Perspective changers

I fell in love all over again this weekend.  I was watching my dear husband play in the pool with our children.  It was there that I remembered WHY I fell in love with him.....his patience and his love for children.  I wanted my husband to be a Great Daddy and that is exactly what I got!!!   Thank you Honee for being everything that I wanted you to be!!!

Today I was visiting a friend and her mom.  We were talking about vacations that this family had taken.  I of course felt a little sad, because we have never really taken any family vacation that didn't have us visiting extended family members.  Just to travel for the fun and the experience of it all.  I mentioned to the mom that we have never done anything like that.  She looked at my daughter and said to her, "Your mom chose to have children instead.  It costs a lot of money to go on vacations with such a large family."  I hope that I NEVER forget the way I feel right now.  I chose to have children and I wouldn't trade ANY of them for the most fabulous vacation!!!

Thank you Lord for these reminders!!!  You are so AWESOME!!!

My weekend

On Saturday morning, Jeff surprised me with a plan for us to go away for the night!!!  The boys were gone, so he figured that the girls could take care of themselves and Joel without a sitter!!  It didn't take much for him to convince me to do this....so I got up and booked a hotel. 
We took the children with us to swim in the pool for a couple of hours.  Then Jeff dropped them back off at home for the next 22 hours to be alone. 
I had a complete blast being alone with my man and the children apparently had a great time too.  When we walked into the house Sunday afternoon and announced, "We're home!"  This is the reply that we got from our most quick witted child, "If you don't have any good news to say...don't say any at all."  HAHA (Just a little twist on the quote from Bambi!!) 

Family Movie

Tonight we watched Dolphin Tail together as a family.  It proved to be a fun time.  I am still laughing because of what Joel misunderstood Morgan Freeman saying about the glove that goes on the dolphin's tail .  Joel just kept quietly repeating it over and over again, as if to make sure that Morgan really said that.  I laughed so hard that I was crying and had to leave the room a couple of times to settle myself down.  I wish that I could tell you what was said, but I fear that it is not appropriate to repeat on here.  You will just have to take my word for it!!

Josh and Daniel went on a field trip for the next couple of days.  They went to a huge indoor water park with the rest of the Korean students and host children.  Praise the Lord that this trip was FREE to us, because they are staying in a really expensive, VERY PLUSH, 5 bedroom, 4 bathroom, almost 5,000 square feet condo!!  We are so jealous that we are not there with them, but so happy that they get to do it!!!

Past 4 days

Sunday ~ Had a first that day.  Emily and I went grocery shopping for the week only to return to a house that had just lost electricity!!  Praise the Lord for the Michigan winter weather.  I am happy to report that we didn't lose any of the freezer or refrigerator food.

Monday ~ Had a mildly sick child,

Tuesday ~ (Joel loves getting the mail every chance he gets.  This is what transpired shortly after he came back form the mailbox.)
Me-Joel was there any mail today?
Joel- Nope not a thing.  Not even a screw or a lemon.

Wednesday ~ Working hard on losing this extra weight.  Feeling so good right now, which has made me wonder......Why do I go through spurts of eating like a maniac, eating total junk, and feeling horrible?

I also updated the blog pictures.  And let me just say that the new pictures make me want to blog.

Wonderful Saturday

I woke up this morning determined to do something about this added weight that I have been slowly gaining since Thanksgiving.  I started today to eat right and I actually did a workout video this morning.  I am feeling great tonight.  My first goal is to lose 10 pounds.  I will see how long it takes me to lose that and then I will decide if I want to lose 10 more!!  I certainly would like myself a whole lot better 20 pounds lighter, but I won't require it of myself yet!!

I am not afraid!!

I am so loving that we live in town in Berrien Springs!! 

I have actually chosen to take Daniel to his wrestling match early tomorrow morning, so that Jeff could sleep in and......even though we are under a winter storm watch and we have inches of snow on the roads.......I am not afraid to drive!!!  That is a major accomplishment for me.  When we lived in Buchanan, I was known to not leave my house in the winter for any reason unless someone else drove me. 

So excited to not feel TRAPPED any more!!!!

I feel like a taxi....

No I AM A TAXI!!!  Just got my first dose of the life as a mom of teenagers in sports!!  Daniel has been playing on a sports team before school even started in September.  As soon as one sport ends, the next one starts.  Starting on January 23rd, Emily will be starting soccer and then I will have two children in sports.  I sure wish that the practices were at the same time, so that I only had to go out once a day to pick them up, but no luck there!!!  4 days a week Emily stays after school and gets out of practice at 4 o'clock and on the fifth day she comes home on the bus and has to be taken back to school from 6:30-8:30.  Most days Daniel gets out of practice around 5:10, with the exception of game days.  My life is going to get very complicated soon!!!  It sure is a good thing that we only live about 6 minutes from their schools!!!

My day

Today it was just Joel and I for most of the day.  I got so much work done without everyone at home.  Folded at least 6 loads of laundry of which Joel delivered most of it to the appropriate beds, called several customers, put away tons of dishes, took a shower, paid a bill, cleaned my bedroom, and made supper. 
I love days like this.

The older woman

I am officially The Older Woman.  ( I turned 40 in Dec.!!)  Today I had a young mother over to teach her how to make homemade cinnamon rolls.  We had a great time and the children played together SO nicely!!!  I really enjoyed sharing my knowledge with someone else.

The best

Thank you for your prayers!!! 

This was the best 4 day weekend ever!!!

Wedding Shower

I had my first Pampered Chef Wedding Shower tonight.  Let me just say that I would LOVE to make this my whole business!!!  I absolutely LOVED doing the shower.  Everybody had so much fun and the Bride-to-be got A LOT of really great stuff!!!  I think that every bride should have a Pampered Chef shower.  The gifts that she gets will last her for a lifetime!!

Do you know of any one getting married?  Please send them to my website to fill out a Wedding Registry with The Pampered Chef!!!

www.pamperedchef.biz/judithherdklotz

I am shocked!!

These past two days have been the BEST TWO DAYS that we have had since Josh came!!!  I was so worried about the snow days, but God has answered my prayers and made the days wonderful.

Daniel and Josh had a friend from school over.  Zack (the friend) had a blast with our family and loves our house.  I love it when my children's friends actually like us, because for some reason two of my children are very embarrassed of us and don't want to bring friends home with them.  Thank you Zack for making my son see us in a different light...even if only for a few minutes!!!

First SNOW day of this winter season

I have looked out my window this morning and I saw maybe three inches of snow on the ground.  The roads must be really bad to have closed school for this!!!  I must admit that I am VERY disappointed to be having a snow day this Friday the 13th.  Today is only the fifth day since Christmas break ended and the day before a three day weekend!!  My middle school guys are going to go CRAZY with nothing to do....AGAIN!!! 

PLEASE PRAY FOR ME AND FOR THEM!!!!!

Good Morning

I am trying to get on a schedule of posting in the mornings instead of at night.  This is all I have to say this morning.....going to the middle school for a day of listening to middle schoolers read to me.  Yippee!  I think that I will need a nap when I get home this afternoon.

Here are two pictures of our "son" Josh...

VERY hard to get him to smile for this first picture, as you can see....we failed!!

Much better Josh, this is the smile that we now see SO often.

Have a great day in the Lord ya all!!

new addictions

Milky Way Bar (the Simply Carmel ones)......LOVE THESE!!!! 

Any book by the author Lynn Austin......I am devouring these almost as fast as I am the Milky Way bars!!!

Rice.....found an awesome brand at Aldi.  Every time I cook it it is perfectly the way I like it and it doesn't take more than 30 minutes from start to finish!!

Giving Joel "treats" for doing well in school.....he has an amazing attitude about school right now, because of those treats!!! 

Blogging......ideas of what to write about, pop in my mind several times a day!!

Accomplishments for today

Laid down the law a couple of times....and the children actually obeyed!!!

Glorious day!!

Woke up at 6:00 this morning and got the children out the door to meet their bus.  Did some Pampered Chef work and some computer stuff until the little ones woke up.  Ate breakfast and then did school with Joel.  Amy and Joel have an art class on Monday afternoons twice a month.  Today was their first class.  I took them to school and then came back home to an empty house for TWO WHOLE HOURS!!!!  I listened to praise music and got a lot of house work done in those two hours.  I have been pumped ever since then!!!  The rest of my day just flew on by and now the children are in bed.  I will be heading that way soon!!

Randomness

The time has come for us to go back to school tomorrow, but I am SO NOT looking forward to having to get up at 6:00 in the morning and I will truly miss my children not being home with me 24/7!!

Had my first Pampered Chef Party of the year this afternoon.  It went a whole better than the host was expecting.....Thank you Jesus!!!

Put on several extra pounds since Thanksgiving.  I have no room to go up anymore....I must lose at least 8 pounds so that I have some room to gain a little when I want to eat really poorly again.

Today was National Korean American Day!! 

Watched a stupid movie tonight.

Never expected this...

Had quite an emotional day.  Lauren got a phone call today from a friend, of her old school, informing her that one of her past classmates had died yesterday.  Sam was the name of the student that died.  Sam and her mom were in a car accident last week, but they did not die until days later.  This was too close to me and I started to bawl.  Sam had spent the night at our house once and I fondly remember her as being very sweet.  It just breaks my heart that this child was right between my two oldest daughters in age.  So tragically young and her mom is gone too.  She leaves behind a dad, a brother, a sister, and a Grandmother that has been living with them.  I can't imagine how this family is coping with losing two family members at the same time.  I remember while my children were all young...just thinking that if I died my children would be much better off.  I now shutter at the thought of my children growing up without me.  I know that both their earthly father and their Heavenly Father would take care of them, but who would love them like I do, sacrifice for them, cheer them on, touch them, and clean up after them?  My heart is heavy tonight.  I am feeling the pain of their loss and yet so very thankful for the time that I have with my family!!! 
I love you my sweet family and I am so thankful to be a part of your life!!!

Made a list of things that needed to be done today and I accomplished almost the entire list!!!   Yeah for knowing how to delegate and for keeping on task!!!  (Thanks Jeff for your help :)

Amy went to Allie's house for the night and Allie's sister Brooke came here for the night.  I kind of like this switching thing for right now.

I have changed my mind about one of the items on my "would never change list".  I would change my height if I could, but only for one person and then I would go back to being short.  I would like to be able to look at my husband eye to eye, rest my head on his shoulder when he hugs me, and give him a kiss while he is standing up straight....all without having to stand on a step/ a rock/ a stool/ a tree stump/ or a ledge of some kind....JUST ONCE!!!   Jeff is a whole foot taller than me, I would change my height for no one else.

Changes

Christmas decorations are put away.  I have never put the Christmas stuff away so soon after the holidays.  Kind of proud of myself.

I got to thinking today about things that I would change about myself if I could.  Here is my list.

1. I would make myself truly funny and witty!!  There are a couple of ladies in my life that SO posses this ability and I am in awe of their God given talents.
2. I would make myself with the ability to cook up a great meal with the left overs in my cupboard and fridge.
3. I would always know what to say and how to say it!!
4. I would add to my great personality the passion for exercise.
5. I would love the snow and cold as much as I LOVE the summer sunshine and heat!!!

Things that I would never change about myself.....

1. My smile
2. My ability to start a conversation with a complete stranger
3. My desire for my husband
4. My height
5. My inability to pay full price

Just another day

My house is driving me crazy.  It is a mess because we have been sick and it still has all the Christmas clutter everywhere.  I have some great hopes tomorrow of getting this house to feel more like a home and less like a bachelor pad. 
Today was Josh's Birthday.  We took him bowling for the afternoon.  Went kind of well except for the fact that Josh felt like a failure because he wasn't very good at it.  Wouldn't you know, Daniel had his best game ever today...198...of all days. 
Josh and Daniel will be leaving tomorrow for a day and a half.  The Korean students, the host students, and some of the parents are going to Chicago for some fun.  I sure hope that they have a great time, because it is getting harder to believe that Josh could be enjoying himself here with us.  Joel and I are about the only ones that talk to Josh.  The other children seem to be uncomfortable around him.  They don't know what to talk to him about.  I just ask him a bunch of questions and he answers me, but he doesn't talk much to me other wise.  He does seem to enjoy Joel a lot.  Joel makes him laugh...it is really cute.  Josh is still very polite and a wonderful guest, but I feel like he is bored most of the time.  School starts again Monday...so hopefully he will feel more busy and have more to talk about.

Still Sick

Still very sick.  Ready to be healthy again.

The only thing that I accomplished today was getting my host's Pampered Chef wedding shower invitations out to all of her guests.  Not a difficult thing, but time consuming!!

Snow all over the ground, only 16 degrees out right now, but it is supposed to be 40 degrees by Friday!!!!

Sickies

House full of sickies today!!!  The only person not sick is Josh...our Korean exchange student.  I can not EVER remember ALL of us being sick at the same time.  I hope this means that we will get over it faster.  We usually have a sickness for a few weeks as it it slowly moves through the family...it is torture right now, but hopefully it will be nice to be totally over it at the same time!!!

Resolution

One of my 2012 New Years resolutions is.....posting everyday on this blog!!!  Posting anything will do.....I just want to get back into the habit of caring and sharing on this blog!!!  I am so excited to be back.  I wonder how well I will do at this resolution.....I have never kept any of my other ones.