Scary

Something really scary happened a couple of weeks ago and the severity of what could have been never really dawned on me until now. We went to an RC Airplane field to watch some RC planes fly. I had to feed Ethan and it was hotter than heck outside so I sat in the truck with the AC on and fed him while Phil took Emma to watch the planes with his dad. Well there was a little boy there around Emma's age so of course they began to play together. They were playing in the field that was facing me but was behind Phil so really Phil could not see her playing with this boy. Behind the field was woods...so to get the picture right in your head, there is Phil with his back towards the truck, me facing the field and woods directly behind the field. Well I see Emma stop playing and she begins talking to this older gentleman about something (still with the little boy mind you) I see him motion his hand "this way" and the three of them begin to walk to the woods with the man in the lead. By now the man is already in the woods and I jump out of the truck yelling at Emma to come over here as she gets to the tree line. She yells back to me "I just have to go potty." I begin freaking out, and yelling at her, yelling at Phil trying to get his attention and trying to get Emma to OBEY for once in her life. By the way I am barefoot and feeding Ethan at this point so I turn back around and start off towards the woods, but thankfully she listened and walked back to me. She said "mommy I just had to go potty." I told Phil to take her into the woods and help her to go and he did. Later in the truck I spoke to her about never going ANYWHERE with people she did not know. She said she told that man she had to go potty and he told her she could go into the woods like him and go.

It's so scary how trusting and innocent children are. What would have happened if I hadn't seen that? Thank God I did, but to me it seems so suspicious that a grown strange man would offer to bring a little girl in the woods to go potty. How do you explain to a 4 year old why that's so wrong without explaining everything? I told her to NEVER, EVER go anywhere with anyone she did not know especially to go potty. And that people who seems nice sometimes aren't and they want to hurt little kids (I hated even telling her that...how can she understand that?). Then I had to tell her that sometimes people who seem nice sometimes aren't and that they may offer her candy or presents so that she will go with them and that this is not good, and she should never go with them. I just hope it sank in. I've told her not to go with strangers before but she is 4......she forgets not to touch things in the store how is she supposed to remember something as big as that (especially if offered a gift)?

At the time it was a big deal, and we went over everything but I wasn't that emotional about it. For some reason I thought of it again tonight and am so thankful that she stopped and listened even if it took alot of yelling and me acting like a crazy person. Perhaps he was just an old guy who said "oh you can just go in the woods" and Emma misunderstood, but to me it sounds very wrong and very perverted. I hate thinking the worst in people but when it comes to my babies you can never be to protective!

Best birthday gift ever........

I forgot to mention in my last post that on Sunday night Ethan ate at 8:00 pm and then slept until 5:00 am the next morning. He ate at 5 and then went back to sleep until 8:00 am. I was so happy to be able to sleep in on my birthday. HAHA! That's funny huh? 5 am sleeping in! It's all relative I guess. The point is he actually slept his long spurt through the night. It was so awesome! He must have known it was his Momma's birthday on Monday and decided to let me sleep! Anyway, I just wanted to mention how awesome that was and how he did it out of the blue!

Good weekend!

Auntie Kati and Uncle Chad with the girls! Welcome home Chad!

Playing Barbies with Emma and Sabrina!

This is Emma and Phil's parents new dog Shellie. Their dog Laddie just got hit by a car and died on Tuesday so little Shellie is now their new addition!

We had a really fun weekend! Phil's sister Lanna and her husband Dan and their two kids Gabe and Sabrina came up for a welcome home party for our brother-in-law Chad who just came back from Afghanistan. These 3 cousins are so close in age....Gabe was born in October of 2001, Emma was born in January 2003, and Sabrina is March 2004....then we had some time before little Ethan came along!!! They all get along great now (besides the occasional fight but that's to be expected) and had so much fun riding 4 wheelers, and playing Barbies etc. Here are some pics of our weekend! And as many of you know I am now 27! Doesn't really feel any different...other than "oh my gosh I am 27!" Where did the time go! I swear as soon as you have kids the time just flies by! I will be the big 30 before I know it!

Thank God

My lifesaver arrived today in the mail. The baby sling finally arrived! It is very nice made of linen. As soon as I put Ethan in here he concked out which is amazing because we've had a rough day so far--as you can tell by the oh so happy look on my face. I should have known it was going to be hard though....Phil's sister is coming today with her family and there is lots to be done so of course he is going to be a pain. I really think he is teething now though. I can see his tooth buds, and everybody I say that too laughs at me and says it's too early, but he is drooling so much already, he constantly wants his hands in his mouth, and he is getting a running nose.......Now I know alot of things seem new this time around but I really think the teeth are coming sooner than later. We shall see. Thank God it was buy one sling get one free cause as I sat here to type he puked all over me! BATH TIME!

New issues

Why does is it that once you solve one problem another one comes your way? I just get Ethan all figured out and now we have difficulties with Emma. I am sure it's just her age and her feeling her oats but I just don't understand. Lately she has been blatently disobedient. She will ask for something and I will straight out tell her no, and then 5 minutes later I catch her doing/eating/playing with the exact thing I said no to. She is not stupid. She knows what the word no means, and the fact that she hides when she does it tells me that she knows she is wrong she just doesn't care. She wants to do what she wants to do. Tonight is was all over a popsicle. She went and got one on her own without asking, and then came walking in the living room, not only with the one she was eating but one in her other hand as well. Along with a pair of scissors to open the package because she can't open it on her own without help. So, not wanting to be too hard on her --maybe this is acting out because of Ethan-- I let her eat the one she was eating but told her that she needed to ask for them and that the other one had to be put back. "ok mommy" is the response I got. She even walked to the freezer (I couldn't supervise as I was feeding the baby) and apparantely pretended to put it back. Now it's bed time and I bring her up to read a story and tuck her in and I find the empty wrapper to the one I said to put back, and drips all over her white down comforter that was folded up for storage. I swear kids think we are stupid. There are red pop drips all over the blanket and wrappers on the floor and somehow she thinks I won't notice. She is smart enough to pretend to put the pop back but not smart enough to throw away the evidence! haha! Guess that's good cause then I know she is bad but what the heck!!!! I just want to scream.....she is 4 she knows NO means NO yet she does what she wants anyway. What goes through their little brains! haha!

Well new lesson for mommy......there will be twice the issues now...with the twice the kids! LOL! Tomorrow is a new day! Thank God! I am really not that stressed about the whole thing as much as I am appalled that she would purposely disobey. She's just testing the waters, but good ole mom here is not giving in!

High needs baby gets a routine

I am really starting the get the hang of this whole baby thing again. Ethan is starting to get into somewhat of a schedule and though he is still fussy I know what his routine is for now and I know that I can expect a break. I took him for his 2 month check up on June 9th and on June 8th he surprised me and slept from 6pm until 2am. I thought this was a fluke thing, but he has been continuing this pattern for about a week now. He may not neccesarily fall asleep right at 6 but it's usually somewhere between 6 and 7 and he will sleep until 2 or 3 am. Now if only I could go to bed at 6pm, but hey I am not complaining. It took Emma 4 months to sleep that long in one shot so I'll take what I can get. So he goes to bed between 6 and 7 gets up to eat at 2 or 3 then sleeps to about 5 or 6 and gets up to eat again. Then fussy time begins. Basically my whole morning is shot because he needs to be held and paid attention to. He eats again between 8 and 9 and is awake until about 11 am when he eats again and goes to sleep. He sleeps a good 3 hours at this nap, maybe more I never really counted because I thought for sure this routine would not continue. Anyway he is up by 3 and then eats and fusses some more until about 6 when he eats again and then is down for the night...well until 2am!

But you know what? Knowing this schedule actually makes the fussiness a little more bearable. Now I know that my mornings are shot and I shouldn't even try to get things done because I need to hold him....and that's okay because I know I can catch up when he is down for his nap. I was reading a little bit about the colic and it seems to be clearing up slowly, we don't have AS many issues after feedings, but I also came across an article about "high needs" babies. And though he is not totally out of control he is definately more high needs then Emma was. The 12 signs of a high needs baby are 1. being intense 2. hyperactive (hating to be swaddled always moving etc.) 3. Draining 4. Feeds frequently 5. Demanding 6. Awakens frequently 7. Unsatisfied 8. Unpredictable 9. Super sensitive 10. Can't put baby down 11. Not a self soother 12. Separation Sensitive.

Ethan is numbers 1, 2, 3, 5, 10, & 11 Not sure about #12 until he is a bit older but I think we may have a problem with it because he likes me SO much. So he has about half of the symptoms. But reading about parents with high needs children and how they have grown up made me put some things into perspective. For instance Being Intense or Driven as they like to call it....."The same drive that gets your toddler into trouble also leads him to a level of creativity toward which other children may not venture. Your job is to help him drive more carefully and on roads that he can handle." Drive is very important in an adult, especially a male, and especially if he believes as Phil and I do and he becomes the sole bread winner for the family.....Being driven, though difficult now, is really a great quality to have.

2.Hyperactive---Ethan hates to be swaddled and moved so much inside me and still does to this day. "These motor traits are part of the baby's personality. They may be hard to live with at times, but this restlessness is not necessarily a negative trait. Some highly creative, world-changing people were at one time or another labeled hyperactive as a child."

3.Draining---boy is this true this little guy sucks the life out of me at times "Many mothers seem to have an internal energy gauge that magically brings in more fuel just as the tank nears empty. There will be days of incessant holding with no breaks. But just when you feel you can't cope with another day of giving, you get a second wind, and suddenly you can relax and enjoy your baby's unique personality blooming. It's as if baby senses mother's breaking point and backs off a bit. There probably won't be any days off, but some days will be less difficult than others." Saturday was just this for me....but I have my second wind.

4. Demanding---this child seems as if he can't wait for anything. He wakes up starving and wants food now....forget about even getting a clean diaper on him--if he wants to be held he cries until he gets that as well. This seemed to be very annoying until I read this "Being demanding is the trait of high need children that is most likely to drive parents bananas, but it is also the trait that drives children to succeed and excel. A high need child with a corresponding demanding personality will, if nurtured and channeled appropriately during the formative years, exhaust teachers as she did her parents; yet she will also be able to extract from adult resources, such as teachers, the level of help and education she will need to thrive in academic and social endeavors. This is why it is so important not to squelch an infant's expressiveness. The ability to know one's needs and be able to comfortably express them is a valuable tool for success in life." What a great tool he has already. He is decisive...he knows what he wants...he communicates it to us clearly and really he will not settle. Though this can cause heads to butt at times this is clearly a great trait to have as adult as well.

5. Can't put Baby down--Yes, yes, and yes. The child loves me. He even sleeps on my chest at night. "High need babies crave touch: skin-to-skin contact in your arms, at your breasts, in your bed. They extract whatever physical contact they can from their caregivers. They also crave motion. Holding is not enough; the holder must keep moving. If the holder wants to sit down, it had better be on something that rocks, glides, or swings. This constant holding may be particularly difficult for new parents who expected to have the magazine model baby, the one who lies quietly in the crib gazing at expensive mobiles. This is not the play profile of the high need baby. Parents' arms and bodies are his crib; mother's breasts are his pacifier, and a bouncing lap is his chair. Most high need babies choose to upgrade their accommodations from the crib or playpen to the baby sling. They like to be worn many hours a day because they like the physical contact and they like to be up where the action is. Smart babies." I ordered a sling and can not wait until it arrives!!

6.Not a self soother--Though Ethan likes pacifiers he likes for us to hold him and hold it in his mouth for him. Ethan is not a baby to just "cry it out" He will scream, and scream, and scream until you pick him up. The screams don't fade, they get louder and more intense and at times he has even made himself puke......I am so not looking forward to toddler years with him...God please help me! "The quality of wanting people instead of things as pacifiers, while initially exhausting, will eventually work to the child's advantage. The child will have a better grasp on interpersonal relationships, especially being comfortable with the quality of intimacy."

So if I take all this into account alot of these traits aren't so bad to have afterall. They just need some guidance and moulding for the traits to be used for good, and not against him. Cause really every trait can be good or bad depending on how it's nutured. I am hoping that I can meet all of his needs now and properly direct these personality traits for good!

Happy Baby...................for the moment

Rough days with the baby!

Today I finally realized that my son, indeed has colic! A mild case of it, but colic nontheless. I was always led to believe that "colic" was inconsolable crying for 3 hours straight.....which is not what Ethan has. But since I was still having problems with him crying, except for when I held him so I started to do more research. Apparantly colic is a gassy, digestive problem which makes babies cry. Their digestive tracks haven't matured enough yet, and it cause alot of turmoil...mostly after feedings! Exactly what Ethan has. Supposedly it goes away around 3 months and that's right around the corner for us, and I am hoping that this will clear up sooner then later. I feel so bad for him because I can tell that he is in pain but there is nothing that seems to help except holding him in this one position...which makes eating, cooking, bathing...just about anything difficult to do. And if I am not holding him and trying to feed Emma, all he does is scream and cry. Which makes you feel bad for him but will also drive you to the nut house if it goes on long enough. I have a baby bjorn front back but he doesn't seem to like it very much...well that position very much so I just ordered a sling to carry him around in. Then he can lay in the position that he likes and I can also tend to Emma, and maybe actually be able to go to the bathroom a couple times a day! I do really feel bad for him, it's so exhausting to have a baby like this. Not that it would have been better, but it would have been easier if I didn't have another child to care for. But that's real life and we'll get through it....but just as everything...it really stinks going through it and before you know it, its a distant memory and you may even ponder another child! Trust me that's the furthest thing from my mind right now, but who knows what the future may hold.

Not feeling well.....and a realization

I am so tired today and I have allergies...BAD! My head is pounding and my throat hurts...so overall things are just peachy....oh did I mention that Phil is gone tonight too. So, its yucky feeling me on my own with the two kids. I bought some claritin today so I am hoping that I will be feeling better once it's built up in my system. I did however have a partly exciting day. I went to the supermarket today to just get the buy one get one deals, and to purchase some stuff with double coupons. I have never used a stores double couple offer before, but wow did it make a difference. I saved $30 along with coupons and BOGO. I have never saved that much..this may be a new addiction for me even though I hate cutting coupons.

So as I sat here at the computer earlier today writing out the bills...YIPEE! I was watching Emma play outside and she encouraged me (by her actions alone) to go out and be a kid as well. I am always stressed out trying to get things done while Ethan sleeps. I have very little time to accomplish anything while he is awake or in a mood and really needing me. So when he does fall asleep somewhere other than my arms...I am running around like a crazy person tryin to do laundry, dishes, bills, etc. But today I watched Emma run around outside talking to her imaginary friends, and throwing herself on the ground hands behind her head, just starring at the clouds and naming all the cloud pics she saw, I felt something say "that the bills can wait and this is what its all about." Yes it's important to do the everyday tasks, but my most important job is my children. I feel like at times I am very selfish with my time (though I rarely do anything for me) running around trying to get clean laundry, dishes etc. When really my kids don't care about that. So I dropped what I was doing, and went outside with her and swung on the swings for a bit and kicked the ball around and had some fun while Ethan slept. Then we came in and she ate while I finished up some things but I sat at the table with her and just talked to her. I asked her what her favorite part of today was and she said "swinging and kicking the ball." That short time that I spent with her meant more to her than anything today, and I am so glad I listened to that voice, got up and did something with her.

Now granted I won't be able to drop everything all the time and run around outside, but I think that every once and a while it's important to do just that. These times with our children are so precious, and I think it's so easy to get caught up in the everyday mundane tasks and stresses, that we forget about these amazing little people that were put into our lives. Yes we butt heads at times (she is alot like her dad and that's not a bad thing, I just think you tend to gravitate towards the child that is more like you. And if they aren't like you it's hard to understand them at times) but just watching her run and be carefree was so beautiful. And I know that sounds cliche but she just looked so cute out there w/o a care in the world. It's important, even as adults, to pretend we dont' have cares every now and then. The whole family will be happier for it!

2 month check up

So many of you already know all this but I wanted to post it because like I said before, I have been lacking in the baby book department. It is much faster to come on and type a little blurb then it is to find the time to sit and write.

So Ethan weighed 12 lbs 5 ounces at his check up and was 23 1/2"long. He is in the 75th percentile for his age. We'll see if that lasts though. Emma was always tall and skinny for her age, now she is short and skinny! Guess its better than short and fat! LOL!

Last day of school

Today was Emma's last day of school! I went there at 11:00 today to watch the "crossing of the bridge" ceremony where they actually walked over a real wooden bridge and accepted their diploma for graduating Pre-K 3. Too funny. She will be attending Pre-K 4 there next year because she missed the cut off date for graduation. In a way I am glad about this because I don't think I am ready to let her go all day everyday to kindergarten. At least this way she is only going 3 days a week for 2 1/2 hours a day. Mommy needs one more year to warm up to the all day every day thing. I know I will have to let go sometime but it's hard seeing your first baby get so big! It must be even harder seeing your last baby get so big. I'm sure I will post about that when the time comes!

They were sent home with so many momentos today and they were all so cute. One of which was a big blue piece of construction paper that had little hearts glued to it. And on each heart was the name and "self portrait" of each child in the class. It's so funny to look at a 4 yr olds drawing of themselves. But sadly to say, my self portrait wouldn't be any better looking than Emma's was....I still draw stick figures! Haha! It will be neat to have when all these kids are in high school together! Some of these kids, I'm sure, will be her friends for many many years. I myself miss that. I don't have any friends here yet, and it seems when I do make friends we move, or they move.....ok enough of the pity party...this is supposed to be a happy day!!!

They also sent home a paper with basic skills on it, colors, shapes, numbers, letters etc. that the children were quizzed on throughout the year. They list how old your child was at each testing and it shows you the progress they made throughout the year. I am proud to say that Emma knows and has learned everything she needed to so far. One question that was on the paper that I found interesting was "who is God?" The first time she was asked this she was 3 and she answered "my mom and dad." I feel like this is so true....out of the mouth of babes....
Children get their perception of God through us. Much of our attitudes, actions etc. shape their own relationship and faith in God. It sort of makes you think twice before doing something that may not be 100% right. Even if we don't notice the eyes of our children watch every move we make. They are big sponges and pick up on everything. I just hope that I can be a good example for both of my kids even when I think they aren't watching.

He laughed.....

Ethan laughed today! It was so cute! He had just eaten and fell asleep in my arms (as usual) and he giggled and opened his eye a bit. So I smiled at him and asked "what's so funny?" Obviously not expecting an answer since he is only 2 months old....but he did answer...he giggled again. Too cute! Now if I can get him to do it while he is awake! He must have some pretty funny dreams though! LOL!

I am posting this stuff here because I have been a little lazy about the baby book with him. I don't have much time to sit and write, right now so if worse comes to worse I can print this and place it in his book! Oh, modern mom's!

Some progress

So I tried to start organizing some things today. We had a rough day with Ethan because he didn't want to sleep unless I held him so it made it kind of hard to do much. But I dropped Emma off at school and got some little drawer organizers at the Dollar store so I have 2 of the drawers organized and the pantry cleaned out. That's about all I did...but hey...baby steps right. Laundry is still on my couch and probably won't get done tomorrow either since we have a school picnic tomorrow and I have to go to the mall that's an hour away to get Emma's teachers a gift. That will be an all day project! Thursday we have a "Crossing the Bridge" ceremony from Pre-K 3 to Pre-K 4 so I will be there for 2 1/2 hours during school and then Friday is poor little Ethan's check up with his first round of shots....my poor little guy! In the Navy it seemed intimidating because they had 2 people give all the shots at once, but in reality it was a great idea. In the civilian world it happens one at a time and he has to get 4 or 5 of them. I am really dreading them. Plus I have to do that with Emma I am just praying she will be a good girl! So this may be the end to organizing for the week but I DID do something so we'll see how it goes. Oh yah, and I listed some things on ebay as well so that was productive. And I yelled at a credit card person for lying to me........I hate how they say anything to get you to sign up. This one is for Phil's work and it helps get points when he stays away. We can redeem points for gift cards or free hotel nights and we get more points when using this credit card which we already use one for his nights away so it wasnt' a big deal. But the offer was in my name and they said they could merge the account with his so all the points would rack up faster and now come to find out they can't! Of course they can't ...........I should have known better. Oh well. I am off to shower because I know that will not happend tomorrow morning before the picnic...I still need to go to the grocery store to get hot dog rolls to bring before it all starts.....GEEZ! Well at least I am not bored.

Boy am I on a roll tonight.....

Ok so here are some pics of my house that quite frankly I am very embarrassed to post. But I think the public humilitation will help keep me accountable. Afterall the truth shall set you free....so why pretend that everything is under control and perfect! So these are pics of my downstairs since both the kids are sleeping upstairs I thought it best to just take shots of the downstairs for now. There is clutter everywhere! Notice all the laundry I have to fold.....why in the world do we have this many clothes? This isn't even all of our clothes either....and for some reason I still find the need to buy cute things when I see them. I think I am addicted to clothes shopping!

My kitchen is just a mess.....I try to keep up with the dishes and I do pretty well with that. But our counters are often mucked up with papers and miscellaneous objects. Also notice the pile of toys in the middle of the floor that I was too tired to make Emma pick up, and too tired to do it myself...so there they will sit until tomorrow.

My bathroom very typical....everyone but me showers and leaves their clothes all over the floor, then I have to go back and clean it up. But tonight that is not happening. I need me time...not clean time. Is it really that hard to bring clothes to the hamper? I guess so cause no one ever does it.

And finally a picture of the stairs. That bag has been sitting there for a week.......it's mine....and why I haven't cleaned it out and put it away is beyond me. Something so simple but I just can't seem to do it.

I think my main problem is that I dont know how to organize and declutter so often times things sit and just get worse because the problem is so overwhelming to me. But I am really getting sick of it all. We are overloaded with things we dont really need.

So here's my messy downstairs.......my goodness it's horrible....I really need to get on the ball.

Week One: Dial "G-O-D"

Here is week one from the Clean Heart Challenge copied from www.acleanheart.com

I love the Lord, because He has heard my voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live. Psalm 116:1-2 (NKJV)

You know the kind of mess you're in. You know how you feel about it too. But even if no one else knows or can understand, there is Someone who does. You cannot hid from Him. He knows everything. He knows how you got here and the reason why. He knows all the answers. So why not ask? Have you tried? He IS listening. He does hear you cry out to Him. He hears your voice. And He does answer. Maybe not as we would have imagined or in our timing, but He does answer. And here's something you may not have thought of before....He loves to have you need Him. Hear that? He lvoes to have you need Him.

Mayver you've drifted away. Maybe the Lord is breaking you to bring you back. Maybe the Lord jsut needs you to "pick the phone up and call." You need not worry about the long distance charge. He's already paid that with His Son. For you it's free. All you have to do is pick up the phone and dial. There will be no busy signal. he will not put you on hold to answer the other line. You do not have to leave a message. He is there, waiting with great anticipation for it to ring. He will be excited to hear you, and will love to have you need Him. CAll upon Him todays and tomorrow. Call upon Him as long as you live. He has been there before and will be there again.....today, tomorrow, and always.


This is something that I have forgotten over time. We sit in our situations and often feel alone, like no one understands but in reality there IS someone there who understands. If only we would ask we would receive. I don't know how many times I have felt lonely. I am a stay at home mom--which in today's society is a dying breed. No one I know stays home with their children anymore. It's almost frowned upon, like what we do is insignificant because we don't receive a paycheck or that title. At times I know I even belittle myself by saying "oh I JUST stay home with my kids." as if what I do is of no value when in reality we as moms, have the most important job in the world. I am so thankful that I am able to stay home, and in order to do this we do sacrifice a bit with Phil not being home everynight of the week. Are there times when I feel alone.....YES....are there times when my children drive me crazy....YES....are there times I wish that the responsibility wasn't mostly mine....YES....but I wouldn't trade it for anything when I see my son roll over for the first time, or when I catch my daughter singing and dancing and twirling around in her own little world. I couldn't imagaine these moments being missed by myself, and seen by strangers.

I think I often forget to ask God for help with the simple things. I often worry about how we will pay bills, how scary the world is becoming, or how I will even make it through a rough day. But that is what He is here for. And though I dont' know the future He does and He is in control. It's ok to ask God for things as silly as they may seem.......such as decluttering our house and lives. He care about the little things, and He has the answers. If He cares for even the littlest sparrow...how much more does He care for us and our lives?

I need to take a lesson from my son, and be totally trusting and reliant on my heavenly daddy, just as he is totally reliant on myself and my husband. He doesn't have to think if his needs will be met he just cries out even over the most basic of needs.....food, water, clean diapers.....and knows that I will be here to fufill them. God has given me these children and I have to trust that God will supply the means to take care of them. And as I embark on this decluttering challenge I need to remember that I can call out to God for a clean house and He will help direct and guide me through this process. Cause God knows I can't do this alone......I truly am a SLOB!!

Cleaning up and clearing out.

Ok so I am a bit of a slob. I am very disorganized and my house seems to be messy all the time. We have too much stuff and too little space. I came across the Colossal Clutter Clean-Up and am personally going to try to accept this challenge. I feel like I am always behind, and our lives are overfilled with things, which are nice to have, but aren't everything and seem to cause more work, more frustration and more anxiety. This is an 8 week challenge and I hope to stick to it and will blog and update along the way. If anyone would like to join me the whole challenge guidebook can be found at www.cleanheart.com