When in doubt...

So, it's "naptime" around here...

which, these days, loosely translates into Ben possibly napping (today he is!) either in his room (yes!) or on the couch while Bethany and James watch a movie (hopefully...today they are mostly watching and resting.)

For me, this means it's time to decide what to do with my time.  Every day is different but there are some things that hold true on all days.

Cleaning is out. Our wood floors on the second floor make every step you take (even barefoot) echo ridiculously throughout the basement below where Ben is sleeping. (I'll have you know that my mom has managed to clean my upstairs while babies are sleeping below and pull it off...she probably thinks I'm complaining about nothing...seriously though, EVERY time I try, they wake up! What is that??)  Also, any walking around stirs the kids' interest and they lose the will to sit and rest for their movie but instead follow me around with "Mommy, what are you doing? Can I help? What's that? Can I have a snack? Why don't you watch our movie? How long until Ben's awake?..." So, anyway, I opt out of cleaning though it is needed.

Phone calls...sometimes I have these to make. I avoid them if at all possible. But, I do try to return them if I happen to receive them and naptime is my only "guaranteed" time to do it without the world falling apart around me. Tricky part is, the kids hear my voice and venture out to see what's going on, who's on the phone, can they talk to them, how long till Ben wakes up, can I have a snack...etc. Opt out.

Work on all the gazillions of computer stuff, paperwork, planning and filing projects I always have going...or that make themselves go...because I don't recall choosing most of them...?

Food storage planning...makes my head swim incessently today.

Refining our family budget...makes my eyes cross today.

Planning some fun activities for the kids...gives me an ulcer today.

Return emails...afraid I would end up complaining! 

Then there are those few projects that have been "going" for so long I just get dizzy and nauseous even thinking about them.

SO...

A tag it is. :)

I'd like to thank Heidi for this opportunity to completely shirk everything I could be doing (I won't say "should" because I've been told it's a naughty word...) in order to simply give myself a break and think only about me and the more meaningless parts of my life for a little while. 

Ooh...my jaw unclenches and eyebrows un-furrow just thinking about it. So, let's go!

5 THINGS:

5 things I was doing 5 years ago:

1. moving into a studio apartment with Mason as we saved for our house being built out in Queen Creek (oh, the smallness of it...kitchen, living room/bedroom, bathroom, closet. done.)

2. dancing for Evaloha http://evaloha.com/

3. working at DAC. Horrible place. SO much fun sharing a cubicle there with Kristyn!!! We caused so much trouble and laughed so much on a daily basis!

4. discovering the fun of shoes, purses, expensive makeup, celebrity gossip, laying out by the pool and calorie counting (mostly due, I believe, to sharing a cubicle there with Kristyn!! I think that, since, we've both grown out of...some...of those things...haha)

5. thinking about getting pregnant...

5 things on my (trying to be realistic) to-do list today: 

1. be taking full and complete breaths by the time "naptime" is over

2. think of something fun and different to do with the kids this afternoon that doesn't require going outside, moving around too much, (due to colds and coughs had by all)  or locating supplies that are buried in my pantry due to the current project of cleaning it out/organizing the stuff in it. Then do it while continuing to be able to breathe.

3. When kids are hopefully happy and fulfilled after whatever I come up with, bring the humidifiers upstairs to the playroom and settle the kids in with a(nother) movie. Be fine with it. Make dinner involving lots of vegetables to help us kick this thing. 

4. Welcome JC home with a smile and not tears and coughing fits like last night.

5. Yoga

5 things I would do with a million dollars:

1. become self-reliant (pay off our mortgage, start our garden, build up an amazing food storage, etc.)

2. set up an investment to use as an income so JC could have the option of not working or working just for fun (that doesn't seem like the right word but you know what I mean...so he could do something just for the love of it and not ever have to worry about how much money it brings in)

3. get the kids set for their futures

4. buy JC a truck

5. set up an amazing vacation fund so that we could do little trips now while the kids are young but when the kids got older we could take them all over the world to experience it all together

5 places I have lived:

1. Gilbert, AZ

2. Queen Creek, AZ

3. Tempe, AZ

4. Provo, UT

5. Ft. Worth (area), TX

5 jobs I have held:

1. front desk at a chiropractor's office (actually loved)

2. pizza person at Domino's Pizza (hated)

3. discounter at CIT (love/hate)

4. "teacher" at Children's World Daycare (left crying every day after having to witness, firsthand, what being dropped off at daycare every day can do to a kid even when I tried my best to love them and teach them...still, I swear, it haunts me. I really think this is partially responsible for my drive to never ever ever ever give my children any reason to think that anything or anyone comes before my family...because no matter how much they were reassured, I saw those kids question that fact every day when their moms dropped them there...)

5. ...something...? at DAC (love/hate)

5 things I want to be doing in 5 years:

(ooh, I like this one...let's see...the kids will be in 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade...my first year with all three in school all day!!!  woohoo!!! )

(...I love my kids and I will miss them...)

1. gardening, canning, dehydrating, juicing, freezing, making homemade breads, pasta and cereals and living off all of that plus a rotating food storage system. I know that sounds like a lot of things but they are in the same general category...

2. spending a designated time each day cleaning and organizing so I don't ever fall too far behind.

 3. volunteering regularly in my kids' classrooms

4. getting ready to publish a book (and maybe getting back to reading books too!)

5. planning a family trip to Disneyland!!!

5 people I tag:

1. Emily

2. Bonnie

3. Ali

4. Pammy

5. Jamie

WELL!

That was fun.

And look at that...I'm breathing again!

Back to work...movie will end soon and I better figure out that exciting thing that's going to keep us happy, busy and yet still in recovery mode for the next couple of hours!

Darn it, lost the lung capacity again...well...you know, maybe it's just an occupational hazard. :)