January Update

Well, January is almost over.  I can't say that I'm sad to see it go.

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We had yet more snow and sleet yesterday.  We've had double the snow in RI that we usually have in a winter, and we still have 2 months to go!  I'm more than ready to see winter end.  I'm tired of snow, sick of worrying about having enough oil, and done with being cold.

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Patience celebrated her 9th birthday last weekend.  Well, we all celebrated with her.  My parents, Steve's dad and step-mom, and my friend, Julie, came over for cake & ice cream.  She got some money, and a huge Littlest Pet Shop set.  She also wants a new game for her Nintendo DS, and I said I would get that for her.

The birthday girl

The cake that she designed

"Happy Birthday to you!"

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Co-op has started back up.  The kids really do enjoy seeing their friends, and they're learning some fun things.  Today the lessons were about King Saul, King David & King Solomon.  Next week, they'll be tie-dying t-shirts.

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We're trying to catch up on the work that we slacked on while the guinea pigs were having babies, Christmas was happening, and sickness descended on us.  Patience is doing okay, but I'm having to work one-on-one with Eli & Maddie to get them up to speed.  I'm trying to keep our schedule (outside of the home) pretty light, but it seems like every week finds us busier and busier.

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One activity that has fallen by the wayside (for now) is Awana.  Last year, Awana was on Wednesday nights, and that worked so well for us!  But they switched it to Sunday nights this year, and it has been such a struggle to get there!  Either I'm working, and we're racing around to get the kids there, or we're fellowshipping with friends, and have to leave early, or it's cutting into family time.  We haven't actually been back since Christmas--we were sick, I was in Denver, we had a snowstorm, and then it was Patience's birthday.  This Sunday is the Super Bowl (I know, not a big deal to some, but we get all of the snacks, and the kids get to stay up late--a family tradition), the next week I'm working, the week after that I have a baby shower to go to, and the next week we have plans with friends.  Sigh.  The hard thing is that I hate feeling like we've "quit" something.  The good news is that not one of the kids has even asked about Awana. 

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On the Pampered Chef front, I'm starting to feel discouraged, really for the first time in 6 years.  I didn't have a lot of business in December, and then being sick really took away time that I could be on the phone, booking shows, and such.  So January is horrible.  I didn't have one live cooking show.  I was supposed to work tonight, and the host had to cancel.  She has a legitimate reason, and I'm trying to be understanding, but this is the third time this particular person has cancelled on the date that the show was scheduled.  It's hard, thinking that you're going to be working, and making money, only to find out that morning that no, you're not. 

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I'm trying not to stress.  Everything always works out.  God always provides.  I hate, though, feeling like I'm not contributing as much as I usually do, especially with Steve working 2 jobs and going to school. 

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On that note, if you read this, and you'd like 20-30% off of your Pampered Chef order (closing the show on 1/31), please feel free to leave a comment with your email address, and I'll email you my website, so that you can check out the catalog.  I need to come up with $500 in orders by Saturday, so that I can maintain my director status, and earn overrides (which we need!) on my team. 

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Patience goes in for her yearly physical tomorrow.  Maddie will come with us--she has this funny redness on her toe, just under where the toenail is.  It's been like that for over a week, so I want the doctor to look at it.

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We're off to my mom's now!  If I can't work, a spaghetti and meatball dinner at mom & dad's is definitely the next best thing! :)