My "Other Half"
                               

Ahhhhh.....finally! I was able to draaag my butt out of bed early enough this morning to grab a cup of coffee and enjoy a few minutes of quiet! This daylight savings thing messes with me every time! Over the past week or so we have been working our way through various illnesses and I am eagerly awaiting spring. Seriously. Eager. As in, if it doesn't come soon, I have demanded we move south.

So, lets get back to the whole "illness" thing! Last week my three littles came down with a violent tummy bug, all at the exact same time - 9pm. So, my husband and I rolled up our sleeves (no, literally) and began the gruelling process of walking three miserable littles through a night of the tummy bug. Countless sheet changes, hair holds and back rubs later - around 3am, the last little drifted off into a fitful sleep. Hubby and I just looked at each other and began to laugh. Very. very. quietly. It was all we could do. We had just made it through a very yucky, miserable experience and yet - we made it! And the only one I could laugh with in the middle of the night after something like that would be him.
 My husband. My partner in crime. My bestie.
Yep, this one is about him ladies. The one we have been blessed to share our lives with. The man who literally drives us crazy and then turns around and makes us laugh when we should cry. Think back to your wedding day. How long has it been? A year? 5? 15? We are coming up on our 10th Anniversary as husband and wife (although I swear our time together before that counts too! It must!) That day was one of my favorite. Oh I remember our first few years too, they were fun! We had no where near as many responsibilities, our first son was born about a year and a half later. That was fun too! Raising one baby - while tough - fun!
Fast forward. 10 years. 3 kids. 2 Moves. 3 Transfers. Mortgage. Minivan. Dog.
Still fun.....kind of.
Harder. Much harder. Life goes by fast these days. Kind of in a blurr. Its more of a juggling act? A relay race, if you will. We each take turns rocking babies, running to the store, racing kids to birthday parties, unclogging toilets, groceries, doctors appointments, sick littles, off to work, laundry, dishes, skinned knee, etc. etc. etc. etc.

But, at the end of the day it is worth it. It is worth it because I have a partner. He is my other half. I understand that expression now. 10 years ago I didn't. This life we live is a blessing. We are SO blessed. Its hard. Yep, it can be very hard. It drives me to tears at times. But, my greatest blessing is to have that one person walking next to me, sharing in the joy, sorrow, sweat, tears. When the kids are being extra cute, I look at him. Watch him laugh at them. Watch him hold my daughter or teach my son. I love doing this with him.

Don't get me wrong. Its not all sunshine and roses. Not all puppies and chocolate. Oooooh nooooo, not by a long shot. Let me explain. All this lovey dovey, he is the black to my white, peanut butter to my jelly talk? Its true. He is my balance, my partner.
My complete opposite.

Seriously. We are complete opposites. He is calm. I am, um - maybe a bit irrational? He is matter of fact, I am maybe a bit emotional (seriously, though, I like to call it passionate!) He is analytical, plans things out, a bit more of the "measure 28 times, cut once" kind of guy. I am the "wait, we have to TAPE before we throw the paint on the walls? I just wanted to touch it up real quick!"
He drives me bonkers. Bonkers!
But, he is perfect for me. The things about us that are so different are what make us work. (Trust me, two of ME, living in the same world would be catastrophic. I have a feeling.) No, of course we are not going to have the same ideas on budgeting, household chores, raising littles.  Of course we are going to see things differently.
And, this is ok.
He is not me. He is not going to handle the discipline the same exact way (although very important to be on same page!). He is not going to see the house in the same way, he is not going to be able to just know how I am feeling or what is wrong.
But, I owe it to him to talk it out. Tell him. Love him anyway. Its ok that we are different. Actually, thank God we are!

Long after these littles have grown up and moved off (tear), it will be the hubby and me. He came first and will be here long after. We have a game in our house that the kids like to play (no judging!) where they all like to tell us why they are our "favorite" child. Well, one day in the kitchen Hubby and I were standing next to each other while littles were eating, and I looked at him (and willed him to play along with my eyes) and told the kids I would finally tell them who my favorite was. Oooooh you would have thought I was about to tell them where the pot of gold was! They couldn't believe I was about to dish on who it was! I looked and them and at hubby, threw my arms around him and said "Daddy is my favorite".
Oh. Well, they didn't seem to care, or believe me. Until I said "no, I promise you. Daddy is my favorite. He came before you. I love God first. Daddy second. You guys next. Daddy is and always will be my favorite".
Well - chaos erupted. I heard protests from these littles like I had just said we were getting rid of weekends.
My husband at this point stepped in and said "I agree. Mommy is my favorite. God gave me mommy first, mommies and daddies have to love each other first so that together we can love you guys".
Well. There you go. My children learned a very valuable lesson that night. Of course they know we love them. We adore them.
But mommy and daddy are a team, before them and after them. We are not a perfect team, but we are in it for the long haul and have a lifetime to work on it.
Moms, you are not alone. You have a partner. He is far from perfect. But he is yours. He is the one you are navigating this life with. And he will be by your side long after these chaotic years of raising littles are gone. 
Grab his hand, hold on tight and enjoy the wild ride. Don't forget to kiss, hug and dance in front of those littles - let them see you love each other! Even when you may not "feel" the love - it is deeper than a feeling. It is a partnership. A commitment. A secure, safe place to run to in this world. You may not always feel the sunshine and roses, but your partner will always have your back. And, right about now - that sounds pretty good to me.

LENT - 40 Days of Sacrifice
                                                  

                 This is just a quick little post for the day. Today marks the start of lent. As one who is not Catholic, I never really practiced the sacrifice of giving up something special for lent. Well, I think this year I am. I have just been overwhelmed with how incredibly blessed I am. My husband, children, my health, family, home, job, etc. This list goes on and on and on. I have never had to sacrifice (other that maybe tightening the purse strings when times get tough - and even that I am not great at!) anything of great importance, and yet there are those who have to give up so much every day.
I will participate in Lent this year. I will use it as a time of reflection, thankfulness and try to pass on my blessings to those who are in need. I am giving up eating out. For 40 days. No coffee from Dunkin Donuts. No pizza from the most amazing little restaurant I work at, no stealing fries from those occasional happy meals.
I have never felt the ache of loosing my home, watching my country ravaged by war, loosing a child, not knowing where my next meal will come from or if my family will survive tomorrow. We live in a land of PLENTY. We are BLESSED beyond belief. There is a reason for our blessings, they are not given freely. We are to use them to bless others. Our homes - open them to a family who could use the company and warm meal. Our time - give to those who are overwhelmed with life. Our blessings are given in order to bless others.
This will be my focus this Lent season. Every time I wish I could grab a coffee or order food at the end of a long bartending shift......or go out to eat with my hubby, I will remember the sacrifices made for me, and be grateful for the amazing life I have been blessed with. I will do my best every day to pass on a blessing to someone else.

The Perfect Mom.....?

                                                            

                            I had the amazing privilege of briefly talking with a couple other homeschooling moms the other day. These were moms of many children; quiet, faithful, gentle moms who I greatly look up to and admire. Their children are cute, well behaved and seem very happy and content. The moms themselves are very smart, pretty, calm moms who seem to have it all together. They have been homeschooling for a few years and, in my eyes, know it all. I am sure they bake bread (after grinding their own wheat), take meals to those in need and have all the time in the world to read endless stories after a day of calmly homeschooling their children. Did I mention the perfect dinner they probably have on the clean table when their husband comes home?

Meanwhile, at my house..........
My kids decided to dress themselves (shorts in Feb? A battle for another day....) my house is a disaster zone (mom this is NOT a good week to come by, you will literally never make it through the front door. It is blocked by laundry). I haven't showered since, hmmmm - well when did I last blog? And, we are still on our first lesson of the day - at 2pm, because kids and mom had melt downs and we needed to regroup. Oh my and lets not even talk about dinner.

So, how do these other moms do it????? WHAT IS GOING ON HERE???? How come I just can not get it together yet, these other moms make it look easy?????!!!!

It's because I believe lies. It's all a bunch of lies. I am completely brain washed by the idea that a mom can do it all, and do it all well. Guess what? Some people (not sure who, they may need new glasses!) may look at me and think I know what I am doing and that I have it together. HA! Oh my, if that's the case I put on a good show!

Oh moms, there is no mom out there who believes she is gliding along, getting it all done and doing it well. Its just completely untrue and we have all bought into the idea that she can. We are constantly comparing ourselves to other moms, other families and other kiddos. And, it. is. hurting. us.
Trust me, that mom you think has it together is just as exhausted and overwhelmed as you! She has her doubts, her fears, her house has its dirty secret rooms shut off to the public. Her kids have complete and utter meltdowns that make the Kardashians look like angels. She makes grilled cheese and pancakes for dinner - or orders pizza, again. She doesn't remember the last time she shaved, and, to be honest - she failed epically at her mom job today - multiple times!

The lie that we believe is that there is this "other mom" out there that can do this, and do it without the failures we all struggle through. Moms, the more we believe this lie the more it will break us down and impair our ability to be the kind of mom only we can be. In my previous post I wrote about how we are the exact mom our kids need and guess what? Its true. Our kids are not perfect, and neither are we. We are faaaaar from perfect. We. All of us moms. Every single one. Those moms you see picking up the kids from school? NOT PERFECT! The moms you see at church, or the play date you just had at that gorgeous house (clean!? organized!? Unreal.)? Not perfect. I promise.

So, today mom, remember this. You are not alone! We all struggle with kids who complain, don't want to do school work, laundry that keeps multiplying (for no known reason cuz the kids haven't had clean clothes in their drawers for days!) toddlers that make us want to pull out our unwashed hair, houses that should be boarded up because they are clearly contaminated, and dinners that, lets be honest, don't contain exactly the right amount of fruits and veggies (hey, strawberry jam on pancakes counts?! doesn't it?!)

Take a deep breath mom, you are not alone, you are not loosing it - and no, that "other" mom doesn't have it all together. She feels the exact same way you do.
So, today - reach out to a friend. A friend you can be REAL with. Connect, call her up,  have a cup of coffee, and be real. Don't let her believe you have it all together, because I promise - she doesn't. And, I am willing to bet she could use the support and love just as much as you can.
Enjoy your little ones today - they are different than yesterday, older by one day and continuing to grow. Don't waste time wishing you were better, faster, cleaner, stronger. Be strong in the mom you are today, and remember, we are ALL in the same boat.

No Regrets.                                    

I managed to shower today! It was a quick shower (translation: no washing hair, in and out, never ending line of kids and dogs in and out of bathroom asking about breakfast, tv shows and where is my teddy?) Nevertheless, I showered. I see that as my first major accomplishment today. Its going to be a great day moms!

So, my point in all this is, while in the shower I got to thinking. It was a quick 30 second thought and in it was a snapshot of my life. Along with that came all the "what if's". We all play that game some times. Its a dangerous slippery slope that can quickly lead to doubts of self worth and self accomplishment. It causes us to wonder what our lives would have been had we.....
Now, just as a disclaimer - I am not talking about our kiddos. I have never wondered what my life would be like without them. I already know - empty. However, I do sometimes wonder if things would be different if I had done a certain thing, or not done a certain thing. Don't we all?

"What if I played a certain sport as a kid?"
"What if I did better in school?"
"What if I went to that collage, or to college at all?"
"What if I finished college and actually used the degree I thought I wanted?"
"What if I took that job, or went on that trip?"
"What if I stayed in that job, or got promoted?"
"What if......"

So as my thoughts reeled from all my what if's I realized in that split second that I needed to stop. I am exactly where I was intended to be. My life's path, my choices, my experiences all lead me to where I am right now.

Moms, we are HERE. We are the most important person in our child's life. We are the exact mom that our children need. And, guess what?  Our paths, the road we did take, shaped us.

What are you going through right now? Trips to the doctors, trips to Children's Hospitals, specialists, IEP's, behavior issues, therapists, bullies, learning difficulties, teenage drama, pregnancy, newborns, difficult stages, sleepless nights, etc.

 Each child has his or her own exact needs and guess what mom?! He or she was meant for YOU. You are precisely where you are meant to be. You have been chosen to be your little one's best advocate. Support system. Champion. Your road in life has brought you here. Your little ones need you - right here, right now.

So, while it is tempting to look back and wonder - "what if" - do not let that cloud your mind or heart. There is always the future. You can still finish that degree - you can still travel or start working out or pick up a sport. We are young and full of energy! (okay - so I'm a jokester, its still early!) But, seriously, we still have our whole lives ahead of us - our babies need us for just a short while (though its hard to see that in the thick of it). For now mom - take joy in the fact that the road you traveled brought you here. Here to be mom to these amazing little blessings and to help shape their road through life. You have what it takes to walk your child down their difficult paths - you are exactly who you need to be and where you need to be. Don't ever doubt that. Enjoy today mom - right where you are.

Sibling.........LOVE?                                              

"That's mine!"
"He hit me!"
"She's in my rooooooooom!"
"MOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Ahhhh, the joy of siblings. Brothers will be brothers. They will tease, torment and beat up their siblings. Sisters will be sisters, they will tattle, scream and annoy to death their brothers and sisters. Always. Right? I mean, that's like saying ice cream is cold or its hot during summer. Its the way its always been and the way it will always be! Eventually, with enough prayers on Mom's part, hopefully they will grow up to some day love each other.......right?
WRONG!
I totally. completely. disagree.
Its how they are raised.
How often do I hear mom's say - "oh, I let them sort it out, they have to learn how to get along" or "oh these two kids are driving me crazy!"
No, they are not going to just learn how to get along. And, all kids drive us crazy sometimes, but it shouldn't be because they are related. Kids are not going to just sort out their problems. Putting them in an over sized t-shirt to "get along" is not the answer.
So, what is? I mean, how do we solve this age old problem of bickering brothers and sisters?
By parenting them. Deliberately and intentionally. Now, I am not saying every time there is a raised voice you go running in. Of course not. But, kids at age 5, 6, 7, 8 - they do not have the negotiating skills, the self control or the empathy they need automatically built in. They do not YET cherish the relationship they are in with their brother or sister. But, they can learn to. Love CAN be learned.
And, moms and dads that's OUR job! Its our job to teach them how to share, love, have patience, cherish their loved ones, respect each other's property, show compassion, act in love.
When my two oldest begin to have a problem, I am there. I am aware- most of the time, of what is going on. I am listening. I am waiting. Once I see where its headed I WILL step in. To teach. I get down to their level. I speak to both, one-on-one and explain how they could have handled things differently. They learn how the other one must have felt during the argument or fight. They ask each other for forgiveness. They are told, over and over and over that they are BROTHER AND SISTER. They will be best friends for ETERNITY. Other friends will come and go. My little blessings will be in a relationship forever.

Getting along is not an instinct. Its not something we are born with. It is something that has to be taught to us. The importance of a relationship has to be shown us. If we are teaching our children that loving each other matters, that respecting each other, forgiving each other matters, then our children will become more than just related. They will become best friends. They will become what God intended brothers and sisters to be. They will be each others support network. When they are grown and go through life's trials and difficult times.....they will have each other to lean on. They will lift each other up, instead of tearing each other down. 

So, yes - siblings will fight, they will argue and they will drive you nuts!  But, take the time out to parent them when this happens. Don't just chalk it up to kids being kids. It is a major opportunity to teach them how to love - and the importance of family. As a homeschooling mom this is a lesson we relearn every, single day. It can be exhausting! I feel like I am saying the same, exact thing every single day. That's because I am!  That's my job. Over and over and over. Teach, show, love, forgive. Over and over and over. And, some days I see little glimmers of hope - a random act of kindness, an afternoon of playing happily together, a loving word, or a goofy hug. I know my children love each other, and they are learning how important that is, and how to show it.

Wierd, Unsocialized Homeschoolers!

                                                      

Yup - that's us! How did I even get here? I have 3 children that I homeschool! Who does that!? Well, I do. And, guess what? My kids are normal (well, as normal as they can possibly be with a wacky momma like me!) They are social, silly, athletic (well, at times - then my genes kick in and then they are "graceful") kind, compassionate children.

Today's post is about our schedule - our normal daily routine that encompasses school, chores and life. But, as I began this I realized there is a whole back story to our journey down this homeschool road. Another blog for another time. I know many of you have your doubts and many of you are intrigued - while others of you are considering homeschooling your own littles.

Just know this, and then I will get on with the schedule. I am, and always have been, the most unorganized, undisciplined, impatient, "not homeschooling material" kind of mom ever. Yep. Seriously. I can't keep my bills in a neat pile, forget school work, books and papers! I am not disciplined enough to walk a dog every day or participate in any kind of exercise program - let alone run a classroom from my home! And for the record, patience is not one of my strengths - I really really need grace everyday and strength from above to accomplish the job of the patient homeschooling momma.
That being said, I homeschool. I love it. I have my doubts, failures, successes, sob fits, tranquil moments and immeasurable joy as I teach my children about life and God's incredible world. So - trust me. No one is "cut out" to homeschool.  But, we are given grace, strength and patience to try again every morning!

All righty - here is a sample schedule (**disclaimer, schedule changes at a moments notice, no two days are the same and everything rests on the shoulders of a certain toddler, her mood and nap time!!!**)

5:30/6:00 am - I usually wake up with a start. No alarm needed. Maybe someone tiptoed into my room and stared at me creepily (wth?! why do kids do that!?) willing me to wake up. Or baby wanted an early morning snack. Or I dreamt my husband slept through his alarm. Either way, I am up. I grab a cup of coffee, flip open the laptop and peruse Facebook to wake up. Then I check out a Crosswalk devotion for the day (very helpful when you realize the kind of day I will have! wink wink) I may check out my plan book for each kiddo and then look up some activities that may coincide with a certain lesson.

6:30/7:00 - someone is up. Sometimes all three, sometimes one, two.. . who knows. I do make my littles stay in their rooms until 7 (7:30 on weekends) but somehow someone ends up on the couch looking over my shoulder! Lately tv has been going on just to give me a couple more minutes to look over a certain blog before I quickly publish it!

7:00/7:30 - Breakfast time. Kiddos have cereal on weekdays (more fun on weekends) to keep things simple. If the baby is still asleep (depending on whether there was an early morning snack!) I will sit with kids at table and do Bible. We use a great little curriculum that I found online for free. Its perfect for teaching them the great stories of the Bible and the faith lessons behind each story. Click  here to check it out, it is by Sheila Scroggins at calverymv.com. 

8:00-9:30'ish - at this time we do any number of different things. Kids are getting dressed, washed, making beds and doing chores. In order to have a functioning household everyone participates in the management of our home. My kids start at a very young age doing chores, usually around 2. By the time they are 5 and 7 they can clean bathrooms, empty dishwashers, fold some laundry, sweep, vacuum, etc. This is another blog for another time, but is a critical aspect in raising littles to be functioning, responsible members of society. It is also critical to my sanity and well being. Enough said. I will try to get some dinner in the slow cooker at this point as well. The baby is up, eating and now creating chaos in her wake.

9:30/10'ish - My 7 year old will start some of his independent work. As a second grader he is able to now do some things independently (whoo hoo!!) I will put everything together in his folder and write it all down on the white board. It usually includes his reading, cursive, phonics practice papers and math on the computer (he uses Teaching Textbooks a computer program math that he loves!). My 5 year old will at this time usually play with the baby, do puzzles, color, play doh, or if baby is cooperating she and I will read together or go over her phonograms. For her reading program we use The Writing Road to Reading - a bit complicated but an incredible foundation and tool to have for reading and writing.
Kids will have a snack around 10:30 and I will usually be down in school room with the baby and 5 yo at this time. There is more playing (sand table, art projects, audio books, etc) My 7yo has a quiet place in his room where he can go to do his work and the girls don't bother him.

11:30/12 - Depending on when my littlest little woke up, she goes down for a nap around now. If we were a normal family she would wait till maybe 12:30/1 but I need my teaching time with the kids! So, during nap time the kids and I work very hard to do teacher led school work (usually we bring lunch downstairs with us!) Of course, never fear,  there are many breaks during the day! Lots of Lego playing and general fun ~ its homeschool!
 I do spelling and grammar with biggest little and spelling and reading with middle little. You will notice most of our time and energy is spent on Reading, Writing and 'Rithmatic. The foundation of a good education is being able to read, write and do math. Science and History are fantastic - but only if you can comprehend what you read and can compute your findings!
(**side note**
I will be schooling year round. We will do mainly the core subjects during the "school year" and will continue on with science, history, geography and reading during the summer months. We still do a lot of that stuff now, but the pressure is not as great to "cram it all in" and gives me more flexibility to focus on the core subjects. Being as this is my first year homeschooling it is one of learning for me as well. I am learning where I need to stress, and where I don't! What I need to "make" my kids do, and what I don't.)


1:30/2:00- around this time baby is up and we are usually off to do either Lego Lab, or gym or baseball or gymnastics, playing in the snow, errands or a play date! Phew! You mean, they aren't locked up in an attic? You mean they are happy, well-adjusted, fun loving, good kiddos?!
Get out of here!

4:00'ish - Back home from our activities and I start to feel a little panic about dinner and the end of the day. My 5yo will usually sit at the kitchen table and play on the computer at this point,  math games or phonics games. We love this site  for fun, online learning activites. My 7yo will finish up any work he has, review for any tests or finish up any chores. Then he will play on his tablet or occasionally I will put on a show like the Magic Schoolbus or Wild Kratts.

**disclaimer*** though this all sounds lovely, chaos begins....now. This is our witching hour, where my world get nutso and kids run wild. It happens. To the best of us. I find a nice glass of wine (or two!) helps immensely.

5:00/5:30 - Daddy comes home! YIPPPPEEEEE! Best. Part. Of. My. Day. Hands downs!
5:30-7:30  - family dinner, clean up, baths, stories, (occasionally we will all watch Cutthroat Kitchen, a family favorite!) and bed!

Then I collapse in a heap on the couch in the arms of my best friend. We catch up on a few shows and I stumble to bed around 9:30-10.

I try to do a lot of my lesson planning on the weekends, and Saturdays are a big"clean the house" day.

So, there you have it. A "kind of schedule"! It really does change from day to day but this is roughly how I fit it all in. I am sure I forgot something, probably something that's actually very important. But, we probably do it during the day without even thinking about it!

Homeschooling is the hardest, and most amazing thing I have ever done. I could never do it on my own. I have the love and support of my husband, and an Almighty God who is with me every step of the way. I adore having my children home with me, I love watching them learn, grow and enjoy life. I love being able to help them choose the activities they want to participate in. Homeschooling has brought my children closer (they are best friends), my family closer and me closer to God (seriously, you just can't do this alone!).

So, I will have more on homschooling in the future; the why and the how! But, for now, hope you have enjoyed a glimpse into a flexible day in the life of a weird, unsocialized homeschooling family!

                                                         

 

                                    My tranquil moments......blissful!

                                    Sisters and brothers can be best friends......
                                                  

                                                  My littlest scholar!

                                      My beautiful "before dinner" mess!

                                                Sand table fun.....

Plans? What Plans?

                                        
Well, this next blog was supposed to be an awesome blog documenting our day to day activities as exciting homeschoolers.
Hm.
Instead, I have a snotty, feverish toddler hanging on my elbow and trying to crawl under the computer onto my lap (and not really watching Baby Einstein) while I try to hold my eyes open long enough to finish a couple sentences.
 My littlest little was diagnosed with the flu yesterday - totally awesome. This was so not in my plans for the week. We took our February vacation last week while Daddy was away. This week we were heading back to school. Changing that plan. I was super excited to get back to the blog - hard to do over a weekend and holiday with the hubby home (he is SO distracting! wink wink!). Changing up that plan. Had awesome things planned a couple nights this week - and fun daytime activities for the kids - changing those plans.

Do you ever feel that as a parent there is sometimes very little point in planning anything?! Birthday parties, weekend getaways, play dates, Valentines Day!? Sometimes we have the most amazing things planned and well - a little gets sick. A toddler melts down. A husband has to work. Or, worst of all - a husband gets sick! (yikes!) Most of the time I take it in stride. Occasionally though, I want to stomp my feet and cry and scream because its so not fair!

So, I guess this particular blog is just an "I feel ya" blog. Its meant to be a hug in the middle of chaos. Especially for all of you enjoying vacation this week, remember your day today is NOT going to go as planned! Our children are most certainly not going to follow our schedule of events perfectly! They are going to melt down in the middle of the grocery store, throw up in the library, misbehave at the restaurant and probably cause us to redo our "list" a couple times - today!

But, you know what? That's ok. Cause its not about the plans, vacations or play dates. Its about them. Its about using our limited time with these little blessings wisely. Its about letting each day speak for itself. A new morning, a new plan. Our "job" isn't to plan play dates or music lessons, its not to make sure our littles get to each activity. Our job is to be a mom. That's it. That's everything. Mom. Our plans will come and go, but today, tomorrow - its about being mom.

So, as I watch my sweet little now sucking on a popsicle in her highchair (yeah, its 6am but hey, I was desperate!) and I vividly remember my very sleepless night, I know that the most important thing I can do today is to let go of my plans. Go with the crazy flow. For those of you taking care of sick kiddos - hang in there moms! It is so incredibly frustrating! We have all been there. For those of you on vacation this week - don't try to cram it all in ~ remember, the special moments are usually in the down time. The "unplanned" time. For those of you just trying to survive this week - you are so not alone. Just take a deep breath and remember to be flexible!

Maybe tomorrow or Friday I will post our schedule, maybe not! Either way - today I am going to try to just let my focus be "mom". I am not going to try to accomplish anything else - trust me, I have my work cut out for me! lol Have an awesome day moms, and enjoy these vacation days with your littles! They don't have enough of them.