The Ritchie Clan

Why Me?

2012-01-25T10:09:00.001-08:00

Now before you shake your head at my cynisism, I think I should explain my blog post title. Do not worry. I have not become one of those people who finds and dwells on all the negativity in my life. This isn't about that at all. In fact, I promise not to waste your time ranting and raving about any of my hardships. No ranting, but no guarantees on the raving part.
Have you ever had a moment of clarity that left you feeling very humbled and super grateful? I had one today. I don't know why it happened today. It sort of came out of nowhere, but suddenly I had thoughts just pop into my head that made me feel so....blessed. I just had to capture that feeling and share it with you. So please indulge me a very sincere, but somewhat sappy moment on my blog.
In my moment of clarity I have been made very award that I have been so incredibly blessed with the people I have in my life!! I do not know what I did to deserve it. Thus the question, WHY ME? Why am I so lucky to have such wonderful parents who teach me by example how to have unbelievable faith and resolve to be righteous? Why do I have the best siblings in the world? The kind that make you laugh uncontrollably when you are together and make you feel loved even when you aren't together? Why do I get to have the best husband on the planet? (Sorry ladies, I really did get the best one!) I get treated like a queen everyday, even when I may not deserve it. He is truly my best friend and I would rather be with him then any one. How did I get blessed with such healthy, smart, beautiful children who just keep getting better with age !!! :) Why did I get to meet and become friends with some of the most inspirational, fun, positive and amazing people on the earth? Really??? Why am I so blessed?
I have no answer to that. I don't need one. I will just enjoy my moment of clarity, thank my Heavenly Father for all of you, and hope that I can continue to enjoy such a blessing in my life.

I feel old

2011-10-05T10:10:00.000-07:00

My oldeset is 10 (and so very pre-teen) and my baby is 5 now. I AM SOO OLD! When did this happen? I don't remember going from young fresh new mom to middle aged mother of three. How did that sneak up on me like that? I am now the age of those women who taught me when I was a teenager and I remember thinking that they were just so old. I am the age my mom was when she had her 7th kid and she seemed so much older than I am now. I can't stay up past 11:00 p.m. without really feeling it the next day. I HAVE TO WATCH THE WEATHER EVERY NIGHT! I am that old lady! I don't do spur of the moment anymore (except when my friend Karlene makes me :) I have found 5 gray hairs so far and there is no doubt that I have started to get those wrinkles around my eyes. This is a little scary to me people!! I'm not sure I am ready to be in this phase of my life yet.
But I guess I really have no choice. I'm here. And I guess if I look back at the last 10 years of my life and what brought me here, I have accomplished alot to be proud of. I personally think I've got some great kids and I am going to take a little credit for that. My husband is a wonderful person ( I take no credit for that. That was all Craig and Kristine Ritchie), but I did support him through law school, 2 job changes and 7 moves. All of that has shaped me and helped me get to this point in my life. And I have discovered that as a grown woman and am good with young kids, pretty good at home improvement projects, I can find my way around a tool box, and I can decorate the heck out of a home. I also have discovered that I am pretty capable of handling most stressful situations with maturity. I suppose all of that comes with getting old. So I guess I'll take it. I AM OLD AND I AM PROUD OF IT!!!

My love/hate Relationship With Summer

2011-08-03T11:49:00.000-07:00

Every summer I go through this. My mind switches back and forth as to whether or not I like summertime. So many things to like, so many things to dislike. Let me show you what I mean.

What I like:
1. Not having to get up so early to get the kids to school on time.
When school is in session I have to get up at 5:50 in order to get to the gym before they need to get up to get ready for school. When there is no school, I can sleep at least an extra hour. It's precious to me.

2. Spending more time with the kids.
It's fun to have time to go do things like the park, baseball games, swimming, vacations all that stuff.

3. Twilight
No, not the movie or books! Evenings in Idaho in the summer are wonderful! It feels good to be outside, it smells good, it's usually peaceful.

4. Cookouts
Summer is the perfect time to have hotdog roasts, or bbqs or just having people over for a potluck. You can be outside to enjoy the food and the kids can play and it's just an overall good time.

5. Backyard Movie nights
This is a discovery from last year. We don't need the drive-in (although it always fun to do that too). We just have it in our own in the backyard and it's so much fun!

6. Yard Sales!
I love to go to yard sales. There is just something about going to find items you need (or not so much) at such great prices in the early morning hours that I just LOVE!

7. Family
It just seems like summer is the time to see family. Wouldn't you agree?

What I Dislike:
1. Heat
I hate to be hot. I'm okay as long as the temp's stay below 85, but anything hotter than that and I become a crabby, sweaty, monster woman. I hate it when you hit that time when it's really hot in the day and then it never really cools off at night. It just zaps my energy.

2. Spending more time with my kids
No, it's not a misprint. It's also in the "likes". I do like to spend more time with my kids, but I just get to the point every summer where I want my life back. I want to be able to go somewhere and not have 3 little shadows. I'd like to have some time in the day where I don't have to hear the bickering because they are sick of each other. I'd like to go to the dang grocery store to get a gallon of milk and not have to say 500 times no we aren't getting that!! (Okay, deep breath. I'm fine)

3. BUSY BUSY BUSY
Summers just get a little out of control sometimes with the baseball games, the family reunions, the bbqs, the swimming lessons, the get-togethers that seem to happen every week. They are all fun, good, things, but they keep my life BUSY!

4. Ben's job
Don't get me wrong. I actually love Ben's job. He works for a great firm, with great people, and loves what he does. But he is the busiest in July. We don't see much of him. He's gone for 12 hours a day sometimes. It get's pretty hard after awhile. I always know that it will end so we just deal with it, but it's still part of why I dislike the summer. I'm a single mom for a month.

5. "I'm Bored"
I reeeeally hate those words. All those mom's out there know that that sentence is almost like cussing. You're WHAT!! It's summer! Go outside and play! Ride you bike, go to your friends house, read, whatever, but don't tell me you are bored. I think the kids get out of school and don't have a clue how to entertain themselves and then it's supposed to be my job to keep them happy. I can only do so much you know. Please summer end so I can send these kids back to school!!

So looking back at the list, I guess the LIKES win after all. I guess I actually like summer more than I dislike it. I'll just have to remind myself of that when I'm running around town with my three little bickering, bored children sweating like a pig. :)

Take Me Out To The Ball Game

2011-07-10T15:43:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid and the school year was wrapping up and the weather turned warm, I'd wait in anticipation for the chance to do all those favorite things that just made it feel like summer. Sleepovers, swimming, snow cones, family reunions, endless hours outside. But I'd never say that baseball made that list . Not that I didn't have my opportunities to play. I was on the ward Young Women softball team. My family would go to a park on occasion and have a little game just for fun. But I wouldn't say athletics have ever been my strength or even all that enjoyable for me. In fact, many years later when I was first married to Ben he convinced me to join his co-ed softball team. He loves to tell the story of when I struck out on purpose so I could go home earlier. Is that really true you may ask. Yes. Yes it is.
But then something happened to make me put baseball on my list of favorite summer activities. My kids started to play. And now from the 1st of June to the 3rd week of July, our lives are pretty much run by baseball. And I love it. We are at games 4 days a week and we have practice 2 times a week. And as busy as it makes my life, I love it! I become such a proud mama as I watch my kids actually learn and understand the game (way more than me). I figured out that although I am horrible at playing baseball (or softball), I am a really good cheerleader!!! I can shout encouraging words and cheer for all their efforts to the point of embarrassing them. (What are moms for?!) So thanks Darcy and Max (and next year Eliza) for making me love baseball!

The Happiest Place on Earth!

2011-06-03T11:12:00.000-07:00

Some families like to go camping. Some visit historical sites. Some like to visit family when they go on vacation. What do we do? We go to Disneyland!!

About 6 years ago we took our first vacation to Disneyland. My Cooper family had planned a trip to California to see my oldest nephew be baptized and then go to Disneyland for a day. We decided to join in the fun. At that time Darcy was 4 and Max was 18 months. I wasn't sure how much fun we would have with our kids being so young, but we did it anyway. It took about 10 minutes inside the gates for me to realize why Disneyland can claim to be the happiest place on earth. It is beautiful, magical and every detail has been thought of to make this place amazing. The staff working there are happy, friendly and call your girls "princess" and your boys "prince." The rides are fun for both kids and adults. They've even made waiting in line entertaining!! This is a place that caters to parents and young children. Not many places do that. It' s one of the few places you can go as a family and everyone is happy. We've now been back every year since that first trip and I can honestly say it get better every time. Hello, my name is Holli and I am a Disneyland addict.

Disneyland over the Years

2011-06-03T10:27:00.000-07:00

Let's Try This Again!

2011-05-27T14:03:00.001-07:00

Okay, so after being the world's worst blogger for about 3 years, my New Year's resolution this year is to get back to blogging. I know it's the end of May and I'm just getting started on that resolution, but at least I am starting right!! So for my first post of the year I am letting everyone know that I still have my blog and that I am now going to use it. Please wish me luck on keeping it up! I am going to need it.