2010

The new year has been rung in and we are starting down the path of 2010. We had a fun New Year's. It was pretty low key with the kids but it was nice and relaxing. I took the kids to the movies earlier in the day then that evening James and I went out with some friends for dinner and came back to watch a movie. Luke had some friends over for a small party. By midnight, James and half the kids were asleep. The other half ran outside to bang pots and pans and run around. Then I tucked everyone into bed.

New Year's Day we had a fun family day. We had our traditional chocolate breakfast. We decided a couple of years ago that chocolate always makes things better so why not start the year off with it. We have chocolate milk, chocolate cereal, chocolate pancakes, etc. Around the breakfast table we plan out the year as best we can. Later, I met with all the kids and helped them set goals for the year. My goal is to help them follow up on their goals!

Our first week of this new year has been good. The kids headed back to school for a couple of weeks. They go off track later in the month. Before that happens, they have the science fair and the spelling bee. We have been busy working on those projects.

James left for Las Vegas this week with his good friend. They have decided to make it a tradition to attend a convention down there. They went last year and went again this year. At the convention they get to see all the new and latest technology that will be released. I can tell how exciting it is for James as he calls me and tells me about all the interesting things he sees. I'm glad he and his friend are able to attend the convention together.

I have made it a goal to de-clutter!! I began my journey this week. It is amazing how much junk a family accumulates. We have been here for six years, and while you try to keep the clutter under control, things pile up when you don't move from one house to another. I have discovered that the more I de-junk, the more areas I find that need attention. This project is going to take some time but if I am persistent we should be junk-free before the year is up. I have actually been reading a book that points out what "junk" is. It is written with a lot of humor and I laugh at nearly every chapter because I realize they all apply to me/us. It has been an eye opener but also very freeing. This week I made two trips to Deseret Industries and one to the trash pile. We'll see what next week brings--or gets rid of.