Been a good long time since I updated here.....life has gotten away from me it seems.  We just got done with Winter break, time for our public schoolers to go back to school today as well as Katie.  She had a few subjects she needed to get caught up on so I am giving her the rest of the week to get finished.  We are getting some super deep cleaning jobs done after everyone being home for the holidays.  Plus she is getting ready to head off to our church's winter retreat this weekend as well.  We moved the youngest girls' into a room together to give our tween her own room over vacation as well.  It is freezing here....I know it is much colder all over the country but, for Texas woo hoo this is COLD!!!!  Gonna get colder over the next few days too.....brrrrr

I have lost lots of bookmarks on my other computer plus life....well you all know how it can get away from you.  Katie is actually a junior this year but, we are hoping and praying this will end up being her senior year.  She is going to try to take the GED classes then the actual test after next birthday.  We are doing her English and Texas History both using the internet this year.  She is taking Spanish, Algebra, Geography, and Bible as well.  I have started a new excercise regimen, (Katie is doing it with me, as her P.E.) since my Dani (6th grade) and Hellie (2nd grade) are in public school I have to get them on the bus each morning.  So we walk them to the bus, then take a three mile fast/slow walk to a nearby walking track where we fast walk a lap then head back home.  I am gonna do this the whole school year, will be interesting to see what the end result is. I am also several times a week doing Hip Hop Abs to pump my exercising up.  I am already noticing a difference in my energy level, sleep patterns, and how my clothes are fitting.  We have gotten back into a rythym with our schedule....girls' are loving being back to school!  I am back to my regular meeting schedule as well...MOPS, home school group, running the kids' around to things, and women's bible study.  I was ready to get back to "normal" but now I am tired ;)

My Dani is on the front page of one of our local papers for being apart of a peer mediation group. She is one of my public schooled kiddos who is getting really involved with helping out at school.  I was so surprised when the paper came yesterday and pleasantly so!! I am one proud momma....God sure has this girls' heart to help others.  She is also helping with the daily flag ceremonies, balancing her studies, doing peer mediation, and is playing viola in the orchestra.  We just got report cards in last week and she is on the A-B honor roll.  She has taken several standardized tests this year and her most recent one for reading she tested at a 11th grade 5th month reading level which put her in the top two spot for reading in the whole school.  I am just so pleased she is doing so well and that this family's love of reading has transferred so well to each of my girls'.  Other than loving getting the paper not much out of the norm has happened.  Today we got the house picked up, the bathroom cleaned, trash taken out, trash cans brought in, bathroom rugs cleaned, and dinner done.  It was SO good too chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes with gravy, and corn.

They are so cute.....I won their Superstar c.d. at a MOPS meeting and decided I would give it to Hellie for Christmas.  They have taken traditional worship songs and kids praise songs and given them a cute beat.  Turns out my little Ela is absolutely in love with this c.d.  She keeps coming to me saying "Dance and Sing Momma" and bringing me the disc.  It is playing right now as I type.  Those with little kids' should check it out.

Today we are back to school YAY......I needed the break but I was beginning to feel out of whack without our usual consistency.  I got up and got the middle girls' who were excited off to the bus stop, made coffee, got to sip it in the quiet till everyone else got up, put on my spa socks and we had breakfast...bananas and yogurt bars YUM.  Then we got dressed, cleaned up the house, and now I can sit for a bit while Ela "dances" and Katie is finishing her school work.

Will have only a tad of picking up to do now after lunch, then all that is on the books is dinner, a baby shower for two friends, and Mike will do the nightly wind down with the girls' while I get a Mom's Time Out YAY YAY YAY YAY!!!!

This time of year is so hectic....mostly in good ways but there have been a few days I have been totally wiped out.  I have gotten the house totally decorated, all my baking done, all my parties and functions are over SNIFF, all the presents have been bought (still have wrapping to do), all my christmas crafts are done, all my christmas cards are mailed, and my turkey is in the freezer.  We have the family that we go to church with (that have become like our own family) coming over for Christmas dinner, which is going to be so much fun!!!!  I also have Katie's work already organized for the week we go back to school.  That way I will get three and a half weeks off from working up assignments WOO HOO, LOL.  We are gonna do a huge clean up of the house on Tuesday and then we should be ready for the festivities.  Today I got Dani and Hellie off to the bus then I was able to go back to bed for a bit.  Got up and had some Mint Chocolate Truffle coffee and a toaster strudel it was really good.  Then we picked up the house and we just had a yummy lunch and cleaned up after that.  Tonight we are gonna have stroganoff for dinner and the girls' have youth group so I will watch Bones and read some more of my last Mitford book.