I'm Back!

Wow, I have been away from the blog for a little over a month.  If you have followed it, my apologies.  If you haven't, maybe you will pick up on it.  So why the absence?  As you can only imagine, with seven kids, spouses and significant others, grandchildren, friends visiting etc., the Holidays are a bit crazy for me.  I think we had a minimum of ten to fifteen people in the house each day!  Plain and simple - I needed to get my house in order.  By that, I mean my physical home as well as my mind, body and heart!

Originally, there were several more paragraphs to this, but they disappeared when posted and I just realized it.  An obvious sneak attack from the dragon.  So, in my little mind and always shortening memory, I will try to recreate the original post.  (No one but me will know how close I came)

Anyway, starting in January I began putting away all of my Christmas decorations and taking down the trees.  I finally took the advice of our insurance agent and photographed and logged things – just in case.  That alone was time consuming.  The tree undecorating ceremonies are probably the worst.  The obsessive compulsive side of me has documented every ornament we own including what year it arrived and where it came from.  Each child has his or her own box and list.  We start by removing all of the ornaments and putting them in a category – Santa, animal, homemade, etc.  I won’t go into all of the details, but it is VERY time consuming.  It is February and I have just finished the whole de-decorating process.

This also includes a good spring cleaning of the house and yes, I know it is not spring yet.  But I choose not to rely on a calendar or that rodent known as Punxatawney Phil for that information.  Great products from Melaleuca, were quite a help.  Check them out, let me know what you think!  I did get on my hands and knees and scrubbed floors and floorboards and all I can say is “oh my God!”  Nothing was safe from my Melamagic!  Walls, floors, linens.  All without that heavy bleach smell that makes me sick and makes me quit the job.  Wait.  Maybe I missed some logic there.

I am not a big one for New Year’s resolutions.  I tend to make them on December 31 and break them by January 2.  Come on!  We all do it!  This year I gave it another shot and decided to get back in shape.  I have always exercised, but gave it up for a month or so during the holidays and I really missed it!  Great for reducing stress.  So, for the last month I have worked out five days a week, thanks to a work out designed by “Pook”.  Thanks “Pook”.  I also made an agreement with “Calvin’s “ young lady, affectionately dubbed “Whiz”.  We are accountability partners and check in with each other every day on exercising.  It is a great idea, if you really want to get serious.  The competitive part of me was not going to allow someone else to work out but not me!  Thanks “Whiz”!

Finally, I decided to become more diligent in including God and church in the life of me and my family.  There are times when I admit to being a Sunday Christian.  Working to make sure it is part of every day of my life is a long term goal that I do not want to give up on.  Join me.  We will all make a better world if we do.

Anyway, that’s enough to bite off for anyone for starters.  Hope your New Year has gotten off to a great start.  Have a great day!