Prodigal Blogger

Hi, I’m Jules.
I used to be a blogger.
It has been 4 months since my last posting.
I am sorry.

What, pray tell, are my excuses? Well, here they are:

·        Summer happened.  As soon as the weather was beautiful, my children have a tendency to stay up later, and I have the tendency to be tired after they finally are abed….   We had a FANTASTIC time from swimming at our beach, visiting friends, and of course golf.

·        I got a 2^nd degree burn.  Yes, a few days before my birthday in June, I spilled 425 degree oil on my arm.  It melted my flesh and I had to bandage it for almost 2 weeks which limited my typing ability, sleeping patterns, and general abilities in life….  Be warned, the picture is gross….

·        I had a fantastic surprise birthday party!! My daughter, Grace, gathered together a team of friends to throw me a fantastic surprise party! She was thrilled that she pulled it off and I got the most amazing cake and food!!

·        I got ENGAGED!!! I never thought I would re-marry, but God had a different plan for me, and I have never been happier. I will be marrying this December, so wedding plans, and what not :)

·        Fourth of July fun—We always hit up parades, fireworks, and BBQ on the Fourth. Yes, it is one day, and it’s not much of an excuse for not typing, but the pictures are cute :)

·        Traveling to DELAWARE!  This year we did our family reunion at Bethany Beach in Delaware.  It was an amazing time with hot weather, fun games, and great family times.

•  We also celebrated the Olympics with some themed-food for the opening ceremonies:

·    

    Back to reality. Then school started. I kept saying, “Oh, I’ll post soon.” Or, “I’ll post after the first day of school, etc.”  

·        And finally, I want to admit that I started SEVERAL blog posts, but never finished them, here are their titles:

o   How to Keep Your Kid From Being a Jerk- an OT perspective

o   Updates on My Life- I originally intended this as my Winter Wedding planning blog

o   Hosting a Game Night (I do one once a week)

o   Summer Goals- Now I am just too embarrassed to put that I didn’t meet ANY of the schooling goals I had with the kids….

 Sorry for the delay in posting- I hope we still have readers :) Let me know any topics that you would like to read about!!!

Shielding from Stress

No reason for this picture, just hilarious.

Jules here-

For some reason, this past week has tested my patience, strength, and endurance.  From getting back into the daily grind of school to handling work, I have been a bit over-stretched.  Instead of waiting to react to the stressors, I decided to start facing them a little differently.  First- I had to address the moments when my resolve crumbles and I start to freak out- you must know what pushes your buttons!

Pancake breakfast silliness

Being crunched for time in the morning- My children are energetic, lively, happy kids- except when they are getting ready for school in the morning.  To get them dressed, fed, and organized for school takes negotiations, threats, and bribery....  My coping has been generally freaking out on the kids as we scramble to get to school in time....

Note: No actual morning pictures are taken due to already extreme lateness

New Preventative Solutions:

• More nighttime prep: I already pack lunches at night, but now I am double-checking snow gear, homework pages, documents I need to drop off, etc.
• Get up earlier: Earlier in the year, I was getting up well before the kids to get breakfast, but lately (well since the days have gotten so short), I have been waking up only minutes before the kids...  The days when I give myself more time to ready myself, go MUCH better.
• Earlier bed time for kiddos Part of the reason I had been sleeping in, was that the kids were staying up later. All moms need a little "me" time at night, and I stayed up later to accommodate. Now, I am trying to get them to bed before 8 PM so I have some time to unwind.

 Letting little things make me lose my cool-  Some things can just drive you crazy. They can be little, seemingly harmless things, but they seem to push the exact right button. I can't stand putting gloves on children- seriously-- why can't they stick out their freakin' little thumbs in the thumb hole?!?!  I also hate getting "bopped" on the head on purpose or by accident.  I hate when my kids lose something five minutes before we leave the house (shoes, coat, etc.).  So what can you do for these little annoyances that can really escalate...

Ah.. the glove, so simple in design, yet unmanageable for under 6 year olds.....

New Preventative Solutions:

• Deep breathing- Taking a moment to count to ten before I react DOES help. Saying a prayer in that time, helps even more.
• Letting natural consequences happen- What happens when you can't find a glove for your kid before school? They miss recess. What happens when they can't find their homework five minutes before you leave? They get a "missed" homework.  It's hard for a mom to accept, but it'll teach them a lesson.
• Give yourself time- Getting three kids dressed in snow gear takes time, making sure I allow myself the time to get it done alleviates some of the "I hate putting on gloves" angst...

Over-scheduling AND under-scheduling problems- I do function at a higher level of stress than most people- I like to be busy as I get more accomplished- however, sometimes I push the limit and say "Yes" too often.  Especially when I say "yes" to things I really don't want to do.... I sometimes dread doing something that I put it off until I stress last minute.

Spontaneous Game night!

New Preventative Solutions:

• Learning to say "No" without an explanation- When I don't want to do a play date, I am just going to say "No thanks." I don't have to go into a litany of excuses. Birthday party? No thanks! I don't feel like standing around talking to parents and buying expensive gifts for a kid I barely know.... 
• Saying "yes" to the right things. I had my house blessed last Thursday! I had to clean every room from top to bottom, but it was WORTH it.  Not only is my house more spiritually sound, I had a more relaxing weekend as my major chores were done!! Also, the playdate-turned blessing- turned into fun game night with friends!! Yes I ended up with 8 children and 7 adults for dinner, but I haven't had so much fun in awhile.
• Checking my calendar, twice- Sometimes I say "yes" too soon, or I don't look at the whole picture of the week.  Oops. Making sure I triple check my calendar will help alleviate embarrassing, "I actually can't come now..." calls.

Hopefully my new preventative strategies to parenting peril will pay off!!

Easy Rule #23213- Stop and reevaluate why you are so stressed. Figuring out solutions ahead of time can help calm your whole family.

Easy Rule #35234- When winter gets you down, start baking. It warms the house as well as insulates the body :)

Ode To Sisters

Jules here-

When I first delivered my second child, the gender had been a surprise.  After I saw she was a beautiful (well, kind of funny-looking), healthy little girl- I was thrilled. Most people (rudely) asked, "Oh, did you want a boy?"  And in reality- I didn't!! I was so happy that Grace would have a SISTER!!! Brothers are great (so no offense Greg) but sisters are amazing.

My lovely ladies

Here's the Top Ten Things that I love about having sisters:

10. They are truly honest with you. Does this make me look fat? Yes. Am I overreacting? No. Etc. Etc. They will always be honest (sometimes brutally so) but you know that you can trust their advice. I also know I can be honest with them- it's refreshing to be able to speak without guise or tact.

9. They get you the best presents. Since we talk all the time- sisters know what we need, want, or secretly desire- and our presents are usually right on target. From tiny kitchen gadgets to hand me down clothing- I love my sister's good taste!

Family favorite purchase :)

8. They will listen to your boring stories (not that I have any).  Who cares what I made my kids for dinner every night this week? Who cares about the great deal I got on cereal yesterday? My sisters do! Or at least they seem to!  I love having someone I can always talk about the mundane with.

7. They are truly loyal. Sisters will mock to your face but defend you to anyone who tries to do the same. No matter bad decisions from fashion to life choices- they will stand by you.

6. There may be spats- but we survive.  Do we always agree with each other? No. Sometimes we can get in arguments, disagreements, and even fights, but we somehow always manage to forgive and move on.  We are not exactly alike and our differences could alienate us, but instead we try to respect each other and not be too sensitive.

5.  Escapism as mothers. Moms, in particular Stay-at-home-Moms, need breaks from some of the monotony of daily life.  Having sisters to call helps break up the day with some grown up conversations, jokes, and encouragement.

4. My childhood was incredible. I always had someone to play with- from Ems and I's "Daring Dancing Duo" to Betsy and I's amazing imagination play- I was never bored. I was watching my girls sled in the backyard last week, and their laughter and giddiness as they careened into a bush reminded me so much of snow-play with my sisters!

Jules and Ems circa 1980

3. You can always ask them for favors. Need someone to watch your kids while you work? Call your sister! Need someone to help cook and clean for a party? Call your sister! Moving help, painting, laundry- whatever- no task is too menial or annoying to burden a sister with.

2. Same sense of humor.  My sisters and I are hilarious together- our conversations on the phone or text messaging could be on the radio-- well, at least WE would find them funny.... Being raised by the same parents with the same media influences, we have very similar 'funny bones' and often find each other cracking up hysterically.

Never trust a blogging sister with a camera

1. They just get it. As they know me very well, my sisters give the best advice, nagging, and support to me. They know when to encourage me to make a change and to support me even when I am not ready.  I can't wait to see how Felicity and Grace's sisterhood develops over the years!


Easy Rule #34234- When you can't afford to buy the gifts your sisters REALLY deserve for Christmas- write a blog post about them instead.

Easy Rule #3432- Never trust an older sister who choreographs dance moves that require standing on shoulders- Thanks Ems, my head will never be the same.

Snow Day with Friend- Picture it!

Jules here-

As I am resolving to post a bit more, and I have a new laptop :) - no more excuses! This is the first Christmas since I moved to New Hampshire eleven years ago that wasn't white.  I was quite thrilled with the mild fall; however, our ski mountains and tourism industry has suffered.  Tuesday, the "true" winter has begun with our first 5-6 inches of snow.   The children gleefully watched as the lawn (and driveway...) filled with fluffy white snow. 

We had a sleepover guest- Grace's best friend- for TWO nights due to snowy weather! She got to partake in our annual tradition of snowman pancakes.  I simply make 3 different sized pancakes and give them a variety of toppings to make their own snowman.  James's turned out a bit like a Picasso snowman, but it still tasted delicious.

 

Later in the day, I suited up to snow blow and snow shovel my driveway-- AHHH! It was quite cold, and I am not in snow-shoveling-shape. My sore muscles ache today, but I did a thorough enough job to get my minivan out!

This is the "Before" picture... before it felt as if the wind had frozen off my face.

The children wanted to go outside too- and after 25 minutes of suiting them up, they lasted only 15 minutes outside in the 17 degree day....

I was so cold after my outdoor endeavors, that I had to bake a ton when I got back inside. I made the classic easiest pumpkin muffins and an apple pie muffin to help warm my house.

For dinner, I made some quick homemade pizza using the Betty Crocker dough recipe and the kids were able to add the toppings. Yummy and fun!

We were blessed with a plethora of board games for Christmas, including my favorite Bananagrams! Grace and Sophie played for hours; though they needed some "Is this a real word?" help they did great!  

It was a challenge to keep the little ones from knocking the puzzles...

We also could not have a sleepover-snow day without a movie night! We watched the classic Balto which is a snowy tale about sled-dogs. Quite entertaining and also safe for all ages- it's hard to find a movie to entertain all kiddos.

Cozy kiddos watching a film

 Having four kids on a snow day made it TONS of fun! We loved having a "best friend" who experienced sledding, pancakes, games, toys, and movies with us- thanks for loaning her to us Chrissy!

Side note- Yes, I am blogging on New Year's Eve-I lead a crazy wild life here!!! Hope everyone has a blessed, safe, healthy, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Easy Rule #41321- Even though snow can be a bit daunting for a homeowner- it can be lovely to experience through the eyes of the children.

Easy Rule #4324- You can always take a hot shower and bake muffins when you're recovering from the cold.

Bonus picture- Took this from my car window on my way to work- seriously-- New Hampshire is gorgeous!!