Positive Mumbo-Jumbo Gumbo!

I'm all about trying to turn over a new leaf. I love resolutions, even when most of them get forgotten! It's wonderful that people always believe that things can change, because it's true! And when you believe it, you take steps! Maybe wanting to run a marathon ends up with you running one mile, but it's a mile you wouldn't have run otherwise! And hey, maybe you'll end up with a marathon!

All this positive mumbo-jumbo (which is some of my FAVORITE mumbo-jumbo) is to say that I'M HOPPING ON THE BANDWAGON!!! Chugga chugga choo choo!!! (This wagon makes train sounds.)

Anyone who knows me knows that inescapable stress is my bane! I have kids who are loud and destructive and have problems going to the bathroom when they ought to! And man, I'm not worried that they'll never figure out how to go potty, but it's just a big drag! I have a hard time letting Crash Boy spend time at someone else's house so I can get a break, because what if he poops? And constantly cleaning up all these butts is making my hands crazy dry!

But hey, enough of the complaining, this is positive time! I have chosen a word to be my New Year's Resolution, and that word is, "Gentle". I want to be gentle, tender, take smaller steps and speak softly to my kids. Also, I want to read books and do crosswords throughout the day, because those are calm things that keep me calm, and when I'm already stressed, it's hard to see straight!

I'm also meditating now! Nice, positive, daily meditation to keep my mind free of the background noise. And it's been good for my mood! Because dude, before kids, who cared about moods? Nothing was ever so big that it could affect how I felt day-to-day! Now, though, I have moods! It's bull pucky! Total bull pucky! But hey, if I have moods, may as well exert what control I can over them!

After my Dad's day away 2021, I thought long about it, and what it comes down it is that we need to spend more time with these kiddos one-on-one, and keep making sure that you have more positive interactions than negative ones.

Ah, but anyways, today is a fine and snowy day and we've already been through one pot of coffee before 10 am!

I'm looking forward to days when every day is a good day!

We are great in parks. I brought all our sharing cars (we have special cars that are meant for sharing with others) and I spun the carousel thing, and alllllll the kids played a game where they reached out to grab the cars that kept on rolling off, and threw them back on the carousel where they inevitably rolled back off!

These boys are good boys. They fight a lot, to the point where it just always happens, but they always end up playing together again. It's encouraging that they'll be good brothers, but MAN is it exhausting when they won't just leave each other (and thus me) alone!

This sweet Echo Guy keeps crawling into our bed every morning, just to snuggle with us. He's a sweetie guy.

Frozen reservoir! Last Saturday, I went for a long long walk, and it was good. Good for my frizzled-frazzled brain.

I have a hard time figuring out what to write in birthday cards, so I usually end up just doodling something and hoping my friends understand that I mean the best. This is a hipster dinosaur!

Just because it's snowy doesn't mean they don't want their scooters! They like to "grind" the snow, like our push mower, and MAN. It's slow, but they have so much fun with it.

"They're relaxing!" I love it.

Winter is here!

 I'm not sure if it's the winter, or if it's just the way my poor brain is doing, but I feel like I'm running at half-efficiency recently! I've been enjoying sitting and reading, although I know there are other things I wish I was doing. Making my awesome board game based off Jessi's awesome book, finally getting caught up with my editing queue, making a behavior chart to try and wrangle my kids together, sending postcards for fun...

Echo likes pancakes!

Man, I can't wait until I've actually got the energy to do the things I want to do. As it is, I do what I have to do and then just fizzle out.

But for now, I must admit, things are ooooookay! I'm having more good days than bad days, which is nice! The boys are really getting into creative pursuits, and Crash Boy's becoming quite the expert colorer! Daniel at least understands that he loses control sometimes, and that's progress. The poor guy just can't get his feelings under control when he's in the moment. Echo is a boy who likes to get himself into situations where he screams. He'll start pillow fights that he'll get hurt in, he'll take toys away from his brothers and scream when they demand justice. And every bedtime is just a real struggle, because they like to play together.

Mama's famous apple-peeling skills!

One thing I'm always thankful for, though. I love my coffee. It's really good stuff.

Update on my teeth!

I still can't chew well on my left side, and I've already gone in once for them to look at my crown and try to reshape it. They did their best, told me not to worry, and sent me on my way. Now I feel like I have to go back and have them do it again, and it's such a drag, because I have kids, and have to arrange something for them! Jessi works!

I have no idea if my tooth is still just sensitive, or if they're going to tell me "Never mind, guess you DO need a root canal!" It doesn't wake me up at night, though, and the cold sensitivity is short, not longer than ten seconds.

I don't know. The whole ordeal with my teeth bums me out, because I'm giving them every opportunity to fix my teeth, and so far, it just feels worse than before, with the warning that my teeth aren't going to get any better. The cavities where my fillings fell out aren't going to suddenly get better. But I don't want to deal with a new pain in my mouth until the old one is gone. I already can only chew with half of my mouth. (But I do make one darn good smoothie.)

Some cupcakes made with Crash and Echo and Josie, because we saw them in a kids' book!

I am happy to report that I am a kind person, and it comes naturally to me. To be friendly to others, to shut my mouth if I can't think of anything nice to say, and to tell people that I appreciate them. These days when I'm all out of willpower to make much of an effort at things, it makes me happy to see that kindness takes no effort.

I'm looking forward to a lot of things. My boys being able to play together without a referee, me being able to sit down and do things without worrying that my boys will be tugging at my attention, and being able to have a day where I'm not overwhelmed, not even once!

Tired and doing all right,

-Woody!

My three boys making friends at the Bug Park!