My Five

I am inspired by my friend Erin's blog. She is always making "gratitude lists" and they motivate me to think more about all that I'm grateful for. Here is my list for this week:

1. I am getting more "tech savvy." I FINALLY fixed the header on this blog! All by myself too. I am kind of proud of myself because I could not get that dang picture to fit in the frame in past attempts, so I went into the HTML setting and just played around with the numbers until it finally fit! Yeah! I am starting to not be as intimidated by all this technology.

2. I only had to shave my legs once this week (thanks to laser hair removal)! I have only had one treatment about three weeks ago and I am amazed! I still have five more treatments to go, but in the end. . .no more shaving EVER!!!!!!!! I am soooo stoked! It is totally worth all the pain and expense.

3. My 1000 thread count sheets that helped me fall asleep fast even without Steve here. I had never known the luxury of super soft sheets until two Christmas's ago when we bought these. I tried to buy another set just like them this year, but for some reason, they don't feel quite as soft as these old ones that are on the bed now.

4. Helpful boys who helped me get started on spring cleaning yesterday. We ordered some new shelves for their room (from Company Kids. . .such good prices) and they were excited to make room for them by de-cluttering.

5. My sweet Lewis was chosen to be the Student of the Month today for being an example of honesty. I am so proud of him. He is, by nature, a very honest and sincere little boy.

So much to be grateful for. I think, in the end, it is the little things, like these, that bring true happiness. Acknowledging that these things made my week a little brighter is one way to feel less stressed and more grateful!

Denny's Day

Steve has to go out of town for meetings every month. Since we're always a little bummed when he has to go, I decided we needed something to look forward to for the week that he is gone. Denny's is the PERFECT retreat for us! (Kids eat free on Tuesday nights ya know!) Our awesome neighbor, Carolyn; who also teaches with us, is one of our favorite Denny's dates! We just pack up our things at the end of the day and head to Denny's for a delicious, stress free meal. I swear, my kids lick their plates clean and I don't have to hear, "Mom, I don't like this!" Last night, Lewis chose the chicken star basket and Conner went with a Grand Slam breakfast (which I was so happy about because then I got to hear him say the word "pannacakes" over and over again (I love that he still has a hint of "baby-ness" left in him))! Carolyn feasted on a great looking salad which made me feel even guiltier for ordering the French Toast Slam (with strawberries and whipped cream). As I was getting ready to pay, I realized I had my camera and I'm so glad. I think this is the first picture I have of the boys with Carolyn. She's such a fun, fun person and we are so glad she likes to spend time with us. Anyway, we love it when it's Denny's Day! There's only one problem with it and Lewis informed me of this, Dad will never get to be one of our "dates" if we always go when he's out of town!

Mission Accomplished!

I have this friend who has the BEST, most perfect, handwriting EVER! She is a school teacher and therefore has that trademark "teacher" writing but to the 100th power (it takes her ten minutes to fill out a check-it's that perfect)! She even FREE HANDED a cute poem all the way around her son's room and I'll tell ya, it is cuter than any vinyl lettering I've seen! Anyway, we teachers are always looking for a great, very standard, font that we can use in our classrooms and in projects with our students. In the past we have all been forced to rely on a few of the very limited options that have been available to us. However, there was always some "buggy" thing about these fonts that made us keep longing for something better. For years and years we all would say, "wouldn't it be great if we could have a "Sarah" font? Then all of our school projects could be exactly perfect!" Well, awhile back I saw an announcement for a font contest conducted by Creating Keepsakes Magazine. I called up Sarah and told her this was our shot to get that Sarah font! She did the work, sent in her submission and alas, hallelujah, it is finally here! The perfect "Everyday" font I've been waiting for for so long! It is now available through Scrap N' Fonts.com. I am including the link here if anyone else needs a great basic journaling font for whatever projects you find yourself working on, or (if you're like me) to add to your hundreds of font options on your word processor! Way to go Sarah! This is such exciting news for us teachers and scrapbooking friends alike! I will no longer be forcing you to journal on my scrapbook pages or write on my walls! I've got the font! Thanks!
http://www.scrapnfonts.com/searchdetail.php?psku=11197

Once Bitten

Conner is such a great kid! I am impressed with him lately and here's why. He used to be a "nail biter!" (I know. . . shudder the thought!) I don't know when he started this habit and I can't think of a time when I've actually caught him in the act, but his nails were just terrible looking for so long. For over a year I have begged him to stop biting. I have bribed him. I have reminded him. I have given him no sympathy for any pain associated with his biting. It has been this little annoyance at the back of my head since I first noticed his little sad nubbins of finger nails. But, around Christmastime, he found a book in my classroom called, "The Bearnstein Bears and the Bad Habit." I watched him read this book and really study the pictures of the pages. He asked me a few questions about Sister Bear's bad habit (which just so happened to be nail biting) and we talked about it a little. He didn't say anything more about it after that, but I could see the wheels turning in his little head. I really didn't expect much to come of this incident, but it has been a few months since that day and I am happy to report that Conner is now the proud owner of a beautiful set of fingernails! He made the decision to stop biting all on his own, didn't say a word about it to Steve or me. Just decided to quit! What a great kid. He is such an example to me and I am reminded of that each time I get to sit him down on my lap and trim his once bitten nails.

Smitten

Valentine's Day this year was so different than it has been in many years past. In the past few years, some friends and I have gotten together and taken our kids to an afternoon movie for V-Day and then Steve and I would get a sitter and go out to dinner later that night. This year was a far cry from that! Not only did we not get to go to the movie (we were all at school) but both Lewis and Conner wound up being pretty sick. Poor Conner. He wanted to stay at school soooo badly! He did not want to miss the party! However, he came down with a fever and Steve ended up taking him home. So much for getting a sitter! We spent the night administering meds to our boys and disinfecting the house! All was not lost however! Valentine's Day is one of my favorite holidays. Those sweet students of mine loaded me up with stuffed animals, chocolates and all sorts of other goodies! My favorite had to be the little framed heart from Fabiola with the card she picked out to go with it. Her parents do not speak any English and so the card read, "To Two Very Special Grandparents on Valentine's Day." She was beaming to give it to me. Their family is very poor and I could tell it was a sacrifice for them to give me this gift. I will cherish it always! Also, two of my students gave me some stuffed dogs. I let Lewis and Conner adopt one for each of them and they have been constant companions all week long! My kids have never been real big on stuffed animals, but they have been so cute with these dogs. Conner named his Sparky and Lewis named his Golden. Both boys tuck them in to a little bed each night and make me "babysit" them when they need to go off and do other things. They are truly smitten over their Valentine's Day pets. Perhaps my favorite part of this Valentine's Day though came in the form of flowers, delivered to the school by my sweet husband. I think this is the first time he has sent me flowers at work. It was super fun to get them and they are still making our home look beautiful! So, although this V-Day did not include any of our tried and true traditions of years' past, it ended up being just as memorable and fun!

Stevie P.

Well, today being Sunday (and officially the 8th day of being deathly ill) I am relieved to have been TAGGED by Teresa! This will give me something to focus on (other than the pounding sinus pressure) and keep me from going insane with boredom. This is the infamous "Husband Tag" and I am very happy to brag a little about this most awesome man I get to call my own!

What is his name? Steve
How long have you been married? In just about one month, we will celebrate our TENTH big year! We are going on our first cruise EVER to celebrate and we cannot wait!
How long did you date? GEEEEEZ. Our dating/courtship was such a soap opera. It went on for over a year and was completely crazy and intense and exhausting! It was definitely meant to be though. After going through all that, you know you're in it for the long haul!
How old is he? 32
Who eats more? Might be a toss up. He definitely eats healthier.
Who is taller? Steve for sure. He is actually the perfect height for me. I don't have to kink my neck to look at him when we hug/kiss!
Who sings better? He would say I do, but let's be honest, neither of us would ever win American Idol.
Who is smarter? We all have our different "areas of expertise." I would say he is, on paper (especially trivia-my heck he knows EVERY unimportant fact possible), but I am a quick thinker, problem solver type.
Whose temper is worse? Probably mine.
Who does the laundry? Actually, that is all Steve right now. We take turns with the two worst chores; dishes and laundry. While he's better about getting the laundry clean, dried and put away, I am much better at making it look nice and tidy. So, even though the laundry is kept up, the kid's drawers are a disaster (Lewis' clothes mixed in with Conner's), and sometimes my socks and shirts end up in the kids' room. But, you gotta love a man who is willing to help out and can actually seperate the darks and the lights and remove stains! Yep. He's a keeper.
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I guess it is Steve, now that I am thinking about it.
Who pays the bills? Definitely my penny pinching Steve!
Who mows the lawn? The maintenance guy (I wish I could talk Steve into a "cleaning lady" too).
Who cooks dinner? We are pretty equal with this task. Seeings how we both get home at the same time, we usually work together to get dinner on the table.
Who drives when you are together? Steve, almost always (how else would I get my makeup on?).
Who is more stubborn? Haha. That's a funny question. We are both so stubborn it isn't even funny!
Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Steve. But I am faarrrr better about NOT holding grudges.
Whose parents do you see the most? It's about equal.
Who proposed? Steve did. On Christmas morning. Wearing his jammies and his sister's new ski hat. And with most of his family staring at us. Classic Steve.
Who has more friends? We have both been lucky in the friend department. We are both pretty friendly and make friends easily. I'd say it's a tie.
Who has more siblings? Steve wins with his seven sisters!
Who wears the pants in the family? Steve would probably joke that I do, but we all know that isn't true! He wears 'em and he's good at it! He keeps our family clicking!

Okay, I'm spouse tagging Jen, Lindsay, Kari and Allison. HAVE FUN!!!!

Confessions of a Mommy Blogger

I read this great article in one of my favorite magazines (it's called "Wonder time") and I thought it would be fun to share some of it with all of my blogger friends. Since I am new to this whole blogging world, I am still not completely convinced it is worth my time. This article helped me understand blogging a little more. It sort of confirms why we blog and what benefit we all get from blogging. I will only share a few key points here, but if any one wants to read the entire article, it is in the February 2008 issue.

" 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's why we do it anyway. . ."

"1. To understand that you are not alone. Especially if you're a mother. Someone out there is still awake with a restless toddler or dotting their newborn with Doritos fallout. I read blogs to feel that I am 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 am not alone in the difficult.
2. Blogging is the underbelly of scrapbooking. [Only it aint so pretty]. 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. Blogging might not make life tidier, but it keeps life in your memory and keeps it real.
3. For me and the millions of others who do it, blogging can also be the literary equivalent of streaking through a stadium-15 minutes of slightly crass fame-but over and over again!
4. Writing helps me pay attention as the years fly by. I'm forever scrolling notes on Target receipts about the things the kids say. Because I am seeing our family's life as a funny story I could tell, [I really pay attention].
5. I think blogging actually makes me a better parent because I feel like I'm being watched, even if its only self imposed. It's like the way I am a better parent when there are guests in the house-more inclined to make waffles and play Monopoly. One anonymous blogger puts it 'I go through my day in kind of a compose post mode, where I am 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 let the gratitude flood through my veins."

I especially love the last part of that article. It describes how I have always felt about scrapbooking (when I had time) and so now, that life is crazier-blogging is putting that all back in my life for me (when I can squeeze it in)! I just love that there is this solution to communicating with friends and family and also keeping track of my family's memories. Initially, we started this blog to help spread the word about our adoption efforts, but I was surprised to discover that it is becoming so much more than that! It is awesome!