New Vow!

I am so mad that I keep putting off blogging! There is always so many new things that the kids do and say, so many new happenings in our busy life, and I know that when I finally sit down to catch up I'll forget most of it!

My new vow is to write in this blog every Sunday afternoon. Even if I don't get time to post pictures or hit every subject I want, I'm still going to write! I have always journaled well up until baby #3 was born, and now I feel like I can't find the time. But I gotta!

I am finishing my second to last semester in Accounting...YAY. After this, I will be a certified full-charge bookkeeper. Granted, I already do the books for our business, but now I can actually pick up other accounts to do at home. I'm so excited, but so ready to be done with school. I spend every naptime and most evenings completing my classes!

.................Ritter news to be continued on Sunday (or before if I get really courageous!)

...And time escapes me.

It has been months since I have blogged! I am so disappointed!! I just keep putting it off! There has, of course, been SO much that has happened since last NOVEMBER! Wow! First off, everyone is happy and heathy. Kids are growing, learning, and aweing me every day! Jayna is excited for Kindergarten this coming August, and T-Ball this spring. Xander is talking, singing, saying "I love you", and so much more! Sonja is almost walking, almost 1, waving and saying "hi" and "bye". We are still living on the house on Eugie for now, but not sure how much longer. We had a difficult Christmas season this year. We decided to sell Christmas trees for Jason's uncle, and ended up losing $5000 on the deal. We poured HOURS into it, too! It was kind of depressing, but definitely a learning experience. I am trying to get life back to normal after such a hectic and trying month. I finally got the house back in order and now am tackling schedules, meal and school planning, etc. I spent 3 hours going shopping to restock our shelves. I am a coupon queen and was very happy buying $330 worth of essentials for $130.

I have been an avid gym goer starting this year. It feels so good to stay active, and the kids really love their "class", which is gym daycare. They also love going to parks, libraries, Mcdonalds, and just hanging out at home. My kids really do love to be home. Sometimes when we're out, they will just ask to go back home. There is a lot to do here for them, I guess. I recently tackled our garage. I cleaned up everything, packed up all the boxes we wanted to store and put them in the attic (faced my fear of heights!), gave away whatever we didn't want, and threw away what we couldn't give away. I turned the garage (which is finished and has it's own A/C unit), into a playroom for the kids. In there they have legos, a train set, and a vanity table, as well as a couple baby toys for Sonja. I also have my rocking chair in there so I can bring my laptop in to update our Quickbooks (for the business) while the kids play. It's perfect!

We just started attending a new church. Today was actually our first day, but I think we will be staying there a while. It's a VERY small church, but everyone was so friendly and it felt like home. The pastor and his wife took us to lunch, their treat. We could never get that kind of friendship froma pastor of a big church. That is what I want the most out of a church (second to learning about God, of course)- getting to know people on a deeper level than "hi". We are excited about giving this church a try and maybe even getting involved ministry wise ourselves soon.

The kids are just amazing...I wish I could sit here and recall everything new that has gone on in the past 3 months. I will include random tidbits as they come to me, but the main goal is to start from now on blogging more. I really want to shoot for once a week.

-Jayna: She is getting so big! I can't believe she turns 5 soon! It makes me so sad! I'm not ready for her to go to school! I have been playing with the idea of homeschooling her, but I think that she would LOVE "real" school- so I will take it day by day. If school begins to cause any kind of trouble, I can always decide to homeschool then. Kindergarten is so fun though and I don't want her to miss that. She is [still] huge about arts and crafts. She loves anything that has to do with making things. I bought some muffin and cookie mix, and am planning on letting her make her own stuff. Yes, I probably should bake from scratch, but I'm starting small! I am more hesitant to bake when I have to make a huge mess and clean that mess up! Not to mention, with my coupons I get the mixes a lot cheaper than I could buy all the ingredients. Jayna is really taking on the role of a big sister. She makes sure her little siblings are taken care of, lets me know if either of them get hurt, and shares with them. One day we went to mcdonalds and I got them ice cream cones. I handed Jayna hers first, and she immediately handed it to Xander, and waited for the next one. I was so proud of her! My little girl thought of her brother first, without me even asking her to.

-Xander: He loves me to sing to him. I am the only one that can put him to bed, and each night when I tuck him in he says"Mommy, can you sing to me?" and I say, "sure baby, what do you want me to sing", and he replies "Sunshine". So i sing him "You are my sunshine", and he snuggles in, play-whines like a baby, then closes his eyes. It is THE CUTEST thing ever! I am so happy that even though he is a total "boy", he is so close to mommy and can be vulnerable to me. He is so special. He is 2, so of course he's a little ornery and rambunctious, but he also has a huge heart, and loves his "sissy, and baby sissy". Even though he fights with his sisters, if anyone else is mean to them, he sticks up for them with a vengence. One time Aaron was over and he took one of Jayna's toys. Xander chased him down saying "That's my sissy's" and made sure he gave it back. It was adorable.

-Sonja: She has, I'm sure, changed the most dramatically. She crawls like CRAZY, and is standing on her own, right in the middle of the room. She walks with furniture or us holding her hand. It won't be long! She is a sweetheart, but also has a "spicy" side- not much makes her mad but if it does, WOW! She gets very upset! But for the most part she is pretty easy going and oozes sweetness. She is a huge Daddy's girl. Whenever he comes home she crawls to the door as fast as she can and sits up, clapping her hands and squealing. When he picks her up, she lays her head on his shoulder and cooes. It melts our hearts every time. She is getting pretty good about entertaining herself now. I am so happy! I can [usually] set her down and let her play while I do my chores instead of trying to do everything one handed while I hold her..although sometimes I still have to do that, especially around dinner time. We are still trying to get her to sleep well. For the most part, she will sleep until about 5 am, then go back to sleep until 6 or 7; but occasionally she wakes up at 2...ugh! J

ason and I still switch off on nights- I get up with any kid that wakes up one night, then he does the next. It is imperative that we both get decent nights sleeps at least one out of two days. It works out well for us- it is so much easier to deal with a rough night when you know that the next night you get to sleep uninterrupted. And there are rough nights still! We've had nights where ALL THREE of them wake up once or twice, and even occasionally the dogs give us trouble. I am hoping that those nights get fewer and farther in between over the next year!

2010 is going to be a great year. We have had a somewhat rough start with finances (losing all that money on Christmas trees has made January hard), and the death of my beloved Grandpa, but I still think that by December we are going to be able to look back and see that we have accomplished a lot. I have a lot of goals for this year, and am working very hard to make them a reality. I am trying to take the kids on outtings 1-2 times a week, doing crafts/school with them every day, attending a new church where we can get involved, blogging!, keeping up with quickbooks and work on our business budgets and finances, attending school (only 2 more semesters!), and getting/staying healthy and in great shape. Whew, that's a lot! But I think that we will be able to accomplish most if not all, because we have a plan of action.

I love my family dearly and am so excited for this next year....except for the part where Jayna starts school...boohoo!!!!

Thankful

Our Christmas trees are on their way! We are selling 620 trees this year! We are really hoping to make enough money to have a good down payment for a new house. Wish us luck!

The kids continue to grow-grow-grow and astonish us! They are amazing. I couldn't ask for cooler babies. They are exceedingly smart, witty, and athletic. They are beautiful, sweet, social...I could go on and on. I am having a hard time seeing their downfalls! Part of being a mommy...biased!

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I am feeling so thankful! There is so much going on right now, and sometimes I feel totally overwhelmed. College, kids, cleaning, cooking, shopping with coupons, bookkeeping for Ritterboys, Christmas trees, LAUNDRY! It all gets to me sometimes! And on top of that I am trying to make it to the gym a few times a week and doing crafts/school with the children. I sometimes wish that I didn't have to sleep...it would give me 7-8 mostly uninterrupted time to get things done!

Although I feel totally overwhelmed, I am thankful to have so much. Our three children (and two dogs!) are the biggest blessing of all. I also have a wonderful husband. God has helped our business stay afloat even through the Recession, we have amazing extended family that supports and love us. I am so thankful that I am able to stay home with my children, and even more thankful that all three of them are perfectly formed, perfectly healthy, and are flourishing in every way.

When things seem hard and too much to handle, I always try to look at the wonderful gifts I am given, and to remember that "this too will pass". In a few years I will look back and laugh at all the things that I juggled now, and I will have new struggles to get through! All circumstances are temporary.

Day 1 of 30 day Challenge

I started my self-proclaimed 30 day challenge today. 30 days of eating as well as I possibly can to see how it affects my family and I. So far, so good. I have been a little more energetic. Not running around, but I barely got sleep last night, and I am sure I still have some toxins in my body from the yucky food. It takes a few days. I need to get back to exercising too...I've been waiting for Sonja's cough to go away, but it's been 3 weeks! She's gotta be good enough to go.

Anyways;, this is what our mealplans were for the day.

Breakfast- I made a pot of oatmeal and the kids added their own sweeteners (honey and dark brown sugar, which are much better for you than white refined sugar), they also had bananas and a little bit of my smoothie.

I had a cup of herbal tea first thing, trying to ditch the coffee (we'll see though haha!). Since I can't have just anything in the morning( borderline hypoglycemic) , I opted for a fruit and yogurt smoothie with a tablespoon of both wheat germ and ground flaxseeds (the last 2 ingredients are key to keep me from getting sick in the morning). I felt absolutely great and actually pretty full.

Snack- the kids had real fruit popsicles (not the healthiest, but they were playing outside), and milk. I had a handful of pumpkin seeds, which are SO GOOD

Lunch- We had a picnic outside. We packed PB & Jam (organic PB, which tastes sooo much better and is so much better for you! I'm hooked already!, blackberry preserves, and whole grain, no preservative bread..you actually have to refridgerate it...and it tastes really good!!). Then we also had orange slices, sliced pears, and baby carrots. The kids ate it up like crazy- they have always loved fruits, and being outside made lunch even more fun:)

Dinner- for dinner I am going to make baked salmon with rose petal potatoes (tiny little cute potatoes!) with olive oil and parmesan, and I am going to figure out another veggie to include...maybe spaghetti squash with alfredo?? Not completely sure quite yet.

TIMES ARE YUMMY!! :-)

Eathing Healthy, Pictures, and Updates

Today is the start of our 30 day trial of eating healthier. I went to the store last night (actually 3 stores) and got a lot of fruits and veggies (organic when it wasn't a lot more $), nuts, seeds, fish/chicken, yogurts/cottage cheese, and whole grain breads/pastas. I knew I couldn't afford to change everything overnight, but figured this was a really good start! Now I just have to figure out how to cook acorn/butternut squashes, sweet potatoes, fresh spinach, etc! I don't have a whole lot of experience with sprucing them up! I borrowed a couple of vegetable cookbooks from the library to hopefully give me some ideas. I also re-borrowed the book "Deceptively Delicious" by Jerry Seinfield's wife which entails yummy recipes that have surprising veggie ingredients in them (think brownies with spinach and mac and cheese with cauliflower). I will keep updating on our eating habit changes, and see how it benefits us.

Anyways, I cannot believe it is already November! Time just...FLIES. Everyone is doing great. The last 2 weeks of October was really rough for our family heath wise...we had chest colds and possible flus, Sonja had and still kind of is fighting off Bronciolitis. Ucky.

Everyone is growing up so quickly! Sonja started to pull herself up about 3 days ago. Just out of the blue, she could do it. She is crawling so fast now, too! She's all over the house! I have to sweep and mop the floor once or twice a day! And she still manages to get dirty! Our slate floors are rough to get dirt-free. I never really notice it until we have a crawler around- I need to tie a mophead to her and let her mop for me :-). Last night was rough...we have those once in a while. She wakes up and just doesn't want to or has trouble falling back asleep. It is very frustrating for me and hard to deal with. I have to pray for patience the whole time. Last night she woke up at midnight and it took me 2 hours to get her to finally fall back asleep. I think that she was constipated. I tried giving her a warm bath, soothing her with lotions, giving her juice and brown sugar (dark brown sugar is a natural laxative of sorts, very mild though), I was trying so hard to relax her, but in the end I just had to hold her close and not let her move. So she went to sleep at 2, and then woke up again at 5! I thought I was gonna go crazy! Luckily the second time she took her bottle and went right to sleep. Everyone slept in this morning, which was such a blessing! Sonja is a very happy baby usually, but when she is sick or uncomfortable (the last 2 weeks of October and occasionally thereafter), she is a HANDFUL. I can tell already that although she is sweet and easy going, when she isn't feeling well, she becomes very strong willed and stubborn. I just gotta keep her healthy so I don't go crazy ;). She is such a blessing to our family though. She is very much a Daddy's Girl, more than any of the other 2 were at her age. She just hears him sing or sees him sitting across the room and will just stare and smile the whole time. She LOVES him.

Xander is really turning into such a little man- no longer a toddler! He talks and talks and is such a little ham! When he is playing with toys, he always uses a high pitched voice- it's really funny! Our new discipline style (which I wrote about earlier) is really working well for him. Consistency and calmness is key for him. He absolutely loves to play football/baseball with Daddy. And with me, he loves to play a chasing game. He has m e say "I got ya where I want ya, now I'm gonna GET ya!!" and I chase him around. He could play that all day long, seriously! He also loves games like hide and seek, and even is getting into the all time famous"Max and Ruby" that Jayna ALWAYS wants to play. He is really getting into Boy stuff- fighting, guns, swords, VULTRON (Daddy's fav movie as a kid..he is so stoked that he got Jayna and Xander into it!)...it is so fun to watch him just be a carefree boy!

Jayna is growing up so much and so fast that I can't even believe it! Her reasoning, intelligence, character, and artistic flare just make her such a joy to have around. She is so happy to just be at home and play "max and ruby" nor hide and seek, draw/do crafts, sing songs/make up her own songs, write, read, etc. But she also loves to go places, and is really loving playing baseball with Daddy. Jason is very impressed at her athleticism, even at this young age. She doesn't like the "Tee", but prefers Daddy to pitch to her...and she does really well! She is just so well-rounded, I am excited for her. She will be able to do pretty much whatever she puts her mind to! She is such a talker and thinker- we have discussions that I never thought I'd have with a 4 year old She asks things like "Why to people die", "Why can't I see God", "What is heaven like", etc. I love it! I adore having these conversations with her, and hope that we always can talk like this.

Jason and I have been very busy as parents and business owners. We are getting ready to sell Christmas trees at the end of the month, I am keeping books of our financial side of the bus, and Jason is out on the field. It is exhausting! Throw in 3 kids, 2 dogs, and cooking/cleaning, and I have to resist working from sunup to sundown. I try to make absolutely sure that my kids get at least 2 hours of undivided time in the day, and at least an hour of family time with Daddy at night. Sometimes we don't quite get there, but I try to make sure even then that they at least help me prepare meals, we read stories, and even clean up together. The kids have their "chores" and they get a quarter a day when they complete them. They can choose to save their money to buy a toy, or use it now on a gumball machine. I am trying to teach them, even at this young age, how money works.

Autumn is here, and I'm rambling

Although here in Phoenix, the signs aren't as significant as elsewhere, we are still very well aware that Fall is upon us. The kids actually have to wear a long sleeve shirt outside first thing in the morning, and the days are so mild (we're talkin 80s), it is SO beautiful. Even though there aren't many falling leaves or night freezes, we are still loving the fall!

I have been taking the kids outside almost every day. We have gone to parks, gone on walks and a picnic, went to a Fire Engine Parade, and just outside in our backyard.



There is more to do, too! Almost too much! We want to go to the Phoenix zoo a time or two before our year pass expires (Oct 31st), go to the train park in Scottsdale, and go for more walks, and try out new parks. I love the fall.

On another note, discipline has been going so well for little Xander. My totally calm mannerism and structured time outs/spankings has changed his whole attitude. NO MORE counting to 3 to get him to obey. That only succeeds in teaching him not to pay attention to a word I say until I get to "2...". All of yesterday and today, he has heard and obeyed me much better.

I am faced with the challenge of trying to find more hours in my day. There is so much that I want to do, and the days just don't seem long enough! Oh, how I wish I needed less sleep. Einstein only slept 4 hours a night...why can't I!!?? If I thought I could still function well with 4 hrs, I would jump at the opportunity. There is just so much I want to do!

- Homeschool (well, preschool for now) kids
- maintain a clean and well organized home
-keep books for RitterBoys (not so much a want as a necessity)
-College (Same as above, am currently doing 3 classes online)
-Keep a budget and pay all bills on time (same as above 2)
- shop for the cheapest healthy food we can find, use coupons when I can
-train/raise children, with lots of love and attention
-Exercise at the gyme 1 1/2 hrs a day
- Home cooked, healthy meals
-Take time to blog, write in my journal, and write my novel


This is the main attraction to my life. Throw in spending quality time with husband, trying to find time for myself out with the girls, doing my devotions with God, taking care of my dogs, and hosting a small group for our church every Wed night, and things are just hectic. I know that I am not able to do EVERYTHING, all the time. My hope I guess is that in a weeks time, with a week worth of hours, I will be able to accomplish it all. I am hiring Auntie Carmen to watch the kids 2 days a week from now until mid December so that I can get everything initially set up. During the days that she takes the kids, I will be:

-figuring out a time efficient filing system for the business
-setting up Quickbooks so that it will see us from start (the estimate) to finish (our final payment), with everything in between ( receipts, bill pay, etc)
- Getting our house, and more importantly our Garage, clutter free and in order. Turning Garage into a hobby/art room. Maybe a small play area as well.
- Plan out routines (daily weekly and monthly that will help me to complete all of the cleaning)
- Plan when and how I am going to menu plan
-Plan for test semester school (Jan-June I am going to teach Jayna Kindergarten to see how it goes)
-Empty out storage unit, get rid of anything we don't need.


It's a lot, huh!? That is why I am having the kids babysat 2 full days a week for the next 10 weeks. I think that in 20 full days, I can get this all done. At least, I hope!


That's about it for now! Like I said, Autumn is here and I am loving it, even though I feel pressed with all my responsibilities. I will get it all in order soon enough!! Half the battle is knowing you need to make changes, and another good portion of it is the planning! Right?? I hope so!

School Haze

I officially started school on Oct 5th, but only 1 of my 3 classes. My other 2 classes start on Oct 26th. It is exciting, but kind of hard to find the time to sit and do. I am a little scared of how hard it will be when I have all 3 classes going at the same time.

I have been doing "Relaxed Homeschool" with Jayna and Xander the passed couple of months. I sometimes use worksheets that I put in a sheet protector and let them use markers. Most of the time, though, I teach them through reading books, arts/crafts, music (circle time), and educational games (ABC Go fish; Animal/Alphabet Bingo, Candy Land, etc). The kids seem to really enjoy this fun way to learn. Xander is a little less into school than Jayna, but he's only 2. I'm not too worried about him learning anything besides life and play at this point. My main focus with Xander actually is discipline and love, which of course are one and the same. He can be a little booger at times, and I think it's because he needs extra attention. Baby Sonja is needing me constantly, and when she is asleep I am teaching school. That doesn't leave much time for a wiggly little boy who could really care less about his ABCs. I try to make sure to go to a park and to the library a couple times a week, but sometimes that's not enough.

I really want to raise my kids according to their love language, effective discipline techniques and their learning styles. This is what I have come up with so far.

Jayna- I believe Jayna has the love language of quality time. She is truly hurt if we don't get our game of "max and ruby" in, or if "circle time" or "book time" gets skipped. She is constantly asking me "mommy, what time is it" not meaning the clock hour, but what is it time for us to do. She loves being part of a family, and is perfectly content staying home and hanging out with me and her siblings. Her learning style is so simple- she just loves to learn. She seems to not have a preference how. She excels at written worksheets, at visual examples, and also with hands on games. She is also great at listening to stories/songs and learning through those as well. She is just Ms. Learner, plain and simple. Her discipline is a little more tricky. Jayna is very sensitive. Sometimes the slightest thing will cause a ton of tears. My main goal is to stay very calm, collected, and sit her down to talk with me in most cases. Of course, when she is losing her cool or throwing a tantrum, she is going to be put in time out. And for lies and direct disobedience, there is the occasional spanking- but I will never administer a spanking without first talking with her, making sure I see the whole picture and she is for sure in need of one, and making sure she understands why she is getting spanked. After the spanking there is always love and reconciliation.

Xander- Mr. "all-boy", his love language seems to be affection. He really loves being held, hugged, and kissed. While he loves to be played with along with Jayna, it doesn't seem like he NEEDS it to feel loved. He does get grumpy when I am holding Sonja and he wants up and cuddled. I try to find the time every day to make sure he gets loved on. At circle time, he sits on my lap. I also lovingly carry him to bed at naptime and bedtime. His learning style is still kind of hard to know for sure, but I think a lot of it is visual and a lot of hands on. He learns a lot just listening to Jayna, and also by watching people. Most of his learning (at age 2, anyhow) is simply by trying it out, seeing how it goes ...trial and error. Which I suppose is pretty normal for any 2 year old. Discipline is a tricky one. Our biggest struggle with him is getting his attention. Especially when he is immersed in either play or TV (which I am limiting to almost none at the moment). I don't want to spank him for not listening, because I am not sure whether he hears me but ignores, or if he just truly is zoning me out. I am leaning towards the latter. However, this is not a habit I want him to carry into his childhood. It is very important to me that he learns this. My current plan has been to eliminate my bad habits first. I have the habit of giving him a command while I am busy. For instance, while making breakfast and holding Sonja, I will say "Xander go get me a diaper so I can change you". I am busy, so don't pay attention to make sure that he obeys me the first time. So instead I end up saying it over and over. The first step is to walk up to him, touch him to get his attention, and tell him my command. Then walk him through the whole thing so he doesn't get distracted. That's my plan for now. After we master that, I'll work on giving commands from across the room. hahaha

Sonja- is a baby, so what can I say? She loves to be held. ALL.. THE..TIME!! She always wants someone around. But she is generally sweet and happy-go-lucky. She of course doesn't have much discipline (other than going to bed when she is too grumpy), and her learning is really just watching and playing with all of her family members.

I am excited to see how my kids grow and develop, and feel a great responsibility for "how they turn out". I want to make sure they never ever doubt that Mommy, Daddy, or God love them. I wish for them to be happy, Christ-centered, functional women and men (or man in my case).