Queen of the Juggle: September 2010

Okay, so it's been almost 4 months since I have blogged. A lot has happened in that time. Among those...we found out the sex of the baby, school got out for summer, we got a pool, and a million other things have happened in between. I have debated whether to keep up with the blog. It can be a lot of work and a lot to keep up with and just one more thing to check off the list of one million and one things to do. But after much thought...I realize it is necessary. Necessary for these reasons:

I love my life. I love making memories with the people I love. Fortunately (and unfortunately) my life is way overloaded. I feel like as new memories are made, the old ones just fade into the back of my brain. Like old, dusty files in the back of a file cabinet...never to be retrieved again. So for me, it is important that I have a way to keep track of these memories. One of these ways is through digital scrapbooking: the incredible hobby I discovered right after Natalia was born. The lessons I have learned from DS are too many to mention...but among these are that it is the every day moments that count...not just the BIG moments. Not just Halloween and Christmas and Easter and baby's first steps and the first day of school. Of course those days are so important. But it's the things that happen every day that are so special and those are the things I want to blog about mostly: cooking Sunday morning breakfast together, watching Jacob play Wizard School with his friends after school, seeing Alexa sound out the letters and words as she writes a story, hearing Natalia say, "No, I do it" for the hundredth time as she tries to put her shoes on for school. Everyday moments. What life is all about. What I write about may seem mundane or boring. If so, you might want to discontinue reading this blog. I realize that most people that read this are mommies just like me and you care about the same things I do. I love that and I love that common bond among women. But I have to keep in mind, above all, that truly I am doing this as a memorykeeper for myself, my children, my family...This is the legacy I will leave my chidren and grandchildren. At times, it feels strange writing about myself so much, but a wise person once said, "wouldn't you like to have a journal or diary or blog from your mother or grandmother?" You bet I would. So that keeps me going. I know one day, these words will be a way for my loved ones to know me. Who did I love? What did I love? What did God show me throughout my journey with him? What were my hobbies? What were my favorite places? How did I spend my time? All things I would love to know about my GJ and my mom when they were 35. And 40. And 60.
Sharing photos with friends and family. Now this is not my strength. Mostly because it takes sooo long to upload the photos. It's not that I don't have the patience. It's the time factor! I usually blog early in the morning, during naptime, or late at night. Often, I just don't feel like spending that precious time waiting for my photos to upload. If you tune in to my blog for photos, you just might be frequently disappointed because they are not always going to be there. If my wordiness bothers you, then my blog might not be for you.
To glorify God. I realize daily that EVERYTHING good in my life comes from God. I want to show how he is working in my life, my family's life, my church. And for those that are nonbelievers, I want them to know he is real, he exists, and he is so good!

Now, why isn't God first you ask? Well, Christ is first in my life. I realize I can do nothing apart from him and am growing in my walk with him. However, I don't want that pressure put upon me by myself or others to always to have something deep or profound to write about. Some days, I might just want to talk about my Halloween decorations or that my baby pooped for the 10th time that day or that I am so sleep deprived, I put the milk in the pantry and the cereal in the fridge.

So I want to keep the above three goals in my mind as I blog. I really want to try for the next 4 weeks to blog daily to remember what life was like before our 4th child was born. Before our family dynamic changes yet again. That is a challenge I am giving myself. Who knows if it will come to fruition? At this point, I am dealing with HUGE sleep deprivation, getting Baby Girl's room ready, and trying to check lots and lots of things off of lots and lots of lists. But I want to put blogging on the list.

I am also in the process of revamping my blog. From the name to the look to the pictures. It's all going to change. That's coming. Just don't know when.

Well, the kids are at school. Natalia is at MDO. I dropped her off and came straight to Starbucks with my laptop. I can't go home because the cleaning ladies are there and I am meeting a friend for lunch in an hour. So I got nuttin' but time. So I will have to post some random pix of our summer! Enjoy!!