New Year!

It's been a couple months since I last checked in and it's just family time keeping me busy. Which is the perfect excuse to take a break from blogging!! I've been watching baby Evangeline grow, homeschooling the kids and just spending time with the family in general. We've travelled, recovered from colds, finished our first semester of co-op and just been chugging along as usual.

For now I'm just trying to get things in order and really put time into organizing my projects for the new year. There is lots to be done on many levels. Personal, spiritual, home, family, etc. Home projects are what I'm starting with this year as opposed to organization...although that comes with the territory of daily living. The main goals for the year are finishing off some rooms in the house, brightening up some rooms and making some furniture.

Anyways, I'll have to keep everyone updated with what's going down in our home. I'm looking forward to a wonderful new year!!

Dia de los Muertos.

October has come and gone and so has Halloween and All Saints Day. We had wonderful celebrations for both and now we are finally relaxing and trying to catch up with all the other stuff that we have to do. Mainly school work and rotating all our clothing to match the weather!

Not only that, but today we celebrate Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. We remember deceased loved ones, tell stories about them and pray for them. It's a great way to introduce the subject of death to kids in a fun way. Dia de los Muertos is certainly not a sad holiday. It is a fun day full of food, games and crafts. It is a day to make fun of death and to remember that just because our bodies cease to live, our souls do not! Death is a step from this world into the next, where we will come together with our heavenly Father!

I hope everyone out there is surviving this time of year. It certainly is busy for us and I'm trying my hardest to keep my head above water. It's always busy around here with little time for rest. But as my dad always says, "I'll rest when I die!" And he is certainly right about that!

FaceBook. Bringing Out The Worst.

I remember a couple of years ago I kept getting invitations to join Facebook from family and friends. "What a time suck!!" was my initial response. How could anyone waste their time reading all the mindless posts from friends they hadn't seen since high school? And not only that, who cared? If someone really wanted to be your "friend" why didn't they give you a call or send you a letter?

Well, here we are 2 years later and I'm constantly checking my Facebook home page. Did my sister update her status? Is my aunt in Chicago doing well? How about my cousins? Don't forget all my old friends who live far away. What are they up to? Oh! I better update my status and let everyone know that I just gave little Jimmy the third bath of the day because he decided to pour maple syrup on his head...again.

Yes. This is what part of my days look like. Granted, I check in for only about a minute and then I'm off. But add those minutes up and who knows how many hours I spend a week on Facebook. How did I get sucked into this? And why is it so difficult to stop?

Today I finally made a realization. Facebook brings out the worst in me. As I sat checking everyones updates on my phone today, I caught myself doing something. I wasn't surprised or suddenly appalled...I was just AWARE of what I was doing. I was judging. Criticizing. Forming bad opinions. Snickering.

And as I read a friend's post, I realized just how addictive Facebook is. And addictive is not good. Sure, I get to keep in touch with friends and family. My dad looks forward to all the pictures I post of the kids. It's the way I message our babysitter. But is being on Facebook really bringing out the best in me? Probably not.

This past Lent, I remember talking with a friend about our sacrifices. Giving up Facebook was one of them. I remember her saying how difficult it was going to not check in and asking if it counted to just read and not post. Wow. Talk about the incredible grip that Facebook has on our daily lives! Even more recently, another friend gave up Facebook as a prayerful cause. But of course, it's impossible to really "give it up" and you can still see where she checks in daily and Sundays don't count.

Is it that hard to stop? I say yes. After choosing to go without it for Lent, I realized just how tempting it was to "drop in." The first week was the hardest. My husband kept saying, "If you even visit the FB page, you are breaking your fast." So I didn't. Not even on Sunday. I went the whole season without even opening the FB page. It was a little liberating.

But now here I am again. Should I "give it up" as my friends say? I'm not sure. On the one hand, I love keeping in touch with my family. On the other hand, I'm sometimes creating negative thoughts and bringing out the worst in me. Which way to go?

So Many Things!!

There have been so many things going on just this past month! Birthdays, co-op events, Easter and 1st communion. Even the day to day seems to be full of noteworthy activity. So perhaps this week I'll just be updating with pictures for everyone to enjoy! We've had a great year so far!

Looking for a New School? Check us Out!!

Is your school year coming to an end? Well, we here at Holy Family Classical Academy pride ourselves in providing continual education to all our students! A year full of rigorous academics, extra curricular activities, and character formation are the basis for our success. Class sizes ranging from 1-5 kids guarantees one on one instruction. We focus on developing the best curricula for every child depending on their learning style and approach. We offer classical montessori based activities, art and nature based learning, and a traditional classical education approach. We offer a wide range of cultural experiences for every child including (but not limited to) foreign language study in Latin and Spanish. All this intertwined with a constant formation in the beautiful Catholic faith!

Seriously.....

I love our homeschool. I don't think I could ever find any school, public or private, that offers what we do at home!!! Being able to homeschool is a blessing and I'm forever grateful for it!!!!

Commentary?

So lately I'm scurrying around, looking for my NFP (Natural Family Planning) book and reviewing what I can. I have a class I'm scheduled to take at church for a brush up soon and I'm wondering how on earth I am going to get back into the swing of using NFP.

Which brings me to the use of actual birth control (AKA, the "pill") and how the number of Catholics who use it seems pretty staggering. I've read anywhere from 60% to 75%!!!! Now I can go on and on about why it's wrong (besides being an abortifacient). But the fact of the matter is that it is AGAINST CATHOLIC TEACHING! And for excellent reasons!!!

I guess making up our religion is the easy way to do things. Being one of those "cafeteria Catholics" might seem OK to many. Let me see...I'll take Mass on Sundays and some Holy Days, the Holy Trinity, and even some of the Sacraments. That was easy! Picking and choosing is fun!!!

But seriously...do most Catholics realize what they are putting in jeopardy when they do this? By choosing to take contraception (AKA the "pill), they are committing a mortal sin!! The only way to remove that mortal sin is by going to confession. And how many of those people who are committing this mortal sin go to Mass on Sunday and receive the Holy Eucharist??

Hello out there! You are not supposed to receive communion if you are in a state of mortal sin!!!

Ok....call this a rant or commentary. But perhaps this stems from all the crazy comments I get for choosing life. Maybe it's my raging pregnancy hormones. Perhaps it's personally knowing people who choose to use birth control every day and still go up for communion. Should I even care? Am I being judgmental? I don't know and I don't let it stop me from praying about it.

But at least I know I'm not wrong.

Back From My Break!

Wow...has it really been that long since I last posted? Well, I want to thank everyone for their emails of concern! But I am happy to say that I'm back and feeling better than ever! It's been quite a busy last couple of months!!

Our household has been buzzing with homeschool, co-op, field trips, and the fabulous news of a new baby joining our family in May!! That's right...baby #6 is happily growing! With that, I'll add that I've had the most horrible morning sickness ever. Which has kept me from doing what I normally do around the house (blogging being one of those things). To bed at 8pm for me, with an afternoon nap thrown in. That was giving me minimal time to do anything else!

But my morning sickness has improved so much since I've headed into my second trimester! I'm only at 13.5 weeks, and it's exciting to see that I'm already showing. News of our little peanut has made everyone quite excited!!

So of course, morning sickness will never stop a homeschooling mom from doing lessons or toting the kids around to fun things. We've kept busy with everything from trips to the pumpkin patch, to making fall crafts, and even hosting our annual Halloween party!! Check it out! And I plan on fully coming back to the blogosphere to share all our adventures!

We created a fun coffee filter, fall tree in our school room window. Looks lovely with the light coming in!! **This craft idea was from the Frugal Family Fun Blog. You can see that post here.**

We took a field trip to our town's fire department with lots of our friends!

A trip to the pumpkin patch with the kids included a ride on a little cow train. Here I am with the kids waiting our turn.

Our 7th Annual Halloween Party was a blast!!

These past couple of months have been fun, busy, but most of very difficult with all that a first trimester pregnancy brings. But hooray for our growing family!! We are blessed so abundantly!

Thinking About Our Goals.

Sunday's reading (Luke 14:25-33) and our priest's (Fr. Michael) homily was such an answer to my prayers! It's amazing how God works through others to let us know that He is listening and that He cares.

Recently, I've been pondering and praying over extra-curricular activities for the kids. With 5 kids to tow around, it's not as easy for me as I would like it to be. Should all the kids be enrolled in an activity? How do I handle different times for different kids? Is keeping the kids from participating hindering them in any way? Should I aim to keep the kids together? These are the main questions I've been asking for the past month.

If you've been following along, you'll know that last year was SUPER busy. Dance classes (2 separate ones), swimming, piano, and a quick stint with soccer was keeping me busy. That was on top of school lessons, co-op, and faith formation. Add all that to having a newborn, hospital visits/stays, and moving....you see where I'm going with this. I was drowning.

It was too much and I was stretched out so thin, that it affected my life in many ways. I was constantly cranky, my house was a mess, I started being late for important functions, my drive for many things was gone, and the worst thing of all is that I feel I failed the kids in their education. So soon after we decided to put our house up for sale and move, I gave up. I took the kids out of swimming and dance. No more team sports and no more unnecessary activities.

And just like that...a GIANT weight was lifted off my shoulders. We could finally enjoy a family dinner again, not just 2 nights out of the week...but every night! No more rushing, no more juggling schedules. It was great! And it's been great since I kept this simple way of life all through summer.

But now, fall is knocking at our door. The kids are asking about swimming and dancing and karate and everything else. What do I do? Do I try it out again? Well this is what I did. I prayed. For wisdom to make the right decisions for my kids and for our family. But I was stuck without an answer. Until now.

Our time is like GOLD. Actually, it's more valuable than gold. How to spend it? We know that our main goal as parents is to educate our children. So at least we know that most of our time will go to that. But what about all the leftover time? That was my dilemma, and thank you Father Michael for making it click for me!!!

In everything we do, God has to be our center. For school, work, and play. He has to come before anything else. As educators of our children, we know that our school days are centered around Our Lord. That is our goal. Having a family that is centered around Christ is also our goal. Growing together, learning from each other, creating bonds, and loving our family are also all goals that are Christ-centered. But that doesn't mean that we can't take the kids to swimming class or to dance class. What it means is that when those extra-curricular activities begin hindering, clouding, or getting in the way of achieving those most important goals...then they should be taken away.

So here is my answer. My time is precious. My family life is precious. I am going to treat every minute with my children and family like a God-given gift (which it is). I know what an overworked schedule looks and feels like. I'm not going back to that. I'm going to enjoy my children and have fun with them. For now, maybe enjoying them and having fun will include swimming or some other sport. Maybe it'll be a year full of fun field trips instead. I haven't made up my mind yet. But I'll never lose focus of my goals again.

And even if the answer is plain at daylight, things were never as clear as they are now. There were countless thoughts and doubts in my mind that were miraculously answered this Sunday. All of which I can't go into; but this one being the main one.

I'd love to know how you other moms and dads out there handle extra-curricular activities with your children. How you make time, how you keep sane!!

Gathering Books.

Well we are almost at August and I still haven't gotten all my books!! This year has been a very different one from the past. Usually, I've had all our books and supplies by the end of July...along with lesson plans, planners, and our schedules. This year is different in many ways.

First of all, we have this giant new house to completely settle into. All the unpacking is mostly done, expect for a few boxes here and there. But the organization is NOT DONE!! There are still bedrooms lacking curtains, painting, decorations, etc. I'm not feeling like I'm in a hurry to do it all. After all, we plan on staying here for a very long time and I want to take things slow so that it comes out just how I want it to. But regardless of how slow I take things, it's still a new house that has put a big dent into how I manage my time.

Then there's our guests. We have been so fortunate to have friends and family visit us in our new home! And this is NOT A COMPLAINT! But having visitors does take away time from planning our school and getting things done. We have been living in our home for almost 4 months now...and we have had guests staying with us for 7 weeks out of those 4 months!!! And as little as my duties to host may have been, I let it interfere with my plans to work out our new school plans.

And why am I still gathering books? Well...it's expensive! Purchasing books and supplies for 4 children quickly adds up. Add that to the expenses of buying a house and moving in (well, actually settling in has been pricier!). I've never been one to limit myself in what I need to buy for the kids' education...but let's just say that I'm a lot more aware of how quickly all the expenses add up. It makes me feel like I need to space things out more.

In the end, I should hardly complain. Our books are 95% purchased. But there is still so many lovely books that would be so fun to have!! I'm actually making a list. And if I ever see anything on my list at a good price...I'm snatching it up!

How do all of you with large families gather your books? Is it a one-time spending trip? Or more of a gradual thing, like what I'm doing this year? And let me tell you....I don't like the gradual buying. I'm a need it and get it kind of girl.

In the Wee Hours...

Ok...so it's not the wee hours of the morning. But 10:30pm in my house seems pretty late! Just so you know that I'm working hard at getting ALL our books unpacked and our school room fully functional. Deadline? Monday. I'm tired of seeing boxes.

With Mass in the morning and other household duties taking up my Sunday morning, I'm hoping to get as much accomplished as I can by midnight tonight. When the clock strikes twelve, I turn into a pumpkin!!

In the mean time....please enjoy this picture!

Is God Talking to You?

Sometimes I seriously wonder how He does it. How does He, right in the middle of Mass, find a way to talk to me?? With everything going on (the praying, the singing, the reading, the learning), He takes the time to talk with little, old, insignificant me. Not that this happens every Sunday...or maybe it does, but I choose not to listen. But it happens enough that I wonder what I ever did deserve to hear Him speak to my heart.

I don't know if you know what I'm talking about. But attending Mass is a powerful thing (well, of course you all know that!)! And last Sunday, the heavens parted for me and I was like "Duh!" Of course He can talk to me! He talks to all those who are willing to open their hearts! What's funny to me, is that He always says what I need to hear at that moment. Whether I hear it being read from the Bible, or if it's coming through the homily. It's like a big slap in the face (in a good way!)...WHAM!! "Here ya go, Liz! You got questions...I got answers!"

I started getting suspicious when 2-3 times out of the month, it felt like Mass had been rearranged and said specifically for me, my worries, my thoughts, my questions. Seriously. It was too much to go unnoticed. I'm a cry-baby to start with and I tend to get emotional at Mass to begin with...this made it all the more reason for me to bawl like a baby. But this is crying in a good way. "THANK YOU!" How can you ever say that enough to Him?

I'm not usually all about my feelings and emotions on this blog. But I have to get the word out.

LISTEN!!! He is talking to all of us!!! We just need to listen. And perhaps I should take my own advice, for I know that I don't need to wait until Sunday Mass to strike up a conversation with Him. He's available 24/7. My thing is that sometimes...I just go off and talk, talk, talk. Perhaps on Sunday's He's like, "OK...I've listened to you all week long. Now it's my turn and here's what I have to say."

I'm in constant awe.

Getting a Head Start on Curriculum.

We are moving along with school lessons and the kids are doing well, although there are a few places we are struggling with. But I don't let that keep me from planning ahead. With a major homeschool conference coming up in May here in my city and another Catholic conference in June, I want to be fully prepared for what I will be needing to purchase for each child.

Of course, being the kind of person that I am, I am constantly curious as to what others are doing. I love being able to call a friend and ask questions about history or math, knowing that they are using the same curriculum. But we can't all be doing the same stuff, as all our children's personalities vary. In effort to share with others and trade ideas, however, I am trying to host a small curriculum and idea "swap." Pretty much this will just be an opportunity for friends to come over and see what books I've got and for me to see what books they've got (with drinks and desserts all mixed in!). Sounds like fun to me!

If you've ever hosted something like this, please leave a comment!!! I'd love to know how others have done this. As I come closer to my planning stages and decisions on curriculum, I'll make sure to post.

Missing Our Crafts.

This whole buying and selling a home has recently gotten me in the dumps. Of course, you have all the usual stresses that come with these events...keeping your house spotless for last minute showings, worrying about competition, stressing about your upcoming closing, packing, moving, etc. etc. But what has really sent me overboard is not being able to craft and learn with my kids.

This time of year is a big one with Lent and Easter. It's as big as Christmas time in regards to how much we usually do with crafting! But with all my supplies neatly packed away and the need for our current home to stay completely clean and clutter free, I feel like we are missing out on all our usual fun learning. No completed crafts to hang, no decorations to go on the walls, and no messy supplies spread across the table. I'm in craft withdrawal!!! And as I read about all the neat stuff others are doing, I'm feeling a bit envious.

Luckily, I know that what matters most is that we celebrate this time with our families with sharing what we have in our hearts. Our Lord will not mind if we don't dress our homes with colorful decorations, but he will mind if we don't prepare our hearts for his coming. In all, this has been a difficult lesson for me and not my children. But I suppose the timing is all right. We have gone without the excess in every sense this Lent, and the emptiness that it created was filled with what should always be there....the love of Jesus!!!!

So it's been hard to live with just the basic homeschool books and nothing more. But Easter is on the horizon and things will change. We will be able to celebrate our Lord's resurrection and we will have come away from Lent having learned so much more than we thought when this all started!!

How's It Going?

Well, for most homeschoolers the halfway point in our year has come and gone. So...how's it going? It's exciting when you first start the year. New books, new plans, new hopes!! The kids are excited and you are raring to get started. But as the year goes on, sometimes we get tired. The children start complaining, "Do I really need to do math, Mom?" and some of our wonderful plans get thrown to the side.

It's important not to get burnt out...especially if you are just starting out on your homeschool journey!! Even though I've been technically been homeschooling for three and a half years (starting with preschool for the oldest), I still have a LOOOOOONG way to go before I'm done.

I like to look at my bookshelves sometimes. They are filled with books I swore I'd incorporate into the kids' curriculum, books full of projects I promised myself I'd do with the kids, and books full of promises on how to make my life easier. But there they sit...on the shelf! As a matter of fact, many of them have already been packed away.

I don't feel bad, however. Our core curriculum gets done on a daily basis and I still find time to do fun projects with the kids. Maybe I won't use ALL the extra books, but I have used some of them. And whenever I'm in a rut, I look to all these wonderful books to fill me with new ideas, hopes, and energy. I still order books. I still print out endless project and craft ideas. I still bookmark links to great blogs. It's all good!!

I'll admit that I may not always be on top of my game. I'm not ahead, like I hoped I would be. But perhaps starting the year with a new baby, a hospitalization, and other out-of-the-ordinary events slowed us down a bit. The important thing is that I'm OK with that now. The kids are still learning and having fun.

At the end of the day, I think..."Did I do my best today? Did I offer myself up to God?" If I can honestly answer "yes" to those questions, then I feel alright. If not (and there are many days that I answer "no") I'm happy to know that tomorrow is a new day.

For now, I'm off to make my children's lives better in any way I can. Love of God, family, and their education are my top priorities. There are sacrifices we all make to provide these things for our kids...and all the stress and hardships are worth it!!

Scary Stories.

We have always been fans of fairy tales. The kids love them and I never thought twice when reading out of a Grimm's fairy tale book. They're stories and not real. What caught my eye recently was an article/blog/story from somewhere on the Internet (can't find it anymore!) that was merely talking about how many of these stories present scary situations and characters.

I never really thought about fairy tales being inappropriate for my children. We always explain that they are just stories and are not real...but that they can learn a great deal from them (don't trust strangers, be careful what you wish for, be thankful for things you have, etc.). DH, who is the story teller in the family, always creates exciting and scary stories for the children to listen to as a prelude to the usual bedtime poetry readings (his latest creation is the "floor monster" story).

Scary stories are fun...but only when it's a "safe" amount of scary. I'm realizing that my children are not as sensitive as most. But I'm not worried about it. After all, my 2 year old's favorite movie as of lately is "Coraline," a movie that many say is too scary for young children. But what can you expect when the parents are huge Tim Burton fans?

Have fun reading something scary!!

Gifting.

This year, Advent has really crept in on us! We still have yet to decorate the house and the only reminder of the season is a wreath hanging over the mantle, an advent wreath decorating the table, and a couple of lovely gingerbread houses.

We're hoping to get the Christmas tree soon and all the decorations will come down for sure once that is in place. For the time being, I keep reminding myself that it's not about the decorations around the house or the baking and crafting. It's not how ready our homes are in any of these ways, but rather how ready our hearts are.

And in that sense, I feel like this has been a wonderful time of year so far! I'm readying my spirit for the greatest gift of all while making wonderful memories with my family along the way. What a wonderful gift God has given me!

Abundant Blessings.

Abundant blessings. That's the only way to describe how things have been going lately. Not that anything has really changed...I still do laundry everyday, change diapers, homeschool the kids, etc. But things seem to be a little different. Things are changing.

Miracles can happen to anyone at any time...not necessarily when we are waiting for them to happen. The difficult thing is recognizing them. And really, what might seem like a miracle to one person, might be something else entirely to someone else. Well, I believe in miracles and I firmly believe that they are happening to me every day.

Taking the time to appreciate all that we have and all that we have to do is difficult. But when we do, it's an eye opener! Even more amazing is when we recognize God is in all these things! Those are miracles. And yes...I am still struggling with prayer and daily life in general. The one thing that is changing is that I'm finally throwing my hands up and saying "God...I need help!" And He helps in the most wonderful ways! Merely a change of attitude is all we need sometimes.

Dh told me recently that sometimes we fail to see the forest. We become so focused on looking at each individual tree that we miss seeing how beautiful the big picture is. Of course, we all have damaged trees and trees that need more attention. But once we take that step back...WOW!

OK...so prayer does help! Giving up your struggles to God does work. And even though not every day is perfect, we are all a work in progress.

I Need Help Praying.

As I went to bed last night and contemplated the day's events, I began my nightly prayer routine. I have been in the practice of sleeping with a rosary tucked into my pillow. It does a good job of reminding me to pray the rosary nightly and I found that it helps to ease my stresses when I reach into my pillow case and feel the rosary in my hand.

Not too long ago, however, my pillow rosary got misplaced and I had yet to tuck another one into the pillow case. It's simply a thing I keep putting off and forgetting. But last night I noticed a pattern; since the "disappearance" of my rosary, I have had a hard time praying. My thoughts have become randomized and I have a hard time focusing on talking to God. Not only that, but my daily spiritual life seems to be in much more disarray. Even praying in the morning with the children is no help.

My days seem so much more difficult, even though the day to day routines haven't changed. Why am I so stressed? Why are all the little things getting to me? Why does my daily routine seem to be getting harder and harder as the day progresses, when in reality it's not? Why am I failing to see God in the little things?

But I've had an epiphany. I've made the realization of what it is that I'm failing to do that is making my life so much more difficult and miserable. I'm letting the days slip by me without allowing God to help me. I'm letting the mundane in my daily life control me. I'm failing to end the day with God, Mary, and all the saints. And I need them. I need all their help and I need all their prayers.

This morning, I replaced my pillow rosary. I began doing my daily reflection. I asked for help. I devoted 20 minutes of my time to our Holy Mother. If my suffering lies in doing 20 loads of laundry, then I will offer up my suffering to God. If my misery for the day is explaining a math problem over and over, then I will offer up my misery to God. If my attitude doesn't express love and patience, then I will pray for help in attaining love and patience.

Because I am not a holy person and because my life revolves around doing daily chores, I've decided that the best people to ask for help are St. Therese of Lisieux and St. Ignatius of Loyola.

All this because I lost my pillow rosary.

Starting Early.

The impending birth of our little boy has recently got me thinking on what a good start date for our school year would be. Normally, we ease into our new grade materials since we are year round homeschoolers. This year, I want to have an official start date complete with pictures and "first day of school" activities. In all, I want our full schedule well into play once the baby arrives.

But since my due date falls in the middle of August (usually around the time we make our grade switch), I only saw two options. 1. Start our new year after the baby is born or 2. Start the new year before the baby is born. What to do??

After much consideration, we decided to start before the baby is born. I want everyone to be accustomed to following the new school schedule well in advance of adding a newborn. I want to gain a little bit of momentum and get some good ground covered by the time our new baby comes home. Granted, I understand that things might get hectic around the house with a new baby (this is my 5th!)...but we are such a go with the flow family that I'm not worried about that at all. If we take a week off, I won't be as concerned as if we delay starting. At least I'll feel like I have a few weeks under my belt!!

So our new date for school has been set. July 27th!!!! I know...it's right around the corner and it only gives me one week to finish whatever planning and organizing for school that I may have. We'll see how it goes! The kids are revved up and so am I!

Getting It Done!!

I finally have a few things checked off on my to-do list. Our school room is finally looking how I want it to. From new shelves to a new dry erase board...it's looking good! Our new learning center space is also coming along. Just a few more things to organize and it's done. I'm hoping to have both spaces ready by the end of the week.

As for lesson planning, I'm hoping to finish is up within the next couple of days. Anthony and Isabella are done, but I still have a few things to sort out with Marco's schedule and subjects. Since I'll be doing geography and a couple of other things my own way, it means I have to figure out my own lesson plans.

All this on top of keeping up with laundry, housework, and school lessons!! But it will get done. I'm not one to pile on too much on my plate....OK, I'm lying!! I AM one to pile on too much on my plate! But I don't hesitate to look for help. To help me speed things up with organizing and my urge to clean, I'm hiring some help. Why not? I'm 8 months pregnant, tired, have 4 monkeys running around the house, and I have no family around to help.

Off to organize some more!!