If you wake a Mom up at 3:00....

Once upon a time it was Valentine's Day. And, it was 3:00 am.
Mom woke up, went to the bathroom, and crawled back in her nice comfy bed She listened to her Hubster's gentle snoring and......nothing.
Nada, zilch-a-roni.
No matter how much she tried, sleep was very, very elusive. "But I am so very, very tired" Mom thought.
After tossing and turning for quite some time, Mom grabbed her trusty blanket (the one Maggie likes too unfortunately. Mom doesn't really like to share it but every time she walks out of the room, she comes back and little Maggie is all snuggled up on top of it. Stinker. Sometimes, Maggie is like another child but at least she's one that you can shoo outside to poop. Even if Mom is still on cleanup duty!) and Mom walked downstairs to the den.

Mom lay down on the couch, watched a little amount of boring, weird middle of the night tv, then decided that since she couldn't sleep, she might as well get the kid's lunches made. As she walked over to get the Valentine napkins out of the laundry room closet, she thought, oh yeah, I should fold the load of laundry in the dryer. And, I'll put the load that's in the washer into the dryer.  Then, as she finished that she thought 'as long as I'm in there, I might as well get another load started'. After starting the laundry, she remembered that it was garbage day so all the recyclables on the counter needed to go out in the right bin.
When Mom came back inside, she noticed that the garbage was full so she better take that out to the correct bin also. When she came back in, she had to put a new bag in the garbage can so she went to the pantry to get a clean bag. Oh, that's right, I was packing the kid's lunches, she remembered.
After replacing the garbage bag, she went over to the counter to finish lunches. She noticed that there was no bread for sandwiches so she used the last of the bagel thins. After all the lunches were made and snacks prepared, she pulled out the extra bread from the freezer to thaw for tomorrow. The door to the freezer wouldn't quite shut so she then rearranged everything so it fit better and all of it was better organized.
Now, the washer and dryer's timer went off, so Mom unloaded the dryer, switched the wet clothes and put in another load. She folded the items that came out of the dryer and walked back into the den. She noticed that she had not put out the kid's Valentine cards so she signed them, and went to put them by their respective spots at the table along with their Valentine treats. "Might as well set the table so it's all ready for Breakfast" thought Mom. As she walked to the cupboard, she remembered that she had run the dishwasher before bed so the clean dishes were in there. As she set the table, she looked over and thought "If I just put the rest of the dishes away, it'll be easier in the morning when everyone gets up and we can put our dirty dishes from breakfast right into the dishwasher. Efficient, I like it."
After putting the clean dishes away, she noticed that the dishcloth and dishtowel needed to be changed so she grabbed them and walked to the laundry room to put them with the next load. As she walked to the laundery, she glanced into the den and noticed the newspaper and other various papers lying around that needed to be picked up. Mom walked into the den, grabbed all the various papers that needed to be put away and put them all in their proper place. "oh, this is good," she thought "I'll have everything ready to go since it's garbage/recycle day. And if I just pick up that last few items in the Den, it'll be clean and ready to go for the day." Off Mom went to pick up the dirty socks, fold the extra blankets and put them away and put the pillows back on the couch.
About this time, the dryer and washer timers went off again. Mom thought, "I better fold those clothes before they get all wrinkled" so she took them out of the dryer, moved the wet clothes over and started yet another load (this one with the aforementioned dishcloth and dishtowel).
After folding the laundry, Mom sat down, looked over at the clock, noticed that it was 5:30 am and thought "I am very very tired". She walked upstairs carrying the two baskets of clean folded clothes. As she juggled the baskets and opened her bedroom door,  she noticed the tv was on in the bedroom. Hubster, wrapped up like a burrito in his blankets,  looked up and said "Oh, did you have trouble sleeping? You look a little tired."
Mom grumbled something (probably shouldn't be repeated here), put down her 2 baskets of laundry, stumbled her away across the room to her nice comfy bed, crawled in and promptly fell asleep.
The End
At least, until the alarm went off at 6:30 am and Mom's Valentine's day officially started.

A Lesson and A Wish

Once upon a time, S had a favorite jacket. It was a Wisconsin jacket and he loved it so. It was a link back to his beloved state, his favorite neighbor had given him the jacket and he loved wearing it.  Oh woe was the day when he reallized that his beloved coat was lost.  Much moping around occurred for a few months when this was discovered and there were perhaps a word or two from Mom about being responsible for his own stuff and keeping track of things. And by word or two, I mean lecture (he'd say scolding). Ahem.  But, I digress.

S wore his winter coat as the weather got colder but still missed his Wisconsin jacket. He would sigh as he put his coat on and I knew he was remembering his old coat/friend. He missed his Wisconsin jacket every day. Poor S!

Imagine his surprise when we went to the first Cub Scout pack meeting, walked into the Church gym and lo and behold.....we spied THE jacket.  Grins abounded, his step lightened and I swear he saw a golden beam of light and angels singing. After checking the pockets and finding some of his beloved stash/junk...er, I mean stuff....we concluded that is was indeed the long lost Beloved.  Oh joy of joys!!!!

On the way home after the meeting, as S is all snuggled up in his new/old jacket (and yes, he still had the coat he wore to the meeting next to him) I asked him if he had learned anything through all of this.
"Oh yes, definitely!" he beamed.
"Oh, thank heavens" I thought to myself excitedly, "I wished he would have learned his lesson and he has!"
"I learned," he continued, "that if you're going to lose something, lost it at church 'cause they'll be honest and save your jacket for you!"
My mouth dropped open, and few seconds, I was speechless. Then I chuckled. Sometimes, I need to be more careful what I wish for.

2012 Gooooooooaaaaaalllllssssss!

I have been thinking about resolutions for 2012. I think this year I'm forgoing resolutions for something else...goals. And since we have moved into a new-to-us house, my goals will be revolving around things to be done at home.

In no specific order, here are my 2012 home goals:

Paint the inside of the den windows white. Not sure why the last people didn't do this but it looks funny being two different colors...at least to me.

Paint the tv stand in the den white to match the other woodwork. It's been unpainted since before we were married, I think it's about time for a change. Oh, and I want to drill bigger holes in the back so the wires can be behind it and not stick out the front of it and then wrap around to the back. I like things to look nice and somewhat clean...but that's just me.

Figure out new curtains/drapes for the french doors leading to the deck. The thing you use to pull them across is broken as are quite a few of the slats that are currently there so something needs to be done.

New curtains for the living room. Really, really hate the ones that are there (they're homemade and not attractive) and I especially don't like the pull backs.

Order new furniture for the den and put the old furniture in the basement. (Update: new furniture is ordered, yahoo!)

Finish getting rid of boxes in the basement and arrange furniture down there.

Set up Simon's train table in the basement.

Get sewing room/guest room organized.

Donate one box/month to Goodwill.

Paint Simon's room.

OK, there's lots more to do but I think this will keep me sufficiently busy this year.

The other thing I've done is to pick a word for the year. That's right, a word. Something to keep me focused and help me along the way. This year the word is 'intentional'.  I want to do things with intention and be focused on what's happening. I love to plan ahead and try to be in control and because of that, I sometimes lose track of/don't appreicate what's happening in the right here and now. So...intentional...that's my word and I'm sticking to it.

Oh, and decluttering. That's my other goal. Decluttering physically and mentally.

It's good to have goals....right?!???!

Santa Claus Came Back to Town

Christmas was oh so fun this year. I wrapped, decorated and just generally enjoyed the preparation and hustle and bustle of the holiday. We had our tree in the den, right next to the tv and it was so nice to have it in the main living area. In the old house, it was always in the front window so we only saw it when we walked to the front door or made a pass through the living room. I like the new place for it much better.

Santa, however, did not have such a good Christmas this year. After we unwrapped all our presents and had enjoyed a good breakfast followed by one or two (or perhaps more!) delicious Christmas cookies, C sighed and said "I love all my presents. I guess Santa gave me a paper journal and a new pen to write with so that's why I didn't get the Password Journal."
The Password Journal.
The one and only consistent item she had asked for for the past three months. Santa didn't deliver. Or, was it that Santa forgot about it? Or that he forgot where he put it? Oh no, that couldn't be it. I was alternatively concerned and dismayed by the lack of Password Journal under the tree (and no where else to be found in the house.)
Two days after Christmas, Hubster and I were lying in bed when an over-excited C bound into the room. I could only grasp parts of what she said in her excited gibberish. " Santa....came.....for me.....letter.....present....forgot....remembered....so coooool!!" 
Turns out Santa did get C the Password Journal and he even delivered it.  C quickly declared Santa as the best ever and she has consistently played with her electronic journal since then.

Here's the letter that came with her gift:

Dear C,
I hope you liked all the presents I brought and that you had a Merry Christmas in your new home! I had a very busy night on Dec. 24th, I was really tired when I finally got back home to the North Pole. Mrs. Claus had some hot cocoa and my slippers all ready for me. I was very happy to sit down and relax!

After I got home, the elves were busy putting the reindeer in the shed and putting the sleigh away. And guess what?! They found something was left inside. I couldn’t believe it! I knew I was in a hurry when I got to Solon because I was running a little behind (and Santa does not like to be late!) but I didn’t think that I’d be in such a hurry that I’d forget to leave one of your presents! I am so sorry that I didn’t see it. And, I know this was something you really wanted too.

Thank you for your letter that you left with the yummy cookies. You asked me a couple questions so I thought I’d try and answer them. I don’t normally do this but because you’re a special girl, I thought I would make an exception this year.

The reindeer live a long time. See, they’re magical just like me! It just seems like they’ve always been here with me, I don’t know what I’d do without them.

I don’t really remember how old I am! Hard to believe, I know, but magical folk just don’t pay attention to their age once they get older. I feel very young at heart because I get to do my most favorite job in the whole world, making children happy! I wish everyone could feel the magic and joy of Christmas all year round in their hearts. I especially like it when I see children and their families worship in church and remember the true meaning of Christmas, the birth of Jesus. I sing right along with folks when I hear them singing in church. My favorite Christmas songs are Joy to the World and Silent Night. They’re just beautiful!

Have fun with all your presents. Keep being good for your Mom and Dad. Remember to be nice to your brother.

Love,
Santa