Clutter, clutter, everywhere

Okay, so when we bought our 1650sqft. house, it was just Blair and I and we had lots of room. Now, 5 years and 2 kids later, our house seems so small and I feel like I'm drowning in clutter. The front room has a train table and bigger toys like the Fisher-Price farm, house, rock quarry and garage; and those are just Nicholas' We also right now have boxes of clothes to down into the crawl space, pictures and art to be hung and baby gifts to be delivered...all in that front room. The kitchen/great room is no better, with "junk" (stuff that has no proper place) all over the counters, papers to be shredded, recycled and did I mention that the dining room table has become the dumping ground for newspapers, kids shoes and slippers, hats and more stuff to be shredded or recycled? We have a book shelf that is supposed to be for our books, a phone and the stereo, but is once again cluttered with "stuff" that needs to be out of reach of the little hands. In the great room/family room, where we spend most of our time has Claire's toys, a second book shelf for DVD's and Nicholas' books, a toy box in a small alcove and you guessed it, all of it full of "stuff". Behind our big t.v. is more stuff to keep out of reach of little hands.

Arggh, I just feel like everywhere I look, there is stuff that needs to find a home or be tossed. Now, I'm not blaming anyone, those of you who know me, know that Blair is a great help around the house and does more than his fair share of cleaning. It just seems as though we can't keep on top of this clutter. It doesn't help that I have new house fever and would love a bigger house where, in my mind, we would be forced to organize our "stuff". In a bigger house, we'd have a room for the toys and they wouldn't be EVERYWHERE! Unfortunately for me, we're not in a position to move for another year or so, which means, in order to remain sane, I've got to get a handle on this clutter.

Deep breath....Okay, that's my rant for the day. Now back to the clutter

The time has come....returning to work

So, the day has finally come....maternity leave is over and I am returning to work. I have mixed feelings about the whole thing, because I really like being home with my kids, taking them to Strong Start and doing my fitness classes, but EI really doesn't pay much and we need the income. Right now, I'm trying the wrap my mind around how I'm going to get up early, get both kids dressed, fed and out the door to daycare and me to work. Of course, Blair will help me and Claire can go in her pajamas and both kids can eat breakfast at daycare, but still. I'm sure that, like when I went back to work after Nicholas, I'll get into a routine and it'll become automatic, but for right now, it's overwhelming. I look forward to only working 3 days a week and only for 3 and a half months (until the school year ends) and the increase in income too.

So, here I go, preparing for a return to work.

Four Years Ago

Four years ago today, I got married. Amidst threats of snow and frosty weather, we prepared to get married at the Newlands gazebo with no back up plan. Happily, the sun came out and while it was chilly enough for the guests to need long sleeves or jackets, I wore my strapless dress and had the wedding that I had hoped for. I stood at the end of the aisle, looking down at Blair, so handsome in his tux, tears in his eyes and saw my future.

Now, four years later, I still remember that day and how I felt. In four years, Blair and I have made our life together, bought a house and are raising our family. And I still look at Blair, holding one or both of our children, even more handsome and I see my future, best friend and my love. Happy Anniversary, my love.

My baby girl is 1

Today, my daughter, Claire turns 1. She has been in our life for a whole year and its so hard to believe that its been 1 year. Where did the time go? It seems like just yesterday we were at the hospital with a new, dark-haired, blue eyed baby girl. She was so tiny and helpless, dependent on us for everything. Now, a year later, she's moving around on her own, discovering her world, feeding herself, chatting up a storm and watching her brother's every move. I can't wait to see how she will grow and learn, but a part of me is still sad to see my new, tiny baby girl, growing up. Happy Birthday to you, my sweet baby girl. I love you.