Brilliance at 12!

This is 12! Can you believe it? I'm always inspired by stories of children who just know what they are meant to be in life. Of course, most of us didn't know what we were good at- at age 12, let alone great! Heck-- on any given day I may question what I'm good at -- at age.... well, we don't need to discuss that! Check this story out! Do you know of anyone with this level of talent in their given field? I'd love to hear about it in the comments below!

Messy Winter Break

I know many of you parents out there can COMPLETELY identify with what it's like to have the kids home for an extended break. I love having them around, no schedule and time to relax.... BUUUUUUTTT the MESS!! Right?

It's so hard to keep up with my three! As soon as one mess is cleaned up... another is made. My kiddos are definitely old enough to clean up after themselves... but they don't. I remember being their ages- and I think my mom would attest to the fact that I didn't clean up after myself either.

Now, I just want to say... sorry mom.

So, aside from becoming a raging lunatic and yelling every time you see a mess.... parents, how do you get your kids to clean up and keep the house clean??  Weigh in!

My Heart, My Inspiration

My babies are my inspiration. Today my sweet little 9-year-old enjoyed Iroquois day at her school. It was a day for them to learn about the Native American culture. She invited us to go but both my husband I had to work. I decided to run over on my lunch break and pop into her class. Thankfully we received an email from the teacher confirming we could just pop in throughout the day. I didn't want to be disruptive.

Getting to spend some extra time with her is precious. She's number 3. There's a lot of competition among them and the two older ones dominate a lot... so, this meant a lot to her. Her face lit up and she could barely sit still when she realized it really was me walking through the door. Warms my heart.

I have learned a lot from my children. In my little Neecie- I've learned patience. She takes the longest to get ready. She likes to change A LOT. I've learned from her that some kids are truly calm... because my other two are anything but. I've learned from her that even when someone isn't fighting for your attention... they are listening to you and everyone else in the room. I've also learned my heart can always grow and make space to love that much more.

What have you learned from your children?  

Monday Morning Blues

Do you get the Monday Morning Blues? I do.

Alexander Kjerulf says “It contains elements of depression, tiredness, hopelessness..."

I know the reason I get the blues is because I get an overload of time with my favorite people in the world, my children! They give me so much joy. This weekend we had all sorts of fun. Sunday I got up early with my little one and took her to Bruegger's to grab some bagels before heading out for her cross country meet.

That's her in action!- the tall one in the middle! I wish I would have known about cross country when I was younger! Did they even have it as a sport back then? No clue. It was so much fun cheering her on! I even volunteered to work the finish line. Not gonna lie- I was a liTTle worried about a kid or two getting sick at the finish.. thankfully no one did! LOL 

Experts say it is common to feel the Monday Morning Blues. So how do we get over it and attack Monday with excitement? I saw this Forbes article that might help! I refuse to plan for Monday on Friday or wake up early... but I will say planning a nice outfit to wear and getting enough sleep sound like some great steps to take.

How do you deal with the Monday Morning Blues? Do you have some advice for me? I'd really like to know what you do. I deal with this every week! Leave me some advice below.

Camera Error

I take pictures every day. I mean EVERY DAY. I'm one of those people. I just love taking pictures. So imagine my freak-out moment when I got this error. I had just switched from my zoom lens back to my normal lens. I clicked it into place and then I got an error telling me there was a communication error between the lens and the camera.

So, I did what any expert would do when they saw an error. I took off the lens blew into it and put it back on! Come on- you know that's the universal fix it!

Well, it didn't work. I did it again... and no success. I put on another lens. Turned it on and it worked. I took that one off, put the error lens back on-- and NO! I literally said out loud "WHAT THU HECK!".. because that's all I could think to say.

My kids came over to try and help me figure it out.... and my 6, 8 and 10 year olds clearly only caused me more stress as they began to grab and pull and argue over the fact that "I'm helping Mommy!" "NO I'm helping mom!" "I WAS HERE FIRST AND I GET TO HELP HER!"

I called on God to help me... and they all looked at me like "What's wrong? We're HELPING!"

Back to the camera. I just couldn't figure it out. So then I did what most other people would do in the situation.... I put it in the bag, walked away and prayed for the camera gods to fix it.

Guess what???? It worked!! 24 hours later I opened up my camera bag, pulled out my camera, turned it on and the error was gone! I pressed the button, focused and clicked! My prayers were answered! What happened and why remains a mystery. I'm just so thankful its no longer a problem! I really can't live without my camera.

Old School Entertainment

This past weekend I ventured out to the Washington County Fairgrounds for a flea market. I'm a bargain shopper and I couldn't wait to get there... even if it meant travelling with three kiddos by myself. Yeah- that's serious love for a deal!

I found my bargaining skills paled in comparison to my 10-year-old sons! He purchased two items at 1/2 their named price! He even offered to bargain for me after seeing my skills really didn't measure up.

One of the items he bought was a vintage 1940s-1950s view master with quite a bit of old school slides. Turns out similar lots are selling for anywhere from $50 and up on Ebay!

I recently collected my old slides from my aunts home and so now he has a wonderful collection of classics like Disney slides but also far away locations such as Scotland!

Yesterday while the kiddos were outside they took turns resting and looking at slides. In an age of I-Pads, computers and technology- seeing my kids press the little lever down and say "ohhh and ahhh" was so refreshing. I sat back and enjoyed watching them push in a little slide and gasp with excitement.

They asked me if I enjoyed looking at one of these when I was little and I told them about how I actually really loved my view master. I remember as a kid looking at the same slides over and over- and always being surprised at what I found.

Is there one toy that you remember from your childhood that elicits this nostalgia for you? I'd love to know what it is.  

The Gunk

It's been a tough go in the Kenney house. Two weeks ago my youngest daughter got strep. She had to stay home from school a day. Last week my son got a virus. He had to stay home a day. Yesterday my youngest daughter woke up with the virus. She had to stay home again. We've had snow days-- where the kids had to stay home and 1/2 days at school--- where the kids had to come home early.

They are my priority... obviously. I love to be home with them--- just not for these reasons. I wish I could say we were taking a little trip or maybe just sitting around enjoying some down time, but we haven't. It's been a stressful couple of weeks that I've dealt with by getting some short but killer workouts in... when I can... doing a little bit of writing and scrap booking. It's better to do a little something than nothing at all right?

The positive side- I've gotten a lot of mommy and me time. My bucket is full of hugs and kisses and I can tell my kids appreciate the extra attention... and I have enjoyed giving it to them

I can't wait for the spring weather to arrive. Our home lucked out with absolutely no illnesses this winter... until 2 weeks ago. We were home free.... so close... yet so far away. I'm looking forward to putting my laundry on the line, airing out my house and feeling the warm sun and a mild breeze. Until then I'm just going to keep my fingers crossed that my eldest daughter is able to avoid the gunk that's going around our house. 

Winter Break

Coming off the holidays I never plan to do anything for winter break. I figure I'll just suck it up and work through the week and then the kiddos will go back to their normal routine. Problem is- as we creep toward the date where they will be home resting all week- I start to regret my decision.

Today is the first day of the week off- and I'm up at work then will go directly home and my kids will want me to entertain them. It is another full time job. Don't get me wrong- I actually love having them around more. It's just more challenging when you've already been up and at work since the middle of the night... and they're well rested and just itching for some action. By 2 in the afternoon- you're ready for a nap and they're just getting started.

Then there's the thought that we could be on a warm beach, soaking up the rays. Why didn't I plan that vacation? Hmmm- its at this point where I say- well, NEXT year- maybe we'll take it off....

How Old Is Too Old?

67-year-old Comedian Steve Martin and his 41-year-old wife Anne Stringfield are reportedly celebrating the arrival of a new bundle of joy. No word if it's a boy or a girl. In fact- no word if this is actually true- but that's what reports are saying. So now I suspect the paparazzi will be busy trying to get the first baby pictures.

How he's managed to keep it a secret is any ones guess- but you've gotta give it to him. In an age of 24-hour attention grabbing headlines- that's pretty impressive.

So, let's talk about the question that I'm sure many of us are asking (silently in our brains, of course)--- How old is too old to have a baby? Let's be frank... he's able to collect social security, he could sit back and enjoy life as a retiree- and he's traded all that in for diapers and middle of the night baby calls? Okay- Okay- he's a rich celebrity and probably won't be doing any of that- but come on, I have to have an illusion that he's going to go through a little of the work raising his child.

Then there's also the question--- Is it fair to the child? There is a possibility that her/his dad may not have the health and energy to keep up with her/him. These are legitimate questions.

But alas- I can also see the other side of the coin. Older people are wiser. Seriously- think back to your 20 something brain--- yeahhhh- see I'm right aren't I? Also- when you're older you are able to prioritize in a more meaningful way and plan for the future with more understanding.

Also, AARP reports 2.5 million grandparents are responsible for raising in their home more than 5.8 million grandchildren. So, obviously they are more than capable.

So, I leave it to you to weigh in-- how old is too old? Speak up.

How To Talk To Children About Tragedy

Many parents are probably trying to shield their children from all the coverage about the Newtown shootings. I know I am. But there's no doubt they may be getting a peek of the coverage as you watch or check on your computers. That will lead to questions from them and sometimes fears and worries. As school is set to be back in session there is likely fear among some children about their safety and it's important to be there to support them and let them know they will be ok. Below are a few links to advice on how to talk to them about tragedy.

NBC Today Show
MSNBC
Huffington Post
CNN