Pages

what is it about January?

Tuesday, January 11, 2011
I think the month of January is always a little tough for me.  My energy is low. I get really hungry because it is cold. I never order my calendar refill on time (Mom Agenda) and so I am less organized and I forget deadlines, meetings and appointments.. And I just don't blog well either. I think I kind of hibernate in January. This year is no exception.  January is proving to be a challenging month so far.  Nothing major is wrong...just a mild case of the winter blues.

I am going to do a bullet update because there are things I want to remember when I look back...

~Harry is obsessed with American Pickers and Pawn Stars.  I.mean.obsessed! Over the holidays we spent a lot of time looking in antique shops.  Seriously, we went to so MANY.  Now, he and his best buddy have started a little business.  They even have a blog;)  This has been good for our relationship.  I love antiques too and we have fun exploring.

~Harry just made the "Name that Book" team at his school.  Name that Book is where schools compete against one another in facts of classic literature.  The students have a list of books to read and they are quizzed on the books.  How cool is that?  Basically, it is a reading contest.  Now I was always the LAST kid picked to play any sport on the playground, but I would have rocked a reading contest if they had that when I was growing up.

Just so you see that my boys are not always sweet...these are the faces I got from Harry when trying to take his photo today....

DSC_7412
Not sure what that fuzz in his hair was???? BUT he was rolling his eyes at me!!!!
DSC_7413

~Will is busy, busy, busy with swim team, youth group, national honor society and other activities but he is also preparing for the geography bee at his school.  He knows a lot about geography and I am not quite sure where he learned it all.

~We are also getting ready for Will's upcoming trip to Paris.  He is going with his school's art program.  I am so excited for him to see the Louvre and the Musee d'orsay, and Notre Dame.  I have only been to Paris once but I LOVED it and yearn to return someday.

~Kate has been busy in the kitchen.  Last week, she made cookies in her easy bake oven with cousin Jamie's girlfriend, Sara.  Did you know you can only bake one cookie at a time?  It took 40 minutes to bake 4 cookies!  Sara was so sweet.  We hope to see a lot more of her! (just in case you are reading cousin Jamie)

DSC_0418

~Kate also made home-made ice cream with Dave and a friend with weekend. They made strawberry and chocolate and they were both divine.


{9/365}

DSC_7362
Our friend, R.

DSC_7359

DSC_7361

~Kate is also very busy rollerskating. She got rollerskates for Christmas and she just adores them.

{8/365} Kate Skates

Kateskate7332

~ I am leading/ facilitating a Mom's group at my church for the next 12 weeks.  We are studying/discussing The Handbook for Catholic Moms.  Today was our first day and I was really nervous but I think we had a great turn-out and a fabulous discussion.

~ When Will was little I had a helper named Sonia.  She worked for our family for many years.  She helped me with the boys all those years I was sick (when we thought I had MS).  She was an ANGEL to our family.  She cleaned, she helped me with the boys, she would start dinner for us. She became family.  Well, as I got better and the boys got older, we did not need Sonia anymore and then we moved to Virginia.  It had been about 6 years since we saw her but she came to visit this weekend with her three daughters. We had a lovely day visiting with them. She is still an angel and now helping the elderly with love and compassion.

sonya7381
(very shadowy photo taken in midday sun;)

~I finally got my car back from the accident.  I will admit, I was very nervous getting it back and I have been having some sudden anxiety while driving. I have been hit 4 times in that car.  And last week a friend of ours lost his granddaughter in a car accident that was similar to the one I had.  Her car was pushed into the oncoming lane of traffic and she was killed.  Dave and I are heartbroken for our friend's family.   I cannot stop thinking about their family.

~I read a great book this weekend called Heaven is for Real.  I highly recommend it.  I read it in about an hour and a half and now Will and Harry are both reading it.

Okay, I have probably squeezed more than I should have into this post for now.  More soon.

P.S.  Thank you for all the sweet comments on the last post.  I loved what Robin shared, "Humility is not thinking less of yourself.  It is thinking of yourself less."  Brilliant.  

23 comments:

  1. Love all the updates!! Especially the kitchen stories/pictures...precious!

    Much love,
    Future Mama
    http://expectingablessing.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  2. OOh, great comment from your friend -- Robin (about humility).

    I also have had a slight case of the January blues.

    Sounds like the boys are doing some AMAZING things!

    ReplyDelete
  3. OMGosh Kim! I am reading the last chapter of heaven is for real right now! So funny. This morning I recommended it to some friends who are in the hospital just for some comfort. I also feel blah in January so know just what you mean...but look at you leading a group. You are amazing and you dont even know it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I hate January for all the reasons you mentioned! Were currently getting hammered with snow and I'm sooo over the winter! The only good thing about this January is that we're finding out the gender of our baby on Monday!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Kim, you know I always have the Jan. blues as well....mine come a little later in the month..it comes after Christmas, New Years and my birthday (the big 5 0!), and of coarse going back to work doesn't help! ha ha.
    These cold days just make me want to hunker down and stay in bed and read or watch a movie.
    I'll be praying for you and you can be praying for me!
    Love ya,
    Norah

    ReplyDelete
  6. As usual your schedule takes my breath away!
    How wonderful that you got to see Sonia and her girls again.

    I also love Robin's way of putting it!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. LOVE the quote from your friend! Love it!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I know EXACTLY what you mean for the month of Jan. I always feel a bit sluggish this month as well. And when I found out that I had to wait ALL of Jan to go to CHina I thought Oh great".....this is going to push me over the edge. BUt I have been keeping busy, trying to organize, trying to get things on order the best I can but mostly relying on the Lord.

    I am sorry that you are having anxiety with driving. I felt it for about two weeks after Emmie was in her car accident. I'd feel nealy ill when she walked out the door. And when I drive by the place she crashed.....it is still all broken and torn apart. That makes my physically ill.

    It sounds like all the peanuts are blossoming and growing strong. I am going to check into the book you suggested. I have a 14 hr plane ride coming up....lol....I'll needs something to do.

    Hope you perk up soon....
    Hugs,
    Steffie

    ReplyDelete
  9. I am in a funk too! I wish we could skip January and February and go straight to March. Hang in there!

    ReplyDelete
  10. You are not aloud to hybernate in January unless you live here!!!!!

    I love seeing Dave in the Kitchen with the girls. So sweet!

    I am just so excited about your Bible Study. Ruby is available if you need help with your lesson!

    Love,
    Di

    ReplyDelete
  11. The 3 Peanuts truly are doing amazing things! You both must be so very proud of your children.

    I too think that Sonia is an angel. I wish I could find an angel close to me too. My mother has MS, she has had it since I was in high school. It is such a devastating disease and I had to tell you that I am so very sorry that you had to go through any of those symptoms. I am very happy for you that you have gotten better. I hope you stay well forever and that all of these amazing things in your life keep you going strong.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I think January is hard for alot of people. I remember my mom always talking about it. I know I've been hibernating lately and that is not really like me. There's just nothing I have to do bad enough to make me get out in the cold!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Heaven is for Real is the most AMAZING book. Several people I know have read it after the death of a family member but I recommend it for everyone. It's THAT good. I am constantly finding myself thankful for God and all the wonderful things He has in store for those who belive in Him.

    P.S. Love your blog!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Great update! January gives me the blues too, especially this year.

    Nice photos! Take care.

    janet

    ReplyDelete
  15. I think it's the "after Christmas" elation everyone feels in January! You are bustling around, everyone is cheery, you are surrounded by family *from near and far* and after it's over....everyone just settles back into the "norm of things". Usually by mid-February, you are usually "emerging from the blues" and you start to see alot of signs of "Spring" popping up! Usually a boost of that usually gets me in mode again!

    Seems like the boys are doing great and Kate is just getting cuter w/each post! I just LOVE THAT DRESS!!! Each time she appears in a picture with it, I just swoon!! So hoping you have an auction on it when she outgrows it! I want FIRST DIBS on it!! :)

    I googled that book and I have to have it!! Thanks for the suggestion!

    ReplyDelete
  16. I know, January is just not a nice month...but we are escaping to some Spanish sunshine soon...yayy!!!
    Can't help noticing how tall Will is getting....
    Dx

    ReplyDelete
  17. Wow, so honored to hear that your moms group is reading my book! I will keep all of you in my prayers - please drop me a note if I can be of any support to you. Loved the photos too! Lisa, CatholicMom.com

    ReplyDelete
  18. Love Kate's easy bake cookies! She is such a doll!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Great update..I loved all of the photos. Your Peanuts are amazing. January and February just about do me in every single year. I sometimes think it would be nice to go into hibernation on January 1st and wake up in March. At least now I have my girl to keep me busy and sane til spring.

    Gin =)

    ReplyDelete
  20. Hope those January blues leave you soon. I was out for dinner with a friend last night and she complained of the same thing!

    Lea
    xo

    ReplyDelete
  21. Happy New Year, Kim! I'm woefully behind (as usual) on reading blogs, but I just enjoyed an hour of catching up on yours.

    Hope your spirits lift and your residual pain from the accident dissipates soon. {{Hugs}}

    Sure wish you'd come to Dallas soon!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Aww, Kate's friend R sure is a cutie! How exciting that Will is going to Paris. I've been a couple times, and I just hope Will doesn't visit the Louvre first. (Because nothing he sees after that will be able to compare.) And I always feel very down-and-out in January, ever since I was a little kid. As busy as your family is, I'm impressed you find time to blog at all!

    ReplyDelete
  23. I just had to say that your son Harry and my son are so much alike. The more I read about him I think Wow that is just like my son Hunter. They are the same age as well.
    Hunter loves Antiques so much that it was the only thing he asked for Christmas. Ha!
    Have a lovely day!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for your kindness.