Update

I know, I know. I never call. I never write anymore.

Well, I've been a wee bit busy lately and writing has had to take a back seat to, uh, well... life.

Here's a brief update on what we've been up to:

To start, this has been my most fun summer in recent years. We put house renovations on the back burner and instead used our vacation time camping and taking a week-long vacation at the beach. We've played this summer. A lot.

And it's been pure bliss.

I've  changed up my morning routine too. Rather than sitting here at this desk, my early mornings have been spent sipping coffee, running or sleeping in as late as possible.

What's the reason for the change? Well, a new baby, a cancer scare and a trip to the ER with chest pains -- all in a six-month span will make you slow down, take stock and rearrange some priorities.

Now, now. Don't worry. Every thing's fine. But I'd be lying if I said it wasn't scary as hell. So, I linger longer, hug everyone tighter and have let go of certain obligations that are in conflict with what's really important in life.

And on the topic of life: Life with four kids is hectic and noisy, but crazy fun.

The Bigs (as I've taken to calling Mad Dog, Crowbar and The Deuce) are gearing up for the new school year. The twins are entering middle school and Crowbar is going to be a first grader.

At the end of this month, Sweet Pea will graduate from the infant room (where brand new babies lay around and drool on themselves) to the bigger baby room (where older babies crawl around and drool on each other).

And me? I've been into pie sharking, digging around in my flowerbeds (when I have time and the mosquitoes aren't too bad) and looking at creative ways to save our pennies.

We're not in a pinch financially, but four kids are expensive (duh) and I'm always looking for ways to put more into savings and spend less day to day. I'm frugal by nature and ever since I wrestled bill-paying responsibilities from Mark's hands, I've been a little obsessive about saving money.

I'm reading a great book, Money Secrets of the Amish, which explores how the Plain People combine money management with family values -- resulting in more money and less spoiled kids. I've been trying to put some of their strategies into play -- while still maintaining a house with electricity and driving my minivan.

So last night for the first time ever, I took the twins to a local thrift store for clothes shopping. My plan was to snoop out if 1) there were any clothes there suitable for back-to-school, and 2) if they'd turn their noses up at thrift-store clothes.

Lucky for me, the store owner had set up a juniors section, complete with cool lighting and funky displays, and the store had a ton of mall-brand t-shirts and tank tops. The girls were in heaven, pulling clothes from the racks and asking, "Can I?!" to which I could answer, "Yes!" barely blinking. The girls were thrilled with our purchases and I was thrilled by having saved so much money.

I also left the store thinking about what a huge retail opportunity there is in opening a fun, funky second-hand shop that catering to kids and teens. Maybe if my day job doesn't work out, I'll open a store.

Anyhow, life here is good. Which parlays well into my new favorite thing: Life is Good. I seriously cannot get enough of this.

I hope life is good for you too.