Go fly a kite

I don't have a very good track record of just letting things go so I can spend time with the kids. So yesterday when we got home from the grocery store, new kites in hand, and the ladies all eagerly asked if we could go outside immediately and test them out I said..."No".  And, realistically, this was a very reasonable response - We have new windows being installed tomorrow, and a few other projects, and the house still needed (needs?) some serious help. I watched their faces fall, and took one more look around the house, and, with a somewhat painful effort, I reassessed the situation and said..."Yes". Yes, to kites, yes to my kids...

Yes to living.

And here was the result -

What is it about kites that makes you feel like you are actually up there, a part of the sky?

Jas got home from work, found an empty house (and an open front door - whoops), and after a quick phone call, came over and joined us. 

The field was soggy, and muddy, and pretty much gross, and honestly, I probably yelled a few too many times for the kids to get out of said mud, and Kate's brand new shoes now look less than, but I'll take it...

...because this was ultimately what we will all remember.

Sassy poses - Do kids even know how to take normal pictures?

How could I not take time from the trivial to spend time with these ladies, 

some of which will only be here a few more years?

Yes, I am as tall as my shadow appears. Don't even question it.

This was way better than another evening of cleaning the house. 

I might be scrambling a bit more today, 

but I certainly don't regret it.  :o)

Keeping it real

For some reason I live under the delusion that my house should really be clean and company ready at all times. In reality, if you are coming to visit I really need 2 or 3 weeks notice first. In writing.

I guess it could have something to do with the fact that people all over the internet (facebook, blogs, etc) post all the beautiful parts of life, and perhaps the funny ones, but rarely the messy ones. In an attempt at breaking that cycle I would like to welcome everyone into...

My dining room.

Oh yes, see it in all it's glory. School supplies still on the table; a pile of garbage and boxes in the corner, waiting for a new home after Spring cleaning (see how well that works?); the totally crappy sander we bought at Menards last night staring mockingly at me after I spent hours hand sanding my window frames; my table that is begging to be refinished. You get the picture - It's a mess.

I would love to say that my home rarely looks this messy. Ok, it actually doesn't always look this messy, but I certainly don't have floors that shine like the top of the Chrysler Building. Maybe once they've been that clean - When they were still in the boxes waiting to be installed.

And lest you think the mess is contained to this room, here is my kitchen -

And my living room (which was actually picked up a bit before I took this picture, but still leaves much to be desired)

And, because we are really showing off today, here is my 5 year old; unbrushed hair, 

cantaloupe face and all -

Welcome to our reality. It's not always my favorite (in fact, sometimes there is yelling involved), but it is what it is. Someday maybe it will look as lovely and perfect as I would like it to, but in the meantime...

We live here.

I've missed this blog

I used to write on here regularly. It was my diary, I suppose, of all the things that this little (not so little?) family of mine has been up to. And then...

I stopped.

Life, the chronicling of which was the entire purpose of this blog o' mine, got in the way. I can't imagine how that happened. I mean life with 7 people has to be easy and carefree, right? Yeah, those of you who that works for, please, drop me a line. I could use some pointers.

So fast forward a really long time to this past winter when this happened- 

To refresh your memory, the last family picture I posted was this one -

This picture was taken 2 1/2 years ago. Mom fail.

But you know what you do when you fail? You pick up the pieces and start all over again!

And here we are. A little older. A little wiser (maybe). A little more bored because we aren't going on Facebook for a whole week. (No, I'm sure that has nothing to do with the fact that I am here right now instead of mindlessly checking the statuses of people I haven't seen in person for years. Surely there is no connection between lack of productivity and Facebook.) 

Anyway, I would really like to get back at this. I love writing, and I especially love writing about this crazy little life of ours. And there are so many things to write about! A nearly 16 year old who is about to get her license, a 14 year old who is likely going to go to school for the first time in the fall, an 11 year old who is excited to start paging at the library this summer, an 8 year old who is so excited about summer camp that she talks about it nearly every day, and Kate. Need I say more?

So if you are joining us, welcome. I like to think we are a fun little corner of the universe - I hope you think so too!