Well, we’re back to the children’s weekly schedule minus the tumbling – that’s on break until January.  While I do enjoy all the activity, it does wreck havoc when you don’t have it for a week, have it for a couple weeks, then off again for a couple weeks.  It just throws off your schedule.  When you have a child who likes to know what’s happening that week and day, it really throws him off which permeates into the rest of the family.  I have children activities most of the week: tuesday is dance, wednesday is church from 3-9, thursday is dance and usually tumbling and park day when it’s warm, friday is dance.  My 5 yr old son started tap 2 weeks ago and wants to stay for ballet this week.  Fine with me.  As long as he’s having fun, getting exercise (like he needs it – he’s as big as a pencil), and learning, I’m good with it.  I work at the studio one afternoon each week to decrease the cost of tuition.  This is my daughter’s 4th year in dance and she is just excelling every day.  She’s amazingly flexible and does really well with form.  She takes a technique class on friday which has really helped her improve quickly.  Her issue is that she is very active.  She likes to move and doesn’t always do well in a setting where she has to stop and listen.  Her brain never stops moving and her little body is trying so hard to keep up.  Newborns sleep 20 of 24 hours?  Yeah, not her.  She slept maybe 5 of the 24.  She’s tiny but ridiculously strong.  My oldest son is the skateboarder in the family.  When he gets angry, outside he goes.  Best Christmas present ever was a grinding rail and 2 ramps for him.  I got some awesome pictures over the summer of him doing various tricks.  I LOVE them.  My 5 yr old son is the tumbler.  (I know I know – don’t use labels)  While he’s not real flexible, he is very strong and has a great sense of body awareness – usually.  He is very persistent when he’s learning something and will repeat it over and over until it’s correct.  (imagine if he was in school – yikes!)  He loves his tumbling class and was excited to see another boy in his tap class.   I miss being able to dance.  I danced as a little girl and I still remember the free feeling I had.  I did more drill team but I dreamed of being the graceful one in the Nutcracker.  I wanted the long legs and tiny waist who could spin and leap with no effort at all.  I had knee surgery when I was 11 and that killed any hope of any dancing.  My hubby is really working hard to get me back doing the things I love and this is one of his goals – get me dancing again.  I want to learn bellydancing.  I’ve always found it very………sensual and erotic and powerful.  The ladies are hypnotizing when they dance.  I so can not wiggle my hips as fast as they can but I do have some of the moves down.  Maybe one day I’ll find myself worth spending money for private lessons. 

I want to try the picture thingy.  I don’t know how to put a picture in here so I’m trying with this. 

 Here is one picture of our Colorado trip this summer.  I took the kids (Doc had to stay home and work) and drove out and back.  We stayed with my Mom for 10 days.  Gotta say – I love my family!  They are very nice people to hang around.  However, we do get on each other nerves after a while.  We are all very head strong and know what we want.  Try getting 10 people like this to agree – and while we’re at it, throw in 4 head strong kids.  We had a lot of fun though.  It was good times.  The windshield cracked on the drive over.  Despite my fears that my windshield would fall out while driving, it stayed put until we got home and had it fixed.  WHEW! 

The kids loved going through the parks, feeding the ducks, swimming, climbing on Grandpa and Uncle Kenny, going to the museum, shopping (ok, just my daughter), going to the beach, driving in the mountains, and everything else. 

What makes a person hang on to things?  Is it the memories of wearing the items?  Memories of good times associated with an item?  The fact that someone who cared about you gave it to you?  Is it the item or the memory that’s important?  The reason I ask is because my hubby finally gave me permission to clean out his clothes.  I’ve been asking to do this – with his permission – for a while now.  He likes to hold on to stuff.  He has a sweater I bought him in high school – about 15 years ago.  It’s not a bad sweater but it is very outdated and starting to tear.  My thought?  Give it away and get him something updated that makes him really look hot!  The problem?  He loves the sweater.  I don’t know if it’s because he really likes it or if I gave it to him.  (I believe it’s the latter.)  So, after some soul searching, he’s letting me update his things a bit.  I just may get mine done while I’m at it.  After losing 70+ pounds, a girl just needs a new wardrobe. 

We’ve eaten turkey and all the stuff.  We’ve napped and rested up.  We’ve cleaned up the kitchen and put away the leftovers.  Now……what do we do?  We start scraping the counter.  You see, someone that used to live in our house decided they didn’t like the kitchen counter so they painted it.  Not a bad idea (since that’s what we’re going to do) but it helps if you seal that paint job when you’re done.  The paint is coming off and we’re tired of looking at it.  So, that’s the ongoing project now.  We’ll eventually get the counter painted, cabinets painted, wall painted, new hardware for the cabinets, and maybe at some point in the future new appliances.  Until then, we’ll do one project as we’re able.  The children still use the floor for projects.  I still use the counter for prep.  Doc still uses the stove for popping popcorn.  It works.

There was a time in my life when I would fight anyone who said that I liked to exercise.  My hubby told me this often and I would get really angry.  How dare he tell me what I enjoy or not.  I know I don’t like this – it’s tiring, difficult, and makes me sweat.  No, I don’t like this!  Crow doesn’t really taste good but it must be eaten every now and then.  I’ve lost a total of 70 pounds since having my baby July 06.  I had gotten to over 200 pounds.  I don’t know exactly how high because I refused to look at the scale once it hit 200 and I had another month to go.  I don’t want to know how high I got.  That was an awakening moment for me.  I had reached a place that I never thought I would get.  I’m small – height and size.  My body type is meant to be little and I know this.  However, after having four children, I was larger than I needed to be and I felt every pain of that weight.  So, I decided that as soon as I had that baby I was getting little again.  I didn’t care what it took.  I started when he was 3 months old.  His birth was a bit more traumatic on my body than the others and I took longer to heal.  I started slow and reasonable.  Stop snacking.  Stop drink pop.  Stop eating as soon as I feel full at a buffet.  Give myself permission to not “get my money’s worth.”  Eat slower.  Drink more water.  Above all – get my butt up and moving!  I started on Sparkpeople.com and LOVED it!  It was so highly motivating and encouraging for me.  I started at 200 pounds.  Right now, I’m at 130 pounds.  I have 20 more to lose to reach my goal weight!  I’ve gone from a tight size 14 to a lose at times size 2.  My almost 11 yr old son is the same size as I am.   I am the same size as some of the dancers at my daughter’s dance studio who are in 9th or 10th grade.  And know what?  I feel AWESOME!!  I have so much more energy.  It’s been a long and tough road.  I took the summer off of working at it and haven’t gained any back – good sign.  I’m back at it now and doing extra like changing the quality of food I’m eating.  It’s hard but so well worth it.  I’ve done each and every step on my own by working hard and overcoming my impulses.  Do I still go to buffet’s?  SURE.  I love CiCis pizza.  But, I eat smaller the rest of the day.  I also have stopped beating myself up when I screw up.  Get up.  Brush it off.  Move on.  Weight loss and healthy living is not easy.  It can be expensive and time consuming and inconvenient.  But, the benefits to your body, quality of life, length of life, and reduction in illnesses and pain more than make up for any difficulty along the way.  Believe me – I know.

I want to teach childbirth education.  I want to help other families having babies experience the joy that I felt through each of my births.  What’s my stumbling block, you ask?  Yep, you guessed it.  It’s flippin expensive!!  God has laid this on my heart for many years now and it’s just not going away.  I’ve tried to ignore it.  I’ve tried to dismiss it away due to time.  I’ve tried to put it out of my head.  The problem?  God keeps nudging me again and again.  Every now and then He even sends other people to nudge me.  “Angi, I would love for my clients to take a class taught by you.”  “Angi, would you please just teach me what I need to know to do this?”  “The way you explained that made more sense to me than what I learned in class.”  GGRRRRRRRR  Do I want to do it?  Yes.  Do I want to do it now?  Yes.  Do I think I can do it?  Yes.  Do I think it would be beneficial to others?  Yes.  Do I think this community needs more holistic choices?  YES.  I want to take that leap of faith and say “God, I know you will help me through this.  You won’t lead me down a path that will ultimately do me harm.  You will keep me in your hands and protect me because I am your Beloved.  You have laid a path before me and I need your strength to make that first step.  Be with me.  Be with my family.  Be with all those families I may one day touch through my words, my touch, my teaching.  Be with each of those care providers I may one day encounter.  Give me the words to help the families and babies you have yet to send to the earth.  Give me the strength to do this so I may spread your word and give You all the glory.  Because it is not I that would do this but You.”  Faith is hard.

Do you ever have those days where things seem to bombard you and you want to do it all but just can’t?  I have so many things I want to do right now that it actually borders on the overwhelmed phase.  I have presents to make.  I love that but because they are for people in my house (read, children!), I can only work on them at certain times.  Frustrating.  I have gifts to make for friends.  I love that children like to help but I would really rather do them myself.  I love making things for other people even if it’s something little.  I love that my children are creative and want to express that but I wanna do it myself!!  (I know it’s not very attractive for a grown woman to whine but sometimes you just have to!)  I’m really looking forward to the holidays.  I decided that I am putting lights on our house this year.  I haven’t done it in the past because I didn’t want to be the one up on the house.  When I started thinking about it this year, I just decided that if it’s something that’s important to me I need to find a way to do it myself and not ask others to do it for me.  I can not say how much I love to see lights on houses at Christmas.  I just love to see them twinkle.  So, I’m doing it this year. 

 I have many decisions to think about right now.  Some involve lots of money being spent and others involve more time than anything.  I hate knowing what feels right to do but knowing that you’ll have to spend money and take a risk that you’ll get that money back.  Why does money have to halt our efforts to do things???  I don’t understand.  My children do things because they love it: jumping, dancing, singing, running around, bike rides, gifts, eating, etc.  I wanna be a child.  I want that energy and want to do things just because I love doing it.  I don’t want to deal with bills, laundry, cooking, cleaning, fights, yelling, baths, diapers, etc.  I want those long nights of hanging out in my room reading a book because it captured my attention.  I want those moments of watching a dance performance and not being able to relocate my eyes from that stage because what I was watching moved me to the core.  The Christmas season brings that out in me for a short time.  I watch the joy on the children’s faces as they open gifts they didn’t think they were getting.  I love listening to them read aloud the Christmas story from the Bible when they’re first learning how to read and struggling over the words.  Hearing their thank yous when the coffee cake is ready.  Seeing my staff’s face light up when they get their Christmas bonus.  It’s just a nice time of year for me. 

How long does it take to get a decent picture of 6 people ranging in age from 15 mth to 34 years old?  2 hours, apparently.  I needed pictures done to go with the Christmas cards so we met our photographer Chris at the Botanical Center this morning.  After running 30 minutes late, she still  took them!  The children were mostly cooperative – for about an hour.  Then, every went downhill.  The 10 yr old wanted to go home and get back to playing with his best friend.  The 7 yr old wanted to tell and show everyone else what to do.  The 5 yr ol wanted to touch his little brother’s cheek.  The 15 mth old wanted everyone to look at “THAT!” and nurse.   (THAT is his favorite word and my nickname.)  Dad and I?  We just wanted everyone to stand still, smile nice, and not wiggle for 2 minutes to get a good picture.  Is that too much to ask???  So, after 2 hours, I’m hoping Chris got some good ones.  I’m sure she did – she’s good that way.  Hey, at least there’s not 9 people to get still!  It could be worse.

Well, here I go.  This is my leap into the blogging world.  I’m Angi – wife to Paul and mom to 4 wonderful kiddos.  I tell everyone I’m a stay at home mom but that’s not really the truth.  I’m rarely ever at home so maybe I’m really a run around the town mom?  I just know that my kids and husband keep me very busy!  We are an odd family by many people’s standards.  We love having littles (children) around and don’t mind being the neighborhood house.  We homeschool the kids so there are also projects around the house and a constant status of disarray.  Drives the cleaning lady crazy!  hehe  We love it.  We go on our own schedule and do whatever interests us at the time.  The children are all growing and thriving so we go with it.  My husband is a Chiropractor and owns his own practice.  I manage the office but I do it from home.  We have some great staff that keep him in line.  I am a sunday school teacher, choir member, music teacher, lactation educator, and sometimes birth doula.  Makes me tired just typing it.  I’ve taught the same class in sunday school for four years now.  They are a great group of kids.  I’ve been a lactation educator for 8.5 years and love it.  I’ve seen my life without nursing babies which is a bit strange.  I know it’s not time to move onto the next stage since my youngest is only 15 months so still nursing strong.  I don’t think we’re done having children.  I don’t have that finished feeling yet.  We just go with God’s plan and follow it the best we can.  So, that’s a little about me.  I’m sure you’ll get to hear (read) lots more in the upcoming weeks.