To value our time WITH them and not AROUND them....

I would love to always be able to post a picture of happiness and ease in our family but, unfortunately, that is not always the life of a blended family.  Starting out, Scott and I knew we had the odds stacked high against us, and sometimes overcoming those odds on a daily basis proves to be a difficult task.  One thing we struggle with daily is the happy median between spending quality time with the kids versus shuffling them through the routine of each day and missing those times to hold them, kiss them, hug them, and make sure they know we VALUE and love the time we have with them.  For us, it is a struggle to find the time (or make the time) and energy it takes to spend that extra ten minutes a night to be close to them, or twenty minutes a night to play a game; and looking at it, the laundry will still be there, the dishes will still be there, the mess can wait, and we can sleep when we are dead; these kids will grow up, and we will look back and regret missing these times with them, and our motto is, NO REGRETS...NO MATTER WHAT.  We have committed to spend those extra minutes each night in their rooms reading on the floor...being close, painting toes, playing a game, sorting silly bands (because Hunter loves that ;o) )......one in each room.  We value our alone time as well and sometimes are selfish in trying to obtain it, but not like we treasure these years with our kids while we have them.  We pray for the energy, patience and commitment to be better parents to all of our kids; to SHOW them our love for them in the midst of our rules and routines for them. 

  

Oh those Wednesday Nights......

STRESS!!
 Wednesday nights are the most stressful night of our weeks; hands down! It's the lesser of two evils (spend every night running kids, or spend one night a week in complete chaos!), we have four of five kids in activities on Wednesdays, which we find easier than being gone EVERY night of the week; it makes for a long and frantic evening, but works for us!!  Anyway, here's the run down; I leave school at 3:15, pick up kids in Clearwater, kids in Schulte, make the truck home to get kids off the bus at home by 4:20.  Dinner is ready and on the table by 4:45, kids are changed and ready by 5:10 (which is about when Scott is pulling up, if he is able to leave work on time!), four with me to the Y (I have a secret love for the kids zone there; it allows a little time for a quick run while they do activities!), one with him BACK to Clearwater, and we are off again! We both have activities until about 7:15, then home, baths and showers, usually a quick snack, homework haul, then bed......I am exhausted just thinking about it! 
By, no later than 8:30, it is generally Scott and I sitting down together and enjoying our dinner in peace! (Generally cereal, egg burritos, or something very fancy like that!) ;o)  This is our favorite part of EVERY night! This quiet time when it is just us.......FINALLY!  We love this life, but we have found that this time in the evenings is invaluable, and we must use it wisely; a little time to reconnect each night.

Easter

EASTER!!

Even though our kids are rarely together on holidays, we make the best of the time we have together! Coloring Easter Eggs was a well-organized heap of chaos! We colored 60 eggs (a dozen each), and were done in only 2 hours!  Justin Beiber, whether they love him or hate him, was definitely a favorite topic tonight ;o)! We have, "I love JB" eggs, as well as "I hate JB" eggs, purple eggs, multi-colored eggs, wrapped eggs, stickered eggs, broken eggs, monster eggs, sports eggs, "I love my mom" eggs......well, you get the point! It was, overall, a HUGE success! Wonder what we can put hard-boiled eggs in for dinner........