Put simply...life is crazy!

Another day passed...and what in the world did I get done? I ponder this on occasion and then I remember to STOP! LOL! Then I assess the situation...kids are fed...kids are clothed...kids are healthy...We're doing well! I'm always trying to come up with strategies to help the kids want to help me. :) This year we are giving allowances ... which can be discontinued without prior notice. It's working fairly well. I love to read and Todd convinced me to purchase a Kindle so that I can have multiple books stored in one convenient place; something that travels well. So, I decided on the Kindle Fire. Very pretty! Not only can I read on it, but I can get free apps. I think my favorite app, so far, is the LDS Gospel Library. *squeal* It has the scriptures and manuals I use for church. I LOVE it! The other free apps ... used as motivational tools ... are games. I am not a fan of video or computer games. They can be mind sucking, brain cell wasting, wastes of time. BUT I will use them to motivate my children to get things done. So, yesterday, after downloading a few games to my Kindle, I asked TJ to please unload AND load the dishwasher. He groaned. And I smiled ... scheming to myself ... and said, "I'll let you play 5 games on my Kindle if you do it for me!" Five games means when they choose Angry Birds, for example, one game is finished when it says game over. Sometimes that only take them 2 minutes. You should have seen the eye popping, shocked look on his face. Yes ... One "mom victory"! So, his 5 games took him 20 minutes ... lesson learned. LOL! He has learned how to make them last a while. Next time I'll offer a smaller number of games. Even still. He did his job WITHOUT complaining! THAT, my friends, is amazing! Being 14 is simply hard. I remember feeling hormonal (though at the time I didn't realize that's what it was) as a teenager. I couldn't figure out why I felt so ... BAD. Being a teen IS hard! But being a Mom is hard too. Hahaha! I put miss Cassie Boo down for a nap this morning, in my room, and let Alyssa watch a show. Why do 3 year olds have such a tough time NOT yelling? GRRRR! So, every time I put the baby down, Alyssa YELLS from the other room, "MOM!!!" And you'd think it was something super important, but NO it's not. She just doesn't want to get up and come talk to me. Yelling, apparently, is much much easier than walking to another room. Silly girl! So, now Cassie is awake and only got a 30 minute nap. She'll need another nap later, for sure. I realize I run from place to place, cleaning up messes, putting toys back, wiping up spills, doing dishes, doing yet another load of laundry, and cleaning up more messes. Our jobs are never done. So, I am trying to take the time to remember to sit and enjoy the precious moments. Cassie used to snuggle. Then she had RSV and was poked and prodded in the hospital. Not long after that, she stopped snuggling. It has made me very sad. Recently I started taking the girls to see my chiropractor (since I just found out that those who are 6 and under are free!!!). Soon after getting their first adjustments they started pooping better! Yay! No more constipated baby!!! Alyssa started sleeping better. And Cassie started to snuggle on a occasion. The joy and sweet peace that comes from those tiny moments are so precious and do something so wonderful for the soul. Every time Cassie lays her head on my shoulder ... I stop whatever I am doing and soak it all in. These are the moments that make it all worth while!!! Now... on to my crazy day!! I hope yours is a bit crazy too!! :)