I'm such a nervous Nellie when it comes to just about everything anymore. I think it comes, in part, from being let down over and over again over things I got very excited about. I start to get excited and want to shout to the world that something wonderful is taking place and then, as if the universe has to prove a point to me, BAM, something happens and I'm let down all over again. It's always devastating and I truly believe that it's sometimes, a test that God puts before us, allowing it to happen to see how we'll react.
I had a long discussion this morning with someone, talking about this. They talked about building up walls and how they'd developed a system of never getting hurt. I told them that I don't build walls...I build a fence. A fence is easily constructed and creates a boundary. They are not impossible to enter....there's a gate to enter through. With that being said, YOU define how easy or difficult entering through the gate is for the people outside. If you want it to be difficult, you may protect it with additional measures, like a padlock. If you're not as concerned, you might only have a latch. Either way, how high or how secure your fence is depends on how you construct it.
While I'm nervous about things, I refuse to build a wall around me to keep people out. If you build a wall to keep out the bad, you also keep out the good. You may prevent the hurt but you also prevent the happiness and love. If you build a wall, you never open the door to good things happening. Feeling nervous is natural and the degree to which you feel it is different for everyone. Some people are more high strung and nervous than others. If they're like I am, they're constantly concerned about something or someone....the words "care too much" are a characterization I hear often.
With that being said, I am going to continue trusting God with my decisions in life and I'm going to continue pushing forward with allowing people into my life...with boundaries. Maybe all of these storms are going to produce a beautiful rainbow :)
Friday, August 30, 2013
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Standing At The Fork
Let me preface this by saying that this is more of a "thinking out loud" post than anything else. I'm not necessarily writing about a personal situation.
I think that sometimes we forget that life is always about standing at a fork deciding which way to go. Some people are more of a quick decision maker and can just say, "Right" or "left". Not me. I need time to mull it over and weigh the options. I have to look at each position on the whole and weigh the pros and cons and then weigh them again. I am a careful thinker and I'm not much for the "fly by the seat of your pants" philosophy of things.
I'm also a bit of a panicker. What if I go left and then I was supposed to go right? Then I'm spending all of my time retracing my steps back to the fork so I can go right? Then again, maybe I can just cut across but then there's no path there so I'm in uncharted territory which is dangerous.
Here's the bottom line. Worrying is like a rocking chair; you can rock all day but you're not gonna go anywhere (and no that's not verbatim and it's NOT my quote). All I can do is do the best I can and take a leap of faith when it's necessary. Here's to hoping that all of my forks in the road past, present and future have God's hand protecting and guiding them every step of the way.
I think that sometimes we forget that life is always about standing at a fork deciding which way to go. Some people are more of a quick decision maker and can just say, "Right" or "left". Not me. I need time to mull it over and weigh the options. I have to look at each position on the whole and weigh the pros and cons and then weigh them again. I am a careful thinker and I'm not much for the "fly by the seat of your pants" philosophy of things.
I'm also a bit of a panicker. What if I go left and then I was supposed to go right? Then I'm spending all of my time retracing my steps back to the fork so I can go right? Then again, maybe I can just cut across but then there's no path there so I'm in uncharted territory which is dangerous.
Here's the bottom line. Worrying is like a rocking chair; you can rock all day but you're not gonna go anywhere (and no that's not verbatim and it's NOT my quote). All I can do is do the best I can and take a leap of faith when it's necessary. Here's to hoping that all of my forks in the road past, present and future have God's hand protecting and guiding them every step of the way.
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Lessons from a Broken Refrigerator
As if my past few days hasn't had enough roller coaster ups and downs, tonight we discovered that the refrigerator stopped working. After doing all the "easy fixes", it's official. It's broken (though after finding out that it was THIRTY years old, I'm not amazed that it's done for. LOL). *Sigh* You know, God...I know You don't give us more than we can handle but just so you know, I'm not super woman.
So as we were cleaning out the refrigerator today, trying to getting everything into coolers and the landlord/neighbor's small deep freeze, I tried to focus on what the lesson could be in all of this. Here goes.....
1. Sometimes preparing in advance kicks you in the ass. You can prep and prep and prep and sometimes it just backfires because there's a change of plans. In the example of the broken refrigerator, it just meant more food was going to go to waste.
2. In every age and stage of your life, you have to prioritize. You have to decide what HAS to be saved, what can be saved if there's room and what is not even important enough to worry about. In the case of the freezer, the meat was the priority since it was the most expensive. Otter pops didn't need to be worried about because they could be thawed and refrozen. Reese's ice cream lie somewhere in between....that is in the "eat it now" pile.
3. No matter how "together" you think your life is, there's always that dirty little item that you forgot about. It might be the little white lie you told to cover your ass when you were late to work or some other smallish thing. In the case of the refrigerator, it was the icky, gooey green onions I had stashed to use for a recipe and forgot about. *shudders*
4. Some things just stand the test of time. There are some things that are gonna be around no matter what the situation. In the case of the refrigerator, one word....KETCHUP! (The preservatives alone could make the stuff last for eons).
5. Sometimes you forget what you have until you find a reason to make use of it. It's like when kids clean out the toy box and find the toys they never play with. Sometimes we get so focused on the "have not's" that we forget the "haves." In the case of the freezer, it was the gogurt in the door that was stashed under the ice packs. Score!
6. You don't realize what you have until life puts it all out there for you. A certain someone in my house walked around for days before today talking about how there was "nothing to eat" and "absolutely NOTHING for breakfast." Three HUGE coolers and part of a small deep freeze later, I'm wondering how that's even possible to say.
7. When it rains, it pours. This week has had so many blah, grr, and boo hoo moments that I'm ready to cry just thinking about it. When it rains, it POURS....but then, if there was no rain, there wouldn't be a rainbow.
So as we were cleaning out the refrigerator today, trying to getting everything into coolers and the landlord/neighbor's small deep freeze, I tried to focus on what the lesson could be in all of this. Here goes.....
1. Sometimes preparing in advance kicks you in the ass. You can prep and prep and prep and sometimes it just backfires because there's a change of plans. In the example of the broken refrigerator, it just meant more food was going to go to waste.
2. In every age and stage of your life, you have to prioritize. You have to decide what HAS to be saved, what can be saved if there's room and what is not even important enough to worry about. In the case of the freezer, the meat was the priority since it was the most expensive. Otter pops didn't need to be worried about because they could be thawed and refrozen. Reese's ice cream lie somewhere in between....that is in the "eat it now" pile.
3. No matter how "together" you think your life is, there's always that dirty little item that you forgot about. It might be the little white lie you told to cover your ass when you were late to work or some other smallish thing. In the case of the refrigerator, it was the icky, gooey green onions I had stashed to use for a recipe and forgot about. *shudders*
4. Some things just stand the test of time. There are some things that are gonna be around no matter what the situation. In the case of the refrigerator, one word....KETCHUP! (The preservatives alone could make the stuff last for eons).
5. Sometimes you forget what you have until you find a reason to make use of it. It's like when kids clean out the toy box and find the toys they never play with. Sometimes we get so focused on the "have not's" that we forget the "haves." In the case of the freezer, it was the gogurt in the door that was stashed under the ice packs. Score!
6. You don't realize what you have until life puts it all out there for you. A certain someone in my house walked around for days before today talking about how there was "nothing to eat" and "absolutely NOTHING for breakfast." Three HUGE coolers and part of a small deep freeze later, I'm wondering how that's even possible to say.
7. When it rains, it pours. This week has had so many blah, grr, and boo hoo moments that I'm ready to cry just thinking about it. When it rains, it POURS....but then, if there was no rain, there wouldn't be a rainbow.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Life Lessons
Today was one of those days when I had a talk with my daughter that made me want to throat punch someone. I hate that anyone can make ANY of them feel inferior or sad over things they have no control over. Because the person who she's upset over is intentionally making bad choices, I want to throat punch them....and maybe donkey kick them. Hmmmmm
With that being said, it's also a great opportunity to teach a few important lessons to her....
1. People come and go; some are around for life and some for a season. Sometimes they're just in your life to teach you a really hard lesson and sometimes they're there to celebrate with you.
2. Life's hard and just when you think it's getting easier, it throws a curve ball.
3. Life's not fair. Nothing about life is even close to fair.
BUT....
If you focus on the positives, not the negatives, you'll have a better chance at happiness. If you smile when you want to cry, you'll have a better chance of losing the blues. If you talk it out and cry, it'll hurt for a second but it'll make you feel better in the long run. :)
With that being said, it's also a great opportunity to teach a few important lessons to her....
1. People come and go; some are around for life and some for a season. Sometimes they're just in your life to teach you a really hard lesson and sometimes they're there to celebrate with you.
2. Life's hard and just when you think it's getting easier, it throws a curve ball.
3. Life's not fair. Nothing about life is even close to fair.
BUT....
If you focus on the positives, not the negatives, you'll have a better chance at happiness. If you smile when you want to cry, you'll have a better chance of losing the blues. If you talk it out and cry, it'll hurt for a second but it'll make you feel better in the long run. :)
Monday, August 26, 2013
Miley's Performance on the VMA's
Yep, it was inevitable that I was going to have something to say about this for a number of reasons. I watched the VMA's , originally, because I wanted to watch the NSYNC reunion. I won't like; I'm a sucker for that boy band. *Swoon* With that being said, I had to turn it off after a half hour of watching because I determined I was too old for this crap. Lady Gaga's performance was strange but, in my opinion, great. Miley's on the other hand threw me over the edge. It just kept getting worse and worse. I resorted to fragmented sentences (i.e. "What the....why is.....Oh Dear Lord!) but continued to watch the train wreck performance as she burned images into my brain and ruined one of my favorite songs for me. I can't un-see that performance and there is no amount of brain-bleaching Sponge Bob Square Pants that can make me forget.
This morning, there is talk from a lot of people saying that this is Disney's fault. They're saying that this is "just another Disney star gone awry" and that "Disney is responsible." Let me be clear on my opinion here....Disney is NOT responsible for Miley's performance. Disney does NOT support that crap, nor do they promote it. Disney created a wholesome country girl show and made her a star. She wants to "shed her good girl image" and "prove that she's all grown up" by flashing her near-naked body parts and gyrating in a way that can only be characterized as a train wreck. I hope that Miley, like some of the other girls-gone-bad child stars of the past, will come to her senses before it's too late.
This morning, there is talk from a lot of people saying that this is Disney's fault. They're saying that this is "just another Disney star gone awry" and that "Disney is responsible." Let me be clear on my opinion here....Disney is NOT responsible for Miley's performance. Disney does NOT support that crap, nor do they promote it. Disney created a wholesome country girl show and made her a star. She wants to "shed her good girl image" and "prove that she's all grown up" by flashing her near-naked body parts and gyrating in a way that can only be characterized as a train wreck. I hope that Miley, like some of the other girls-gone-bad child stars of the past, will come to her senses before it's too late.
Sunday, August 25, 2013
My Ideal Birthday
In the midst of my quickly approaching birthday and a million other things going on, I took a moment today to just have a fantasy about my ideal birthday. So here goes....
Being that my birthday is a school day, we'd have a babysitter keep the kids overnight so we could get an early start. The start? Waking up before dawn and going somewhere beautiful to hike and take pictures at sunrise. It's on my bucket list and it's something I'd love to do. I love taking scenic shots sometimes more than shooting people....the scenery has so many different angles and it's all in the way you capture it as to how it can be viewed. I love it!
We'd finish up the hike in time to go and have some coffee and breakfast: over-medium , wheat toast lightly toast and 3 sausage patties. Then we'd shower and get ourselves ready to do some shopping. We'd venture out and go buy some new clothes, fabulous shoes and goodies for the house at great prices. We'd eat lunch out...maybe a salad or some Mexican.
Then we'd get dolled up and go to 16th Street Mall where we'd eat some Mellow Mushroom pizza and get a treat from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. Then we'd walk the mall...maybe do more shopping, take some pictures and just enjoy the scenery.
We'd finish off the night, snuggled up watching a good movie. So if the Universe is interested in creating my ideal birthday, here ya go.
Being that my birthday is a school day, we'd have a babysitter keep the kids overnight so we could get an early start. The start? Waking up before dawn and going somewhere beautiful to hike and take pictures at sunrise. It's on my bucket list and it's something I'd love to do. I love taking scenic shots sometimes more than shooting people....the scenery has so many different angles and it's all in the way you capture it as to how it can be viewed. I love it!
We'd finish up the hike in time to go and have some coffee and breakfast: over-medium , wheat toast lightly toast and 3 sausage patties. Then we'd shower and get ourselves ready to do some shopping. We'd venture out and go buy some new clothes, fabulous shoes and goodies for the house at great prices. We'd eat lunch out...maybe a salad or some Mexican.
Then we'd get dolled up and go to 16th Street Mall where we'd eat some Mellow Mushroom pizza and get a treat from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. Then we'd walk the mall...maybe do more shopping, take some pictures and just enjoy the scenery.
We'd finish off the night, snuggled up watching a good movie. So if the Universe is interested in creating my ideal birthday, here ya go.
Preseason Football: Broncos vs Rams
Let me start by saying that I watched this game with hushed tones because I had a napper in my midst that I was trying not to wake up. With that being said...AMAZING game!
St Louis started off with a quick score. Admittedly, I missed this particular touchdown because I was fixing dinner for the crazies and when I came in and saw the score, I immediately went to a bad place....Gosh, I really don't wanna lose this game. Shortly thereafter, Manning throws to Demaryius Thomas for 6 yards for a touchdown. I'm yelling into my pillow as my youngest yells, "Demarrrryyyyyiusssss Thommmmmmmas" in her best commentator voice, pointing at the screen and giving her Broncos glare! Love that kid!
The second quarter was not good...I'll leave it at that. The Rams started off with a field goal and then, less than a minute later, ran in a fumble return for a touchdown. It was a sad, sad moment for me. We perked up a little when a field goal was scored but it was answered by a touchdown from the Rams and we went into half time 20-10. I was feeling defeated and perked up ONLY at hearing that 'NSYNC was definitely performing on the MTV awards Sunday..Squeee! Haha!
Montee Ball turned everything around for us in the 3rd when he scored a touchdown...a real beauty, by the way. Then in the fourth, we scored a field goal followed up quickly by an amazing touchdown by Lance Ball. I don't think I could have been more excited when we took the lead. Then the Rams marched down the field and it looked like a tie or certain defeat. They scored the touchdown and decided to go for the 2-point conversion. I was on the edge of my seat as the refs looked over the catch which, it turned out, was no good because the ball was not controlled after the catch.
All things said, it was an amazing game and a real screamer. I'm getting more faith in our second and third string and getting a crush on Montee Ball who is doing amazing lately. My heart will always be with Eric Decker though. Hahaha.
St Louis started off with a quick score. Admittedly, I missed this particular touchdown because I was fixing dinner for the crazies and when I came in and saw the score, I immediately went to a bad place....Gosh, I really don't wanna lose this game. Shortly thereafter, Manning throws to Demaryius Thomas for 6 yards for a touchdown. I'm yelling into my pillow as my youngest yells, "Demarrrryyyyyiusssss Thommmmmmmas" in her best commentator voice, pointing at the screen and giving her Broncos glare! Love that kid!
The second quarter was not good...I'll leave it at that. The Rams started off with a field goal and then, less than a minute later, ran in a fumble return for a touchdown. It was a sad, sad moment for me. We perked up a little when a field goal was scored but it was answered by a touchdown from the Rams and we went into half time 20-10. I was feeling defeated and perked up ONLY at hearing that 'NSYNC was definitely performing on the MTV awards Sunday..Squeee! Haha!
Montee Ball turned everything around for us in the 3rd when he scored a touchdown...a real beauty, by the way. Then in the fourth, we scored a field goal followed up quickly by an amazing touchdown by Lance Ball. I don't think I could have been more excited when we took the lead. Then the Rams marched down the field and it looked like a tie or certain defeat. They scored the touchdown and decided to go for the 2-point conversion. I was on the edge of my seat as the refs looked over the catch which, it turned out, was no good because the ball was not controlled after the catch.
All things said, it was an amazing game and a real screamer. I'm getting more faith in our second and third string and getting a crush on Montee Ball who is doing amazing lately. My heart will always be with Eric Decker though. Hahaha.
My Review of "Lords of Salem"
Let me start off by saying that I am a huge fan of Rob Zombie films. I think that they're twisted but awesome. I was started off with watching "House of 1000 Corpses" and moved on to "Devil's Rejects" and then the Halloween movies. I love Sheri Moon and I think the movies are well-written.
I finally got to see "Lords of Salem" and I can put it no other way except fu**ed up and AWESOME. The movie moved a bit slower than other Rob Zombie flicks but the story line was great and it turned out to be a fantastic flick with an unexpected ending.
Two thumbs up. I fully recommend it if you can handle the oddity.
I finally got to see "Lords of Salem" and I can put it no other way except fu**ed up and AWESOME. The movie moved a bit slower than other Rob Zombie flicks but the story line was great and it turned out to be a fantastic flick with an unexpected ending.
Two thumbs up. I fully recommend it if you can handle the oddity.
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Bloody Noses
I felt like such a proud mama this morning. Alyssa was up and ready in time to chill and watch TV before school. The other three (later bus) got up and got themselves ready. They all ate nutritious food because I'd fixed banana muffins the night before. I was feeling like Mother of the Year....and then the bloody nose struck. It came out of nowhere and all I heard Daniel say was, "Ooops, bloody nose." He disappeared into the bathroom. Being that bloody noses are relatively common with the dry Colorado air, I didn't think too much of it....until he can meandering back into the kitchen with blood gushing out of his nose, his hands cupped underneath, and blood-soaked tissue stuck to his wrist.
"Why aren't you in the bathroom!?!" I shrieked, as he hung his head over the kitchen sink for the blood to gush into. He answered that Sydney needed to use the bathroom and kicked him out (for which we had a discussion about later). I cupped my hands under his and we headed into MY bathroom to finish this bloody nose fiasco, once and for all. When we got into the bathroom, I kicked our yellow bath rug out of the way so it wouldn't get damaged, grabbed a few tissues layered atop of each other and then began the "pinch off" process for him. As the blood flow slowed (I kept pinching), he was able to wash his hands and arms off so he didn't look like a massacre victim. Then, when the blood slowed to a trickle, we plugged it with cotton and set to the task of cleaning him up the rest of the way. After wiping down his face (carefully), re-washing his hands and arms, changing his clothes (right down to his socks) and removing the cotton to make sure he was plugged, we gave him a couple pieces of tissue in his pocket and sent him on his way.
After he left, I had a whole different mess to clean up....blood everywhere. There was blood all over the counter, floor, and sink of the kids' bathroom, not to mention bloody tissues left everywhere. There was a bloody pool in the kitchen sink as well as bloody tissues and bloody handprints on the counter. My bathroom was the worst though with bloody handprints everywhere. Thank God for good natural cleaning remedies.
Moral of the story? Life has a way of throwing you curveballs and you just have to roll with the punches.
"Why aren't you in the bathroom!?!" I shrieked, as he hung his head over the kitchen sink for the blood to gush into. He answered that Sydney needed to use the bathroom and kicked him out (for which we had a discussion about later). I cupped my hands under his and we headed into MY bathroom to finish this bloody nose fiasco, once and for all. When we got into the bathroom, I kicked our yellow bath rug out of the way so it wouldn't get damaged, grabbed a few tissues layered atop of each other and then began the "pinch off" process for him. As the blood flow slowed (I kept pinching), he was able to wash his hands and arms off so he didn't look like a massacre victim. Then, when the blood slowed to a trickle, we plugged it with cotton and set to the task of cleaning him up the rest of the way. After wiping down his face (carefully), re-washing his hands and arms, changing his clothes (right down to his socks) and removing the cotton to make sure he was plugged, we gave him a couple pieces of tissue in his pocket and sent him on his way.
After he left, I had a whole different mess to clean up....blood everywhere. There was blood all over the counter, floor, and sink of the kids' bathroom, not to mention bloody tissues left everywhere. There was a bloody pool in the kitchen sink as well as bloody tissues and bloody handprints on the counter. My bathroom was the worst though with bloody handprints everywhere. Thank God for good natural cleaning remedies.
Moral of the story? Life has a way of throwing you curveballs and you just have to roll with the punches.
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Lettuce
First full day of school for the new junior high student of my house and we're already in for a roller coaster ride. This morning's drama fest was over (....wait for it......) lettuce. The drama queen wanted to have a salad in her lunch and couldn't find the lettuce, which I told her was stashed in the back on the bottom shelf. Here's our conversation:
ALYSSA: (angry) but MOM it's NOT there!
MOM: (calmly sipping my coffee) Yes it is, Alyssa. I stashed it back there just for your lunches.
ALYSSA: (angrier, tearing up now) No it's NOT! You guys used it all for dinner last night!
MOM: (calmly sipping my coffee) No, Alyssa, we did not use an entire head of lettuce to make two salads.
ALYSSA: (now crying) Yes you did...and now I'm not even gonna have any lettuce for my salad.
MOM: (smirking unintentionally at the drama) Then fix a sandwich instead. Maybe you can put some of the lettuce on it from the back of the fridge on the bottom shelf.
ALYSSA: (now hitting the peak of the drama)Ugh! There's no....(tears of anger turn to tears of joy) Mom! I found the lettuce!
MOM: Where was it?
ALYSSA: Behind my juice boxes in the back of the fridge....
And all is well again with the world. God help us if she can't find the yogurt tomorrow.
ALYSSA: (angry) but MOM it's NOT there!
MOM: (calmly sipping my coffee) Yes it is, Alyssa. I stashed it back there just for your lunches.
ALYSSA: (angrier, tearing up now) No it's NOT! You guys used it all for dinner last night!
MOM: (calmly sipping my coffee) No, Alyssa, we did not use an entire head of lettuce to make two salads.
ALYSSA: (now crying) Yes you did...and now I'm not even gonna have any lettuce for my salad.
MOM: (smirking unintentionally at the drama) Then fix a sandwich instead. Maybe you can put some of the lettuce on it from the back of the fridge on the bottom shelf.
ALYSSA: (now hitting the peak of the drama)Ugh! There's no....(tears of anger turn to tears of joy) Mom! I found the lettuce!
MOM: Where was it?
ALYSSA: Behind my juice boxes in the back of the fridge....
And all is well again with the world. God help us if she can't find the yogurt tomorrow.
Back to School
BACK TO SCHOOL!!!!
As another school year begins in my household, I am (once again) amazed at how fast time seems to fly. It seems like just yesterday, I was getting Alyssa dressed up in her pink ruffled shirt and little blue jean skirt for HER first day of school. Now she's starting junior high! Where does the time go? Here are my observations for the first day of school......
1. I'm proud of Alyssa for not getting into the "trendy" slutty girl look. She picked out her outfit for the first day and chose what SHE feels comfortable in and what SHE likes. A fitted polo shirt and a pair of jeans may not be the top-of-the-line on the fashion trends list but she looks like a young lady and I like it!
2. Anthony's about to outgrow Alyssa. It's happening before my very eyes. He's 21 months younger but his boy genes are catching up with him as he starts the amazing voyage that is puberty. He's almost the same size now and I'm guessing he's gonna outgrow her in the next couple of years. She's gonna hate it and he's not gonna let her live it down.
3. Daniel is always just gonna be "Daniel" about everything. He's not going to get worked up. He's not going to be nervous. He's just going to be "Daniel" about it. He's a wonderful mix of delightfully oblivious to pressure and happy-go-lucky. Love that kid!
4. Sydney's a little diva, albeit a sweet little diva. She's always gonna want to look fashionable but be sweet. She makes friends like she brushes her teeth: every day and often. I don't worry about her much in the realm of dealing with a new class.
...and now that school has begun, I can have a short calm period in the morning to sip my coffee before work. Ahhhhhhhhhh!
Everything Happens For A Reason
I experienced a very big disappointment this weekend and had a bit of a meltdown. That might not be the right word; I shut down and gave up on it. Granted, the meltdown only lasted a few hours but I gave up. It hurt and I didn't want to feel it. After having my little meltdown, though, I remembered that everything happens for a reason. Absolutely everything has a reason that you end up seeing down the line. As a Christian, I am also of the belief that God doesn't close one door without opening another. Hopefully I'll have an update soon on a bigger and better opportunity that will explain this disappointment.
My Weekend Photo Shoot
Thursday, August 15, 2013
BACK TO SCHOOL.....
Back to School Night at the younger three kids' school was tonight. We got to find out who their teachers are and see their classrooms. Here are my conclusions.....
SYDNEY'S TEACHER: She is one that I've never met before and she seems extremely nice. Sydney's a pretty easy kid to get along with so I'm not overly worried. The teacher seems incredibly sweet and excited and knows my kids pretty well so yay!
DANIEL'S TEACHER: I'm soooo happy that Daniel got Anthony's teacher from last year. She is seriously one of the best teachers I've ever encountered. She's got spunk and doesn't take crap but she's also a lot of fun and incredibly understanding! I seriously want to give the woman a hug every time I see her!
ANTHONY'S TEACHER: Anthony got Alyssa's teacher from two years ago who I adore. She's so much fun and she's a great teacher. She challenges them but also encourages them at everything and she's just fun to talk to and be around.
I've come to the conclusion that it's gonna be a great year for the crew...best year yet, as far as I'm concerned!
SYDNEY'S TEACHER: She is one that I've never met before and she seems extremely nice. Sydney's a pretty easy kid to get along with so I'm not overly worried. The teacher seems incredibly sweet and excited and knows my kids pretty well so yay!
DANIEL'S TEACHER: I'm soooo happy that Daniel got Anthony's teacher from last year. She is seriously one of the best teachers I've ever encountered. She's got spunk and doesn't take crap but she's also a lot of fun and incredibly understanding! I seriously want to give the woman a hug every time I see her!
ANTHONY'S TEACHER: Anthony got Alyssa's teacher from two years ago who I adore. She's so much fun and she's a great teacher. She challenges them but also encourages them at everything and she's just fun to talk to and be around.
I've come to the conclusion that it's gonna be a great year for the crew...best year yet, as far as I'm concerned!
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Sometimes It Just Takes Something Little To Make Your Day
Alot of little things contributed to putting me into a positive mood today....
*One tiny piece of mail....my driver's license with my post-divorce last name (my maiden name) finally arrived today in the mail. Bonus? It's a great picture of me..well for a license picture it's great!
*My fantastic "MIL" brought over some extra school supplies I needed for the kids which is only possible by the grace of God alone that I was able to get them all taken care of anyway.
*Though my bank screwed up, they not only fixed the error but APOLOGIZED!
*I made a delicious chicken marsala for dinner that practically melted in your mouth.
*I made a kicka$$ cherry coffee cake for breakfast tomorrow morning so I don't have to cook in the morning!
Though my life is not without its MAJOR complications right now, I'm choosing to be grateful for what God's given me....including a lot of little things. :)
*One tiny piece of mail....my driver's license with my post-divorce last name (my maiden name) finally arrived today in the mail. Bonus? It's a great picture of me..well for a license picture it's great!
*My fantastic "MIL" brought over some extra school supplies I needed for the kids which is only possible by the grace of God alone that I was able to get them all taken care of anyway.
*Though my bank screwed up, they not only fixed the error but APOLOGIZED!
*I made a delicious chicken marsala for dinner that practically melted in your mouth.
*I made a kicka$$ cherry coffee cake for breakfast tomorrow morning so I don't have to cook in the morning!
Though my life is not without its MAJOR complications right now, I'm choosing to be grateful for what God's given me....including a lot of little things. :)
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
End of the Summer Rundown
Admittedly, I've been soooo lax the last several weeks because I've been dealing with job stuff, school prep and a million other things. My apologies. I generally like to do an end-of-summer rundown on how things are going so here it is.....
I'm ready for the kids to go back to school. This is not just for my personal gain, though the humdrum schedule that comes with the school year's day time and how on-task my kids get is definitely enough motivation for me. On the other end, THEY'RE ready to go back. They want to see their friends, get back into the swing of things and stop "being bored."
How did my garden grow? Not so bad. Granted, my garden was just a wee little guy this year but it grew pretty well and I definitely got back my green thumb AND my desire to do bigger and better next year...more vegetables, more pretty flowers, more pizzazz. My proudest moments in the garden were getting clearance plants from Lowe's that I nursed back to health. It made me feel like the botanical Dr House.
Trying to keep the house clutter-free is like trying to flush a stubborn turd...just when you think you've got it down, it pops back up again. I'm pretty sure that's self-explanatory. I hate clutter and it just keeps popping up.
Tweenage/Teenage girls are the equivalent of an emotional lottery...you never know what you'll get. I literally have no clue what emotion to expect from moment to moment. Some are more pleasant than others. I realize that this is my rite of passage as a parent and I remember feeling emotionally up and down as a teenager so the mental breakdown of it makes complete sense to me. With that being said, a tired working mama and a tweenager flipping out over a neighbor girl saying that she didn't have her hair cut at the right salon don't mix well. Not only do I spend a good portion of my time saying, "It's alright...relax....don't get all worked up," but I also spend a good portion of my time wanting to punch people in the throat for getting her started on the emotional roller coaster that causes these little meltdowns.
Tweenage/Teenage boy are the equivalent of zombies....they seem to have lost their brains and just wander about lazily. I'm sure this isn't true of all teenage boys but it seems that when the hormones of puberty really hit (as they have with one of my sons), their brains are replaced with foul body odor and the phrase, "I don't know." I'm convinced his brains fell out of his head one day (when it comes to common sense; the kid's still the most book smart kid I know) and he somehow lost the ability to tell time, clean a bedroom without shoveling everything under the bed, and about a dozen other common tasks. Again, I know it's a rite of passage but it doesn't stop me from going, "What the....what?" pretty frequently.
It is impossible to gauge just how big your kids have gotten when you see them every single day until you look at school clothes. Admittedly, I don't fully get the concept of having to buy 14 new outfits for school just so they can outgrow them. I was more concerned, in general, with getting the kids set up with enough fall clothes that if the weather suddenly took a pooper, they wouldn't freeze. Conclusion: they've all grown leaps and bounds over the summer. Sydney is in the clothes that Alyssa was a couple of years ago (Alyssa used to be extremely petite but the Colorado air has been good to her), Anthony and Daniel are living off hand me downs from someone else but have gone up a clothing size each in a matter of months, and Alyssa has officially grown out of every single pair of jeans she owns. I remember when that little girl wore the same size essentially for three years running....ahhhh those were the days. Now she grows like a weed, which is great health-wise but not so great on the bank account.
School Supply Lists are nothing short of CRAZY!!! If I actually bought every single solitary items on the kids' school supply lists, I'd have to buy stock in Puffs, Brawny, Clorox, Crayola, and whatever company makes #2 pencils, notebooks and folders. After buying every single item to a tee last year, I watched the kids ALL come home with half of their supplies unused. Therefore, I've come up with a plan (my budget has a lot to do with it but it's also my experiences speaking): I have contacted their teachers/staff and told them that I'm not buying the paper towels, tissue, and extra supplies. IF they run out of aforementioned supplies, I will buy more but I am not throwing my money out the window on it now. Ironically, the teachers are okay with the concept and understand that it's not a vengeance thing for me; it's purely about not wanting to waste.
I really need to start penciling in stuff instead of saying, "We should..." I have a bad habit of saying that we should go and do something instead of just setting a day/time and saying, "Let's plan it out." I love planning things and knowing that I'm prepared. I'm not a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of gal. I need to start setting a day and time so I can say, "We're going to St Mary's Glacier on Sunday the 3rd" and we can plan accordingly. Otherwise we end up going, "Nah, we'll do it another time." There's something to be said for planning.
Menu Planning Rocks!!! I've gotten back onto a schedule of menu planning and it is amazing. Last night, I ran late but when I got home, all I had to do was boil some noodles and throw the garlic bread in because I'd pre-made my spaghetti sauce and had it in the crockpot all day. Why? Because I knew that's what I was making for dinner and I knew I'd have more time before work. It's completely eliminated the whole "oh no...what are we gonna make" problem. I love it! Now if I could just get on par with doing it for breakfast.
I'm a Greek Yogurt convert. My surgery had my eating habits pretty messed up. I was eating weird amounts of food, certain foods tasted gross to me, and my eating schedule was completely off. Now that I'm recuperated completely, I've gotten onto some sort of eating schedule and tried some new things. One of those is Greek Yogurt...one word...YUM! Some Greek yogurt with a little fruit...delicious! My other new favorite is stuffed jalapeno burgers which are absolutely delightful with a little cheese and tomato on the top.
Staying Up Late is Great but I'm Glad They're Getting Back on Schedule I admit...after a full day's work and being a mama, I'm exhausted earlier in the night than I was when I was younger That's part of the reason I appreciate the back-to-school schedule. The kids are in bed earlier which means I can be in bed earlier and wake up at a decent time without feeling like crap. Yay for the school year!
I'm ready for the kids to go back to school. This is not just for my personal gain, though the humdrum schedule that comes with the school year's day time and how on-task my kids get is definitely enough motivation for me. On the other end, THEY'RE ready to go back. They want to see their friends, get back into the swing of things and stop "being bored."
How did my garden grow? Not so bad. Granted, my garden was just a wee little guy this year but it grew pretty well and I definitely got back my green thumb AND my desire to do bigger and better next year...more vegetables, more pretty flowers, more pizzazz. My proudest moments in the garden were getting clearance plants from Lowe's that I nursed back to health. It made me feel like the botanical Dr House.
Trying to keep the house clutter-free is like trying to flush a stubborn turd...just when you think you've got it down, it pops back up again. I'm pretty sure that's self-explanatory. I hate clutter and it just keeps popping up.
Tweenage/Teenage girls are the equivalent of an emotional lottery...you never know what you'll get. I literally have no clue what emotion to expect from moment to moment. Some are more pleasant than others. I realize that this is my rite of passage as a parent and I remember feeling emotionally up and down as a teenager so the mental breakdown of it makes complete sense to me. With that being said, a tired working mama and a tweenager flipping out over a neighbor girl saying that she didn't have her hair cut at the right salon don't mix well. Not only do I spend a good portion of my time saying, "It's alright...relax....don't get all worked up," but I also spend a good portion of my time wanting to punch people in the throat for getting her started on the emotional roller coaster that causes these little meltdowns.
Tweenage/Teenage boy are the equivalent of zombies....they seem to have lost their brains and just wander about lazily. I'm sure this isn't true of all teenage boys but it seems that when the hormones of puberty really hit (as they have with one of my sons), their brains are replaced with foul body odor and the phrase, "I don't know." I'm convinced his brains fell out of his head one day (when it comes to common sense; the kid's still the most book smart kid I know) and he somehow lost the ability to tell time, clean a bedroom without shoveling everything under the bed, and about a dozen other common tasks. Again, I know it's a rite of passage but it doesn't stop me from going, "What the....what?" pretty frequently.
It is impossible to gauge just how big your kids have gotten when you see them every single day until you look at school clothes. Admittedly, I don't fully get the concept of having to buy 14 new outfits for school just so they can outgrow them. I was more concerned, in general, with getting the kids set up with enough fall clothes that if the weather suddenly took a pooper, they wouldn't freeze. Conclusion: they've all grown leaps and bounds over the summer. Sydney is in the clothes that Alyssa was a couple of years ago (Alyssa used to be extremely petite but the Colorado air has been good to her), Anthony and Daniel are living off hand me downs from someone else but have gone up a clothing size each in a matter of months, and Alyssa has officially grown out of every single pair of jeans she owns. I remember when that little girl wore the same size essentially for three years running....ahhhh those were the days. Now she grows like a weed, which is great health-wise but not so great on the bank account.
School Supply Lists are nothing short of CRAZY!!! If I actually bought every single solitary items on the kids' school supply lists, I'd have to buy stock in Puffs, Brawny, Clorox, Crayola, and whatever company makes #2 pencils, notebooks and folders. After buying every single item to a tee last year, I watched the kids ALL come home with half of their supplies unused. Therefore, I've come up with a plan (my budget has a lot to do with it but it's also my experiences speaking): I have contacted their teachers/staff and told them that I'm not buying the paper towels, tissue, and extra supplies. IF they run out of aforementioned supplies, I will buy more but I am not throwing my money out the window on it now. Ironically, the teachers are okay with the concept and understand that it's not a vengeance thing for me; it's purely about not wanting to waste.
I really need to start penciling in stuff instead of saying, "We should..." I have a bad habit of saying that we should go and do something instead of just setting a day/time and saying, "Let's plan it out." I love planning things and knowing that I'm prepared. I'm not a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of gal. I need to start setting a day and time so I can say, "We're going to St Mary's Glacier on Sunday the 3rd" and we can plan accordingly. Otherwise we end up going, "Nah, we'll do it another time." There's something to be said for planning.
Menu Planning Rocks!!! I've gotten back onto a schedule of menu planning and it is amazing. Last night, I ran late but when I got home, all I had to do was boil some noodles and throw the garlic bread in because I'd pre-made my spaghetti sauce and had it in the crockpot all day. Why? Because I knew that's what I was making for dinner and I knew I'd have more time before work. It's completely eliminated the whole "oh no...what are we gonna make" problem. I love it! Now if I could just get on par with doing it for breakfast.
I'm a Greek Yogurt convert. My surgery had my eating habits pretty messed up. I was eating weird amounts of food, certain foods tasted gross to me, and my eating schedule was completely off. Now that I'm recuperated completely, I've gotten onto some sort of eating schedule and tried some new things. One of those is Greek Yogurt...one word...YUM! Some Greek yogurt with a little fruit...delicious! My other new favorite is stuffed jalapeno burgers which are absolutely delightful with a little cheese and tomato on the top.
Staying Up Late is Great but I'm Glad They're Getting Back on Schedule I admit...after a full day's work and being a mama, I'm exhausted earlier in the night than I was when I was younger That's part of the reason I appreciate the back-to-school schedule. The kids are in bed earlier which means I can be in bed earlier and wake up at a decent time without feeling like crap. Yay for the school year!
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Favorite Quote
"You can't always get what you want but if you try, sometimes, you get what you need."
Calla-pilla
I definitely am not a mom that makes fun of any sort of speech impediments; however, my kids have all gone through phases where they mispronounced things that I thought were adorable. Here are some of my favorites.....
Alyssa-My favorite of hers was always how she pronounced her brother's name. "An-no-nee". One of my other favorites was that she always called my older sister, "Yaya" because she couldn't say her name (Shannon).
Anthony-Though he rarely pronounced things incorrectly, he did say "hop-sital" for a really long time, which I thought was adorable. He also used to call his sister, "Sissa" because he couldn't say her name.
Daniel Andrew-Let's see....he had a few. "La-mama" for lasagna, " "bats-it-ball" for basketball, and "Ham-boogers" for hamburgers. Those were my favorites.
Sydney-My absolute favorite is "calla-pilla" for caterpillar". I'm sort of sad that she outgrew it.
I wish I could capture some of these little moments and keep them in time forever! My babies are growing up!
Alyssa-My favorite of hers was always how she pronounced her brother's name. "An-no-nee". One of my other favorites was that she always called my older sister, "Yaya" because she couldn't say her name (Shannon).
Anthony-Though he rarely pronounced things incorrectly, he did say "hop-sital" for a really long time, which I thought was adorable. He also used to call his sister, "Sissa" because he couldn't say her name.
Daniel Andrew-Let's see....he had a few. "La-mama" for lasagna, " "bats-it-ball" for basketball, and "Ham-boogers" for hamburgers. Those were my favorites.
Sydney-My absolute favorite is "calla-pilla" for caterpillar". I'm sort of sad that she outgrew it.
I wish I could capture some of these little moments and keep them in time forever! My babies are growing up!
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Sound Off About Role Models
I would like to take a moment to sound of on so-called "role models". I should preface this by saying that I'm a big fan of the Disney channel and the Disney company in general. While I think the parks are overpriced, I am definitely very confident that they are well worth the memories. With that being said, the Disney Channel child stars seem to be falling off the edge. For some strange reason, half of the big Disney stars feel the need to pose nude or nearly nude shortly after they're "of age." Get it together, girls! You were stars before you did that crap and you're obviously good performers or Disney wouldn't have hired you. Stop feeling the need to strip down to "prove you're all grown up." You know how you can prove you're a grown up? Act like a damn lady. Save your naked or nearly naked body for your own private space and prove your a grown up by ACTING like one, not trying to show off your hoo-ha. Let's face it, there are enough perverts and half naked women walking the street. Don't think that just because you turned 18, little girls aren't still looking up to you. You wanted the responsibility of stardom and it comes at a price. No, your parents are NOT responsible for you dressing like a harlot nor is the company that gave you your start. THEY didn't dress you like that and THEY aren't the ones trying to be something you're not. So to the so-called "Disney child stars" that are flaunting everything but the kitchen sink, thank you for nothing. You've made me lose respect for what I thought was a talented actress with some sort of common sense.
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