December Daily Storie

DD Stories 6,7,and 8

Dec 6th - The kids were baptized today.  Ryan recorded the entire event because I was home sick with the bug that has gone through our house.  So proud that my kids wanted to be baptized.  Love that they enjoy going to church with their Pa.

Dec. 7th - Enjoyed my chicken noodle soup that Lisa made for me.  She brought it over yesterday and I finished the last of it today.  Hmmm...Hmmm.... Good!!!  It really hit the spot.  So blessed to have friends (that are family) that love us and take care of us.  Thanks Lisa!!!  xoxoxoxo

Dec. 8th - Missing dad who has been out of town on business.  He comes home tomorrow!!!  When he goes away on a trip, the kids (at least one if not all) sleep in our room with me.  Q always asks "Mom, are you sure you don't want me to sleep with you, I just want to be sure." :-)  This time the Sweetpea slept with me.  I love it!!!  She NEVER sleeps in our room anymore.  She loves her privacy and her own bed, so I truly cherished her staying with me.  Love you 'Pea.  Q slept in my room too but he had a pallet on the floor and I know he was a little jealous that Ryenn got to sleep in the bed.  He is usually the one who sleeps in our bed so that was a change for him but he was a big boy about it.  Love that I can still enjoy these moments with my kiddies, they are becoming less frequent so I will take it while I still can!

Dec. 9th - I recorded a cute video of Cam explaining to me why he loves me.  Love you too Cam!!!
This just melts my heart.  xoxoxo

Dec. 10th - Asked the kids to write down their 10 favorite things about Xmas.

Dec. 11th - Took Cam to the eye doctor today for his annual visit.  We ordered his new glasses and this time I ordered him two pairs because he is really hard on his frames.  The last couple of glasses he got, he bent or broke the frames.  Learned that Cam's stigmatism is abnormal and they need to monitor him and if it gets worse, he will have to wear contacts.  The doctor said not to worry, that Cam's not there yet, it's just something they will have to monitor.  Cameron knew exactly the type and color of frames he wanted.  My son is so handsome and I love that he is knows what he wants. ;-)

Dec. 12th - Ryenn and I spent the day together and we had so much fun!!  We went shopping to cross some more things off the list.  We hit WalMart, Game Stop, Deals, the scrapbook store, Batteries Plus, and then we had lunch at Red Lobster.   I need to start doing my one on one dates with the kids again.  I loved that my daughter asked to go shopping with me.  We talked about a lot of things, listened to music, and laughed.  My daughter has fabulous taste in music (a common love) and  she has turned me onto some great songs and artists.  She is so strong and really knows who she is and what she stands for.  Listening to her talk about her friends and their relationships showed me that Ryenn is very loving and loyal and she truly cares about them.  She has a lot of questions about things going on in the world like current events and race relations.  We talked about these things and I realized how tuned in she really is about certain things.  My daughter is becoming quite an exquisite young lady and I adore her.  I am so proud to be her mom.  Love you 'Pea!!!

Dad had the boys, Cameron had a basketball tournament and he had two games.  His team made it to the championship and they won!!!  So proud of you Cam.  Cameron said he did not get a lot of play time.  This is his first year on the team so that was expected.  Cameron puts so much pressure on himself to excel.  He is slowly but surely finding his balance.  Good job Cam!!!  Go Pontiac Indians!!!

Dec Daily | Stories 3,4, &5

Catching up on my stories for December.  Been sick the last couple of days, I'm the last of the five of us to get it, and so glad I'm done with it and feeling better.

Dec 3rd story - so excited to put up the second tree in the playroom upstairs.  It's a 6 ft tree that we have had forever.  I put the lights on the tree (3 strands) with Q and 'Pea's help and it looks really good.  Ryan saw the tree and told me that we did a great job fluffing the branches and adding the lights :-).  That is huge praise coming from him.  Just so thankful and grateful for the many blessings in my life.  I am trying to really enjoy the season and enjoy the little moments with my fam.  Bring on the magic....

Dec 4th story - We went to Ryan's company holiday party.  Had a good time.  It was so great seeing everyone.  Ryan has been working from home these last months and I know he has missed seeing the gang on a daily basis and I KNOW they have missed him.  Enjoyed talking and laughing with everyone.  Afterwards, we went to our local hangout - The Fairview Lounge and continued the party. Love all of our friends so very much.  So blessed to have them in our lives and they are definitely our family.

Dec 5th Story - Cameron and Ryenn had a Science Olympiad invitational event in Millstadt today.  This event was to prepare them for Regionals which is in February.  It was really cool seeing all the kids working so hard and showing how smart and talented they are.  Our school was ranked the highest in IL at the awards ceremony!!!  Cameron medaled in two of his 3 events - first place!!!!!  So very proud of my two Olympians.

We also got some Xmas shopping done.  I hope Qman can keep a secret....:-)

DD 2015 stories 1&2

Tuesday December 1st | Story 1

I am so proud of Cameron.  He is navigating the world of being a teen and really discovering who he is as a young man.  Last night, we had a discussion about fitting in, self-confidence, and valuing what is truly important in life.  He opened up to us about his feelings and I am truly fortunate and blessed that he trusts us with his vulnerability.  I know the teen years can be a time when as parents, we lose that connection with our kids.  So far so good, we have not experienced this, at least not to a degree where I am concerned.  Cameron is slowly but surely coming into his own and seeing him struggle as a mom is difficult.  I know I cannot fix everything for him, nor should I try to.  I have to trust that we (mom and dad) have raised a kind and responsible young man that knows what is right and what is wrong.

Our conversation was about his new sneakers (Nike).  Someone made a comment about his shoes and this led Cameron to doubt his choice about his shoes.  This may sound trivial and non-important, but to my son it was a very big deal.  We talked about it and when we were done I just asked "So what does this mean, you're never going to wear your new sneakers again?"

This morning, I wondered if Cameron would make the decision to wear his sneakers to school today. I didn't say anything one way or another (that was HARD) and just went about our morning routine.  When I saw him reach for his new shoes,  I said to myself - YES, Cam, good for you!!!!You GO!!!!  He made a tough decision and stuck with it.  So proud of you son.


Wednesday December 2nd | Story 2

Whoop!Whoop!  This year I am putting up 2, yes 2 trees.  I brought up the Xmas decor yesterday along with the tree that we put up in our family room.  I told Q that we had another tree down in the basement and that we should ask dad if we could put the 2nd tree upstairs in the playroom.  Dad of course, acted like a grinch (jokingly of course) and I reminded him that last year he gave me the thumbs up about putting up a 2nd tree.  So he said yes and went to the basement to get the tree.  Of course, now I have to go buy new ornaments because I don't have enough for both trees :-).  I will also need a new tree skirt and tree topper.  Guess what I'll be doing tomorrow?!?!  Happy, happy, joy joy!!!!!!!!

Hello December!

Woke up today in such a good mood.  Today is December 1st.  I get to start documenting for December Daily, my FAVORITE memory keeping project of the year!!  December is just such a happy and joyful month for me.  I just smile thinking about it.  I brought up all the decorations from the basement.  Cleaned my bathroom (yes, I still have to do the mundane, everyday stuff) but I'm still so excited!!!  Love this time of year.

**Cyber Monday update - I'm just going to say this - I LOVE my kids.  In this case, my eldest Cameron.  I shopped on the Foot Locker site for almost 3hrs.  Do you want to know how many things were in my shopping cart?  6, yes six!!  I sat on that site waiting to check out forever!!!  My six items were not clothes or even sneakers, guess what they were- SOCKS!!!!  Nike Elite Socks to be exact.  By the time I FINALLY finished checking out and had my order processed it was after 11:30pm.  I love my kids, I love my kids, I love my kids..... :-).  Love it!!!

Back to today.  Hopefully, we can get the tree up and decorated tomorrow.  Love counting down the days until the big day,  love seeing the anticipation and excitement on my babies' faces.  Love making the wish lists and crossing things off while shopping.  Love the holiday parties and the Christmas music.  One thing I would like to do this year is give back in some way - toys for tots, giving to a local food bank, something.  Trying to make my kids more aware of how truly fortunate and blessed they are.

Hello December, let's get it started!!! :-)

Cyber Monday

Did some online shopping today.  I got some really good deals!!!  I love FREE shipping and coupon codes for an additional % off!!!!!  Whoop! Whoop!  Let the holiday mayhem BEGIN!!!!!

Made my first QR code!!!

I am so excited.  I have been wanting to try this for so long!!  I have known about QR codes in scrapbooking for years.  I tried it about a year or so ago and had problems loading my videos to youtube so I got frustrated and left it alone for a while.  I sat down last night and revisited this site on how to make a QR code.  The video is here (and thank you for sharing).  Followed the steps and voila!!!  Whoop whoop!!!  I have soooo many videos to upload to youtube.  Such a fun and interactive element to add to my projects.  Let the video taking and making BEGIN!!!  :-)

Currently

I am currently....

*tackling the never ending pile of laundry.
*grateful that Qman is feeling a lot better today.  We missed turkey day with the fam because he was not feeling well.
*loving that I am making time to be creative.  I notice when I do this I am happier and more productive.
*getting more excited as the month of December approaches.  Love this time of the year - the smells, the music of the holidays, the decorating, December Daily.  I am just so joyful about the holiday season.
*still eating leftovers from Thanksgiving.  I must say - I can cook!!:-)
*working on finishing OLW for 2015 (Oct & Nov) and WITL 2015.  No pressure at all, I have everything documented.  Just editing pics and trying to organize my albums.  Slow and steady...
*enjoying seeing my words on pictures, on my computer screen, in my notebook.  Love the sound of the keys as I type.  Love to write.

Holiday prep

Spent the past weekend shopping for the kids.  Cameron especially needed pants and shoes.  I would have usually shopped for turkey day way before now.  I shopped on Tuesday morning.  I got up at 6 am and hit Walmart first, then two Schucks stores looking for collard greens. :-) I then went to Aldi's.  When I finally got home it was a little after 10.  I then spent the rest of the day cleaning and cooking kale & collards.  I knew I had to get this part done since it takes the longest.  I still need to make a pan of stuffing (to keep at home), mac&cheese (2), and mashed potatoes.  Everyone is so excited about turkey day!

Next on the agenda - Black Friday shopping!  The question - should I go shopping after dinner on Thanksgiving?  I have started Xmas shopping SO late this year.  Usually, by this time I am pretty much finished.  What happened?  The kids stating (the older two) they don't really want anything except clothes and shoes.  What really happened - they asked for some big items of course!!!!:-)  Anyway, still contemplating on whether or not I'm going to venture out on Thursday or just wait til Friday.  I might answer my own question by seeing how much I eat and if I'll be able to walk at all. ;-)

Acts of Kindness

My oldest came home after spending the night at a friend's house.  He was telling me how much fun he had.  While telling his stories, he said that they'd all gone out to get something to eat at Chick 'fil a.  When his buddy's mom got to the window to pay for the food, the server working in the window told her that the car ahead of them had already paid for their food!!!  How awesome is that...just a random act of kindness from one stranger to another.

We went to the mall today to get some jeans and shirts for Cameron.  We were paying for our purchases when we started up a conversation about dress codes at school with the sales clerk who was ringing us out.  I'd been looking at some sweaters for our daughter when I said she can't wear those sweaters because they had pockets.  That comment started the conversation with the sales clerk.  When he'd finished ringing up our purchases he said that he'd give us a discount on our total if we purchased some cologne.  Now I'm not talking 10%,,  he gave us a discount around 30-40% off for buying a $9.99 bottle of cologne.  Our total went from well over $120 to around $90!!!  He told us after we'd profusely thanked him that he really appreciated kind and nice customers.  Just made my day!!!  When we left the store, Ryan and I told our two sons that a little kindness goes a long way. :-)  Love random acts of kindness.

Marriage is work

Marriage is the unwavering commitment of two people who put their own selfish motives aside for the greater good of the couple.  There are days when that is easier said than done.  To me, marriage is compromise, it's loving someone despite their flaws and shortcomings, its forgiveness, it's laughing at the stupid stuff, it's letting go and picking your battles.  The two things that kill a marriage: pride and not communicating.  I have learned in my almost 20 years of marriage (Whaaaah??? 20 years??) is that I am happier when my husband and I are talking about the hard topics, the stuff we don't always want to talk about.  Do we argue, absolutely.  Do we get through it - YES and more importantly, we are stronger!!  I am happier when I can put my pride aside and not hold a grudge and admit when I am being difficult.  Marriage is not about who is right, it's about facing hard and trying times TOGETHER.

Yesterday was one of those days.  We had a fight and for once in a loongggg time, we went to bed angry and hurt.  After walking around pretty much ignoring each other for most of the morning, I finally just went to hubby and we began our discussion.  We we honest and it was hard.  We got through it.  We're stronger because of that conversation.

I want to model a healthy relationship to my kids.  Just as much as I want them to see us hugging and kissing, I want my kids to see mom and dad having disagreements and arguments.  Of course, there are exceptions depending on the topic.  My kids have seen and heard us fight and I know it can be scary and a little unsettling for them.  We openly talk to our kids about this, telling them that it is normal for couples to fight and have disagreements.  We fight, but again more importantly we make sure that they see us make up too.  Marriage isn't all candle light and roses(though, of course that doesn't hurt :-)).  It is about two people making a commitment to one another every day to put in the necessary effort to make their relationship work. 

Love you HH!!!!

So glad we are doing this project again

We originally did this gratitude project in 2011.  It has been hanging in our kitchen ever since.  I do not know why we have not done this since then.  I am so glad I made the decision to do this project again this year.  There is something about listing what you are grateful for that just makes your everyday problems and worries go away.  The first time I did this project Q was 4 and I had to write his responses for him, he is now 8 and I love that he can write his own answers this time around.  Just love this project!!

I did not start this project at the beginning of the month.  I think that is just fine as long as we start - right.  We will keep doing this once a day until Christmas(or we run out of space, whichever comes first). :-)  Gratitude is good for the soul.

Prayers of peace and love....

Someone got new shoes

Took the kids to the dentist today.  Quentin went to the bathroom and was walking back to his seat when I noticed this green spot on the front of his shoe. Thinking he'd gotten gum on his shoe I told him to come here so I could remove it.  This is what I saw....

I had a talk with Quentin about letting his parents know when he has holes in his shoes. :-)  When we were finished at the dentist we went to buy some shoes!  He is now happily stepping in this pair.

Kids, gotta luv 'em. :-)

My beautiful daughter

She got her hair done today.  I got her to the braiding shop at around 8:15 am.  This was after I spent around 6 hours taking out her braids last night.  We didn't get to bed til after midnight.  My daughter is maturing into such a fabulous young lady.  I truly see her blossoming.  She has such a strong sense of who she is and is always asking questions about things she does not understand.  She is doing brave things like talking to her teachers about her goals for next year (honors classes).  She tried out for Science Olympiad with her brother.  She made the team as an alternate but found out a couple of weeks ago that she made the team.  Seeing her be courageous truly inspires me, I am so proud of her.  I love you my beautiful Sweetpea, you are one of the greatest blessings of my life.

Happy Birthday Dad!!

I am so grateful to have my dad in my life.  He is a constant source of strength and encouragement.  He is always there to listen to me, give advice, and to make me laugh.  I remember all the lessons he and my mom taught us as kids that still apply today.  Lessons about courage, knowing the difference between right and wrong, being strong and not following the crowd, all of these things (an many others)I now teach my children.
I once told my dad "If I was anything like my kids, I am so sorry."  :-)  Don't get me wrong, I have FABULOUS kids but there are some days..... whew!!!  I'll just leave it at that. ;-)  When my dad heard me say this he just laughed.  I've realized that over time fundamental lessons never change.  What my dad went through as a kid are the same things I went through and now my kids are learning those very same lessons.
Thought it was so cool that the kids called Grandpa before they went to school today.  The 'Pea was already gone, she likes to ride the school bus with her friends.  I took the boys to school so they got to sleep for an extra 30 mins.
Love my dad so very much.  He's always there for me.  Happy Birthday Dad!

FYI- He's the one in the black tee. :-)

Love this quote

This quote speaks to me.  I am working on this every day.  Some days are better than others but I am realizing that is also part of the journey.  Continuing to recognize what my fears are and getting comfortable with them, not letting the fear keep me paralyzed.  Learning to let go of my biggest fear - FAILURE.  Taking it one day at a time and trying to be more patient and loving towards myself.  Remembering that I am a work in progress.  Challenging myself to get more comfortable with being UNcomfortable and recognizing in doing so that is where growth occurs.

So Very Thankful!!!

This past weekend, Quentin wanted to watch Inside Out.  He'd wanted to see it in the movie theater when it first came out but that did not happen.  We had no idea what this movie was about except for what we saw in the movie previews.  We watched it with him and it was AWESOME!!!  Yes, I know I am talking about a kids animated film.  By the way, some of my FAVORITE movies are Disney films, but right now I'm getting sidetracked.   I even cried at the end of this movie.  We watched this movie at exactly the right time.  Let me explain...

Quentin had been struggling with the grief over losing MeeMaw for the last couple of days.  He would come home from school upset and crying or he'd just suddenly get upset at home.  We had talks about it being ok that he missed her and that it was ok to be sad and cry when you are upset.  So when we watched this movie it was so cool for Quentin to see another child going through tough times and the many emotions they could evoke.

After the movie, I asked him did the movie help him and he said YES.  He told me that sadness was ok to feel and you would feel better afterwards.  We had a talk about what it meant to be sad, joyful, angry, etc.  This movie was exactly what Quentin needed to help him see that being sad was and is a natural and normal part of life.  :-)

Consequences and Repercussions...

Have been really frustrated with the kids lately about their chores, their lack of doing them to be more specific.  What I would usually do is remind them of what needs to be done on a daily basis.  As time went on, I wrote each (the older two) of them a chore list that went on the fridge (in addition to the daily reminders).  Things still were not getting done as they should.  I was walking around snapping at the kids and I felt I was always fussing at them about their chores.  Ryan and I talked with them about what we expect from them and what will happen if things continued in this way.  Finally, I just said - ENOUGH.  I am not going to constantly remind the kids about things they already know they should be doing.  I am no longer going to be upset and angry about things not getting done.  I just need to start showing them there are consequences to their actions (in this case, their non-actions).  I came home last week and just refused to fall into the same old routine of fussing at the kids and getting upset.  I just went about my day and did the things that needed to be done.  I started laundry, so I went into the kids' rooms and gathered their clothes and the pics above are what I found.  Normally, this sight would have upset me and I would have been counting down the hours until the kids got home from school to get on them about this.  But that day, I said no just do the laundry and get it done.  I cleaned their bathroom, unloaded the dishwasher, cleaned/picked up the playroom, etc.  When the kids got home from school, I greeted them as I normally do, asked about their day at school, homework, etc.  Cam was the first to notice that the upstairs bathroom was clean, their closets were empty of clothes, and that the playroom had been picked up.  He came into my room where I was watching tv and I could tell he was feeling me out to see if I was upset or not.  I asked him what was up and he told me that I was an awesome mom and that he appreciated everything I did/do for the them(yadda, yadda, yadda).  I told him thank you.  He went downstairs and said something to his sister because she came up and asked if I was mad about anything.  I told her no, I wasn't.  Needless to say, they absolutely knew that something was up because they were VERY attentive and helpful for the rest of the day. Had a talk with Ryan about it, told him everything that happened and that I was done talking about the kids not doing their chores, that it was about time to show them consequences.  He agreed and from that moment on things changed.  The next day Ryenn asked if she could go over her friends house to do homework and I told her no.  I did not explain why nor did she ask.  The same with Cameron, he asked could he go over his buddies house and I too told him no.  There comes a point where you just get tired of trying to help keep your kids out of trouble.  I do not enjoy punishing my kids, but when they are not getting the message, I have to make it clear to them.  When your parents ask you to do something, we expect you to do it.  When you do not do what is expected, I cannot let you do the things that you want to do.  The world does not work that way.  You just cannot go around only doing the things you like and want to do.  Did I mention that I love my kids?  Whew... I feel better now.  :-)

Words I love

I am definitely one of these.  Just love the sound of this word.  Of course, I found it on my new favorite place - Pinterest.   I think I may need to start a new board on Pinterest....  Happy Friday!!!

New Favorite Recipe

Made these Sunday morning for Cameron's birthday.  They are Monkey Bread muffins and they are GOOD!!!!  Found the recipe on Pinterest.  I have seen Monkey Bread recipes before but it was prepared in a bundt pan and I honestly did not want to purchase one just to make it.  When I came across the muffing version, it was perfect.  All you need is 5, yes 5 ingredients.  Butter, white sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and cinnamon rolls.  That's it.  The kids loved them, and Ryan said and I quote "These are smack your mama good. :-)"

Will definitely be making these again.  I think I need to make a grocery store run for more cinnamon rolls.......

13 

Today Cameron became a teenager.  I can't believe he is thirteen.  It seems like yesterday that we were bringing him home from the hospital....

Currently Cameron is into:

technology & gaming, he loves playing his xbox one, the iPad, & watching youTube.

his clothes and looking nice.  Being in middle school, Cameron is now very much aware of what is in  fashion and he has a strong opinion about what he likes and does not like.  He now keeps his sneakers clean (sshhhh, that's a secret), irons his clothes, and wants to look good.

school and good grades.  Cameron is such a hard-worker.  He loves to do well in school.  We worry sometimes that he puts too much pressure on himself at times but he is such a cool kid.  We keep help to keep him balanced.

baseball.  He loves this sport so much.  He can often be found on youTube watching old baseball plays, just trying to pick up pointers.  We have signed him up for strength training and conditioning classes at the Sports Complex and Ryan has told me there has been such an improvement in Cameron.  He truly enjoys playing.

his friends.  He loves hanging out with his buddies.  They ask to go to the mall, go to school sporting events, school parties, etc.  He often asks can they spend the night or vice versa.  I admit, he does have a good group of friends.  They all support one another and look out for each other.  Gotta love that.

unfortunately, girls.  Yes, I knew this was coming and no, I am not prepared for it.  He notices girls at school, the mall, anywhere we go.  His female friends at school (notice I didn't say girlfriends) text him and they talk on the phone, ouch it just hurt saying that. :-)  We talk about this and we tell him that there is plenty of time for girls later...  his education is what's important.  That's all I have to say about this.

Cameron, you are such a cool kid.  You work hard, you are smart and kind-hearted.  Everyone likes you- your teachers, your friends.  We could not be more proud of you.  It has truly been a blessing to watch you grow into the young man you are.  We love you and will be here for you always.  xoxoxo  Mom&Dad

P.S. - Found out today that Cameron does not like being sung to on his birthday :-).  Love you Cam.

It's snowing...

February 28, 2015

Forecast a couple days ago was just some rain mixed w/sleet.  My husband tells me today that we are expected to get 5-7" of the white stuff!!!  We are on our way home in this picture, my wonderful hubby took me to Lucky's to get some sweet chili wings after a day of shopping at the mall for the b-day boy.  Had a happy surprise when we got there, the Trims were there hanging out :-).  Perfect time to get home, eat, snuggle up with hubby and kids and enjoy the rest of the evening - in that order. :-)