Too much

Some days it all just feels like too much. Too much to do. Too much to worry about. Kids everywhere, messes everywhere, a "to do" list that I know will never get even close to completion. Some days I just want to sit and cry because I just can't handle it all! I am a mom to three kids ages four and under and none of them is an "easy going" kind of kid. They are all strong willed, hard headed, and a MESS! It just all feels like too much to even make it through the day sometimes. And then add in the responsibilities of being a wife, serving at church, having friends, trying to loose weight... I mean, how does one person even begin to do it all?

But other days, it really feels like too much. It is too much that God has given me three beautiful, healthy, wonderful children who are so full of life they are about to explode. It is too much that God has taken my marraige which started out pretty broken, because it started out with two very broken people, and turned my husband and I into giggly teenagers who are so in love we can barely get through the day sometimes. It is too much that God is changing us everyday and that we can visibly see His hand in everything. It is too much that we have this beautiful home that is so much more than we need and we have money to buy food and water and keep our children safe. Some days it just feels like way too much.

I am not saying my life is perfect. But, when I choose to focus on the struggles it is all I see. I can't get past it. And when I choose to focus on the blessings it is all I see.. and I can't get past it. And I wish I would choose to focus on the right "too much" a whole lot more.



You asked... {Part 1}

You asked: Katie- What are 5 random things we might not know about you?

I answered:

Gee... good question! I don't know! I tend to be kind of an open book. You guys probably already know more than you want to! But here we go... 5 random things...

1.  In high school my best friend and I would pretend we were dating and married to Backstreet Boys. I of course was all about Brian Littrell. Yep... you can't make this stuff up.
2. I HATE the sound of someone scratching fabric... especially like jeans. I tell Nick that it makes my "teeth curl". He says that makes no sense but it is true. I can't handle it! Recently my sister was over and she had a bad itch on her leg and she was scratching her jeans and I told her if she continued to scratch she was going to have to leave my home.
3. Both my parents can curl their tongue and so can I. But, my sister can't. So, when she was little I liked to tell her that she was adopted because it would be genetically impossible for her to not curl her tongue too. I was sweet like that.
4. I love pedicures but I really don't like those foam toe seperater things they put between your toes when painting. The feel of the foam between my toes really creeps me out. But, I deal with it in the name of beauty!
5. Despite being a somewhat organized human being the inside of my purse is always a totally trashed mess. It is usually full to the brim with church bulletins, receipts, toy cars, and lots of other random things. I can never find my cell phone or keys once I stick them in my purse.

So, there you go! Now you know! And now you have no excuse to be scratching your jeans when we are together... and if you can't curl your tongue I might tell you you are adopted...

 

First trip to Eckerts in Illinois!

As you can tell from the pictures our first trip to Eckert's Farm in Illinois for apple picking was pretty wonderful! We went with my sister and her husband... and without Jack. We actually missed the little guy but it was so much fun to be able to focus on the big kids and just play! Now to find things to do with all of our apples....

Saturday Ramblings!

First off, thank you for a few great questions! I will have a few fun posts based on those next week! Keep them coming if you can think of anything else!

I am just hanging out at home this morning. We took the kids to the new Chick-fil-a in O'Fallon for breakfast this morning. Then we came home so Jack is taking his nap and Nick took the "big kids" to run some errands. I really should be doing some housework but I am enjoying the downtime.

The kiddos got their Halloween costumes yesterday. They were pretty excited. Max is going to be a dinosuar (again!), Sophie is going to be a flying horse, and Jack is going to be a cow. Max had big plans that they were going to go trick-or-treating by themselves. He told me that Sophie was going to carry the candy bag and say "trick-or-treat" and he was going to carry Jack. He was really bummed when I told him that an adult had to go with them. He decided that his grandma could go with him but that Daddy and I have to stay home. I won't be arguing that!

In our "quest" to save money I have been thinking a lot about needs versus wants. I like to think of myself as "above" being influenced by my culture but as I have been really considering what we spend our money on I realize that I am not! I totally have bought into believing that we "need" to have cable, cell phones, certain brands of things, etc. It is kind of crazy what we just start to accept as normal. I know I am always a little frustrated when people are showing off their smart phones and complaining about money in the same 5 minutes. But, even though I don't have a smart phone, I know I have my own "things" in my life that I have decided I "need" and then I complain about money! I am really excited about our message at church this weekend being about making good money choices. I know I need the reminder!

Tomorrow we are going to Eckerts in Illinois for a little apple picking fun! I am super excited to do such a "fallish" activity. I LOVE traditions and so I am excited to hopefully start a new fall tradition with my kiddos. Although, we are just taking the big kids with us. My parents offered to take Jack. I think they are secretly excited to have the one on one time with him. Whenever they babysit Max and Sophie really demand most of my parent's attention so it will be fun for them to get to just play with and enjoy Jack!

Anyway, I guess that is all I will ramble about for now! I hope everyone is enjoying this gorgeous fall Saturday as much as we are!

Update...

Update: The last episode of "All My Children" was really dumb! A major bummer of an ending... in case you were at the edge of your seat waiting to hear how it went! :)

P.S. I haven't been able to think of anything fun or exciting to post lately. So, I have a huge favor!! YOU pick the topic! You can ask me anything! Or suggest any topic and I will make it happen! You could request a recipe, ask for a tutorial, ask for a photo of something, ask me a deep dark secret... ANYTHING! Feel free to leave me a comment or shoot me an e-mail (KatieLRamsey (at) gmail (dot) com) and I will make a post about it next week!

the end of an ERA!

It is a sad day in the Ramsey household... Actually, it is only sad for the mom. The hubs and kiddos probably couldn't care less. But, today is the very last episode of my soap, All My Children.

I know! It is just a show. But, I have watched "All My", as my sister and I call it, since I was like 4 years old! My mom watched it so my sister and I did too! She would even tape it and would watch it when she got home from work so we would all watch it. In college I would schedule my classes around being home to watch.

So, I am a little sad that a show I have basically watched for the last 24 years is coming to an end! But, then I guess all good things must come to an end! So, if you were thinking about it, don't call me today between noon and one because I will not be picking up the phone... I will be watching my very last episode of All My Children. And possibly crying about it....

Organized

I really attempt to be an organized person. I am not naturally neat and organized. However, I get very stressed out when things aren't neat and organized. How unfair is that? So, I am constantly working to streamline and organize my life, especially with three little ones! And I am sure a lot of you stay at home moms can agree that even though there is more than enough to do to keep us busy, without careful planning it is easy to let the day go by and not get ANYTHING accomplished!

I recently got this handy dandy planner and it has helped me a lot. I am able to put everything in one place and I have even color coded! I put our schedule, my things to do and clean, our meals for the week, everything! I love it!

I am all about increasing my efficiency in my home!

Do any of you have any tips or tricks you would like to share when it comes to home management?