Why did you even ask me?

Claire comes up to me with two shirts.

"Mama, which one should I wear?"

"The star one."

She stares at me and repeats, "Mama, which one should I wear?"

Again I say, "The star one!"

She stares at me again and once again say, "Mama, which one should I wear?"

I have a moment of dawning comprehension.  "Umm, the butterfly one?"

She smiles brightly and bounces off, "Thanks Mom!"

Umm, what was my part of this decision?

What's for Dinner this Week?

Well, I'm on the ball this week and made a menu:

Sunday:  Ravioli (marinara sauce for me and Alfredo for Daddy - he's allergic to tomatoes) for the grownups and Spaghetti for the kids and Italian bread

Monday:  Dinner at the In-laws

Tuesday:  Chicken Schnitzel, Macaroni and Cheese and Steamed Veggies

Wednesday:  Sour Cream Enchilada Casserole

Thursday:  Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes and Bacon

Friday:  Chicken Alfredo Pasta and Garlic Bread

Saturday:  Beef Stroganoff, Egg Noodles and Steamed Veggies

A New Year

Wow, 2012.  I feel futuristic.

I am starting 2012 out with a promise to myself to step up our school schedule.  As of now my goal as been 3 days of schoolwork with Claire per week - it is only Kindergarten!  But this semester I want to do 4 days a week to begin preparing her for 5 days a week next year in 1st Grade.  At least there will be no complaints from Claire.  She adores doing schoolwork!

Going from this

To this

I have hope that this will be a year of new beginnings for our family.  We plan and pray to move our little family this year.  The opportunities are disappearing in our little mountain town.  It's a small town and everyone here is really struggling.  Daddy and I have never loved this town and only live here because we just never left after moving out on our own.  We do have family here and we will miss them, but we need more for our children.  We have narrowed down the plan to move to the Charleston, SC area.  Daddy and I both lived near the ocean as children and we miss it so much.  Last year was the first time we were able to take our children to the beach and we want that more.  We want our children to experience museums and concerts regularly.  Here it is an hour to the nearest museum and Claire always ends up carsick from the curvy, mountain roads.  It is a beautiful place to live, but we need more.  I will enjoy getting to vacation here!


I will miss friends and family, but I look forward to new beginnings.  I look forward to Claire and Chandler playing on the beach, shopping at Target regularly (right now the nearest one is an hour away), exploring museums and historical districts, flat country and salt air.  Claire will be starting 1st grade in the fall and we are discussing adding to our family once we are settled.  It's exciting and intimidating and wonderful and scary all at once.

As of now we are just trickling money into our moving fund and purging things out of our house.  So much planning and organizing to do!

My Future Grandchildren are in Trouble

Today Claire turned to me and said, "Mama, when I get old my kids are going to have rules!"

"Oh, really?  Like what?"

Then she gave me a list:

1.  No jumping on the bed or couch

2.  When you play with a toy, put it away

3.  Chew with your mouth closed

4.  No touching the computer

5.  Being good when Mommy is in the shower

6.  No going down stairs

7.  No sneaking into Mama's room

8.  No running away when you're outside

9.  Be nice to the cats

Oh, it went on and on ... now, I know she was tattling on herself with half of those, but if she keeps up adding to those rules my future grandchildren are in trouble! 

The Most Wonderful and Busy Time of the Year

It's so hectic right now!  It is a mostly homemade Christmas here this year and I have been going crazy trying to finish everything.  Since family reads this blog I can't talk about anything I'm making.  :-/  But everything is coming out really well!  Well, except for one thing and I ended up having to just chuck them and think of something else to do.  It's a process I guess!

But through everything I did find time to put up a tree, make coffee filter snowflakes with the kids and wrap 90% of the presents.  I have 3 more presents that need finishing touches and can be wrapped and I am hoping to make Christmas cookies with the kids tomorrow.  We will get it all done!  Merry Christmas everyone!

Silly boy

It's 10am on a Sunday and Daddy is hiding in the kitchen eating a cookie.  Chandler runs in and says "Daddy can I eat your something?". He doesn't even even know what it is, but his Daddy has it so he wants it! ;)

Figuring Yourself Out

I'm going to let you in on a little secret.

Daddy never went to college and I never graduated. 

I spent 3 years in college without anywhere near the correct credits for a degree, that's what happens when you change your major 3 times. 

I would like our kids to go to college, but ONLY if they know for sure what they want to do! 

I spent one year working towards my Human Services/Counseling degree before realizing I would be burned out in a year. Then I started on my History degree with Teacher Licensesure to teach High School History. Surprise, surprise, I quickly realized that me and school bureaucracy would not mix well. I spent one more year just taking classes before I decided to take a break to figure myself out first. Then I met Daddy and after a whirlwind romance, got married and started working at a bank, which I loved! I know now that if I do end up going back to school I would get my degree in Accounting or Business Administration. Once my kids graduate I plan on going back to work in a bank or accounts payable office. At 16 when I started college I never would have dreamed that that would be the right job for me. It sounded so boring, but at 16 I didn't really know myself yet. My quirk of alphabetizing everything and enjoying doing my taxes didn't equal into a job and something I would want to do with my life. 

My point is that I don't really agree with kids finishing high school and heading off for college without a firm grasp of the real world and themselves. It's too easy to incrue 40k in student loans and then realize that you dislike what you are doing and you just want to stay home with your kids.  Or that you now have 100k in debt and you HATE being a lawyer! I know many people argue that any degree is better then no degree, but what if you get a blanket degree in English and then later realize you want to be an Occupational Therapist?  You have more school now ... It's such a big decision and it's a hard one to put on the shoulders of every 17/18 year old who is still dazzled by the world around them.  I wish there was a better way.

30 Days of Thanks 2011

This month I did the 30 Days of Thanks on Facebook by posting something new I was thankful for each day.  It's a nice reminder of all the little things we should be grateful for everyday.  You have to pace yourself though - it gets a little hard after a week or two!

#1 I am grateful for our cozy little house on a cold morning!

#2 I am grateful for my family. We are always there to help each other out and we actually like each other! :)

#3 I am grateful for my handsome, hardworking husband. He's such a good daddy and my best friend!

#4 Today I am grateful for a paycheck and the money to get necessities.

#5 I am grateful for my daughter. Claire is sweet, kind, smart and very silly. She's a beautiful girl and we love having her in our lives, even if she is rather bossy! :)

#6 I am thankful for my son. Chandler is my snuggle-bug. He's so loving and smart and silly even when he is trying to establish his 2 year old independence! ;)
  
#7  Today I am grateful for my mother. She has been a wonderful mom and role model, I love spending time with her and I always know I can rely on her. My kids adore seeing her and I love that she has become such a wonderful grandma (or nah-ra as Chandler says)! I love you Mom!
  
#8  I am thankful for my sturdy van. It might be a total mom-mobile, but I can fit anything in it and it's dependable!

#9 Today I am grateful for the chance to spend an afternoon with my husband! Never thought I would be grateful that material didn't come in! 

#10 Today I am thankful for everyone who was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Thank you for helping preserve our freedoms. I am grateful for all our veterans but especially my grandfather, uncle and my mom!

#11 Just got back from a wonderful wedding. The thing I'm thankful for today? Love. I wish you every happiness David and GG!

#12 Today I am thankful for caffeine! Nicholas went back to the wedding after dinner to hang out with his friends last night and I ended up staying up too late watching a chick flick. ;)

#13 Today I am thankful for sleep and a husband who occasionally lets me sleep in. He got up with Chandler at 7am this morning and I didn't roll out of bed until 10:30! I feel wonderful.

#14 I am grateful for the opportunity to stay home and homeschool my kids. Every time Claire "gets" it the look of excitement on her face makes up for any sacrifices we have made.

#15 I am thankful for a full pantry. Even when times are tough and we only have a few dollars in the bank I never have to worry about feeding my children. We always have plenty!
  
#16 Daddy is home from work today due to the rain so today I am thankful for laughter, giggles and snuggles. I adore look on my children's faces when they realize that Daddy is home in the morning.
  
#17 I am thankful that my daughter gets the opportunity to be in a wonderful homeschool co-op. It's full of information and crafts and is casual so no one minds when the kids interrupt or wander off to ask their moms something. They have been learning about the solar system and Claire talks about it all the time!
  
#18  Today I am thankful for my grandmother. She is amazing. When my mom came home after her divorce she came home with 2 year old me and Grandma and I were a team while Mom worked. I have may wonderful memories of dancing under flower petals, eating sandwiches made into pinwheels, and getting to have tea parties with her fine china. Now I am blessed to watch her be an awesome great-grandmother to my children. Claire adores her Grandma Claire and loves getting to do crafts at her house. I am very lucky to have my grandma! :)

#19 Today I am thankful for books. They have taken me more places then I ever could have dreamed of alone and always gave me a place to escape when things were hard and I needed a time out. They may be an addiction, but at least it's one that opens my boundaries. ;)
  
#20  Sick today - I am grateful for hot tea and honey, pineapple juice and a wonderful husband who takes care of me.

#21  Today I am grateful for the rain that feeds the earth and provides us with a dark, rainy day to spend in the house.
  
#22  I'm grateful for my sister. She may be 9 1/2 years younger then me, but we still have an awesome time together. She helps keep me young and keeps me informed of the things those "whippersnappers" are doing! ;) Seriously, I love how happy and fun and loving she is and I think she is growing into an awesome person. And my kids adore their Aunt Annie!

 #23  I am grateful for a strong immune system. I rarely get sick and when I do it usually knocks me down for a day or two and then it's gone. I'm lucky to come from good, healthy peasant stock.

#23 part 2  I have two things to be thankful for today. My wonderful, best Anna. We've known each other since 7th grade and no matter what or where life takes us even if it's been years since we last talked we can always pick right back up like no time ever passed (except for a little catchup!). Our girls are 4 months apart in age and get along really well. I went over to her house today and we made had fun making soap while the girls played and her oldest boy (7 tomorrow!) played with Chandler. So fun!

#24  Today I am grateful for being born in this wonderful country. I am so blessed to live somewhere where even though we are "lower income" we have a warm, snug house, nice clothes, shoes, TWO vehicles, plenty of food and even a television and computer! We are very rich. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
  
#25  I am thankful that I am not a Black Friday kind of girl. I dropped Claire off at my grandma's house this morning. They are going to make a Christmas village out of milk cartons and then Chandler and I wandered around Kmart and we did pick up one Christmas gift for Claire and Christmas pajamas for the kids. Then we came home and he's taking a nap. So glad to have a quiet day!
  
#26  It might be silly, but I'm thankful for my pets. I have had 10 cats (Mira, Copernicus, Athena, Little Bit, Ares, Amelia, Pearl, Bonnie, Han and Malcolm) and 1 dog (a miniature dachshund named Lessa) come into my life since I moved out of the house at 17. Some had to be re-homed for various reasons (Mira, Ares, Bonnie and Lessa), some passed away (Copernicus, Little Bit, Amelia and Han) and some are still here, but they all give and gave me love and companionship and now my children get to experience that as well. I'm happy to have our furry friends in our lives.

#27  Today I am grateful for my washer and dryer. We do a lot of laundry in this house and having machines that help me are the only way I keep up. Now if someone would just invent a folding machine ....
  
#28  Today I am thankful for the Internet. As a SAHM I don't know how I would get to talk to everyone otherwise! I have made some awesome friends on here, some I haven't even met in person yet, but we're all close and here for each other. It's an amazing thing.
  
#29  I am thankful for electricity. It really is an amazing thing ...

#30  I am grateful to see what good friends my kids are. They fight, but they love each other. When they are without each other they are both upset and ask for each other and give big hugs when they are back together.

My kids show me joy

I have a cold.  I'm miserable.  My head is stuffed and my throat hurts.

Yesterday was our town Christmas parade.  Daddy took the kids by himself because I looked pathetic and didn't feel up for it.  After they left I started thinking about them watching the parade and me not being there.  I almost started to cry (and I'm going to blame that on being sick).  So I called my Mom and asked her to take me down to the parade.  I just couldn't miss seeing my kids enjoy everything and I'm glad I did. Seeing them jumping up and down and clapping at every tiny, small town float going by was a delight.  Seeing Chandler dancing and wiggling his butt to every Christmas carol and Claire shriek every time a person on a float tossed her candy made it completely worth it.  The joy they got out of a blow up rhinoceros, a dog wearing antlers and a girl on roller skates makes you stop.  Christmas is all about being a child.  It's about the wonder of the little things.  The presents are just the candles on the cake.  It's the lights and the hot chocolate and the snow and being with your loving family that is the cake and the icing.  Experience it.


And now I'm going back to my hot tea with honey and tissues and hopefully I will feel better tomorrow. 

Quiting? Or is it moving on?

Claire has told me she doesn't want to go to ballet anymore.  She's gone to 11 lessons so far - I counted.  She says it makes her tired and then she sits down on the floor and then she gets yelled at.  She showed me how she does the steps (she apparently tries to put a little of her own style in) and then she is told it's wrong.  She told me she just wants to dance at home.

Now the debate.  If I let her quit am I setting her up to quit anything if/when it gets hard?  Or have I let her try something new and she decided it wasn't for her?  Can a 5 year old decide this?  Or is she young enough that we can try again later?  Would I stifle something if I force her to continue?  Or should I give her the freedom to decide her own direction?  What if she quits and then asks to go to ballet next month?  Why is parenting so hard?

Sigh.

I told him ...

My husband is so proud of himself right now.  His coworker just had his first child a few months ago.  He was sharing with him the difficulties they are having and Daddy gave him advice.  His coworker's wife talked to their doctor and the doctor told them to do exactly what Daddy suggested!  I keep telling him he's a good daddy!  :)

This was Halloween, Halloween, Halloween ...

Just had to show off my Sleeping Beauty and 3-eyed Monster!  They had lots of fun and thought Mom approved candy was awesome!  We doled out two pieces each that night and one each everyday until they stopped asking.  :)