So here I am in my kitchen blogging while standing up, waiting for the chicken to finish roasting (stupid bone in breasts screw me up every time) so I can get dinner on the table for the kittens. I am looking back on the last year and I am always amazed at the stress I place on all the little things, while very easily overlooking the huge milestones. Here it goes folks these are the things that have been left unsaid this year:
My husband is amazing, and I am blessed that he fell in love with me. Who knows if that is still true, but hell, we have three kids now, so, good luck trying to date with that baggage. He is simply stuck with me.
My kids are healthy and usually happy (though they often earn consequences) and I am grateful for this. Many of my friends somehow manage their family while fighting a battle for their child's health, each of you have my utmost respect! I hope that the new year brings you and your loved ones health.
We are not rich, we are not poor. We get by just like almost everyone else I know, and I am grateful for that!
So much has happened this year, yet it went by so fast. I know that the years will continue to fly by, so I hope that as each year closes I have some time to reflect. Even if it is while the stupid chicken roasts (it better be good).
Kristen Gerber, Jordan West, Carrie Wright you will be missed. Each of you had a beautiful light in this world, you were loved by many and will be remembered by them as well. For the spouses, friends, and parents of these women, I am sorry that they are gone.
Life is short, love the people you love everyday.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Friday, December 17, 2010
Living in the sticks, ain't half bad!
Most of you that know me well also know that I frequently poke fun at the backwards little town that I live in. Each time I have to drive 30 miles to shop at Target, Walmart, Home Depot, or any other major retailer, I silently curse under my breath. When we want to go out to dinner and our "nice" option is Denny's I silently curse under my breath. When I want to go to the movies, or to an art gallery, or anywhere that would involve culture, I silently curse under my breath. HOWEVER, here are the reasons I love living in the sticks:
1. Everywhere I go, I know someone. I have a feeling this will come in very handy when the kids are teens! Whether we are at the grocery store, the post office, the dentist's office, the library, the football game or any other location in town, we see someone we know and they say hello and smile!
2. My kids have no clue what a mall actually is. Yes, they see commercials, but they believe absolutely everything can be purchased at Target.
3. During the holidays, the fire department rides through each and every neighborhood with Santa on a fire truck to collect toys for kids in needs. It has become our favorite family tradition and I just love it.
4. When someone is in need, there is NO HESITATION to help. I watched as 6 ladies with limited incomes came up with $100 for a family having a rough time this holiday season. It was done with great tact, and handled discreetly. I know that it will make that family's Christmas a little brighter.
5. Though our schools may not be the highest scoring schools, the joy and spirit our teachers bring to the classrooms is amazing. I helped 60 kinder students decorate gingerbread houses that were made by their teachers last night. Stockings with treats were presented to them by Santa because our teachers know that this may be the only present some of our kids may receive. All of this was done with limited parent donations, and paid for out of our teacher's own pockets. I watched as 120 2nd graders performed for their parents and 3rd grade buddies with pride and joy. It was not lit professionally and did not have an amazing sound system, instead a wonderful teacher played an old piano beautifully and the kids sang their hearts out!
I love my little town and all the crazy, kooky people in it. We by no means have tons of culture, art, or fine dining, but there is so much love and genuine joy here that I am proud to call this my home. I am sure that each and every one of you lives in a place just as wonderful, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! Merry Christmas.
1. Everywhere I go, I know someone. I have a feeling this will come in very handy when the kids are teens! Whether we are at the grocery store, the post office, the dentist's office, the library, the football game or any other location in town, we see someone we know and they say hello and smile!
2. My kids have no clue what a mall actually is. Yes, they see commercials, but they believe absolutely everything can be purchased at Target.
3. During the holidays, the fire department rides through each and every neighborhood with Santa on a fire truck to collect toys for kids in needs. It has become our favorite family tradition and I just love it.
4. When someone is in need, there is NO HESITATION to help. I watched as 6 ladies with limited incomes came up with $100 for a family having a rough time this holiday season. It was done with great tact, and handled discreetly. I know that it will make that family's Christmas a little brighter.
5. Though our schools may not be the highest scoring schools, the joy and spirit our teachers bring to the classrooms is amazing. I helped 60 kinder students decorate gingerbread houses that were made by their teachers last night. Stockings with treats were presented to them by Santa because our teachers know that this may be the only present some of our kids may receive. All of this was done with limited parent donations, and paid for out of our teacher's own pockets. I watched as 120 2nd graders performed for their parents and 3rd grade buddies with pride and joy. It was not lit professionally and did not have an amazing sound system, instead a wonderful teacher played an old piano beautifully and the kids sang their hearts out!
I love my little town and all the crazy, kooky people in it. We by no means have tons of culture, art, or fine dining, but there is so much love and genuine joy here that I am proud to call this my home. I am sure that each and every one of you lives in a place just as wonderful, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! Merry Christmas.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
It's NOT beginning to look a lot like Christmas
Well, it is 10:09pm on a Tuesday evening. I sit in my comfiest of chairs, in my comfiest of lounge wear (t-shirt and sweats) surrounded by ornaments and decorations. Sounds lovely right????? WRONG!!!
Let me start by telling you that I have decor envy of almost everyone I meet. When I am in their homes, I feel like I wish it was my home. As if I could just zap their whole decor theme to my home and make it mine. When I went to visit my most creative, laid back, easy going friend today what do I see in her home? A BEAUTIFUL, HUGE, Christmas tree. It must have been at least 12 feet tall. You should know that she has a huge ceiling, and they have always had a huge tree. I on the other hand have always had a 6-7 ft tree, and in comparison to my rather compact size, (5 ft 2 inches) it works well for me. Upon returning to my home, with a bad case of the "I must have Christmas decor nows" I insist that we blow off gymnastics in favor of going to get a tree. My sweet, smart husband looked at me and said "how about waiting till Sunday?" My response to that..."NO."
So off we go to the tree farm to find the perfect tree. Never mind that the tree farm closes in 30 minutes, or that I should really be making the kids dinner. We get to the farm with 10 minutes to spare. I tell my husband and kids, we are going to find a quick tree. Now, here is where it all becomes my fault. I see a BEAUTIFUL, HUGE tree, and as you can imagine, I insist that we should get that very one. My 7 year old says "Mom, it is too big for us, we should get a smaller one." I think to myself, what does she know, how many Christmases has she celebrated ? So we cut the monster down, strap it to the hood of the white machine and head home.
In the garage, I look at my husband and ask where the stand is. He says we threw it away last year (why would we do that?) and that we need to purchase a new one. Off I go to the store to get one. You may or may not know that I live in the sticks, and there is no Home Depot/Walmart/Target nearby, so the options are pretty slim. I find a stand that is supposed to handle up to a 10 foot tree. I return home, and we begin the process of shoving the tree into the stand. Bad scene. We actually talked about filling up a bucket with sand, and then putting the Christmas tree stand in it. By the way, neither of us are very smart. 4 hours later, the tree is not up, it sits in a bucket outside, and it may go up on Sunday. It is NOT beginning to look a lot like Christmas.
Let me start by telling you that I have decor envy of almost everyone I meet. When I am in their homes, I feel like I wish it was my home. As if I could just zap their whole decor theme to my home and make it mine. When I went to visit my most creative, laid back, easy going friend today what do I see in her home? A BEAUTIFUL, HUGE, Christmas tree. It must have been at least 12 feet tall. You should know that she has a huge ceiling, and they have always had a huge tree. I on the other hand have always had a 6-7 ft tree, and in comparison to my rather compact size, (5 ft 2 inches) it works well for me. Upon returning to my home, with a bad case of the "I must have Christmas decor nows" I insist that we blow off gymnastics in favor of going to get a tree. My sweet, smart husband looked at me and said "how about waiting till Sunday?" My response to that..."NO."
So off we go to the tree farm to find the perfect tree. Never mind that the tree farm closes in 30 minutes, or that I should really be making the kids dinner. We get to the farm with 10 minutes to spare. I tell my husband and kids, we are going to find a quick tree. Now, here is where it all becomes my fault. I see a BEAUTIFUL, HUGE tree, and as you can imagine, I insist that we should get that very one. My 7 year old says "Mom, it is too big for us, we should get a smaller one." I think to myself, what does she know, how many Christmases has she celebrated ? So we cut the monster down, strap it to the hood of the white machine and head home.
In the garage, I look at my husband and ask where the stand is. He says we threw it away last year (why would we do that?) and that we need to purchase a new one. Off I go to the store to get one. You may or may not know that I live in the sticks, and there is no Home Depot/Walmart/Target nearby, so the options are pretty slim. I find a stand that is supposed to handle up to a 10 foot tree. I return home, and we begin the process of shoving the tree into the stand. Bad scene. We actually talked about filling up a bucket with sand, and then putting the Christmas tree stand in it. By the way, neither of us are very smart. 4 hours later, the tree is not up, it sits in a bucket outside, and it may go up on Sunday. It is NOT beginning to look a lot like Christmas.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
So this is it.
So I decided that maybe now I will have time to blog about my daily adventures. As I am trying to find something witty and charming to say, maybe even funny, K comes in to tattle on M (her older sister.) When I very calmly inform her that she has already used her one tattle of the day (a newly instituted rule) she flat out loses it. She then proceeds to tell me that she hates me and thinks I am stupid.
Now before you all gasp in shock..."Sweet K? Maybe she was just tired, or over-stimulated" you are thinking. News Flash....K is mean, really, really mean. She has morphed into the dreaded 4 year old, full of anger and frustration, and about 6 months away from the calm that comes at the end of year 4. As K is screaming (I gave her a time out...really just torture for me, because she is screaming about 5 feet away) I think to myself so this is it...this is what my life is all about right now.
Now don't get me wrong, this is not a rant. It is however the truth. My life is all about kids losing it, crying, throwing fits, spilling milk, barfing in their carseats, hustling them to school and activities, laundry and cleaning, listening to the irrational demands of a 4 year old, and trying to convince them to calm down and make the right choice.
My life is also about the good things too...but we just heard K scream from the back room "I hate everyone in this family". Maybe I need to go handle that!
Now before you all gasp in shock..."Sweet K? Maybe she was just tired, or over-stimulated" you are thinking. News Flash....K is mean, really, really mean. She has morphed into the dreaded 4 year old, full of anger and frustration, and about 6 months away from the calm that comes at the end of year 4. As K is screaming (I gave her a time out...really just torture for me, because she is screaming about 5 feet away) I think to myself so this is it...this is what my life is all about right now.
Now don't get me wrong, this is not a rant. It is however the truth. My life is all about kids losing it, crying, throwing fits, spilling milk, barfing in their carseats, hustling them to school and activities, laundry and cleaning, listening to the irrational demands of a 4 year old, and trying to convince them to calm down and make the right choice.
My life is also about the good things too...but we just heard K scream from the back room "I hate everyone in this family". Maybe I need to go handle that!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)