Fun and Family

I'm linking up with Blog Hoppin'!  

Today's inspiration:  Fun and Family.  This has to be the number one area of my life where I want to improve this year.  We have always been very family-centered, but y'all know how it is.  Teaching is a stressful job that takes a lot of time away from family.  Yes, our jobs go from 7:30-3:00 (that's my day anyway), but the real job doesn't really begin until our little darlings leave for the day.  I wouldn't change professions for anything, but I can't deny that it is extremely time consuming.  Unless you are a teacher (or married to one), you don't really understand! :)

I have ALWAYS loved cooking.  I own too many cookbooks to count.  I have watched cooking shows since I could sit up.  My Saturday morning routine consists of watching The Pioneer Woman and Trisha Yearwood on Food Network.  I could spend hours looking for new cooking gadgets at Bed, Bath, and Beyond.  Our first Christmas together, I asked my now hubby for a zester.  No joke.

Life is busy.  Between staying at school some nights until 6, dance class, soccer practice, and just being flat-out exhausted, I don't always feel like cooking.  Four nights a week shouldn't be too hard, especially if I plan ahead and utilize one of my three slow cookers.  Yes, three slow cookers.  I love to have people over.  Or maybe I'm just a hoarder.

Around Christmas this year, we started having a movie night once a week.  I would bake cookies, pop popcorn (okay, the hubby would do that because I always burn it), and we would cuddle on the couch to watch a movie.  All devices were left in another room.  It was glorious.  I think we can carve out time from our schedules to do this at least once a month.

My family is on the run more than Forrest Gump.  Our kids are almost five and three.  What in the world will life be like as they get older and more involved in activities?  I'm exhausted just thinking about it, and my stomach is getting upset just thinking about all of the unavoidable fast food in our future.  The time to enjoy being home with one another is now.  I need to realize that we don't need to always have something to do.  Sometimes the best times are when you are doing nothing at all.  My hope for 2014 is that we have a ton of moments like that!

And I'll leave you with one of my favorite pictures of 2013.  Here are my two favorite little people in the world!  I have a feeling we will be having a lot of fun in 2014!

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