Just Giddy!!!

LOOK WHAT I FOUND!

I am so excited!!  I know that last year we had a big snow storm with all these buds up, but I am going to be excited anyway!

45/365 - 57/365

Welcome to the next  group of 365.  There is a lot... so keep on scrolling...  :-)

57/365

La Madeline's

I love to go for a little desert and hot cocoa with my gal pals.  

Tonight I called an impromptu gathering.  I just had to get out.  

56/365

Had to dig in files to get this one, but I wanted to Add to my I love list, that I Love to Dance.  And I love to be with my Girlfriends.  This was a wonderful time in my life where I got to do a lot of both.  It was SO fun!

55/365

 Peeking Lilly

So there are a lot of pictures of Tori, but she is home and she usually loves when I take pictures of her.  

54/365

I Love Star Gazer Lillies.  These were also in the Valentine Bunch.  I love Lilly's for their beauty, their longevity, and their wonderful smell.

53/365

A Self Portrait

52/365

Katie and her Clocklate

Like her mommy, Katie loves her "Clocklate".  This is her after finding Alex's Valentine Chocolate. MMM

51/365

This Winter here in Maryland has been quite icy.  So here is a shot of some ice I found in my recycle bin.  Isn't it pretty?

50/365

I love Dolphins

A life long dream of mine has been to pet, feed and swim with dolphins.  Last year at this time I got to do 2 of those things.  (had to dig for this picture also)

49/365

I Love Spring and Early Summer  and Strawberries, and Tori.

Ohh, I love this picture.  (had to dig around for this one.)

48/365

The Card from Valentines Day.

This is our song.  It is quite appropriate to us.  :-)  I love it and would do almost anything to get Brent to sing it to me.

47/365

Some Pretty little white flowers from the Bouquet

46/365

From my Beautiful Bouquet for Valentines Day.

These flowers arrived at 7:30 pm.  I was sure that Brent (who was on call that night) 

had completely forgotten.   :-(

45/365 

Valentine Tori.

Sickos and House Cups

So, after Belly Dancing at the Ward Talent show on Saturday I came home and ate some Ben and Jerry's and headed off to bed.  About 1 am, IT hit.  Yuck, I was so sick... my tummy felt so gross.  I was up 1/2 the night, and still got up in the morning, woke all the kids, got them getting Breakfast, went in the shower, came down and declared myself too sick to go to church.  Katie and I stayed home and watched Dora, and Mickey Mouse Club House until Katie fell asleep in my arms.  Then we both napped till the kids came home from church.  I spent the rest of my day up in my room because I felt less like barfing if I was laying down.  This morning, still feeling a little bla, I went and taught my water aerobics class, now this could be where the story gets really good, but it's not.... I didn't get in the water... I didn't even dare jump around.  I used the natural resistance of the water to my advantage and I made them do laps doing a variety of moves which I wrote on the white board that I brought to class.  Things went rather well considering.... I didn't barf, nor did I have to bolt to the bathroom, so all was well.   

I got the girls lunch, and started the Laundry, cuz, I already had my sick day, now it's back to work.  Yucky tummy and all, I sorted through all the yucky laundry from the youngest two having the same virus.  Then a call from Brent... He is on his way home.... no no, not to help out his sick wife... no, cuz he now has the bug!  Yipee!!! so 4/6 of us have had it.  Really, I wish that if Alex and Liza are going to get it, that they would just hurry up and get it, so that we can get on with life.   Bleck, I hate being sick, and having sickies.   

Now that I have ranted about that,  I have to sing praises to "The House Cup".  A while back I was inspired by an article in Family Fun Magazine to have a House Cup.  The idea is that each child earns points all week and then a prize is awarded to one with the most points.  My children are awarded for making beds, cleaning up dishes, putting away toys, and also for behaviors, like listening the first time they are asked, saying phrases like yes mom, or coming mom, and for overall being good.  Today homework was done in my house in 20 minutes!!! Anyone who knows me well, knows that this is a MIRACLE!   Yes, for 3 points my Liza cracked down and did her homework in record time!!  Then it was on to practice.... The points can also be taken away, and are wonderful leverage.  The little kids get warnings about loosing points and bribes for earning.  The bigger ones get them swiped out from under them with out much warning, and also get them slapped on with out a bribe.  (I figure, the big ones get it better)  Anyway, Things were going great.... everyones points were climbing.  Alex won 2 weeks ago, Alex and Tori tied this past week, so I think Alex got a little cocky today....  He had a bad night and is down to ZERO.  What do we do when there are no points to take away???? Humm,  I told Alex tonight that if he runs out of points, I guess I will have to just spank him... He didn't like that idea much, he went to bed, resolved to have a better day tomorrow.   I love this program, it helps me to find the positive things that my kids do, and it also gives me a little currency.  (gives them currency too, as I usually stuff a little $$ in the cup for the lucky winner)  The home is a lot more peaceful, and I feel like there is a lot less yelling on my part because, I just take a point away, and then threaten another, and another....  It seems to work.  We keep track on a white board (which is hung in my kitchen)  and it works great, and makes you feel so strong when you can swipe away a point, and makes them feel so proud when you pull out your pen.  We even use it to keep them in their beds at night, and keep them quite.  3 points are offered to each child who has stayed in their bed each night.  (Alex argued this morning that Katie will always get 3 points for that because she CAN'T get out of her bed. :-) )  

Anyway..  Yipee for the House Cup.

And on a total side note.  My spa girl... Liza, has been cooking up this big plan, she is going to a birthday party on Sat. and she keeps telling me all these plans for how she is going to run a spa at the party, which is a pool party.  I told her that I am pretty sure that her friends mom has the party planned already so she kind of cooled her jets on that (or so I thought).  Then tonight I made a yummy salad for myself while the kids ate chicken nuggets (I put them on my salad)  I cut up some cucumbers for my salad and for the kids to dip in ranch.  Not just plain old cukes though, english cukes.. the real yummy ones.  After dinner came baths, and such craziness, and after things calmed I came down to find that Liza has cut up 1/2 of my english cuke with the intent of taking these pieces and putting them on her eyes, and the eyes of her friends  at the pool party on Saturday.  "like they do on the Brats movie mom"  Arg, this child.  Using a knife w/o asking, cutting up my cuke w/o asking, and those things are going to be total mush by Saturday!!   I told her she can have them in her lunch, she didn't like that.  She got katie to take 3 of them, which I later found with one nibble out of each, other then that, she has a lot of cucumber to eat.  Crazy girl!

SPA

Today Liza decided to set up a "spa" in the living room.  She did a massage for Tori and then a fight broke out weather or not Alex was a 'member' .  Alex decided to branch off and start his own spa in his room.  I payed a visit "chez Liza" and requested a foot massage.  Relined back in my lazy boy my feet were smothered in cheep Libby Lu lotion  by Liza and Katie, while listening to Kenny Loggins.  The room was darkened, lit only by a book light and a pink lamp (you can see in the corner.)  After my services I was compelled to purchase a product off the store (on the piano bench).  I then took my business upstairs to "chez Alex"  to have my hands massaged.  The services were provided by Alex and Tori, each taking a turn with each hand.  Since Alex doesn't own any lotion, he used some sparkle roller of Tori's.  (not the best massage agent btw).  While being worked over in Alex's room, Liza drew up a perfectly HOT bath for me.  I got to soak with an attachment on the tub that made it like a hot tub, and was set up with the lovely sounds of Shania Twain while I soaked.    It was a nice break.  When I came out, Liza was cooking Mac & Cheese, and she fed the kids while I got dressed.  SO spoiled.  She also offered to set me up with a nap while Katie has hers, but seeing as how I totally slept in this morning, I didn't take it.  

Liza is such a fun girl.  She has some interesting ideas, usually they are this elaborate or more so.  Her ideas usually start out fine, and land her in trouble as she expands on them, but I try not to get on her too hard.  I had to keep a record of a day of mommy pampering.  All I needed was a few bon bon's and a good magazine.  :-)  So Spoiled!

Happenings

3 am a cry from my door way,  "mom, Tori just threw up."  Oh I hate that phase.  I go in their room to find Tori, frozen in her bed, her beautiful blond curls absolutely covered on vomit.   40 minutes later, we had a clean bed, floor and sheets and girl.  What a mess that was.  She had no other symptoms, woke up in a fine mood, ate Breakfast and threw it up, and then carried on as though nothing was wrong.  Crazy...  My kids don't go down very easily when they are sick, which is a little frustrating, as the pay off for tending to a sick child, is that they sit still and snuggle like they were babies again.  She is all well now, and holding down food, but her timing yesterday couldn't have been worse.  I had an appointment yesterday with INS to get my finger prints done for my new Alien Resident card.  I couldn't miss this appointment, as you don't go when you want to, they tell YOU when you're coming.  Jeri was kind enough to come and sit with the girls while I went, and Tori was good enough to keep herself quarantined  from her dear friend 'talia, so as to not make her friend throw up.   The appointment went well, once I found the office.  I ran around Baltimore in my 3" heels for 25 minutes looking for the stupid place.  (and of course, it was right under my nose) .   The funniest part of the meeting was as I was waiting for them to process my papers, a woman came up to me with 3 sheets of paper that has b&w photo copies of some very poor resolution photos.  The top two were my Alien Resident card, and my pass port.    She came and stood beside where I was sitting, flipped the papers down in front of me, spread the top two off so that you could see the bottom photo peeking out and asked mysteriously "Do you know this man?"  I strained and searched my mind as she showed me quickly a horrible photo of my sweet heart at the ripe old age of 19.  If I hadn't seen this passport photo myself, I wouldn't have recognized it.  "Yes, that is my husband."  She snapped the papers back up to her chest and walked away.  (LOL)  it was so funny.  Maybe you had to be there.  Anyway, things went well, and they took the worlds worst photo of me, so that I look like a criminal.  I hate these pictures!!!  I think that on Americas Top model the final decision should be made by who looks good in an immigration style photo.  

So Good News, that part of this process is done... now we wait for the interview. 

Last night I got the wonderful news that after not seeing Grandma for 19 months, my mom has tickets to come in visit in March!!!  WE are all so excited.  My kids have really been missing her.  Well, my kids are playing spa in the living room, so I am going to go in and take up my foot rub.  :-)  Hopefully that will stop the fighting too.    Happy snow day.....  ice day.... AGAIN!

Bag Tagged

I was bag tagged forever ago by Jeri,  so here it goes.  As you all know, I am still in diaper bag mode, so this is just my purse that I take with me when I go out w/o kiddos.  Seeing as how last night I ventured out to Recipe Swap, I actually had my purse in action, so here it is.....

This is my purse... I have used it for FAR too many years.  I got it on clearance with Bath and Body Works product in it.  Whooo Whoo, double deal.   It has seen better days, and it is defiantly time for a new one!  I have been purse shopping for about 2 months, and just can't decide.

Inside my purse:

Head band and little clips for my hair that I am trying to grow out...., Children's Place 15 % off coupon (I need to get the girls spring dresses soon), My Heart Rate Monitor (I had it on when I went on a date with Brent on Friday, and it didn't look so classy with my outfit, so it got stuffed in the purse), A mold for my temporary crown, the nurse gave it to me?, Told me that if my temporary breaks, just to bring this in, and they'll fit me with a new one.  I can throw this out next week when I get my permanent. Blistex Lip balm, Burt's Bees Hand Repair Creme (reeks like bengay but WORKS!!),  The pink paper is a "Homework Pass" for Alex from going to math night at the school, the ticket stubs are from a drawing at math night.  Pair of nail clippers, My wallet, which you really don't want to see inside there, A Life Time Fitness gift card, which was given to me for Christmas by one of my Water Aerobics Ladies, Chillies and Cold Stone Gift cards from my sister for Christmas (yummy South Western Egg Rolls), and Finally....... The very best part of the post....  $20 bill that I thought I lost....  It was in the zipper pocket! 

I Bag Tag, Tracey, Tricia, Cory, and Kristen.  May you also find a lost $20!  :-)

Confessions of a mommy blogger

I read this fabulous article by Catherine Newman  in Wonder Time Magazine, Titled as above.  I laughed out loud in the doctors office, which I am sure mad me look like a loon, but it was so true.  I went out and bought the magazine because I wanted to blog about her article.  I have been wanting to share this with all my blogging buddies for a long time.

"Blogging is Narcissistic - and time consuming.  It gives strangers (not to mention the in-laws) ammunition for criticizing our parenting choices.  And one day it could REALLY mortify our kids.  Here is why we do it anyway.....  If there is a single fact to take from the 70 million bogs that inhabit the Internet, it's this:  Whoever you are - however thrilled or frantic, bored or despairing, buoyant or afflicted with love like an aching in your bones - someone out there understands.  Especially if you're a mother.  Someone out there is still awake with a restless toddler.  Someone out there has  dotted a nursing newborn with Doritos fallout.  And someone is writing about it."

(I am filtering the article, and just giving you my favorite parts.) She asked people why we do it...

"I read blogs to feel I'm part of something larger, a whole world of other women raising children on this crazy spinning planet."

"Being a parent is so frustratingly difficult and blindingly beautiful at the same time.  Blogs remind me to celebrate the beautiful and that I'm not alone in the difficult."  (I loved this one!)

The author continues..

" The blog entries of mine that people liked best: the time we forgot to strap Ben in his car seat because we were too busy  splitting a raspberry Danish; the time I left baby Birdy in tears, waiting to be nursed while I shoveled  cold and guilty mac and cheese into my face, which I called the food equivalent of "putting on your own oxygen mask before assisting others."  Blogging is the underbelly of scrapbooking, its tantruming, scatalogical doppelganger.   In the scrapbook version of my summer vacation, I would paste together a sunny collage of sea and sand and smiling kids.  In the blog version, I might be more inclined to mention the steaming beach Port-A John, where the final quarter of Birdy's sandwich ended up tumbling into the reeking blackness.   If Scrapbooking is the urge to put it all together, blogging might be the urge to take it all apart.  Blogging might not make life tidier, but it keeps life in your memory, and keeps it real..... I have checked for reader comments as obsessively as I once stuck my eighth grade hand into the echoing hollows of our mailbox. "

(then quoting from Breed' Em and Weep.)

"There is a wonderfully seductive, press -the -lever - and - get- a - pellet positive reinforcement built into the form.  By nature a blog is a very call-and - response setup, and it wouldn't be hard to get lured into saying too much by kind commenters who leave praise like bread crumbs.  I like bread crumbs as much as the next person."

(upon asking if she ever worries that she will be stalked she replies)

"I always laugh when people ask that; the only people who stalk me wear dirty nursing bras and mashed yams. They are in other words, my people."  

"my children might feel differently.  A teenage Ben might one day balk over the fact that tens of thousands of people have chuckled about his pooping in the stairway.  I console myself with the idea that, hey teenagers are going to resent the very way we take air into our lungs, we why not give them something to really resent? (I do picture these kids in college, though, turning their blogged childhoods into a drinking game.  "everyone whose mom wrote about their diaper leaking ... CHUG!)"

She concludes with...

"Writing helps me pay attention as the years fly by.  I'm forever scrawling notes on target receipts about things the kids say........

One blogger told me she feels the genre can actually lower the parenting bar: "oh your kids make you crazy?  Mine too.  The little parasites.  Have a big glass of wine and let them watch Sesame Street for an hour."  And while I see where she's coming from, I think blogging actually makes me a better parent because I feel like I'm being watched, even if the feeling is self-imposed.  It's like the way I'm a better parent when there are guests in the house- more inclined to make waffles and play monopoly.  Maybe you could describe it as feeling like there are guests in my psyche.  Or as the anonymous author of the blog Bub and Pie  puts it:  "I go through my day in a kind of 'compose post' mode, where I'm actively selecting words to describe my children- their beauty, their quirkiness, their inner lives- and that process helps me to see them, to be mindful of who they are."

"Writing gives me a way to step back from my life and really see it.  To watch my kids and feel the gratitude flood through my veins.  To connect the dots so I can tell the story the way I feel it, even though, there are a million true ways to tell any story."

I hope you enjoyed her article as much as I did.  Now that I typed up all my favorite parts, if you want to read the whole thing... go here.

I wanted to say thank you to all the mommy bloggers out there who are an example to me, who inspire me to get out and do fun stuff with my kids, who make me laugh after a long day of disciplining.  Thank you for helping me realize that sometimes I need to just laugh at them banging on the bathroom door.  And when I'm knee deep in poop and puke, I know that at least I can blog about it and someone out there will throw me a bread crumb.  For all the Kudos and Here Heres!  Thanks blogging buddies!

monkey pee

Crude, but I laughed so hard I cried. Esp. when the zoom in on his mouth.

Next 365

More From the Happy Flowers

38/365

39/365

35/365

I Did "12 days of Valentines" for Brent this year.  One day I left all these in his car

36/365 was the gloomy wet deck photo in a previous post

37/365 was the cheer up rose picture of a previous post

43/365

I Love Liza

I started posting, in no particular order pictures of things that I love.

I love my big helper Liza.  She is always so full of energy, and will make a wonderful college student someday, as she requires very little sleep.

42/365

I Love Alex

Alex is so interesting to be with, his mind is always going, and he is quite insightful.

41/365

I Love Katie

What would I do with out my Katie?  She is my little sunshine.

40/365

I Love Tori

Tori is so sweet and sensitive, and thankfully she is my little model too.  She loves to pose for the camera.

44/365

Winter Storm

A little shot of the ice storm that we got last night. Burr... For once they were a little justified in delaying school, but not for the cancelation!   We had a fun day locked inside.

I HATE FUNDRAISERS!!!!!

Who hates fundraisers, I hate fundraisers, you hate fundraisers, everybody hates fundraisers!!!!  My kids came home from school yesterday all rallied up for their prizes from the fundraiser.   Sure that they would each gather 175 orders and earn a wii each!  I tried to talk them down all night.  Telling them that we could go to the $ store and get 90% of that stuff for a buck.  I tried having them list 175 people that they would gather orders from...  they got to 10 and quit.  Thank heavens the school at least tells them that they are not aloud to go door to door.  So Liza decided this morning that since she can't go door to door, and all our friends have their own kids to buy from that she would try selling items lemon aid stand style.  

It is 25 Degrees F. and if you look closely it is snowing!!!!!  It is tuesday and schools are closed today.  I guess it is state primary elections (I don't get to vote cuz of my resident status so I don't know for sure) anyway, they told the kids yesterday that they could spend their WHOLE DAY OFF RAISING FUNDS!  What a wonderful idea!  GRRRRRR.   

So now that I have vented, I do have a solution that I should take to the PTA.  What if we didn't do a fundraiser, but sent home a letter to parents saying something about,In lue of a fundraiser, we are asking each family who can, to donate $20 to the school.  The money will be used in the same way and on the same things that we would use fundraiser money on.  The children would be safer, and the parents would be happier, and I dare say that they just may raise more money because we keep 100% of the profits!   I would send in my $, in fact I am almost sure that in my excitement for the absence of a fundraiser I may give $20 for each kid.  That is a whole lot more then my bucket of cookie dough will bring.  

What do you think about fundraisers?

Much Better

To bring up my spirits I bought myself this bouquet of beautiful flowers, and took 154 photos of them today.  Thought I would post one of the pictures to help brighten other peoples day too.  I am very excited to get into these pictures and see what I have, but not tonight.... it's already too late.  We went out to VA tonight to have dinner with some old friends.  Brent has known them since they (the couple) were high school sweet hearts.  I've known them for 13 years too.  We've watched our families grow and change, they went through med school and law school and have had 2 kids in that time.  They are quite an amazing little family and we are so glad to have them as friends.  They live in Utah now, but were in VA on a business trip, so we drove out there to visit with them for a short time.  We had dinner, all 10 of us, 6 kids!  and it was actually delightful.  The children all behaved fabulously and we praised them up and down for this.  What a wonderful end to a crazy day full of Dr's, needles, blood draws, and drilling.  Bleck!  

How much longer?

How far away is spring?   43 Days!   That is about 6 weeks.  I don't know if  I can take it any more.  Now don't get me wrong...... you have not just received at complaint from a Canadian about the cold..... no no, not the cold, the gloomy skies.  I don't know if I can take one more day of this hazy light!  I can't take a single photo that isn't all grain.... I am so frustrated.  I keep trying to take pictures, and fail horribly because they are all WAY too dark because I am trying not to put my ISO up so high that they are grainy.  I just want some sun shine and a cute kid to stare into my lens so that I can get some cute shots!  Well, that's all for my complaints today.  Rain Rain Go AWAY!  :-)  

25-34/365

25/365

My attempt at fruit.  

26/365

Stolen Apple

Someone snuck in and stole my fruit from my shoot.

30/365

Nookies new doo.  

I had no idea that they charge you $50 to cut a dogs hair!!! 

29/365

I loved this big house, so pretty.

32/365

Reflections

Look deep into the water, you can see leaves and pine needles.   Too bad the water's not clear.

28/365

Mud

Katie discovered mud today.  She was a girl about it, so she didn't get too messy.

She just slid a bit and then whined for help to get out of it.  I fell in love with these little boots by the front door

33/365

I love penguins.  These are my two favorites.

34/365

Went down to the park to take pictures, it got dark WAY too fast :-(

FINALLY

Today I accomplished something that I have been meaning to do for over a year.  I have officially completed an official Aqua Certification.  I have been to many a course, I was certified to teach for the YMCA,  but never an official Aquatic Certification.  This is something that I have wanted to do for at least 7 years.  I have done water exercise since I was in high school, but it wasn't until my water aerobics teacher (Marcy) in Des Moines, IA.  That I really really began to want it.  Marcy was so fun to work with, she was a fabulous instructor, and secretly I really really really want to go back to Des Moines just to see if and when she is teaching, so I could take one last taste of her class.  When I left Des Moines I felt like i had missed my opportunity.  Then I found Robin Rodregez, and she gave me the confidence boost that I needed.  She trained me, and told me I could do it.  In fact, before I even ever applied for the job officially, she pulled me out of the water one day and told the class that I was going to teach, and I took over right then.  It was very scary, but she sure "pushed me right into the deep end" (so to say).   From then on it was a breeze.  My first class was a group of little arthritic ladies who were wonderful to me.  They loved when I got a new suit, they learned about my family, my children and all about me.  (Arthritis classes don't move too quickly)  They loved my silly little games that I made them play to get exercise in their joints and we loved to tease our life guard, and do the hokey pokey for him.  I did a lot of subsitute teaching so that I could get used to teaching regular water aerobics classes.  I have such a love for water fitness.  I really like deep water aerobics, but Life Time Fitness doesn't have a deep end.  (if they did, I would be begging to teach it.)  Anyway, I feel like my journey down the road of Aqua Aerobics Instructing just got a huge shot in the arm.  Did I learn anything new?  Ummm, moves, no, facts..... a few.  But now, I feel like I have a degree so I can get hired when we leave here.    Ohhh, I am just so excited.  Happy day!