i'm baaaaaaaaaaack. ;)

i really took an unintended leave of absence from my blog.
but really....it was a really great thing.
i was able to focus on things in my house. with my family. friends. just life in general.

in fact. this is the first time in WEEKS my computer has even been on. and really, the only reason it is on today, is because we have a co-op tomorrow that i have to teach. so i need to plan. ((yes, i'm a procrastinator. but i truly work better last minute))

we had a super great Christmas. my family came over the 23rd. we had my grandparents the 24th. and shaun's grandparents and mom on the 25th. so needless to say, it was a JAM packed weekend.

we cut way back on Christmas gifts this year. and it was so nice. honestly? it was the least stress i've ever had about Christmas. for most of the years before this one, except ONE that i can remember, we've paid for 99% of Christmas with credit cards. this year, since we paid off most of our credit card debt in november, we purposed to not ADD to it anymore. not at all.*
*except in cases of EXTREME emergency
because of this, we had to cut back. and guess what?! Christmas was just as grand as it has been in years past. ((point: we used to spend EASILY $75-100 on each of our kids for Christmas. this year? $30-40. they didn't care one bit. and loved each gift.))
it honestly feels so good to know that i won't be paying for Christmas til next Christmas and beyond. it's paid for. and it was wonderful.

at my grandparents we take a picture of everyone. each family. each family's family. ((ie. my parents, and sister and i. and then my family. my sisters family. etc)) it used to be more pictures...but we've cut out some. here is our sweet family. :)

i got my hair cut and styled right before Christmas...i love it. you can't tell too much in this picture, but i got some purple right under my bangs in the front. just to be "different and fun". so it's not quite a mom's haircut maybe? lol. but i must say...LOVE my short hair. so glad i did it. and i love the dark. i used to be super blonde...so this is the opposite end of the spectrum, but i think i like this better. i'm all for changing it up.

the past few weeks, we've been trying to catch up on things in the house. i can happily say...you can see my laundry room floor again. whew. i worked on it awhile ago. then it got set on the back burner. and it's back to pretty decent again. we have some totes of things that need to be gone through. but at least the stuff is in a tote, and not all over. ((it's times like this i wish i had a better basement. because then i'd have storage. we have one small attic off of our bedroom, and that's it. so because our laundry room is so big it becomes a storage place too. i'm hoping to get through that stuff in the next month or so. and have a completely cleaned laundry room.))

i've never been the best at housekeeping. growing up my room was always a mess. and unfortunately a lot of that carried over into our house after we got married. it was not until the past year that i've really gotten it down. ((yes, my awesome husband has put up with my slobby self for this long.)) i guess before, i didn't care. i don't really know. i can't explain it. because it stressed me out. to the max. but i would always wait til people were coming, and clean like a banchee the night/morning before they came. stress. i'm so glad that God has worked on my heart, and now when i have people coming i can just pick up the stuff. but i don't need to stress. because my house is in order. not always clean. but for sure in order. i used to make sure the laundry room door was ALWAYS shut though, because that room was not clean OR in order. i still will make sure it's shut, because of the totes. but if it isn't, at least i won't be embarassed. i seriously walk around our house saying, thank you, Lord. for giving me the motivation to get this house in order. to have a clean house. that i don't care where anyone goes. i don't have to be ashamed of any of it.

i have to get our closet in order yet. but that's a project of going through things. weeding out the old. taking out the maternity (that is all in totes anyways) i'm hoping to tackle that in the next month too. i like to give myself enough time. so that way i can't fail as easily. :)

i've fallen off the workout routine. this week i've added in shakeology again. and i've noticed in just TWO days how my energy is better and i'm not as tired. mainly because i'm actually "eating" something. and it's a good something. i've decided to wait til after my "friend" arrives for the month to start my workout again. mainly because that is draining enough, and i will feel better if i wait.

i stepped on the scale yesterday and was nothing less than disappointed in myself. BUT i know i can do it. i need to keep with it. shaun has been really great at encouraging me. and it's nice to have support from him. i just wish it wasn't winter in wisconsin! lol. i'd love to go walking/running more outside. but i hate the cold. and will avoid doing anything outside at all costs. so it's back to turbo fire. i wish i would've not let myself talk myself into just quitting it.

but i was in a valley. and it felt overwhelming to workout. actually to do a lot of things. so now that i've picked myself up out of that valley, i'm ready to do the workout again. i was also thankful for clarity of mind over the past few months. through my valley, i was dealing with a lot of things...but i was equipped. and was able to keep on plugging through it without letting the weight of things get me down. i also think, after dealing with post partum depression in the past, i was able to see the signs myself of a "depressed" like attitude and work through it, and talk to people about it. God is soooo good to give me the people i need in my life to talk to. and a pastor who was willing to say that depression is real. and if you're battling it...imagine what God is trying to do in your life that the enemy is fighting for you so badly. that spoke VOLUMES to me.

this post is really all over the place. i apologize for that. i need to cut out now though, because i have a lesson to prepare!! :)
i really truly hope to be back before weeks pass again!!