this!

My focus...

I don't remember what I was reading.  Something a few weeks ago.  They asked what we wanted to focus on during 2010.  Not like a resolution, necessarily, but just a focus.  They asked if there was a specific word that came to mind.  I think whoever was writing may have said "Simplicity" as their word.

Well, nothing came to mind at the time, but just this past weekend, the word "Purity" has really been in my head.  That's when I remembered what I had read and decided that was to be my focus.

I feel like I have gotten off-track in that area.  Things that really should bother me as a child of God don't bother me as much as they used to - crude jokes, cursing, stuff like that.  And I WANT them to bother me like they used to.  I feel like I'm conforming too much to this world and not standing out as different.

Romans 12:2 (NIV):  "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will."

Phillipians 4 was really speaking to me on Sunday, and especially this verse - Phil. 4:8 (NIV):  "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things."

I need to shift my thoughts back to being closer to God's thoughts.  And be offended by the things that would offend God.  That is the kind of example I want to be to my children.