New Year, New Goals

I'm typically not one to set New Year's goals, only because I feel like I'm setting myself up for failure, but this year I started early and decided these changes needed to happen. One of the biggest is Turn Off the TV. Whether or not someone is watching it, it is always on. And if it was off, I'd notice Boston turning it back on but not watching it! So we are cutting back. Sure they still watch TV, but I'm putting more focus on playing and spending time with each other during crucial moments of the day. Curtis is lucky enough to come home for lunch. The kids love it and so do I. The day we cut back on TV, he came home to find them eating lunch without it on...a rare occurrence to say the least. But then, a little imagination and a lot of fun for all started to occur. Exhibit A for starters....
This is one of Maddox's Christmas gifts...there are 10 of these soft, squeaky blocks that I knew he'd love chewing on eventually. But when the big kids (including my husband) got there hands on them, a squeaky block war ensued!

I'm not sure who started throwing them first, but the kids were giggling like crazy and suddenly they were flying everywhere, and kids were ducking behind couches and each other to save themselves!
I grouped Curtis' pictures all on their own because I could not get over his facial expressions. If you couldn't tell, he's throwing those things pretty hard...must have been a stressful day at the office! He was not letting up one bit on those kids! But I sat back...snapped a few pictures, and enjoyed the sounds of laughter and happy screaming rather than the television. At one point, Boston decided the couch wasn't giving him good enough protection, so he resorted to this... Sneaky little guy, isn't he?! Maddox thought the whole thing was great, too. He enjoyed it from the safety of his swing.
He got real excited when he thought I was taking him out to enjoy the party...but I couldn't risk having him get caught in the crossfire!
He was so excited, he salivated all over his shirt! After all was said and done, we only lost one block...which I'm sure is around here somewhere. I made them all pose for a pretty picture, because I wasn't too satisfied with all my action shots.
Making memories is the true goal for this year. Really taking time to sit down and play with my kids and enjoy little moments rather than constantly worrying about laundry piling up, or dishes in the sink. I can't help but get the catch phrase, "Family, Isn't It About Time" out of my head. But seriously, it is about time!