somethings new

lots of things are new!! New diet, new exercise, new hobbies, new perspective!! How nice. I have taught myself to knit, although I am still practicing uniformed stitches. I do have the basics down, though: cast on, knit, purl, lol. Also, I am planning to start my first quilt today. I am also planning on designing a tank and skirt for me.
I got up and exercised and wow can I feel it!! We are having a healthy lunch: lemon honey baked chicken, couscous and roasted zucchini. The house is starting to come along, although I am awfully tired today so am not too sure I will get as much done today as I had wanted. The chicken coup is almost done and after today the kids only have one more week of summer school!! Pictues will follow of the coup!!

Well, it's been the longest day, and we are just getting started. Dad called this morning to say he was sick (he's doing chemo). Kevin went to check on him only to find that he needed an ambulance. So, once he was picked up, we packed up the kids and went to sit at the hospital to find out what was going on. I probably could have just stayed home with the kids (it would have been a little less irritating to everyone) but I really felt like I needed to be there for Kevin. He's handling this like a trooper, but I know he needs me to be there for him and dad. We were there only about three hours before they decided to keep him for a couple of days. White count is low, severe anemia and blood loss (although no one knows where it has bee lost to). I will call to check on him later.
I am feeling horribly guilty about the situation; like on the verge of tears. I just feel like I should have known, I mean I just talked to him yesterday. It's hard being the daughter in law. I don't want to be an annoying presence, but I know I need to check on him frequently. My solution was to call at least twice a day to check on him (after all he has me on speed dial if he needs anything at all). He sounded ok yesterday. He was admittedly tired and nauseous, which is definitely side effects, and cold. However, he was laughing a little and joking and we were talking about food. Kevin says I couldn't have known and it wasn't my fault; it just doesn't feel that way. I'm not sure where all this horrible guilt that I constantly suffer from stems, but it has been crippling more than a few times in my life. Oh well, I will be going over to dad's house today to clean things up from this morning and make sure it is presentable and smells nice. I also plan to make a few of his favorite soups and stock the freezer while he is gone. Kevin also said something about how he needed to clean the ramp to the porch up in case this happens again; I'm thinking I'll get the kids to help me with that, if I have enough time.
As for the rest of life, the kids are driving me nuts and so is summer school. Cost me nothing, my rear! Oh well, we are rolling with it all. I am just trying to gain some sort of control over everything. It's a slow process as I just let it go for too long.
Well, I am off to start my too big list of chores for the day. More to come later.

A Revelation

I have been out of work for a little more than a week and seriously feel like I have accomplished nothing!! The good news is that I feel like I have come to realize my faults. I really bit off way more than I could chew. I had all of these projects that were just waiting for me to quit working, so I tried to tackle them...... ALL of them at once. Instead of accomplishing a lot, I accomplished nothing. However, I have decided to do a little of everything at a time. My FIL is helping me with my coup now, which is great because he used to build tractors for a living (if he could handle a tractor, a bird "house" should be no problem, lol).
We are going to barbecue tonight as a family affair, I am so excited. I am going to work in the garden while hubby is making the food. I feel good just to know that it might actually happen today. I have been saying it for a week. I'm going to get out there with the camera today and have me a good old time.
I have recently decided to never ever buy another purse from WalMart! The last bag I bought just broke, and I've only had it a few months. Both straps!! So, I am making one. It is turning out a little smaller than I had hoped for. I am thinking that I will rip it and start over. Pictures to follow.
Things with the kids are going. That is about it. They have severe attitude and behavior problems that we will probably spend the majority of the summer working on. I was hoping for more learning time, but discipline seems to be the only thing on the schedule. We'll see though. I keep hoping that I am seeing improvement. All I can say is I can hope......

Days off

I have been trying to catch up on some sleep lately. I just feel like I haven't slept in years. In doing so, I have been starting the day late and neglecting my homework. I really need to get some done today.
I have been working on my chicken coup and run, which is also helping me to neglect things around the house. I always feel so overwhelmed by all that needs to be done inside that finding other things to do is just easier. Oh well, I'm gonna tackle the dishes and hang at least two loads of laundry on the line today (trying to be more energy efficient). The hardware store is closed today, but I am going to go to the farm store for a saw blade, or maybe wallyworld. Anyhow, I plan to get that coup done today and work in the garden.
These last couple of days with the kids have been eye opening. I'm still not sure how to tackle all of their behavior issues. The two oldest have been writing a lot of sentences, not that I feel like it's doing any good. I think I need to up the number having to be written. I'm considering instituting naps for the five year old as she thinks she needs to cry every couple of minutes over everything. Perhaps quiet time in her bed will help her to understand that it's not acceptable. As for the little man, he is developing a HUGE attitude. He has taken to hitting his siblings, growling and poking them with pencils. He is being sent to bed as well, which is harder because his bed is in our room where hubby sleeps during the day so he can work at night. I'm still working on punishment ideas. They stand on the wall, but I'm not even sure that helps.
Well, I'm off to another fun filled day with the kiddos. We have so much to do this coming week, but at least hubby is off starting tomorrow morning until Wednesday night. That will help.

The beginning..... well sort of.

Tomorrow is my last day of my favorite paying job ever. I work as an office manager/veterinary assistant for a wonderfully dedicated and inspiring doctor. While I love my job, my family has been screaming from the sidelines for me to return home. I should start at the beginning. In a previous life, I was married and divorced with three children. After all that, I found the perfect job for me, which is my current position. I also found my husband, who is a wonderfully understanding and supportive man. We now have four children who keep us busy.

I have been pursuing an online education for two and a half years now and, with a little luck, will finally have a degree in July. During all of this busy life, my family has suffered. My children have become unruly and two of the three school aged children will be repeating their grades. Everyone has someone else to blame for this, but I chalk it up to my children needing me here (as does my husband). Their behavior is also lacking, very lacking. As if this was not enough drama, wink wink, my father in law was recently diagnosed with cancer, again. He starts his chemo on Tuesday. I am praying for the best, but scared to death. I will be taking a big role in his care.
Not that all of this is not enough to keep me busy, I also have a ton of hobbies to keep me busy. My hobbies benefit our family, so everyone is supportive. I have been crocheting since I was ten years old. My mom taught me as a way to spend off school days and summer. She was an amazing woman and I am grateful every day that I was blessed enough to have her in my life. I also enjoy gardening and plan to do much more of that. I also want to learn to can and freeze the bounty of our crops. I plan to learn to quilt, as the hubby bought me a sewing machine for my birthday last year. If there is time, I would love to learn to knit as well.
I have recently taken a huge interest in homeschooling, although we will see where that goes. I plan to reorganize my home and get it under some sort of control. I plan to take a more active role in my children's lives and education. I am planning many fun, family activities for the coming summer and getting pretty darned excited about it.
I suppose that is all for now, though I plan to post more as it comes to pass.