Cleaning Fool

We were out of school today for a free day, but almost all of the snow was melting away at a rapid rate this morning when we woke.  Not enough for a snowman. :(  Boo!  We've had quality family time together today by cleaning, playing video games, doing laundry, playing Trouble (I won, woop-woop!), and dining together. 

Cleaning around here is no easy task given that stuff seems to reproduce at crazy rates. Also, there's that saying...cleaning while the kids and hubby here is like trying to brush your teeth while eating an Oreo.  Pointless. Just kidding.  I'll give them credit today.  They helped quite a bit.  Granted the boys just wanted to earn more video game minutes, but whatever...I'll take any help I can get.   I've been trying to downsize off and on for a year now using a Facebook beg, barter, buy and sell group with minimal success.  I'm going to have to bite the bullet and have a garage sale this spring/summer.  I HATE having garage sales.  I don't like haggling with people over stuff that is already marked dirt cheap and I get overwhelmed when there are 20 people waiting to check out at once.  All math skills exit my body and I get incredibly anxious.  Maybe I'll sweet talk one of my friends into helping.  There's motivation to sell it as opposed to donating it as we are trying to save for a vacation to Savannah this summer to see my mama.  I would also like to clear out the garage and actually organize the things I want to keep.  Seriously,folks....We might have enough clothes to clothe a small town.  We also have enough toys to open a daycare...with lots and lots of tiny pieces.  Sigh.  I've found that having more stuff around just makes it way harder to keep the house picked up and maintain my sanity.

Here's an organization challenge I found on pinterest and hope to try it next month: http://holidaysparkle.blogspot.com/2012/12/t-ime-to-ring-in-another-year.html

Anyone else up for doing it? I might have to rearrange some of these. If you have any organization or garage sale tips, give 'em to me!

My Little Sunshine

My youngest son, C is "my sunshine".  He loves when I sing that song to him and he loves that I refer to him with that title.  This week he turns 5.  He's a real piece of work;  amazingly bright, funny, opinionated, and has never met a stranger. He has a zest for life and sings most of his thoughts or says them with great dramatic flair.  I write this post in honor of his 5th Birthday week.  Here are a few adorable tidbits to give you a better idea of who this pint sized boy is:

• He's not even 5 yet and he's in love with a girl he's known before he could speak.  They both discuss their eventual marriage and have even been in trouble for kissing at the after-school daycare. She draws the two of them surrounded by hearts and they exchange "I love you".
• He started full day prekindergarten this year and he loves it.  He's learning so much and is making a lot of friends.  It's great to see him grow and experience new things, but it's also a little sad as it serves as a reminder of time passing quickly.  He's certainly no longer a baby.
• He loves video games, Sponge Bob, playing at the park, dressing up, playing with his brother, super heroes, karate, and snuggling up with me on the couch.
• He has a laugh that soothes my soul and makes my insides glow.  He giggles and just really has a zest for life.  I hope he never loses it, but sadly society has a way of robbing adults of that same joy.
• As I type he is fresh from his bath in his little tiny Elmo underwear demonstrating the basics of Kung Fu for me in the living room, stopping occasionally to experiment with his new Spongebob camera his brother picked out for his birthday present.  
• We are anticipating a giant snow storm over the next two days and it makes me excited for him as the thought of having a "SNOWBALL FIGHT!" will make his entire week!
• In fact, last week after receiving a little snow I let him and his brother dress themselves and go outside.  All decked out in their winter gear and super hero costumes, they made their way outside.  They were out there for quite some time when they came back to the front door exhilarated and smiling.  My oldest said, "He started a snowball fight with a lady walking her dog!"  C shouted "And it was AWESOME!"  Apparently he tagged her as she walked by, she retaliated and they loved it.  After he told me about it, he said.."Oh wait,  I forgot to invite her to my birthday party!"
• He's a great snuggler.  In the middle of the night, he joins the hubs and I in our bed and snuggles up right next to me.  It's like my own little heater. :)

Happy birthday, C! "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray. You'll never know dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away."

First Entry

As I sit here feeling that all of the moments and gifts that make my cup runneth over may soon slip from my memory,  I become aware of the fact that these gifts must be documented.  What better way to do this than to blog about it?  My day to day life occurences as a mom of young children, a wife to my best friend, and everything in between will be recorded here.