Good Intentions

I started out this year with good intentions to blog.  I thought I had more time and often have something I think "oh I should blog that"  but then I somehow never get around to it.  I suppose there are a million reasons I could use but I guess I just never did it.

A friend asked me when I would blog again and that every time she visited my blog I was on the pool deck (my last post).  I thought how appropriate because that statement is so true.  I am not always at the pool but I am driving to and from and sometimes staying at the pool nearly every day of the week so I guess I probably could have been found at the pool deck, so an appropriate post to leave off.

We are on Christmas vacation now.  Some years we don't have a normal vacation but this year I am trying to take the full time off at the request of Ciaran.  Today Maria and Sirah both said they missed school and the structure it gives them.  Ciaran immediately told them to be quiet and stop saying that afraid I would force him to start school and he is absolutely not wanting that.

As I type there are children running through my house, some outside playing airsoft, some watching a movie and some playing with dolls and stuffed animals - life is very good.  Yesterday the house was full of kids too and all I wanted to do was play a board game and no one wanted to play with me.  When Serona came home he finally agreed :)

We have already been to the pool deck and the ice skating rink and were home by 11am.  We had a snowblower delivered and now a house of kids until dinner time.  I hope my kids remember this piece of their childhood - how I was always willing to host kids here and our home was always busy and full.  I like having the kids here, I like getting to know all their friends and seeing the relationships develop.  I don't think a week when everyone is healthy goes by without some kids hanging out here and I don't want it any other way.

As for me I am trying to take a vacation for myself too so I can be fresh for the start of school again next week.  There are many things I could be doing but not much that I am doing. I am trying to let myself get bored and just sit on the couch or read a book or knit the had I have been wanting for myself.  I am trying to be okay with not being productive for a change and I have to say it is harder than I thought :)

Minnesota winters are hard on me, I think they are hard on almost everyone :)  Today we had sunshine and I just sat outside wrapped up in coat, scarf, warm gloves and boots and soaked it in while the kids were ice skating.  It was around 8 degrees but still the sun felt nice.  I should have waited because now it is almost 30 degrees.  We have lived in Minnesota for 10 years now and just bought our first snow blower. We have almost 40 inches of snow on the ground and nearly 3 months of snow left to come.  I am trying to find strategies to help me cope with the Minnesota winters and those hard months of homeschooling when we have all been cooped up together for so long.  I am trying to learn to take time for just me.  I am trying to find the things I want to do for just me and then do them.

The picture above is one of my favorite things about Minnesota winters - the hoary tree frost.  It is always so beautiful.  Yesterday all the trees we saw were beautiful and covered like this.