Adventures.

Wow. 
Long time no blog. 
We have a new camera, so that's not an excuse (thanks, Sue - I appreciate the encouragement :) )
I think it's more that every time the kids are down and I have some alone time, what I most want to look at is the back of my eyelids. 
It will be better now that we're home from vacation.
 
Getting ready for vacation is usually a harrowing experience.  Difficult enough that it makes me never want to leave the house.  Like ever. 
It is hard enough to get everyone ready for school in morning...to get us ready to leave the house for a week is akin to pulling out toenails.
 
We all have been working very hard to get our house organized and a place that we love to be.  We have all been decluttering and sticking to a loose cleaning schedule. 
The kids are helping consistently with laundry and cleaning and while the work seemed to be daunting initially, we're finding that having stuff done is freeing us up to do the things we really want to do.  It can be a struggle to get everyone to participate and  I will be the first to admit I feel like pulling my hair out sometimes.  I mean...it's great that we're finally getting pictures on the walls and that it's easier to relax in our house, but getting ready for vacation was the first time we could really see the fruits of our labors. 
I finally listened to advise and hired the young lady across the street as a Mother's Helper for 2 hours last Friday.  Best money we have spent in a long time.  In those 2 hours, the house got cleaned, laundry got done, people got packed and the car was prepared to go.  Because all of us had worked to get stuff done and having Hannah entertain the kids for a couple hours, it wasn't a struggle like it normally is.
We were rip-roaring and ready to go by that afternoon instead of scrambling madly in the wee hours before leaving.
It.  Was.  Awesome.
And it seems like such a stupid thing to write about now.  It's really not a big deal.  We got ready for vacation and it wasn't as difficult as it normally is.  Whoop-ti-do.  But it was nice to see the hard work we have done allow us to leave a day early for vacation and to enter the week in the right frame of mind instead of harried and exhausted.
So when Jim got home from work and all four kids came downstairs in the PJs because they wanted to play "Christmas", we seized the moment by sitting their butts in 5 point harnesses and making our way up to Rochester.  :)
I'm finding that this motherhood gig is all about the little victories.  :)

A little victory - putting pictures that we treasure up on the walls.