Enter Motivated Moms.  I’ve used this calendar for several years now. I have at times fallen off the motivated wagon but Motivated Moms always makes it easy to jump right back on.  Reasons why I love this calendar:

• It has a daily list of chores.  Things such as laundry, making beds, feeding pets, and emptying trash cans.  Sure this is stuff that we do everyday but it feels good to check something off the list, and it helps remind me to get the laundry going early or the dishes.  They are also chores that I can assign to a child.  My 3 year old empties the bathroom trash cans.  He can also change kitchen towels.  The girls can help make beds.  Everybody makes the mess so everybody should be accountable for cleaning up.
• It includes things that I would never think of doing regularly.  Things like dusting the dining room light fixture or washing the windows in one room.  It gives you easy tasks that you can do quickly.  Just the other day it said “clean living room glass”.  I have no mirrors so I took the opportunity to wash the three windows in the living room.  It took me 30 minutes of time and it looks so nice.  And I know that the other rooms will come up eventually.
• It reminds me to set aside time to plan ahead for birthdays the next month.  It also reminds me to do those household chores like cleaning the dryer vent and changing batteries in the smoke detector.
• And most important of all, you are never behind.  Motivated Moms was written by a homeschooling mom.  She understands that there are days where you are “grounded” on the couch nursing a baby. Or there are days when the stomach virus has turned the house upside down.  Or days when you go out and end up staying out all day.  No sweat!  Just skip that day and pick up the next.  You aren’t “behind” with this cleaning schedule.  Promise!

There are many styles of the calendar to choose from.  I choose the page per day with bible scripture.  I’m able to scribble notes on it as needed, write in appointment reminders, write in what I’m planning for dinner, and anything else I shouldn’t forget.  I don’t worry about using a page of paper per day because at the end of the day I toss it in the drawer with the coloring books and it gets used again for decorating before being recycled.  I print one page per day.  You may want the half size to fit in a Franklin style planner.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8922875251875301807&pr=goog-sl

We’re still here. I’m still pregnant. Bambina is doing well as is Magdalena. I’ll be back with a real update really soon. My laptop just came back yesterday and Erich is on vacation right now, so computer time is still a bit lacking right now.

Over the last few days I’ve had the special treating of chatting via instant message systems and of speaking on the phone with Imacmom and Jane. And wow, wonderful ladies, who make my heart and soul sing with happiness, cause I’m so excited to “know” these wonderful people. It’s times like these when I feel life is just about as good as it gets.

So thank you all. And spread the love, please.

If there is someone on your friends list who makes your world a better place just because they exist and who you would not have met (in real life or not) without the internet, then post this same sentence in your journal.

I would say I “know” about 60% of the people that stop in on this blog. So if you are in the 40% who I don’t “know” or who don’t comment, please leave me a comment!

This year has been such a trying time for me and yet, I’ve also had some of the greatest moments. I watched my baby learn to walk, start talking, enjoy her first mobile summer. She made friends, she developed her personality, she danced and sang and I was here to witness every single one of those moments. I’m lucky.

And in between all of the laughter and dancing, I grew as a mother. I realized how much I wanted more family. I struggled with infertility. I cryed, I screamed, I sat with despair in my eyes and wondered “why me?”

I spent the last half of my year driving forty minutes each way to the doctors office. I did this every other day for two weeks of each month. I was prodded, poked. I had ounces and ounces of precious blood drawn. I poked myself with needles, sometimes three times a day. I had vaginal ultrasounds. I prayed. With every passing day I looked forward to phone calls from nurses telling me my numbers. I learned about my body’s faults.

But I also learned how my body can nurture and that sometimes it can do things right. That even though it was hard to get pregnant, my body embraces pregnancy. It nurtures this baby. Yes, my body suffers through hyperemesis with my pregnancies, but that’s just a small price to pay. It’s all a small price, the pokes, the blood, the tears, it was all worth it for that baby who measures a tiny 4.5 inches and weighs only 2 ounces.

This past week or so I’ve marveled at how my body still takes care of my toddler and this unborn baby. I’ve cried when I sat down to nurse my toddler, not from pain, but from the realization that at that moment my body is nurturing my toddler and my unborn baby. They both sit in my lap, listening to my heart, and feeling my love surround them. And that is so unbelieveably awesome and such a giant thing to grasp in my tiny little mind.

It’s been a great year. And I know that next year will be just as wonderful. It will have just as many hard times I’m sure. And I’m positive I’ll complain. But I’ll also welcome our second baby into our lives. I’ll watch my baby girl become a big sister. I’ll watch her turn two. I’ll enjoy another summer with both my babies. Another anniversary with my Prince Charming will come. And it will be wonderful.

Happy New Year, may yours be filled with love, happiness, and all around good times.

I already had plans to get rid of Magdalena’s ticker on her 2nd birthday. That seems a good place to stop the ticker madness so to speak. But I had a ticker for Magdalena’s pregnancy, so it seems appropriate that this baby gets one to.

So until January, ya’ll will just have to live with two tickers. Then it will be back to one ticker. Can you guys handle that until January?

Erich and I took Magdalena up to Michigan City, IN on Monday. Since it was a bank holiday, Erich had the day off and we were able to enjoy a little mini road trip. I went and picked up some things for Magdalena and Lili at the Hanna Anderson outlet store. Magdalena’s snowsuit was ordered from there also and should be here soon along with a playdress/daydress, leggings, and some pj’s. I’m uploading pictures on my flickr account. You need to be a friend to see the ones of Magdalena though. And for your viewing pleasure I’ll post a video for you here.

Magdalena had fun running in the sand barefoot. It was pretty windy out there but it was still nice. Erich said we couldn’t leave without letting Magdalena dip her toes in Lake Michigan. (brrr! That lake is cold!) She didn’t really enjoy the dipping, but she did enjoy chasing Daddy!

ETA: Everyone who left their LJ name has been added. You should be able to see me when you look at the manage friends screen. Manda, I’ve emailed you. Dianna, could you make sure I added the right name.