Thanks for Reading!

Well, it's January! Thanks for checking in on us, every one. I hope we give you a smile when you see us!

This year marks the 6th anniversary of this blog. Wowsers. It does not even seem possible, does it? I love how this has turned into such a perfect day-by-day of the kids - the best way to share them with all our out of town family --which is A LOT of people! I'm glad I stuck with it. I'm glad I like blogging and it's not drudgery:-) Such a fun hobby! I wonder how many years it will be before I run out of things to say? ;-)

Resolutions - I don't always make them. This year I guess I didn't. My theme for last year was organization and streamlining of my life, and I do feel like I accomplished that to a great extent. Still working on it a little. Practical stuff, like making the space I have (my house) work best for us. I have a few goals for 2013 too. I'd like to loose 20 more pounds, I lost 20 last year, and figure I should go for the next/last 20 and be done with it. I'm currently back to a fairly strict (but yummy) calorie counting (using my fitness pal app), and feel like I really do best when I control my intake - meaning it yields better results for me than exercise at this point. And I hate exercise more than I hate controlling my food:-) I do like using the app though, because it also makes me aware of how many vitamins, minerals, etc I am taking, or not - I feel like its good to know. So with eliminating most dairy from my diet (kefir & greek yogurt are the exclusions), I am seeing that I do not have enough calcium. Trying to up my intake of calcium rich foods, and looking into supplements. Here's to a thinner & healthier 2013!

This year I am trying to be better with sticking to our budget. Better with getting the kids school done in an efficient and fun way. This year Kenna has to be tested, so no slouching on academics! Better with getting chores done efficiently, and teaching the kids to do most things since they are older now. Perhaps this will be the last year that I ever clean a toilet. Now wouldn't that be nice, for me. I figure I'm not the one who pees all over it, so really...they owe me. That's a great job for boys:-)

I want to take better pictures, without having to buy a better camera. Good luck to me, I know. I think someday I really should splurge, since I do take a lot of pics, and obviously post them. When I'm rich, maybe;-) By then my kids will be older and definitely less cute. Who am I kidding...by then, they'll be having kids of their own. Oh well. I can always take pics of my food or my grandkids, haha.

Anyway, I guess I wanted to just say a little personal hello, and thanks for continually checking in on us! We really love everyone, and miss you all so much, so this is our way of letting you "be here". Note that it would actually be more fun if you were really here. Firstly, because we don't need mittens and have no snow (jealous? yes, you are!). Secondly, because believe it or not, we're really cuter in person than on this blog;-) If you don't believe me, you'll just have to come visit!