My bad...

Because my life sometimes looks different from others, I feel like the negatives are often times more outwardly visible then the positives.  And then after my last post, I can see why people would be a little "concerned" about my sanity and my choices.  I'm feeling a little bad about that.  I think that's why I haven't come up with a post since then.  While I know it's funny, it really is only a small piece to my life.  Mothering my children has brought more joy, more laughter, more happiness then anything I have ever experienced.  Sometimes I hide behind my sarcasm to help people relate who I fear otherwise wouldn't understand.  But what if, instead, my sarcastic remarks are scaring people away from possibly making the choice to be different, therefore, bringing unending JOY into their lives?  Forgive me, please.  I don't want people to feel sorry for me, or even think that I'm doing something that they could never do.  This is not true.  The old saying truly goes here, "If I can do it, ANYone can do it!" ALL of my children are blessings.  ALL of my children are amazing.  ALL of my children bring me great happiness and peace.  ALL of my children allow me to love my life.  I know this life is not for everyone.  Some days, I feel it isn't for me too!  But I think I would say that no matter what life I had entered into.  Man, life is hard.  But it sure is beautiful.

Morning

This is straight from my personal journal this morning.  Thought you'd all like to know, that, well, I'm not exactly a morning person.  And sometimes I like to whine...

4/10/10
8:30 am
Saturday...

Some mornings are just hard for me.  This morning is one of them. I don't think I've smiled yet. 7am every morning doesn't seem like it should be too bad.  But once, just once I want to see like 8am on the clock and to wake up without a baby screaming as an alarm.  I just wanted quiet and peace this morning.  And I think I finally have some version of that now...but I went almost crazy getting there...
7am-baby screams...Not cries. Not talks. SCREAMS.  With a smile. 3 big kids are sleeping together in the living room.  They thought it would be fun.  All awake.  Drop baby off on couch.  Kyrsta instantly demands breakfast.  Asher is demanding milk.  I demand coffee. Kyrsta wants a waffle. Don't forget peanut butter and messy syrup.  Asher wants one too.  I pull the coffee from the cupboard and then finish waffles. Serve one, serve other.  One is finished, clean, now the other.  Lovely syrup all over table, high chair, baby.  Asher is demanding goldfish.  I demand he waits.  Big kids zoned out on T.V..  Kyrsta is now thirsty.  She needs her precious every-morning chocolate milk.  Every morning she reminds me I must make it warm. (I still haven't smiled). I glance over at my empty coffee pot.  Asher is crying.  He wants a bottle.  We are weaning.  Still crying I put him on couch with zoned out big kids.  Hold on coffee pot, I'm coming!  I walk into kitchen.  I must have unzoned big kids as they are now following me into the kitchen. Argh.  They are hungry.  I'm in their way.  I grab my coffee pot before I get pushed out of the way while they make their breakfast....more messy waffles.  (I'm so not smiling) 10 minutes later. Kitchen is empty. I grab my precious bag of coffee.  It hasn't even been opened yet.  Oh yeah...Find favorite coffee cup.  Ignore the arguing children in living room.  Open coffee.  "Mom, Asher is poopy!".  Put bag of coffee down next to favorite coffee cup.  Do my unfortunate chore.  Wash my hands.  Make coffee, quickly.  Grab 1/2&1/2 from fridge.  It's spoiled.  I so used that yesterday.  Gross.  Resort to using baby's whole milk as creamer.  POOOUUUUUURRRR........ "Mom!".  Ignore. Stir.  Answer 100 ?'s while walking to sit down. Just answer. "Yes. you can go take a bath. No you can't watch anymore T.V.. No you can't play the wii yet. I don't care that your brother was laying on that last, put it away please.  I don't know what we are going to do today. Yes your dad is sleeping.  I don't know if it is going to be a nice day". Sit.
3 kids are currently in the bathtub.  One I convinced that reading would be a good idea (nevermind, I just looked up to see he's upside down on the couch). But it's quiet. Peaceful.  My coffee tastes delicious.  Just saw that I have baby snot all over my sweatshirt. Ignore. Sip. It's going to be a good day.

*No exagerations, this was truly my morning today. lol, but I really did mean it when I said it was going to be a good day today!  And it has, just that Saturdays are always a little difficult.  TJ sleeps all day while I have to figure out how to occupy 4 kids by myself.  It's quiet time right now, and is how I'm able to even sit and type this.  Yes, they are arguing right now. And yes, I'm ignoring it! =)

1,400+ Find New Homes

It feels different now.  I see my neighbors different now.  Our home even seems a little bigger now.  And life is good.  And all from an Easter egg hunt?  Who'd a thunk it.  I had no idea that this would end up changing my entire view on where we live, and the people we live with.  But it's pretty cool...and so here's what I think happened;

A few days ago I finally got some phone calls from people who wanted to help donate candy and eggs for the hunt.  Super cool, right?  Well, then what happens is you do this crazy thing.  Talk.  We talked about our kids, we talked about the car accident that just happened down the street, and we talked about our neighborhood.  And it was somewhere in those moments of conversation that I became invested.  Invested in them, and them in me and us in where we live.  And this kept happening with every person who called. We have something really big in common with one another.  LIFE!  We are all doing it!  And we just happen to be doing it as neighbors.

So this morning I woke up, not knowing what to expect.  We were still a little short on eggs, and for sure short on help hiding.  So I tried not to worry, and as I walked out the door, I saw one of my neighbors walking towards me.  She was coming to help hide!  Yay!  So we drove to the park, and there were two more people with 400 more eggs! Yay!  And then two MORE people showed up! YAY!!!  Then another person with more eggs! YAY!  These people were chosing to take ownership of our neighborhood!  It was so cool!  And of coursee we had a great time talking, and hiding the 1,400 eggs that we ended up with!  I can't forget to mention that my amazing In-laws drove all the way down from the their home near the Canadian boarder this morning just to help out. They are just great!

Then right at about 10:45 the masses started showing up.  With just my two little signs and a couple of flyers on mailboxes, over 70 kids and tons of parents and family came.  It was pretty cool.  Everyone was talking, everyone was happy and of course the kids were way excited.  I was able to meet so many wonderful families.  I'd say that was more than a success!

So now, in the settling dust of running children, I feel as though our community cares a little more about where they live.  It actually makes me feel safer knowing people are taking ownership.  And that's pretty sweet if you ask me!  From Easter eggs?? Sweet.

I <3 My Neighborhood.