When Our Day Doesn't Go According to Plan

Remember my big plans yesterday to declutter?  Two words.  Didn't happen.  As soon as I hit "Publish" I got a phone call.  Someone I know has been through some really hard hard physical problems these last few months.  Recently she almost died, about 2 months ago, and was hospitalized.  Had surgeries, came home, almost died again.  I was out running errands one Friday when the ambulance had to come get her.  She is not married, has no children, no family.  Well, now that she is healing she can't drive and is in so much pain all the time.  She called and asked if I would be able to take her some important places.  I knew I needed to but was still a little disappointed about my list I had planned.  All my plans for the day started to melt and fall away in my head.  However, I know what it feels like to live alone, be sick, and have nobody there for you.  I told her to give me 20 minutes and I'd head out.  It took the entire day and when we got back I had just enough time to get everyone ready for church and leave.


I know some people that would use people at every chance they get and frequently expect people to be able to drop their plans for them whenever they call.  I've often had favors asked of me because I'm a homemaker and they just figure I have all this extra time on my hands.  That maybe I'm just sitting around reading a book all day and don't know what to do with my time.  That's not Belinda (fake name).  She's a very, very independent woman who's always taken care of herself.  She put herself through college, got her bachelors, and was debt free by the time she picked up her diploma.  She had a really good career for years till she was injured.  It's not easy for people that have always depended on themselves to survive and take care of basic needs and then one day have to lay in bed with medical people all around having to help them.  When someone like THAT calls and says, "I need you", I know they really, really, really do.

I grabbed my book, my cell phone, and resigned to the fact that our days don't always go according to our own plans.  Taking her to all these places she really needed to go was long but it was hard to watch her just wincing to try and get in and out of the car.  After the last errand done, she cried.  She cried at her situation.  Cried she couldn't drive herself.  Cried that she had to have a team of nurses just to take care of her.  At the end of the day, you bet a thing like decluttering just wasn't nearly so important.  Yesterday was meant for Belinda.

Literally, my days have been so busy that I'm having to write everything into a calendar to keep up.  My doctor probably thinks I'm the worst pregnant patient ever because I forget things, forget my prenatals, forget to return their calls.  I'm not sure if juggling a large family is something I'm very good at.  There are probably a million women that can do it a thousand times better than me.  I do love being busy, hate laziness, and love being surrounded by all these little ones.  I can't imagine living life completely and totally alone with not one family member to stop by and say hi.  Sometimes it does us good to realize that like Job in the bible, it can all be taken away in a flash.  Our home, loved ones, a steady job.  Did you hear about the lady her lost her parents, 3 kids, and her house on Christmas morning in a fire?  They were all she had and she lost it in a fire.  

Fire at Conn. home kills ad exec's 3 kids, parents

Yeah, reading that kind puts it all into perspective.  It is better to love people and use things rather than love things and use people.  My plans can wait another day.

Decluttering the Old and Bringing in the New: Organization

Ivy playing with her makeup

I need to stop playing with all the Christmas toys and get to work around my house.  Not just regular housework but decluttering.  Now that lots of stuff has been brought in, I need to go into each room and take out the some of the old.  I feel like I'm in a continual state of decluttering and sometimes just wish I was done with it.  Or that I had better organization genes.  I don't and just need to get over it and keeping giving it my best shot.  

Yesterday I removed the girls large playhouse from their bedroom and put it on the back patio.  I needed to move their dollhouse in and didn't have the room for it.  It's really big.  I took everything off the floor, swept and mopped, and moved the house in.  It looks sooo cute but I still have to go through all their toys and see what they don't play with anymore.  

I've been filling up boxes and stacking them.  Before Christmas I had gotten rid of at least 10 boxes but I still need to do so much more.  So, if you always hear me talking about decluttering, it's because it's always a process for me.  However, I need to do a ton so I need to really focus.  It's really hard for me since halfway through writing this post I went over to rearrange the furniture in the girls' awesome dollhouse and check out the working lights in it.  Today the key words are FOCUS and DECLUTTER.

Today I will be going through the boys' room and the girls room.  I'm crossing my fingers that if gets done.  I'm finally starting to realize that being an attentive mom is much harder than I originally thought.  In the past, because I had to run from my natural messy self, I would clean all day and just kinda blow off my kids to get stuff done.  Finally, my husband talked to me about it and asked about my relationship with the kids.  He was right.  I was more focus on being that housewife that everyone said I should be and not really KNOWING my kids.  Now, I have a fantastic relationship with each and every one of my kids.  Not only that but I really enjoy my days with them.  I thank God Charles corrected me on that issue.  However, I've struggled more in balancing housework and laundry since then.  In the future I doubt I'll regret that I had a fantastic relationship with my kids and was less worried about how perfect everything looked.  Someday my house will stay perfect.  That's not even something I want to think about.  Kinda sad.

Speaking of little ones, I have a giveaway going on over HERE.  Come check it out!  :D

Thinking about Kids Safety and Stranger Danger

Looks like it's time to make laundry soap again. We are all out!  It's been 8 months that I've had to make any.  It's hard to believe we only spend $5 a year on laundry soap because of it.  What a blessing!  So, after I finish my seemingly endless chores, I'll get that made so I can start on our Mount Everest pile of clothes

We've been having so much fun playing with our toys.  My fun stuff is kitchen gadgets and my mother in law bought me a really awesome one. It's a food processor and blender.  Also, Ivy and I have been making ice cream with her ice cream machine.  I didn't have all the stuff I needed from their recipe so I just made my own. They loved it!  You don't even need ice.  Soooo, if we are ever out of ice cream, I'm just gonna have to have Ivy  make us some.  Heh heh.  

I know some people might think we are a little overprotective but we've never let our kids play out in the front without our supervision.  I mean, I literally have to been sitting in a chair out with them.  Well, we just decided that the boys are old enough to finally go outside with their bikes without us.  They are 11, 10, and 8.  Also, one can never be alone and has to always have at least one other boy with them.  Ivy is pretty bummed about it but I told her not till she is 8 years old. I might even wait a little longer for the girls.  They are never, ever to go into anyone's house and they have set boundaries of how far they can ride.  I'm still nervous about it but they know if they break any of the rules, their new privilege will be taken away.  I also just found out that our ice cream truck guy is a weirdo so they are not allowed to approach that truck without me.  Or any ice cream truck for that matter.  It's not a matter of where I live. I would have these rules in any neighborhood I lived in.  These days, you can never be too careful.

Shiny, Magical, Exciting, and Fun Christmas Morning

Christmas day with my kids in the morning was so fun.  I actually woke up before them because I was worried one of them would wander out without the rest of us. I waited and wait.  Seriously?  Kids sleeping till 9am on Christmas morning?  Okay, they must've been exhausted.  As I sat next to the bikes with Caleb, I thought maybe it was about time to wake up Charles and the kids.  After I woke Charles, he went in to get the kids.  

They came out sooooo tired looking but started to wake up fast when they saw their scooters and bikes.  We only got each kid 3 presents. One big one and two normal size ones.  The reason is that they get gifts from both sets of grandparents and aunts and uncles.  We go to the zoo often and so we really wanted them to all have bikes.  Since the girls already have bikes, we got them scooters.  The boys are so excited to go to the zoo this week.  Ivy's scooter is cute because it has a Barbie that attaches to the front with her own scooter.  I didn't put it on right away because I knew Ashley would see that and wonder why hers doesn't have one. Ashley's is a My First Scooter so she gets used to using one and not crashing.  lol.  She's so little.

Maureen (their grandma) got this amazing doll house for the girls and you can't really understand how big it is by the picture but it actually takes up my entire dining room table  It's absolutely gorgeous and even has lights inside to light up the house.  

Her grandma got her a bunch of fun Barbie bedroom sets to fill the room. I really, really need to sort through their room now and get rid of some older stuff.  Her room is pretty crowded and just too hard for her to clean.  If a room is overly cluttered, it just  mean to expect them to keep up on it when it's chore time.  If it overwhelms me then surely it overwhelms them.

The funny story is that Martin and Maureen came over at 2am Christmas morning to put together the bikes we bought.  We were already exhausted from the family get together that night and couldn't wait to go to bed.  We had to store the bikes at their house because there was no way we could hide them from the kids.  They were gonna put them together earlier but hadn't had the chance so they came over in the middle of the night. I was so surprised they were willing to do that.  We we utterly exhausted and by 5am Charles came to bed.  I crashed around 2am just before they got here.  

Right away the kids wanted to ride outside.  We sat out in our pajamas in chairs with our coffee in hand and eating peanut brittle.  They boys were just sooooo happy to ride freely.  We also appointed new rules for the boys.  Now they are allowed to ride in the front without us but we had to show them their boundaries and the rules about cars.  We even talked to them about strangers.  Within 10 minutes Kyle comes running in telling me they talked to a nice person and he didn't look or talk like a murderer at all!  We had to explain to him that they don't wear a sign saying they are dangerous.  Sheesh.  

Caleb held tightly to his prized possessions.  His cars.  He couldn't hold them all but he cuddled the ones he could.  Kids are so fun and make Christmases so magical.  

Merry Christmas: The Wonder of Life

Merry Christmas!!!!

Making Christmas Get Togethers Work for Everyone

It's funny how when us kids grow up and get married, the next complicated thing is figuring out the holidays and who goes where.  This year we had the perfect setup.  I had Christmas with my family on Christmas Eve Eve.  Then tonight we have Christmas with Charles' family on Christmas Eve.  Then we wake up here in our own house for Christmas morning and then church service.  This has been such an amazing setup and everyone is happy.  No family is left out on either side.  How awesome!

Between my sisters and I there are 12 (and growing) grandkids and I wish I could have got a group shot of the kids but no one really wanted to.  You know how teens get, they either LOVE the camera or hate it.  I only had my cell phone camera so I missed being able to take pics with my regular one.  

Since it was being held at my sister's house, she decided we should just do finger foods.  It was soooo much easier than worrying about making a big meal so that was actually a blessing.  I brought my Chicken Wing Dip and Taquitos.

<-- Caleb kept making that funny face in each picture.

My brother-in-law Dan talking with 

I always love my family Christmases because the focus is never just on the gifts but more about the fellowship.  Just being together is such a blessing and always fun. 

My sister and her family just came back from missionary work in South Africa.  They were gone for 6 years and so it meant a lot for everyone to come together this Christmas.  They are temporarily living in a house till they know where they will be next.  This house was huge and gorgeous!  I got a lot of exercise just trying to find my kids or a family member.  The lady gave them an amazing deal to rent just for one month and I couldn't help but imagine how cool it would feel to live there.  Then I thought about what the electricity bill must be and then I said, "never mind."  Haha.  I'm really in love with my house I have still and it fits us just perfect.  Still, it's fun to dream.

In this picture my sisters were showing me a video of kids in South Africa.  Her boys were on a Rugby team and in South Africa, kids' games are on TV like the adults.  That was pretty cool!  She found a rugby team here for them to join and the coach was so excited to not only get 2 more boys on his team but experienced kids.  

My sisters had the idea to take the kids caroling.  I was so surprised they did it and it was soooo cute!    In the picture you can see little Ashley standing next to her big cousins.  She is so tiny!  It was mostly boys singing so it was low and it was funny when they forgot the words.  It was FrEeZiNg so they only went to 3 houses.

In the video they just started singing till someone opened the door. The guy opens it and his family was all eating dinner. The kids at the table started laughing so loud it was funny!  It's a terrible video with my camera phone but still fun.

Why I Shopped for Christmas Online This Year

Just like a kid I'm so excited for Christmas to be here.  I'm excited because its the season where family tries to come together.  Even ones out of the woodwork are willing to come and visit.  It's the one holiday that helps bring everyone together that doesn't normally take the time or is just caught up in busyness of life.  Everyone is dressed in festive colors, cheerful music in the background, and Christmas lights blinking.  There is just such a cheerful atmosphere and it's fun to be a part of.  I've really been relaxed this year because I did most of my ordering online and got to avoid the stores this year.  Literally, I only bought maybe 2 things from a store.  It's been nice to just open my front door and take a package from the UPS man.  Not only that,  but I rarely ever had to pay shipping costs.

I even got my nails painted with snowflakes.  :D  I kept them short this time because if they are long I can't type fast and I was constantly getting hurt doing housework.  It's just not worth the hassle so they are at a decent length.  

Yesterday we went to Walmart to pick up the last present we needed.  We actually did have one for her already.  We picked up a bike for her but recently a friend gave her a princess bike. She doesn't need two bikes so we went looking for a scooter instead.  I usually don't like shopping when it gets so close to Christmas because of the crowds, the lines, and stock tends to be low.  At first my husband said to go in with just Ryan and they will wait in the car.  So, when I finally get through the lines, I pass the security guard to my van and my family is not in there.  So I unload my bags and go back inside.  By this time my rule of never wearing tennis shoes is starting to make my feet hurt in my high heels.  Ryan and I circled around the store and went in and out in hopes to find them.  The guard asked me if I was okay because we went around so much.  I told him I lost my husband.  He's actually the one that loves to shop and I'm the one looking for him.  Finally, after about an hour I realize that he's probably in the electronics section where all guys tend to gravitate.  Sure enough he was there.  I was sooo ready to go.  Two of my kids had to potty so I sent my older ones off to the restroom while we waited.  Only one came back so I sent Ryan out to find him.  So then Chaz comes back but without Ryan.  So then I had to look for Ryan.  Finally I told everyone to just go to the van so no one else gets lost.  Thankfully we all made it out alive and together. :D  Haha.  I'm so happy I rarely had to shop in stores this season.  It was so crowded!  

We headed to Costco to get some last minute food details for Christmas.   Just as we are getting out of the van, Ivy leans over and throws up over the whole pile of jackets.  We had to run inside to get out of the cold as fast as we could.  My kids were just so happy about all the food samples.  They were squealing at each cart they found with tasty treats.  I kinda felt bad because we easily wiped out each table of all samples.  We'd leave them empty each time.  Then Ryan tells me last minute there is a children's play practice at the church. What??  I made him call a mom at church to confirm and sure enough there was. So almost as soon as we get home we had to redress everyone and turn around and leave.  It's soooo freezing outside too and Chaz is exhausted sleeping in the van.  We get there and a lady comes out to say there is no practice.  I sighed to myself thinking what a waste of a drive, time, and gas.  I could be home singing Christmas melodies by the fire.  Just kidding.  I have no fireplace.  Just as I'm pulling out a lady runs after me and tells me just my boys can come in and learn some songs.  With my family being sick, my kids haven't been able to learn them.  However, since I still had my girls, we had to wait an hour and a half till they finished.  Finally I made it home and was happy to say hello to my warm bed.  

Princess & The Pee Panty Review and Giveaway

Sponsored by Tomoson.com

Little Ashley received one Princess & The Pee in the mail. She was so excited and loves the picture of the ducky princess sitting on the toilet. I need to get her more because she hates getting to only wear them one day and have to put in dirty hamper. When I wash her stuff, she ignores her other panties to find that one. Soooo cute.  Thankfully, you buy them in a set and the panty also comes with a book called The Princess & The Pea.  I'm telling you, little girls will LOVE this book and especially gets their minds geared towards learning to potty in the toilet.  But, in a fun way through a story!

The Princess & The Pee tells the story of a young princess named Tallie who can’t resist using her daddy’s name to get her way. She knows her actions are wrong, but no one dares defy her until one day The Pee shows up unannounced, embarrassing her at the Queen’s birthday ball. The Pee does not care who her daddy is, and he tells Tallie as much. Frustrated, she flees from the room. And as the town discusses her dilemma, Tallie is forced to face two aspects of toddlerhood – potty training and treating others with kindness and respect.  This is a great alternative to the usual potty training books out there.

If your daughter will be starting potty training soon, this would be the perfect gift for her to get her excited about it!  You can find it through QuackBack and buy a really cute set.  You can also find them on Facebook.

Winner is Shannon!  

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 I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. 

100% Natural Muscle Soak Bath Salt by San Francisco Salt Company Review

I'm a LOVER of baths and almost every night I place a lighted candle next to me with a good book to read while taking one.  Being a mom to one or a mom to many, that has always been the power behind some good unwinding time.  Even better is when I can add a treat to the water with a lovely scent.

The San Francisco Bath Salt Company sent me some bath salts and boy is it relaxing.  Not only is there a nice scent but it's gentle and not overwhelming by any means.  It doesn't have a million ingredients but just salts and essential oils.  Lovely!

Made with pure Epsom Salt and eucalyptus and peppermint essential oils, Muscle Soak Bath Salts will help to relieve even the most overworked muscles.  This is the ideal bath salt for athletes, people with physical jobs, and anyone who needs to revive tired and aching muscles.  

ANNNNNDD.... tired moms!  As a mom I've never worked so hard in my life and by the end of the day, I need that relaxation and something to help take the tiredness from my bones and relieve those aching muscles. Treat your body with this bath salt for $4.99.  If you are a new customer you can use the code tomoson for %5 off.  You can also find them on Facebook and Twitter.

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 I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. 

Finding a Friend and Then Saying Goodbye

Cassidy and Ivy

It is really difficult for Chaz to find a good friend that he can really relate to. Also, his friend has a little sister who is Ivy's good friend.  Not only that, but their mom and I have a lot in common.  Well, today they are moving out of town. Sniff.... they will only be an hour and a half away but it's still not so easy to just stop by.  Chaz is just devastated. It's really not easy for kids with Aspergers Syndrome to make friends.  His friend also has Aspergers Syndrome and so they just really got along well.  Yesterday I went over her house to help her sort and pack.  I helped pack her son's room and daughter's room.  I really do love to sort, sift out, and organize.  It's soooo much easier doing it with other people's stuff than your own.  I've moved 9 times before we bought this house so sorting and packing is my thing. I really like it.  Of course not all by myself.  It's stressful doing it alone and that's why I wanted to come over and help.  I'm gonna miss them though.

After I left from Melanee's house I picked up my kids and the extra kids at my house and we headed to the Christmas play at our church.  It was more geared towards adults but was really interesting.  It was hard not to fall asleep though from packing all day.  Part of me felt like I just want to be home in bed but then I also want to be faithful to church.  I'm glad I did, waved a tired goodbye to my mom and remembered that I still needed to pick up two of my kids in the next city over. I let Chaz and Ivy play longer at at their friend's house to say goodbye.  It was harder for me to have to go and pick them up after the play but they needed that extra time.  Chaz cried when he left Dexter's house.  He said, "Mom, you have no idea what it's like to lose a friend forever."  :(  I know exactly how it feels.  Whether it's from betrayal, a friend moving, or passing away, we've all felt that loss.  I was so tired but it wasn't the time to be impatient.  His heart was just sad and needed someone to understand.

It's so cute when I'm washing dishes and I turn around to see that Ashley and Caleb cuddled up on the dining room floor and fell asleep together. You KNOW later in life, as teens, they would never do something so cute like that.  Ashley had set up a stuff animal and blanket to lay on and then Caleb came and joined her.  She even sacrificed her binky for Caleb so he'd be happy.  She's finally starting to say she doesn't need it.  Thank goodness.  It's very difficult to break an older one from the binky habit when there is a baby underneath that still loves them.  I used to make a big deal about age and binky use but now...who cares?  I've stopped rushing everything and following everything by the book.  Same with potty training.  Pressure from other moms doesn't intimidate me one bit.  When they are ready, then they're ready and you'll know it.

There is no way to be a perfect parent, but a million ways to be a really good one.

Making Time for Fun in a Busy Season

These past two weeks have been so busy that it's been such a blur.  Just finding time to be home and clean my house is a major challenge.  So, last night I stayed up past midnight to make sure I could clean the kitchen, mop, and clean the bathrooms.  We have a couple extra kids here like usual so the kids are loving it.  :)  Even with all the busyness, the kids reminded me yesterday that I had promised them the zoo.  We packed up the van and had to take 2 vehicles there because of 8 kids and bikes. At one point I lost track of the family and managed to get a guy in a golf cart to take me around to find them.  Thank goodness!  They were so far away.

We went ahead and opened Caleb's present early, which is the wagon, so we could take him around in it.  He LOVES it!  So do I since we didn't like pushing the stroller around.


Today I'll be heading back over to my friend's house to help her pack and keep my promise.  I'm on antibiotics and feeling so much better.  Tomorrow I'll be running my neighbor around.  She just got out of the hospital and can't drive so pray I don't crash her car or anything since she wants me to drive it for her.  

So Friday we open up presents with my side of the family, Saturday with Charles' family, and then Sunday with my own family here and then to church by 10:30am.  Wowee!!  So busy yet it'll be fun.  Thankfully, even with all this busyness it is for positive things and not because my kids are sick or anything like that.  It's one thing to be busy with fun and quite another to be busy with kids having fevers and throwing up.  I'll take the fun one.  It feels so amazing to be ready for Christmas way early and just spending this time not stressing about it.  I really need to be prepared like this every year.  It's a wonderful feeling.

Does God Still Heal?

Every morning my favorite thing to do is get my hot cup of coffee, kiss all the babies that are awake, check my email, and blog.  Don't worry, I only drink one cup of caffeinated coffee a day being that I'm pregnant. If I want any more I just do decaf.  Drinking decaf is like hunting with blanks.  There is just no point.  But, I guess the hunt is still fun.

The weekend was great because we were back in church and I could put baby Caleb in nursery.  I even got to volunteer to watch the little babies in the Sunday morning service.  Unfortunately, because of all the sickness issues my kids have missed every Christmas practice up until Sunday night.  The kids' play is this next Sunday!  Oh man.... it should be interesting to watch.

I had a friend that is moving out of town.  Her son is best friend's with my oldest.  Well, I wanted to come over and help her sort through her stuff and pack.  So Monday I woke up feeling some pain thinking maybe a bladder infection had started. I felt GREAT the night before so this was a surprise.  Wanting to keep my promise to my friend, I just ignored it in hopes it would go away if I drank enough water.  When I got to her house, right away I started sorting and packing.  A couple hours later the pain was so intense I just couldn't work anymore.  I wasn't showing it to her but I was so upset because I made a promise to help her all day and I knew I was gonna have to quit and go to see the doctor.  With a promise I was gonna return a couple days later, I headed to Urgent Care.  I stopped to pick up my other friend along the way to go with me.  The doctor said the infection was off the charts bad and prescribed me some medicine.  I was SO HAPPY!  Do you KNOW what this means?  For years my kidneys were getting so bad that I could no longer feel any bladder infections because it would go straight to my kidneys and I'd end up in the hospital.  The doctor told me my kidneys were so bad that as soon as I felt a bladder infection I had to go straight to the ER.  Don't call the doctor.  JUST GO AND CHECK MYSELF IN.  That's how bad my kidneys were.  In fact, I would just be doing something around the house and fall over in horrendous pain from my kidneys.  Well, 2 1/2 years ago I was hospitalized and unconscious for a week it was so bad.  I'm only telling you that to understand why I'm so excited that I actually felt this bladder infection and it didn't go to my kidneys.  Not long after my last hospital stay (2 1/2 years ago) an evangelist came to my church.  He called out for someone that has bad kidney issues.  I went up immediately  for prayer.  In fact, I was in bad pain that night.  Not only did I have kidney pain but I was scheduled for surgery because I had Endometriosis.  God healed me that night.  Surgery was cancelled and I have not had any kidney problems since.  That is a miracle. So when I found out that I had a bladder infection starting yesterday, I felt panicky at first.  However, I didn't want to just go and get help like usual because I wanted to see what would happen.  The infection was only in my bladder and didn't spread.  That has not happened to me in about 7 years.  I was able to just get some antibiotics yesterday.  No hospital stay.  Nothing.  I feel like crying because I'm still so grateful God healed my kidneys.  That doesn't mean I can't go and ruin them again.  LOL.  That comes from not taking care of a bladder infection when it starts. If you let it go too long it'll hurt your kidneys eventually.  My kidneys had been so bad I wasn't supposed to have any more kids.  I am soooooooo grateful for God's healing grace.

With having pain meds and antibiotics, I think we'll go to the zoo today with the kids.  Today we have some extra kids with us so it'll be fun to take them all.  Tomorrow I'll be back at my friends house helping her pack. I'm so grateful for medicine and doctors!

Capturing Memories on Christmas Morning

It's gonna be hard this Christmas season not having a camera.  There are so many beautiful things to capture.  Beautiful festive lights flickering on as the sun sets.  Sleepy kids on Christmas morning rubbing their eyes quickly to see what surprises are waiting for them under the tree.  The look on sleepy daddy's face as he sits on the couch in his pajamas sipping coffee.  Usually having very little sleep getting up early with a smile.     Seeing family we haven't seen in awhile.  My camera broke a month ago and it was pretty expensive so it's not an easy replacement.  We gonna miss it this December.

I know Christmas isn't all about the gifts but it's still so much fun  to have surprises waiting under festive wrapping paper for everyone to open.  When my husband asks me what I want I usually always think what I need instead.  Or, something I can get that would make my job a little bit easier.  I'm soooo not a lover of ironing.  I can't stand it.  So, yesterday while I was shopping at Bed, Bath and Beyond, I spotted the exact fabric steamer I've been wanting.  I'm always armed with a coupon so it saved me $12 at the register.  This is gonna be a life saver on the Sunday mornings before church.  It takes so long for a regular iron to heat up and having to drag the ironing board out is a pain.  Plus, I'm always worried a little one will reach their hand up and knock it over.  My husband was even happier I went out and bought it for him so he doesn't have to wonder if he got the right one.  Yay!  So excited.  That's all I've been wanting for so long so I can't wait to try it.  Charles said I can't open it till Christmas so there is no chance I'm able to use it before church this morning.  Heh heh.

Chaz's only friend is moving this week and he's pretty sad about it.  He's moving about an hour and a half away.  I'll be going to his mom's house tomorrow to help them pack.  It's really, really hard for Chaz to make friends.  We can thank Aspergers Syndrome for this since it's a social disorder.  They met at school and one day when I went to go pick him up, I met Dexter and his mom. Turns out, Dexter also has Aspergers Syndrome.  They found each other and were already buddies at school. So, they get along fantastic!  I've had him over the last couple of days so they can spend some time together.