except when it first falls. It's so pretty. When it started snowing this morning, I thought no big deal, it's not going to stay. But as it continued the snowflakes got more clumpy and fluffy. Now there are just tips of the grass poking through and it's absolutely beautiful. I always think it looks so peaceful and calming. It also brings the intense desire for some really quality hot chocolate with Bailey's, curled up in front of a fireplace with a good book to read.... if only I had a fireplace. :)
amor y paz,
me
Friday, December 28, 2007
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Tis the Season
I'd been feeling kind of bah humbug about Christmas. The stress of the end of the semester had really gotten to me. Then yesterday morning I went to my kids' school for the annual "Singing Off the Walls." It's about 45 minutes of singing Christmas carols including a special song performance by each grade.
The kids were all so excited. Songs that they were super excited about would come up on the power point and they would just cheer and clap... I found myself getting choked up, so much so that I had to stop singing. There was just something about the unadulterated enthusiasm I felt in that gym that really brought it all into perspective. This is a wonderful time of year, of family and helping each other out and heck giving and receiving of presents.
Another interesting point of reference... I was telling a friend of mine, a childless friend, about how on weekdays when my kids have school, it's like trying to wake the dead to get them all out of bed in the morning. Then come the weekend or vacations, like we're currently in, they're up at 6:00 am. Craziness. My friend said something like yeah, but they're living up their vacation. Taking advantage of every second. Now that I'm an adult when I take vacations I look forward to being able to sleep.
It's so true. It's easy to be jaded and cynical when you're an adult, to lose sight of the small things in life. So as I reflect on the holidays this year, I want to try to look at how I'm going into this time off of vacation with my kids. It's a time to have fun and enjoy each other, to be thankful for what we have and to remember and help those that don't have. I wish everyone (probably the whole 3 people that have read my blog :) ) a very Merry Christmas and a joyous and prosperous New Year.
amor y paz,
me
The kids were all so excited. Songs that they were super excited about would come up on the power point and they would just cheer and clap... I found myself getting choked up, so much so that I had to stop singing. There was just something about the unadulterated enthusiasm I felt in that gym that really brought it all into perspective. This is a wonderful time of year, of family and helping each other out and heck giving and receiving of presents.
Another interesting point of reference... I was telling a friend of mine, a childless friend, about how on weekdays when my kids have school, it's like trying to wake the dead to get them all out of bed in the morning. Then come the weekend or vacations, like we're currently in, they're up at 6:00 am. Craziness. My friend said something like yeah, but they're living up their vacation. Taking advantage of every second. Now that I'm an adult when I take vacations I look forward to being able to sleep.
It's so true. It's easy to be jaded and cynical when you're an adult, to lose sight of the small things in life. So as I reflect on the holidays this year, I want to try to look at how I'm going into this time off of vacation with my kids. It's a time to have fun and enjoy each other, to be thankful for what we have and to remember and help those that don't have. I wish everyone (probably the whole 3 people that have read my blog :) ) a very Merry Christmas and a joyous and prosperous New Year.
amor y paz,
me
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Who knew it could be this fun?
So the boy is in fifth grade this year, 10 years old, and decided that he wanted to be on the basketball team. He's not really very naturally athletic, but my philosophy has always been if he wants to try something, I'm happy to let him do so. So he tried out, made the team and it's been a really good year. He's not one of the star players, but it has been really fun to go to the games and watch the players all progress in skill.
The cool thing about watching 5th graders play is that the game is actually about team work. Of course there are some kids who are better at ball-handling or generally playing, but really they concentrate on playing together. They actually pass the ball. It's not all the showboating that you see in pro ball. It makes for a much more interesting fun experience.
Now on the flip side of that, you've got a couple of the parents. It's amazing what having children in sports does to some people. There are a couple of parents in particular that I specifically try to avoid sitting next to at the games. It is physically painful to my ears to be closer than five feet. I mean seriously, do you think yelling at the top of your lungs for your child to do this or that is going to help them in the game? Isn't that why there's a coach? The coach's job is to see the big picture and tell the players the best way to approach play against other teams and such.... *sigh* some people.
Overall, it's been a lot of fun though. It will be interesting to see if he continues to want to be in basketball or if he'll go back to chess. :)
amor y paz,
me
The cool thing about watching 5th graders play is that the game is actually about team work. Of course there are some kids who are better at ball-handling or generally playing, but really they concentrate on playing together. They actually pass the ball. It's not all the showboating that you see in pro ball. It makes for a much more interesting fun experience.
Now on the flip side of that, you've got a couple of the parents. It's amazing what having children in sports does to some people. There are a couple of parents in particular that I specifically try to avoid sitting next to at the games. It is physically painful to my ears to be closer than five feet. I mean seriously, do you think yelling at the top of your lungs for your child to do this or that is going to help them in the game? Isn't that why there's a coach? The coach's job is to see the big picture and tell the players the best way to approach play against other teams and such.... *sigh* some people.
Overall, it's been a lot of fun though. It will be interesting to see if he continues to want to be in basketball or if he'll go back to chess. :)
amor y paz,
me
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
The ongoing joy of children
Last night I got home after taking my final and we decided to all go grocery shopping as a family. Grab some dinner from the deli and buy what we need. So we're walking through the aisles, always an adventure with three kids, saying no to a zillion different things that they think they need, when we get to the paper products aisle.
I am of course intent on finding cheap toilet paper that doesn't feel like the tree it was made from, when my 10 year old BOY, says, "Mom, do you need more Tampax? What even are Tampax?" I giggled and said, thanks but no. And they're something I need for when I'm on my period and left it at that. Those are just details I don't need to go into in the middle of the store. hehehe
Man, I can't wait to remind him of that when he's a little older. Actually probably once I explain what a period is he'll be horribly disgusted and embarrassed. Ah the fun fun things we can build up and remember about our children. Too much fun. :)
amor y paz,
me
I am of course intent on finding cheap toilet paper that doesn't feel like the tree it was made from, when my 10 year old BOY, says, "Mom, do you need more Tampax? What even are Tampax?" I giggled and said, thanks but no. And they're something I need for when I'm on my period and left it at that. Those are just details I don't need to go into in the middle of the store. hehehe
Man, I can't wait to remind him of that when he's a little older. Actually probably once I explain what a period is he'll be horribly disgusted and embarrassed. Ah the fun fun things we can build up and remember about our children. Too much fun. :)
amor y paz,
me
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Ahhh the memories!
Pictures always seem like such a great idea. I mean, don't we all want to be able to look back on our lives and see what we looked like or reminisce about the good times had?
We went with the whole fam... parents, brother's family... because we haven't done the whole family thing for about 5 years, so no niece in the last family pic and my youngest was just a baby. It actually went surprisingly well considering my children went to school today and were pretty tired by the time 7:00pm rolled around. Hopefully something good came out of it. :)
The best part of the evening? Ainsley asking the photographer to take pictures of her while she did the chicken dance. And the photographer actually did. Complete props to the Picture People. The woman who took our pictures, Heidi, was amazingly patient and worked with us and our crazy children. I'll be interested to see how they turn out. We didn't stay to see them since it's a school night and all.
Right... so that's enough rambling for now... lesson to be learned from the picture taking? Don't schedule pictures to be taken during the evening on a week night. Weekend afternoons really would be better.
amor y paz,
me
We went with the whole fam... parents, brother's family... because we haven't done the whole family thing for about 5 years, so no niece in the last family pic and my youngest was just a baby. It actually went surprisingly well considering my children went to school today and were pretty tired by the time 7:00pm rolled around. Hopefully something good came out of it. :)
The best part of the evening? Ainsley asking the photographer to take pictures of her while she did the chicken dance. And the photographer actually did. Complete props to the Picture People. The woman who took our pictures, Heidi, was amazingly patient and worked with us and our crazy children. I'll be interested to see how they turn out. We didn't stay to see them since it's a school night and all.
Right... so that's enough rambling for now... lesson to be learned from the picture taking? Don't schedule pictures to be taken during the evening on a week night. Weekend afternoons really would be better.
amor y paz,
me
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
You just gotta love kids...
I'm sitting in class today listening to one of my classmate's presentations when my cell phone starts ringing. Dammitalltohell, I forgot to put the stupid thing on silent. *sigh*
Anywho, I check my voicemail adn it's from my youngest. She said, "Mommy, can you stop at the store and buy some hot chocolate on your way home? We think someone came into the house and stole ours."
I couldn't help but laugh, quite loudly. Obviously someone would come into the house to steal the hot chocolate powder, and then leave behind the two computers, dvd player, TV, Wii and various other valuable-ish type things.
Hehehehe, gotta love the things that come out of the mouths of babes!
amor y paz,
me
Anywho, I check my voicemail adn it's from my youngest. She said, "Mommy, can you stop at the store and buy some hot chocolate on your way home? We think someone came into the house and stole ours."
I couldn't help but laugh, quite loudly. Obviously someone would come into the house to steal the hot chocolate powder, and then leave behind the two computers, dvd player, TV, Wii and various other valuable-ish type things.
Hehehehe, gotta love the things that come out of the mouths of babes!
amor y paz,
me
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
My theme song...
So this is a fairly new discovery for me, and for the longest time I didn't know the artist so I couldn't even get the song. Craziness!
Anywho, the song is "Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield. Take it or leave it, I love the song, the lyrics really speak to me. If you read my profile info, I mention having already suffered an identity crisis. I was 27 years old and had no clue who I was. I had always defined myself by the men in my life. I went from boyfriend to boyfriend... and would take on whatever interests my love interest of the moment was. Fast forward through a marriage and three children in less than 6 years and I had NO identity. I had ideas of who I thought everyone else thought I should be, but that's not who I was.
Again, anywho, here I am at 30 years old and I am happy to be who I am. Right, so that leads me too the lyrics of this song: (I'm copying and pasting this.. hope that's legal, heh)
I am unwritten,
Can't read my mind
I'm undefined
I'm just beginning
The pen's in my hand
Ending unplanned
Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words
That you could not find
Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten, yeah
Oh, oh
I break tradition
Sometimes my tries
Are outside the lines, oh yeah yeah
We've been conditioned
To not make mistakes
But I can't live that way oh, oh
There's more of the chorus repeated, but this is the main part of the song. The part that speaks to me is this line, "No one else can speak the words on your lips." For so long I tried to do that. It's not worth it. You need to be your own person to be able to find true happiness. You have to live your life for you first because if you're not happy... neither is anyone else in your life when they are with you. There's my biggest piece of advice, figure out who you are and own it. :)
amor y paz,
me
Anywho, the song is "Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield. Take it or leave it, I love the song, the lyrics really speak to me. If you read my profile info, I mention having already suffered an identity crisis. I was 27 years old and had no clue who I was. I had always defined myself by the men in my life. I went from boyfriend to boyfriend... and would take on whatever interests my love interest of the moment was. Fast forward through a marriage and three children in less than 6 years and I had NO identity. I had ideas of who I thought everyone else thought I should be, but that's not who I was.
Again, anywho, here I am at 30 years old and I am happy to be who I am. Right, so that leads me too the lyrics of this song: (I'm copying and pasting this.. hope that's legal, heh)
I am unwritten,
Can't read my mind
I'm undefined
I'm just beginning
The pen's in my hand
Ending unplanned
Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words
That you could not find
Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten, yeah
Oh, oh
I break tradition
Sometimes my tries
Are outside the lines, oh yeah yeah
We've been conditioned
To not make mistakes
But I can't live that way oh, oh
There's more of the chorus repeated, but this is the main part of the song. The part that speaks to me is this line, "No one else can speak the words on your lips." For so long I tried to do that. It's not worth it. You need to be your own person to be able to find true happiness. You have to live your life for you first because if you're not happy... neither is anyone else in your life when they are with you. There's my biggest piece of advice, figure out who you are and own it. :)
amor y paz,
me
Another attempt
So this would be a new attempt at the blogging thing. I always think things I write are kinda dumb when I go back to read them, but I'll try to get over that. I suppose this time I may actually want to tell people I'm blogging, too.
Inspired by my friend, Mateo, I thought why not start my blogging career again, so here it goes. Read or don't, just like the title of my blog, you may not care what's written, no skin off my nose :)... well that's a little confrontational, whatever, mostly I'm doing this for me. Sometimes the vastness of the interwebz are perfect for venting and just being dumb.
Alrighty then, here it is my first blog entry in a couple of years, we'll see how it goes. :)
amor y paz,
me
Inspired by my friend, Mateo, I thought why not start my blogging career again, so here it goes. Read or don't, just like the title of my blog, you may not care what's written, no skin off my nose :)... well that's a little confrontational, whatever, mostly I'm doing this for me. Sometimes the vastness of the interwebz are perfect for venting and just being dumb.
Alrighty then, here it is my first blog entry in a couple of years, we'll see how it goes. :)
amor y paz,
me
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