31 January

currently......
We just recently purchased a new vacuum.  We had an older Oreck that was about 15 years old that just bit the dust.  I'm enjoying having something that actually picks up dirt.

 I'm embracing the fact that if I want to fit a workout in, it's going to have to be at all times of the day.  The other day I did laps in the cul-de-sac while the kids played outside.  Better than nothing (and I just don't have energy to get things done without it).  Part of embracing the change of not having hubby working at home anymore.

I never shower until at least noon on the days that I'm at home.  After getting up at 5 am for work on Mondays and Tuesdays, the "You have to shower before you go to the bus stop or even school" rule flies right out the window in favor of catching up on sleep.  At the elementary school, they are used to seeing me in my workout clothes, no make up, bangs in a ponytail   They still love me:)

I'm loving making smoothies every morning for breakfast with Lucas.  I love how excited he gets whenever we do something together (and have it planned out in advance).  It's not about what we make or do, it's about the time, it's always about the time.

 It's a windy, blustery, sunny, and warm last day of January. These days I'm cherishing every minute that I get to spend at home, puttering, going online, reorganizing, actually finishing chores.   Someday I'll think about winter more than "something I just have to get through..."  Someday, Because really, It's a good part of our days.  

30 January

Right Now, this boy.....

Has got the 3/4 of the way done swim season hair (and doesn't at all care).  Is making decisions and thinking ahead to MIDDLE school.  He's our sports kid but he's going to have to narrow it down to 1-2 sports next year.  WE're probably not going to do soccer.  But we'll keep going with Band and Piano, and lacrosse and swimming.  And he would love to do football, but we won't let him.  Decisions, Decisions.   I don't think he's loving band as much as he originally thought, it's hard work, but he's committed to sticking with it.  He is also learning some hard lessons about forgetting things, and making plans for what to do when things aren't going his way.  Every night, when we tuck him in, he's anxious about something (par for the course when you are in 5th grade).  I always talk to him about making a plan, instead of feeling worried, and then thinking about his plan, and decision carefully. And Courage, Having the courage to tell the adults in your life how you feel about things (especially teachers), advocating for yourself.   It seems to do the trick.  He is trying to learn ways to manage himself and all he has going on.  Growing up, it's tough(on a boy and a MOM!!), and well, unfortunately with you my oldest boy, it's always uncharted territory.

29 January

I've been getting this magazine now for 2-3 years.  Every time it arrives in the mail, I just devour the amazing writing.  No ads, just essays.  Essays about family life and everyday life and the stuff that matters..  This issue was all about raising special needs children  how awesome.  So inspiring.  Can't seem to end an issue with a dry eye, just amazing.

28 January

He got the board book kit he got for Christmas out today.  He LOVES drawing, coloring, anything that keeps his hands busy.  A total calm comes over him when he's enveloped in a project.  He copied the words from one of his favorite books and then illustrated the end.  I can't get enough of five year old drawings (These are his dogs).    He says His Hand just loves to "write this good."  Love, Love Love this boy.

27 January

And Ladies and Gentleman, the big reveal of the Lego Grand Emporium.  Trevor worked real hard to save the money for this lego set, as well as build it.  The level of detail in this model is just amazing.  It took them about 1 1/2 days to build all 2,100 pieces of this (with pretty much no fighting I must say).  The box says 16+ but they did it ALL themselves.  There were a few frustrating and starting over moments (and maybe even a few tears), but they did it and we're super proud of them.

26 January

Saturday.......
WE spent the morning at home, in our respective corners.  Two very excited little boys got up at the crack of dawn, made their beds and started in on their lego Project (see Sunday for the big reveal).  In the afternoon we headed up to Lost Valley fro Bre's weekly ski lesson with CMAS.  They are awesome and she has such a young and fun instructor she's making GREAT progress.  The whole family decided to ski (we get awesome discount tickets through the program), and our goal was 2 hours (it was freezing!) on Lucas' famous chipmunk trail (it's a REALLY small mountain.)  .  We made it about an hour and fifteen minutes before we almost had frostbite.  So, after warming by the fire and having some hot chocolate  we headed over to Pats Pizza for a great dinner and then home to the hot tub.  I think we're going to make it a weekly event until ski season is over.  It's great to get a couple of hours of skitime in  and not take up a whole weekend.  Fun, FUN!

25 January

Today.....

Big, BIG meeting at school.  Tough and stressful for all.  I found a great quote beforehand on instagram 

It's all about changing your shoes, adjusting to the terrain, keeping your head up and moving forward.

I got through the meeting, and went for a GREAT run afterward.  I think we're moving forward. (and that's all I can say about that...)

The best part of my day was when I got to school for the meeting the kids bus was just arriving.  Breanna got off the bus and greeted her ed tech with the biggest smile and hug I've ever seen.  Then she waited for Lucas, ran over and gave him a hug and they held hands all the way in the front door.  She just brings so much joy.  This my friends, is what it's all about......

25 January

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

24 January

when Trevor got home from his swim meet this weekend, Look what Lucas greeted him at the door with......Love, Love, Love this!  Sweet boy :)

23 January

Remembering.....

Shirley T. Prager

January 23,1924-January 12,2007

You will always be in our hearts.

A copy of this poem (old and yellowed) was found on Nanny's bulletin board, this is how she would want to be remembered for it was the giving to others that gave her the most joy.

To Remember Me--A Poem by Robert N. Test

by Robert N. Test, American Poet

Give my sight to the man who has never seen a sunrise, a baby's face, or love in the eyes of a woman.

Give my heart to a person whose own heart has caused nothing but endless days of pain.

Give my blood to the teenager who was pulled from the wreckage of his car, so that he might live to see his grandchildren play.

Give my kidneys to one who depends on a machine to exist from week to week.

Take my bones, every muscle, every fiber and nerve in my body and find a way to make a crippled child walk.

If you must bury something, let it be my faults, my weaknesses, and all prejudice against my fellow man.

Give my sins to the devil.

Give my soul to God.

If, by chance, you wish to remember me, do it with a kind deed or word to someone who needs you. If you do all I have asked, I will live forever.

things about her that I'll never forget.....

The way she loved her family so much with all her heart and soul, and how she cherished every minute of them

The way she never threw anything away---she saved every plastic cool whip container and every plastic bag

The way she gave of herself, even when it was hard or she was tired.

How she was so involved in her community, church and neighborhood, she had too many friends to count.

The way she always remembered everyone's special days.

Her home cooking, her card playing, her conversation

The way she always sat on the end of the table so she could get up if anyone "needed anything"

HOw she always told everyone how much she loved them and how special they were to her.

How she spent time with me when I was a little girl, teaching me to sew and cook and do girl things (I wish you were here to teach me more things now...)

The way she loved music and played the piano.

The way she hugged and never wanted to let go.

The lunches she packed "for the road"

I miss you Nanny....your life touched mine in so many ways, ways that I am still realizing to this day.

We rejoice you and your long, beautiful and meaningful life
:)

23 January

Love, Love, LOVE the fact that they just manage getting all their winter clothes on themselves out and set out to work on their new sledding track in the front yard.  Perfect for all the days of snow that we are getting and expecting this week.  And of course, with all these cold snowy days, Mom is ALWAYS ready with a good hot drink when they get in :).  We can't wait to hit the slopes again this weekend!

22 January

Saturday......
Bre had her first ski lesson of this year.  She has the same Ski instructor as last year and LOVES her.  She is so excited to go up every week and learn a little more.  Such a great way to get outdoors in the winter time.  Love seeing her making progress,  Love this.

21 January

MLK day,  Favorite Quote:

Darkness cannot drive out darkness;only light can do that.  Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.   MLK Jr.

We were all off for the Monday holiday (usually we go skiing, but this weekend was just too busy with the swim meet).  On the way home, we stopped by Lowe's to pick up some cedar boards to build the boys a new GIANT shelf in their room for all their lego creations.  Kids today, want to build all the legos from the kits and save them and play with them like models.  No more boxes of legos to free build.  Lucas was of course right in there helping his Dad build with the tools.  In the dead of winter, there's nothing like a little home improvement project to help keep the walls from feeling like they are closing in on us.  It came out so awesome!!

20 January

Sunday......

We had a sleepover at our friends for the BIG game.  They cooked up THE BEST gourmet pizza I had ever tasted.  BBQ chicken with caramelized onions and pesto/chicken and sausage.  YUM.  Well, the first pizza burned and the house filled with smoke.  So much so that K walked around with a wet towel swinging around her head b/c she heard that it absorbed smoke (I think it actually worked.), so funny.  Our team ended up losing and Trevor was coming down with a cold and not feeling well.   I made chocolate lava cakes and the cooking time was not exactly what the box said (but still tasted good.) We stayed up into the wee hours watching funny movies.  Good Times!

19 January

this weekend.....

Trevor had his second swim meet ever, and it was big.....tons of kids, in fact so many kids there was not a seat in the house and the meet took two days.  It was a little overwhelming all around, especially for a kid who is having trouble keeping track of his stuff these days.  We've lost a couple of bathing suits, and goggles and have gotten VERY upset.  .  Luckily we had enough allowance saved to cover it.    T Swam seven events.  Breaststroke is his favorite, and he even qualified for the states in that event (not bad for his second meet ever!). His butterfly is coming along nicely as well.    All the swimmers are amazing, it takes so much hard work to get good in this sport.   Plus the meet was at my old stomping ground.  The pool I swam in all through Jr.  High and High School.  It was amazing to see the swimmers that I swam with names still up on the board, and to walk through those hallways, It made me just hold my breath a little bit.  And I'm so proud of my little swimmer, I love that he's getting a skill he can take with him his whole life....

18 January

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

17 January.

This week.......I do have photos, some really great photos of special moments but right now I'm pouring my heart and soul into one little girl and getting her what she needs at school.  It is not a good time right now and my heart aches and my stomach turns.  I'm spending a lot of time talking to people and visiting.   I am so happy with a new connection with someone from the school that  I have made.  Someone who is a wonderful advocate on the inside (YEAH!)  I'm getting NOTHING accomplished at home (which makes me feel a little frazzled.)  A friend pointed out this article to me, and I thought it was so fitting for just what I'm feeling right now.

What saps the spirit of special needs parents and advocates and person with disabilities themselves isn’t the fact that we’re fighting for things that are important, things that make a difference like basic human dignity. That’s easy, even ennobling in a way. The thing that breaks us down, bit by bit, is the way we fight the same battles over and over, like building sandcastles on the beach and hoping, foolishly, that next time, the tide will spare us......It’s a sandcastle, and the tide tears it down every night. I'm not going to lie. It gets old. Every time I rebuild it, it takes a tiny bit more out of me, but I’ll never stop. I owe too much penance. I care too much about the cost.

-Rob Rummel-Hudson

16 Januay

She

Has a whole colony of stuffed animals that she plays with every day.  She loves to act out and role play stuff that happens at school with her friends and teachers. She practices being the teacher and has her animals line up from recess.  So, so Sweet this girl......

15 January

SO much cool stuff going on around here.

Most of all siblings showing each other kindness, helpfulness and love.  Reading together, playing games together, helping each other do chores.     This week, the snowfall was absolutely gorgeous and the temperatures were just right.  Trevor and Lucas went out and built a completely awesome sledding track in our woods and played out there for hours.  Trevor and Lucas did some CRAZY chores over the weekend to earn extra money for lego sets they wanted.  I mean Mommy sat on the couch while they did it all (and thoroughly!)  It feels great.  These past few months have been very challenging mentally, I mean exhausting,   the parenting.  Teaching lots of valuable lessons. Lots of stopping what I was doing, explaining and modeling.  It's also been some of the most rewarding times seeing them independently doing stuff that I never dreamed.  And just becoming great people on top of it, It's just awesome.

14 January

Me: What do you want to do for a job when you grow up?
 (3 hours later)

Mom, when I grow up I don't want to have a Job....I just want to stay home with my family every day (awwww)
~Lucas Age 5.

13 January

5 people twelve times January
Go Pats! It always makes the winter go by a little faster when your team is in the playoffs. :)

12 January

This weekend:

A Mom and kid scrapping night (they asked!, and yes they all have their own supplies and scrapbooks)
One awesome snowman built
Lots of amazing football games watched.
Lots of talking about school stuff
A little bit of work
A little bit of Church and lots of praying
 A little bit of lacrosse practice
A little bit of pretending you were a football player in the living room during the commercials.
Lots of at home cooking
Kids doing a ton of extra chores to save money for legos.
Love, Love this weekend.

11 January

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

10 January

Right Now......We're in the midst of the January Thaw, temps above freezing at night and above freezing during the day (40s and 50s even!).  Makes for some pretty icy mornings.    Hopefully this doesn't mess up the syrup making season :)  Anyway, in the name of health, were out trying to get as much fresh air as possible, walking to the bus stop and running outside. Opening doors and windows for just a little bit to let the fresh air in.   Fresh Air feels good.

Heavy Heart.

Our Thoughts and prayers are with the St. Clair Family today as their little 8 year old Kyle crossed the gates of heaven this morning. In the short time that he was a part of Bre's class/school, I will remember his smile and his amazing spirit.  He lived an amazing life in those eight short years, inspiring so many to pay it forward and fighting so hard against all odds.  . He was a true hero, and He will be missed by so many.   If for one moment we can carry the pain of their unimaginable loss, we will gladly do so. Life is just so not fair.  I hope that when the time is right, in the days and the weeks to come our little school and town can and will  honor Kyle's  memory in a big way.   In the coming week...... challenge Yourself to just one random act of kindness in his memory.  In following this families story, I know It's what they would have wanted.

Happy Birthday

Hope Your Day is Great!

8 January

On Work.

I haven't talked about my work very much on this blog if at all.  My work outside the home that is, the work I get paid for.  But to tell you the truth, it's a big part of who I am.  I always feel like I have accomplished something big by helping someone.  And, after almost 16 years of doing it (13 at the same place) I've gotten pretty good at it.  And to feel that value, of yourself as a person, both in being able to be self-sufficient, money wise, good at something and helping people. It's a Win, Win.  Every day there is a new challenge and something to overcome.     Now getting up and going, and the sacrifices the family makes for me sometimes because I do work outside the home (in a 24/7 business), well, that has been the tough part.  I have been lucky enough to work in a place where I have it all worked out and hardly EVER miss any of the important stuff.  It can be emotional too, it's tough stuff watching families going through the worst pain of their lives, or even just hearing about the sad stories.  You have such a vulnerability knowing that in one second, it could be you.  I have learned so much about people here. I had the opportunity to be in a room full of people, recently, doctors, nurses and others who cared so deeply about a patient that they were in tears.  They even visited them after they  left this place, they cared so much.  And if you even think for one minute that doctors do it because they make a lot of money.....you are dead wrong.  It takes a very special person to see through, especially in healthcare today.  It's huge responsibility.  So that's the scoop on work, no matter how hard it gets, I still wouldn't be doing anything else.  And if you were to see me at work, I definitely wouldn't be dressed up like this....only once in a great while.

7 January

(Photo Taken in Florida)

Starting New.....
Today, we left our old swimming lesson behind to start at a brand new place.  There is a Y nearby and WE signed up there in hopes you will soon transition to a bigger pool.  Since you are so strong willed, I worried about you having the confidence to try something new. And speaking of the strong willed, I've finally accepted the fact that parenting styles don't make children strong willed, boy, you were born that way.  Most Days it's exhausting, but some days, I'm happy for the challenge and it keeps me on my toes.  There is not one day that you don't make me smile, or turn my head and Say , "what?!?!" in disbelief over something you have said or done (in a good way).   I was so proud of how you jumped right in and never looked back.  I was so happy that you were open to trying something new.  And Wednesday...... Your very First Piano lesson.  We can't wait!  Go, Lucas, Go!

6 January

Today...

WE stuck close to home (I literally did not leave the house).  Love these kinds of days, everyone retreats to their corners for a game, reading or a short bout of electronic time.  We watched some football, and read the newspaper.  Lucas and Trevor forged a new trail with their show shoes.  I finished my December Daily album and organized the kids piano Music (one five year old will join his older brother and sister by starting his lessons this week!) Trevor went with a friend to a Lacrosse clinic.  The kids started up with their chore lists again, we made Guiness stew.  We  cuddled  by the fire.  The best kind of Sunday.

5 January

Today.....
A snow tubing adventure with Friends at the Seacoast Fun Park.  Those runs are super fast (because it's so cold and icy) and we just happened to see Kevin P. There and the kids!  How random.  The kids had a blast until that got too cold.  We ended the night with a dinner at Applebees where we used the gift card we won in our friends jelly bean guessing contest (the kids raised $280 bucks for Hurricane Sandy Victims!)  The kids actually sat at a separate table  and ordered their own food and drinks.  What an awesome day!

4 January

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

3 January

This year....
Deciding what's important and doing that.  Yeah that.  And not moving but two feet from the fire until May.....yeah that too because it's bone chilling cold.  I love getting outside and breathing the fresh cold air when it's like 30 or 40, but when it dips below 10, well, my face freezes off.

Love this post.

on the Clickin moms.. blog today.......my story exactly.

2 January

today.....
back to the grind of school and work and baby it's COLD outside.  Hello January!  The day started off a little rough (except for my little girl ray of sunshine who was excited about going back to school), but when I went to pick them up at the end of the Day Lucas' teacher told me that his new years resolution was "to work on being kind" and he thought it up all on his own.   Glad she shared that little tid bit for the days that I just feel like I'm not doing a thing right.....Thank you, from one proud mama today.

1 January

Hello 2013!

We rang in the new Year with our very good friends and all the adults made it to midnight wooohoo! WE had tons of fun, ate lots of good food, laughs,  the elf dance app, and enjoyed a child only talent show (love that).   The kids had their sparkling cider toast, waffle breakfast and watched the ball drop in the morning (as always).  Here's looking forward to 2013.  In 2013 we will......

be open and learn new things
Go camping and hiking
Read
Ride bikes
Eat ice cream
Continue to work on our yards and gardens
visit water parks, go skiing and sledding
Go for walks in the woods
Do homeowrk
Stay in shape by running and going to the gym
eat well and be healthy (and sometimes fall off the wagon)
Turn 39, 11, 9 and 6.
Play lots of games and the piano.
Cook
Swim
Enjoy new food from our farm and garden
Play soccer and Lacrosse
Take tons of pictures (and more video!)
Go to two new schools (intermediate and MIDDLE school!)
Celebrate a 14th anniversary.
Celebrate a 40th anniversary
Celebrate holidays, every day and each other