Stupid project with a genuine message

Wishing you and your family a very...

A few out takes:

He's 4.  He's William.  He's kind of a pain in the ass until I mention the magic word gum.  Then he's all mine.

Lauren can't say "cheese" AND hold up her sign.  Too many things to think about for her tiny brain.

This is a stupid project, I'm outta here.

One click.  xoxo

Simple statements

New Year's resolutions - blah, blah, blah.

How 'bout this?  Finish these 2 sentences in the comment section:

1.  In 2011 I would really like to...

2.  In 2011 I without a doubt will...

Only you can make those things happen.

1,127 registered blogs and here we are!  One click is all it takes. Thanks for voting.

A first for both of us

As of today I get to add Toothfairy to my list of privileges and duties and Drew gets to add talking with a lisp as one of her endearing qualities.

This is the pillow my grandma made for me when I was little.  My brother had one just like it.  We'd stick our tooth in the little tiny pocket in front and in the big pocket in the back would always be our coins.

Drew tucked her tooth in this and put it on her rocking chair tonight when she went to bed.  She didn't want it under her pillow.  She came downstairs about 20 minutes later saying she was too scared to have it in her room.  I told her the toothfairy was going to look for it in her room and it needed to stay there.  She's a fairy and is kind and blah, blah, blah.  I went up about half an hour later and found Drew sound asleep and the pillow was here:

After some great suggestions given by friends on facebook I decided on giving her 4 sparkling quarters.  Money doesn't have any great value but this will be fun to go to the dollar store and declare any item in the store free game. 

There is clear sparkly dust all over them, hard to tell in this picture.

I'm going to put some of this fine sparkly glitter on her bureau and maybe a bit in her hair as well.  I know, sounds crazy.  I'll be cursing myself for the next two weeks for doing it, I'm sure. 

The deed is done and this is how I left her.

She's got another tooth that is pretty loose so this process will repeat itself in the next week or two.  How lucky is she that Santa and the Toothfairy visit her just days apart?  And how lucky am I that I get to have so many duties these days?  Loving it.

The Toothfairy thanks you for clicking to vote.

The end of the year can only mean one thing...

It's new calendar time!  Only two days left on my 2010 Mom Calendar and I realized I hadn't yet bought a new one.  Our life is run by our calendar and the thought of not having one filled out and hanging on the kitchen wall freaks me out.  Do you have a specific one you like?  I am what Chris likes to call "particular" when it comes to most things and my choice of calendar is no exception.  I'm over the pretty, artsy, matchesmykitchendecor kinda calendar.  It's all about being functional and efficient.  This is something I look at numerous times a day and with 5 people who often have 5 different things going on in the same day, it can get messy.  Here is my not-so-pretty-but-super-functional 2010 calendar.

See?  A spot for everyone.  It's what we need.  If you know of something similar that is a wee bit less cartoony, I'd love to know about it.  Until then, this will hang in my kitchen.  And because the end of the year kind of snuck up on me, I just ordered my 2011 calendar today.  (I ordered it here if you're interested).  That's alright, the first few days of January we'll just be completely lost and late for everything.  Then the calendar will arrive, I'll fill it out, and we'll be back on track.

Thanks for continuing to click.

I'm outta here! Well, not quite yet.

A week from today I'm going to be sitting here, next to my mom, NOT watching Spongebob but watching something far more intellectual like Real Housewives of Beverly Hills or 16 and Pregnant.  Why?  Because I can. 

A week from tonight I'll be falling asleep here.  There will be no baby monitor at my bedside and no chance of someone whispering, "Mommy" into my ear at 3am because of wet sheets.

A week from tomorrow morning I'll be drinking my morning coffee from here, the original Starbucks.  The Mothership. 

A week from tomorrow afternoon, mom and I will be visiting these two places, probably in the pouring rain.

I'm unsure what the rest of next week will hold for us, but it will be us eating and drinking our way through Seattle together.  If you have any, "Oh, my gosh, you MUST do this" suggestions for us, please leave a comment! 

One click = love.



As Bartles & Jaymes says, "Thank you for your support."

I'm completely shameless.  This post is only this button.  Would you please click it?  Once you click it, you're done.  You've submitted your vote.  It will take you to a website that's neat to browse but you can just click out of it once it comes up.  One click submits your vote, there is nothing to do on the page that comes up.  Of course, this is assuming you want to vote for this blog as one of the top mommy blogs.  If not, ignore this post completely!

A wintery tip from me to you. 

 And thank you for your support.

I miss being a teacher

*Sorry the picture of my family is the size of a billboard.  Can't quite figure out how to shrink it.*

Help keep our blog in the top 15!  Click once to vote. xoxo

Resolution

*I've changed the format of the blog a little and I apologize you had to scroll down passed a poster size picture of my family.  I'll figure out soon how to shrink it.

I think I'm like the majority of people in that I kind of make New Year's resolutions only to abandon them by the end of January.  I've become more realistic over the years and instead of saying I'm going to lose 40 pounds (and keep it off) or make fabulous scrap books for each of the kids, I've started making resolutions like I'm going to take my vitamins everyday and I'm going to light my good candles and not just use them as decor.  That makes sense, right?  I got tired of setting myself up for failure. 

I know for a fact that 2011 will bring a few things - our 9 year anniversary, a trip to Boston and the Cape with mom and Drew, my 36th birthday.  I know for those particular occasions I'd like to have a few different things in place but I'm also going to be realistic.  I'm definitely not setting myself up for failure this year.  I'm not sure of what I'll accomplish
for sure but this is something I do know:

What are your resolutions for the New Year?

Clicking = love.  One click is all it takes.  xoxo

Christmas 2010, a great one

I won't bore you with details of how really great our Christmas was but it was just that, really great.  We had 15 people, all family, all together.  Most traveled quite a distance to be here and for that we were grateful!  I took about 80 pictures and below I've attached a slideshow (for the extremely bored) with about half of them.  I've chosen to attach three individually in case you don't have 4 minutes to kill to watch the others.  These sum up the day and make me smile.

I sure hope your Christmas was all you'd hoped it would be.

Chris, wrapping my present at 11pm on Christmas Eve. 

IN TIN FOIL.

Back row:  Ellen (Chris's mom), Bill (Chris's dad), Chris, Cory (Chris's brother), Brandon (my brother).

Middle row:  Wendy (my mom), Lauren, me, Amy (sister-in-law)

Front row:  William, Drew, Emily (niece)

Sweet Lauren waiting patiently for Christmas dinner

This free slideshow design made with Smilebox

Thanks for clicking.

The picture. The card.

I won't ruin this by saying I was wearing a big fleece jacket and that the camera adds possibly 15 pounds, not just 10.  Or that fish is the worst background ever for a family picture (we were at the Academy of Sciences Museum).  I'll stick with saying Merry Christmas from my family to your family.  I hope your day is exactly as you wish it to be. 

Merry clicking.  xoxo

Good tidings to you, wherever you are

Christmas is almost here.  How are you spending your holiday?

We are at home, as we will always be, while family comes to visit us.  This year we're lucky enough to have my brother, sister-in-law, and niece as well as my dad and his wife join us in addition to my mom, in-laws, and brother-in-law.  My great friend Sandy and her friend are joining us as well.  Drew has once again created the holiday table (placecards and linens) and everyone has helped to contribute to the meal we'll share.  The next few days will be busy and full and festive and spent together.  Hope you have a wonderful holiday.  

Thanks for continuing to click and vote.

Happy birthday to my BFF

Susan and I grew up together.  We met in second grade and became instant best friends.  I was super bossy and she let me boss her around.  A great match.  I have vague memories of the bossy friend I was when I was little and I actually wonder why she became my best friend but she did, and for that I am eternally grateful.  Here were are in our first year of friendship - 2nd grade!

Susan is on the top right with the perfect curly ponytails and I'm in the middle row of the bottom with the perfect blonde braids.  Aren't we cute?

I lived on Redwood Lane and Susan lived on Aspen Lane.  It was terribly convenient since it took a  45 second bike ride or a 3 minute walk from driveway to driveway.  

View Larger Map

See?

We were inseparable and did nothing in the summer but swim, eat popsicles, make tollhouse cookies and eat the dough, create synchronized swimming routines, build forts, and ride our bikes.  During the school year we were in the same class and had swim practice together everynight.  For reals, inseparable.  Susan moved after 4th grade and I can remember feeling completely lost.  She returned after 6th grade and we picked right back up.  We did everything together from 6th grade 'til after graduation from high school.  You know like Bert and Ernie go together?  You rarely say one name without the other?  It was that way with us.  Susan and Ashley.  Ashley and Susan. 

Senior prom

Seniors!  '93!

After high school she went to Irvine, I went to Stanislaus.  We saw each other off and on our freshman year in college but after that life took over and our visits and communication slowed to almost nothing.  That sucked.  We never really lost touch but life took a turn for us.  I guess after spending the last 10 years of our life together every single day it was time.  We began to reconnect in the early 2000's - we were both out of school and in our jobs.  Adults!

About a month and a half after Drew was born Susan came to visit and meet Drew.  That was awesome.

Drew, 6 weeks and Susan

We met up again in 2004 in Vegas for a surprise 30th birthday party for Brandon.  Brandon didn't know any of the 30 guests were coming, including Susan who flew in.

Vegas, 2004.  We had a blast (despite my bitchy look) celebrating my brother's 30th birthday.

Vegas, 2004.  Suz, Brandon, me.  Just like old times.

Today Susan turns 29.  Well, not quite, but ya know.  So, in honor of her 29th birthday I'd like to wish the happiest of days.  I am so grateful for texting, our main way of communicating these days, and for the thousands of memories we made together.  I'm a better person because of our friendship and I hope my daughters have a friend in their lives that means as much to them as you do to me.  From New Kids to U2, from swimming to water polo, from the Caprice Classic to your Infinity.  Love you.

Would love if you'd click once.  xoxo



Thrice blessed - a reminder

I know gushing can be nauseating so I'm sorry but... if I was any more proud of my family I'd burst into a million pieces.  I figure since most of my posts are about how fed up I am, this is a reminder for you (and me!!) that I really am beyond lucky.  I mean for reals.  I could eat them up.

2 away from the top 10.  Many thanks. 

It's come to this

Clickety click!

Sunday turnaround

The forecast calls for 20mph winds, 100% chance of rain all day, and a high of 54*.  I have to do big Costco shopping with 3 kids.  Sounds fun, right?  I woke up feeling achy (not all that uncommon), tired, and just in a bad mood.  I've got 2 kids with green snot and snotty attitudes.  By 8:00am I knew something was going to have change.  I lit the Christmas candle, turned on the Christmas lights, had a peanut butter ball and a cuppa coffee for breakfast.  That was a start.  Now I'm gearing up for getting all the kids in their rain gear and heading out.  I can turn this day around.  May take another hour or two but I can do it.

One click.  Thank you.