43 Days

Why do we expect to obtain an instant mellowed out state of mind with the summer season?  Our lazy summer days became busier than expected and are fading far too quickly.  My "to be accomplished" list tends to have more on it than I'll ever have time to accomplish.  Similar to "my eyes are bigger than my stomach" when it comes to delicious foods.  Everything seems to be bubbling out of my brain and swimming around in my head.  Summer break is not as relaxing as planned.  

The school free time with my boys was intended to be full of fun.  Except at times they decide not to cooperate.  I love my boys dearly and do enjoy extra time with them.  Yet, we deal with more sibling squabbles when school is not in session.  Any parent knows that won't bring you extra peace.

I'm focusing on the times when my boys do cooperate.  We've made some great memories so far and have more yet to come.  Some of the greatest accomplishments this summer involve encouraging my boys to continue reading, writing, and even doing some math.  I may constantly remind them to make their beds or pick up their toys, but I rarely have to fight to get them to pick up a book.

There is plenty left to be done before summer ends.  Time will continue to tick by.  My boys won't be princes of perfection.  Yet, I wouldn't trade these not-so-lazy summer days for anything.  Time with them is precious and before I know it, they'll be grown.

My days become my own in September.  I'll have more time to work on that to do list and I'll miss my boys immensely during the school hours.  Including today we have 43 days left of school break.  Forty-three days is enough time to create some unforgettable summer memories and I intend to do just that.

Enjoy the rest of your summer!

Hectic Holidays & Holiday Blog Hours

'Tis the season!  You know, the season for food, friends, family, and festivities.  Not too mention stress, dread, and exhaustion due to some of the previously mentioned holiday staples. 

I find myself beginning to embrace the overwhelming tasks of the upcoming holidays and wonder if I am biting off more than I can chew.  Normally I have most of the Christmas gifts well underhand, but this year I have unpredictably put off purchasing presents until this month of November.  I was wise enough to pick up a few crafty holiday items after Christmas last year.  These will come in handy, as my boys typically do a homemade gift for grandparents, aunts, and uncles.

Thanksgiving is on it's way in 1 1/2 weeks.  We are preparing our home for family visiting from out of state.  Plans of a possible dessert party for the evening of Thanksgiving are underway.  The days are quickly winding down, 10 days to go to be exact.  From that point on, things don't slow down one bit.

How many of you are counting down to Christmas?  If you haven't figured that out yet, it's only 39 days away.  As you are well aware, I'm a crafty mama.  Which means that my holidays are filled with homemade gifts and fun projects.  Bring on the overwhelmed feeling mentioned above. 

As crazy as things may get, I still wouldn't trade my seasons full of sewing, baking, and other general crafting activities.  My homemade holidays will always be full of great memories to share with my children.  I hope they will do the same with their kids someday. 

With this being the busiest time of year for just about everyone, especially Santa, I've come to the conclusion that something has to give.  Through the seasons of thankfulness and Christmas cheer, I will be cutting back on the amount of blog postings each week.  You will see a blog post on every Monday, but Meet Me On Monday will be more random as it was originally described.  I'm hardly at work on my WIP (work in progress) and have officially dubbed my Wednesdays as WIP Wednesdays until I'm able to make a vast amount of progress on it.  Which brings me to Fridays.  Fridays are going to be unpredictable-- yes I know this is just a more interesting way to say random.  Unless I have something really exciting or interesting to say, I probably won't be posting on Friday.  I'm referring to this as Holiday Blog Hours.  When January 2010 rolls around, I'll be the first to throw the confetti in the air and get back into the regular swing of things.  Regular blogging hours should return at that time.

How are you planning to keep up with the hectic holiday schedule?  Is your Thanksgiving filled with and abundance of food, family, and fun?  Do you wait until the last minute to do your Christmas shopping?  Is your calendar full over the next 1 1/2 months?  Do you have to cut a little out of your normal schedule to handle the heavy holiday load?

Disney Dreaming

I fully intended to have my blog typed up last night and scheduled to post at 7am today, but it didn't quite work out that way.  Plans around here can get altered due to my children's moods, a forgetful mind, various unexpected things and happenings, or simply by running out of time.  When we have to "fall back and punt" in this world, for whatever reason, our days and plans change.  In some cases, it is a blessing and at other times it's a disaster!  Today, I am leaning towards the first one. 

Our morning was hectic at first, and then just plain busy.  This afternoon was slightly more relaxed.  Now we are into early evening and I'm finally getting a chance to get my blogging done.

Lately, my brain has been hovering in the Disney World zone.  I have been reminiscing about past trips and dreaming about future trips.  My husband and I were lucky enough to visit Disney for Thanksgiving, and the following week, in 2000.  Going to bed one night and waking up to magical Christmas decor the following morning was amazing.  I am anxious to share this exciting atmosphere with my boys.  Watching their reaction to it all will certainly bring tears to my eyes.  Thinking about all of this has lead me to begin planning our November/December 2010 trip, which will be an early Christmas gift to our boys (okay, and to ourselves).  Can you tell how excited I am already? 

In the midst of our chaotic morning, my boys were being typical boys while playing loudly.  I wanted to find a way to have them wind down before we took O to school.  When I offered to play some music for them, they happily accepted the offer.  What was their choice in the vast collection of music that we own?  Surprisingly, they quickly agreed on their selection.  As Walt Disney World's "Four Parks One World" cd began to play, my overactive children laid on their stomachs in front of the speakers and the room went quiet.  I quickly grabbed 2 copies (from past years) of Birnbaum's Walt Disney World For Kids books and handed them to my silent boys.  Seconds later, they were soaking up the music and doing their own Disney dreaming.  Between the peaceful moment and sweet sight of them enjoying such a special part of our lives, I realized it was a moment worthy of a photograph!  In the midst of our crazy morning, I found such a smile worthy moment that it calmed me almost instantly.  There is something so special to me about this simple joy that I know I will cherish this memory for a long time, especially when my kids are being rowdy and wild.

Today didn't turn out as I expected, but I appreciate the blessings that the unexpected brought me... today anyway! 
 

Meet Me On Monday: Greetings From The Public Library

Today is not my normal Meet Me On Monday blog.  Why?  Because I'm at my local public library, having grabbed my partially charged laptop before walking out the door, as my youngest son enjoys a fabulous first story time of the Fall season!  My day is sure to be busy and I wanted to take this time to post a quick blog.  Of course, this really is the real Mindy.  A busy Mom & public library addict!  I will even be back here later this evening for the first scrapbooking group of the Fall season.

M and I have been out since early this morning, when we dropped his brother off at school, and only made a brief stop home to drop off the eggs we purchased.  When we get home from story time today, we'll be making lunch, prepping for my scrapbook event this evening, and working out with Wii Active for the 2nd time.  Before I know it, it'll be time to head to school and pick up my oldest son. 

Have your days gotten busier with the start of school and oncoming Fall season?

Back to the public library, I wanted to bring this to the attention of Michigan residents:
Save Michigan Libraries
Michigan Libraries For The Future
Take the time to check these out please!

*I promise to post better blogs Wednesday & Friday!  Have a great week!!!

Writing Is Fun!

This blog is fairly random and just because I'm a bit excited about being productive! It's almost 11pm and I'm sitting in front of my laptop to blog instead of grabbing that late dinner, which is now a really really late dinner. Besides the usual distractions, such as the final soccer game of this season and unruly children, I have been too busy to think about dinner yet (yes, the kids were fed). Well, maybe the thought has crossed my mind, but I wasn't ready just yet. I had something to do! I pulled out my lasso of truth... Okay, it was just my Wonder Woman notebook, but it has the lasso on it! Anyway... I grabbed my notebook, sat down, and wrote! I have a good intro started to my little book. I'm anxious to write more, but I'm not sure if I will see my notebook again until Sunday. I would love to pick it up tomorrow, but I have some unexpected errands to run. Errands to run with children in tow always take 10 times longer than normal don't they? I was requested to sing for a funeral on Thursday, Friday plans were set in stone at the beginning of the week, and Saturday we have family plans that will keep us very busy! Sunday is Father's Day, but I'm sure my husband won't mind me sneaking in some writing time. In fact, he's the one encouraging me to do so. If I find time over the next few days, I will pick up my notebook and write. I'm rather enjoying myself! I've taken the comments, regarding my last blog, to heart and am just writing. If I finish and I feel the need to take something out, I will. I will not "pre-edit" my book and remove things before I even write them down! I will not, I will not, I will not Sam I Am! There, there, there I said it because I can.