Monday mornings...

Sometimes no matter how much you plan, things just won't work out well on Monday mornings.

My boys HAVE a little check list to make sure they've got their "i's" dotted and their "t's" crossed before bed. And, they have another one to go through to make sure they're ready for the day in the mornings... and it never seems like on Mondays they've looked at either one.

Drew is missing a belt.... it's no where to be found. Luckily he has a backup but seriously... how hard IS IT to walk in your room after school, take off your shoes and put them in the closet as you reach for a change of clothes only to put your dirty ones right there IN THE HAMPER (gasp--what a concept!) as you're changing. When you remove your belt, you simply insert it into the next day's space that is already filled with socks and a shirt. Imagine the simplicity.

Better yet, imagine if you'd gone through your "Before Bed" routine where it says "Lay out your clothes for tomorrow." At THAT POINT you'd see that you needed your belt that was MIA.

Josh was jammin on The Rolling Stones and now I have "I know, it's only rock 'n roll, but I like it" stuck in my head! I walked in there to give him a time (five minutes to go) count so he knew how long he had to primp.

When we were at Wal-Mart the other day he said he needed deodorant. He wanted the spray kind. I bought said spray kind. That shit is a toxic fume. I don't know how much he put on but that stuff.... OH.MY.GOSH is the most awful smelling stANKy stuff known to man. And it toxified the ENTIRE UPSTAIRS! GROSS. Until the bottle is gone, he is only allowed to use it in his bathroom with the door shut AND the vent fan on. It's that pungent.

And speaking of deodorant, I don't get all the weird smells. I've been wearing Secret Solid in powder fresh scent since I was in junior high... JUNIOR HIGH PEOPLE. I've tried a new one here and there but it seems odd to me to have something that is highly perfume-y emanating from my pits. They're pits, not a cologne counter. The smell of your pits shouldn't over power any perfume you may put on. What a mess of competing odoriferous orifices (say that ten times real fast) you would have. YUCK!

Today, the sprinkler system repair people are supposed to come. Yippie. I'm also supposed to go to lunch with a good friend. Not looking forward to that. Not because I don't enjoy her company but where we're going... let's just say I would gain back all 6 pounds that I've lost. Ugh! Sigh. What to do ... what to do...

Day 1, Week 2

Just a little weight loss journey blog. Today is Day 1, Week 2. Doing great so far. I've endured the wrath of Babe's chicken. Apparently, it's legendary but I resisted the temptation at Blue & Gold. I ate like... NOTHING... and finished up at home with some veggies. Yes, I still lost.

However, I was just about done in last night when I made some yeast rolls for the boys. Those.... that... mmmmm..... my complete weakness.

Yup, I just about lost it to my love for all things CARB! Ha!

I'm about to hop on the scale to see how far I've come...ok. I lost 4.2 pounds in the first week. It's on the way down and that is ALL that matters to me right now! WOO HOO

Tuesday.

Today I was awoke and was pleasantly surprised to find it was 58 degrees in my bedroom. Pleasantly surprised? Yes, you see, the air conditioner in my bedroom doesn't work so I like it when it's chilly so I can crack the windows and hide under the covers! But, when it's not so frigid, I have the ceiling fan. Problem is, when it's 74-75 in your room and you LIKE the weight of a blanket atop you...it's hard to have that blanket AND not sweat to death underneath. So, on nights like last night... it's SOOOO nice. Besides, it's FEBRUARY.... we're not supposed to be having 80 degree days yet!

I got up and since it was chilly, made some oatmeal and cinnamon toast for the boys. I had my Jenny Craig sunshine sandwich.

The boys were off and I grabbed a shower. Ben's long over-due 9-month check up was today. He's at the 5 percentile mark for his weight, a little more for his height... and 95th for his head. Makes you think the kid's got a great big huge melon, but he really doesn't. He's just got the "DHS" -- a.k.a. "Driggers' Head Syndrome." Apparently, they're known to have large melons!

I went and got my (also) long over-due oil change. They filled the tires with air so the stupid car would quit blinking at me like they were about to blow.

I also stopped by and picked up dinner from Dinner Is Served. 3 entrees for $12 each and they each serve four. I think that an entree for $3 per serving is a pretty good deal. I'll couple it with the rice and veggies I have in the freezer and the boys all have their meals for the rest of the week. You can't beat that. I got Parmesan crusted chicken, King Ranch chicken... and something else along with two dozen yeast dinner rolls (six of which are thawing and rising in the oven right now).

Tonight, Josh has basketball practice for his Upwards team.

I've fallen off the wagon on my Project Life (insofar as taking a photo every day) but I have been sure to log my memory so that at least I can find SOMETHING (even if it is a photo I didn't take or some sort of memento to insert in the pages) so that it's still a complete record of our year.

I'm pretty sure Ben is about to sprout two (if not four) top teeth... he even appears to be getting fangs before the front two. If he does, the child will be sporting a black cape and I'm taking vampire pictures! Hey, they're only this small once...gotta get my kicks where I can.

I'm doing great on Jenny Craig. Today is the end of my week. So far I've lost about 4 pounds. Not too bad for the first week. :)

I'm getting better with logging my life into Google with the conversion of the Outlook to Google calendar... I still am kind of bugged that I have to go between TWO programs (Cozi and Google) to get the same results I got with the ONE Microsoft Outlook. However, Outlook has proved unstable in the past and has crashed on me before. I'm slowly trying to find a) a time each day to dedicate to cleaning out the email portion and transferring subscriptions over to g-mail and b) continually go through and delete stuff! :)

I've found, recently, that my life is a matter of little bombs everywhere. It's just that season in life...but for a perfectionist, organizer like myself... it makes ya a little nutty. For instance, I start a project while he's napping. He wakes. I try to finish. He gets in the middle of it. I pick him up and go somewhere else.... bomb left there for me to try to finish later. Start on another one somewhere else... and so you see now how I have a series of "Ben bombs" just about everywhere.

But that's okay. I love the little stinker whole-heartedly... and if someone comes over to my house expecting it to be museum-quality-clean... they're in the wrong place because that ain't me! My house is lived in, warm, snuggly with toys scattered about... dust bunnies in the corners... empty dishes places they probably shouldn't be and for now... that's okay because it'll get done when I'm through doing what really matters (spending time with my boys!)

Monday

Today is my dad's 64th birthday. Happy Birthday, Dad!

You know, I got to thinking, there sure are a lot of characteristics in the mix of what makes the "perfect" dad...

They need to be

• Christlike
• handy with tools
• smart
• huggable
• happy
• dependable
• loyal
• smart
• funny
• handsome
• kind
• charitable

And, I lucked out, you know because my dad is all that -- AND MORE!

He's Christlike. He loves the Lord.
He's handy with tools. He knows enough to get the job done. However, he is smart enough to know when to call in the pro's!
He's very huggable and is generally always happy and in a good mood with a cheery disposition. He's loyal to those he loves and smart. Yep, he's one sharp tack! He holds his own in the funny department and always has us giggling with some witty comeback or remark. He's also very handsome. I remember growing up my teachers (the single ones) were ALWAYS asking me if HE was single. My dad is OH so very kind to others, even strangers (which is another way he's Christ-like). And charitable is he... with both his money and his time.

I can say that I hope my boys grow up to be a lot like their PawPaw!

So, I hope you enjoyed the BEAUTIFUL day on the golf course and that you had a great dinner with your main squeeze! I invited him to dinner but his main squeeze beat us to it! And, you know, that's a-ok. We're going to take him to dinner on Thursday.

So, happy birthday to a FANTASTIC, WONDERFUL, HUGGABLE, SMART, AMAZING man, Larry Wesson!

Bringing Sexy Back

Ben woke up for another day... pretty much screaming from the get-go. He was awake at 5:30 am. Fun fun fun. Drew's still under the weather. Yesterday, he said his ear hurt so we put some drops in it and hopefully he'll jsut let his little body fight the good fight and get hi mbetter. Where the 102 fever was coming from, I have no idea. He shows no other symptoms.

So, Josh was the lone rider this morning in the carpool and he was also, my saving grace! With Drew being sick, Josh was the one having to carry out taking all my party supplies to the K class. Hopefully a parent stepped up to help out with serving and what-not since I wasn't able to be there.

He left for school with a backpack full of books on his back. ON his right arm he carried a tote with his Valentine's -- heart shaped lollipops covered with a red, flying-V electric guitar as found HERE and his Valentine's bag along with a chocolate gift for the art teacher (I "adopted" her this year to spoil with a little gift each month to let her know she's awesome). He also had his entry for the Valentine sack competition. They were having a contest for the best boy and the best girl themed bags. So, I said, "Let's cover it with the WORD "boy!" So, we went through 3 magazines and cut out every "B" "O" and "Y" we could find and he went to gluing. The front and back of the bag are covered with the word BOY. If that's not a "boy theme" I don't know what is! And, he thought it was creative, so... as long as he was happy with it, that's all that really mattered. So that was in one bag.

In another bag he had all of the party supplies for Drew's class party. The bingo cards, call pictures, pencils for the winners, conversation hearts for the markers, books to read for Valentine's day, Drew's valentines to distribute to the friends. His were AWESOME! Star Wars themed ones I found online. SO creative!!! THEN, he carried in his hands, a tray of fresh cinnamon rolls with red-tinted icing.

Like I said, the kid, he was a trooper today!

Today is Valentine's Day... it's all roses and love and chocolate and hearts and lace, right?

WRONG!

It's still dirty diapers and dishes and laundry in this house.

I guess I'm one of the few that really... I don't see a point for this holiday. I mean, I like to make it special for my kids but my idea of a great Valentine's day is just being surrounded by those I love. That is special in and of itself.

I have crazy wonderful boys and they're my Valentine's 365!

I don't lke getting over-priced flowers just because someone felt obligated to becauase of a holiday. I don't want a card that I'll feel guilty for having to throw away... LOL... just be here... smile.. and love us all for who we are. That's a Valentine's Day for me.

Tonight we're having heart shaped meatloaves, oven roasted potatoes and a garden salad. For dessert, I found this sinfully delicious looking chocolate chip pie that I'm going to make. I mean, after all, it's my LAST DAY of freedom. I start my diet tomorrow morning! :)

I've got my eyes set on 130 pounds.... dropping this baby weight... Watch out! I'm bringing sexy back!

Kibbles and Bits

As I continually delve into the quest for organization, I find myself time and time again wondering where should I file those tid bits of information that I want, perhaps may need but want to remove from my e-mail and file... somewhere!

For instance, I saw an episode of Ghost Hunters where they went to a plantation in Louisiana. It was the MOST amazing place I've ever seen and I said to myself, that is exactly how I want my dream home to look. Do a Google image search for "Oak Alley Plantation" and you'll see exactly what I'm talking about. It's amazing.

So, I did what any like-minded thinking woman would do. I emailed them asking for a floor plan. And you know what? They responded back with room measurements, et al. So, now I have a blue print with which to work from when designing my dream home. :) A big square with a huge wrap-around porch.

I want to keep this information but I don't know exactly where to keep it. I know I'll need it eventually... some day... but I fear if I delete it I won't remember the name of the plantation and then I'll be so sad.

It's just one little e-mail of many that are scattered about various files in my quest for organization. For now it's in a folder called "Home Matters" since it really does deal with matters of the home. I just know it needs to get out of my e-mail program and put somewhere else. But isn't it better to have it electronically than in a paper somewhere? I guess it's a matter of me not trusting Outlook not to crash.

That AboutOne program sure seems to be making more and more sense for someone like me! :)

Sigh... i need someone to organize my organization.

It's amazing how a week of snow days can just frazzle your entire organized world. Jerry would say, "Look to the cookie, Elaine" but as George proclaims... "Worlds are colliding!"

I miss Seinfeld.

Oh to play catch-up

Since I use my blog as a hand-in-hand aid to help my scrapbooking and my Project Life, it's amazing how far behind you can feel when you miss a day (or five). I have been able to, at night, text myself daily snippets of how my days were spent... including significant snippits and whathaveyou to serve as a crutch for recreating my daily timeline. After all, that's the sole purpose I started this blog!

But, my phone died. Oh yes, my sweet little pink Blackberry Curve bit.the.dust. And I am sad. I'm not sad enough, apparently, to get off my butt to go get a new phone. And, I would have gone to the Verizon store to get a new phone if it weren't for the release of the iPhone on the same day. Could you imagine? It'd be like needing something from the grocery store on Christmas Eve night and heading to Wal-Mart to pick it up. Yeah, that'd be a freakin' nightmare.

Any-who, my Blackberry serves as my calendar and my to-do list as well. I keep memos to myself to remember silly things like... oh.. what LOT I'm parked in when I take Josh to the airport. It's a complete memory crutch (but also a big huge life safer). I mean, it is my alarm clock, too!

I posted to Facebook about my phone kickin' the bucket and the line of conversation that followed was so funny. My BFFE Shannon even said I can't leave because my friend Melissa's children would starve. I completely laughed out loud! Isn't it amazing how you can have a true-blue connection to people.... even if just through electronic media? I've made some amazing friends in the blogosphere! I stalk MANY blogs but am followers and true-blue readers of every post to a handful (I'm behind on those, too!)

My phone is where I'd catch up on my Facebook posts... while sitting in the carpool lane being bored or ... waiting for kids at practice. It's nice to have a time-killer. You feel like you're at least accomplishing something but then I think... maybe Ill be more productive with all this new found "down time." Only to find myself twiddling my thumbs during the pick-up lane yesterday at school. Sigh. We shall see.

This morning I was up at 5:55 a.m. and Josh was in my room at 6:05 a.m. He needed help finishing his math homework. He needed me to review his Wordly Wise. He needed me to review his Daily Language exercise worksheet. I needed to feed Ben, get dressed, get Drew up at 6:45 a.m., leave by 7am to get Josh to band practice by 7:15 am... plus all Josh's homework. Oh, yeah, and Josh needed to eat too. Crazy how we have to feed those things so often!

Well, we sit down and start going through his math. I don't really understand why I'm having to basically hold his hand step by step by step by step on every single thing. If I'm having to teach him how to do this so he'll understand what it's asking for... what's the point of him going to school to learn? I thought homework was just work you didn't have time to do in class or extra work to make sure you're understanding the processes and application of math taught in class. He's coming home and saying he "doesn't get it" to the point that I'm having to sit there for 2+ hours teaching him math.

Don't get me wrong, I love my child and will do whatever I can to help him but this means I'm not getting to spend any time with Drew -- WHATSOEVER. I didn't even have time to cook dinner because I was sitting on my butt helping him until 9pm last night and then up at 6am working with him for another hour and a half. Seriously, something has to give here. I'm just not sure what. I didn't sign up to have homework every day for 2+ hours.

Fridays means cereal at our home. It's typically the only day that we do have cereal because of the fact that I have to leave at 7 to take Josh to band. This morning, however, I had to write a "please excuse Josh from band" note to the director since he wasn't able to make it due to homework.

Pat was supposed to come clean today. It's not her usual cleaning day but Ben is sick... or teething... or sick and teething. He's a screaming, snotty mess. My nerves are shot. I'm tired. I should be sleeping right now but I think these moments are better saved in my memory if I record them. Thursdays are her usual day but there was no way I was going to be ready on Thursday. Now, not today either. I don't know when I will be able to have a clean house enough to have anyone walk in that door.

It's like both kids just walk in and throw their crap down and just pick up containers of stuff and just toss them in the floor. Seriously, that's how I feel my house looks RIGHT NOW. It is almost more than I can stand. Luckily, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Tonight, Josh goes camping with the Boy Scouts. Tomorrow he'll be gone all day, too. This means that I have only ONE child to corral and that can be accomplished by sending him to play with his friends. Then, I have a chance to clean. Once I'm on top of it, I have no problem maintaining it but when it just seems to go from bomb to bomb to bomb to bomb, I simply can't catch up.

The paper monster is taking over... the laundry monster is taking over... the toy bomb monster is taking over... the dust bunnies are reproducing like... well, rabbits!

As much as I'd like to throw in the towel and surrender waiving the white flag of defeat, I won't.

I haven't been able to make any of my Mom's League Playdates because of conflicts or sick/tired/fussy baby. I haven't made MOPS this year at all because of scheduling conflicts and today -- a sick/tired/fussy/teething baby. Sigh.

I'm not having a pity party... don't confuse this vent session... it's just sometimes it's good to keep it real with everyone that I can keep it together enough to get what needs to be done... DONE but anymore than that and I'm just... DONE!

Today, I'm done.

I'm going to dust myself off and start over this afternoon. Start organizing one place at a time. Get laundry done one load at a time. Spend a little time here and there to get this paper beast tamed once and for all and then... maintain! Amazing how a freakin week of snow days can throw your ENTIRE LIFE INTO UPHEAVAL!

Thank you for calling Movie Fone

So, today is supposed to be the boy's first day back at school since LAST MONDAY... and Josh isn't there? Why? Because I gave him his ONE "gimme" in life. This is his ONE time that I will give him a break so that he learns a lesson...


He finishes his book while I'm at the store grocery shopping. There's another bad ice storm supposed to hit tonight so I wanted to be prepared. (Look at that...being prepared - what a concept!)

He finishes his book and when I come home I print out a few things from the internet on how to make it flow. He needs an intro that gets his audience's attention. He needs visual aides (that's part of his grade) that are interesting and relevant. He needs to look at the audience. He needs to STOP reading his note cards. He needs... a lot... of work.

I take him to the laptop in the bedroom since Ben was sleeping in the swing and I show him some movie trailers from YouTube. I let him hear that voice. You know the voice... that man who does the voice overs for movie trailers.

(take a deep breath and use your most dramatic voice...)

You've got one chance...

to save the world...

or your family...

what...

do...

you...

do?

ONE CHANCE... a film by BLAH BLAH BLAH in theaters this fall!

He realizes how that captures your attention. He practices more.

The whole voice over thing reminded me of that episode of Seinfeld where Kramer was doing the voice for Movie Fone. That was such a crack-up!

Anyway, the day progresses, I feel like I'm getting nothing done. I was so looking forward to one stinkin' day to myself but, alas, it's not to be.

I go pick up Drew from school. Josh comes with me (to take a break). We go home and I finish unpacking the groceries.

By the end of the day he's got it done... he's practiced several times and it's a done deal.

(Thank God!)

Tomorrow will be the true test. He's done a good job. His report is on Chasing Lincoln's Killer by James L. Swanson. It's an adaptation for a younger audience of a book he penned called "Manhunt." It's a story of the assassination of Lincoln and the 12 day manhunt for Booth and his accomplices. Josh's props were creative and interesting.

He painted an acorn silver to represent the "one bullet" from his intro. He made a .44 Derringer pistol from cardboard. He printed out a knife replica from the internet. He put two horses in a plastic baggie filled with sand to talk about how he shot and "buried" their horses in quicksand since they were making too much noise and they were trying to hide. I printed out pictures that were mounted on black card stock to talk about his henchmen and the their three targets. He made a Confederate flag. He made a mini Booth and Lincoln. He made a replica Presidential booth and bunting. Stephanie Adams let us use a spur which was what caught in the bunting on the box which made him stumble and break his leg when he was making his escape.

All in all, it was creative and well thought out. It was original. It was informative. He didn't give away the ending. It was a good report. Tomorrow, is "D" day.

I won't be "THAT" Mom

I am a lot of things for my kids:

• I'm an advocate for their future.
• I'm a cheerleader for their successes.
• I'm a nurse to their boo-boo's.
• I'm an audience for ridiculous, made-up jokes.
• I'm a homework helper.
• I'm a cook.
• I'm a psychologist.
• I'm a friend.
• I'm a hug.
• I'm a safe place.
• I'm a taxi driver.
• I'm a therapist.
• I'm a maid (reluctantly.)
• I'm a confidante.

I am, however, NOT the parent that will stay up all night doing a project that is due the next day that their child has KNOWN about but chose to dink around and not finish so their child gets their much needed sleep kind of Mom. That is NOT me.

Josh has a book report assignment. It's an oral book report with visual aids, but it's a book report nonetheless. He also has a monthly reading log. He was using, "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" for both his book report and as his reading log book.

We had snow days. We had LOTS of days off school. He didn't pick up his book/homework/book report assignment nothing, not once. I inquired repeatedly as to the status of his book, the book report, etc. I always got the canned answer, "It's fine," or "okay."

Well, it was anything BUT!

He finds time to watch American Idol (it's tivo'd). He finds time to play Legos. He finds time to draw. He finds time to sleep until 11am every day. He doesn't do anything that he needs to get done, however.

I am a planner by nature. I find the deadlines and I set myself up a due date usually two days before because you just NEVER KNOW when something is going to happen. Be prepared. It's the Boy Scout motto for goodness sake! He knows to be prepared. I can't STAND the idea of being REactive rather than PROactive. It drives me to drink. Seriously.

So, it's Monday. It's the day before the first day back at school since the bad weather days and their scheduled holiday (Friday/Monday). The day before his oral book report is due and he sits down to go over it. I'm like, "Give me your speech." He's got nothing. He doesn't want to give it to me. I'm plain and simple, "If you can't give it to ME, how do you think you're going to give it to your teacher for a grade?" So, I pick up the book and start thumbing through it and ask him what key factors he wants to highlight... how does the book end? He says, "I don't know. I haven't finished it."

Man, I seriously lost it. You're going to give a book report on a book you haven't finished? that you've been reading since JANUARY?!" Are you freakin' kidding me? He's had an ENTIRE MONTH to read 180 pages that have GOBS of pictures on them so it's not EVEN that long AND you've said you've been reading 30-45 minutes a DAY on your reading log -- except for that whole snow-day-holiday-break. Are you KIDDING ME? Seriously, you have GOT to be kidding me. That was the start of the end of my rope for the day.

He works on it pretty much all day. We get to the night... Monday night. It's a Troop meeting for Josh if he chooses to go camping this weekend with the Troop (they're going mountain biking and rappelling and climbing).

I ask him, "Will you have enough time to finish your book report and still attend the Troop meeting? If not, you don't need to go to the Troop meeting." He assures me that he will.

I drop him off. Andy picks him up.

They get home around 8:40-8:45 and he walks into my bathroom while I'm about to get ready for bed and has the audacity to ask ME to help HIM on his speech for his book report. I looked that child dead in the eyes and said, "This is YOUR speech, not mine! I'm not writing it for you." I turned and walked away.

Yes. Yes, I did.

I will NOT be the parent that does everything for their kid. I won't do it. I will help him articulate things better. I can help him with making things sound better but I simply won't do things for him when he is completely capable of doing it himself.

How does that teach a child to do things on their own? Seriously? Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. TEACH a man to fish... feed him for a lifetime. I firmly believe that. At what point will he pick up the damn pole, though?

I tell him that this is his one and only "gimme" and that he can stay home from school TOMORROW and finish it. This will be the last time he is ever given this GIFT of time when he's had 31+ days to finish it.

Oh, and I tell him he's grounded. He's grounded from his phone. He's grounded from the television -- during the week. The only way he can watch it on the weekends is if he has NO homework OR projects that need work done on them. Andy said he couldn't go camping this weekend, either.

His eyes filled with tears but he understood. Thank God he wasn't playing the "whoa is me" pity card because I just might have to beat him to death and tell God he died!

I don't get it...

I love kids movies. Trust me. I can whoop anyone's butt in Disney's Scene It game. I am the kid-movie oracle in our home. I love kid movies. I love that they generally teach a lesson. I love that they don't show body parts that shouldn't be seen by young eyes. I love that anything that could have any kind of "adult overtone" is generally so glossed over, children don't even catch on. And, frankly, they're short enough that my gnat-like attention span can sometimes even be directed at them long enough to see the title and the end credits without interruption.


However, I don't get some of the movies that have come out. I love penguins. I didn't love "Happy Feet." All the singing was so stupid. I guess maybe I'm looking at it from an adult perspective but penguins just shouldn't sing Prince.


Then, tonight, Andy put on Alpha Omega for Drew to watch... and they're freaking singing again. UUUUGH... Wolves don't freakin' sing?! Why? Why are they singing? The movie wouldn't lose anything... if they weren't. I mean, I like the singing in The Lion King. That's fun. This... not so much.


And then there's the whole realization of why can SOME animals talk and not others. By that whole rationale... Pluto should be able to talk to Mickey Mouse, right?


In Alpha Omega, there's a whole pack of wolves that talk and even walk on their feet .... and sing.


I hate the singing.


Hate it.


It's like in The Princess Bride where the sick child in bed goes "is this a kissing part again?"

I don't need no stinkin' singing.

Oh well, hakuna matata!

Handbook for Life

I have seen this several places so I don't know to whom the credit goes but it's too brilliant not to share for posterity.

Health:

• Drink plenty of water.
• Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
• Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured.
• Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.
• Make time to practice meditation, yoga, and prayer.
• Play more games.
• Read more books than you did in last year.
• Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
• Sleep for 7 hours.
• Take a 10-30 minutes walk every day. And while you walk, smile.

Personality:

• Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
• Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
• Don't over do. Keep your limits.
• Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
• Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.
• Dream more while you are awake.
• Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
• Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
• Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
• Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
• No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
• Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
• Smile and laugh more.
• You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

Society:

• Call your family often.
• Each day give something good to others.
• Forgive everyone for everything.
• Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
• Try to make at least three people smile each day.
• What other people think of you is none of your business.
• Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
  

Life:

• Do the right thing!
• Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
• GOD heals everything.
• However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
• No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
• The best is yet to come.
• When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.
• Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.
  
  

Beaches, Burning feet and the Oracle

I discovered last night, well, more like early this morning, that I definitely couldn't be a coastal dweller. You see, we have had a system of fronts move through here all bringing different types of weather over the last 36 hours. Yesterday it was in the 50s. The day before, it was near 70. Today, the wind chill is below zero because it's 19 degrees with 40 mph gusts.


The storm hit this morning at about 3:30 with thunder. Thunder before a snowstorm? Yeah, we do things like that here in Texas... keeps you on your toes. I woke up and was laying there hearing the freezing rain hitting the windows in the bathroom. Then it would die down and then a HUUUUUGE gust of wind would make the whole house creek so much that I checked my phone to make sure it was going to be a winter storm instead of a thunder storm.


Because of the fact that I am now on my FOURTH day in a row of being up at 3:30 a.m. and this one was due to the wind and rain, I now know that I am not a beach person. The fear of the damage that wind can do is more than these nerves can take. I'll take a good QUIET dumping of snow any day over the risk of hurricane-force winds.


So, as I said, I was in bed and listening to the thunder... and the huge gusts of wind... and Ben's little breaths... It was then that I thought, let's check Facebook. It appears I wasn't the only one awake. It was around 4:15 am that I saw on my phone (e-mail) that the boys' school would be closed today. I text Josh to let him know. I knew he'd be excited.


We get up at 7:30. Andy let his car run for a good 30 minutes to melt the ice on the windshield and to get warm. He made it to work with no problems, just slow and steady.


The boys and I had some leftovers for lunch. I had chili. Josh ate lasagna. Drew said he wanted lasagna but opted for a hot dog at the last minute -- that drives me nuts!


Then, knowing that the wind had died down somewhat I told them they could go outside (since they really wanted to and who wants to be that Mom - the one that won't let her kids play in the snow on a SNOW DAY because it's too cold and windy? Not me!). I would have lots of pictures but, with the wind blowing like this, I obviously wasn't about to take Ben out in it.


Josh has grown so much that his ski pants no longer fit. Couple that with the fact that his foot went from a 6 1/2 to an 8, his hiking boots didn't fit any longer either. So, the kid was not only wearing my ski bibs but also my hiking boots (and his toes were at the end!) I didn't want him ruining his new tennis shoes or getting them soggy, boggy wet. My eleven year old kid can wear my ski bibs and hiking boots! Crazy!


The boys decide to go to the end of the street where there is a little hill. I wanted them to have fun even if I really felt the urge to over "momma" them because that wasn't the safest thing to do. Sometimes, though, you gotta let the boys be boys and make some fun memories together. Sometimes, it feels good to be a "yes" kind of Mom. And so away they went. Josh left the driveway dragging Drew who was sitting in a green recycling bucket. It was the funniest site I have seen in a while. My first thought was "how white trash is this" but then I thought to myself how sweet it was that Josh was being a great big brother. However, the white trash thought just made me just laugh it all off.


They're gone a while and then come in and warm up. Josh decides to start his own polar bear club. Only, we don't own a pool. So, he decides to go outside in his polar bear UNDERWEAR... in the snow... and he wants it on video. The kid is certifiable.


But I did it.


It's on video.


He's a nuthead.


And now, I have proof!


I told him, "Your feet are going to burn."


"My feet are going to burn?"


"Yes, your feet are going to burn."


"How?"


"Go grab an ice cube and hold it for about 4 seconds and tell me that it doesn't start to burn your hand because it's so cold."


"But..."


"I'm just saying, that's the same thing out there... ice. Your feet are going to burn. Have fun."


He goes through with the madness.


When he walks in and grabs his warm towel out of the dryer, the first words out of his mouth?


"My feet are burning!"


No, I didn't say, "I told you so." I don't think my job as a mom is to do that... because letting him learn the lesson that generally my warnings are always valid just leads him to continue to believe that I'm some type of mothering oracle. And I like that... because I know it won't last.