My New Baby

Jasper

Jasper is a full bread Chihuahua. The kids love him.  The best part for me is that he is a little over a year old, so he is young enough to be puppylike, but old enough to be potty trained.

The Boys at Bedtime

My Pretty Girl

I made this dress 2 years ago.  It finally fits!

She loves to have curly hair.

The prettiest little girl ever!

Getting Back on Track

I have made some decisions lately that make me feel like I am getting my life back on track.  I think that if I can get me straightened out, it will make life easier for my kids. These are the decisions I am starting to make:

1. I am going to pay tithing.  I have struggled with this my entire adult life.  I fee like it is something I need to do however.
2. I starting having family home evening with my kids.  I am realizing that they don't remember the basic stories that they learned when they were little.  They seem to not remember how to be reverent during prayer either.  I am also using it as a time to play with the kids and answer questions that they may have (last night was all about them wanting a puppy).
3. I am putting more effort into my job.  I don't want to be there forever, but since I don't have another job in sight, I am trying more and hoping for a promotion or schedule change.
4. I am trying to find more time for alone time with each kid.  They need the attention and are asking for the alone time.  It is the least I can do for them.
5. I am scheduling my personal chores throughout the week so that I make sure everything gets done.  My poor dog doesn't get bathed as much as she should be and I am not good at keeping track of what I have and haven't done.  Most people would probably say that this is simple and easy to do, but I have never been the best at keeping my house the way I really want it.
6. I am going to budget each paycheck and pay attention to my spending.  I have done a lot of listening to Dave Ramsey's pod cast in the last year or so.  I wanted to implement changes in the out goings of money before, but didn't get much cooperation.  I now have no one else to answer to or someone that would have to answer to me.  The more healthy my budget gets, the better I can get the things for my kids that they need like clothes and food.

I am hoping that by making these changes life will get easier for the kids and me.  I am feeling positive about the changes I have already put into place and the ones that I am just starting. My kids are more important to me than anything in the world, and I know if I take care of me, I will be able to better take care of them.