Could Not Ask for More....

When you have small kids everything is simplified. For example instead of saying we have X number of days until Santa arrives, we replace days with sleeps. The reds understand that in 9 more sleeps they will wake up and hopefully Santa will have brought them what they asked for. The one challenge I have is trying to get the reds to fully understand how fortunate they are, especially during these very harsh economic times.

Last Friday I took the oldest red to get some new jammies. As I drove up to the store I noticed all the uniformed men and women standing outside the doors and realized they were holding a Toy for Tots drive. What a perfect opportunity to try and teach a very important lesson about giving to others!!! As we walked up, the oldest red asked why they were all standing around with candy canes and in costumes. I explained to him that they were in their work uniforms and are collecting toys for boys and girls that might not get any for Christmas. Just then I thought...what if he asks me why Santa won't bring them toys...thankfully he didn't because I didn't have a prepared response for that.

We headed to the toy section, which thankfully had an entire aisle of toys priced just right. The first toy spotted was a train set (of course). The next toy we got was an overstuffed floppy teddy bear that was the perfect size for night time snuggles. We purchased our items and the oldest red insisted on being the one to put the toys in the bin. He proudly walked out the doors and dropped them in the bin. His reward was a candy cane. My reward was far greater than that. The lesson itself stuck with him and I know this because just yesterday he asked me if I knew the names of the kids that would get the toys we bought for them. That moment reminded me of a few lines from one of my favorite songs.....

And these are the moments,

I thank God that I'm alive.

And these are the moments,

I'll remember all my life.

I've found all I've Waited for,

And I could not ask for more.

Merry Christmas!

xoxo

Me

60 Minutes

This morning we needed to leave the house by 7:45am so that I could fill up the non-environmentally friendly Pilot, drop the littlest red off at daycare and take the oldest red to school. Friday's I work in the classroom so I try to get in at least 2 cups of coffee to make it through the day. Well this morning I had exactly 1 hour (because we woke up LATE) to do the following:

• Shower, dry hair, flat iron hair, throw on some mineral powder and mascara, brush teeth and get dressed.
• Feed the reds breakfast.
• Get the reds dressed which is no easy task when the youngest red refusses to do anything by himself and mama doesn't have time to waste.
• Brush the reds teeth and hair.
• Demand that they both use the bathroom before we leave the house (don't ask).
• Make the oldest reds lunch.
• Check on one of the household cats that scratched his eye last night and made it bleed...like I have time to deal with feline issues.
• Make sure homework was finished and fill out the reading log because I forgot to last night.
• Find the lost coat of the littlest red.
• Find the reading log of another boy in the oldest reds class that was accidently sent home to our house.
• Make coffee so that I can function with a class of wild 5 year olds that eat pencils and other things they shouldn't eat (use your imagination).
• Grab something to eat for Me.
• Deal with at least one meltdown by the youngest red (happens every morning so we just add it to the routine).

Well we got out of the house at exactly 7:45am but a very cruicial to do list item was sacrificed. Yep, you guessed it...the COFFEE. I wanted my coffee so bad but there just wasn't time. I figured since I have to stop by the gas station, I can grab a cup there. HUGE mistake. I opted for the french vanilla premade coffee that comes out of that machine. You know what I'm referring to. The one that says, Only fill 3/4 of the cup. Yeah that one. I also didn't have time to eat so I thought I would grab a round maple doughnut. Sugar upon sugar. The coffee was so sweet that one sip was enough to throw it out. Oh and that doughnut was filled with custard. Now why would someone go and ruin a perfectly good thing by filling it with custard???? They need warning signs for that. A tired mom that hasn't had any coffee doesn't want to bit into what is supposed to be a yummy thing and find this disgusting surprise. It's not right.

So I'm giving myself a Kudos for getting out of the house on time, even though I didn't take care of my cruicial needs. And my words of advice, skip the premade crappy coffee and stick to the old fashion doughnuts or your old friend Hostess.

xoxo

Me

Many Bruises Later....

And the move is finally over. We started moving stuff into the new house on Sunday the 22nd and today I finally finished cleaning up the old place and gathered the last few things including our runaway cat Santos. Jeremy and I have moved over half a dozen times since getting married and this move was by far the longest. We thought that since the drive from old house to new house was less than 10 minutes one way that we could go back and forth. That got OLD real quick. I alone must have made that trip 30 times and I have many battle wounds to prove how hard we worked. The worst being a large nasty bruise of my upper left arm...I had a battle with the bedframe and guess who won. In all fairness, I had my back turned and the bedframe attacked me from behind. But at the end of the day, we are happy to be moved into the new home where there is more space for our family, even if it was the longest move EVER.

xoxo

Me

Purging, Packing and Pretty Shoes.

In one very short week we will be moving from our quiet country setting in Acampo to a quiet semi country setting in Lockeford. I say semi country because we are saying goodbye to a stinky chicken farm and hello to a subdivision of about 30ish homes with public infrastructure but are still in a very small rural town. Same grocery store, just closer. Same school for Sam, but a different route. We will have acres of open space behind us and the sound of coyotes will still echo through the air each night. We are sad to be leaving our friendly neighborhood but have outgrown our current home.

One of the joys of moving is purging and packing. Now if you ask my friend Jessica she loves the purging part of moving. In fact she offered to help me which I graciously declined in fear of my favorite brown boots "accidentially" getting donated to her closet. So the purging process began and Mr. G. was so patient with me. I pulled out shirt after shirt asking him if I could donate it or if he wanted to keep it. I figured it was a nice way of giving him the opportunity to save his clothes from the black Glad garbage bag. The reds could care less when it comes to their clothes and I made sure they were distracted when it came to the toys. As for my stuff, well, you didn't really think I would get rid of my pretty shoes??? Actually I am proud to say I did purge 2 pairs and when I looked at those 2 pairs I did that thing where you tilt your head to one side and go Hmm...what was I thinking. There is no way I would have purchased those shoes and added them to my collection. Must have been for a Halloween costume or a gag gift from someone.

As I sit here surrounded by boxes and still have many more to pack, I think of the very first house we purchased. The house that we made into our home. The house that we, well mostly Mr. G. spent countless house fixing up. The house we brought our babies home to and made many great memories. I have high hopes that this next house will quickly become a home filled with laughter, love and many wonderful memories.

xoxo

Me

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things....

The hugs, kisses, snuggles and cuddles that the reds give so freely on a daily basis.

Cool summer breeze and the perfect sunset that makes it all seem so peacful.

The perfect pair of jeans that fit right every single time you put them on.

The feel of my feet right after a spa pedicure.

The honesty you can see when you look into someone eyes.

The simple innocence of what the reds say and always at the right moment.

Knowing that no matter what decision I make or what is going on in my life my girls will ALWAYS be there for me...no matter what.

New songs for my iTouch.

A baseball game on a Sunday afternoon.

The warmth and smell of clean sheets.

Clean and organized house which rarely happens but I have high hopes.

A day of shopping with no distractions and no rush.

Knowing that I found my forever and willl never let him go.

The laughter that fills my house every day and the hope that it never goes away.

Littlest Red and Me

All play and no work makes for a very happy little red. I've been trying to do fun things with Lucas because lately he has been feeling a little left out. He doesn't get to go to school and participate in class parties and fundraisers. He doesn't get to do a weekly homework packet and although we all know that one day homework will be the root of all evil in his world, he wants to do what big brother does. So we've been playing legos, going to lunch with friends (well my friends), taking rides to the foothills, doing crafts, etc. Sometimes I think it's enough and sometimes I want to do more for him. Today we had a mommy and Lucas photoshoot. Of course he agreed to cooperate without the bribe of a lollipop ;-) and I think the smile on his face proves that I'm making sure he has fun when it's just the Littlest Red and Me.

xoxo

Me

And so it begins....

I decided that it's time for me to jump on the blogger bandwagon. Hopefully I can keep it updated regularly and provide you a little entertainment along the way. Sooooooo...Let's Get it Started in Here (I do love that song).

xoxo

Me