New year's Eve... And I'm A Slacker Mom

New Year's Eve... REALLY!?!? Where did the last 364 days go??? I can't believe that tomorrow will be 2011. But enough about that, let's celebrate!


Tonight we went to a little celebration at our friends' house... Great food + great beer (just ask B) + great friendship = great fun! Oh... And maybe one slightly drunk husband but he's good 363 days out of the year, so having a little fun now and then is good for him.


The kids ran and screamed up and down the hall while the adults visited. It was a little hectic and crazy and loud and we decided to cheat just a bit and celebrate the new year with the East Coast ball drop, rather than waiting until midnight. The kids were none the wiser and enjoyed shooting each other with silly string and making as much noise as they possibly could and they were still in bed by a somewhat decent hour!

Thanks, Schmitts! We had an AWESOME time!

Okay... And for the slacker mom part... In two days my little girl will be 4 years old, and I have nothing planned for her. I JUST sent an invitation tonight for a small gathering so that I can buy myself time until her gymnastics party that I still haven't booked. I SUCK!

Christmas Vacation Mini-Vacation

A couple of weeks ago (at Christmas #3, to be exact) I had the idea to take the kids up to Grandpa Jim and Sinda's one day during Christmas break. I know they work and are gone during the day, but I figured that we could spend the day visiting our cousins and then head up the hill to Grandpa Jim and Sinda's for dinner and to spend the night. It would give us something to do and give them a chance to see the kids (and of COURSE a chance to visit with the Elys!).

So.... That's what we did! Yesterday morning we packed our bags, packed up the car, and headed north. There was a CHANCE that it might snow (which is why we picked these days), so we left early to beat the snow and arrived at the Ely's, hot dogs in hand, a little after noon.

Beth and I fixed lunch (Well.... It was more like she fixed lunch and I played with Izeah, but who's keeping tabs?!) while the kids played and after lunch they played some more while we sat on the couch and visited. It was GREAT! It's ridiculous that we live so close and get together so infrequently (Hint, hint...)!

The kids played dress up, Legos, video games, watched movies, and just had fun being kids!

We left the Ely's about 3:30 and headed up the hill to Grandpa Jim's (Really, John... It had NOTHING to do with the fact that you came home from work... I swear!).

The kids were pretty wiped out from all of the hustle and bustle of the last few weeks and Big A was grumpy that there was no snow (although he won't admit that that was the problem). We visited, watched movies, ate raw cookie dough baked cookies, cuddled, went in the hot tub (It was less than 30 degrees outside... FREEZING!), played guitar, and just generally got spoiled rotten! After all, that's what Grandpa Jim and Sinda are for, right?!?!

This morning we woke up to ice EVERYWHERE! If only it had been rainy, Big A's snow dream would have come true... Sorry, Bud! Maybe next time!

The walkways and steps were icy, the little pond was iced over, the grounds was frozen, just everything! It was neat to see the way ice just forms in the dirt.

It's so beautiful up there and the kids were so excited at the prospect of snow, that we ALMOST spent a second night but when we found out that Grandpa and Sinda would be leaving early the next morning, we decided to just head home and have a play date at the park with out friends.

I was a little nervous about the drive home, but I waited until the sun was fully out and had melted all of the ice on the deck and decided that it was a good time to go. We packed the car, said a prayer, and headed home. The icy landscape was beautiful, and luckily we didn't hit any ice on the roads. We drove slow and made it home safe right into daddy's waiting arms!

We spent the rest of the day running errands, playing at the park and getting to bed early!

Thanks, Grandpa Jim and Sinda, for your wonderful hospitality!

In Preparation For 2011...

In preparation for 2011, let me share with you these "40 Tips For A Better Life"...

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day and while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.

2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.

3. Buy a DVR to tape your late night shows so you can get more sleep.

4. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement... "My purpose is to __________ today."

5. Live with the 3 E's... Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.

6. Play more games and read more books than you did in 2010.

7. Make time to practice meditation, and prayer. They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives.

8. Spend time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6. (As a mother of two, I guarantee this will make your life better!)

9. Dream more while you are awake.

10. Eat more foods that grow on plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.

11. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds and walnuts.

12. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

13. Clear clutter from your house, your car, your desk and let new and flowing energy into your life.

14. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive, present moment.

15. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.

16. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.

17. Smile and laugh more. It will keep the NEGATIVE BLUES away.

18. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

20. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

21. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

22. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.

23. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

24. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

25. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: In five years, will this matter? (Wow! There's a lesson I need to learn! I KNOW my mom keeps trying to teach me this, but...)

26. Forgive everyone for everything.

27. What other people think of you is none of your business.

28. Remember, God heals everything.

29. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

30. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

31. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

32. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

33. The best is yet to come.

34. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

35. Do the right thing!

36. Call your friends often.

37. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements... "I am thankful for __________. Today I accomplished _________." (I like it... I wonder what would happen if each day you kept a journal of these... INTERESTING IDEA!)

38. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.

39. Enjoy the ride. Remember this is not Disney World and you certainly don't want a fast pass. You only have one ride through life so make the most of it.

40. Please send this to everyone you care about.

My life is by no means bad, but it can always be better, right? I wonder what would change if I put more of these into play in my own life... Now THERE is some food for thought!

Post Christmas Hangover

Yeah, not really... But the title is intriguing, huh? I thought you'd like that!

Actually today was fairly low key except for the fact that just like braving the crowds the day after Thanksgiving and the day before Christmas, we did it to ourselves once again... Yes, we promised the kids that we'd take them out to spend their Christmas money and gift cards today and that's not something that is taken lightly. That money has been burning a hole in Big A's pocket since the first check came! (Little A is just as happy NOT spending it... Good girl!)

I'm one of those people who is excited about Christmas and loves Christmas but when it's over, it's over and that means that getting the decorations down and house back to normal was my top priority this morning. I made B and the kids stay upstairs and play while I packed away Christmas, assuring them that the more peace and quiet I had, the faster I could go and that the faster I got things put away, the sooner we could go shopping.

It worked! By one o'clock I had everything packed away and the house back to normal. We grabbed a bite to eat at In-N-Out and headed to Target. I hate dissuading the kids from buying what they really want, but Big A would have purchased 65 hot wheel cars if we'd let him, and our house just can't take that kind of volume. Seeing as how they'd JUST had four Christmases and a birthday (with one more of each to come) and I'd almost gotten all of the new stuff put away, we tried to guide them toward Wii games and movies with just one 'smallish' toy each.

Our plan was successful and we came home with a new Toy Story movie to complete our set, two new Wii games and only a couple of new toys. I'd say all in all today was a very successful day!

As much as I love Christmas, I'm sure glad it's over!

Feliz Navidad!

Before I begin, let me back up for just a minute and share a little bit of Christmas Eve with you all...

Before getting nestled all snug in your beds, you must....

Sprinkle reindeer food...

Prepare cookies and milk for Santa...

And pose for lots and LOTS of pictures (because there's lots of time to kill while Grandpa drives back to Olive Garden to retrieve his forgotten credit card!)...

Okay, that's good! NOW you may head off to bed to fill those cute little heads with visions of dancing sugarplums! Sweet dreams! Sleep well! I'll see you in the morning!

AND NOW FOR CHISTMAS....

Please let us in! The anticipation is killing us....

HE CAME!!

And he ate ALL of the cookies!

And he left Softie her new dog sweater! It's ALL Big A wanted (although when Santa asked him yesterday he said, "Whatever you want to bring me is fine.")!

But the scooters are cool, too!

And Little A LOVES her new bike (which "suddenly I can ride...")!

Annual 'COUSINS' photo so that all of the family far away can see how everyone is growing

And the perfect ending to the perfect day... A special sleep over in mom and dad's room...

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

'Twas the Morning Before Christmas...

'Twas the morning before Christmas

and being the stupid fools that we are

we braved the malls

to get this picture.

Like my poem? It's the best I could do!

But hey... The picture is GREAT! It's the first Santa picture we have in which Little A is actually SMILING (with the exception of last year when we didn't see Santa at the mall and only saw "Mr. Mark Santa Claus").

And yes, we really did brave the mall the day before Christmas (and stand in line for almost an hour) JUST to get this picture... Well... And so I could get my eyebrows waxed.

Manis, Pedis, Lunch And Movies

How many people can really take a day to relax in the midst of the Christmas mayhem? I can name three!

Today, my first day of Mandatory Time Off, Little A and my mom and I went to get pedicures (Well... Cute almost-four-year-olds get manicures, too, of course!) and the went out to lunch while Grandpa and Big A did 'guy stuff'... You know... Smog checks, the feed store, lunch at the Mexican restaurant, etc.

We had given Grandma a gift certificate for a girl's day for her birthday, and she decided to cash it today. Little A was THRILLED that she got to come along. She was SO excited about her polish, as well as the fact that she got to sit in her OWN chair!


After our pedis we ate lunch at a local deli and ran a couple of errands while waiting for the boys to finish their jobs. The showed up and oohed and aahed over Little A's polish, the way nice grandpas and brothers do (Thanks, guys! Points for you!) and then we went our separate ways, Grandma and Grandpa to their movie(s) and us to ours. We saw Yogi and the kids LOVED it! It was... Okay. It kept me entertained, but not like Tangled (I HIGHLY recommend Tangled!).

We followed our movie with dinner at Jack in the Box and a trip to see "the smoking Santa" (It's a long story, don't ask!) and got home just in time for bed. It was a GREAT day and I enjoyed spending time with my kids!

I can't believe that two days before Christmas I'm able to just relax! I guess I owe it to my mom and dad who've had my kids for the past two nights! THANKS, Grandma and Grandpa! I needed that!

Tomorrow it's off to the mall to see Santa.... Hope the line isn't too long!

The Christmas Story... As Told By Kids!

A friend shared this with me, and it's too cute not to share during this Christmas season... ENJOY!

Christmas - Take 2 (And 3)

Remember I said this is the weekend of Christmases? Yesterday we drove to Danville to visit my sister and brother-in-law and celebrate Christmas as their house. We attended church with them (Which was beautiful!) and then went to their house for dinner and gifts.

As a side note... There was a time, not so long ago, during which I felt uncomfortable in churches. I didn't have anything to hide or be ashamed of and really no reason to feel that way, but it all just felt so foreign... That is, until we joined our church. Now I find it fascinating to attend different churches and see how things are done in different religions and different churches. Last night's service featured three different choirs; The adult choir, an A Capella choir from a local high school, and the church's children's choir/bell ringers. TOO CUTE!

Chilling with Uncle Bob

My sister had recently purchased a new dog bed for their dog but she didn't want to let the dog use it until the rainy season is over and the dog is clean. (Sounds SO like something I would do!) The kids enjoyed trying it out to make sure that the dog would approve!

Once again we left laden with all sorts of goodies (and more fun stuff to put away). Thank you, Auntie Terri and Uncle Bob!

We arrived home VERY late last night (according to Big A it was the latest he's ever stayed up in his WHOLE life) but still drug ourselves out of bed for church today. It was a cold, rainy Sunday morning and as much as I'd have loved to stay in bed, I had a Sunday School class waiting for me.

After church we met Grandpa Jim and Sinda for lunch and Christmas number 3. Again, no pictures... What's WRONG with me??? And again we left with bags and baskets full of goodies... One thing we always look forward to is that bag of cracked walnuts... YUM! Thank you, Grandpa Jim and Sinda!

Two more Christmases to go... I CAN do this!