Ten on....

1. I know I've said this before, but I'm saying it again! We have created a monster in Malakai with the video games!! Because my dad and Lisa got him a Wii Fit for Christmas, it has gotten worse! On the positive side, it is GREAT for bribery! We have started a great system where he can earn his video game minutes. It seems to be working out for now. I like to think it is a little educational as well, since he checks the weather on the Wii every morning before school. I love these pics of him and his little friend Gwen playing. So cute!

2. I have NO idea where he gets it ;) When the kids go to bed, the grown-ups get to rock-out! Our friends are the GREATEST!! Check out Josh! Who knew??!! LOL!

3. Leila is Sneaky!! She is notorious for stealing Malakai's drinks and snacks! Josh and I find it rather comical, and Malakai even seems to have a good attitude about it. The SECOND he leaves something unattended, she is ON it!!

4. On that same note, she wants to be next to him at all times. We are totally guilty of having second child syndrome with her. A capri sun/sucker/candy never even touched Malakai's mouth till he was MUCH older than her. With her though, she sees him with it and NEEDS it as well. I have to pick my battles with this girl and that is one I choose not to go in to. Pictures of them together are so rare....

5. Some of you saw this on facebook, some did not...My dad found this picture of me when I was little and you would be surprised how many people actually think it is Leila!! Surely they know me better than that, come on, those shoes!!!!??? Totally 80's!



6. Poor Malakai has been given my sensitive skin! His lips are cracked all winter, his nose is dry, and he has a SEVERE case of eczema on his knees, ankles, and wrists. He even got in trouble at school for having his hands down the backside of his pants!! When we got home, I checked him out and sure enough, the eczema had moved its way to his poor, little, bottom. I took him to the doctor and got some heavy-duty steroid cream which seems to be doing the job. He was NOT happy about going to the doctor though, can you tell??!!

7. Lego's have taken over my house!!! They are everywhere! Have I mentioned they HURT to step on!!

8. I have a new favorite spot in the house. This is where you can find me, unwinding, everynight after the kids are in bed. It's so warm and cozy. Love it!

9. Does anyone else's children INSIST on removing their shirts as soon as they get home!? I feel like so many of my pics my children on topless!! I never even really noticed till I started going through a lot of them. Seriously! The Miller children love to bake though! We had a great time making these cookies this past weekend :)

10. Last but not least, what are your children doing for the summer?! Some of Malakai's friends are doing a camp at the local sports complex which would be really fun for him. A part of me kind of wants him in that good ole' Summer Camp. You know, the one where they are outside all day playing, go swimming, play creative games, do arts and crafts, and take the occasional field trip. Do those even exist anymore? I would love to hear what you have planned for your children!!

XOXO,

I'm Baaa-aaack

I'm done with the whole "reflection" time of my blog, and ready to get back into it. I just had to step away for a couple of weeks and focus on some other things going on in my life. But no worries, I am back!


As always, the Miller family has been crazy busy! I will try to give you a "brief" synopsis, but if I tried to write about all of it, I would be having carpel tunnel surgery in my near future.


Malakai has turned into my five-year old big boy. He is obsessed with Mario and Luigi, video games, and taunting his little sister. His imagination is amazing! To hear the things he says blows my mind. His wheels are always turning. He invents things on a daily basis, started asking questions about death, and 90% of the time is the most respectful, well-behaved gentlemen. Let's not forget he is five, so that other 10% is brutal.




Leila...what can I say about Leila? She knows what she wants and she knows how to get it. If she doesn't....look out!! She wants to do everything her big brother does, but on the other hand, she is SO girly. She plays with babies all day long, wants make-up "like mama," has a VERY strong opinion on every article of clothing she puts on from hair bows to shoes, and continues to blow my mind with her love and tenderness. I can't believe she is going to be two in just a couple of weeks! She is very much looking forward to her Abby Cadabby party :)


Josh and I have been busy as well. You know, work, family-time, co-ed volleyball, getting the new house "liveable." Pretty much just the normal stuff. We had some fabulous sushi on Valentines with one of our favorite couples, Autumn and James. The kids stayed the night with Grandma, so it was SO nice being able to sleep in and enjoy the quality time. My menu planning has gone AMAZING! I started the beginning of January and I have almost every week night since then! So if you ever have a great family-friendly recipe, shoot it my way! I'm always looking for new things!!

That's about it in a nutshell. A few more things come to mind, but then I wouldn't have anything left for my Ten on Tuesday! So, I will leave you with a few pics!

XOXO,

Boring....

The one word I can use to describe my blog lately! It just seems so boring. Like I've gotten into this repetitive routine and it is driving me crazy! I used to be so much more than just 10 on Tuesdays and the random paragraph of something that just seems, well, boring.

This is bothering me a lot. It seems I work VERY hard in all aspects of my life to keep them from being repetitive and boring. Like Josh and I, for example. I have the biggest fear of falling into a rut of a relationship that has no excitement, is totally predictable, and has little to no spark left in it. This takes A LOT of work!! Somehow, over the years, we have managed pretty well. Constantly making time for just the two of us and focusing on being a couple and not just a couple of parents. This goes the same with my job, my kids, my friends, etc. I try to take nothing for granted and live each day to the fullest. Don't get me wrong. Some days my day consists of nothing more than work, home, dinner, bath, kids in bed, snuggle, and bed for myself. Okay, maybe most days. But even then, I try to do one thing everyday that is unpredictable.

So, why have I let my blog slack?

I have learned that in the blog world, this is known as the Slump. I started this blog, lets see, in April it will be two years. I'd say the Slump started about 5 or 6 months ago. Writing is hard. Writing is hard in more ways than one. First, it's hard to think of good things to write. Some days I'm so tired. Some days I just don't feel very smart. Some days I don't feel creative. I don't want to share what's in my head because I don't feel like there IS anything in my head. NOTHING. Nothing but a plethora of random Microsoft passwords and pin numbers bouncing around in my brain. Nothing but "don't forget to pick up milk and fill out Malakai's school forms and I have a 7:30 meeting in the morning". Plus, when I look back over things I have written I start to get really critical. I start to think maybe this is stupid. Maybe I can't write. Maybe any of the excitement I felt when I started this blog has already run its course, and I have gotten all I can from it.

I guess now would be the time to examine why I really did want to do this in the first place. I love to write. It is obviously far from being my expertise, but my whole purpose of this blog is to have it put into books for my kids when they are grown. They are going to get to this point, stop reading, and say B.O.R.I.N.G! I also wanted to do this because I was starting to feel lost. Like I was losing my identity in a suburban neighborhood driving an over sized SUV, working 9-5, trying to prove that working mom's can still be darn good room-mothers. I still want to be Karissa too. I wanted to do this because I felt like I would lose my mind if I didn't start doing something creative. Something that challenged me. Something that made me think.

So here is a promise to myself, and to my children and their one-day spouses, to focus more on not making this blog boring. What does this mean? I don't really know. I feel like I have gotten away from opinionated blogs for fear of upsetting people. Not anymore folks. An opinion is exactly that...an opinion...and it's mine! If it's not the same as yours, that's okay! In fact, I would love to hear yours. I respect everyone's beliefs and opinions, even if deep down, I know mine are right. Ha Ha! It's a joke people, lighten up! Colleen and I have been best friends for 12 years or something like that and we agree on a lot of stuff. However, we probably have different opinions on even more....I love that! My blog used to be a place where I could log in and just let it out. Congratulations to you if you live in pure bliss, if your not scrambling some evenings making sure at least one of your five year olds 12 uniform shirts are clean for the next day, if you never have the feeling of wanting to shut yourself in the bathroom and scream at the top of your lungs because your kids are fighting over the same damn toy you've taken away 12 times, if you husband is perfect and never forgets to update his work schedule with you (or the nanny). These imperfections are what makes The Miller's us...what makes our chaos pure bliss. I love it, and I need to express it more.

So, here is to February! Thank goodness I made it through January, the longest, coldest, most miserable month EVER!

XOXO,