Over the weekend we decided to sit the kids down and increase chore duties around the house. We heard a complaint or two about how LONG everything takes to do. So I decided to share a story about how I used to absolutely dread unloading the dishwasher because I thought it took too long. One morning I put a cup of water in the microwave to heat up and set the timer for 2 minutes. I started unloading the dishwasher, thinking to myself that I could at least start unloading the dishwasher until my water was heated. Well, turns out I unloaded the entire dishwasher before the timer on the microwave went off. So, I say to the kids, "my point is that sometimes we dread something but really it doesn't take long at all."
My sweet little Lady Bug looks me straight in the eye and says "Wow! That had to be embarrassing for you!"
Showing posts with label Family Life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Family Life. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Friday, February 24, 2012
To shower or not to shower...
I have had an ongoing battle with Spirit for a very long time. He hates to shower and brush his teeth. When he was 8 he showered nearly everyday and wanted to wear his dad's cologne, then he turned 9 and since then it's been a fight. Every.single.day.
Recently we've had discussions about why it is he dislikes showering and brushing his teeth... his response is that it takes too much time. So this morning I set the stop watch on my phone. From the time he shut the bathroom door until he exited the bathroom it took 5 minutes 23 seconds. His response to that "ya, see it took so long!".... He will just have to be mad at me when I tell him to bathe. I hate to fight with him over that issue but his hair was greasy this morning and his feet smelled like an old gym. Blech.
Mr. Man and I decided to have a family meeting this weekend. We will discuss a change in the chore responsibilities around the house and how there will be more expected of the kids with regard to helping around the house and also that part of the daily routine will include showering and brushing teeth and hair.
*sigh*
Recently we've had discussions about why it is he dislikes showering and brushing his teeth... his response is that it takes too much time. So this morning I set the stop watch on my phone. From the time he shut the bathroom door until he exited the bathroom it took 5 minutes 23 seconds. His response to that "ya, see it took so long!".... He will just have to be mad at me when I tell him to bathe. I hate to fight with him over that issue but his hair was greasy this morning and his feet smelled like an old gym. Blech.
Mr. Man and I decided to have a family meeting this weekend. We will discuss a change in the chore responsibilities around the house and how there will be more expected of the kids with regard to helping around the house and also that part of the daily routine will include showering and brushing teeth and hair.
*sigh*
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Happy Valentine's Day
Since Mr. Man and I have our wedding anniversary 2 weeks before Valentine's Day we generally don't do any gifts for each other - BUT this year he surprised me. I woke up this morning and stumbled to the kitchen and saw 2 red glittery bags with pink tissue paper coming out the top. My watery eyes dried up and I rushed to the bags and one had my name and the other had Lady Bug's! When she got up we each opened our gifts. He gave me a book and a movie and the sweetest card ever! He made my day.
He didn't "make my day" because of the gift per say, but more because I have had a stressful last 5 days and have been fighting this bronchitis for over a month and am STILL not better. The gift will help but the fact that he showed how much he cares for me by taking time out of his hectic schedule to get something for me and write me a special card meant a lot to me! It meant he realizes how stressed I have been and how he cares about how that is affecting me.
I got each of the kids a small box of candy and a card. I also made heart-shaped cinnamon rolls for breakfast (which only looked like hearts until I smothered them in frosting, then they just looked like any other cinnamon roll.
On a side note, I did return to the doctor today only to be told I Still have bronchitis and that it may take more time. They gave me another antibiotic to fight off anything that may still be living in there, gave me a Lung Function Test and asked me to come back in 2 more weeks for a follow up. Yippee for me. I just want to stop coughing and stop having my head hurt. grrr.
He didn't "make my day" because of the gift per say, but more because I have had a stressful last 5 days and have been fighting this bronchitis for over a month and am STILL not better. The gift will help but the fact that he showed how much he cares for me by taking time out of his hectic schedule to get something for me and write me a special card meant a lot to me! It meant he realizes how stressed I have been and how he cares about how that is affecting me.
I got each of the kids a small box of candy and a card. I also made heart-shaped cinnamon rolls for breakfast (which only looked like hearts until I smothered them in frosting, then they just looked like any other cinnamon roll.
On a side note, I did return to the doctor today only to be told I Still have bronchitis and that it may take more time. They gave me another antibiotic to fight off anything that may still be living in there, gave me a Lung Function Test and asked me to come back in 2 more weeks for a follow up. Yippee for me. I just want to stop coughing and stop having my head hurt. grrr.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
A room fit for a princess
Lady Bug's room had wallpaper on one wall when we moved into this house 4 years ago. A very dated wallpaper too. She recently started asking her dad if he could take it down and paint her room. SO for her birthday we decided to do a very "on-a-tight-budget" room remodel. The wallpaper was on so well that we decided to just paint over it. We did three large stripes on the wall, two outer ones in a darker purpler and then center one a lighter shade. Then we did three large diamond shapes in the center in coordinating purples.
Then we bought a beaded chandelier at Ikea and a bed net at Ikea for a total of $40. We also bought 2 wall flower lights and a wall bug light. Although the bug light didn't necessarily go with the rest of the room Lady Bug was insisting we put it up.
For about $140 we remodeled slightly and she is so excited. We can't even get her out of there now!
Here is the room BEFORE:
Here is the AFTER pictures:
Then we bought a beaded chandelier at Ikea and a bed net at Ikea for a total of $40. We also bought 2 wall flower lights and a wall bug light. Although the bug light didn't necessarily go with the rest of the room Lady Bug was insisting we put it up.
For about $140 we remodeled slightly and she is so excited. We can't even get her out of there now!
Here is the room BEFORE:
Here is the AFTER pictures:
Monday, February 6, 2012
What a weekend
The weather people were telling us last Thursday that a blizzard was coming - 20" predicted and it was going to snow Thursday through Saturday. At noon on Thursday it was spring-like weather outside with bright sunshine, no need for a coat so of course I was skeptical about the blizzard. They were saying the blizzard warning was going into effect at 2:00 pm. Sure. Whatever. I have no coat on, there is no blizzard on its way! Pretty soon they moved the blizzard warning to 4:00 pm. Still no snow. About 6:00 pm we started to see some flurries. It wasn't really sticking to ground yet, but at 8:30 pm the school district called to say school was cancelled for Friday! Seriously??? Where we live we deal with snow all winter long, we know how to deal with it and drive in it and we have city equipment that gets out there early with plows, etc. How can they close school?
WELL, woke up Friday morning to 12 or so inches which had drifted up against my front door so we couldn't even open it. My husband's office closed at noon. I called my boss and told him I was staying home. We hunkered inside and thankfully my husband had gone out to the store on Thursday and stocked up on several things, however he wasn't the only one so items were pretty cleaned out. He said there was no ground beef. There was no sugar. There were no eggs. No milk. You get it, all the staples were cleaned out. But we managed to get some things so that we able to eat while stuck inside. It snowed until about 10:00 am on Saturday! We have SO much snow and the roads are terrible, even today, Monday!
The kids went sledding with some neighbors and so of course my front entry was soon filled with tons of wet, snowy clothes and boots, gloves, hats, etc. and everyone begging for hot cocoa with marshmallows! We had a nice family weekend!
This morning the kids were actually ready to get back to school and I, too, was ready for them to go back to school!
**P.S. I tried to find a picture of the snow, but I didn't take any and couldn't find any good ones online. That's what happens when you have not been blogging for a while, you forget that you need lots and lots of pictures! Next time folks!
WELL, woke up Friday morning to 12 or so inches which had drifted up against my front door so we couldn't even open it. My husband's office closed at noon. I called my boss and told him I was staying home. We hunkered inside and thankfully my husband had gone out to the store on Thursday and stocked up on several things, however he wasn't the only one so items were pretty cleaned out. He said there was no ground beef. There was no sugar. There were no eggs. No milk. You get it, all the staples were cleaned out. But we managed to get some things so that we able to eat while stuck inside. It snowed until about 10:00 am on Saturday! We have SO much snow and the roads are terrible, even today, Monday!
The kids went sledding with some neighbors and so of course my front entry was soon filled with tons of wet, snowy clothes and boots, gloves, hats, etc. and everyone begging for hot cocoa with marshmallows! We had a nice family weekend!
This morning the kids were actually ready to get back to school and I, too, was ready for them to go back to school!
**P.S. I tried to find a picture of the snow, but I didn't take any and couldn't find any good ones online. That's what happens when you have not been blogging for a while, you forget that you need lots and lots of pictures! Next time folks!
Monday, January 30, 2012
Happy Anniversary to me...
January 29, 2000 I married my best friend. Sure we've had some ups and downs but we are still best friends!
This past weekend we celebrated our 12 year anniversary! Saturday night we dropped the kids off at the babysitting co-op (see explanation below) and then headed to dinner at the Olive Garden restaurant. When we got to the restaurant the wait time was over an hour so we decided to go next door to On the Border which only had a 25-30 minute wait. We enjoyed good food and conversation and then headed back to pick up the kids. When we got to the babysitting co-op hosts house we were asked if the kids could spend the night - we allowed it and returned Sunday morning for pick up! We had a nice weekend relaxing and being with each other. It was a very nice anniversary celebration!
BABYSITTING CO-OP: There are 4 couples from my church and we take turns watching the kids. We have it set up that each Saturday is assigned to a family, the other 3 families can take their kids over about 6-ish and then the parents go off to do something fun and return about 10 or 11. It works out great! 3 out of 4 Saturday nights we can have date night if we choose to and then one Saturday each month we host at our house and have all the kids there. In total there are 11 kids in this co-op! That's a lot of kids - and yet it works out because they all get along so well together! This first month of the co-op was terrific. We didn't go out one of the evenings because of sick kids but the other 2 Saturdays we did go out and then we hosted once at our house. I have to say that this has been so wonderful for the kids too, they are enjoying being with their friends and playing, watching movies, crafting and cooking together! It has been a great thing for our family!
This past weekend we celebrated our 12 year anniversary! Saturday night we dropped the kids off at the babysitting co-op (see explanation below) and then headed to dinner at the Olive Garden restaurant. When we got to the restaurant the wait time was over an hour so we decided to go next door to On the Border which only had a 25-30 minute wait. We enjoyed good food and conversation and then headed back to pick up the kids. When we got to the babysitting co-op hosts house we were asked if the kids could spend the night - we allowed it and returned Sunday morning for pick up! We had a nice weekend relaxing and being with each other. It was a very nice anniversary celebration!
BABYSITTING CO-OP: There are 4 couples from my church and we take turns watching the kids. We have it set up that each Saturday is assigned to a family, the other 3 families can take their kids over about 6-ish and then the parents go off to do something fun and return about 10 or 11. It works out great! 3 out of 4 Saturday nights we can have date night if we choose to and then one Saturday each month we host at our house and have all the kids there. In total there are 11 kids in this co-op! That's a lot of kids - and yet it works out because they all get along so well together! This first month of the co-op was terrific. We didn't go out one of the evenings because of sick kids but the other 2 Saturdays we did go out and then we hosted once at our house. I have to say that this has been so wonderful for the kids too, they are enjoying being with their friends and playing, watching movies, crafting and cooking together! It has been a great thing for our family!
Friday, January 27, 2012
The results are in....
Finally broke down and went to the doctor yesterday. I have bronchitis and an ear infection. I told the doctor I was afraid I would go in and they would tell me it was a simple cold and I just needed to wait it out - she told me had I waited much longer it would have turned to pneumonia so boy oh boy am I glad I went in! I have an inhaler (something very new to me!) and some antibiotics and last night I slept almost a full night without coughing - almost a full night. It certainly was better than in the nights past! YAY for meds!
So hopefully no one else in the house gets sick - especially my husband since we are supposed to go out to dinner for our anniversary Saturday night! *fingers crossed!*
So hopefully no one else in the house gets sick - especially my husband since we are supposed to go out to dinner for our anniversary Saturday night! *fingers crossed!*
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Happy Wednesday!
Lady Bug caught a cold last week and I stayed home from work with her. When I returned to work the whole office was coughing and sneezing and blowing their noses. Last Thursday I woke up with the crud. I headed on to the office because I didn't feel sick enough to stay home, but not really well enough to work either. Friday I actually felt better - then came Saturday. I got worse. I have been going downhill ever since. Yesterday I left work early and went home to try to sleep, but as soon as I lay down I cough and cough. I tried medicine. I tried honey. I tried hot water. I tried Vicks on my feet. Nothing seems to work. I even stood in a steamy shower. Nothing helps. I eventually went to couch at midnight last night and propped myself up to catch a little sleep. I slept until 6 this morning but then woke up hacking again. I just want to sleep and feel better - is that too much to ask?
Having said that, my 12th wedding anniversary is this weekend and I was planning to make a nice cake for my husband and work on some valentine crafts..... hopefully I can do that and maybe even post some pictures here!?
Here's to getting well and feeling good enough to craft and bake this weekend! *cheers*
Having said that, my 12th wedding anniversary is this weekend and I was planning to make a nice cake for my husband and work on some valentine crafts..... hopefully I can do that and maybe even post some pictures here!?
Here's to getting well and feeling good enough to craft and bake this weekend! *cheers*
Monday, January 23, 2012
It's been awhile - let's see if I can figure this out!
I haven't posted here in a LOOOOOOONNNNNGGGGG time. Mostly for lack of anything worth posting about, but I'm here to try it out again! I am being encouraged by several friends and family to start this blog back up. We'll see how this turns out. If I hear you all snoring I know I am boring and need to stop posting here! ;-)
I won't try to do a "catch-you-up" blog post since it has been 5 months since I posted anything! So let's just start with the here and now!
Spirit will be in the District Spelling Bee in February. Both boys were in the school spelling bee a couple weeks ago. Spirit didn't practice as hard as Lefty because he was convinced he would be eliminated right away anyway. Lefty made it down to the last 6-7 kids and Spirit got 2nd place! (Not bad for a kid who thought he'd be eliminated right away!) So now he is pretty determined to study harder. Apparently for the district spelling bee he will be taking a written test and if he scores high enough (not sure what the "high enough" is) then he will go on to the oral part later in the day. We spell as often as we can: while I am cooking dinner, while he is getting dressed, while I am folding laundry...we are taking every opportunity to practice!
Lefty was in a "Math Challenge" in December which was similar to a spelling bee in that the kids were given oral math problems they had to solve. It was a tough thing for him but he faired pretty well! He says he won't do it again - he was a physical mess before the Math Challenge. He was so stressed he was sick to his stomach for weeks and could hardly sleep!
Lady Bug has joined Girl Scouts - just in time to sell cookies. She is enjoying the "girl" company. Being with brothers all day every day can get old! It has been good for her to hang out with girls and be able to talk about girly things! I have to admit though, I hope she doesn't want to stick this out very long because I do not make a good Girl Scout mom.
That is the quick update for now. More to come!
I won't try to do a "catch-you-up" blog post since it has been 5 months since I posted anything! So let's just start with the here and now!
Spirit will be in the District Spelling Bee in February. Both boys were in the school spelling bee a couple weeks ago. Spirit didn't practice as hard as Lefty because he was convinced he would be eliminated right away anyway. Lefty made it down to the last 6-7 kids and Spirit got 2nd place! (Not bad for a kid who thought he'd be eliminated right away!) So now he is pretty determined to study harder. Apparently for the district spelling bee he will be taking a written test and if he scores high enough (not sure what the "high enough" is) then he will go on to the oral part later in the day. We spell as often as we can: while I am cooking dinner, while he is getting dressed, while I am folding laundry...we are taking every opportunity to practice!
Lefty was in a "Math Challenge" in December which was similar to a spelling bee in that the kids were given oral math problems they had to solve. It was a tough thing for him but he faired pretty well! He says he won't do it again - he was a physical mess before the Math Challenge. He was so stressed he was sick to his stomach for weeks and could hardly sleep!
Lady Bug has joined Girl Scouts - just in time to sell cookies. She is enjoying the "girl" company. Being with brothers all day every day can get old! It has been good for her to hang out with girls and be able to talk about girly things! I have to admit though, I hope she doesn't want to stick this out very long because I do not make a good Girl Scout mom.
That is the quick update for now. More to come!
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
WOW
This time of year seems like something is happening every day - we have graduations, birthdays, end of school year concerts and events. It is just non-stop!
Last weekend (Mother's Day to be exact) the family all did a 5k! The funds raised go to help homeless shelters! The boys ran with Mr. Man and Lady Bug and I walked it. We had so much fun. It is put on by the local baseball team so you start at the stadium and walk through downtown and end up back at the stadium! It is so much fun!
Since it was Mother's Day after the 5k we went to see a movie, then home to grill steaks for an early dinner/late lunch. Then I took a short nap and then we went to church. After church we had ice cream at Dairy Queen! Perfect Mother's Day!! I had a such a great day and was showered with cards and a new camera! (Lefty told his dad he wanted to buy me popcorn at the movie because he knows how much I like movie popcorn - isn't that sweet?)
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This coming Saturday the boys are running in a race and on Sunday Mr. Man is running a half marathon! Lady Bug and I will not be participating at all in either of these races but will be on the sidelines of both cheering everyone on!
Monday, April 4, 2011
Cat Pool
So Mr. Man took the kids out of town, just for an overnight trip, over the spring break to visit the town he grew up in. The kids had such a good time!
When they got home each kid was telling me the highlights of their trip and they all really had a great time. One thing I found funny though was Lady Bug telling me how the hotel they stayed in had a pool but she couldn't go in the big pool because it was too deep for her. So she says "I just stayed in the cat pool." I could NOT figure out what she meant by the cat pool.... Mr. Man clarified ... she was in the kiddy pool - which Lady Bug had translated to KITTY pool and then that became the Cat Pool! Too funny!
When they got home each kid was telling me the highlights of their trip and they all really had a great time. One thing I found funny though was Lady Bug telling me how the hotel they stayed in had a pool but she couldn't go in the big pool because it was too deep for her. So she says "I just stayed in the cat pool." I could NOT figure out what she meant by the cat pool.... Mr. Man clarified ... she was in the kiddy pool - which Lady Bug had translated to KITTY pool and then that became the Cat Pool! Too funny!
Friday, April 1, 2011
I've probably mentioned this before
As a mom that works full time outside of the house, sometimes chatting with my friends and family ( or reading their blogs) who stay home with their kids all day I feel guilty. I feel like my kids are missing out somehow. I feel like "other" kids have it so much better and my kids don't get their mom as much as other kids, I am not home schooling the kids and not home all day baking fresh bread for lunch and crafting all day.
When my boss cut my hours, at first I went in to a panic. How will we be able to afford a loss in my income? we are barely squeaking by each month as it is. On and on those types of thoughts went through my head. I have to admit though that the loss of hours has been so wonderful for our family, that now as my boss talks about adding back in some hours I get nervous. I don't want more hours (more money would be nice, of course!). I am enjoying the next best thing to being a stay-at-home-mommy - every single day of the week I drop my kids off at school and then three days each week I am off work in time to pick them up from school. On the days I pick them up from school, we go home and have homemade snacks, work on homework together, play games, and cook dinner together (sometimes). I love it. I get to work - which I really do enjoy AND get to be home with my kids when school is done.
Do I sometimes wish I could afford to stay home every day - sure do, but I will take what I can get for now!
When my boss cut my hours, at first I went in to a panic. How will we be able to afford a loss in my income? we are barely squeaking by each month as it is. On and on those types of thoughts went through my head. I have to admit though that the loss of hours has been so wonderful for our family, that now as my boss talks about adding back in some hours I get nervous. I don't want more hours (more money would be nice, of course!). I am enjoying the next best thing to being a stay-at-home-mommy - every single day of the week I drop my kids off at school and then three days each week I am off work in time to pick them up from school. On the days I pick them up from school, we go home and have homemade snacks, work on homework together, play games, and cook dinner together (sometimes). I love it. I get to work - which I really do enjoy AND get to be home with my kids when school is done.
Do I sometimes wish I could afford to stay home every day - sure do, but I will take what I can get for now!
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Young Eagles Flight Lessons
On Saturday the boys got to go to a small local airport for a flight lesson. They had the best time E.V.E.R. This was hosted by EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association - the experimental part does not make a mom feel at ease!) The group is called Young Eagles and they are encouraging young kids to get involved in aviation.
The flights were for one child at a time, there were probably 8-10 pilots and their little Cessnas there. They would take one kid up for a 30 minute flight and they let the kids ask questions and once up in the air the kids were actually allowed to take the controls and steer (or whatever it is called when you are flying!) After the flight the pilot signed a certificate of completion and also signed the child's Flight Log Book!
Lefty was a tad bit nervous when he found out that Spirit would not be with him. As we walked towards the plane, the pilot actually invited Mr. Man to sit in the back seat for the flight (not all planes had a back seat). So Mr. Man took a camera up and was able to get some aerial shots from up there. At one point Lefty was climbing, climbing, climbing and the pilot said "So, do you know what it means to stall?" and Lefty said he didn't and the pilot says "Well, you are about to find out unless you bring us down a bit!"
Another story I heard was that they were heading straight for the mountains and the pilot calmly says "Do you see those big things in front of us? Well you might want to do something about that because they are much bigger than we are!"
I heard from Mr. Man that Lefty was not the smoothest pilot and was jerking them around quite a bit. The pilot looked back at Mr. Man and said "Are you ok back there?" and he said yes and the pilot said "good! Because if I was sitting back there I would be hurling!" We had a laugh about that after the flight!
All the pilots were amazing to work with and you could tell they were so excited to share their love of planes with all these eager kids that showed up bright and early on a chilly Saturday morning!
Spirit and his pilot went flying over some major landmarks in the area and really had a great time! Spirit was able to steer and turn the plane from side to side. He is anxious for when he can go again! Spirit didn't have a camera with him, nor did he have a parent with him and that is just the way he wanted it! He had a blast!
Now here are some pictures from Spirit's flight:
This was certainly a day we will never forget!
The flights were for one child at a time, there were probably 8-10 pilots and their little Cessnas there. They would take one kid up for a 30 minute flight and they let the kids ask questions and once up in the air the kids were actually allowed to take the controls and steer (or whatever it is called when you are flying!) After the flight the pilot signed a certificate of completion and also signed the child's Flight Log Book!
Lefty was a tad bit nervous when he found out that Spirit would not be with him. As we walked towards the plane, the pilot actually invited Mr. Man to sit in the back seat for the flight (not all planes had a back seat). So Mr. Man took a camera up and was able to get some aerial shots from up there. At one point Lefty was climbing, climbing, climbing and the pilot said "So, do you know what it means to stall?" and Lefty said he didn't and the pilot says "Well, you are about to find out unless you bring us down a bit!"
Another story I heard was that they were heading straight for the mountains and the pilot calmly says "Do you see those big things in front of us? Well you might want to do something about that because they are much bigger than we are!"
I heard from Mr. Man that Lefty was not the smoothest pilot and was jerking them around quite a bit. The pilot looked back at Mr. Man and said "Are you ok back there?" and he said yes and the pilot said "good! Because if I was sitting back there I would be hurling!" We had a laugh about that after the flight!
All the pilots were amazing to work with and you could tell they were so excited to share their love of planes with all these eager kids that showed up bright and early on a chilly Saturday morning!
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| Lefty and Mr. Man getting buckled in the plane before take off |
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| Mr. Man excited as could be to be taking a flight - he was more excited at this point than I think Lefty was! |
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| Lefty and Mr. Man heading to the runway for take off |
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Lefty getting ready to fly!  |
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| Arial view from Lefty's plane |
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| Lefty taking the controls! |
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| Lefty and his pilot, Jerry after the flight |
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| Another arial view |
Now here are some pictures from Spirit's flight:
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In the cockpit  |
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| Mr. Man shaking Spirit's pilot's hand after the flight. | <><><><>
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| The pilot, Bob, signing Spirit's Flight Log Book |
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
About my "other" full time job
I have a full time job at home as a mommy and a wife, but I do have this OTHER full time job outside our home as a paralegal. I work for one attorney, but there are two subtenants in this office that are also attorneys. I answer phones for the attorney I work for plus the two subtenants and greet all clients for all attorneys. In addition to that I do paralegal work for the one attorney.
I work 29 hours per week at the office and the remainder of my days at home being the mommy/wife. I am blessed to be able to drop my kids off at school every morning (no need for them to go to before school daycare) and 3 days a week I leave the office in time to pick them up from school (no need for after school daycare, except for the 2 days a week).
During my 29 hours at the office I prepare correspondence, research law, prepare pleadings and motions for delivery to court, arrange for and sometimes meet with clients regarding their case, organize and maintain case files, water plants, pick up the conference room after client meetings, and a myriad of other tasks. Some days, as I am sitting at my desk working away the 3 attorneys in the office will all close their doors to take a nap - sometimes I have to wonder if I work in a law office or a daycare. Cracks me up though because my office job has a "nap hour" and home job does too or used to anyway- sadly, not so much anymore since my kids are all in school and claim to be much too old for naps, but momma isn't too old for naps!
I enjoy working outside the home most days. It gives me a little adult interaction while the kids are at school and then I get to go home and be with the kids in the afternoons and evenings. Currently I feel like I get the best of both worlds and am blessed to be able to do so!
I work 29 hours per week at the office and the remainder of my days at home being the mommy/wife. I am blessed to be able to drop my kids off at school every morning (no need for them to go to before school daycare) and 3 days a week I leave the office in time to pick them up from school (no need for after school daycare, except for the 2 days a week).
During my 29 hours at the office I prepare correspondence, research law, prepare pleadings and motions for delivery to court, arrange for and sometimes meet with clients regarding their case, organize and maintain case files, water plants, pick up the conference room after client meetings, and a myriad of other tasks. Some days, as I am sitting at my desk working away the 3 attorneys in the office will all close their doors to take a nap - sometimes I have to wonder if I work in a law office or a daycare. Cracks me up though because my office job has a "nap hour" and home job does too or used to anyway- sadly, not so much anymore since my kids are all in school and claim to be much too old for naps, but momma isn't too old for naps!
I enjoy working outside the home most days. It gives me a little adult interaction while the kids are at school and then I get to go home and be with the kids in the afternoons and evenings. Currently I feel like I get the best of both worlds and am blessed to be able to do so!
Monday, February 28, 2011
Here we go...
Have one little boy at home sick today. He has been fighting this for a couple of days and it hasn't really produced into anything major, but he asked if he could stay home today so Mr. Man took the day off to stay with him. My boss has had a terrible crud, we have some friends that both kids had strep, a client of mine cancelled an appointment last week due to crud.... I hope this stays with one person and that we don't all get it!
I had a productive weekend, laundry, cleaning, grocery shopping, made homemade cinnamon rolls, made yummy enchiladas, visited with friends, visited with my mom and one of my sister's... it was good weekend!
Tomorrow is Mr. Man's birthday but he has a busy evening so the kids are going to give him his presents in the morning (over cinnamon rolls).
This week is a busy one...both at home and at the office, but it should all be ok as long as the rest of us stay healthy!
I had a productive weekend, laundry, cleaning, grocery shopping, made homemade cinnamon rolls, made yummy enchiladas, visited with friends, visited with my mom and one of my sister's... it was good weekend!
Tomorrow is Mr. Man's birthday but he has a busy evening so the kids are going to give him his presents in the morning (over cinnamon rolls).
This week is a busy one...both at home and at the office, but it should all be ok as long as the rest of us stay healthy!
Monday, February 14, 2011
A love story
11 years and 16 days ago I married my best friend. Have you ever heard that saying "Love will find you when you least expect it"? Well, this certainly applies to my husband and I. 13 years ago I was working at a law firm, I had been on many, many disastrous dates (some blind dates, some with men I had met before), I had been on some good dates (nothing earth shattering however) and I had finally come to a point where I had decided NOT to date for awhile. I was taking time for me - to discover who I really was and what I wanted to do with myself.
Long story short, I ended up going to a BBQ with a co-worker at her church. I was to pick her up at her house and we would ride together. I got to her house and she was having a guy friend of hers work on her deck. He was taking his time, and somewhat annoying me by causing me to be late to the BBQ. As I sat and watched him work on her deck, I was amazed at his abilities. He really knew what he was doing and did awesome work.
So, anyway. As we get ready to leave she is telling me that this is the preacher's son. So I asked if he would be going to the BBQ and he said no, that he had other things going on. I was somewhat surprised that the preacher's son wouldn't be attending the preacher's BBQ, but it wasn't really my business.
About 20 minutes later, my friend and I pull up to the BBQ and we see the preacher's son's truck parked there. I have to admit my heart skipped a beat and I had butterflies in my stomach knowing he was at this BBQ. As we walked around here he came again and started talking to me. We had good conversation (although, being the grudge-holder I am I was still a tad irritated that he made me late to this BBQ....) although we didn't talk long or talk much I really felt a connection to him.
About a week or two later the preacher's wife of this church invited me and my co-worker over for dinner. We went and as we are sitting down to eat, why who in the world shows up? Yes, the preacher's son (now known as Mr. Man). Looking back, I know that my now mother-in-law was setting us up. Mr. Man has also admitted to me that he told his mom at the BBQ he knew he would one day marry me. WOW!
After that dinner at his mom's house, he started calling on me. At first, it was just to chat. Then pretty soon we were going to dinner together and taking walks, etc. So here I was, at a point in my life where I didn't want a man, I didn't want to date, and basically I just didn't want the headache at all when this man is dropped into my life and we really connect as if we had known each other forever.
I should also mention here that our paths had crossed over the years, although we never knew it until way later into our dating years. He lived in Oregon when I lived in Oregon - in fact, I drove past his house every day to and from work but never saw him. That would have been about 5 years before I actually met him when we were both living in Colorado. We probably shopped at the same grocery store, got gas at the same station and never knew our future mate was there too! He also had a friend that lived just a few blocks from one of my apartments and we both hung out at the same pizza place near my apartment (obviously, we don't know if we were ever there on the same days though!) There was also a walking/running path on the other side of town from where we met that we discovered we both frequented before meeting each other so chances are that we were on that path at one time or another at the same time! God works in mysterious ways!
I have decided today is as good as any to take a 30 day challenge to encourage my husband. Day 1 is not say anything negative to or about my husband and instead make sure he knows I love him.
Long story short, I ended up going to a BBQ with a co-worker at her church. I was to pick her up at her house and we would ride together. I got to her house and she was having a guy friend of hers work on her deck. He was taking his time, and somewhat annoying me by causing me to be late to the BBQ. As I sat and watched him work on her deck, I was amazed at his abilities. He really knew what he was doing and did awesome work.
So, anyway. As we get ready to leave she is telling me that this is the preacher's son. So I asked if he would be going to the BBQ and he said no, that he had other things going on. I was somewhat surprised that the preacher's son wouldn't be attending the preacher's BBQ, but it wasn't really my business.
About 20 minutes later, my friend and I pull up to the BBQ and we see the preacher's son's truck parked there. I have to admit my heart skipped a beat and I had butterflies in my stomach knowing he was at this BBQ. As we walked around here he came again and started talking to me. We had good conversation (although, being the grudge-holder I am I was still a tad irritated that he made me late to this BBQ....) although we didn't talk long or talk much I really felt a connection to him.
About a week or two later the preacher's wife of this church invited me and my co-worker over for dinner. We went and as we are sitting down to eat, why who in the world shows up? Yes, the preacher's son (now known as Mr. Man). Looking back, I know that my now mother-in-law was setting us up. Mr. Man has also admitted to me that he told his mom at the BBQ he knew he would one day marry me. WOW!
After that dinner at his mom's house, he started calling on me. At first, it was just to chat. Then pretty soon we were going to dinner together and taking walks, etc. So here I was, at a point in my life where I didn't want a man, I didn't want to date, and basically I just didn't want the headache at all when this man is dropped into my life and we really connect as if we had known each other forever.
I should also mention here that our paths had crossed over the years, although we never knew it until way later into our dating years. He lived in Oregon when I lived in Oregon - in fact, I drove past his house every day to and from work but never saw him. That would have been about 5 years before I actually met him when we were both living in Colorado. We probably shopped at the same grocery store, got gas at the same station and never knew our future mate was there too! He also had a friend that lived just a few blocks from one of my apartments and we both hung out at the same pizza place near my apartment (obviously, we don't know if we were ever there on the same days though!) There was also a walking/running path on the other side of town from where we met that we discovered we both frequented before meeting each other so chances are that we were on that path at one time or another at the same time! God works in mysterious ways!
I have decided today is as good as any to take a 30 day challenge to encourage my husband. Day 1 is not say anything negative to or about my husband and instead make sure he knows I love him.
Happy Valentine's Day
Each kid got a card from me and Mr. Man. Plus, my mom had sent them each a little activity book and stickers so I had all that on the table waiting for them! They were so cute when they each got up - one by one - going into the kitchen and finding their surprises. No heart-shaped pancakes, but they didn't seem to mind!
I also packed a chocolate covered heart-shaped marshmallow in their lunch as a surprise!
The kids are, of course, having parties at school today. Spirit's class decided to do a morning party and asked the families to contribute a breakfast item so we sent in bagels. Lefty's class is having a party right before the end of school and the teacher purchased everything and asked each kid to contribute $1. Lady Bug's class is having a party after lunch with the cookies and cupcakes, etc. We sent in cookies for that (you know those really yummy thick sugar cookies with frosting! mmm mmm mmm)
For dinner we are doing all red foods (well not ALL red...) We are having parmesan chicken with a side of pasta and marinara sauce, a salad topped with tomatoes, Cran-Raspberry juice to drink and a pink frosted cookie!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Hold tight to precious moments
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So after my leave of absence I have been dealing with many things and wondering what to post about here and what not to post. So this post may be one of rambling and going in circles....hang on for the ride - here we go!!!Last week Mr. Man's uncle passed away in Indiana. It wasn't completely a shock, but not completely expected either. Let me back up and give some background info...
His uncle had not been to our part of the country in a very long time (if ever) and so last summer made a trip out here. He wasn't able to stay with us, but stayed with my sister in law. I think the trip was really good for Uncle B. He saw mountains, elk, went to baseball games, played with kids and spent time with family -- I truly think he enjoyed himself.
The evening we spent with him he smiled or laughed nearly the whole time. It was so good to see him. Mr. Man and I hadn't seen him in about 11 years when we had gone to Indiana to visit and hung out with Uncle B. Uncle B showed us cars and fixed us food and had a good time with us! We wished we had been able to spend more time with him while he was here visiting, but that didn't work out. We so very thankful for the time we did get to be with him.
After he returned home last summer he had some medical issues, which lead to surgery in early January, which went well at first and then he spiraled down and ended up in ICU. His health got worse in ICU and last week we got a call that the doctors were giving him 24 hours to live. That evening he passed away.
We got word that the funeral would be Saturday (January 29) and Mr. Man and I went back and forth on what to do. We all go, just he and I go, just him... back and forth we went. His work schedule was crazy (still is) and since he is a funeral director it is hard for him to "just take off work" like some other jobs might allow. So driving to Indiana was out of the question due to time. Flying in to Indiana would work BUT too pricey for all of us to go. Flying could work for just Mr. Man and I to go BUT then we had to find childcare for the kids, which wasn't terribly hard except that the person wouldn't be able to get them until about 6:00 pm Friday evening which meant we would have to fly out after that. So it seemed complicated from that angle. Mr. Man really wrangled with it back and forth.
The 29th is also our wedding anniversary and I think that was hard on him to know what to do. I told him I would be fine if he wanted to just fly out for the funeral, and the kids and I could stay back. He said that that didn't feel right, to leave me on our anniversary. I said that things happen and I would be ok. He just kept saying he didn't think he should do it. He finally decided, fairly last minute, not to go to the funeral. I hope he didn't regret that decision. All of his sisters were able to be there and there were cousins he hadn't seen in a long time that were there, he ended up feeling left out of the "family reunion". But I think he appreciates the time he was able to spend with his uncle while he was here last summer that much more.
We all need to remember to be thankful for any and all time that we are able to spend with friends and family because we never know when it will be the last time we will get to see them.
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Friday, December 31, 2010
Reflections
I have been sitting here wondering what to write since it has been such a long time since I have really posted anything and I starting remembering the happenings of 2010.
- Fun birthday parties for the kids
- Mr. Man turned 50 and we had great fun putting together a "birthday book" for him
- My sister turned 50 and we had great fun putting together a gift of 50 things for her
- Mr. Man and I celebrated 10 years of marriage by getting away for the weekend
- My mom and sister came to visit
- Spent time with some awesome family members throughout the year
- Found out a niece on my side of the family is expecting her first child
- Found out a niece on Mr. Man's side of the family is expecting her first child
- Rejoiced in the birth of a baby to another niece and nephew
- Reconnected with great people
- Made new friends
- Hosted several events at our home
- Watched our kids growing up into amazing little people
- Staying connected with wonderful people
- and many, many more! Too many to name here. We are truly blessed.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Our weekend in review
Saturday we went to a Candy Cane festival at a local candy factory. We had so much fun. They had hay rides, train rides, games, caroling, food and of course after the factory tour you got to shop in the candy store! We won tons of candy canes at the games and we shopped for more candy after that. This place makes Mitchell Sweets..... a homemade melt-in-your-mouth marshmallow wrapped in caramel. MMM MMMMM MMMMM goooood! I only bought one... I should've bought ten! (My butt wouldn't appreciate that I suppose!)
After that we went home and worked on Christmas present wrapping. Then I headed out to the grocery store and some present shopping.
Spirit made them dinner since Mr. Man and I weren't hungry. He decided on chicken noodle soup (from a can) and peaches (from a can). Had I not been there he wouldn't have added the water to the soup and would've tried to microwave it in the can, but other than that he did it by himself. While he "made" dinner, Lady Bug made pink lemonade for them to drink.
After that we popped popcorn and watched some Christmas movies.Good times, good memory-making!
Sunday the kids went to an ornament exchange party after church and they also got to make gingerbread houses. They had SO much fun doing this! Lady Bug got a broken ornament and was disappointed, but handled it well. She didn't make a big stink, she just smiled and set it down. I could tell she was disappointed though. One of the mom's there gave her an ornament, she said she had an extra one so she let Lady Bug have it.
Over all a good weekend! I love our family time together!
After that we went home and worked on Christmas present wrapping. Then I headed out to the grocery store and some present shopping.
Spirit made them dinner since Mr. Man and I weren't hungry. He decided on chicken noodle soup (from a can) and peaches (from a can). Had I not been there he wouldn't have added the water to the soup and would've tried to microwave it in the can, but other than that he did it by himself. While he "made" dinner, Lady Bug made pink lemonade for them to drink.
After that we popped popcorn and watched some Christmas movies.Good times, good memory-making!
Sunday the kids went to an ornament exchange party after church and they also got to make gingerbread houses. They had SO much fun doing this! Lady Bug got a broken ornament and was disappointed, but handled it well. She didn't make a big stink, she just smiled and set it down. I could tell she was disappointed though. One of the mom's there gave her an ornament, she said she had an extra one so she let Lady Bug have it.
Over all a good weekend! I love our family time together!
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