Catching Up & A Fun New Thing

Hello! It's been a while!

I am not going to waste your time by explaining all of my excuses for my lack of bloginess. Let's just say life is busy and I'm trying to be a good manager of my time and a good wife and Mommy... aka I'm a bad blogger.

Life is running fast these days, but if you're genuinely interested in what's going on around the Parsley household (because we are just THAT interesting *wink*), make sure you're following me on twitter and/or facebook. That seems much easier for me these days!

I did want to share a fun/useful/easy thing we're trying out. It's an online "job chart" for the kids. I went on and created accounts for each of them. Then I assigned various jobs--for us, this includes everything from brushing teeth to doing laundry to reading scripture to practicing basketball.

The kids are able to log on and view their jobs, check them off and earn points. They can then redeem their points for rewards that I have allowed. They range from baking cookies to lego sets and American girl dolls (you do have to pay for the tangible rewards, so the expensive rewards are worth a lot of points).

It seems to be working well for us. They don't always get their jobs done, and I still have to check and make sure some jobs are done to my standard. But, overall it is way less work than anything I've tried before. I like that it doesn't rely on me to write out or print out charts every week. It's on there and I can change it any time I want. Less time for me and more responsibility and fun for the kids. It's a win-win.

If you decide to try it out, be sure to come back and let me know if it's working for you!!

In the meantime, I'll see you on twitter or facebook or here when I make it back...

And just because he's so cute and makes my life so interesting...

Can I? Should I?

You know that giddy, excited feeling you get in your tummy? I have that right now. Because I just saw this...

I am so done with our carpet (I almost typed "crapet"...hmmmm. That might describe it better). It has kid stains and sticky gooey spots. It has animal stains from days gone by. It has some new, pink candle wax stains. It's a dingy gray compared to the lighter beige it's supposed to be.

The issue is that it's a rather large space, our main living areas. So, new flooring would be a pretty chunk of change.

The carpet runs into the kitchen. The flooring in there is a whole other issue...linoleum. Ripping and pulling up.

So, what if we did it? What if we ripped it all up and just painted the subflooring? Aaaaahhhh. How about a dark, espresso?

What do you think, Honey????

Because I haven't in a while...

blogged, that is.

It's not that I don't have anything to say. It's more that as soon as I think I want to say it, something else comes up.

Like the stomach virus that's going through our house right now.

Or the extra-curricular activities that seem to have overtaken my life, my schedule, my sanity. I said that I would never overbook us. I don't think we're overbooked, but somehow we've ended up with all 5 kids in activities. It wasn't intentional, and it won't last forever, but it sure is taking up a lot of my time and energy!

At the beginning of this year, Brad and I set aside a week to pray through our goals for the year. I left that week feeling like I should focus my time and energy on our family. Not that this is unusual for me, but I feel the Lord is asking for more. More focused prayer time for my husband and my children. More time at home, focused on the things of home. Less time away, focusing on other things (which are good things, just not for me. Right now)

I settled in to this challenge.

Then this past week, my "settling" felt challenged. It seems there is one need after another...right here in my own home. I think most of these needs are always here, but could it be that I'm more sensitive to them? They seem to be screaming at me. The needs, not my children. Ok, my children sometimes. But mostly the needs.

One needs more individual attention. One needs help dealing with friends. One needs help with eating a complete meal. One needs to sleep past 4:30 in the morning (already!!). They all need more of me.

It can be draining. And frustrating. It can make me feel helpless. And like "what ever made me think I could do this?"

So, I wake up early. I turn on the fire and make a pot of coffee. I read. I pray (I put said child back to bed). And I pray more. Then as they wake, I put on my brave face and a smile. I thank Him for these 5 precious blessings. And head into another day...