My Big Boy!

Logan decided this morning that he didn't need to be walked into school today. He wanted me to drop him off out front and he would go in all by himself! I can't believe he was ready for that on his first day of his 2nd week of school! Then again, he was probably ready last week but I wasn't! I was so proud of him, especially after talking to his best friends mom who said that she had to take him all the way to class because he didn't want her to leave (which is so how I thought it would be for Logan!). After getting back home I cleaned a little and then made lunch and Wyatt went down for nap and Justin turned on a movie so CJ and I fell asleep on the couch lol. He and I took a good nap and when we woke up Justin was ready to leave for work and we had a little over an hour before it was time to go get Logan from school. We played for a bit and then got ready to go. Logan had a good day at school and it seems school is offically in swing because Logan had... HOMEWORK! I'll tell you, it was harder thank I thought to get him to do it! It was simple too, just having to

Logan's first homework assignment

write his name 20 times (and he's been able to write his name for at least a year now) but he wanted to doodle instead. We had a few other things we did before starting on his work though since I had to read through all his folders because it was the first time we'd gotten them, so I think that may have been a little too much for him. Tomorrow I'll just sit him down to do his homework after snack and I'll read all the stuff for me by myself. Because I was taking out a crayon for Logan to do his work CJ and Wyatt got excited and wanted to color so I decided to set them up in the toy room (so they wouldn't be too big of a distraction to Logan) with some things to color and let them play while Logan got his homework taken care of. The little ones still came back and forth the bother Logan a little bit, but over all I think it worked out pretty well. Tomorrow I'll have to figure out something again to keep the little ones busy while Logan does his homework cause they were too cute doing their coloring today but I don't know if they are going to want to do the same thing every day. I'm sure something will come to me if I think about it!

CJ coloring during homework time

Wyatt doing his coloring

SLACKING!

Not just on the blog the last few days but on my quest! I think my husbands weekends make me lazy :) I just wanna lounge around with him and then it's hard to get back into the swing of things. It definitely doesn't help that I was bummed out today after finding out we aren't going to have a little princess but our 4th prince. Of course I love him but I was still so hopeful I'd finally be getting my little girl! Today was a little better in the active department. It was so nice and cool out this morning that I opened the back door to enjoy the air and made french toast for breakfast. Then Logan wanted to go to the park so around 9 we headed down to the park with Daddy. By then it had started heating up but the boys still had a blast and enjoyed running around. When we got home I felt so worn out and laid down on the bed just to rest and ended up falling asleep. My wonderful husband warmed up some left overs for lunch and fed the boys and put the little ones down for nap before I woke up. I got some laundry washed and now I need to fold it. There was a LOT of dishes so I have one load washing and I'll have to probably unload and reload before bed too. Justin made chili the other day and I made stew the next so we had lots of dishes that didn't get done. Swept and mopped the floors and the boys are in bed and it's barely 8:45! I'm ready for bed but I'll at least get the clothes folded before calling it a night. Hopefully I'll be productive tomorrow and not so bummed out about the baby. We, I think, have decided 100% on his name so that's exciting! Jameson Charles will be here in about 20 weeks!

Rain, Rain DON'T go away!

School day #2 for Logan started out EARLY today! I woke myself up just after 5 and then tried to sleep a little more before Wyatt got up at 6. We got up and ready and to school with plenty of time to park so we all could go in to drop off Logan. Since Wyatt was up so early he fell asleep early and I tried to catch a quick nap... well I DID catch a QUICK nap, but was hoping for a longer one. The little boys went out to play for a bit and just had a lot of free time while I cleaned and did laundry before CJ took his nap. He got up just in time to go pick Logan up from school. As soon as we pulled out of the parking lot I looked up and saw what looked like rain clouds even though it had been so hot and sunny all day. Right before I turned onto the street before our house it started pouring and then the wind started picking up - so hard the trees in our yard were practically horizontal! It didn't rain too long though and the boys had a snack before they played together (and fought together) and before I knew it I was starting dinner. I made some yummy BBQ chicken and homemade french fries and all 3 gobbled it up! While we were eating you could see the wind picking up (so much so it had knocked over the grill at some point!) and then it started to rain again. After they finished their dinner I opened up the front door and out they rain to play in the rain! CJ got completely soaked but he had a GREAT time! Logan had fun but was busy running a toy car off the concrete and running up and down into the grass to get it and do it again... silly boy! It was

a pretty new experience for Wyatt so he kind of hung back on the porch for a little bit but then found the wonderous joy of hopping in puddles! He did that for a while then was in and out of the house and back and forth from sitting and watching and trying to go out into the full on rain and play. At one point he finally got the courage to go out there only to get terrified by the sound of a really loud crash of thunder that send him running back to the house screaming. It was kinda funny and even more so because him crying scared Logan and CJ and they both started running for the house too. So that was the end of the playing and in they came for chores and then bath and bedtime. Wyatt was actually the easiest to put to sleep today! He went from awake and running around to laying for me to change his poopy diaper straight into the toddler bed and hardly moved an inch! I stayed there and pat him for a minute but he was asleep in no time. Then Logan went to sleep and of course CJ fights and is on the couch now, asleep, next to me. I've GOT to figure out something for him but even if I sit and pat him he doesn't sleep he just tries to talk to me. Then trying the SuperNanny "Back to Bed" routine I get too tired going back and forth for an hour. I'll figure it out eventually I guess. i really think he just likes to be near me and that's just about the only way to get him to sleep. Well now it's time to clean the kitchen, mop the floors and fold some clothes before getting ready for bed. Tomorrow is school day #3 for Logan, we'll see if he is ready to go in himself or needs another day of Mommy and Daddy walking him in and then he gets the treat of Daddy picking him up from school since it's "Saturday" and he is off of work. Only 2 more LONG days of not knowing the sex of baby #4 so I'm anxious for it to be Friday!

FIRST day of SCHOOL!

WOW! What a day! My baby started school today and did AMAZING! He was excited and didn't cry at all. We got up this morning and it took us a little longer to get out the door than we had wanted so Justin and the little boys stayed in the van so I could get Logan in on time.

We got in and waited in the cafeteria until it was time to head with his class to the room and I walked behind him and he gave me a kiss before walking in to sit down. He smiled and started playing with playdough and forgot I even existed :) so I left before I started bawling my eyes out! When I got back to the van CJ was upset because I "forgot Loadie" and he couldn't "talk to him or play with him". It was cute how much he missed his big brother today. When we picked Logan up CJ (and Wyatt) were so excited! I missed him today but it was SO quiet and relaxed around the house with him gone. After we picked him up from school and I asked how his day was he told me it was "AWESOME!" so the boys and I went to Wendy's for frosty's before coming home. That's when the day went crazy! With the 3 boys back together and Logan cranky from being so busy it was fight after fight after crying and crying until bed time. Thankfully all 3 were asleep by 9pm and now I can do some dishes and fold some laundry while I wait for Justin to get home before going to bed and starting the whole crazy day over again!

Last Day of SUMMER!

I can NOT believe today was our last day of summer! My "baby" starts his first day of kindergarten tomorrow morning and I am so nervous and excited and sad all at the same time. Although, most of all I'm worried about getting up early and having all the boys (and my husband) ready and out the door to get Logan to school on time! CJ (2) told me today, when I asked him what we are going to do when Logan is at school, "I'm going to school with Loadie so I can play with him"! It was so cute. Hopefully they won't be fighting as much now that they will have space and not be together all day everyday.

To celebrate the last day of summer (and give their reward for getting all their magnets last week) I took the boys to the zoo after nap time. I figured we could go for a few hours and have a picnic dinner in the grassy area and then come home to do some chores and then relax before bed. The boys had a great time but I was SO miserable. It was WAY too hot to be outside today and being pregnant, I think, made it even worse for me. I kept having to stop in the shade and even had to ask Logan to push the sit and stand stroller for a little bit because I was about to pass out. When I went into the bathroom I saw my face in the mirror and it looked like I was sunburnt, my face was so red. I got the boys some shaved ice and we chowed down on that before going to the riverbank to cool off more. Then we had dinner and even after all the cooling off I was dying by the time we were leaving. When I got into the van (after letting the AC run and getting everything loaded in) I looked up to the temperature and it said 107!!!! It took a little while for it to go down but if finally settled on 101... so it was probably like 101 out with a heat index of at least 107. I'm seriously suprised I made it home alive. But I guess it was worth it because the boys had a blast and it's definitely the last time we'll be going back to the zoo until the weather cools down a bit. *** I can't believe I forgot to post it initally! We got an awesome show in Africa Live of the Hippos! Normally they are just laying around and all you really see is their butts! Today we happened to be there at feeding time! It was AWESOME!

I think I may have been more excited about it than any of the boys, other than maybe Logan who was
climbing over everything trying to get a better look. I just thought it was really neat and something I had never seen before and I got a really good picture to remember it by! Yay me!***

So now here I am, almost 9:30pm and all 3 boys are asleep in bed and I'm waiting for my husband to get home with a burger for me. I'm hungry! LoL - crazy pregnancy cravings :) once he gets home I'll eat and relax a bit and hopefully get to sleep by 11pm with my alarm set for 6:15am.... hopefully I'll get my butt up and showered before 6:30 so I have plenty of time to make breakfast and get the little boys ready.

Bike Rides & Gun Fights

Logan riding his bike

CJ on the big boy bike

Yesterday the boys wanted to go outside to ride their bikes for a bit. Justin had to go down to his school to fill out some paperwork so I headed out into the yard with the boys. CJ was trying to ride on Logan's old bike (which his daddy just painted green for him so it felt like a new bike just for him!) but he was still a little too short to get going really well, but boy did he try! Logan was doing awesome on his big bike and it getting much more brave about going down the street fast. Poor little Wyatt can't even ride the tricycle so he just hung out with me by the house. It was getting pretty warm and Justin was on his way home so we put their things away and went in to get lunch ready.

After lunch and nap we lounged around for a bit before we headed off to meet the teacher night for Logan! He starts school on Monday, how crazy is that?!?! I was a little disappointed because I thought going to the classroom the teacher would introduce herself and talk to the class a bit about the first day of school and what the kids could expect. I mean, they are kindergarteners going into a dual language program, I think Logan and the other English speakers are going to have a tough time since so much of the class is going to be in Spanish. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. So I filled out the forms and handed them in while Logan played with his future classmates and Justin stayed in the back and kept the little boys busy. After we stood around for a while we saw some other parents leaving so we figured we weren't going to get anymore infomation so we headed home to sort out all Logan's school supplies and load up his adorable superheroes backpack. He's getting more and more excited for school to start although I can tell he's also REALLY nervous. Of the 3 boys he's always been the most clingy to me and I think he's a little scared about being dropped off at school alone. But I know he'll do great! He's a smart boy and is good at making friends so he'll be fine after he get's settled in. And we will all be there with him until he goes to class so he won't feel abandoned. Monday is going to be an early day for all of us!

Today was a yard work day for Justin so at one point the boys and I went out back to play while their Daddy was working. We filled up a bucket with some water and the boys went to town with their squirt guns! It was so cute watching them run around the yard and they got really wet lol. They are too cute and even Wyatt got in on the action a little bit. Although he can't really pull the trigger he likes to pretend and has the most adorable little shooting sound in the world! I wish I could discribe it but I can't, just know it's ADORABLE... just like he is! Watching them play and have fun together is the best thing in the world. I just wish they could all play nice together all the time. They can be so mean to eachother but when they want to be nice they are 3 of the sweetest brothers in the universe. With Logan away at school it should be interesting to see how the way they all act towards one another changes.

After the boys played inside for a while and after I made my delicious homemade gooey mac & cheese we sat down to watch Scooby Doo. Such a cute movie :) All the 3 boys got all their magnets this past week but we had already done the Witte for Logan's potty stickers so we didn't get to do anything for their magnets. Maybe this movie time will count or we'll do something else before Logan starts school.

A Night at the Museum

We started out the day playing with bubbles. My friend that was over the other day brought Wyatt his birthday gift since they didn't make it to his party and there were lots of bubbles in there. CJ and Wyatt still have a hard time with them but Logan would make the bubbles for his brothers to chase after and pop - it was adorable. They are so cute when they play nice together.

My husband took off work today so we could finally take the boys to the museum (tuesday's are free after 3pm) and I've been wanting to take them to see the dinosaur exhibit before it's over. I was a little bummed because it wasn't how I remember museums - I've never been to the Witte before anyways so it was all a new experience - but the boys enjoyed it. The Dinosaurs UnEarthed exhibit has moving dinosaurs that completely freaked out Logan and CJ... it was pretty cute! They had fun playing in the little area digging for "skeleton bones" as CJ called it. There was also an area called the tree house where there were fun things for the kids to play with.

Any exhibit that has buttons to push were CJ's favorite and it was almost impossible to pull him away from them. Even if the buttons didn't work he would just sit there and click and click and click and click away.

We took the train from the zoo over to the museum and back which was a first for both of the little boys and they loved it. Well, CJ loved it. Wyatt was a little freaked out at first but crashed out on the trip back. It's not that expensive so the train is something we'll have to try to do more often.

After a tastey dinner out at PF Changs we came home and watched a movie. Wyatt fell asleep in the van around 7:30pm, it was a long day for him. CJ made it through most of the movie and fell asleep on my lap. No chores or cleaning up today, since we weren't really home, but that's how it goes when daddy is home and we do fun things :) Logan had gotten 5 days this month that he woke up with a dry pull up (yes he is 5 1/2 and still wets the bed) so he had his 5 stickers to get a reward so he said the train and the museum were his reward. Last month he had a total of 11 days getting up dry.... I don't think we'll get that high this month, but I'm hoping to get at least 5 more so he can have another reward day (I love reward days, they are fun! I'm such a kid hehe).

4 BOYS!

My friend needed me to watch her 1 year old son today so I had my 3 boys and her 1 and boy was it crazy! Actually it was really fun in the morning and the boys all took good naps and all 4 were really well behaved. I was proud of myself seeing that I can handle 4 kids, and 4 boys at that! I even managed to get a full meal cooked (meat loaf and mashed potatoes from scratch and then warmed up some green beans) and it was yummy :) Bed time was a little bit of a pain the none of my boys got their magnets today. I think they were just overwhelmed from having a friend here all day (he was here from 10am to 7pm) and right after they left it was time for chores and clean up. They did their chore just fine and fast but the few toys that were out they just refused to pick up and CJ and Logan just wanted to run around and fight. Wyatt was cranky and I'm pretty sure he's getting another tooth, he was the last one to sleep and fought with me for about an hour which is odd for him. At least they are all asleep now (just after 9pm) and resting for our fun day tomorrow.

When the boys were watching Mickey Mouse Club House on Disney today and it said something about puzzles so I declared today PUZZLE DAY! I pulled down the box of puzzles and the boys had a fun time with those. Logan is so good at puzzles, he always has been... such a smarty :) He would work on his then stop to help CJ, who is still getting the hang of things when it comes to puzzles. Logan was really excited over Puzzle Day that he was telling everyone that he talked to that it was puzzle day lol so cute. We also played outside for a while today and Logan brought all the boys a baseball cap to wear. None of them kept them on but they were super cute putting them on and trading them. Logan is really the only one of my boys that will wear a hat for more than a few minutes, but he was the same way as his brothers about hats when he was younger so I'm sure CJ and Wyatt will start to like them more as they get older.

Logan being a crazy "Dude"

CJ being a "Dude" like big brother

Wyatt putting the hat on himself...

Mall, Pizza & Ice Cream!

So after a pretty boring day, grocery shopping (we had to start planning what we are going to put in Logan's lunch box for school! AHHHH this is our last week of summer!!!!) and then just hanging around the house and napping the boys were going crazy. It was just too hot to go outside so.... off to the mall we went! I know I should have cooked but the idea of meat is really disgusting to me right now so I couldn't even think of cooking dinner - I'd thought of making my home made mac & cheese but Daddy made the boys tuna mac for lunch so thought it was too much mac & cheese for 1 day- so we had some pizza at the mall (although I enjoyed the salad MUCH more Mmmmmm... salad...) then we walked around a bit so the boys could get some energy out and right before they started closing the mall up - good timing cause I didn't realize they closed so early- we stopped for ice cream at Marble Slab for me, CJ and Wyatt and then for a cookie for Logan (it's what he wanted). So we sat and ate on a bench, the boys ran around like little monsters for a bit, and then we headed back home.

It was almost 7pm when we got home so it was time for chores and cleaning up. It took longer than usual because Logan got another one of his bad bloody noses (2nd today and 3rd in the last 2 days ugh) so I had Wyatt and CJ hop in the bath while I sat in the bathroom dealing with Logan's nose. ***I'm calling the Pediatrican tomorrow to ask if there is anything we can do for his nose because he just randomly gets really bad bloody noses for no reason, it's really frustrating*** After their bath Logan hopped in the shower and then it was time for jammies and magnets ALL 3 BOYS HAVE GOTTEN ALL THEIR MAGNETS THIS WEEK SO FAR!!!! I'm so proud of them :) although I know it's because I've gotten more diligent about helping them and getting up and making sure they are doing what they are supposed to, but either way, it's getting done and I'm really proud of them, even Wyatt has been helping out. He is so cute, you should see my little 13 month old picking his magnet and putting it on the board under his name :) ADORABLE I tell you! Then we read books and I think Wyatt got over tired because he started getting really mean so I plopped him in his crib (he was so angry he wouldn't even kiss me goodnight!) and he cried for about 8 minutes before he feel asleep. Now it's after 9pm and I'm still fighting with CJ but I think Logan finally fell asleep. Tomorrow I am getting up at 6:30am and officially getting ready for our school schedule. I want to work out all the kinks so we aren't stressing next week on the first day of school and so I know I can get breakfast ready, myself showered and dressed, Logan up and ready to go and probably both the little ones dressed and ready since I'll probably be taking them to drop Logan off (well at least for sure they'll be coming the first week since we'll be walking Logan into school). I still can't believe my baby is starting school already!!!! AHHHHHH! 1 week left of summer and 11 days left until we find out what the baby is. This week is going to be a busy one so good practice for school starting. Time to figure out how to get CJ to sleep now so I can get some rest too, this little pregnant body is getting more and more exhausted by the day.

Hot Summer

Today started out as a great day. Justin was out of bed before me again and I got up when Wyatt got up at about 7:30am and made some eggs and toast for breakfast with some honeydew melon and juice for the boys and and some coffee for Mommy and Daddy. Then off we went for haircuts for the big boys and Daddy and over to the gymnastics place to check out classes for CJ. We are going to go check it out on Wednesday for a free class and see if he will like it and if we can find a day for class that works for us. Then off to Best Buy to pick up Justin's lap top and then back home for some lunch (yummy chili cheese dogs MMMmmmmm). Nap time for the little boys and mommy and then we were up when daddy left for work.

The news said the last night the heat index would be 105-110!!!! After nap the boys were getting antsy so we went in the yard to play and it didn't feel so bad but hot enough they didn't want to play out there long. They were still being crazy little boys so we decided to take a walk. Logan wanted to go to the gas station so we headed down there and the boys got popsicles for the walk back home. On the way home we stopped under a big tree for a little shade and a rest and the big boys finished off their treats. It still didn't feel as hot as they said it would be and we enjoyed our walk around the neighborhood. CJ started singing "we're almost home. we're almost home" when we turned onto our street. Boy his he a cutie pie! Wyatt took forever to finish his popsicle. I'm not sure if it was because he was falling asleep or his tummy was full from the sippy cup full of water he drank on the walk to the gas station.  

After we got back to the house Logan and CJ wanted to ride their bikes so I sat in the yard with Wyatt while the boys played for a bit. I went down to try to help CJ out but after a few minutes the heat definitely got to me. I got hot and flush and dizzy and had to go sit down. The boys weren't really ready to come in but Logan's face was almost red it was so pink so I told them to come drink some water and I'd put on a movie. Now Logan is relaxing ont he couch watching Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and CJ and Wyatt are in the toy room playing with SuperHeroes. I didn't take anything out for dinner but I have some lunchables I'd bought and was thinking about having a little picnic dinner tonight with more honey dew melon. We may do an inside picnic since it's hot out and we've been outside a lot today. Then clean up and bed time and hopefully that will go smoothly again like last night. I think I tired them out enough today they should be more than ready for bed when it's time.

Oh the Laziness!

Today I came to the realization that I have SOOOOOO much more motivation to do things around the house when my husband is awake and doing things too. For the first time in a few weeks Justin got up BEFORE me today! Not much earlier because he didn't met me sleep in, but after I gave the boys breakfast and made some coffee he sat down at the kitchen table to actually eat a little breakfast and chit chat with me over coffee. After that he got dressed and went out in the yard to get some yard work done... so what did I do? SCRUBBED THE KITCHEN! Oh my it feels so nice in there now (even though I'm putting off loading the dishwasher again so there ar some dishes in the sink). I got our laundry washed today and I'm going to fold it and put it away after loading the dish washer and then I'll sweep up and I'll be done for the day. It feels SO GOOD having a clean house. Logan and CJ did a great job keeping their toys picked up through out the day and even Wyatt helped to clean up before bed and all 3 of them got their reward magnets! Such a great day and I feel great.

I was a little worn out for a bit and wanted to nap but I had a little snack and got my energy back. Even though CJ put up a fight I still got all 3 boys to sleep just before 9pm. I realized tonight that Wyatt gets really crazy and runs around when he is super tired at night because he kept going to his toddler bed to lay down. Of course he won't actually lay in it and sleep for me, even if I'm in there and trying to pat him so I finally put him in the crib and he cried for about 2 minutes before he went to sleep. Something has to happen with CJ because he fought and fought and fought with me and I finally let him sit out on the couch for a little bit and when he was just sitting there still for a few minutes (but still awake) I took him to bed and he went straight to sleep. I think he just needs that quiet relax time, I just wish he'd do that IN BED... maybe that will be his routine though, after Logan is in bed and Wyatt is in his crib he can sit on the couch for a few minutes and then maybe there won't be a fight. I'll figure it out EVENTUALLY!

OH! And I almost forgot... I found out today that I got accepted into the Masters program for Education at UTSA and so I was able to register for one class and hopefully another one that I need to take will open up soon so I can be a 1/2 time student. So come the end of this month not only will I be a mommy but I'll also be a graduate student, Logan will be a Kindergartener and Justin will be taking classes to get his bachelors on campus so things are going to get CRAZY busy! Logan should be starting Fall Ball for teeball the end of this month and we are looking at getting CJ into some gymnastics or karate the end of this month or next month... BUSY BUSY BUSY! And all this while being pregnant, wow I think I've lost my mind.

Failing Miserably

I was going to start getting up early this week and getting myself adjusted for school starting in less than 2 weeks and I'm failing miserably! I get up around 6 but go right back to sleep! I just can't do it! I'm still up and everything by 8 but by then Logan would be late for school. I am going to aim for 6:30 tomorrow and see how I do. I have to get up and shower and start breakfast and then make sure Logan is up at least to eat and get dressed and act like he would if he were going to school. Getting to bed early has been going well, and I should be wide awake by 6-6:30 because I'm getting a good nights sleep. By next week I really want to be going good on the schedule so that come August 23rd getting up will be really easy.

Making a Schedule

The thought of making a schedule stresses me out to no end. I absolutly HATE the idea of doing the same things at the same time every day no matter what. Granted I have a little bit of a schedule we follow now, but there is plenty of wiggle room and we work with things as the day goes along. Right now we basically have breakfast in the morning, a snack a few hours later, lunch and then nap for the little boys. Logan and I do an activity or practice reading during nap time and then we all do something fun together after nap before I make dinner, then we eat, do chores and then it's bath and bed time. I have a GENERAL schedule but it's not this at exactly this time, this at exactly this time. I'm going to try to work it out so that the boys are more sure of what is happening at specific time. UGH being an organized mommy is hard work!

Summer Fun!

Wyatt with his new shades

Well, after lounging around for most of the morning, I did an activity with Logan and Wyatt (still have to do it with CJ). I've been going through my old teaching activites from the daycare and doing them with the boys and they have been having a lot of fun. -I need to go through and organize them one of these days.- Then the boys all got dressed so we could go for a walk down to the store and get some treats. When we got back we pulled out the sidewalk chalk and did some art and played some hopscotch (I didn't even know that Logan knew how to play and so he was teaching CJ!)

Sidewalk Chalk

Hopscotch

Then for the real staple of summer time fun I turned on the sprinkler in the front yard and the boys ran around and had some fun in the sprinklers! It was actually the first time they had done that in the front yard (we have a steep yard but I figured they'd have fun anyways)

Logan and CJ running through the sprinklers

Chore Schedule

So by suggestion of my MIL I decided to make a schedule for some chores of mine to help break things up so I don't feel so overwhelmed by laundry and everything. Of course in any household there has to be some things that are done everyday like, dishes, sweeping and straightening the house. The rest of my chores are split up through out the week.

Monday
older boys laundry
mop
windows

Tuesday
younger kids laundry
dust
vacuum

Wednesday
misc. laundry
mop

Thursday
towel laundry
boys bathroom

Friday
our laundry
master bathroom

Saturday
clean toys

Sunday
mop

I'll try this out for a while and see how it goes, what other things need to be done and when to do them. Hopefully having chores spread out will allow more time to play and do activities with the boys during the day and not worrying about what I'm going to clean.

Today is my grandma's birthday (she's 82 years old!) so the boys all drew pictures for her. Logan (5 1/2) did an awesome job writing I love you Mimi Happy Birthday! When the little ones took a nap I had Logan read 3 of his "BOB Books" and he is doing awesome with reading and sounding out his words. Normally he will get really frustrated when he doesn't know a word but he didn't today and just sounded them out and got excited when he figured it out. I think him getting some individual attention when the little ones aren't awake is nice for him. Now to figure out how to give him that special time when he starts school!

ZOO DAY!

Man it was HOT out today! But the boys had a GREAT time at the zoo so it was all worth it. Now it's nap and resting time before I have to figure out dinner and what to do this evening. I have to say that it was so nice coming home and the house was still clean from call my cleaning last night. It's something I have to keep up doing (making sure the house is cleaned up before we leave) because it makes coming home soooo nice!

My gorgeous boys looking at the HIPPOS

CJ swimming in the "River Bank"

Wyatt playing in the TINY TOTS NATURE SPOT

Logan in front of the NILE CROCODILE

We have passes to the zoo and it's not far at all. This will be another step to being a better mommy, taking them to the zoo more often. Especially with fall coming in a few months and hopefully come cooler weather it's something they enjoy and gets all of us out in the fresh air to walk around and LEARN! Maybe I'll play to go at least once a month, I think I can do that! Horray for the zoo!

The day ended with the boys getting to play in the sprinklers in the backyard with Daddy, taking a family walk to the gas station to get treats and then pizza and a movie! Couldn't ask for a better ending to a fun day!

A Slow Start

I got up this morning with all the intentions in the world of setting out to do everything I wanted to do today. Of course by 10AM Wyatt (1 yr) was cranky and I was ready for a nap! My husband, Justin, was still in bed and so I let the big boys have their cars and settled into bed with Wyatt and Justin. Quickly the baby and I fell asleep and Justin was out of bed to tend to the boys. After a rejuvenating 2 hour nap Wyatt and I came out to start lunch and that is when the day REALLY got started. I hate that I took a nap, but hey, I'm pregnant! And in the end I still got a LOT accomplished today.

After lunch it was time for CJ (2 1/2) to take his nap and Justin to get ready to go to work. Logan and Wyatt played while I was cleaning up, got laundry started and gathered up an activity for them to work on. Once I found something that would be fun for all 3 boys (a matching page they could glue their shapes down on) I got everything together and sat down with Wyatt and Logan (CJ was still sleeping) and we started on the fun! It felt REALLY good sitting down and doing learning activities with them and I know I should do them more and that I am capable of doing them - I was a lead teacher in a daycare and want to be an elementary school teacher so this should be easy to do every day, right? After that activity they were playing with toys until CJ woke up and then he got to do the activity after he had his snack (while Logan and Wyatt finished theirs). Then they all sat down to color and Logan and I worked on his shapes and writing his name in lower and upper case letters.

While the boys were busying playing inside and outside (they never can make up their minds and they go out for a few minutes, in for a few, back out again...probably should put a stop to that...) I was doing more "Mommy Chores" like dusting and vacuuming. Before we knew it I had to start dinner (an easy night tonight because the boys just wanted spaghetti o's - a treat for dinner when mommy doesn't feel like cooking). And then after dinner it was time for chores (unloading the dish washer and cleaning up their toys).

All-in-all today, after my sleepy and slow start this morning, went really well. I feel good about the few changed I made. My TV was on the music channel almost the entire day and my lap top didn't get opened, I just went on the big computer to check my e-mail and figure out a few things for school. The house looks really good, it could use another sweeping up and a mop, but the dishwasher is running and I have to fold Wyatt's clothes and put them away and that's it for the day. I think my husband will be happy at the way the house looks when he gets home and to see the art on the fridge from the day's activities. I told him about my plan and my blogging, he thinks it's silly of course, but hopes it works for me. He already tells me everyday that I'm "a perfect wife" and that he loves me but he knows I can and want to do better and so he supports this endeavor. Hopefully tomorrow will be even better, it should be at least, since I'm planning on taking the boys to the zoo. I need to work out a schedule since next week we are going to start getting ready for Logan starting school (wow 19 days left of summer!). And my big plan and changes are going to have to happen for bed time. CJ and Wyatt are both impossible to get to sleep and fighting with both of them at the same time is very stressful.

So a good day and hopefully more improvements will come as each day passes. Hooray for me! Now it's time to relax and watch some Hell's Kitchen :)

It starts TODAY!

Today is the day I start on my quest to be a better mommy and a better wife. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a BAD mommy or wife, but things have completely gotten away from me. When exactly it happened, I'm not sure, but I hope it just really started with the onset of this 4th pregnancy with all the nausea and exhaustion. Now at 15 weeks pregnant, settling into my 2nd trimester, I'm feeling better and have more energy and it is time to rethink things.

My goal is to go back to that active, playful, busy mommy that I was when I just had Logan (who is now 5 1/2 year old already). I want to have more of a schedule and plan fun actvities (and actually do them) with the boys on a daily basis. We have passes to the San Antonio Zoo and to Sea World, the Library and a park are just down the street, and there are so many other fun actvities that I know I can do with the kids on a regular basis. I WILL start doing these things and figuring out how it will all work with Logan starting kindergarten this year and with a new baby coming in January of next.

There are things I'll have to overcome to achieve my goal of being a better mommy, and blogging about it may seen counter productive since the biggest thing that stands is my way is this silly little laptop and all the websites that I access on it. But I feel that being able to come on here and show to the world (or whatever few followers I may get) will be motivation enough to keep going and to get back to the wonderful mommy my boys deserve and that I know I can be. So to Cafemom, Facebook and Myspace I say BUHBYE! Ok I can't really cut those sites out of my life but I am definitely going to be limiting my time on them. My computer will be OFF and put up for most of the day from now on. And the TV... oh my wonderful TV... I don't know what it is that I sit and watch all day but I'm done with it (as are the boys). A few of the educational shows for the boys in the morning and then I can watch a few shows in the evening... maybe a movie during the day if we want... but that's it! From now on the TV will be playing music, that should help keep my butt off the couch and interacting with the boys.

I know that my whole family will benefit from a new me. My house will be cleaner, my boys will be happier and listen better and that will make me less stressed and give my husband a happier home to spend time in. This quest, this journey I embark on now, will be life long and ever changing. As life changes and new challenges arise I will have to learn and adapt and I am up for the challenge and I hope the people that choose to read my blog will enjoy this journey as much as I will.