Monday, December 31, 2007

Wishes for MY new year..

I've compiled a list of wishes and wants that I hope for me and my family for 2008:

1) A reliable, paying job for my husband. In the last 14 months, he has only worked 4 of them. The Unemployment check is NOT meant to live off of.

2) That we do not have to look for a cheaper place to live because of #1 not being granted.

3) To establish some better ground rules for the boys regards the playing of video games and watching TV. Well, actually, we can establish all the ground rules we want, I should revise my wish to wanting the boys to cooperate with these rules without a huge whiney, crying tantrum.

4) To get rid of the baby fat I still lug around. But since my "baby" is going to be 5 in a few weeks, can I still call it baby fat? Even if I shouldn't, I'm going to, since it sounds so much better than calling it lazy mommy fat. HA!

5) I wish to help the boys realize that helping mom around the house isn't a reason to erupt into a tirade that "I haven't had enough time to play right now!"

6) I wish to have Kieran trained to fall asleep on his own after his bedtime stories and prayers. Some nights it takes 45 minutes for him to fall asleep deeply enough for me/jerod to sneak out.

7) To be able to babysit for my brother and Jess so they can do some romantic date stuff after the new baby comes in January. I can't wait to hold a new baby!!

8) To become a more health conscious chef for my family. (that means not serving frozen pizza every other night)

9) In order for #8 to be more appealing to me, I wish Kieran would realize that there is much more food in the world besides shredded cheese, drinkable yogurt, chocolate milk, fish sticks and chocolate chip granola bars. On occasion, he'll decide that golden grahams cereal or pancakes are OK.

10) I wish for more patience as I try to be a good mother.

11) I wish for the ability to be more long-suffering and peaceful when dealing with my boys in the middle of arguments. Let's add self-control to that list of qualities I need to cultivate better.

12) I need to have more patience with my husband when he doesn't seem to do things as I would have done them.

13) I wish that my grandmas would be nicer to my mom. I see the stress it puts upon her and I don't know how she can deal with it.

14) I wish Josh could find a girl so I wouldn't have to hear his comments about how much he needs a woman in his life.

I could wish for all sorts of material things, like a new 2008 Town and Country Van, and new truck for my hubby, but all that seems silly if the income isn't there. Oh heck, I'm gonna make a list anyways!:

-I'd like my bedroom redone-new walls and carpet and new paint and a new bedroom furniture set. Maybe a room that actually coordinates!!
-I'd like my dining room table re-finished to get rid of the 7 years of hot wheels dings and permanant marker scribbles (see what I made for you mommy!)
-I'd like a front load washer and dryer
-I'd like a few more pieces of Lia Sophia jewelry
-I'd like to get a wedding band for Jerod to wear when we go out and about. His not having one still bugs me and he wouldn't have to worry about taking it off for work.
-I'd like to have Jerod be able to set up a wood-working shop to make custom furniture pieces. Something that is heated and big enough for all of his equipment.
-How about a fridge with water and ice in the door?
-How about having the roads repaired and taken care of that need it here in Dodgeville? (the potholes and snowbanks are horrible)
-While I'm at it, I wish for world peace, the end of global warming and a fat-free Big Mac!

There you go! I dont' ask for much.......

Sunday, December 16, 2007

In case you haven't seen enough snow pictures...



If you compare these pictures to the snow photos I included in my post from last week, you'll see how much more snow we've gotten in the last two weeks. Shane's trailer is completed buried, and here Jerod is digging it out via the snowblower.
When I went out to check on Cayden, here I found him and his dad busy at enclosing the bottom of the swing set in snow walls to make a fort. Jerod used the snowblower to blow snow from under the swings and then dug up chunks of snow to stack on top of each other. Pretty cool! Cayden told me that his fingers were numb when he came in. I guess being out in the snow for 1 1/2 hours is too much for even the toughest gloves! When Jerod came in, he had a big grin on his face. He said he had a blast building this fort with Cayden. Glad to see the kid inside is still alive and kicking

Yet, even more snow...

Just a reminder to our family waaaaayyyyy south what the thermometer looks like in the frigid zone..
Today was a good day to play outdoors. It was pretty cold, around 18*, but the boys perservered. This is the snow fort that Dad used his chainsaw to cut the blocks. The boys have started to dig a tunnel underneath it, although they have a ways to go before they make it big enough to crawl all the way through. It is only December, so I think they will have a while in order to finish it.
A big thumbs up from Kieran!!
It's always good to get a running start if you want to go fast.
Who IS that masked kid?


Happy Baby shower Jessica!!

The Nanas and Aunties...
The Girls...
Thanks to Casey for hostessing the shower. Food was yummy, friends were fun.

Friday, December 07, 2007

Snow Lovers rejoice!

A million thanks for the snowblower Chad!!!!
The boys were a big help..

Any what snow play day would be complete without hot cocoa!

Wednesday, December 05, 2007

How we are faring this winter.....

Holy cow do we have snow! I'll make sure to post pictures when I get a chance, I just don't have my camera with me right now. So Saturday we got a good 4 inches of wet, heavy snow. That wouldn't have been so bad, but on top of that it rained and sleeted to the tune of about 1/4"- 1/2". Those who didn't get their sidewalks/ driveways cleaned up by dark on Saturday woke up to a frozen solid mess on Sunday. The rain had frozen on top of the snow, creating a crust that shovels couldn't break through. Heck, even snowblowers and big plow trucks couldn't move the snow. It has caused huge problems in snow removal. If we would get a day above freezing, it may help melt it some so that it could be moved, but the warmest day in our short-term forecast is Saturday at 33* with a good chance of....you guessed it...more snow / sleet / freezing rain. Yikes!

We got another 4 inches yesterday and last night. No school for the boys today, so they are home with Dad. Tomorrow we are forecast to get another 1"-3" of the white stuff. Yeesh! Snowmobilers are rejoicing, that's for sure.

You gotta see what Jerod built for the boys. He took out his chainsaw and cut blocks of snow to make an igloo. I have a picture I will put on here. But that gives you an idea how solid the snow is-it took a chainsaw to cut through it. Old folks are saying that they've never seen snow this impossible. I find it rather intriguing, you all know how weird I am about weather phenomonon.

Speaking of which, pray for our poor brothers in Washington and Oregon. They have been hit with the equivalent of a 2 day hurricane in that region. 10 feet of water washing out interstate 5 along the coast and tens of thousands left homeless from the flooding and hurricane force winds of 120 mph. The photos took my breath away. If nothing else would convince me, just noting the weather craziness would be enough to confirm to me that we are indeed living in the last days.

This weekend is Jessica's baby shower. I'm very excited for her. She has 7 weeks left. I think she looks good, but she says alot of people can't believe she has that much time left to go. It's just because she is short and carries the baby all in the front. I know she doesn't think so, but I think she makes a cute pregnant mom!

Cayden has been home the last 2 days from school with Strep Throat. Poor guy! Even though he's been pretty wiped out, he still has mustered up energy to go outside a couple times to play in the snow. Big surprise there! We have reached the point (FINALLY) where the boys can dress themselves to go out. Well, we still need to help with the gloves, but man, what a relief! Undressing is still a bit of an issue for Kieran; he can't get the concept of taking off the wet boots BEFORE trying to take off the snow pants. He'll get it, eventually.

I do have more to type, but it'll have to wait for another post.