The Not So Normal - Normal

I LOVE planning things.  I love having something to look forward to, I love finding a great deal, and I love a lot of the planning aspects.  I especially love the pay-off at the end when I get to go and actually travel or get use out of the "planning".  I do not love planning around other people's time frame, budgets, or other possible issues.  I love my family, but when we were growing up, we NEVER traveled- I mean never.  The farthest we went from my house was about a 30 minute drive (sometimes hour to 1.5 hours away with a family friend driving).  I feel, that because of all that, I want to maximize the time I have and the money I have to make the most out of my traveling.  I want to give my kids the luxuries I did not have growing up- but mostly- make sure they understand the importance and don't take it for granted.  This year, in June the in-law family wants to get together, but it has already been such a struggle with the time frames, and now we get to plan

So I am kinda sad, but mainly SUPER excited that Christmas is over.  Really, because I was wishing that the Cleaning Fairy would make her way to my house, but I'm sure I was on the "dirty" list this year, so I will be last on her (or his) stops this time around.  Hopefully, as I mentioned in the first blog, I can motivate myself to be a "clean" girl this year- and maybe, just maybe, I can kill two birds with one stone..... or hopefully a lot of birds with that same stone- clean, and get projects done that I really want to do! I have so much to clean up around here, and thankfully, Santa knew I wanted even more and more toys and crafts to clean up! YAY! First on the list after daddy finished his phone calls today will be running the vacuum.  I cannot tell you how excited I was when I got this vacuum , and the excitement is still there 6 months later. We named him IG-88 - yes, we are a big Star Wars family, and all around self-proclaimed "nerds". (I wi

Why in the world do I think I can magically make my room clean and get like a bazillion loads of laundry folded, the kids rooms clean, the kitchen clean, the pool leaves vacuumed out, the house vacuumed , the bathrooms cleaned up, the dinner made and the last four episodes of CW shows- yes multiple- I was watching watch themselves ------all while spending the last hour (yeah, just an hour, that's what I'll tell everyone....) on Pinterest??? Where does the time go- and why the hell do I think of so many things while I am driving - when I can't do a damn thing about it? (That will have to be a story for another day!) Yes, my brain works going a million miles a minute, (as do so many women's, I read it in a book - it HAS to be true (maybe men's too - I'm not being biased here, I promise, it's just what I read)) but I had this crazy idea to start a blog.  In creating this blog, I hope to give myself motivation to see the before-and after of my day-to-day, but