I've been looking all over for me

Okay, Linda. Thanks for the kick in the pants. ;) My sweet hubby has been at me for weeks to get back on here and update, and I've been trying to decide how much 'splainin' I should do as to why I've neglected everyone. So here goes...my list of excuses in a countdown:

5. The baby hurt his wee little leg and I had to tote him around for 2 weeks while he refused to walk on it. Believe me when I say that toddlers are quite offended by having to revert to crawling and would much rather be carried, while moms of little fellows who refuse to sit still long enough for a hug seem to enjoy the novelty of it all...well, at least for the first few days!

4. I had a deadline to meet for getting the children ready for the end of the school year, and we were working furiously to make up for lost time (baby in the hospital and then injured). We did school work from midmorning till 11pm or later...argh.

3. I lost my inspiration, or perhaps was just too tired to care (see #'s 5 and 4).

2. I decided that it was time to tackle Mt. Washmore a little harder (for those of you non-Flybabies that's the laundry that's spilling out over the top of the laundry baskets and all over the floor).

1. My parents got our family a membership to the YMCA and I've spent every possible moment over there with the kids at the pool. Plus, they have a sitter service for ALL FIVE of my children!!! So I can drop them off, spend an hour working out, go sit in the sauna, go swimming (which I can't do with 5 small children in the pool), sit on the couch in the locker room and read a magazine article in peace, whatever!

Don't get me wrong. I love spending time with my children and wouldn't trade my job for anything. But just knowing that if I need it I have up to 8 hours a week (with no more than 4 hours in any one day) to recollect my thoughts and think about only one or two things at a time has done wonders for my stress levels.

I think our Y membership is the best thing that's happened to me in years. The only thing I could think of that would be more special would be having the money to go on a weekend getaway with just my hubby. We celebrated our 11th anniversary on the 5th, and we've not been away with just the two of us since our honeymoon. I'm thinking of starting a stash for a special trip on maybe our 15th anniversary or something.

But anyway, we've been having a wonderful summer. We've been working on organizing our lives more and creating more workable routines for the kids. They have morning and bedtime routines along with daily habits (some people call them chores, but I like to think of them as good habits for life!) that they rotate so everyone gets a chance to learn how to do them (plus that means they take turns with the most unpleasant chores, like cleaning the litter box). I made up a "Success Manual" for the kids that can be added to or changed as our family grows.There are sheets for their morning and bedtime routines...The habits we are trying to instill in them for every day...And there's a wonderful quote from Thomas a Kempis on the back to help us remember why we do this...Sow an act, reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap a character. Sow a character, reap a destiny. Wow...what a sobering thought.

And if any of you were wondering about the lapbooks, well...my dad's digi-cam was not working so well. Sorry. But they were really cute, and creative enough to satisfy my little artists. Oh, and both grandma (affectionately known as Mam-ma by the little Daredevil) and dear hubby went with us on our outing to Lake Lanier. Everyone had a ball, and hubby didn't have to ride on the floor....he rode on the cooler. Okay, y'all, we need a bigger van. I'm thinking a 10 passenger. Talked it over with our best dealer friend, and it ain't happenin' any time soon. Y'all pray for us now, ya' hear?

Oh, one more thing...drumroll please...for Father's Day my hubby (here he is with his "What are you doing with my new camera?" face on) got a new digital camera from all of us. So now that I've figured this thing out we can have current pics up too!

So here's my very first slideshow, using Picasa Web Albums and the pictures taken just in the last 2 weeks! I hope I don't become a junkie...