Different Kind of Epic

Today we were supposed to have an Epic Game day.  Epic as in I rented a facility that can hold 100 people and I invited about that many (kids included).  Everyone was supposed to bring their favorite games, a dish to pass, and we were going to spend hour after hour after hour gaming it up.

 

But then Mother Nature interfered and the game night was postponed.  Kind of. 

 

At first our day was spent reading (and listening to books on CD).

 

 

Playing outside in the newly created Winter Wonderland.

 

And napping. 

 

But when a day was meant to play games, the games must be played. 

 

Family headed over before roads got too bad and our Epic Game Day was back on - in a different way.  Different can be just as good.

Great Wolf

Christmas 2016

Gift Card to Great Wolf Lodge

 

Christmas 2017

 Gift Card to Great Wolf Lodge

 

Christmas 2018

Do I need to get you guys another gift card to Great Wolf Lodge to get you to go?!

 

I think it was more of a threat than an offer, but after two years of collecting gift cards we finally made it to Great Wolf Lodge!

 

 

I love pictures like these.   Just the three of them posing in today's fashion, youth frozen in time.  So much fun to go back to places, retake the picture, and see the changes.

 

The kids didn't have school on Friday due to a Teacher's In-service day giving us a chance to hit the waterpark on a less busy Thursday evening.

 

Holly is slowly coming out of her swimming shell so to speak.  Last year she started gaining confidence in swimming alone (with her life jacket of course), but still did not like to be splashed.  An accidental splash in her direction would end our water fun for the day.  I believe we are overcoming that. 

 

 

Such good sisters when personalities aren't clashing. 

 

I didn't intentionally not get pictures of Jacob.  Half the time I couldn't find him.  In true kid nature, he befriended a boy his age and took off for the day.  Slides, basketball pool, lazy river, back to the slides, hot tub.  I couldn't keep up and he could stand still!

 

 

It was a great time.  Kid Cabin Suites were awesome.  Pool water was warm.  Bathrooms were clean.  A+ weekend in my books!



Loved

There are key people in each of our lives. 

 

People who have helped shape and create our world in unexpected ways.  People we cannot imagine what our lives would be like had they not entered.  People who have kept us sane, inspired, healed, loved, cherished, driven, focused, and more.  People who remind us that those who are gone are not really that far away.

 

 

 

They are people who help keep us grounded while reminding us to keep dreaming.

 

They are people who can never, ever be replaced and I thank God everyday for mine. 

It can wait

I could not get comfortable last night.  My pillows were too fluffy.  My pillows were too flat.  My pillows were too hard.  My pillows were too soft.  And on and on it went.  No surprise then when I woke with a raging headache.  Out went the plans of today being a productive day of continued deep cleaning, scrubbing, and organizing.  Instead, it became a day of phone calls to the QuickBooks hotline, fighting with insurance people as to why I can't get Bree's glasses fixed (after she accidently stomped on them while fleeing from a spider in her bed), and reading.  Coffee and reading.  Lots and lots of reading. 

 

 

Sickly

Bree was home sick from school today.  I have a sneaking suspicion that it had more to do with nerves than with an actual virus but to play it safe for everyone else's immune system, I kept her home.  And... in my opinion, if you're capable to sit on the couch watching TV or reading, you're capable of sitting on the floor and finish packing away the rest of the Christmas decorations.  With a little help, of course.   

 

Comfort

Last week we began, again, the search for a new to us vehicle.  Options have been narrowed down and now need to be weighed out along with a lot of prayer.  And in times of worldly stress you need everything else around you to be pure and simple like a big bowl of comforting potato soup. 

 

Example

Through the Christmas season my motto became "Put it on my desk, I'll deal with it later."  Then break was over and school resumed.  Anytime the kids brought me papers my motto was "Put it on my desk, I'll deal with it later."  For the past two weeks of cleaning and finding random misplaced items in the house my motto was "Put it on my desk, I'll deal with it later."  Well....  I guess its later.  Time to deal with the desk.

 

Day Dreaming

Its Saturday.

 

We're all home.

 

Snow flying outside.

 

Movies playing away on Netflix.

 

Jim working on Sauder's units.

 

Me planning out a few day trips for this Spring or Summer.

 

Just what a Winter day is all about.

 

Move Your Feet

Think back to your childhood, look around your living room now.  Everyone has their spot right?  A place they naturally gravitate to when watching TV or just lounging around.  In our house, Jake tends to take the end of the couch nearest the TV.  Bree's spot is usually on the floor in front of the TV.  Holly will take the lap of anyone who is sitting still enough for her to climb on top of.  And, of course, Jim has the "Dad's Chair" spot.   But me?  Just the mom?  Somehow I get booted or jabbed out of "my" end of the couch forcing me to then drag up the glider rocker from the backside of the living room in order to have a seat.  And to make matters worse....  the CAT has even taken up the "move your feet, loose your seat" motto too!

 

I just want a place to sit and read my book!!

Old School

The big kids are in school.  The TV has been turned off for the day.  The tidying up has been done. 

 

What is a bored child to do? 

 

 

NOT play with any of her new Christmas gifts, that would be too easy.  Instead, we bust out the View Master for some old school fun.

 

 

Dirty Laundry (of sorts)

With the Christmas tree gone and the everything in the house returning to normal, it is time for the Annual Whole House Carpet Shampooing. This fun (and I do mean fun 'cause I'm odd that way) tradition began 12 years ago when I received my first Bissell Steam Cleaner for Christmas.  I was so excited about my new "toy" that I promptly shampooed every surface possible after all decorations were down and have continued to do so every year since.

 

However, this fun tradition also began the '5-second rule does not apply in this house' rule.  If it hits the ground, throw it away.  Because, my friends, this is after I shampooed my carpets and went back over with just water to get any residual soap out and the water still turned this color...

 

Puzzle Time

There is always a puzzle going in this house.  Normally its video game themed or a crazy-hard-takes-3-years-to-put-together-only-to-discover-that-you-are-missing-2-pieces type puzzle. 

 

But not this time around. 

The table was open and its my turn!

 

 

Too bad I had it done in less than a week.  Next two puzzles (Jake's and Jim's) are already lined up and ready to go!

Christmas Closing

Our final Christmas celebration for the year (or first one for the optimistic people!) was yesterday.  Who knew all this crazy, chaotic fun....

 

... is because these two people fell in love?

 

Hoarder

This kid is a hoarder... of money. 

 

 

Its not a bad trait to have but his wallet was screaming "Put some of me in the bank!"  So off to the bank we went for Jake to make the first deposit of his very own.  Now armed with a bank card and a deposit slip telling him how much he has, I believe a "what can I do to earn money so I can go deposit it every week" beast has been release. 

A Simple Favor

I love reading. 

 

One of the biggest thrills for this book lover is when they take a book and make it into a movie.  I must read the book before seeing the movie. 

 

And if I can drag someone along to read it with me and then come to my house to watch it once the movie hits DVD (because... life happens and you can't make it to the theatre) then you have Friday night at my house!

Relaxing Gift

Due to a gift from my mom, we have officially joined the Netflix day and age.  While the kid were home on vacation, we binged watched 'Once Upon a Time' and 'A Series of Unfortunate Events'.  But then the kids go to bed and its time for a little grown up 'Netflix and Chill'.  However, my version looks a bit different than most.

 

The Purge Begins

Although we have one more Christmas yet to celebrate, the cleaning, re-setting, urge for normalcy bug, more often in this house referred to as De-Santafication, has bitten.  While the kids are home for one more day, it is time to slowly start taking Christmas decorations down.  Room by room, we will be scrubbing, washing, cleaning, organizing, emptying, purging, and, where possible, bleaching before moving on to the next room. 

 

 

All I can say is..

 

It feels so good!

A Christmas Carol

In case you don't know me, I enjoy Christmas music.  All year.
  Even though I can listen to the same songs month in and month out and year after year, at Christmastime there is usually one song that speaks to me in that season.  I hear it differently.  The lyrics pull at my heart like never before. 

 

I listened and listened to Christmas music like never before (thanks to the unusual pre-holiday snow we had in November) but nothing happened.  No song jumped out at me.  No life altering lyrics for the month.  Nothing. 

 

Until New Years Day.

 

Its not a typical Christmas Carol.  Its actually a song from a movie that I have watched multiple times every year since I was in middle school or even younger! And the weird thing is...  I wasn't even watching the movie when the lyrics flooded my brain! 

 

"Bless Us All"

Muppets Christmas Carol  

 

Life is full of sweet surprises
Every day's a gift

The sun comes up

And I can feel it lift my spirit

Fills me up with laughter
Fills me up with song
I look into the eyes of love
And know that I belong

 

 

 

Bless us all who gather here
The loving family I hold dear
 

No place on earth compares with home
And every path will bring me back from where I roam

Bless us all, and as we live
We always comfort and forgive
We have so much that we can share
With those in need we see around us everywhere

 

Let us always love each other
Lead us to the light
Let us hear the voice of reason
Singing in the night

Let us run from anger
And catch us when we fall

 

Teach us in our dreams
And please, yes please
bless us one and all

 

Bless us all with playful years
With noisy games and joyful tears
 

 

We reach for you and we stand tall
And in our dreams and prayers we ask you
Bless us all