I have a problem. I have a whole slew of things I would like to do or become, a grand “to do” list, yet I haven’t the brains, the energy, the time, the patience, or anything else to get them done so they sit on a list on my phone year after year. I want to read books with my kids, write book summery’s for myself, read scriptures regularly, go to the temple more, keep a journal/update blog on a regular basis, organize photo’s, print past family pictures we’ve had taken and they’ve never left the hard drive, practice piano, play the games we’ve gotten for Christmas in years past and haven’t played, be consistent with kids and their chores and allowance, exercise, do a service project every month, never eat out, never yell, never get annoyed and the list goes on. Instead I just clean my house everyday and stare at the wall or “run into Ross.” I’m literally waisting away as a human and I’m only 49. I can’t remember anything, I don’t know the answer to any questions I’m asked, I can’t make a decision, I’m always frustrated at how life works. I don’t know how people do it. If I wake up, get my kids off to school, read, pray, exercise, clean house and shower and get ready, I feel like it’s almost 1:00. I guess then I can plan dinner, which is a whole world of work in and of itself if you want fresh food and homemade. Then there’s the frustration of everyone being home at the same time to eat it and we’ve got to run kids to and fro in the midst of it and get it cleaned up. I’m just too tired for it all. My energy and my drive and passion for anything have up and left me.
But it is January and here I am journaling/updating the blog. I want to write about our boring day to day. Today we have Delta and Piper. Their aunt lives across the street and they are staying with her for a while until their parents figure out some things. We got to know them a couple years ago when they stayed with their aunt. They are back and so we get to watch them once in a while. Delta is 6 and Piper is 2. They are sweet, darling little girls and we love having them. I had Kate stay home from school to help play with them.
Christmas was delightful. It seems to come and go so quickly and Utah hasn’t had snow the past few years so it’s hard to get into the Christmas spirit. This year we got our Christmas pajamas the first of the month and went to pick out ornaments, but there wasn’t much of a selection so we came home empty handed. Later in the month I found one for each kid. Dangling ammunition for Ivan, a golf cart for Jack, a lip gloss mini verse for Emery to make into an ornament and an elf for Kate. Kate got an elf to remember the year our elf, One Eyed Willie, got a little more creative. Usually he just moves around each day, but this year he tried to ski down the stairs, take a bath in a bowl of marshmallows, fish in the sink, use the toilet and other fun things. It was sad to see him go
This was the first year we ALL got matching pajama’s. Usually it’s just the kids, but I’ve really enjoyed mine. I also gave them each a little, tiny tinsel looking tree with a string of beads to wrap around as decoration.
A couple other traditions are- the food exchange party at my house with my family. This year I arranged the plates on the table into snow men and placed a popper thing on each. Not sure what got into me. We also keep a mailbox in the tree and when we see someone at home, school or play, doing something nice we write it down and put it in the mailbox to read at night. I try to read Christmas stories to the kids. We decorate the tree together with music playing. We drove to Ogden the night kids got out of school for the break to see some lights and window displays. We donated to a couple things, but I had high hopes of doing an actual service project, yet didn’t. The past couple yrs I’ve wanted to take money envelopes and slide them through the doors of this small apartment complex here in Lehi and we haven’t done it. This year I was FOR SURE we were going to make it happen…… We didn’t. I know we can do it next year. I just know it.
It was a busy, but fun month and now we are back in school and back to a routine.
