I first saw this over at Dysfunctional Mom's blog and I loved the idea. So now I'm copying cuz I'm original like that. But also because I'm thankful.
- I am thankful that Joey's little episode with his dad the other week was only a one time occurrence. I have proof! As I was dropping Joey off in his classroom this morning I watched as he hung up his backpack and jacket and joined in on his classmates' play. Sensing that I was no longer needed I shouted a goodbye to Joey over my shoulder as I made my way to the door, careful not to embarrass him in front of his friends. Joey yelled, "Wait!" and quickly ran over, gave me a hug, a KISS, and told me he loves me. In front of all of his friends. Ahhhhh. All is right in the world.
I also heard from Todd that Joey allows him a big hug and kiss too. But only if his friends are not right there. Good enough. We'll take what we can get.
- I am so thankful that I only have two more weeks to wait until my appointment with my hair stylist. I am looking so bushy lately. I mean it is really out of control. I am trying to grow my hair out and when I do that I usually wait about two months in between hair cuts. Well, this time I waited too long to call my stylist and she was booked for a month and a half. A MONTH AND A HALF. And yes. She is that good. I WILL NOT let anyone else touch my hair so I have been waiting impatiently for my turn. She has told me in the past that if I really need to get in for an appointment that I can leave my name and she'll try and squeeze me in but I feel funny doing that. Like maybe I should do that only in case of real hair emergencies. What that would be? I don't know, but I think I can hold out another two weeks.
It is funny that I am this picky about my hair stylist considering that I had never even had my hair cut in a salon until I was 20 something. Up until then I had cut my own hair, and before that my mom cut it for me. But once you get a really fabulous cut, you just can't go back. Don't you agree?
- I am so thankful bribery works. Tommy has been crying and hanging on us when we drop him off for school in the morning. I know he likes school, but he just doesn't like the part where we leave him there. Being Joey's younger brother has always made it easy for him in the friends department. Joey's friends are his friends. He has never had to go out and make his own friends. And I can understand walking into a room full of kids can be very intimidating. He is a very emotional, dramatic (I wonder where he gets this from???) little boy and he is very free with his emotions. I love that about him, but I don't want these mornings to be so hard on him.
I told Tommy that if he can walk into his classroom, and kiss and hug mommy goodbye like a big boy, then he will get a special treat when I come to pick him up. It worked like a charm! He was fabulous! And his wonderful teacher (I'm thankful for her too!) noticed and ran with it telling him what a big boy he is and how proud she is of him. It was GREAT!
- I am thankful it is Thursday. Great TV night. Between The Office, Grey's Anatomy, 3rd Rock, and ER I am booked. AND, Dr. Greene is coming back to ER tonight! I am so excited!
It's the little things in life.
- I am so thankful for my dad's nursing home. The nursing staff there are the most amazing group of people I've ever met. They are all so loving and kind and they go out of their way to make all the residents feel at home. I was walking down the hall the other day and glanced into the common room and saw a nurse dancing with a resident. My mom said that is common to see. And I know you all heard of them opening up the nursing home to trick or treaters so the residents could hand out candy. That was awesome.
On Tuesday they also had a ceremony to honor all the residents who are Veterans. My dad received a plaque with his Army picture on it, his years of active service, and the awards he received as a soldier. I don't know how much of the ceremony my dad grasped, but he sure was grasping onto that plaque tightly. It warmed my heart.
Tomorrow the nursing staff are throwing my dad a birthday party for his 77th. They really do go out of their way, and I am so grateful to them. I just wrote a letter to our local newspaper thanking the nurses and staff at the nursing home. I hope they print it.
Anyway, it is truly something to be thankful for.
- I am thankful for the Peanut Butter Jelly song. Finally a rap song my boys can listen to. And no matter how grouchy they are it makes them laugh and dance.
The ice cream and cake song isn't bad either.
So, what are you thankful for?
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
How To Sell Your Home In 60 Days Or Less
I DON'T FREAKIN' KNOW! Why are you looking at me??? I was asking you! No. Seriously. HOW DO YOU SELL YOUR HOME IN LESS THAN 60 DAYS?????
Okay, our house has not been on the market very long but I am really starting to get antsy here. When we first put our home on the market I was so smug. I thought surely one of the first people to see our house would buy it. It is not pricey. It is well maintained and manicured. Decorated very nicely, thankyouverymuch. It has all the modern updates that help sell a house quickly, meaning kitchen and baths. What gives?
I've even asked for divine intervention. I hate praying for silly stuff like this since I know there are so many more important things going on in the world to pray to God about. But I did it anyway. I know that God wants us to come to Him with all of our intentions no matter how big or small, and I've certainly been asking for His help and guidance. I've even asked for help from my homies. The saints.
Yes. I'm Catholic. In case the name Kathryn Mary (my sisters are Mary Joy and Anne Marie if you were curious), doesn't give it away the fact that I've had three children so close in age and will likely have more might help.
Anyway, I have a lot of favorite saints. I have always loved St. Francis, the patron saint of animals. I have a special affinity for St. Gianna who is the patron saint of babies, infertility, and difficult pregnancies. She is a newer saint who was alive in the 60's and just canonized in 2004. She was a wife, mother, and pediatrician. She just sounds amazing and obviously very easy to relate to as a mother. I've always loved the stories of St. Joan of Arc because she sounds like such a freaking toughie as I like to consider myself to be. And in selling this house I decided to ask for help from St. Jude and St. Joseph. St. Jude is the patron saint of impossible situations, and I asked for his help with a bit of sarcasm as I'm sure this situation isn't impossible, though it is beginning to feel that way. And then of course St. Joseph is the patron saint of families, fathers, and laborers (and many other things actually).
I'm sure that even if you are not Catholic most of you have heard of the ritual of burying a St. Joseph statue upside down in the yard of the home you are trying to sell. It is a pretty popular practice and I've heard of many situations in which it worked quickly. I have told St. Joseph that I am asking for his help, but that I didn't want to take his statue and bury it upside down because that just seems disrespectful. We have not sold our house yet.
So, today I wandered out to our local Christian store seeking a St. Joseph statue. I found one and brought it home. I am still refusing to bury it upside down and I am instead putting it on display on the window ledge in my kitchen. I told St. Joseph that if he really wants that statue buried upside down I'll do it, but I'd rather not. Even the literature I received with the statue said all of the burying instructions are just a myth anyway. So now we'll just wait and see.
Have any of you had success with the St. Joseph home sale practice or heard of anyone else who has? I'm just curious.
Okay, our house has not been on the market very long but I am really starting to get antsy here. When we first put our home on the market I was so smug. I thought surely one of the first people to see our house would buy it. It is not pricey. It is well maintained and manicured. Decorated very nicely, thankyouverymuch. It has all the modern updates that help sell a house quickly, meaning kitchen and baths. What gives?
I've even asked for divine intervention. I hate praying for silly stuff like this since I know there are so many more important things going on in the world to pray to God about. But I did it anyway. I know that God wants us to come to Him with all of our intentions no matter how big or small, and I've certainly been asking for His help and guidance. I've even asked for help from my homies. The saints.
Yes. I'm Catholic. In case the name Kathryn Mary (my sisters are Mary Joy and Anne Marie if you were curious), doesn't give it away the fact that I've had three children so close in age and will likely have more might help.
Anyway, I have a lot of favorite saints. I have always loved St. Francis, the patron saint of animals. I have a special affinity for St. Gianna who is the patron saint of babies, infertility, and difficult pregnancies. She is a newer saint who was alive in the 60's and just canonized in 2004. She was a wife, mother, and pediatrician. She just sounds amazing and obviously very easy to relate to as a mother. I've always loved the stories of St. Joan of Arc because she sounds like such a freaking toughie as I like to consider myself to be. And in selling this house I decided to ask for help from St. Jude and St. Joseph. St. Jude is the patron saint of impossible situations, and I asked for his help with a bit of sarcasm as I'm sure this situation isn't impossible, though it is beginning to feel that way. And then of course St. Joseph is the patron saint of families, fathers, and laborers (and many other things actually).
I'm sure that even if you are not Catholic most of you have heard of the ritual of burying a St. Joseph statue upside down in the yard of the home you are trying to sell. It is a pretty popular practice and I've heard of many situations in which it worked quickly. I have told St. Joseph that I am asking for his help, but that I didn't want to take his statue and bury it upside down because that just seems disrespectful. We have not sold our house yet.
So, today I wandered out to our local Christian store seeking a St. Joseph statue. I found one and brought it home. I am still refusing to bury it upside down and I am instead putting it on display on the window ledge in my kitchen. I told St. Joseph that if he really wants that statue buried upside down I'll do it, but I'd rather not. Even the literature I received with the statue said all of the burying instructions are just a myth anyway. So now we'll just wait and see.
Have any of you had success with the St. Joseph home sale practice or heard of anyone else who has? I'm just curious.
Monday, November 10, 2008
I May Or May Not Have West Nile Virus
A few years ago when Tommy had weaned himself from breastfeeding I was finally able to give blood again. It had been three straight years of being pregnant or breastfeeding and when Good Friday rolled around I happily signed up to donate blood.
I made sure Todd was home for the afternoon and I went to the donation site. I gave blood quickly, got a little light headed, and then went on my way. A couple of weeks later I got a phone call from the Blood Center informing me that they thought perhaps I had West Nile Virus. They wanted me to go to Milwaukee (about an hour from where I live) and do some testing that would take nearly all day and told me that I wouldn't be able to give blood again until the testing was done.
Thankfully I am not a hypochondriac otherwise it would have wreaked havoc on my brain. Nope. Instead I just hung up the phone and laughingly told Todd that I'm diseased. I got a good kick out of calling my friends and letting them know I had the West Nile. They were all freaked out and couldn't understand why I wouldn't just get the testing done. They kept pestering me to do it but I just didn't feel it was necessary. I don't know. Maybe it is my upbringing (as a teenager I once had a temperature of 104.9 and my mom just said, "Eh. You'll be fine.") but I don't go to the doctor unless a body part is missing.
I never did go get the testing done. I knew I obviously didn't have West Nile Virus. I couldn't even remember the last time I was sick. And even if I DID have West Nile Virus (I did my research online after the phone call) it is really just like the flu (what's the big deal?) and then once you have it you build up antibodies that keep you from ever getting it again. There was no way I was going to try and find someone to watch my two little ones while I trekked down to Milwaukee to hear what I already knew.
Fast forward to this past Thursday. The blood drive I told you about here was being done by the Blood Center and I knew I wouldn't be able to donate if I didn't get the testing. I contacted them and asked how I might go about getting tested. It turns out I could just go to the blood drive and they would test me there. So I did.
The phlebotomist drew a few viles of my blood and that was it. Of course they wouldn't let me donate blood that night (but thankfully they had well over 100 donors that evening) but now at least I will be able to give again. I just have to wait for my test results. They should be in within the week.
So do you want to place your bets? I am diseased, or not? Place your bets on my poll in the sidebar.
I made sure Todd was home for the afternoon and I went to the donation site. I gave blood quickly, got a little light headed, and then went on my way. A couple of weeks later I got a phone call from the Blood Center informing me that they thought perhaps I had West Nile Virus. They wanted me to go to Milwaukee (about an hour from where I live) and do some testing that would take nearly all day and told me that I wouldn't be able to give blood again until the testing was done.
Thankfully I am not a hypochondriac otherwise it would have wreaked havoc on my brain. Nope. Instead I just hung up the phone and laughingly told Todd that I'm diseased. I got a good kick out of calling my friends and letting them know I had the West Nile. They were all freaked out and couldn't understand why I wouldn't just get the testing done. They kept pestering me to do it but I just didn't feel it was necessary. I don't know. Maybe it is my upbringing (as a teenager I once had a temperature of 104.9 and my mom just said, "Eh. You'll be fine.") but I don't go to the doctor unless a body part is missing.
I never did go get the testing done. I knew I obviously didn't have West Nile Virus. I couldn't even remember the last time I was sick. And even if I DID have West Nile Virus (I did my research online after the phone call) it is really just like the flu (what's the big deal?) and then once you have it you build up antibodies that keep you from ever getting it again. There was no way I was going to try and find someone to watch my two little ones while I trekked down to Milwaukee to hear what I already knew.
Fast forward to this past Thursday. The blood drive I told you about here was being done by the Blood Center and I knew I wouldn't be able to donate if I didn't get the testing. I contacted them and asked how I might go about getting tested. It turns out I could just go to the blood drive and they would test me there. So I did.
The phlebotomist drew a few viles of my blood and that was it. Of course they wouldn't let me donate blood that night (but thankfully they had well over 100 donors that evening) but now at least I will be able to give again. I just have to wait for my test results. They should be in within the week.
So do you want to place your bets? I am diseased, or not? Place your bets on my poll in the sidebar.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Perspective
Well, hmm. How shall I say this?
This weekend wasn't great. The boys were sassy in the car, didn't sleep AT ALL the first night there or for their nap, it rained on Saturday instead of snow which is definitely not as fun to play in, were rotten in church, and horrid in the car on the way home. They were grouchy and sassy and very difficult all weekend.
By the time I got home this afternoon all I could think about was my rotten children. How the best behaved child this weekend was my youngest and he doesn't even know any better. How I despise always being the heavy in this family. How I am sick of my own shrill voice shrieking at my children all the time. And, how I just wanted to run away.
So I did.
I threw on my running clothes and took off. I haven't run in almost a week because I have been feeling under the weather and oh what a week does for me. The first few blocks I just flew. I couldn't believe how strong I felt. It was as if my body was a running machine. I ran, and ran, and ran.
My run that was supposed to just be 20 minutes stretched into 40. I ran as the sun was setting. I watched as a few snow flakes floated down and landed on top of the bright orange and yellow leaves on the grass. Even though I really didn't want snow just yet, I had to admit that it was gorgeous landing on the mulitcolored lawns.
And I remembered the obvious.
Nothing is all good or all bad. It may seem that way at times, but I must pull myself out from underneath the heap of life and see the situation for what it really is.
There were moments this weekend. Of course there were. The boys were tromping through the wet woods in their snow boots like little men, quiet as could be so they wouldn't spook the deer. They followed after daddy and grandpa and did their best not to trip on the big logs. Even Ben wouldn't accept my hand to help. It was a moment.
And then there was the excitement of the first snowfall of the year. The boys squealed and danced as they saw the snowflakes fall. Sure, all the fun started just a short while before we had to leave, but it was pretty nonetheless.
And there were other moments too. Though I know they got lost in all the chaos.
I came home from my run refreshed and rejuvenated. And so grateful. Not only for the good but the bad too. Because sometimes you just need the bad to make you appreciate the good.
This weekend wasn't great. The boys were sassy in the car, didn't sleep AT ALL the first night there or for their nap, it rained on Saturday instead of snow which is definitely not as fun to play in, were rotten in church, and horrid in the car on the way home. They were grouchy and sassy and very difficult all weekend.
By the time I got home this afternoon all I could think about was my rotten children. How the best behaved child this weekend was my youngest and he doesn't even know any better. How I despise always being the heavy in this family. How I am sick of my own shrill voice shrieking at my children all the time. And, how I just wanted to run away.
So I did.
I threw on my running clothes and took off. I haven't run in almost a week because I have been feeling under the weather and oh what a week does for me. The first few blocks I just flew. I couldn't believe how strong I felt. It was as if my body was a running machine. I ran, and ran, and ran.
My run that was supposed to just be 20 minutes stretched into 40. I ran as the sun was setting. I watched as a few snow flakes floated down and landed on top of the bright orange and yellow leaves on the grass. Even though I really didn't want snow just yet, I had to admit that it was gorgeous landing on the mulitcolored lawns.
And I remembered the obvious.
Nothing is all good or all bad. It may seem that way at times, but I must pull myself out from underneath the heap of life and see the situation for what it really is.
There were moments this weekend. Of course there were. The boys were tromping through the wet woods in their snow boots like little men, quiet as could be so they wouldn't spook the deer. They followed after daddy and grandpa and did their best not to trip on the big logs. Even Ben wouldn't accept my hand to help. It was a moment.
And then there was the excitement of the first snowfall of the year. The boys squealed and danced as they saw the snowflakes fall. Sure, all the fun started just a short while before we had to leave, but it was pretty nonetheless.
And there were other moments too. Though I know they got lost in all the chaos.
I came home from my run refreshed and rejuvenated. And so grateful. Not only for the good but the bad too. Because sometimes you just need the bad to make you appreciate the good.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Saturday Suggestions
Yep. I'm still up north at the cabin. I haven't ditched everyone just yet.
I thought I would preset my Saturday Suggestions before I left so y'all would still have my picks for the weekend. I know you've been dying to see who I picked. Can you hear the sarcasm?
Since I usually don't post on weekends I thought I would give you all some great reads written by other bloggers. Every Saturday I will pick three posts that stand out in my mind that I have read in the past week. They can be posts that make me laugh, cry, or just strike a chord with me. Please feel free to visit the links and leave comments.
Candy at Everyone Has A Story To Tell. This Is Ours with The Moment.
Candy takes us through her adventure of running the New York Marathon. It is an amazing story and it put tears in my eyes reading it. Never, EVER have I had the slightest desire to run a marathon. Until now.
Chris at Life...or a reasonable facsimile thereof with PhotoStory Friday: Take Another Look...
Chris has an amazing photographer's eye and he managed to capture one of best photos I've ever seen. And quite by accident. It looks like a painting. I love it.
Maggie at Maggie's Mind Piece by Peace with Haiku Friday
You can hear the love and excitement in her poem after the long "apartness" from her man comes to a close. This poem makes me smile. It feels warm and lovey and says so much in it's few lines.
I thought I would preset my Saturday Suggestions before I left so y'all would still have my picks for the weekend. I know you've been dying to see who I picked. Can you hear the sarcasm?
Since I usually don't post on weekends I thought I would give you all some great reads written by other bloggers. Every Saturday I will pick three posts that stand out in my mind that I have read in the past week. They can be posts that make me laugh, cry, or just strike a chord with me. Please feel free to visit the links and leave comments.
Candy at Everyone Has A Story To Tell. This Is Ours with The Moment.
Candy takes us through her adventure of running the New York Marathon. It is an amazing story and it put tears in my eyes reading it. Never, EVER have I had the slightest desire to run a marathon. Until now.
Chris at Life...or a reasonable facsimile thereof with PhotoStory Friday: Take Another Look...
Chris has an amazing photographer's eye and he managed to capture one of best photos I've ever seen. And quite by accident. It looks like a painting. I love it.
Maggie at Maggie's Mind Piece by Peace with Haiku Friday
You can hear the love and excitement in her poem after the long "apartness" from her man comes to a close. This poem makes me smile. It feels warm and lovey and says so much in it's few lines.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Hoping For The Best
Oh peace come to me
On the rushing, crashing wind
Of a crisp fall day
*****
All too soon it's gone
Rich colors turning to white
Winter upon us
*****
We are making the trek up north to the in-law's cabin again this weekend. It should be interesting. The boys have been in rare form lately. Lots of fighting, whining, crying, and sassing going on. Add to that the fact that Todd and his dad will be going out scouting the woods for deer sign sans boys and you can see this could possibly be disastrous.
*
I'll try and keep them outside as much as possible but the weather is supposed to be very cold with possibilities of snow. Which I know the boys will love but probably will not be able to handle for long periods of time. We'll see.
*
Just in case, I am taking along their favorite toys, books, and movies. And despite all that may be stacked against me I am planning on having a wonderful weekend. I am even bringing some new library books up for myself to read next to the fire as the boys nap (PLEASE!).
*
Either way, you'll hear of the lovely or disastrous weekend when we get back on Sunday! Hope you all have a wonderful one!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
