Wordless Wednesday!

He always has to add a little of his own personality to every situation!

Christmas Break Homework?

Now that everyone is healthy again, it is time to get some work accomplished. Can you believe that the girls have homework to do? Over the Christmas Break? In Kindergarten? Yep, they do. They have 10 small assignment to do.

When I was in Elementary School, Kindergarten was half day. During that half day we had show and tell, recess, and nap time. I am not sure how I am able to tie my shoes in the morning. Not only that, how did I ever graduate from high school and college? Half day Kindergarten with no homework and a nap! It is a miracle that everyone over the age of 30 isn't drooling on themselves!

It certainly is a whole new world, isn't it?

It's A Festivus Miracle!!!

A very normal trip to the mailbox revealed a long awaited surprise for Chris and I today. Inside the box that normally holds nothing exciting, just the usual bills and junk mail, was a very nice check from the US Treasury.

Now, this was not a surprise check. A trip to our accountant last spring left us knowing that someday this check would indeed come. It seems that there are SOME "inconsistencies" in the tax code that we did not know about. These inconsistencies meant the difference between paying thousands to the IRS and getting thousands in a refund. So, we promptly had our accountant prepare amended returns for the last 3 tax years. And then we waited. Two of the refunds came to us in a somewhat timely manner. The third, and of course the largest, was a different story. To date we had received many letters, all saying the same thing, we have forwarded your paperwork on to such and such department and they will contact you in 45, 60, or 9 million days! Seriously, we really need to think about what we are doing before we let these people take control of our HEALTH CARE!!!

So today, out of the blue, it came!!! What a great surprise. Well, maybe not so much, I had been praying that this day would come soon. All things in his time.

Now it is up to us to be good stewards of the money that we waited for. We will finally be able to finish the shower remodel that we have been working on for two years. We will also be able to take care of a few neglected health related things. We are going to kick one of our bills to the curb! And finally, we will put a good chunk of it in our savings account to help us rest easier in these somewhat uncertain times.

Christmas Wrap Up

On Christmas Eve we went to visit Santa. We had planned to go a few days earlier, but with everyone getting sick, this was the first chance we had to go.
Santa made everyone feel better for a few minutes.
The trip to Ghirardelli for a piece of chocolate helped too.

Ready for bed in our new Christmas Eve PJ's! All three pairs of pj's were fleecy and warm. Too bad it was a warm night in FL. Maybe we will have a few cool nights in Jan. or Feb. to wear these.

After all of the Christmas Eve festivities were over and everyone was ready for bed, cookies and milk were left out for Santa. He seemed to enjoy them. All that was left in the morning was a splash of milk and some crumbs on the cookie plate!

Look what Santa left for me! It is a small box, but it packs a big punch. Inside was the "Guitar Hero" for Nintendo DS that CJ asked for. If he looks a little tired and thin, he is. He was still recovering from the cold/flu that he got the day that Christmas break started!

Can I open these now? I am pretty sure the "Littlest PetShop Club House" that I asked for is in that big box!

Caitlyn still wasn't feeling very good. Can you tell by her eyes?

New clothes for my "Baby Alive!"

That is exactly what I asked Santa for! He is such a good guy.

I know Santa must have brought something for me too. Where did he hide that stocking?

Yeah! Santa brought me exactly what I wanted!

2 Days til Christmas

Oh no, here we go again. Sick kids for Christmas! CJ started getting sick on Friday night when we went to see the Candlelight Processional at EPCOT. He was feverish and sleepy all day Saturday.

Saturday night Caitlyn said that she did not feel good. By bedtime she had a 102.9 fever and CJ still had a fever too.

Sunday both kids spent all day sleeping. Every time they woke up they had fevers. We gave them Motrin and back to sleep they would go.

Monday...more of the same with the addition of 'flu' symptoms for Caitlyn. CJ even felt bad enough that he did not want to go to the Cub Scout Christmas party that we were invited to that night. By Monday night CJ was better, but he had been sleeping all day.

Today, Caitlyn is about the same. She is still a little feverish, although the vomiting has stopped. CJ doesn't have a fever anymore but he is still very sleepy and hasn't eaten much since Saturday.

So far Caley hasn't shown any signs of coming down with this illness. I am hoping that she makes it through Christmas without getting sick. And maybe, if we are very lucky, the other two will have recovered by then.

Why does it always happen at Christmas?

Back by Popular Demand!

Is it "Roy?" Is it "the Molenator?" No, it's the Tooth Fairy! (If you have seen "The Santa Clause 2" you will appreciate those names) Yep, she was back again. Sunday night Caley had to give in and let dad take out another tooth. She fought it all day long. By bedtime it was really hanging by a thread. She couldn't even brush her teeth without feeling like it was going to fall out and be washed down the sink. So, it was dad to the rescue. He barely had to touch the tooth and it was out.

Caley was very upset. Now she is missing both top-front teeth. The most upsetting part for her seemed to be that, now she looks like Caitlyn. She is so worried that people will not be able to tell them apart, since they are both missing their front teeth. Oh sure, it is just the teeth that confuse people. Not the fact that they look identical in almost every way!

Everything was all better in the morning when Caley woke up and found the Webkin that the Tooth Fairy left for her. This is her first Webkin, so it is very exciting!

To be continued..............

5 Days til Christmas - It's a Tradition!

One of my absolute favorite things to do during the holiday season, is to go to the "Candlelight Processional" at EPCOT. It is absolutely, hands down, the best show that Disney puts on all year long.

The show consists of a 50-piece orchestra, a 450+ mass choir, and a celebrity guest reader. The celebrity guest reader reads the traditional Christmas Story while the choir and orchestra perform a selection of Christmas songs.

The reader, the night that we saw the show, was Abigail Breslin. She is much younger than the readers that they normally have, but she did a very good job. One of my favorite songs from the performance is "Rejoice With Exceeding Great Joy/We Three Kings. I have the entire performance on CD, and I listen to it many times during the holiday season. It is very moving and I can never seem to get enough of it. I am already looking forward to next year!!!

6 Days til Christmas

Listen to a great rendition of the Christmas Story. I heard this on the radio this morning and I loved it. So, get something that you like to drink (coffee, or hot cocoa) and a Christmas cookie or two, sit back and enjoy! Click on the link below to listen to the audio version.

http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/19502/

7 Days til Christmas

Holiday Party Day at School

Today was "Classroom Holiday Party" day for our kids.

In Caley and Caitlyn's class they made reindeer hats, watched a Berenstain Bears Christmas video, ate lots of sugary snacks, and exchanged gifts with the other kids in their class.

In CJ's class they brought in snacks to share. After eating the snacks they had free time to spend on the computers or playing games with each other.

Both of these parties were fine, but neither of them were what I remember having as a kid.

We spent most of a day partying... if I remember correctly.

We had a room mother who would plan a whole day of fun activities, and food.

I also remember having school assemblies.

At the assembly there would be some type of Holiday Program.

My kids had ONE whole hour to have their party today.

I just can't help but think what a shame it is that this is what our schools have become.

When did this happen?

How did everything get so watered down?

When did we decide that there was absolutely no benefit to letting kids be kids once-in-awhile? They already have very little PE, recess, or fun time.

Why do they also have to put a one hour time limit on having a party?

Is one Holiday Party really going to make that big a difference in the amount that they learn this year?

I don't think a half day to let loose and have some fun is too much to ask.

How did we ever let our schools get this way?

I hate to bring up such a negative topic this close to Christmas, but I think it needs to be said.

We, as parents, are responsible to watch what the schools are doing.

Are they being run the way that you would like?

It is worth taking some time to think about it, and maybe start to look for ways to make some changes!

Wordless Wednesday

All of these Christmas festivities are exhausting!

Take a look at more Wordless Wednesday stuff and a post about Jon & Kate plus Eight (one of our fanvorite shows) at http://www.5minutesformom.com/

11 Days til Christmas - Lights, Lights, Lights!!!

With the boys off on a camping trip, the girls had a chance to have a long awaited "girls day." Since it is Christmas time, we decided to go the The Disney Hollywood Studios to see the "Osborne Family lights." We arrived at the park right around lunch time. We caught the end of the "High School Musical" show and then headed back to "Toy Story Mania." The ride opened last summer and we have not had a chance to experience it yet. Yesterday was no different. By the time we got there all of the fastpasses were gone for the day and the wait was 80 minutes. Maybe we will get to ride it next time.

Next we headed over to "The Great Movie Ride." It is one of my favorites. After the ride we had some lunch and went to find a spot to watch the 3:00 parade, "Block Party Bash."

After the parade we did a little shopping and got ready for the "Beauty and the Beast" show. Both of the girls love that show, we see it everytime we go to the park. I have to admit, it is a great show. We have seen it so many times that I can now see the small changes that they make from show to show. But, it never gets old, we still love it!

After Beauty and the Beast, we walked to the back of the park. The girls insisted that we go on "Star Tours." I think they did this in honor of CJ. They are so used to going on it with him, they feel like a trip to the park just isn't complete without "Star Tours."

Finally, it was time to go see the "Osbourne Family Lights." They were bigger and better than ever. Disney added more lights, they make the lights "dance" to several different songs this year, and the snow was amazing. Sometimes the fake snow is very fake. This year there was so much of it in the air that it really did look like real snow. It felt like real snow when it hit your face too. The weather cooperated by giving us a nice cool night, so we got the full effect of being in a "white Christmas."

We ended the night by taking in the 8:00 showing of "Fantasmic," and doing a little shopping on our way out of the park. We had a great time, it was strange to just be at the park with just the girls, but we could definately get used to it!!!

Good Work CJ!!!

Friday was an exciting school day for CJ. Every Friday Tildenville Elementary recognizes several students from each grade for the hard work that they have been doing. This week they recognized students who had made great progress in reading. CJ was one of three fourth graders recognized this week. To earn this recognition CJ improved on his last benchmark test by 20 points!!!

This was very exciting news for me. I have always known that CJ could get good grades in school. Up to this point he had just not chosen to show his true abilities. I am so proud of him for finally letting himself and everyone else see his true abilities. Great job, CJ!!! Keep it up!!!

As a reward for his hard work, he got to choose the book that he is holding in the picture.

The t-shirt that he is wearing was also a gift from the school. Every student at Tildenville got a new shirt on Friday. The shirts were a reward for achieving an "A" on the fcat and for being a "Five Star" school. Congratulations Tildenville!!!

Thursday Thought

I found two things to be thankful for today. It is a rainy, dreary day in Central Florida, not a day that you would normally think of as "Thankful." But, if you think about it enough, there are things to be thankful for everyday.

1. I am VERY thankful that I found gas for $1.56 per gallon at the BP on US 441 in Apopka. Wow! For someone who drives a very large gas guzzler, that is fantastic news. I was able to fill my tank for $34.00 & change. That helps a lot two weeks before Christmas.

2. I am thankful for the cool weather that we have had in Florida this fall. We have not had to run the A/C since before Halloween. I love cool weather! It really helps to put me in the Christmas spirit. And, as an added bonus, it helps keep a little cash in the checking account!!!

Thank You!!!

In the Spirit of the Season!

15 Days til Christmas

Here Comes Santa Claus!

Every year, the City of Winter Garden sponsors a night when Santa Claus rides up and down every street in town.

Santa's Sleigh is mounted on a parade float that is pulled by a fire truck.

The sleigh is escorted through town by a Winter Garden police car and another fire truck.

The police car and fire trucks drive with lights on and sirens blaring.

Santa's helpers throw candy to the kids as they pass by.

It is something that the kids look forward to every year!

(the picture isn't the best, but you get the idea)

16 Days til Christmas

Crazy Cold Remedy

This sounds crazy and you will want to laugh. I know it did. I received an email about this and normally I would not pass it on. But today, my husband Chris tied this and it really worked. He woke up this morning with chills, fever and just feeling lousy. After trying this crazy cold remedy, he went back to sleep and woke up a few hours later feeling 100% better. Who knew? So, here goes, if you or your kids happen to get one of those horrible 'holiday season' colds, give this a try.

To stop persistent night time coughing and other symptoms of the cold, rub Vicks VapoRub generously on the bottoms of your feet or your children's feet at bedtime. After applying the Vicks cover the feet with socks. Even heavy, deep coughing will stop in about 5 minutes and stay stopped for many hours. It really seems to work and is more effective in children than even very strong prescription cough medicines. In addition it is extremely soothing and comforting and you will sleep soundly.

Like I said, I am usually skeptical of these things, but we tried it today and it really seemed to work. I am a big fan of anything that keeps me from loading my kids up with cough medicines, cold medicines and prescription drugs. I hate to give them any of that stuff if I don't absolutely have to. Give this remedy a try. Even if it offers a little relief it will be worth it!

17 Days til Christmas

This was just too perfect to pass up. Hope it gives someone a laugh or two!

18 Days til Christmas

Wow, what a weekend. Our town had it's annual 'light up' event on Friday night. Saturday morning was the 'Winter Garden Christmas Parade,' Saturday night Chris and I had a Christmas party with his co-workers (going to parties with a bunch of cops is quite an experience, that is another whole blog post), and today we had a little Christmas get together with all of the Cub Scout Pack 220 Leaders and their families.

Here are a few pictures from Saturday's parade. Our Cub Scout Pack had a "Christmas Camping" themed float in the parade. Chris and CJ rode on the float. The girls, grandma & grandpa and myself all watched the parade this year.

Here comes Goofy!

Our Cub Scouts make their entrance

CJ and Chris on the float

I hope I never see CJ doing this in a parade!

20 Days til Christmas

Light Up Winter Garden!!!

Tonight was the annual 'Light Up Winter Garden' celebration.

This is a picture of Caitlyn and Caley during the lighting ceremony.

It was much busier there this year than in years past, but we still managed to have a little fun and watch them turn on all the lights.

I will post some pictures of the lights when I can get back to Downtown Winter Garden on a less crowded night.

21 Days til Christmas

This was not a very Christmasy night for us, but it was an important one. Tonight was the last game of the Winter Garden Little League season. The Yankees played the Diamondbacks and won by a score of 12 to 8. At least I think that was the score, the game went on really long and I am not sure the score keeper was completely paying attention. It was a great season with the Yankees keeping their #1 spot all the way to the end. CJ had a great time, he learned a lot and made some new friends. I guess that means we will be back at the Little League field in the spring!!!

22 Days til Christmas

Dear Santa...

Today was 'letters to Santa' day.

All three kids came home from school excited to write their letters.

This was the first time the girls wrote their whole letter by themselves.

Last year they were in Pre-K and just learning to write.

Letters to Santa are a great thing for moms.

It gives me a list to shop from too.

Whatever Santa is not going to get, I can.

Luckily everyone is thinking kind of small this year, there aren't any outrageous requests on their lists.

Tomorrow the letters will go in the mail.

In past years, we have received a post card back from Santa, thanking the kids for their letters.

The post card is always post marked 'Christmas, FL'.

Too cool!!!

23 Days til Christmas

I got "blog tagged" today, by Kelly @Our Family Ramblings. So here goes...

5 (or more) Things That I Love about Christmas!

1. I love to look at all of the decorations and lights that people put up on their houses and businesses. It looks so pretty and "sparkly" at night.

2. I love the music. There are so many great songs and I love the local radio stations that play Christmas music only from Thanksgiving to Christmas. I wish they would carry it through to New Years.

3. I love all of the Christmas movies. "It's a Wonderful Life" is my favorite. I could watch it everyday, if there was time.

4. I love the special events that go on around town. We have a cool one in Winter Garden called "Light Up Winter Garden." We will be going to it this Friday night.

5. I love the candle light service at church on Christmas Eve.

6. I love all of the cookies and special foods.

7. I love wrapping the presents and making them look nice. It is a big job, but I like the creative part of it.

8. I love going to the "Candle Light Processional" at EPCOT. It is a family tradition of ours, and I can't wait to go this year.

9. I love the cooler winter weather, and the crisp-blue-sky days!

10. I love doing anything Christmas related with my family. That is what it is all about!

I could list a lot more, but I have to stop somewhere! ;-)

I tag;

Melody @Melody's Harmony

24 Days til Christmas

Tonight, in honor of the Christmas season, CJ gave us all a lesson in kindness. While we were at our Cub Scout Den meeting, the group was working on putting together a "Santa's Workshop" themed skit to perform at our upcoming pack meeting. We asked the boys if any of them would like to play Santa. Two boys came forward. To help us decide which boy would get the job, we had them tell the group why they would make a good Santa. The first boy went, said his piece and that was that. Then it was the second boys turn. As my co-den leader was asking the boy why he would make a good Santa, CJ decided to blurt out an unkind comment referring to the boys weight. OMG! I was in shock. I immediately asked CJ to apologize to the boy, which he did, but the damage was done. The other boy got upset and needed to leave the room. Luckily another leader came in the room at the same time with some announcements for the group. I took that opportunity to pull CJ aside, we had a little talk and went out to find the other boy to apologize to him and talk about how wrong it was to say something like that. Needless to say, CJ and I had a long talk on the way home and a punishment was handed out.

When something like this happens I think all parents immediately think to themselves, "Where did they hear that?" Or "Why would they say something like that?" The answer to both questions is, they learn it from us. They learn it from t.v., from movies, but mainly they learn it from listening to all of the adults around them. Think about how many times each day we make disparaging comments about other people. We talk about our relatives, our friends, acquaintances, politicians, actors, sports stars, and the list goes on.

The lesson that I learned tonight is...Take the advice that I gave to my son. Think before you speak. Is what I am about to say going to hurt someone? Would I want someone to say that about me? Would I say what I am about to say to the other persons face? Am I being KIND?

It is the Christmas Season, a perfect time to work on being a KINDER person.

25 Days til Christmas

Tonight we decorated our Christmas Tree.

Everyone was looking forward to it all day long. I lost count of how many times they asked me if it was time to decorate the tree.

One of our Christmas traditions is for each of the kids to pick out a new ornament every year. That means 3 to 6 new ornaments (the grandparents have gotten involved, so it is more than one ornament a year!). But, all three of the kids have great ornament collections, and wonderful memories to take with them, some day.

The Christmas Tree is getting pretty full. Every ornament on this tree belongs to the kids. I think we may be in the market for a larger one at the after Christmas clearance sales this year.

This year Caley has added two new Tinkerbell ornaments to her collection. She loves Tinkerbell!

Caitlyn got Minnie Mouse and Sleeping Beauty ornaments. Two of her current favorites.

CJ got a Mickey Mouse baseball ornament. A great tribute to his first Little League season.

It was a fun night and it went surprisingly well!

(The picture is a little blurry, I was not using a flash)

26 Days til Christmas

Tonight we started off the Christmas season by watching "The Polar Express." This is not a new movie, in fact I saw it in the movie theatre with CJ on his first-ever-school field trip, way back in Kindergarten. Ahhh... the memories. Where has the time gone?

Anyway, "The Polar Express" is about a boy, about 9 or 10 years old, who is starting to question whether or not Santa Claus is real. It is Christmas Eve and he is laying awake in his bed waiting to hear Santa's sleigh. Instead, he hears a train come through his yard. He gets on the train and travels to the North Pole with a bunch of other kids. All of the kids have their own reasons for being on the train. Once they get to the North Pole, the boy is chosen by Santa to receive the first gift of Christmas. He chooses a bell that fell off of Santa's Sleigh. The ringing of the bell can only be heard by people who believe in Santa.

I just love the message of this movie. I know that CJ has struggled with believing in Santa for the last couple of years. Many of the kids in his class have told him that there is no Santa Claus. I just keep reassuring him that it is silly to not believe. Those who do not believe do not get a visit from Santa on Christmas Eve! A movie like "The Polar Express" helps to promote the idea of believing in Santa. It helps to give kids and adults a reason to say "why not, why not just believe?" You have nothing to loose by just believing.

I Believe!

So, What's All the Hype?

OK, so today is Black Friday. I decided to participate, on a limited basis. I don't get up at 4:00 am for anything. My Black Friday shopping started at 9:oo am, a much more reasonable hour, if you ask me. I went shopping with my mom, we needed each other for moral support, and there is strength in numbers! Our first stop was Wal*Mart. There were a few items pictured in their ad that I was interested in taking a look at. When we got to the store the crowd was not bad. Wal*Mart's answer to the shopping madness was to put all of their "Door Busters" in cardboard display boxes in and around all of the main aisles. What a mess!!! When we did finally manage to find a few of the items that we were interested in, the quality was poor. So, we ended up with a few DVD's, and a couple of stocking stuffer's.

Our next stop was Toys 'R' Us. The store was packed. There were two lines, each reaching far back in the store that you had to get in just to then, get in a register line. No Thank You!!! We took a quick look around the store, it was such a mess that even if they did have something that we were interested in, we would never have been able to locate it. Total spent at Toys 'R' Us...$0.

Our next stop was a mall that is close to Toys 'R' Us. It was not too busy, but all that I came away with were some clothing items for my girls, from a store that did not even have a Black Friday ad, Children's Place. They do however send me coupons in the mail, so I am a loyal customer.

Finally, we decided to go to my favorite store...Target! Target was busy, but not excessive. They still had lots of items in stock. They actually had everything that I went there for. So, thanks to Target our shopping trip was not a total loss. I came away with two or three items for each of my kids and a few incidentals that I needed. Thank you Target!

My take on Black Friday is this...it is mainly for people who just love to shop in chaos, and are willing to buy anything that they think is a good deal. If you have specific gift ideas in mind, Black Friday may not be for you.

My lesson for next year...get up at 7:30 am, eat a little breakfast and go straight to Target!

Thanksgiving Fun!!!

Today was a good day. It started off as it normally does (at least for the past 5 years) with me getting up early to get started on ALL of that Turkey Day cooking. My day started at 8:00 am with lots of bread and vegetables to prep and chop. By 8:30 the girls were up helping me. By 10:00 everyone was awake, and watching the parade. We had our traditional Thanksgiving morning breakfast of Pilsbury Grands Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls (nummmm). I wanted to attempt homemade caramel rolls this year, but I chickened out at the last minute.

After breakfast it was time to make the stuffing and prep the Turkey to go in the oven.

Here are a couple of pictures of the kids getting in on the Turkey stuffing fun......

After all of the food was preped and cooking it was time to clean up and set the table.

Grandma and Grandpa came over at 2:00 pm, and that is when all of the eating got started. We had some veggies, bread cubes and dip to nibble on while the rest of the food was doing it's magic. At 4:00 we all sat down to a great Thanksgiving feast. We had Turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes with gravy, green bean casserole, carrots, cranberry sauce, and rolls. For desert we had pumpkin pie, apple pie, vanilla ice cream, and of course cool whip to go on top. Everything turned out great, and without any glitches. I think I am actually getting the hang of cooking this meal!!!

After dinner and clean up we had time to take a few silly pictures before the kids sat down to watch "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving." While the kids were watching tv, I finally had a chance to take a look at all of those Black Friday ads. I am not much of a fan of Black Friday, but I saw a few good deals on things that I had in mind for Christmas gifts, so I may get up and throw myself into the mayhem in the morning. That remains to be seen.

All in all, it was a good day. I hope it was for all of you as well!

Thursday Thought ~ Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Thursday Thought

Thanksgiving Day is here! There are so many things to be thankful for today. The main thing that I keep thinking about is, all of those who came before us. I am thankful for all of those people who made our country the great place that it is. I am thankful for the vision of William Bradford and the Pilgrim's. I am thankful for our founding father's and the divinely inspired ideals that this country was founded on. Let's not forget them today. Let's take time to think about the great gift that they gave to us. Let's not forget their vision. Let's continue to make this the greatest country on the face of the earth!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

The Things I do for My Kids

The guys of Pack 220 and Troop 220

Of all the crazy things that I have ever done for my kids, last weekend ranks way at the top of the list. I went camping with CJ's Cub Scout Pack and Boy Scout Troop.

Oh, but wait, I forgot to mention that I was the only female on the camping trip. Yep, it was me and 39 men and boys. Oh, and did I mention that it was probably the coldest weekend that we have had in Central Florida since last winter. Friday night, as I laid shivering in my TENT, the temperature dipped to a wonderful 28 degrees.
So, as if being the only woman at a very cold camp out was not enough. Saturday morning we got up to go on a five mile hike on part of the Florida Trail. Now, I was not at all worried about the hike, I was actually kind of looking forward to it. However, all of my hiking and walking experiences have taken place on well traveled trails. The trail that I was about to hike on was not at all well traveled. In fact, many parts of the trail did not look like a trail at all. It was difficult at times to know if we were even on the trail. Needless to say, it was quite an adventure and a great workout. My legs are still feeling it, even 3 days later.

This is what part of the trail looked like

Well, now that all is said and done. I have to say that it was not all that bad to be the only woman on the trip. All of the guys were pretty well behaved. They treated me pretty well, helped me when I needed it, and were pretty nice all the way around. Plus, I think the fact that I made it through what was a challenging weekend for all of us, impressed all of them a little bit. And, even better, I am very proud of myself. I made it through, I did what I had to do, I toughed it out, and I was there for my son. It was a big weekend for both of us. We will have stories to tell for years to come!

Thursday Thought

I saw this idea on another blog (see Our Family Ramblings at http://4my3kids.blogspot.com), and I thought it was a great idea.

So, I am going to try to do this on Thursdays.

Today, what I keep thinking I am most thankful for is my family.

I know that is an easy one, but we do not always say it as much as we should.

I am thankful for my husband, who works a gazillion hours every month to keep our family going, and makes me laugh with the crazy things that he comes up with.

I am thankful for my son who always keeps me guessing and provides lots of opportunities for me to grow as a mom.

Wait til Monday when I tell you about the growth experience that he is providing for me this weekend!

I am thankful for my two beautiful girls who make my life so much better.

I don't have any sisters, so I feel like these two girls were put in my life to give me plenty of female interaction and companionship.

I can't wait to have lots of 'girls days' with them!!!

That is a lot to be Thankful for, and I know there is so much more.

Find Your Voice

This is a list that I found on Glenn Beck's website (http://www.glennbeck.com/). I found it very interesting and full of great things to think about. We are living in uncertain times. I think it is important to take time to consider who we are, what we believe in, and what we want our country to look like for our children. I hope you think so too.....

FIND YOUR VOICE
You are your own voice. Others may be silenced. Who will lead if your guy 'who speaks for you' is gone?

FIND YOURSELF
Who are you really? What do you believe? Have you been pushed and challenged? Do you know where you stand? Can you support it with real facts?

FIND YOUR WEAKNESS
Don't ignore your weakness. Make your weakness into your strength.

FIND YOUR VALUES
Make it your focus, work at them. Values don't just 'happen' they are developed. A house divided against cannot stand. Be the same person at home, at work, in public and private.

FIND YOUR LOVE
Too much hate has been planted. Uproot it, pull it out and replace it with goodwill for those of different faiths, political party or viewpoints.

FIND YOUR FELLOW AMERICANS
Connect and encourage those who put Constitution and service to God first. Help them wake others.

FIND YOUR JOY
It will come from places that Americans are encouraged to find it. True joy won't be found in stores, sex or power. You will need to know where your unlimited supply can be found. Look to your family. Look at selfless service. But you have to find if for yourself.

Raingutter Regatta

Last Saturday (Wow, was that already a week ago?) was the annual Pack 220 Raingutter Regatta. Raingutter Regatta, what does that mean? That is what I thought my first year in Scouting. It is a pretty cool event for the kids. We actually have a "track" that is made out of side by side sections of rain gutter. We fill each gutter up with water and the kids race their boats in them. They all buy a little kit that BSA sells to make their very own boat. They decorate it anyway that they want, and then, they all get together to race. The boats are propelled, down the gutter, by each kid gently blowing on the sail of their own boat.

This year CJ decided to decorate his boat like a Greek Pirate Ship. Yep, I did not know exactly what that was either. But, being the history buff that he is, CJ had a picture of one in a "101 facts about Pirates," book that he has. So, a Greek Pirate Ship it was.

The boat looked great, but did not race so well. We thought that maybe it was top heavy because of the extra decoration that he attached to the sail. But, upon closer inspection I noticed that the rudder and keel were attached crooked to the bottom of his boat. So, the lesson for next year's boat is; remember to make sure the rudder and keel are strait when gluing them on to the boat.

The day was not a total loss though. Even though he did not win a medal for racing his boat, CJ did win "Most Realistic Design." That was probably a more important prize to him anyway. He is all about his boat looking like a real boat! ;-)

Do I Hear Fairy Wings?

Believe it or not, the Tooth Fairy was at our house AGAIN!!! Monday night it was Caitlyn's turn. Is it just me, or do they seem to be switching back and forth with the lost teeth? It must be another one of those mysterious twin connections. Oh, what will they find to fool us with when they get older?

This tooth was a bit of a surprise. I knew it was loose, but I did not realize it was that loose. We were brushing teeth, getting ready for bed, and all of a sudden there was blood in Caitlyn's mouth. Then, I saw a space between two of her bottom teeth. I must have sounded really surprised when I said, "Caitlyn, did you just loose a tooth?" She put her fingers in her mouth, and sure enough, she was holding a tiny little baby tooth.

So, we got out the Tooth Fairy Box, yet again. This time the Tooth Fairy brought a little stuffed horse. Too cute!

Need I say it again? Stay tuned.........

They did it Again!!!

The FIRST place Yankees did it again last night! It was a tough game. They played the Marlins, the only team that they have lost to this season. It ended up to be a real nail bitter. The two teams are pretty evenly matched, but in the end the Yankees came out on top with a final score of Yankees 9, Marlins 8.

CJ was happy to take a walk in his first at bat. A couple of good hits by his teammates got him all the way to 3rd base. But, that would be as close as CJ would get to scoring a run last night. He ended up being the third out of the inning, as he got tagged in the baseline, running for home.

In his next at bat, I could see that he was still nervous about getting hit by the ball. But, he took a couple of good swings. A little more batting practice should help to boost his confidence.

We can't wait to see what will happen next week. Only two games left in the season!!!