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.