Gotta Love Those Kids!!!

So I will be perfectly honest here........3 weeks at Christmas time for vacation is wawywywywywywy to long for the families. (Maybe not families but definitely mothers)We had a lot of fun and it was great to not have to get up at 6 am every morning, or to have to make lunches the night before, or to have do homework. However, keeping the little six-pack out of mischievous behavior that lead to trouble was was virtually impossible. We did it all....... play dough, making models of jets, to making models of birdhouses. We played file folder games, we counted, sang, practiced and yet it just was still too long. So as I struggled each night, I realized I need to focus on the positive that they were adding to my life. They have so many wonderful qualities and I just have to reach a little harder to remember them and point them out.The answer that I came up with was to make cute little poster boards for each of them. Present them to each of the children and have them hang them on their doors. They love them almost as much as I did making them. Each time I was ready to run away screaming and hide until the storm would blow over.... I go to their room and look at their poster and point out one of the things I love the most about them. So far so good. I was thinking about doing the same thing for me. It would be nice to hear good things about myself besides the usual, this sucks mom, that is gross mom, you must hate me mom, you are not my friend mom, or the kicker lately, you wish I was not here. Seriously, how do kids come of with this stuff. Well my friends have a great night!!!

Child or Slave?

So being that it was ANOTHER day off of school today..... I decided it was time to incorporate chore fun again. We made cards for various chores that needed to be done. For example.... clean up dog poo, unload and load dishwasher, help with laundry, vacuum upstairs, vacuum and dust stairs, and clean bathrooms. They each got the chance to draw a card. And then the chore card they picked would be the chore they would help me with today.

As I am helping Jayson do the dishes, he looks at me with the most innocent look on his face and says...... "Why are we doing your work? We are not supposed to be your slaves!" Clearly it has been too long since I had them help out around the house. Have a great night my friends!!!!

Catching up!!!!

So we are finally getting around to sharing Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with everyone. Enjoy watching the fun and mayhem. It truly is a magical morning and day. It is one of those days that as a child you wait for year around however, as an adult it always seem to sneak up on us and is always here . I remember my mom always being stressed and wanting it to be "fair" for everyone. I used to think she was a little crazy and yet I find myself doing the same thing fretting each night, counting presents to make sure they equal number, counting money to make sure even money was spent. Despite the stress of it all....... I think we managed to pull it off again this year. They all loved what they got and they love to "BELIEVE". It is a truly "fun, fun, fun," moment. I love to BELIEVE and hope that that can stay with me forever!!! Merry Christmas Friends. Enjoy your gorgeous families!!!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Our Thanksgiving Visitor!!

We would like you to meet the newest member of our family. His name is "Elfie". He arrived two days before Thanksgiving and stayed with us until Christmas Eve. The kids got to pick his name and register him online. They even got a letter of adoption from Santa.

His job is to report to Santa each night how we are all doing. For example....... is there fighting, tattling, hitting, yelling,or........... kindness, love, compassion,and calmness at the Kearl household. Overall, I do think that Elfie was impressed with what he witnessed. (And having a witness certainly does help keep the good works coming. :>)

Elfie cannot talk to us but can listen and take many messages back to Santa each night. We know that he leaves each night, because when we sneak up in the middle of the night to check on him...... he is gone. When we wake up each morning he has found a new place to perch and watch us.

We are not allowed to touch him because if we do...... he will lose his magic powers that all0w him to travel back to the North Pole each night. I must say it was so very fun to watch and listen as the little ones would tell Elfie what they wanted Santa to bring not only for them but also for their siblings. It was fun to hear them tattling of the naughty expeditions that occurred during the day or the sweet, kind things that they also saw happen.

Elfie left with Santa on Christmas Eve and went back to the North Pole to help get ready for next Christmas. He will return to us next year around the same time. The kids miss him and talk very fondly about him. Of course, they are already talking about what they want to tell him. I think Nathan has even started a notebook with his ideas so as not to forget them. This is the most fabulous, fun tradition I have seen out there. We love Elfie and cannot wait for him to come back.

Rest well my friends and may you always "believe". Christmas is so much more fun when you do!!!!

Tooth Holdout!!!

So Bryan finally lost his 1st tooth!!! He was so very excited it was cute. Cassie was the first to lose a tooth and has lost 2 now. Jayson and Nathan came next, and they both have lost five. So for my little Bryan this day could not come soon enough. Now for Me, this day means my baby is truly growing up to be a big boy. Makes me a little sad actually. This will be the last time that I get the chance to lose that 1st tooth.

I promise to get Christmas slide shows up soon. Having the kids home for now the 3rd week...... is taking its toll on me and I have no free time. :> Sleep well my friends.

P.S. Thanks to all for the prayers for our friend Sarah. In case you have not read her blog recently she is home and doing well. Keep up the good work Girl!!!

PRAYERS FOR SARAH!!!

Friends, family and loved ones. I am posting today asking for prayers for a very dear friend of ours. I am posting a link to her blog so you can see what is going on and keep up to date on her progress. She is a fantastic friend and fighting today for her life. Pray for her and her gorgeous little family.

www.jimiandsarah.blogspot.com

Please my friends be safe and I will update more later. I am still trying to post video from our 1st Christmas program. It was awesome.

Logic of a Child

This week Jay is out of town. For many of you that know me, this will not surprise you at all......... I love to rearrange my furniture. It seems that when I am the most stressed out , or life just seems so overwhelming, and there is nothing I can do but ride the wave, I realize I can move my furniture. HAHAHAHAH. Well Jay on the other hand, hates it. He was not real pleased that I had him help me turn all the boys beds into bunkbeds over the weekend. So I knew if I waited until he came home to hear my idea and see the work that lay ahead he would roll his eyes and drag his feet, or even make little paper models of it for me to move around before I actually moved the furniture. ( He really did that once, to scale, with the trash cans included)

Since he is in Fort Worth this week and I have to get the Christmas stuff out anyway...... it was the perfect opportunity. We are trying to decide on what colors to paint the rooms and I really wanted Bryan to be a part of Jayson and Nathan's blue room and airplanes. So how to make it all work.....

Not too bad if I do say so. This oak TV entertainment center is VERY HEAVY and hard to move. But I did it. I reminded the kids that they are not to climb on it because if they do and it falls down on them it will crush them and anyone else that is in the way. They all nod in agreement and promise they will not do it again. And I say again because I caught them doing it a week ago.

Well this morning we are rushing to get out the door for school and I hear on the intercom that Jayson is climbing on the entertainment center. I run up the stairs to catch him "in the act" and sure enough he is coming down off of it. I use the angry mom voice and once again tell him that this cannot happen and swat his butt. (sorry to anyone who does not believe in swatting, but sometimes it is necessary!!!) And what does he do? With his cute, sad, little eyes full of tears he looks up at me and says........ "it is the best place to play Humpty Dumpty."

Well he has certainly got a good point, and I find myself a little stumped on where to go with this conversation. (I admit, I did not see this one coming. :>) So quick thinking (which is amazing since it is only 6:45 am) I ask him if he remembers what happens to Humpty Dumpty? I then point out that they could not put him back together and I would be so very sad if we could had the same problem and could not fix Jayson. He sees my point and then proceeds to ask me, "Mom, if I am in heaven would you cry all day?" I assure him I would and please don't do it again because I do not want to have to cry all day. He tells me, "mom, when you go to heaven I will cry all day too and miss you every minute." Ah, he does like me after all. :> Have a great night my friends!!!!