Randomness

Just some random thoughts for today, folks, as that seems to be how my brain is functioning today. I'm sure we all know how *those* days go.

• Had a great talk with my Mom today. She gave me a much-needed pep talk about not being so hard on myself, and trying to really enjoy this time when my kiddos are little. It doesn't matter so much if all my rooms are painted or if the floor is clean enough to eat off of (it never is, by the way). I can sweep the floor and paint the walls when I am 53. I can only enjoy my 4- and 1-year old RIGHT NOW. When I look at my daily life from outside of myself, from someone else's perspective, I have it really good, and gosh darn it, I should be SO proud of myself and my family, and I should ENJOY every last second of it. I have pretty amazing relationships with my kiddos, we enjoy each other's company, my kiddos love each other, I have a great husband, we always make family time a priority... I am really lucky to be able to enjoy every moment with the kiddos, to be able to hang out at Logan's school for a few hours or spend the morning lounging at Starbucks with Coley... SO, in order to re-prioritize myself and make sure that I am relishing the great moments every day (instead of regretting the unfinished to-do list, or re-hashing the day's low points) I have decided to keep a notebook full of all the positive things that we go through. Every night before bed I will sit down and remember the day's high points, and write them all down. Focus on the positive, instead of the negative. I think that this will not only help to get my mindset in the right direction and to be thankful for the joy we have, but maybe it will get me to seek out the positive things throughout the day as well. I would really hate and regret it if I someday look back on these years and wish that I had done things differently. When I am 80 years old, which will I regret more: not having a home that looks like a magazine article, or having such a negative, stressed-out attitude during their preschool years?
• I think some of this desire to really soak in the time with the kiddos and enjoy it TO THE MAX stems from the realization of how fast time is flying by. Logan just turned four and, of course, after four comes five. Five = Kindergarten! Yes, he still has one whole year of preschool to go, but when you just look at the straight numbers of it... Four, Five, Kindergarten! That, to me, is scary. I am one of those Moms who enjoys my time alone once in a while, and I definitely enjoy my time with Coley the mornings that Logan is at school... but let me tell you, when that alarm goes off at 11, telling me it is time to go pick up Logan, I get so excited! So does Coley! We miss him and we miss our time together while he's at school. Crazy, I know. Anyway, I need to soak in as much of my kiddos as I can, because I am realizing that this stage in their lives does not last long.
• My son is "100% Boy" as a friend once told me. He climbs, he plays in dirt, he runs around like a madman, he loves swords, he is active and go go go ALL the time. He drives me crazy with all his preschool-ness and 4-year-old-ness... you know what I mean, always getting into things he shouldn't be into, pushing the limits to see how far he can go, how far can he push Mommy, all of it. But for all of that, all the ways that he gets into trouble and pushes my buttons, I think the real troublemaker of this household is going to be sweet little Coley Bear. This girl is something else, I tell you. She's rough, she's tough, and she can bat those big blue eyes and smile that big smile to wrap everyone so tightly around her finger and get whatever she wants. But I am on to her; I've got my eye on you Coley Bear!
• My original goal with this blog was to post 5 days a week, take the weekends off. That is still my ultimate goal. But for now, starting out, I am shooting for 3 posts a week. I am finding it hard to get 5 a week, and I still need to work on content, and figure out how to fit writing into my schedule on a more regular basis. Right now I write whenever I get a chance, or I save it till the kids are in bed only to find out I am too exhausted by then to come up with anything witty, much less cohesive and understandable (thus the Randomness tonight, it is late and I am tired). So the goal is 3 well-thought-out posts per week!
• I am getting so excited for our trip to NY this summer - Woo Hoo! Cannot wait to see the whole big family!

That is all for now, I think my random, stream of consciousness brain download has stopped for the night. Thanks for reading, if you were able to make it all the way to the end. :)