Saturday, November 29, 2008

My Feel Good Story of Today

I logged onto the pre-e web forum this morning and one of the members shared a story about how his family members felt like baking yesterday and ended up making goodies to sell at a family members auto shop. They made $125 to donate to the organization in his daughter's name, who died from preeclampsia a few years ago. His granddaughter survived. It was a total surprise to him when they called asking for PF materials. The kind of surprise that just warms the heart. They are planning on holding another sale nearer to Christmas.

Just had to share as it made me feel good this morning to read that. They knew how important the pre-e cause is to him and how much he and his wife do for it, and they helped raise awareness and some funds. That's pretty darn AWEsome.

Friday, November 28, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving

I meant to do this yesterday, but didn't get around to it. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Us, ours was okay. Ariana has pink eye, again. We're crossing fingers that Phoenix doesn't pick it back up. So, we cancelled our dinner plans and spent a good portion of the day disinfecting our home. We did get the tree up last evening and took a short joyride to see some Christmas lights, and to laugh at the bozo's lining up at Best Buy. (couldn't resist)

For the obligatory thankfulness, here is what I'm thankful for at the moment:
-family
-a husband who means more to me than words can say
-healthy children (which I hope mine will be soon)
-a roof over our heads
-a really frickin' awesome job
-friends who stick by even when I go "in the dark" with communcation (sorry peeps!)
-that my friends & family are healthy and safe

What about you?

Time Management

Not going so well. Obviously, I've been MIA here. I'm flailing at the whole balance thing, and I have a feeling I will until I'm done with the out of town training gig. I was sick all last week, so not a lot of puter time there. And then this last week...whew. I suck at doing extracurricular online. I hop on Facebook and that's about my limit.

Working mom....does this get easier? Or will I forever feel like I'm running behind and growing grey hairs every second?

Funny this morning

Ariana was tattling on Phoenix this morning (gosh, does that ever end?) and I told her she needed to stop being a sheriff. She replies, "Mom, I'm just practicing being a grown up."

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Fuck Me

I'm tired of being sick. And I miss home. Can you tell I'm a tad on the whiney side? My kids were sick all weekend, I've been sick since Monday, and now Jason is getting sick. Ya-fucking-whoo. As much as I miss home, I do hang my head when I think "thank god I'm not home this week". Real nice, huh. It seems I've got a major case of the "fuck it's" today.

Out to Eat

I was out for dinner this evening and of course, there was a bottle of ketchup on the table. What I'm wondering is there a difference for restaurants between normal ketchup and fancy ketchup? Catsup is catsup, isn't it?

Favorite Quotes

I love reading new quotes and would love to hear yours. So tell me, what is YOUR favorite quote?

Mine is.... "A day without laughter is a wasted day."

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Photo Tag

I've been tagged by Robyn at It's Just One of Those Days

Here's what I have to do...
1) Choose the 4th picture folder on my computer
2) Choose the 4th picture
3) Explain the picture
4) Tag 4 other people

Here's my photo:

Bear in mind that I'm working off my laptop which doesn't have hardly any photos in it....


This is a photo of myself and the kids the day we left for MKE to get ready to go to Disney. We are THIS excited to go!

I tag:
Dawn at Brownie Blog
Jen at Unique But Not Alone
Lisa at Where Does Time Go
Amy at On The Move With Us

An Award

A fellow blogger, friend, and PE mom gifted me a blog award. Thanks Lori (over at House of Tafka) I also received it from another blogger, dearest mommy boo x2. Thanks ladies!!



In order to receive my award, I have to post six things that make me happy.....so here goes. (in no particular order)

1. My family -- seriously, could I laugh harder and love more? Nope, not with my crew.

2. Cheesy Pretzel Pieces and Chips & Dip -- Okay, all food could go under here, but those are my FAVE snacks. And they are my comfort foods, so of course they make me happy.

3. Disney -- duh, if you know me, you know this is on my list. Specifically Walt Disney World. The feeling of pure joy and magic comes over me when I cross through the gates.

4. Internet -- quite honestly, I think I would go through serious withdrawl without it. I would die. For real. I'm being serious. Really. I LURVE it.

5. Reading -- let's me just say this, if I go too many days without a good book, I'm not a happy person. I feel out of sorts and crave reading. Ask my husband, he can tell you. I don't want to say I'm bitchy without it, but reading to me is such a joy and like breathing to me. It's something I simply must do.

I've got to pass this along to other bloggers I find creative in their bloggy style. And the award goes to.....

Christie @ Baby Tea Leaves -- lady, you make me laugh. Out loud. I love your peep shows too.

Kate @ Mother Words -- someone who inspires me to be a better writer

Jen @ Unique But Not Alone -- another who awes me with her eloquent words

(*sorry, I'm having puter issues and can't get links to work. argh!)

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Thank You

Just want to give a quick shout out to all our veterans today, and to those whom serve our country now. Thank you.

Survivor, My Edition

I was thinking about it over the weekend....what foods items or luxury items couldn't you live without if you were stranded on an island, like in Survivor?

.........my answers will come soon.

Monday, November 3, 2008

I'm Feeling Old

I have decided to not discuss anything much work related on the blog to protect my job, but this is more personal issues than work related. And I really need to vent it out.

So, I'm in training for the new job and part of that has me out of town, living out of my suitcase Sun night-Fri. With a roomie. Who's 9 years younger than I. Need I say more?

Oh my fucking god, do I feel old. I've always been a homebody. I'd much rather stay home and read or watch a movie than head out to the bars. According to the roomie, this makes me "no fun." Or rather when I give another lame excuse for not going out, I hear "that's no fun." I finally came out and said point blank that I've got a family to talk about, think about, along with other work, etc. I'm in a bit of a different place than you are, yadda yadda, yadda. And all that bullshit.

Can we just accept that we have a different way of enjoying ourselves and that's totally alright. Please.

One the Eve

To my children,

Tomorrow, this country will elect it's 44th President of the United States. This election holds something special for this country. We have an African American as a Presidential candidate and a female as a VP candidate. How freakin' cool is that?! I am awed that it has taken this long to get either as a top candidate. Mystified and in some ways disappointed. We've come so far, but still have such a long way to go. Voting is a priviledge, and one each citizen should take advantage of. Be an educated voter and select a candidate for the reasons that matter to you, not just because of a party affiliation.

I had planned to take you to vote with me on Tuesday, and to take our photos at the polling place together. Something that you could look back on in 10, 20, or 30 years and say "Hey, I was there the day history was made." I had to vote early and I am sad about not being able to share that moment. I know we could have done a better job of perhaps talking more about the election process, but it's hard to know what a five year old can understand sometimes. And things I tried to explain to you, you didn't seem to understand. But then you came home from school with knowledge on voting. Excellent. We've taken you along to vote when you were babes and were not aware of what was going on. I hope that in the years to come, you show interest in voting, and caring about what goes on in this country.

I read a quote in the paper this morning that read, "Plan for the future because that's where you are going to spend the rest of your life" by Mark Twain. I hope we can show you in the coming years that yes, your opinion matters. Even if you think it doesn't, trust me it does. It's okay to be passionate about what you believe in. And still respect and be respectful of others with differing opinions. The thing is when you vote, no matter who you vote for, there are several millions other voters who voted for the other candidate. And that's okay. I hope when you are old enough to vote, differences are discussed rationally and not made with accusatsion. Which is something I feel this country has lost along the way in recent years.

I hope when you turn 18 and can vote in your first election, you are as excited as I was for that first "biggie" election. I still find it just as exciting today. We are able to be part of a process that concerns this country. What an awesome life opportunity.

I hope that your dad and I can be impartial and not be too heavy hitting with our own personal views in politics when we talk with you. I want each of you to be independent thinkers who are open to new ideas and discussions. I won't ever tell you who to vote for, you will be able to make up your own mind. You need to make the decision based on your thoughts and feelings, not mine. I hope you are someone who cares about others, gets involved in causes important to you, etc. You can be a force. That this can show you that you CAN be President (although I really wouldn't want you to run for office). You can be ANYTHING you want to be.

I have high hopes for your futures, and this election does pertain to your futures. It affects you in ways you cannot imagine as a child.

Love,
mommy

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Missing Those Arms

You'll have to forgive me for getting all sappy this evening, but I'm missing having my hubby's arms tonight. And so this post is about him.


Jason and I met 14 years ago at a July 4th party. I was very close to not going, but decided to go for it. And that night changed my life forever. He was friends with someone I knew and that made me feel comfortable with him in the coming weeks. That night he was drunk off his ass and kept asking if he had a "cute butt," which remains a joke to this day. I was also able to get him to dance that night, even though he professed no dancing ability. I quickly learned he was telling the truth.

We spent a lot of time together that summer and the "L" word was dropped fairly early, now that I look back. I fell head over heels in love with this punk who used to have long hair and hang in the dirtball crowd. Totally unlike anyone I had dated in high school.

We stayed together through his move to a city about 100 miles away for college. He proposed in a totally sweet manner 1 1/2 years into our being together. I made the move to join him not long after that. I didn't really give him the option, it was more of an ultimatim. But it all worked out in the end.

We were married 3 years after our engagement, and it is one of my favorite days in my life. All along I had been very calm and ready to be married. Three months out from the wedding, he was ready and I was freaking out. Meeting his eyes as I walked up the aisle is something I will hopefully remember for the rest of my life.

As a husband, Jason has always supported any new adventure I embarked on. We are wonderful friends, and honestly he is the person I want to call first with good news. And the bad. I'm perfectly content to hang out and watch tv with him, or to sit in comfortable silence. He is absolutely priceless to me. I cannot imagine life without him. He has been my rock through the most difficult times of my life, and I am incredibly thankful to him for his loving arms at times when I've needed them most.

As a father, Jason is simply the best man I know to be the father of our children. I pegged him as a child magnet early on in our relationship, and that was high on my list. He rolls on the floor with them, playing "mucky mud monster", builds those awesome lego creations, etc. While there are days (mainly football Sundays) where his attention wanders, when he is on...he is on. He is the "fun" parent, and I envy his zest for life. He is amazing with our children. He is the best father I could ever ask for for my children.

Some things I love about Jason:
Sweet: I know this is a "chick" term, but he truly is a sweet man. He surprises me when I least expect it, and touches my heart with his thought often.
Respectful: He is extremely respectful of others, for the most part. As long as you are not a Vikings fan or a loud conservative...you're good as gold. ;-) (Just kidding.) His respect for women makes me proud.
Zest for life: Jason has this awesome quality to enjoy the moment and go with it. I am so jealous of this.
Loving: He is so loving, and not afraid to show it.

Don't get me wrong, there are things about him that drive me up a wall. But even with those things, I still adore him. If he was gone tomorrow, those are probably some of the things I'd miss most. To think of life without him just makes my heart ache.

I love you.