Dying Easter Eggs

Here is a video slide show for you of us dying easter eggs. Enjoy!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Santa time!!!

We went to see Santa today and it was fun but the kids decided that they enjoy seeing Santa but just don't want to go so early in the morning. We got them up at 6:30 and were out of the house by 7:15 to be there by 7:45 so we could see Santa at 8! We bought tickets to see Santa prior to the general public. They only allowed 25 families and it cost us $50, but it was well worth not getting extra family help to stand in line and wait out in the freezing cold for HOURS (yes, hours!!) until they opened the doors. So we went in a side door and by 8:30 we were done seeing Santa and off to breakfast.

The kids were whiney (but not with Santa) but we survived the morning. Caroline didn't want to wear her dress and worse her pantyhose!! Allie was just whiney and Nicholas picked on everyone which just made the girls more whiney! When we got home from breakfast we shuttled the kids into the family room and we took a quick impromptu Christmas family picture. This was a "one take wonder" and we were surprised at how it turned out well on the first take. I think it is a pretty good picture. But check out Nicholas! I think we have a cheeseball on our hands. But then again, we are all pretty 'cheesy'....

Happy Mother's Day!!

Profiletweaks.com - Free Glitter Graphics

To all the mothers out there. Our job is never done. I don't know about you but today I am cleaning the house, working on laundry, and fitting in two visits with the mothers (mine and my mother in law). Let me just say again, a mother's work is never done.

Here is what I would like to have done. Instead of an annual day, I want a surprise mother's day. I want to wake up one weekend (surprise me) and say "Happy Mother's Day! Today we honor you and your hard work in raising a family and keeping us clean and ruley. Today is your day. Do with it what you like, we will cook, clean and do the laundry. You do what you want. Oh by the way we made you an appointment for a mani/pedi at the spa up the street at 1:oo." Now THAT would be a Mother's Day!! I would go to my mani/pedi, choose the perfect shade of pinky/red and when I get home the house is clean and the beds are made and dinner is in the oven!! PERFECT!!!

(come on, I can dream can't I????)

Hope your dream day comes true for you. Me??? I will be shlepping laundry up and down the stairs for the next couple hours.

Leap Day

I thought when I woke up today that today is like an extra day. One you wouldn't normally have. One that should be special in some way. I wondered what I would do with a special day. I thought that maybe we should take the day off and spend it as a family doing something special. I thought that would be really fun to make it a tradition (if we can remember in 4 years that it IS a tradition) and do something special. As I said good bye to the kids, put my shoes on and grabbed my coffee, I thought that today should be filled with special things. Maybe I should make something. Maybe I should celebrate the day doing something fun in the classroom with my students. Maybe we could do something as a school. I arrived at school a few minutes late and I mentioned to another teacher that today should be fun and special and we should do something neat today. She agreed with me and I went into my classroom and prepared for the day. (logged into my computer and checked my email...)The kids came and went 3 times before lunch and then came and went another 3 times. The last group I just watched the clock as I taught. I couldn't wait to leave. After they left, I grabbed my lunch bag, coat and keys and out the door I went. Grocery store and then home to fix dinner and take a shower. Now I sit here and I have not done anything special with my extra day. I think I need a do over...

My sister thinks...

this is a made up holiday and Hallmark has the monopoly on it. I suppose along with the florists in town, too!


I personally think it is just a time to remember the ones you love. I don't expect jewelry (every year), nor do I expect flowers (though I really like them but you don't have to do roses). I do like to be noticed though. Just a little something like a hug in the kitchen or a "Happy Valentine's Day".

And that is what I got today. It was the perfect morning. We woke up early expecting for my son to have tutoring (as he does every Thursday morning at 7:30). But it was cancelled today. So I lay in my bed trying to wake up and the kids in their beds.

"Mom", my middle one says.

"Yeah", I reply.

"Happy Valentine's Day", she says.

"Happy Valentine's Day to you too!"

Then my son chimes in, "Happy Valentine's Day mom."

"Happy Valentine's Day to you son."

Then my youngest, "Happy Valentines day!"

"Happy Valentine's Day to you too, baby girl"

The best part of the whole exchange was that we were all still in our beds and the day hadn't even started.


My husband and I exchanged cards this morning over the first sips of coffee. Here was the card he gave me!


Yes we both snore and no we don't have sleep apnea.

Lent

Lent is 40 days and 40 nights. We will start the Lenten season tomorrow. Every year I think about and try to give up something for Lent. It is only 40 days and 40 nights. So this year after much thought about what I should give up, like sweets, chocolate, alcohol, food in general, and what I want to give up, like going to work, paying bills, oh and laundry; I have decided to not give up anything.

Yup, you heard me. Not nothing!

I am however going to add something this year. I am going to add exercise. You heard me right, exercise. For Lent I am going to increase my exercise to 5 days a week at least 30 minutes each session. There I did it. I wrote it down and published it. I have to do it now.

Want some rationalization? Well, for one, when I give up something I am depriving myself and I usually pick something that is impossible to give up with kids in the house. I mean really how can you make a batch of brownies without licking the spoon? How can you serve ice cream with out taking a bite yourself? And oh yeah, the year I decided to give up alcohol, well that wasn't all that depriving so I didn't feel it that bad.

I think the reason for Lent is to take something away that will make you think about God and his sacrifice for you, right my minister people who read this? I also think that God doesn't really want you to suffer but to better yourself because of your sacrifice, right again? So with exercise, trust me I will be sacrificing because I HATE to sweat AND I will be bettering myself in the process. I will certainly be thinking about God while I am exercising because I will be wondering why I am doing this and then, oh yeah, remember it is for LENT!!

So in sum, think about it like me this year. Instead of giving something up, add something positive.

Okay, you caught me, I am giving something up. The 2 1/2 hours a week I could be sitting on my butt in front of this computer. So I may not be blogging as much.... uh oh....

New Year's Resolutions

This year I have only a few and none of the old ones that I used to have. I have given up on dieting. I figure it will come when it comes and not before, so there is no reason to put it on my list as it has been for many years now.

1. Be more organized. This is one that has been on the list for some time and since I never seemed to make it past the dieting one, this one hasn't seen the light of day. Everything has a place and if it doesn't then it is going out of here. My husband has been on a roll in the past couple of days working toward this goal, so I am picking up his energy and moving forward.

2. Create more and give. I have made the commitment to use my handwork talents to help others and I will be donating more this year than in years past. More newborn hats, blankets and such. I have a few great people and organizations who I have been researching and will be sending off my donations there. I have one box ready to go already with 14 squares to be put together for a baby blanket.

3. Walk more. I have a treadmill which needs dusting and a neighbor who I am going to hopefully convince to walk with me a couple times a week. At Disney World I wore my pedometer and one day I reached 29,000 steps! I want to just get to 8,000 steps a day to start.

4. Plan at least one family outing or trip a month. This past year we didn't use the trailer but twice the whole year. I want to go somewhere at least once a month with the family. We don't have to use the trailer or go anywhere fancy but just go somewhere together. January is already planned!! We are going to Great Wolf Lodge!

5. Boost our savings. This is a necessity for us and while it is number 5 on my list it is no less important than the others. I want to double our savings this year from last year.

What are your New Year's Resolutions?

If you haven't already read this, you should! Read my entry below about our New Year's Eve Party.

Happy New Year Everyone

We spent our New Year's Eve celebrating with our friends and neighbors. We gather at our neighbor's house, about 60 of us, and celebrate with our kids at nine o'clock. Our neighbor is the stickler for time and as you walk in the front door she has posted on the wall, as well as two other places in the house, the itinerary for the evening. Last year she not only had the itinerary posted but she also had all of us 'signed' up for jobs to help out. While we didn't mind helping with the events, we did rib her a bit for being super organized and this year I noticed that she didn't have us assigned to a particular job but just recruited us as needed. So tonight the itinerary went something like this:

5:00 - people arrive buffet dinner and appetizers start

6:30 - Dance Studio back yard

7:00 - Piniatas at front drive

8:45 - Preparations for New Years (pass out champagne, sparkling cider, and noisemakers)

9:00 - New Year's Celebrations

9:30 - Fireworks at corner of street

The kids have a blast and she borrows our outdoor firepit and the adults stand around and drink while the kids play out in the yard. We all bring a food dish and everyone has a great time. What is even better about it is that we are all home by 10:30 and to bed early. What cracks us up is the itinerary. We joke about it but it keeps the party moving and because we are all friends we don't mind.

This year was like the others. The best place to be on New Year's Eve, with friends and family and kids.

Happy new year all! I hope you are surrounded by your family and friends this year.

Our Christmas Card

Can't decide which one to send...

Nothing new to post today.

Just more of the same today. Soccer practice in a little while. That will end soon. Fix dinner. Work on gifts for Christmas. Bath and Bed.

Speaking of Christmas it is coming up quickly this year. Part of me says ahh it is far away from now and the other part says oh my, here it is already...

We are decorating early this year and I hope it will get everyone in the family very excited. We have wonderful plans this holiday and the kids and adults alike are counting the days. We will be decorating next weekend if all goes as planned.

We have decided to remodel the living room, dining room and kitchen this year and had the contractor out for an estimate. The estimate came back so much lower than we expected that we can also enclose our porch and make it a sun room at the same time. I can't wait! We won't feel so segmented in our house anymore.

Don't forget to check out Whitney's Cooking! New recipes almost daily...

My Ghools!!

My three ghools!

Allie

Nicholas

Caroline

I'm in purple and my neighbor is in black.

A bunch of us gather together and canvas the neighborhood trick-or-treating! We take a cooler with adult beverages in it on a wagon that we pull. The kids run from house to house and we all walk together!

Happy Halloween!

"It's a spooky kinda day..."

Last night I finished the pirate doll for Nicholas and I gave the little guys to my little monsters this morning. Caroline LOVES her ghost, Nicholas his pirate and Alexandra her Pumpkin! Tonight they will dress up and I will take lots of pictures. Their costumes are perfect for them. My orderly/rule follower guy (Nicholas) is a police officer, my "princess"(Alexandra) is Jasmine, and my "superhero" (Caroline) is Violet from the incredibles. Caroline said last night at dinner that she told everyone in the class yesterday what she was going to be for Halloween but they didn't understand her. When she says "Violet" it sounds like "Pirate" with her speech difficulties. So last night she got in her costume and I took a picture of her and printed it out for her to take in to SHOW everyone what she is! She truly is a super hero!

Here is a picture of the pirate I finished for Nicholas!!

Scroll down for pumpkin carving pictures!!

Pumpkin Carving

We carved pumpkins today!!

Our Fourth of July Float

For the last several years our neighborhood has had a Fourth of July parade. The kids decorate their bikes and moms decorate their strollers and we all parade around the neighborhood to the community pool. Last year some moms built floats. This year we had floats and old time cars and of course our decorated bikes. It is a lot of fun and the neighborhood comes out to watch the parade if they are not participating.

This year Kenneth drove our 1959 Farmall Tractor pulling a trailer with straw bales with the kids for an old-fashioned, all American hayride.

The neighborhood loved it and asked lots of questions about the tractor and practically rushed Kenneth as he parked the tractor at the pool at the end of the parade. This was great for Kenneth as he "stole the show" with the men of the community, but it left me to setting up the tables, chairs and canopy at the pool for our family alone.
Here is Kenneth entertaining his "fan club".

What do you do to celebrate the 4th?

What do you do to celebrate our nation's independence day? On July 4, 1776, our forefathers of our country, including, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, John Adams, John Hancock, and Benjamin Franklin gathered together in the Philadelphia meeting room and with fear for their lives signed the Declaration of Independence. At one point just before Benjamin Franklin signed the document he made one of his many famous statements. "Gentlemen, we MUST hang together for assuredly we will all hang separately!" This meaning that if we don't win our independence we will all hang for treason.

As historians, many hold these people up on a pedestal as great men who were wise beyond their years, almost like they were gods. I, too, think they were great, brave people, willing to hang for what they stood for and willing to do what it takes to make things better for others. I often wonder if they were thinking, "what will the history books say about me?" No, I don't think they were. I also wonder how they got to that day. What made them come and sign, basically, their death sentence if we didn't win the war.

Today, our politicians and government leaders seem to have many things in common. It is hard to find someone who isn't egocentric, a bit narcissistic, and thinking of their next political step. They also are looking for historic "prosperity". Or in other words, "what will the history books say about me?". What happened to those people who lead because they are good? What happened to those who make good decisions without thinking what will people 100 years from now think of me?

Are our leaders now trying to live up to the standards set by our forefathers? Is anyone able to live up to them? Will we have great leaders like them again? Will it take another all out war? It seems that our other great presidents were also in office during time of war. The Civil War with Lincoln, WWI with Truman, WWII with Roosevelt and Wilson. Eisenhower and Kennedy. Reagan with the Cold War ending.

I have been thinking recently of our presidential elections coming next year. Our candidates have already been campaigning and for most, by the election, they will have been campaigning for 20-22 months! Great Britain just had their election and now have a new Prime Minister. Tony Blair announced a few months ago that he would be calling a new election and would not be running, they have campaigned and had the election all in a few months time. It is over. We draw ours out. By the time the election comes around I feel browbeaten by the candidates. They have invaded every orifice of my being. They are in my mailbox. They are on my TV. They are in my newspapers, magazines, and radio. They are on street signs and billboards. They are everywhere. By election day, I just want it over with. And by that time we know everything about them and some things we didn't want to know. I am not sure this is how our forefathers had imagined it. Maybe some did. George Washington was elected without a political party, but by the time he left office 8 years later he warned us of political parties. Maybe he did know. Maybe we should take some lessons from out "greats".

Oh, we are spending our Independence Day as a family. We will be participating in our neighborhood parade with bikes and floats. Kenneth is driving our big 1959 Farmall 460 tractor with a trailer behind it filled with straw bales and kids waving the flag of our country (the red white and blue). Then we will be participating in the events at our neighborhood pool. Then ending the day with my parents, cooking out, eating watermelon, and roasting s'mores!