The Party's over...

my personal pity party, that is.
Enough.
I'm done.
It takes too much effort to be depressed, and I'm just too lazy to go on any longer.

So today starts operation:  GUT THE HOUSE!!
(It always sounds better with a fun title)

Projects:
-- Clear out Pantry
-- Weed out office
-- Transform basement library/storage/'just put the box here until we find something to do with it' room that now houses all of our 'junk' that we haven't found use for yet (seriously, if we haven't used it in almost a year... I think the next stop for it is Goodwill!), and turn it into the craft/sewing nook (maybe I will actually unpack my sewing machine that I got brand new last January... that has yet to see the light of day!)
-- Organize Storage room and make it into a real live food storage room (so my 36 boxes of brownies are not scattered hap-hazardly around the room.  and yes, there are 36 boxes of brownies.  We will not be wanting for chocolate in the famine, that's for sure!)
-- Find a home for everything, complete with labels and everything
-- Clear out a 'prepare for Education Week' nook to prepare my nine presentations for BYU-I education week.

Wish me luck.
If you don't hear back from me, you will find me buried somewhere in the catacombs of clutter.

Just another *gray* day in paradise...

please, someone, remind me why we live here??

I have been feeling very 'melan cally' (to quote my latest favorite cartoon, Mastermind) lately.

As in, pretty unmotivated to do much of anything.
Okay, REALLY unmotivated to do much of anything.

... except each chocolate.
Lots and lots of chocolate.

And then write in my book about how not to eat lots and lots of chocolate...

And drive through the sandy/muddy-colored-snow filled streets
and try to envision that there really is some semblance of green buried somewhere underneath the 3 feet of snow on our lawn.

And walk outside only to have my lungs burn and nostrils freeze together and feel my baby's whole body go rigid and her tears freeze.

And try to get creative with the kids and do a Valentines Day craft...
... which bombed...
Really.
They looked NOTHING like the magazine picture!
... including the happy smiling child - I guess that's why they only had one child working in the picture... trying to do it with 5 became a battle of "she took my spot!"  "He just shoved me!"  "Hey, I wanted that piece of yarn!" "eewww, this is too goopy! mom, you do it!"
(at least I tried??!)

And having the spewing forth of germs make their rounds again and again through the family.
(I don't think I can change one more 'spewy' diaper (and clothes, and blankets) without losing it, folks!)

I am really, really, REALLY, missing my family right now.
I miss fun weekend trips
And late night talks
And laughing so hard our cheeks hurt
And introducing new 'legendary' stories that make me laugh just by thinking about them
   (thop waffing at me, I'm sthill weely mad at woo!... Honk, bonk, and toot... oh the list goes on!)
And just plain being surrounded by people that know me in and out
And still love me anyway.
... even when they send us off with the ROOSTER!!
    (we really did almost turn around when we found it!!)

Is it bad that I am just plain sick of trying to make new friends in this revolving door city,
especially when I know so many will be leaving so quickly

And we'll still be here, chipping away at the snow and ice
And spending every cent of extra money on trips back home to see family...
and actually making that happen usually takes planning of epic proportions (and months of advanced vacation day-counting-and-submitting-for-approval groveling)

Nope, I'm not bitter.
not bitter at all.
Just a wee bit chilly
And a wee bit melan cally

but other than that..

It's just another gray day in paradise :)

Juggling...

... has never been something that I have been good at.
I have been amazed when I can see people juggling all sorts of crazy objects, all with a huge smile, and all without breaking a sweat.
Amazing.

Lately, however, I have been feeling like everywhere I turn, I have been picking up more things than I can hold, and have therefore resorted to juggling to try to keep them all afloat.

Like my house:
I would post pictures... but it's just plain embarrassing.
I don't think there's a single area that is actually clean and organized.
I keep thinking that deep down inside me there is a meticulously organized, minimalist person...
but right now she's buried underneath loads of clutter.

And not very good and juggling.

And then the kids
I know in some circles 5 kiddos is just getting started.
But in my circle, it's all I can do to keep up with them...
Keeping then fed and clothed is an added bonus.
When I actually get them to different destinations on time, it's a hallelujah moment.

Juggling gets a bit more comical when all 5 personalities come shining through...

like when we sign up 3 kids for ski lessons,
and my 5 year old (who really is amazonian-like in largeness) decides to turn into a spaghetti noodle, slipping through my arms multiple times as he whines 'I don't wanna go, I don't wanna go...' about 5 minutes after I had explained to the instructor that he was the best one out of the 3...

Or when I'm dragging all 5 kiddos out of bed to make it across town to 7 AM violin lessons.
Really?!  Where was my brain when that scheduling idea came through my juggling arms.
(Is it bad that I almost started crying with joy when the teacher cancelled all lessons this week??)


Then there's my book...
I know I know, I've talked about it so much, you're sick of hearing about it.
Each day as the sands of time slip through my fingers, I vow to plow through the last bits of it when the kids go down.
and then something happens when the kids go down...
My brain suddenly melts into mush,
My Body suddenly reminds me how much I have tormented it at the gym,
And I generally turn into a zombie, not really able to juggle anything else besides the TV remote.

Or the invention...
Yea, that's still in the juggling mix right now also.
Although I'm barely hanging on to that one by my fingernails...
Plugging away... at about a snails pace on that one.

Just enough to keep it in the juggling arena... and on my guilty conscience.

Not to even mention the additives, like friendships and relationships, calling stewardships... and all other types of -ships.

Those, well, have pretty much been getting all mangled in the juggle.

Sorry if you are one of those and have been feeling a bit - neglected- lately.  It's not that I don't think about you and want to revive the -ships...
Right now I just plain don't have enough arms to keep everything afloat.

And I think we have established the fact that I don't really know how to juggle.

So, please forgive me as I set down the juggling pins and just hibernate for a while and dig out of the avalanche of 'stuff' that has suddenly collapsed all around me.

... and maybe sign up for some juggling lessons

My kitchen counter...

pretty much describes my life right now...
everything kind of crazy
mixed up
disorderly
and all meshed together
a bunch of things, all having relevance and a place to be,
but nothing actually in it's place, and creating general
havoc in life.

And so goes my life lately...
everything kind of crazy
mixed up
disorderly
and all meshed together
I have a bunch of things on my plate, and everything that I have chosen to include in my life right now has direct relevance,
but I can't seem to find a specific place in time to accomplish everything I would like in an orderly manner,
and it's creating general havoc in my world.
Crazy.
... and I only seem to be moving at half speed to get it all in order.


It could be that I am still trying to re-enter real life after living in our car throughout the whole holiday season

and criss crossing the country to surprise various relatives

and having not one,

but two Christmases :)

 (at least a few of us got in some naps along the way...)

 and teaching not 2,

but four kiddos how to ski

(... which could not have been even half accomplished without the HUGE help of the Fisher Clan...  Again, THANK YOU so much for giving up your ski days to help our kiddos
climb out of tree banks,
stop tormenting each other on the lift,
re-snapping their ski boots after each fall
picking up the face-planted bodies
and generally taking on the monumental task of introducing a bunch of newbies to the ski hill!)



Having a ton of fun on the sledding hill

 
(and bribing Joshy into leaving early with me, even after his much protesting "I JUST WANT TO GO SLEDDING!")

 and then spending way...

way...

 WAY too many hours in the car on the way home...

Don't get me wrong, the trip was amazing - and SO worth it!!

I'm just having a few re-entry issues...

 at least that's what I'm blaming it on this week.

or maybe I can eek that excuse out for the rest of the month...

Our Version...

Of the answers to the Christmas letter :)
** if you didn't get the original you-fill-in-the-blanks-card, that means we don't have your address, or I am just plain brainless :)  (If you do want one, shoot me your address and I can still pop it in the mail!)

Merry Christmas 2010!!

It has been quite an eventful year in the Brewer household.  We moved to a new house and put down roots in Rochester.  We've done much working, playing, and general frolicking.

We didn't add any new members to the family, but our children keep growing faster and faster every day!

Seth, our oldest by a whopping 3 minutes, turned 8, got Baptized, and is in 3rd grade.  He loves spies, ninjas, and anything to do with light sabers, especially those from Star Wars.

Sarah, also 8, like Seth got baptized at our family reunion in Wyoming.  She is a very talented artist and loves to play with her friends.  She and Seth play the violin, although they don't like to practice.

Ben, age 5, just started kindergarten and has discovered a whole new world now that he can read.  He recently started playing the cello.

Joshua age 3, is extremely active, and keeps mom on her toes with his various antics.

Elizabeth just turned 1, started walking, can scream like a pterodactyl, and loves to snuggle with her blanket in mom or dads arms.

Jerry has been working at Mayo Clinic for over a year, and is loving it!  He cuts out skin cancer, and has been known to slice off a mole or two on the side.

Jen is still teaching aerobics, writing a book, and most of all tending to her kiddos.

As this Holiday Season approaches, we are most importantly grateful for the Gift of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and hope that this Christmas Season finds you all healthy and happy!

Happy Holidays!

The Brewer Bunch

We have never been accused...

... of doing things the easy way.

And Today was no exception.
Well, let's back up a bit first:
-- We have been in the house since April
-- With a 3 car driveway, we have said probably every month, "we should really get a snow blower before winter"
-- After our first storm last week and shoveling aforementioned driveway, again statement of, "ya know, we should really get a snow blower"

Fast forward to today:
-- Blizzard warning turns into a full fledged blizzard
-- we decide it's a great day for making some deliveries
-- only get stuck twice - one of those in front of our own house trying to get back into our (already shoveled twice and now showing no signs of shoveling) driveway

-- dig out, get the car in to have hubby say he is going to go finish up some more errands
-- me ask if he can just stay and do the errands on Monday (this statement did come back to haunt him)
-- me offer to help take the seats out of the van so he can get a snowblower (hint hint ;)  ).
-- hubby still unsure that we need one, says he's going to take the smaller car
-- me say probably not such a good idea, it's lower than the van and can get stuck easier

-- a few minutes later I look out the window to see hubby... in his car... right by our driveway... stuck

-- walk out to shovel out again and say, "the thing I want more than anything in the world for our anniversary is a snow blower"
-- we get the car unstuck and he's on his way
-- get a call a while later and hear, "I think I should have brought the van, this car is too low and gets stuck easy..."
-- starts getting dark - learned that all snowplows for the county have been called off due to the wind and blizzard
-- get another call:  hubby stuck at the base of hill
     (side note:  our house is at the top of quite a big hill - 2 ways to get here - both have quite a steep incline... so I guess you could say it really is "uphill both ways"... )
--- the good news is that he has a snowblower!
--- bad news - there is no way that the truck he got from home depot to bring it home is going to make it up the hill.
--- he tries the other hill.  Nothing.
--- we deliberate and decide to have me walk down the hill, walk the snow blower home while he takes the truck back to get his car.

--- tell kids I'm heading down the hill and will be right back.
--- walking down hill and into the wind and freezing snow gives me a whole new respect for the pioneers.
--- get to the truck to have both of us realize there is no way either one of us can lug the 100+ pound snow blower up the hill.  load it back in the truck, Jerry heads back to home depot.
--- I walk back up hill to home, only to find that within the time frame I stepped out, Joshy has clogged the toilet and water has flooded the bathroom, hallway, and halfway into the kitchen.  (seriously??!  Enough with the water issues already!!!)
--- clean up water (and kind of sort of lose it with the kids, who all just stood there watching the water getting spread farther and farther without putting down a single towel), get another call...
--- hubby tried a different plan (other than the one discussed about parking at gas station at bottom of hill and walking up, because the car wouldn't make it over the drifts, which now reached about knee height in the middle of the road)... and was stuck half way up hill.
--- after trying for quite a while, finally unloaded the groceries he had in the car, and walked the rest of the way - kids all bundled up and run out to meet him and help carry bags.
--- we all head back to car (yes, even 3 yo and baby are bundled up.
--- all kids in stuck car, us trying to shovel, push, rock and move car any which way.
--- sweet soul with snowblower comes and blows us a tire path up rest of the hill - we make it to the entrance of cul de sac.
--- get stuck.  again.
--- shovel.  again. thinking, 'wow, this would go so much faster with a snow blower... which we now own... that at one point in time was oh so close to our house... but is now sitting back at the store...'
--- another sweet neighbor takes pity and comes out with another shovel in hand to help dig path through the road and into driveway... then helps us push and shove and maneuver the car sliding and slipping
--- finally getting it into our driveway and garage
--- backwards and crooked
---  but in.

Nope - never accused of the simple, logical way of doing things.


...P.S. as I got in, defrosted, and opened the mail, this picture pours out of one of the envelopes...


Yep, true story.  Irony at it's best.  (Doncha just miss Minnesota like crazy, Marissa??!)

The Law of Natural Consequences...

... are beautiful when it helps to teach the children a lesson...

... like this morning, for instance, when I sent the boys up to shower

     (after Seth whined about having to take once, since 'we took one yesterday!')

... and they asked if they could take a tubo tub

... and I relented (something I would live to regret)

... and as I sat emailing friends trying to work out a babysitting swap to volunteer in the kids classrooms

     (see?!  that's what I get for trying to volunteer!)

... Sarah brought down Elizabeth, who was sopping from head to toe in her pj's after just walking by the bathroom

... apparently from the 'tidal wave' that was coming from the bathtub of the boys...

... and I walked up to find not simply a turbo tub... but a whole bathroom sized swimming pool

   (are you feeling a little de ja vou-ish about now... wasn't my last post about something to do with waters and bathrooms??!!)

... instead of ranting and raving, this time I simply had the boys get towels and clean up their own mess, every nook and cranny of their mess

    (okay, so I still ranted and raved a smidge while they were cleaning up their own mess... )

... but that's not the law that really sunk in with Seth.

... nope, the beauty of it came back in the way that because of the extra clean up time, we were late getting to school    (okay, true confession, I took my time a wee bit getting the little ones ready to make sure that we would be a little late, just to drive home the lesson... hey, I never said the law of natural consequences couldn't use a little help every now and then!!)

... and this child HATES to be late, especially to school. 

... as in, he would rather stay in the car and hide all day then have to walk in late to school 

   (... those of you know know me, know for sure that this trait came straight from his dad!!!)

So as we pulled up late to school, I simply said, "well, the extra clean up time made us late for school... I guess you'll think twice about making such a big mess in the tub next time."

   

Judging from the look of horror on his face as he made the walk of shame to the school door, I think for once he maybe kinda sorta learned the lesson :).

Child mess: a little inconvenient  

Motherhood moment of triumph: priceless!