Well, we are on day 4 of being stuck in this house and I am losing my mind! Doug's schedule has sucked this week as well and I am ready to crack. The kids are going stir crazy and I am trying my hardest to be calm and not get too mad at them. Me getting over being sick isn't helping matters either. I am so tired and cranky that I can't even stand being in my own skin. I knew that when I married Doug that his schedule wasn't going to be fabulous, but I have to admit.. lately he either is late at the hospital or on call. It is starting to wear on the kids and I am at a loss on how to really handle it. They constantly ask where Daddy is and it breaks my heart. Then when he is home they are like little leeches and won't let him go and when he has to head back to work, all hell breaks loose. I am hoping things get better soon. Winter tends to be hard because we really can't go outside and having an infant makes it harder because she is more needy and needs a lot of attention. I am really hoping things start to get back to normal soon.

Blah

So, I have been hit by the nasty cold that is going around. It probably would be worse had I not taken zicam at the signs that a cold was on it's way. It is so tough to be sick and care for 4 kids. The girls are napping right now and Andrew keeps coming out of his room. School is suppose to start back up on Monday and I honestly think the kids will be off at least the first 3 days next week. We are expecting 6-8 more inches of snow and the windchill is going to make it really cold. I have to admit, that is has been nice not having to rush in the mornings and bundle the kids up and get them in the car and off to school. I just wish I had the energy to play with the kids more. I am really trying hard to let things go around the house and enjoy the kiddos more, but having a hard time balancing it all. One of my goals for the new year was to not sweat the small stuff.. making it hard with being sick and stir crazy kiddos. I keep telling myself.. one foot in front of the other.. This picture seems to bring me to my happy place!

Ahhhhhhh

That is me sighing relief! As much as I love the Christmas holiday, I am excited to put it behind us. The kid's faces on Christmas morning were priceless!! Isabella was so excited to get a new bike, Andrew got a lego table, Ellasyn got a little people dollhouse and Elin got a piano kick gym. We decided to scale way back this year and have tried to instill the true meaning of Christmas with our kids. They each got three presents under the tree and stuff in their stockings. We have explained to the kids that baby Jesus got three gifts from the three wise men and that is what Santa will bring them. We kept the tradition of the Elf alive this year. Our elf's name is Everett and the kids got such a kick out of finding him each morning. Some days he found a new hiding spot and other days he was found creating mischief around the house. I hosted Christmas day once again and it went really well. We had the traditional honey baked ham, I made a jello mold and the semi-homeade rolls and everyone else brought a dish to pass. As I put Christmas behind me I am starting to think about the New Year and what 2014 will bring. I have started to think about my New Year's Goals (I don't believe in resolutions) I like to set goals for myself and feel accomplished. My goals this year are to fill up my kid's buckets. If you have not read these fill my bucket books to your kids, I highly recommend them! I found them on amazon. I just put "fill my bucket kids" in the search box. I am trying to teach them to fill other people's buckets as well. My other goal is to be as healthy as I can. Like I said in a recent post, I recently started back with my personal trainer so that is one way I am trying to achieve the goal. My other goal is to eat healthy and to try new recipes this year and not just pin and forget them on pinterest. Another goal is to NOT sweat the small stuff. By small stuff, so what if the toy room isn't clean all the time. It is in fact a toy room and it isn't suppose to be spic and span all the time. I also want to live by this, this year.

I also want to make a point to take a picture of my kid's each day. It will be fun to look at the pictures next year at this time to see how much they have grown! What are your New Year's Goals?

Confession

So, I have a confession to make.. I am still wearing my MATERNITY jeans. Yes, little Elin is 3 months old and my "transition" jeans fit.. but give me a big ole MUFFIN TOP! Who wants to wear pants that give them the giant muffin top? Certainly I can go buy a bigger size to remedy that situation, but why would I want to go buy a pair of jeans that I don't plan on wearing for very long? This last pregnancy, I spent a small fortune on designer maternity jeans and quite frankly they look better than my "transition" jeans. I can't fit my rear in the skinny jeans I want to wear, so I get the look of skinny jeans, and can feel better about myself :) I just recently started seeing my personal trainer again. I started seeing him when Ellasyn was about 10 months old. I had all but 9 pounds to lose when I started with him and I got back to the best shape of my life. I got to enjoy my body again for a few short months before finding out I was pregnant with Elin. I tried working out with him while pregnant, but I was so damn sick that I had to quit. Well, I have started back and it is not only a place to get back in shape, but it is a HUGE stress release for me. I know that losing weight takes time and to be honest, I am so focused on wanting to enjoy every little thing about Elin as she is our last baby, that I know the weight will come off. Starting in the New Year, I am going to write about my new go to recipes that keep me full longer and are healthy. I have a huge sweet tooth, and I have found ways around that and still feeling satisfied as well. I have 15 more pounds to lose and it is going to take a lot of determination and hard work. What are some ways that helped you lose the baby weight?

Almost Christmas!

I don't know about you, but I am super excited for Christmas this year!! Being a mommy of 4 children certainly adds to the excitement. It is also special as it is Miss Elin's first Christmas. Sure, she won't remember it, but I will :) Many ask how I am always so prepared with being so busy with the kiddos. I always buy the kid's outfits by October. I usually always buy one dress from Hanna Andersson's holiday collection and get Andrew a matching sweater.. HINT: This is when they put the dresses on sale :) SCORE! I always look for something with plaid in it for the girls on Christmas day. This year we went with a red corduroy dress with a plaid sash from Malley and Company. I had bought Ellasyn the dress last year on sale and I found something similar for Isabella and Elin to match her. Andrew is going to look so stinking cute in a plaid shirt and sweater vest over that :) As for shopping, I do a lot of it online! Amazon is my go to place as I am a prime member and it is so easy to buy things with just ONE click! I can't wait to see the kid's faces on Christmas morning. Our elf Everett is leaving them a cookie with his face on it (pictures to come) to bid farewell until next year. I hope all of you have a safe and wonderful Merry Christmas.

Will I ever catch up?

Some days I wonder if I will ever catch up on things in the house.. or will I ever plan another weeks worth of dinners again? You see, I plan dinner the day of. Thank goodness for the crockpot and being able to throw frozen chicken breasts and some ingredients on top of that and you get dinner! Today, I have decided spaghetti sounds good because to be honest, that is all we have. Thank goodness tomorrow is Friday and we go out to dinner as a family. I have to admit, lately I just like ordering carry out on Fridays. We never know what kind of mood Elin will be in and sometimes I end up holding her and try to eat. Oh, did I mention when we hold her she doesn't really like to sit in your arms? You have to hold her and sway back and forth and when someone wants to take over and hold her for me, I continue to sway. Back to catching up.. there is laundry, dinner, maybe catching up on a few zzz's (let's be honest.. that will not happen until the kids are teenagers) and by then my internal clock with want to get up early and not nap anymore. I am almost caught up on the kid's laundry for the week, which is nice because that is one less thing Doug and I will have to do this weekend. I also have to find time to make cookies for the cookie exchange party we are going to on Saturday. Hopefully, I will be able to fit that in tomorrow before we have to go to Andrew and Ellasyn's Christmas play. So right now, I will pray that Elin decides she wants to take the mother of all naps tomorrow and I can at least get the cookie dough made. Phew.. I am tired just thinking about it. I am incredibly blessed with a terrific husband that loves helping me out when I feel like I am drowning. Well, back to laundry! Keep Smiling :) Melissa

Working through it!

It has been one week since Elin had her lip tie clipped. I tried to keep up with breastfeeding in the morning and at night and one night as we were breastfeeding, she just screamed and I decided to put it to rest. It was not worth her getting so frustrated. I am trying really hard to work through all of the emotions that come with just stopping and not on my terms. I am so angry at the pediatrician for not catching this sooner. This is my last baby and I was hanging on to every little memory and cherishing the little things so much more. My emotions get the best of me some days and I put the bottle in her mouth and just cry. I know that I tried my best and that is all I could do. Many ask, why not just pump? I tried that and got nothing. I am just so thankful for all the words of encouragement from my family and friends. If it wasn't for them, I don't know where I would be. Doug has been unbelievable and has tried really hard to lift me up when I get all emotional about it. I just keep telling myself, one foot in front of the other. Please pray for my strength. I need all the prayers I can get right now. Keep Smiling :)