Nearly Santa Time Hodge Podge

Well my slacker self is back to participate in the weekly Hodge Podge.  I feel like I have been on fast forward the last few months and things are just busy and time if flying by.  One of the biggest things lately has been being room mom for my oldest son's class...it is no joke.  If someone tells you it is easy they are lying and you should run the other way - fast.  Just kidding...kinda.  It is great to be able to help but it is a lot and I wonder if part of that is because this is my first experience with it or if I just am doing too much.  Either way it is kicking my butt along with Christmas.  I seriously can't comprehend that Christmas is days away... days... I really could use about two months to prep.  Anywho enough with the rambling and on to this weeks questions.  Joyce at From This Side of The Pond has great questions each week so play along!

1. Are you cooking Christmas dinner? How many will be round your table this year? What are we having?


I actually just thought about Christmas dinner yesterday and luckily for me my husband thought of it also and went to the store on his way home and bought a ham.  I am glad there were some left.
I think I will also make mashed potatoes and green beans, salad and have some type of fruit.  It will be low key it will just be the five of us this year.


2. What is one must-have Christmas cookie in your house?


Sugar cookies.  I would show you a picture of the ones I made but I actually ate them all so I have to make more today for my family.  I wish I was joking but I am not.


3. Santa likes a glass of milk with his cookies-do you? What kind of milk is on tap at your house-skim, almond, soy, full fat (Gasp!)

I like milk with chocolate things..i.e: chocolate cake, brownies, etc.  We have rice, soy and 2% cow milk currently.  My son is allergic to dairy so he drinks rice but I keep soy on hand because when you are cooking with it I find that soy works better for some things than rice milk does.

4. Time magazine recently named its Person of the Year for 2011. This is the person the editors believe has had the greatest impact, for better or worse, in the past year. This year they chose 'The Protester'. Your thoughts? Who would you name person of the year for 2011?


I am not sure about the whole "The Protester" being person of the year.  I will have to think more about that.  One person I read about this year that I found to be amazing is Leymah Gbowee.  She had a horrible life & she dreamed of peace and is making it happen in remarkable ways.  She is the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and is amazing.  I urge you to take a few minutes to read about her and what she had done. 

5. December 21st is National Flashlight Day...when was the last time you needed a flashlight? Did you know right where to find one?


I needed a flashlight about a week ago and I did know right where to find one and even better it did have batteries in it.  
Last night though the boys made a "fort" under our dining room table with blankets and they wanted a light and so we gave them a small desk lamp.  Of course my 2 1/2 year old grabbed it and burned his finger so I was really really really wishing we had bought this toy lantern we saw over the weekend.   I kept thinking it would be great to have and yet I didn't buy it.  Lesson learned.  Buy the kid lantern and do not put lamps in easy reach of two year old.  


6. candy canes...yum or yuck?
I am not a huge fan and I am not sure why.  I love peppermint bark and other things with peppermint in it but I don't like candy canes.  Maybe I just prefer smaller doses.


7. What Christmas carol lyric means the most to you?


Well in the past when my husband was deployed I could NOT listen to I'll Be Home For Christmas without crying.  But I would say the two biggest songs that impact me would be "Mary Did you Know?" and "O Holy  Night"


In Mary Did You Know I think it is powerful for obvious reasons but I love the line "Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new?"  That really hits me as a mom of three young boys because they did change me in the second they came into this world and for the better.


In O Holy Night I  love this part:

Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn. 

Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, the night when Christ was born; 

Okay and I found one more that is great... {I know Joyce said one but I can't pick}

Said the king to the people everywhere

Listen to what I say

Pray for peace people everywhere

Listen to what I say

The child, the child

Sleeping in the night

He will bring us goodness and light

He will bring us goodness and light

8. Insert your own random thought here.


I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!  I hope you get to celebrate with family and lots of laughter and that you get a good start on your resolutions or goals for next year! 

Welcome to Hodge Podge Wednesday!  If you are not already participating join up here at Joyce's page.  She has great questions each week!

1. Will you be hosting any house guests between now and the end of December? Does that thought make you happy or crazy? Do you do anything special to make your house guests feel welcome? How long should a guest stay?


We do not have anyone coming for Christmas this year we are too far away and we had guests in September and over Thanksgiving {which was great}.  I like to have company so I never mind when people come sometimes I stress over getting everything done because I have this vision of how things should be but it is all worth it.  
If guest are staying for more than a day or so I like to make sure that they have a place that they can go to escape us :)  So I like to have a guest bedroom for that and I always try to make sure I have a basket of stuff in the bathroom in case they have forgotten basics that has extra toothbrushes, lotion, etc.  
I also try to have things on hand grocery wise that I know they enjoy. { Soda for soda drinkers, i.e}
How long should a guess stay?  Hmmm... I think I would be fine with up to 8 weeks and then I might need a break for a day or so.   


2. Walter Elias Disney was born this week back in (Dec 5) 1905...what's your all time favorite Disney movie? Here's a list in case you're struggling...and yes, you have to pick one.


This was tough because they have made so many great movies.  I picked National Treasure.  When I was growing up I wanted to be an archaeologist {after I gave up my dream of being a trapeze artist :) } and I am fascinated by the idea of going on a treasure hunt and finding things.


3. What's the last thing you purchased that you realized was a mistake after the fact?


A box of chocolate covered Macadamia Nut candies.  They are so good but I bought them a day before I was going to start a three day cleanse and a 9 day health revolution.  Then I felt the need to eat as many as possible before that started.  Super yummy but bad choice.


4. What percentage of your Christmas shopping is done online?


In the past I rarely bought anything online for Christmas shopping because if I go early I like hunting around to find the right thing for someone.  Next year I would imagine I would do 90% of it online because of where we currently live.  It is easier, cheaper and more of a selection.  Also easier to send things to people back home that way.


5. Amaryllis...snowdrop...poinsettia...your favorite winter blossom?


Poinsettia.  My friend just made this 9ft tall Poinsettia tree for a Creche display at our church and I thought it was amazing.

6. What is one thing on your personal wish list this year? I think we all want peace on earth so let's make this an actual item.


Just one?  I could list a few things :)  I would really really really love to get a Silhouette machine and I would like a new winter coat.


7. If you could only use one word today what would it be?


Joy.   I am really working on finding the joy in each and everything.  Sometimes that is hard and sometimes it is easy but I want it to be more easy than hard and I more importantly want my children to seek joy.


8. Insert your own random thought here.


Today I thought there was a field trip for my oldest son and I am volunteering to tag along.  So I got all three kids up at 6am {after I went to bed at 1am and was up by 6 am}, got us all ready, dropped off the dog, dropped off oldest at school, took the other two to daycare on base where I dealt with their meltdowns due to being dropped off.  Get over to the school and as I am walking in I see the sign that says the field trip is TOMORROW.   Awesome.  But I found the joy :)  I walked back to my car and laughed and laughed until my face hurt & then I went and visited with a few friends for about 30 minutes before picking up the two from daycare.  We will try again tomorrow :)    
Further proof that I am "that kind of bear" that adventures always seem to happen to.


Thanks for stopping by!  Leave me a comment so I know you were here and so I can blog hop over to you :)  Cheers !!

9 Days to Change My Life

So awhile back I mentioned wanting to exercise, etc.  Before we had moved I knew it was past time to do something about my weight and health & I was lucky enough to have two friends who are personal trainers who gave me tips, advice and I was going to the gym half heartedly with one.  We then moved and life as we knew it came to a grinding halt and we had a few months of mostly chaos.  Now we are eight months after the move and I have been again feeling like I really need to take control of my health and I have been not feeling well.  I have been feeling worse & more frequently since September and finally the other day I made a doctor appointment and I met with an herbalist because I woke up one morning and I was done with feeling like crap and having no energy.  The same day I read on a blog about a 9 day cleanse group she was putting together and to email her if we wanted to particpate and I did.  It was such a gift to read that and have that opportunity.
I cannot do this alone and I feel like I have to do something severe to get myself going.
So I am embarking on this journey to better health and I am scared and excited all at the same time.  I know that by making a few simple changes I will lose weight and gain energy back and I am thrilled for that.  I have 30 pounds I want to lose if I am being honest but what I am most excited about is all the other amazing things I know I will get out of this.  I feel strongly that this journey is going to impact each and every aspect of my life.  A ripple affect if you will into other parts of my life all because I took control and choose health over the half life I have been living.

I am excited to have energy again and not feel drained by everyday life.

I am excited to be well rested and be in a cheerier mood.

I am looking forward to the clarity and peace this will give to my mind and soul.

I am looking forward to getting to know some great women who are on this journey as well.

I am cannot wait to be a better me so I can be a better mom and wife.  

I posted the following goals onto our Facebook group for this & I am going to blog about it here as well because I want to document this journey.  It helps keep me inline, focused and accountable but also I want to look back at this and  see where I was and where I got to be with work.  It will be hard but it will be worth it.  

Goals:

Body Goals:
Increase water consumption and cut out soda
Exercise 20 - 30 min six days a week
Make healthy food choices 
Prep food ahead of time to make it easier and less stressful and more healthy
Sleep at least 7 hrs a night

Mind:
Read 10 min a day
Journal 10 min a day
Work on my goal of getting published 15 min a day
Craft one thing per week
Get dressed everyday
Be easier on myself
Take time for myself when my kids sleep so I focus on them when they are awake

Soul:
Love myself for me, not the me I use to be or even dream of being... the now me
Pray daily
Make God a priority not an afterthought
Make family time each day and give them my undivided attention
Make time for just me and my husband

My overall goal is to return to a healthy place where I have energy, feel happy and at peace with myself in life, while I work everyday to find joy in EVERY situation, gain knowledge and laugh much more & teach my kids that truth, light, love and laughter are what it is all about.

I'm that kind of bear...

"Now," said Mrs. Brown, "you must tell us all about yourself.  I'm sure you must have had lots of adventures."

"I have," said Paddington earnestly.   "Things are always happening to me.  I'm that sort of a bear." 

I am that sort of bear.  The one that crazy things happen to.  Sometimes those things are not great, sometimes they are just bizarre but most of the time it is good.  It isn't always easy to see the good.  Much easier to identify the crazy.
I blame this entirely on my parents and I am sure my siblings would agree... we never had a chance it is in our DNA to be "that sort of bear".  I remember growing up and seeing things happen or hearing the stories of funny things and people saying to them, "these things always seem to happen to you"  And now my brother, sister and I are carrying on that tradition and how lucky are we?  :)  {I say this all very tongue in cheek in case you are not picking up my sarcasm in these typed words.}

The other day I had  a comedy of errors the entire day.  Anything that was suppose to work out did  not.  It was just crazy incident after crazy incident but as I get older and wiser, or at least older :)  I am starting to appreciate the humor so much more and see the joy so much easier than I ever have.
For example we have a chocolate milk mixer.  Once you are done mixing in it you simply just take off the lid and pour it out.  You do not unscrew the bottom and separate the bottom from the mixing cup.  Of course that is what I dd though when it was completely full and chocolate milk poured everywhere.  Allllll over the cupboards and inside the cupboard and the counter and the floor and ... well you get the idea.  What did I do?  I just laughed and laughed.  The old me would have thrown the contraption across the room and yelled.

So, while I am "that kind of bear" at least I have gotten better at dealing with it.  And if you need further proof I am "that kind of bear" read this post here about all the chaos that happened when we moved.   Or this one.  Really any post from June that has a Day ____.

To my fellow "that sort of bears" we are in this together and for those of you who aren't take it easy on those of us who are who just can't seem to get it all together with all the crazy orbiting us:)