12 on the 12th - February

I did actually take these pics on the 12th - just haven't had the time/energy to put them on here yet.  So here goes - This is what we did 10 days ago! 


8am - practicing reading skills after breakfast

 



9am - time to work / play!  I teach Baby Sing and Sign once a month.  No one has more fun at their job!

  





10am - meeting with a family in the playroom.
Monkey looked on while we played.

  


11am - Clean up time!  Busy babies and toddlers make
a big mess!

 




12pm - Lunch time.  Bella starts us off
 with the Superman Prayer.

 


1pm - Open House at MyGym.  Time for some serious play!



2pm - we were surprised to find our friends
 Kim and Andy there with Lily.  As you can see, Lily
and Luke are sweet on each other.  We approve.



3pm - Just arrived at a birthday party for our little friend,
Rachel.  Luke thought we were still at the gym!



4pm - snack time.  Bella was lovin' all the veggies at Rachel's party.






5pm - Still having a ball at Rachel's!



6pm - Luke got a late birthday present from Alex
and Onalee, and he's sharing the box with Lily.



7pm - Should we start writing their vows now? 
Lily is a kissing machine!  Luke didn't seem to mind.



8pm - Kids got to decorate Valentine cookies. 
They were super yummy!



9pm - very late and time to go home - This is what
 5 kids will do when unsupervised in a 4 year old's
 bedroom.  Yikes!  Sorry Stephanie!!

 I know, I know - that was 14 pictures, not 12.  But it was just such a fun, busy day, that we wanted to share it all.
What a wonderful day with some of our very best friends!  The kids were exhausted, and so were we!

Gender Roles

I always think it's interesting to look at "traditional" gender roles and compare them to the way our family operates.  Here's our breakdown:

"Man's Work"

• Bring home the bacon (work) - We both do this, and often it means tag-team parenting because Jerry works during the day, and I work mostly nights and weekends.
• Take out trash - He does this most of the time (when he remembers), but I've been known to do this once in a while.
• Take care of car - I insist on Jerry doing this.  I am a typical woman in that I feel like I'm being totally taken advantage of at car places.  I know NOTHING about cars.
• Mow the lawn - I have never mowed a lawn in my life.  Don't plan on it.  Jerry can have this one!
• Shovel - I tried, and I was sore for almost a week.  I'm happy to call this "man's work!"
• Hang pictures - I'm usually the one to get out the hammer and nails.  Unless I need a drill and those dry wall anchors, I'm on the job.  Anything more complicated, and I make Jerry do it - but I do the leveling, because he would rather eyeball it.
• Change light bulbs - depends completely on how high up the light bulb is!  If I can reach it or climb up to it, I will take care of it.
• Discipline kids - We both do a pretty good job of this, I think.  We back each other up, and stay fairly consistent. 
• Do taxes - I married a math teacher.  That's his job.
• Change the oil - If I have to change the oil, I pay someone to do it.  I'm lucky to be married to a guy who will do it himself.
• Put together furniture / build - If something comes in a box and needs to be put together, I usually do it.  Not because Jerry won't or can't, but because I LOVE to do it!  Give me some screwdrivers and a hammer, and I'm happy.  If we're talking about actually building, that's Jerry's territory.  Again, not that I won't or can't, but because it's what Jerry enjoys (at least I think he does!)

"Woman's Work"

• Cook - We both cook.  I am usually in charge of breakfast and lunch during the week, and Jerry does dinner, because I work. 
• Clean - I do most of the cleaning, but Jerry helps.  I have to give him a list of what do beyond picking up toys most of the time, because he sees the house with "man eyes" - he doesn't see the dust on the piano, the fingerprints on the glass table, or the streaks on the mirror like I do.  We did decide at the beginning of our marriage, however, that I am more than happy to clean all the toilets if he promises to scour the tubs and showers, because I HATE doing that!
• Iron - Yeah, we don't iron much.  BUT, I will say that when we first got married, I taught him how to iron his shirts.  Now we just get them dry cleaned. If any more ironing needs to be done, I do it.
• Laundry - I am much better at this task, so I am glad to do it.  I really don't mind washing/drying clothes - but I despise folding and putting it away.  Jerry folds and puts away his own clothes and sometimes towels.  I take care of the kids clothes and my own.
• Wash Dishes - We fill and empty the dishwasher.  Otherwise, it would be overwhelming!  We go through a lot of dishes.  I do most of the hand washing, though.  I'm not really sure why this is.
• Change diapers - I can't believe there are still men out there who don't do this, but it's true.  We both change diapers equally, but I am in charge of cleaning out and washing the cloth diapers.
• Bathe children - Currently, this task usually falls to Jerry because it's usually bedtime, and I'm nursing Luke or throwing in some laundry while he gets the girls bathed.  I give Luke his baths.  Once he's done nursing, I'm sure this will be more equally split again.
• Take kids to practices - Right now this is just Bella and gymnastics.  I take her if I can, but if I have to work, Jerry takes all the kids along and goes.
• Put kids to bed - We do this together - the whole bedtime routine - stories, songs, and prayers.  Occasionally, I'm at work late, and Jerry has to go solo on this one.
• Tell kids to "Wait until your father gets home!" - Do people still do this?
• Pay bills - I put this under "women's work" because I think of it that way.  I wasn't sure where it traditionally fell, but I do pay all the bills online.  I was always better at balancing my checkbook than Jerry when we were dating. 
• Grocery shop - Jerry does this 85% of the time.  If I go, I end up getting 15 things that weren't on the list!  I have no willpower when it comes to shopping. As my mom says, I can find something I "need" no matter where I am.
• Clothes shop - I do 95% of this.  I love clothes, so I have no problem with this!
• Decorate - I consult with Jerry, but I take care of most of this as well.  He likes to have an opinion, but... well... it's women's work!  ;)

All in all, I'd say we're pretty traditional with just a few adjustments - mostly because Jerry is an awesome daddy, and I work outside the home. 

What is your household like?  Do you stick to mostly traditional gender roles, or are you a more "modern" family?

12 on the 12th

Ok, so my friend Amy does this thing on her blog called "10 on the 10th".  She takes 10 pictures (1 per hour) during the day on the 10th of each month.  I fully intended to do that this year.

Well, blame it on the snow day we had on the 10th, but I missed it.  So, instead, I'm doing the 12 on the 12th this month.  Maybe I'll stick to the 12 - maybe I'll do the 10th next month.  Not sure yet. 

Anyway, I think this day was much more interesting then the 10th, anyway - that day we just stayed home with kids with colds and did pretty much nothing.  So - it was probably for the best. 





10am - morning snack time

  


11am - playtime!  Luke has somehow
lost his socks AND pants.






noon - home from preschool pickup.  Luke
immediately heads up the stairs - his new favorite skill.

 


1pm - cleaning up after lunch






2pm - Nap time!  Only the monkeys are up.  This
guys is already hanging around for Luke's party
next weekend!

  


3pm - still napping.  This is no cat nap!

 
  

4pm - organized the book shelf.  About a third of these books used to live in the girls' room, but spent most of their time on the floor, so they needed a better home.





5pm - time for work - 2 home visits
tonight, so I'm missing dinner with the fam.
:(  Thankful to have a job that I enjoy, though.

 

6pm - heading from 1st visit to 2nd.  Don't worry - I was NOT driving while taking this picture.


 


7pm - home sweet home - time to get the kids ready for bed.



8pm - listening to sleeping kids on the monitor, enjoying a glass of wine, and watching Y&R on DVR.



9pm - time to get a little work done.



These Hips Don't Lie

I'm not sure which makes me feel older:

1. I worked out to "Cardioke" on the Fitness On Demand channel and remember doing the "old school" dance moves that Billy Blanks Jr. demonstrated when I was at middle school dances.

OR

2. After doing said workout (which I told myself was WAY below my fitness capabilities), my hip hurts.

Well, both of these make me feel old.  Apparently, I am now an embarrassing mom who does cheesy dance moves, AND my body is falling apart. SUPER! Guess it's time to break out the Ben Gay and a heating pad.

Tomorrow's another day.  Maybe I'll try out my old Roger Rabbit and Running Man and see if I've still "got it". 

By the way, my kickin' moves were totally FRESH!

2011

2011 is going to be a great year - a year of growth for me and for my family (no I am NOT pregnant).  Here are my resolutions for 2011.  Hoping to just be a better, well-rounded human this  year.

1. Get on a workout schedule.  I'm not going to make any crazy demands on myself like working out daily.  I know that won't happen.  But if I can get in a few days a week - super!  Anything is better than the nothing that I'm doing now.  Time to tone up and be healthy again.

2. Eat healthier.  Now that the holiday treats are gone, I want to concentrate on eating better - for myself and for my family.  Less late-night ice cream binges.  More fresh fruit and veggies.  More smoothies with the kids.

3. Scrapbook more.  I'm behind. VERY behind.  I have Bella's 1st year scrapbooked, and that's about it.  I have the tools.  I have the books.  I have the paper.  No excuses on this one - If I set aside 1-2 evenings a week, I could pump out quite a few pages.

4. Less TV time.  We, as a family are... addicted.  It's a problem.  We need to spend more time playing, and more time outside when the weather is better.  I have way too many shows DVR'd.  It's not good that my 4 year old can use the remote herself and find her shows.  Not good.

5. More art projects with the kids.  I used to be good at this when it was just me and Bella.  We'd get out the paints often.  Then I had Delaney... then Luke.  I feel like now it's harder to manage.  However, the kids LOVE to be creative, and I don't want to squelch that.  So, buck up, Mom - time go break out the messy projects again!  This should help with the non-TV-related time, too.

6. Eat out less.  We actually did pretty well with this during the summer and fall of 2010, so I know we can do it. 

7. Go to bed earlier.  I've finally come to terms with the fact that no matter what time I go to bed, my kids are always up early.  So it behooves me (and everyone else) to go to bed at a decent time so I'm a pleasant person in the morning.

That's it!  Here's to a healthy 2011!

Hustle and Bustle!!

Dear Shannon,

   Can you turn back your "Countdown to Christmas" snowman in your front yard a week or so?  It's telling me I only have a few short days until Christmas!  That just can't possibly be true.

Sincerely,

Your Friendly (but Frazzled) Neighbor

There is SO much still to be done.  And we don't have until Christmas to do it.  We're celebrating with my side of the fam on Thursday.  I need to wrap presents, pick up a couple of more things, and make (yes I said "make") two more gifts, along with a list of other "little" things that must get done in time including cooking for the big day.  It all adds up, and I'm running out of time!  I suppose I should stop blogging and just do it, but procrastination is kinda my thing.  Wouldn't want to change who I am!

Mommy Brain

I realize it's been a month since my last post - yikes!  This is almost entirely due to MOMMY BRAIN. 

It's real.  Look it up. 

Because of Mommy Brain, I have been unable to sustain a thought long enough for it to appear on my blog.  I do have thoughts - thoughts worth sharing. By the time I'm near a computer, however, the thought is forever lost in... Mommy Brain.

Please pray for my blight.