Michigan

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Week 2 Over and Done!

Published January 24, 2014 by Angela

When I go to college, I tend to live my life in 6-week increments; 6 weeks is how long I have to complete each class. I have to say the best feeling is the last assignment turned in for a class; knowing you can do absolutely nothing else!

This journey has showed me that I need to keep my focus. My focus on my girls, the homeschooling schedule, the church schedule, and squeeze in some me-time 🙂

I love my lists!

I love my lists!

With a week to go, I am feeling comfortable that I can do this, and get my MBA. I can teach Erin her homeschooling, and support my other 3 girls in everything they have going on. I can get to church every Sunday morning (I have made it every weekend this year! Do you remember my to-do list for 2014?) And I can work long hours and still get up and cook dinner and eat with my girls, play Mario on the Wii, and watch mindless TV (Sleepy Hollow anyone? anyone?)

It is a snow day, again… Such is life in Michigan. I get to work again this weekend, and am looking forward to some sound sleep, getting up and having dinner with my girls, and relaxing before work. Oh, and homework. I have to get some posts in or my grade will go down.

So here’s to wishing you a Happy, warm weekend, and may you get to do the things you want to do!

 

Snow Day #2!

Published January 7, 2014 by Angela

Yesterday my girls let me sleep, didn’t destroy the house, and Erin actually did some of her homework she was behind on. Here’s hoping for the same mad-luck today, and that it wasn’t just the Tylenol PM working heavy-duty and they really did get along without fighting and yelling at each other. Car thermostat on the way to work last night? -2 degrees. Windchill? -20+ degrees. And still getting colder.

Oddly enough, I am hoping they don’t have school tomorrow either, because I have a very busy day with limited sleep and not having to get kids up for school would be a huge help!

Are you snowed in as well, or are you warm and balmy somewhere that the sun is shining?

Snow Day? No Way!

Published January 6, 2014 by Angela

Snow Day
I guess I should feel a little bit guilty that I have assignments set for my 12 year old homeschooler to complete; while her two sisters have a snow day today, and more than likely tomorrow. Their school closed early last night (Okay, all schools in West Michigan closed basically by 7pm last night). She has gotten a bit off-task, and my intention was to get her caught up and on-task while I was off for Christmas break. She ended up going to her Fathers for 10 days and although she did some work, she did not complete near the amount I had hoped she would.

I asked her 15 year old sister to please help her with her math, and she has a lot of Ancient History work to get done before she goes to that class on Friday. I will have to keep my fingers crossed that she actually does what I need her to do, and leaves the puzzle sitting on the kitchen table alone. She is the only person I know who may very well like to do puzzles even more than me.

So the game plan is I am going to get safely home from work, take 2 Tylenol PM, put in my earplugs, put on my eye mask, turn on The Hobbit in my DVD player and turn my television up to 50, and hopefully I can get a good day’s sleep and be ready to dig into some Algebra with Erin after dinner. I just hope their game plan is to not argue, fight, or try to go outside with -35 degree wind chills. I got a feeling this is going to be a long, cold, tiresome week. And how is your Monday?

My 2014 To-Do List!

Published January 2, 2014 by Angela

I am not one to do resolutions, only for the fact that it seems to be much more pressure to accomplish something than you would normally feel if, say, you decided to go on a diet starting the 3rd Wednesday of February. And I also figure I gave up more than enough things in 2013, and I lost about 30 lbs (not entirely intentional) so I am going to share my To-Do List. I am an avid list maker; I have them in my desk at work, in my purse, in my car, on my dresser, on my bookshelf, stuffed inside books I was reading at the time, I think you get my point. With that being said, it is my intention that this To-Do list is one I will actually follow, and work towards.

 

1)      Go to church a LOT more than I did this past year (This tends to be difficult on Sunday mornings because a. I work 3rd shift, it’s a whole sleep/awake thing we aren’t going to get into here, and b. my 12 year old needs to go to confirmation classes from 9:30-10:30am, and trying to get her to church by 8:15 am for the actual service is next to impossible impossible.

2)      Tithe a LOT more at church than I did this past year. Granted, attending more should lead to tithing more, but I truly want to get it to the level it needs to be at. Give until it hurts, right?

3)      Stop swearing. Yes, I swear. A lot. Not as much as I used to, but enough that I cannot justify my faith and attendance at church while continuing to cuss like a sailor in my home.

4)      Stop yelling. Ugghh; this is a big one for me. I have gotten much better, but my 2 youngest tend to communicate by yelling (yes, they learned it from me) so I tend to continue to communicate in that manner with them. Meaning, if they are yelling and screaming at each other, I yell “Knock it off!” So not necessary.

5)      Make and take some “me” time. I do not get time away from my girls, pretty much ever. I also have college classes beginning in 7 days for my Master’s Degree (which could really hinder any chance of free-time what-so-ever!). So I think this year it is going to be more important than ever that I make sure I have time to myself to recoup, and relax, and keep my sanity right where I need it; with me.

6)      Patience. I just gotta get some. This in turn will likely help tremendously with #’s 3 & 4.

7)      Exercise. Exercise. I do NOT like to exercise. Never have, likely never will. My intention is to actually begin running as soon as the temperature gets above 10 degrees in Michigan.

8)      Read the Bible. The WHOLE Bible. Even the hard parts that I never understand and skip over. I have started a reading program with the YouVersion Bible App. I should complete this task in 6 months.

9)      Improve my photography skills. I have an amazing camera system and lenses, but never seem to take the time to experiment with it. I spent 4 years in high school taking photos for our yearbooks so I am familiar with the technical speak of photographers, I just need to test the limits of my camera.

10)    Allow myself to be happy! I have felt incredible for the last 5 months, and I just really need to enjoy and bask in that.

What are your big goals?

This Is Probably Wrong On So Many Levels….

Published December 20, 2013 by Angela

But I have literally been off from work for 8 hours, and am thinking I need to find a part-time job for 9 days.

I have never, never, in 21+ years of parenting, had to listen to girls fight as much as I have for the last 2 weeks. Unbelievable. The closer it gets to Christmas; the worse they fight. Yet they ask me: “Mom, can you put some more presents under the tree?”

Really?

I am about to return the ones that are already under the tree.

And go shopping for myself.

Honestly, it has been snowing here since Halloween, and I think this is going to be a long season of cabin fever. I have the best of intentions, and the smallest of patience. And the less patience I have, the more they fight. I don’t want to be home having my sleep schedule messed up. I want to go to work at 10 pm, and crawl into bed at 8 am with my earplugs, and eye mask, and “The Hobbit” blaring loud enough in the DVD to drown out my kids arguing.

I am soooo sick of hearing “stupid”, and “idiot” in my house that I can’t even discuss it. When did I become the Mother and Father to such rude children? They weren’t this rude last year, or last month. But I have become the parent of not only children who suffer from being bullied, but they are also the bullies; to their own sisters.

We will be spending every moment that our church is having service at church, and the rest of the time doing things for others who are less fortunate. Because my girls think they have it pretty bad; I think it’s time for them to see what pretty bad really is. It isn’t having to use the same back-pack two years in a row; it is not having a pair of shoes that lets you go to school in the first place.

 

That wasn’t so bad :-)

Published November 1, 2013 by Angela

For me at least! I was in a toasty warm car, while my girls were in the torrential downpour (that is only a wee bit of an exaggeration). The wind was blowing so hard that their umbrellas turned inside out!

Halloween 2013, done and in the bag!

Half of my girls!

Half of my girls!

How was your Halloween weather?

 

Hoping everyone got lots of treats and no tricks!

 

This should keep them awake for a few days!

This should keep them awake for a few days!

It’s Beginning to Feel A Lot Like Winter

Published October 24, 2013 by Angela

In Michigan. It snowed yesterday. It snowed today. It is going to snow tonight. And tomorrow. I had to look at my calendar to make sure it really truly is still October. I am going to head into this winter season with the best attitude possible, and enjoy it instead of fighting it 🙂

On another note; Halloween. One costume is bought. Another will settle for a $20.00 costume versus a $50.00 costume. She thinks she had a choice but (shhhhhhh), she really didn’t. The other just needs some colored hairspray and is making her costume. So I really could not buy my way out of Halloween this year, but it certainly isn’t due to effort, because I really, really tried!

I can 98.9% guarantee you what I will be hearing next Thursday though, when it is cold, wet, raining/snowing. “Can we take that 3 bags of candy and $30.00 deal now?”

Nope. That ship has sailed. That boat has sunk. That sled went down the hill. You get my point, right? 🙂

I will make this an awesome, amazing, fun Halloween. Now I just have to figure out how to get out of the hallowing and carving of 3 pumpkins 🙂

I know, I know. I am such a Halloween Scrooge!

The only carved pumpkin I care to deal with this year!

The only carved pumpkin I care to deal with this year!

Was I wrong? Probably. Do I care? Probably Not.

Published October 19, 2013 by Angela

OK. I have to fess up to the fact that I tried (OK, I’m still trying) to buy my way out of trick-or-treating this year. Before you think I am a horrible Mother who is denying her girls memories that they will have for the rest of their lives etc. etc. let me explain a few things about Halloween for us.

In Michigan, there are 3 things that always happen on Halloween, some years in various combinations. 

1) It is hand-numbing cold (literally)

2) It is raining cats-and-dogs (almost literally)

3) It is snowing (snow-on-the-ground-your-lawn-is-now-white-snowing)

Now, I do not like being cold, ever. And neither do my girls. Or wet from rain. Again, that applies to all of us. I won’t even begin telling you how I feel about snow. They are also all under the impression that they have to have costumes that are about $50.00 each. Times 3 girls, and the make-up and accessories they need, we are looking at a couple hundred dollars. There are also not many neighborhoods anywhere near us where a lot of houses are giving out candy. Most houses are dark, with families out trick-or-treating themselves.

So my clever idea? I told them each they could get three bags of any kind of candy they wanted. 3 bags! EACH! I would also give them each $30.00 cash that they could spend on anything they wanted. Books, crafts, toys, anything they want. How could anyone turn down that deal. 3 bags of candy!! They would never get that much trick-or-treating.

Well, they did. I am still working on it, but they are bugging me to go get Halloween costumes tomorrow. And they are already predicting snow for next week.

Maybe I should just suck it up and go trick-or-treating, but I can already hear them complaining because they are cold, wet, they’re tired, their legs hurt, and they aren’t getting candy that they like.

Do you go trick-or-treating every year? Or do you have another tradition? Or do you just ignore Halloween all together? This is my favorite time of year, believe it or not, as long as I am inside looking at it through a window in a toasty warm home 🙂

 

 

Halloween Candy