What's up

So I had a goal to do more and blog more, and things have been going pretty well. Part of my goal (inside my head) was to just be happy with what I did get done each day even if it wasn't as much as I'd hoped for. I have been trying to do at least one extra (non-basic) thing each day - though some of my non-basic things are probably other people's basic things...

I actually have been blogging more - I just haven't posted all that many. I have a hard time keeping things short - and sometimes as I start writing things and getting personal I have to think about what I really want to include for the public eye and what not to, or I just want to add some photos or more stories and don't have time to. So I have a few unpublished drafts.

Just wanted to do a quick (for me) update unpublished drafts aside. Some random things so I don't go overboard with it.

I've started exercising again! I'm using TV shows I can watch on my Ipod to motivate me - saving them up for when I'm riding the recumbent bike.

It seems like whenever I especially want to get more things done the thing I most need to do more is sleep. However, I think when I do get more sleep it actually helps me lose weight. Just need Sierra to consistently cooperate.

Sierra has passed the 9 month mark and I need to post some new pictures because I have some super cute ones! She has 6 teeth and is working on 7 - 10. Today I walked out of the living room for a second and when I came back in she was standing on top of a storage container of toys Mike sticks in front of a little decorative table of my parents in order to block her from it - hands up on the table to reach some books she wanted to eat. Man, she looked tall. They just grow faster, I think, the more kids you have. She still hasn't figured out that she could easily crawl under the ottoman that we use to block her in the front room, but unfortunately she is getting closer to learning how to crawl up and over it. She is so much more into everything than Lily was as a baby. I figured that would happen - though Lily is getting more into everything now!

Lily has been running a non-stop valentine shop for 3 days - making valentines for friends and family. She couldn't wait for me to help. She is so excited for tomorrow. We're spending the day as a family and planning to use our passes to go to the zoo. Mike has been working so hard trying to launch his new career - like all day every day...he is either working at it or thinking about it - it will be nice to have a day just to think about our family and have some fun!

Lily got to a hard spot in the reading lessons we have been doing. Not that the material was that much harder, maybe just a little monotonous. She's been having a hard time staying focused on her lessons so much that they started to take about 4 times as long as they should with us all getting way too frustrated. I really didn't want to give up on them when she hadn't finished them all and she was so close to getting her promised reward, but I seriously considered it. I don't want to make reading something she dreads - though with her love for library books I doubt that will really happen once she gets more proficient. We tried different unsuccessful methods of motivating her, and then switched things up by alternating days with some math lessons too. Finally I figured out just reformatting the lesson in the book on a piece of paper so it didn't have all the instructions for the parent and it looked shorter, and skipping some of the repetitiveness has helped her get though it much better. I've also learned a few techniques in the way I talk to her about it that help her get back on track. If I can just remember what worked and what didn't :) I think she will make it through the end and get her trip to the movies. And she's gotten better at counting and recognizing numbers - she no longer skips 15!

So we're plugging along, thoughts of Kindergarten looming on the horizon. Getting used to being a family of four and trying to get used to new responsibilities and make new routines. Oh, life! I am so glad for silly little holidays that mean so much to kids and the kid in me and remind us to do a little something extra fancy and fun now and again. Hope you all have a lovely Valentine's!