Welcome to a New Year

Hello friends and family!

And welcome to my first post of 2017. I'm thrilled that I haven't had to sign a check because God knows I will write 2016 on it until May (speaking of, I need to write a check for Reece's preschool tuition - here we go)!

First off, I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and happy New year. As you know, we spent eight days of our Christmas break traveling from Bentonville to southeast Kansas to Wichita to Kansas City and two stops in Illinois before heading back to Arkansas.

To say it was a lot isn't saying enough. Because it was A LOT of traveling. Besides getting to see family in Illinois, our goal was to drive around some neighborhoods in the western suburbs of Chicago to get a feel for what we liked and where we'd like to be when we move this summer.

Well after being in the car for seven hours, then stopping, then back in the car for another hour and a half, the idea of driving around doesn't seem like so much fun.

But we did it. For about an hour and a half total. Definitely not enough time to get a "feel" for anything, but we found some nice areas and are excited to go back and venture around some more and spend a little longer time. This time we will travel via plane so the driving around part won't be so bad!

We did have a wonderful break and were able to see all sides of our families, which is a must for me during Christmas. We have traveled every year on Christmas since we have been married and I will tell you this. We have already made a note that when we make our final move (hopefully to Kansas City in a few years, crossing fingers), we will be having Christmas morning in our own home. Everyone can come to our house and that will be fantastic, but we aren't leaving it!

During our eight-hour trek back to Arkansas on December 30, Matt and I discussed what our New Years Resolutions would be. I didn't hem-haw around what mine was. It's pretty straight-forward.

I'm going to work on being a better person.

I feel like I spent much of 2016 as an unhappy person - not on the exterior. But I feel like I had so many mean thoughts scrolling through my head and sometimes I would be so mad, I felt like my blood pressure was going soar through the roof.

I have to be able to find some peace in parts of my life that became totally discombobulated in 2016. It's going to be really hard, but it has to happen. I need to be able to woo-sah and let some things go or I'll spend 2017 totally wound up.

And I don't have time for it!

I don't have time to not be focusing on the things that are really important in my life and right in front of my eyes.

My kids and my husband need a mom and wife that isn't stressed and taking that stress out on them. I can have stresses in my life, but I just need to find a way to deal with them better than I did this past year.

So... it's going to be a tough one. I feel like I'm three days in and doing great! Talk to me in two months and I hope I can say the same thing!

What are YOUR New Years resolutions?!

HAPPY 2017!

XXOO,
Allyson

PS. I survived two weeks of Christmas break with my kids and we are all still surviving! YES!

It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere

You know how you envision curling up into bed with your sweet child, reading them books and snuggling with them before they drift off to sleep?

Yeah, that is not me.

It sorta kinda used to be me... but I can confirm with 100 percent confidence that that is not me any longer!

I have said it many times, but being a stay at home mom and being a full-time job mom are one-in-the-same when it comes to what time you want to wrap you day up on the job.

5 pm is that customary time.

And since we had Sloane, almost six years ago, that time is THE time.

It's the time I wait for when 2:30 is staring at me like the day is never going to end!

5 pm is when I seem to be calling it a day. I either have dinner ready or the kids are eating and we are waiting, sometimes patiently, sometimes not so patiently, for dad to get home. So he can walk in the door, take off his work hat, put on his dad hat, and be the fun guy they love so much.

And when he walks in the door, I breathe a sigh of relief because my relief pitcher has arrived. I can take Tess, and get her ready for bed, while he deals with the other two.

We each usually try and get a kid bathed, sometimes he does both (which is wonderful) and then we each read to a kid. I usually like to read to Reece because he is sort of entertaining to read to, then you lay with him for a few minutes, then say goodnight and that is it.

Sloane picks extra long books to read, then you have to put her socks on her, then you have to lay with her for five minutes... when all you want to do is go downstairs, take a shower and watch Real Housewives.

I find it somewhat laughable that Matt has been gone the last few days and in that time frame, Reece has become my least favorite child to read to and put to bed because he now forgets that I have laid with him so he wants me to do it repeatedly.

And if you see above that 5 pm is kind of my benchmark time - or the time that I'm done for the night - you can imagine how him asking me to lay down with him 10 times makes my blood pressure rise significantly.

I bow down to all of you that can muster the energy to put a smile on your face and be patient when your little ones need water 42 times, need to potty four times, and need you to lay with them for just 800 more minutes... because my energy is gone at ... you guessed it - 5 o'clock! ;)

So... on this final night of single parenting (Matt returns tomorrow at 2 pm, PRAISE GOD) and day two of Fall Break, after taking an hour and a half to bathe and read to everyone, I am sitting here at 8:30 without food in my stomach and I'm exhausted.

OHHH. I also am taking all three kids in for flu shots in the early morning.

Because when they mess with me at bedtime, I mess with them in the morning.

#dropsmic

#walksoffstage


XXOO,
Allyson

PS. I love my kids. But I'm tired. :)