It has been over four weeks since my last blog post, that is officially the longest I have gone without a post since I started my blog. It's been a busy time around here and I just haven't had time to sit down for more than a few minutes at my computer to do it.

Before kids the first 2-3 months of the new year always seemed to drag out and take forever. The holidays were over and there was no holiday coming up for months. Since kids that doesn't apply. January is almost over and I have no idea where it went. Preschool started for Madison again and I began my next class A & P II. Madison loves being back in school and I have no doubt she will be ready to move on to kindergarten next year. She's learning to read and it's so exciting. She gets VERY frustrated when she can't figure out a word and wants to give up so I'm struggling a bit with how much to encourage her without pushing her. It seems the slightest, "let's try it one more time" is enough to really frustrate her enough to give up. She is a typical first born in this sense and if she can't do it perfectly she doesn't want to do it at all. She's getting there though and she's doing great, I'm so proud of her and she is proud of herself.

Kennedy is doing great on the potty despite my inhibitions. I'm just not ready for it but she seems to have other ideas. I got her some pull ups but am regretting it because that is all she wants to wear now (and they are expensive). She knows how to go to potty on the toilet and does it about half the time. She's as lively as ever and has begun that part of two that gets a bit loud and tantrumy. I realize tantrumy is not a word but it should be, for this age at least. We allow her certain special privileges sometimes (like sitting in her sisters car seat when Madison is riding in her booster seat) and she reacts horribly when she can't do it the next time. I suppose we are partly to blame for that one. She's at an age where she wants what she wants even if she doesn't know what that is. At bedtime she screams and cries for her purple PJs even though she doesn't have any purple PJs. We go through each pair and she nixes them so I'm left to pick a pair myself and it takes me 10 minutes to get them on her kicking limbs. I know it's a phase and will be over soon enough but I hate seeing my kids so out of sorts and it's difficult for the parents as well. She's still my little love bug who snuggles with mommy every morning and she's growing into a capable and independent little girl. I couldn't be prouder of her.

Eric has been doing some work in Wenatchee so he has been gone half the week. He comes home late on Wednesday night so he can be home to watch the kids while I go to my class. I spend the next couple of days studying and then he heads off to Wenatchee again. The extra money has helped. He was offered a temporary job for a company in town and they want him to start tomorrow. We were scrambling to find childcare because I have an exam on Wed. and an exam on Thursday and we didn't have childcare if he was going to be working. We just interviewed a babysitter who we think will be good with the kids but it was too soon to have her with the kids that much and the hours wouldn't have worked anyway. So, Eric is bringing him mom home with him tonight to watch the girls Wed. and Thurs. while he works and I study and take my exams. We are thankful she was willing to come on such short notice to help out. We know we don't have family to rely on and have always worked things out ourselves but this time we were really in a crunch because I couldn't miss my exams and Eric couldn't turn down a job so we didn't know what to do. I have friends who would have liked to help but it was during drop off/pick up time at preschool and it just wouldn't have worked. All worked out in the end.

School is fast and furious, even more so than last quarter. I don't know if it's the hybrid class where most of it is online, the material this time around, the chaos with not knowing what's going on at home, me and my lack of motivation or a combination of all of the above. The first two exams are over (this post may not make much sense because I started it a week ago and never even got the chance to finish it until now) and went well but if the entire quarter requires as much effort I may be in trouble. I'll push through and finish this class and be glad when it's over. Having said that I really am enjoying all of the stuff I am learning, it's just a struggle for me to balance it all.

That's about all I can manage tonight, it's been a long day starting with being at the gym at 8:00 (on a Sunday morning no less, that's just wrong!), church, church luncheon, "date" with Madison and then off to study for a few hours. I am really glad I'm going to the gym because it's giving me the energy I need to get through this so far.

Oh, one other update....I've quit eating beef and pork. Long story, maybe for another post.

Until next time....