It seems there is a calm in the storm (for the moment).

We have slowed down the pace during the holidays, so things are not as hectic, go-go-go type of hype. We can breathe, and I can actually begin to enjoy my precious moments with the kids. I am trying to get time individually with each one of them during this break.

Adam is my cuddle bug. He came up to me, while I was washing dishes, just to see when I would be finished, so I could cuddle with him on the couch, and watch a Christmas movie. Of course my heart melted just a little, and I had to do that..

It’s nice when it’s just us at home, with no demands, schedules, or being worried about the time.

Time just seems to be a major thing for me. I am constantly on a schedule, so every minute matters. I am not one of those, who just sits and watches tv. we are constantly doing something, or going somewhere.

I took the kids to Silver Dollar City in Branson over the weekend, and we had a really nice time. Yes, there was some whining, but overall, it was a very nice day with my kids. Just me and them. We did what we wanted, not having to worry about anyone else. They each got a souvenir, rode rides they wanted to, ate what they wanted, and we grabbed a bag of the Salt Water Taffy, of course!

I feel like there is a positive turnaround that will take place in 2019. I really hope that my chaos and stress and constant calls from school / after school care will cease. 🙂 baby steps though, right?

I’m trying to have a more positive outlook on life, with everything that I have on my plate.

Life is good. My kids are precious, and we have so much to be thankful for. Every.Single.Day!

The past few weeks, there has been something to report EVERY SINGLE day.. but right after I start this blog, things have been pretty uneventful. (I’ll take it.. lol)

I will just fill you in on the latest events, so you get a feel of my life.

1. My 6 year old boy, decided it would be funny to pull his pants down in the school cafeteria during lunch. Luckily, his undies stayed up. When the teacher asked him why he did this, he just shrugged his shoulders. Needless to say, I got a phone call from the assistant principal, and the counselor. His consequences were to sit in the principal’s office to do his work, and have lunch for the next 2 days.

2. My 7 year old boy, was supposedly influenced by another young boy in this one.. He was in the boys bathroom in his after school care program, and noticed a urinal that was out of order.. Both boys decided it would be interesting to flush it multiple times, only to have it overflow and flood the floor. He was suspended for 1 day from the after school care program.. Luckily, I had taken half day of work that day, so it wasn’t an issue to pick him from school that day.

3. My 10 year old girl, has been a challenge the last couple of years. She is very determined, I will say. She is vocal about everything. She carries a lot of hurt, and turns it into anger and hostility towards people. Something little, can cause her to have an extreme reaction. She reminds me of myself.. sigh.. Anyway, she decided that the young kids on the bus from school to after school care need to be bossed around. She’s becoming known as a bully. breaks my heart.. She was also found to be questioning all of the young kids if they had permission to hang their backpacks on the hooks in a certain part of the after school care building.. she takes it upon herself to act like a boss. (can be a good and a bad thing). I love the counselors at the after school care though. They are trying to reach and help her identify her feelings, rather than just discipline her for her actions. It’s more about getting to the root of the problem. She says she had a bad day, they want to help her through it. I LOVE that. My kids need all the support they can get in this day and age.

4. My 13 year old girl, loves to doodle in class. Her French Teacher has contacted me a couple of times, just letting me know that her class is very difficult. My daughter might want to consider dropping it, as she’s not doing some of the classwork. (even though it’s not required). Her homeroom teacher says, as long as she’s not disrupting the rest of the class, and is getting good grades, doodle away.. we will see how this pans out.

I’ve got to come up with some nicknames so I don’t have to keep referring to them by their ages.. 🙂

til next time….

I’m not sure where to begin, but every story starts somewhere. I’m just going to jump in…

First, you must know.. I am not trying to paint a negative picture of parenting. AT ALL. Parenting is very rewarding, it’s an honor to have children. I love all 4 of mine with all my heart. TRUST ME on this! This blog is simply a place to share the REAL LIFE experiences for MY LIFE. I am not, in any way, trying to say that I HATE my life, or wish it was different. I LOVE my life as it is, with all the crazy I have to deal with. I would not want it any other way. I love a challenge.. and that is what parenting is.. a challenge, and we must make it through.. alive… and keep our kids alive in the process. 🙂

As you know, there are daily responsibilities as a parent. In my experience so far, they can be overwhelming, daunting, exhausting, feeling like there’s no end in sight, frustrating, and can tend to make you feel like there’s a dark cloud overhead. All I do, it seems, is command my children to do this, don’t do that. Hurry up and go go go. That pretty much sums up my role as a mom over here.

My mind functions at a million miles a minute. I can be focused on “this” right now, but then there’s “that” happening over there, and before I know it, I find myself mad, yelling, frustrated, and worn out. Emotionally and mentally. Drained. The tasks as a parent are great, and the rewards, they say, are greater.

No matter what kind of crazy is going on with the kids, I keep my focus, stay on the path, and push through. I have no other choice. Giving up is not an option.

However, I also know that I play a very intricate role in how they will turn out as adults… I am their rock, their foundation, their commander, their leader, their fighter, their inspector, their example, their referee, etc.. The responsibilities are endless. but, so are the precious rewards. embrace all of it. the good, the bad and the REAL..

The purpose of this blog, is to simply share.. Share my experiences as a single mom, raising 4 children, and hopefully you will find some laughs, can relate, or just get a glimpse into this reality I have, and think wow! That’s crazy.. and boy oh boy.. it IS CRAZY.

Today’s post was simply an introduction to me.. all in a day.. all my crazy.

So, hang on and enjoy the ride with me.

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton