Happy New Year

#Happy New Year!

Out with the old and in with the new.  I for one am extremely happy to see my Christmas decorations get packed up and my family photos and knickknacks reinstated to their rightful places.

I don't know why I feel this way at the end of every holiday season.  After all I am so excited to see it all go up on December 1st.  So much so that we're tempted to decorate early every year.  Yet, by New Years I'm tired of the clutter and can't wait for it to all to just get back to normal.

We took it easy this year for the holidays, improving on the lessons for a peaceful Christmas that I began last year. I didn't bake a ton of goodies that would only have to be eaten, I kept the crafts to a minimum and tried to go homemade wherever I could.  Within reason.  An afternoon's baking was quite enough to provide a few goodies and treats for friend's and family.  The children weren't done their school until the Friday before Christmas so I didn't have have to work extra hard to keep them busy and distracted prior to Santa's arrival.

We even managed to have a white Christmas.  We haven't had one of those in years.  Thank goodness my parents decided to bless us with new snow tires for our vehicle.  It made traveling to see them so much easier and less scarier.  When I saw it begin to snow, I was like "bring it on".

The only thing I would have wished different is that we didn't all end up with the flu over the holidays.   One by one we fell victim.  My 9 year old daughter was such a blessing on the day I got it.  She fed her little brother and kept him busy while her sister and I laid on the couch and moaned.  She fetched, she carried and tried to soothe us.  What a sweetheart!  It's times like these when you're forced to give them some independence that you see just how much they are growing up.

Did you make any New Year's resolutions?  I generally don't make any as resolutions always seem meant to be broken.  Still, I couldn't help feel a positive surge enter me as the clock struck 12:00.  Every year we hope that this one is going to be a better one than last year and every year it seems like we are wrong.  This year though, feels different and I can only pray that I am right.  So far the scratch tickets Hubs and I bought for each other for Christmas has only garnered us $8.00 but we're not done scratching yet. ;0)

Not that I am looking for success from a scratch and lose ticket.  Far be it.  This year just has to be the year that we get our selves in a better financial position.  That we get caught up with our debt and can begin to make and keep plans for having fun with the kids.  That it won't always be "we can't afford to do that".

So I really hope that I can keep a hold of this feeling of productivity I have, a drive to finish projects and spruce up our lives, business and home in all ways possible.

I have a ton of great ideas to rework my blog which will hopefully see me posting more frequently than last year.  I admit that I really lost some of my drive last year but basically things were going to badly at one point that I just didn't know how I was going to keep on going.  When strangers begin to make the odd comment about a post or two that I've made about me maybe needing some help well, that makes you stop and realize just how tough things are really getting.

So I want to stay more positive this year.  Learn to do more for myself in a meaningful way, not waste my time and learn to parent my oldest daughter without frustration and anger.  I want to push my blog farther and interact with my community more.

So stay tuned.  Great things are coming.  It make take me a week or so to get going but like I said, I've got a ton of ideas, including a  possible blog name change.  I don't think "In the Mommy Trenches" really reflects where I'm at now.  Not that I won't always be in the trenches in some form but now that my kids are growing and going to school, it's not quite the same as when I had all three at home under 4. Yii.

Did I really do that?

Reminds me of a song I made up for the kids... we had ourselves a real musical Mary Poppins moment...

Children for sale
Children for sale
I've got too many
One would have been plenty

Children for Sale
Chilrdren for Sale
What were we thinking
When we were procreating

Children for sale
Children for sale
please won't you buy one
C'mon and try one

I've got Children for sale

Needless to say my children didn't like the song.  (the procreating part went over their heads lol)  There were more verses about a tall one, short one and one in the middle but I can't remember how that part goes  anymore.  That's what happens when I watch too much British t.v. and/or musicals.  I begin to talk with an accent and sing a'la My Faire Lady.

But I digress.  (as usual)

How was your New Year's?  Are you feeling hopeful for 2013?

Zeemaid