"Grand"

Think back to when you were a kid. What do you remember? Do you remember spending the weekend with your grandparents? Watching Nascar races and John Wayne movies with your Grandpa? Eating wonderful creations that your Grandma made from scratch in the kitchen? Those are some of the things I remember about my Grandparents. Civil War reenactments, air shows, shopping trips, and comfort foods. Every time I see an old episode of Shirley Temple I think about my Grandma.

I have so many more fun memories about my Grandparents. I saw them every weekend and sometimes in between. We talked on the phone and even got cards in the mail. They are very special to me.

I have a few memories of my other Grandparents too. Just not as many. My Grandpa took us out to a canal near his house and we went fishing. We made our own ice cream too. I remember one time my Grandma said she was gonna put me in her suitcase and take me home with her. And watermelon. Can't forget the huge slices of watermelon we ate.

We made it out to visit them a few times and they used to visit us too. But that was a long time ago. That's about all I remember from when I was little. Most of the memories I have of them are from when I was older.

Its funny the things we remember and the things we forget. We have no control over it. Some things just stick with us for one reason or another. Which is what leads me to write this. I wonder what types of things my kids are gonna remember about their Grandparents? What memories are they gonna cherish? If any?

365 In A Flash

Have you ever thought about making a photographic journal?  I decided that I would give it a try. The idea is to take a photo a day for each of the 365 days in a year. I have to tell you, its much easier to do than I originally imagined. Mostly because I bust out my camera at the drop of a hat and click away. I find that the most difficult part is deciding which picture to use each day.

Another challenge for me is what to photograph. I have photos of my kids, other people & their kids, nature, toys, food, animals, etc. Some pictures I thought would be cute to include in future blogs and others were reflective of what we played with and/or did that day. I can't wait until we have more warm days than cold so there will be more fun things to do and experience. 

My main reason for accepting this challenge is my kids. Life goes by ever so quickly and there are so many everyday events that we let go by as insignificant.  Just because they are things we see and do everyday should not decrease there value. Take laundry for example. Not very exciting and its such a chore. Especially when Williams unfolding things faster than I can fold them. Emma wants to put each sock away one at a time. And Alex, well he just wants to play with the basket before its even empty. These memories don't really sound special right now. But wait until next week. When were remembering, William with a towel over his head spinning in circles and Emma with her daddies socks on as mittens, it becomes funny. Next year when Alex is no longer interested in playing with the basket it will become kinda sad. Therefore even these most mundane of tasks are opportunities for play, memories and you guessed it....photos!! 

So by taking such a boring task and turning it into a photo opt I hope I have inspired you to jump on this wagon with me. Even if its a picture of the cupcakes we made yesterday or of a building block creation we made last week it will still have a story behind it and therefore be a wonderful memory to share. 

Now go get your click on.

Bath Time

One of my favorite times of the day is bath time. I get one on one time with each one of my babies. Its a time to talk, share, laugh and play together. I get to watch their imaginations flourish as they play with their toys in new ways. One minute they're deep sea divers the next they're submarines. They swim with sharks and train the dolphins. Imaginations the limit. It's always fun watching them do things that I used to do as a child.

Alex likes to get as close to one side of the tub as possible then launch himself across the tub as fast as he can. Water careens over the edges of the tub cascading to the floor. Such good times.

Emma likes to swim in the bath. She practices floating on her back. Then she flips over and practices kicking her legs. She kicks water all over me too. She thinks its funny to put her bath bubbles on me too.

My little guy William is fascinated by dripping water. He just loves to splash the water around the tub. He laughs so hard when he throws his wash rag into the water and it splashes him back. His laughter always makes me laugh.

Bath time is truly special to me.

A Wonderful Sick Day

Yesterday was not a good day but it could of been much worse. I woke up with a slight headache but chose to ignore it. Big mistake. Within an hour my slight headache turned into a full on migraine. Migraines are kinda incapacitating for me. Head pain turns to blurred vision which leads to nausea and then there ya go. I'm sick on several levels. I can't handle light or sound. Can't move without getting sick. Overall, not fun. And to top it off I had my three kids for the next 8 hours before Daddy would be home to help.

The wonderful part of this story comes first from the kids. Alex and Emma came up to me and gave me hugs because I didn't feel good. They caressed my cheeks and told me they loved me. I told them that they had to be very good for me. Alex wrangled his brother and sister up and took them to his bedroom and closed the door. He tried to keep the kids in his room all morning. It was the sweetest thing he could of done for me. After spending most of the morning being sick in the bathroom I managed to get myself into the kitchen. Afterall, the kids had to eat lunch. The walk to the kitchen made the sink my new get sick locale. I was able to throw together some grilled cheese sandwiches and some snacks from the pantry. As they sat at the table eating their lunches I got Williams bed ready and Emma a pull up. I sat it on the couch and told Emma that when she was all done eating she needed to put it on and take a nap. She did it so sweetly with no fight. Just got up, changed, gave me a kiss and went to bed. She was so good about it which never happens. Then Alex cleared his and his sisters plates and played quietly so I could take a nap on the couch. When I woke up him and his sister were playing in their room with the door closed. I was feeling less queasy and my headache was less severe again.

The other wonderful part of this story comes from David. Since I no longer felt the urge to die everytime I moved I decided I could make dinner so I set out something simple to make when David got home. But, he didn't think that I should cook at all. So after coming home and checking on me he ran to the store. He bought me some chowder and wheat thins. Then got him and the kids drive thru. He got the kids plates all ready when he got home and then made my chowder for me. After dinner he washed all the dishes and cleaned the kids room. He let me sit down all night and relax.

I had a wonderful sick day. I was surrounded by the love and support of my three babies and great husband. I couldn't have asked for a better day.

The Importance of Living

Eventually there comes a day in everyones life where we look back on what we've done, where we've been and whose lives we touched. It's the inevitable moment of change not only in our lives but in our hearts and mind sets as well. My moment of change came after I was forced into loosing someone who should not have been lost. She was a sweet beautiful woman who was barely starting her family and life. She was too young to go and left behind a precious gift of a little girl. This little girl was only three months old. She will never know her mother. Never hear her voice.

That moment and realization hit me harder than I expected. It made me really look at myself and gave me a renewed sense of life. I began to think about what I had accomplished. What I still wanted to do. So I made a list. I made a 'Life List' as I like to call it. This list was designed to keep my life full of new and exciting adventures. To keep me living life to the fullest. How many of us are really living? We go through the motions of life but aren't living it. Too bogged down by the day to day stuff to realize that while we have to do those things they aren't the important meaningful things we want or need to do.

I highly recommend that everyone make a list. Include anything and everything you've ever wanted to try or do. Then write a second list of things you have to do in order to accomplish those written on the first list. And so on. You should include things from different categories in life. For example, my list includes health goals, travels, charity and quality time with friends and family to name a few. Cross off the goals you've achieved and continue adding new ones.

You'll probably be surprised at just how much more fun you find yourself having. Get your friends and family involved too. You may find you have more in common than you previously thought and you can accomplish your goals together.

Along this journey I also found myself tackling my own mortality. I have three beautiful young children. That gave me another perspective to include in my list. Things I want to accomplish for them. To prepare for their futures. Things like letters to them from their mommy, a will, portraits, etc.

This list has helped to shape my life. To guide me in my day to day decisions. And to prepare me for things to come. I hope that you live your life to its fullest! Good luck and God Bless.

You can check out my list here: My 'Life List'

Thank You For This Day

I've had the most amazing day! Alex, Emma, William....you are truly amazing and I feel so blessed to have the three of you in my life. We laughed, we played and we had ourselves yet another wondrous day. You are such a delight to play with. So eager to soak up every ounce of knowledge laid before you. You're impressed no matter what I do. Yet, I too find myself impressed with each one of you. You're beautiful, smart, loving children. You bring out the best in me and each other. Makes me see the world through new eyes. Everything is fresh and exciting.  

William you always know how to bring a smile to my face. With your silly facial expressions and the way you light up when you learn something new.

Emma your a little ray of sunshine. Always brightening the room with your joy and laughter. You've got the sweetest little singing voice I've ever heard.

Alex you fill me with love with your gentle heart. Always ready to give and share. You are the sweetest little guy and always know just what to say.

Thank you for always helping me to focus on whats important in life. Thank you for this day.

What You're Made Of

Earlier tonight I heard someone say 'Its about what your made of on the inside'. That really struck me. Not that I haven't heard that expression on numerous occasions. But to truly take it in and analyze it was not something I've really done. We're all familiar with cliches that we throw out everytime we or someone we know goes through a hard time. But do we ever stop to truly listen to them? To not only hear the words but to feel them?

Forest Gump's Mama seemed to at least have a similar metaphor when she told him 'life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what your gonna get'. Although these are two different quotes they seem to correlate within my mind. One telling us how much our life is unknown to us. The other professing significance not on the unknown but on the manner in which we conduct ourselves through it.

We are all placed into situations that we aren't prepared for. Situations where maybe there seems no right or wrong answer. Where the only distinction is in how we react to it. There are many ways to handle a crack in ones path. Do you carefully walk around it? Jump straight over it? Or do you simply stop and turn around?

First and foremost, its an emotional reaction. I've let my emotions get the best of me on numerous accounts and have no one to blame but myself. I haven't always been a glass half full kind of woman either but that's about to change. I'm striving to be the best me that I can be.



You want to know what I'm made of? I'm made of strength, integrity, perseverance, loyalty, passion, harmony, and gratification. Now, whats inside you?

All Things Pink...

Despite my efforts my house is full of pink. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate pink. I just think that all too often the color is forced upon our lil girls. After all, everyone knows that the girl aisles in any store are pink. For this reason alone I tried to steer clear of the ominous stereotypical color. I didn't want my daughter to be force fed the color until she choked on it. It needed to be a conscious decision by her. And it was. My now almost three year old loves the color.

We go to her closet in the morning to get dressed and the only shirts she picks out to wear are PINK. Since she's my little shopping buddy I took her shopping last week to buy some new shoes. She had all the cutest shoes to pick from. She picked these.....

I have to admit that I am proud they're not completely pink. However, what they lack in overly girlish colors they make up for in sparklys. You may not be able to tell from the picture but these shoes are covered in glittery sparkles. So if you touch them you too have the pleasure of being glittered.

Now as I plan for my little Miss Emma Bear's third birthday party we are once again being thrown into the deep end of the pink pool. I asked her what kind of party she wanted to have. Told her it could be whatever kind of party she wanted. She looked up at me with her big brown eyes, blinked once as if to say 'you have to ask?'. Then simply stated 'pink'. As matter of factly as the sun will rise and the sun will set.

As I continue swimming in a sea of pink clothes, hair ties, blankets and toys I can only hope to bring balance back to the color wheel.

Laying the Foundation

Lets cut straight to the point. I've never blogged a day before in my life. Even the word 'blog' sends a little chill down my spine. I feel that because of the word I should be writing some epic life altering novel. If that's what you thought I was gonna do then I'll save you the frustration of reading my full page of ramblings and send you on your way. No hard feelings, really. I'm inspired to do this vigilantly as a form of life journaling. So when the day comes that my body no longer hungers for the breath of life that my story may live on. In my own words. 

My story is simple and not very interesting. Though true is the same of any great novel. First one must lay the foundation for which the rest of the story may stand. This is where my story begins....

.....as a full time stay at home mommy of three exuberant children. 

My oldest son, Alex, recently turned four. He is the typical boy. Loves to play with his dart guns. He tells me almost daily that its 'Nerf or Nothin!!' He's also a huge Star Wars fan (due in part to his dads obsession) and never goes anywhere without his light-saber. He has an imaginary t-rex dinosaur named Kevin-Kell. Still trying to figure out how he came up with that name. Kevin-Kell came to join the family after watching the Jurassic Park trilogy one too many times. Needless to say he loves him some dinosaurs. 

My daughter, Emma, is two and a half. She's the perfect combination of girly girl and tom boy. She will jump in the mud as quick as anyone but she has to do it in her totally rockin sparkly pink shoes. She's a fighter. Full of spunk and teenage drama already. Then there's her nurturing side. Always first in line to do chores or just help out. She's my shopping buddy, my little 'Princess Pie'.

My youngest son, William, is one. He was supposed to be a girl but that's a whole nother blog. He loves to dance and recently started doing a ballerina twirl. He throws his arms up in the air, locking his hands together and just spins. He's a great cuddler and none stop hugger. This boy can eat too. He's got this sock monkey that smells like a combination of juice and baby drool that he carries everywhere. He sleeps with it, chews on it, throws and tackles it. Its his 'Monkey' and he loves it.

Only a small description to lay the foundation on this journey we call life. 

Tune in next time.