In the spirit of the holiday I would like to make a list of things that I am thankful for tonight. I have a book titled 14,000 things to be happy about and it has inspired me to make my own list, although I am too tired for 14,000, I think I will aim for 100. The key to this book is it's randomness. It's not deep, it's not thought provoking. It is just a simple list of things to be thankful for. Here goes my own attempt.
1. Kids in general, but especially mine. They are the best one's I've found.
2. Dogs, especially mine. I've found some I like a lot better, but still love her to death.
3. Husbands, and only mine. I mostly find all others to be irritating.
4. Money. It does make the world go around, no matter what they say!
5. Heat. Thank you God, I get to bitch every month that the gas bill is outrageous. I couldn't imagine not having that option.
6. Food. Again, Thank you God. I gripe because I just spent $140 at Albertsons. How lucky am I?
7. Religion. Especially mine. It works for me and I am so thankful that I was born into a family that has it. I'm also thankful for others that have it, even if it's a different version.
8. Music. It can spark a memory so intense, it can soothe a mood, it can create a mood, it just makes life interesting.
9. Books. Some of these are my best friends. These keep me from feeling like I'm loosing all intelligence while I live at home with my kids.
10. Children's Tylenol. If you have kids, enough said.
11. Insurance co-pays. They still suck, but thank God we have them.
12. Red wine. The perfect way to end a day.
13. English Tea. The perfect way to start the day.
14. Relatives. They keep you grounded. You know where you came from. You may not like it, but you are genetically attached to these people. Scary....
15. Blogs. How else would I waste enough time every day to avoid cleaning house?
16. Facebook. Another great leisurely activity.
17. My scrapbook room. My refuge.
18. pink and brown anything
19. Pottery barn kids rooms Someday.....
20. Coupons
21. pajama pants
22. Cell phones
23. cool looking baskets
24. Christmas recipe magazines
25. Jello
26. Barbies on the living room floor
27. Diaper genies
28. Parenting books
29. ribbons
30. Cameras
31. Wiggle cars
32. Subdivision neighbors
33. friends from the past
34. friends who still mail things via "snail mail"
35. friends who never forget your birthday....not for the whole 14 years you have known them.
36. imagining taking your kids to Disneyland
37. snuggles
38. alone time
39. old CD's from junior high
40. Dixie Chicks
41. Jay Leno
42. Ti-vo'd anyting
43. the idea of Paris
44. education
45. independent
46. expression
47. ability to ponder
48. ability to zone
49. Grandmothers
50. Aunts
51. Memories
52. possibilities
53. stay-at-home moms
54. patterned paper
55. Silver jeans
56. ANEW Retroactive facials
57. Diet Pepsi
58. Archivers
59. Target
60. freshly flossed teeth
61. brothers
62. sisters
63. neices
64. nephews
65. in-laws
66. connections
67. fate
68. direction
69. spiral notebooks
70. recipes
71. shoes
72. mushroom pizza
73. singing in cars
74. laughing so hard you pee (a little)
75. when your kid tells you they love you, for no reason
76. sun tans
77. buy one get one free sales
78. fractions
79. hair spray
80. the giving of gifts
81. drinking anything with a straw
82. quotes saved in an old notebook
83. favorite teachers
84. dressing up
85. creativity
86. movies made from novels
87. meeting friends for lunch
88. cheap jewelry
89. the realities of marriage
90. beauty
91. happy times
92. a chance to listen to silence
93. that I am needed by three people
94. inside jokes
95. exercise machines
96. knowing I don't have to set an alarm
97. waking up to "Mommy, wake up"
98. options
99. winks
100. Welcome home kisses
Happy Thanksgiving.
Tuesday, November 24
Monday, November 16
Tis the Season....for two whole months!
I took the kids shopping this weekend. We had to go to Target to get pictures for Christmas and then we went up to the mall. When you are two and four, Christmas is the biggest thing in the world. When you are two and four, a month is an eternity, but two months, is a disaster. There was Santa in the center of the mall with a line of screaming kids a mile long. We looked at Santa for atleast 20 minutes. Three times. They were so upset that we couldn't go down and sit on his lap and Cameron was panicked because she hadn't made a list yet. It's only November. 14th. Seriously. Poor kids. The Christmas music, the decorations, the incessant talking about it on tv. What happened to Thanksgiving? No matter how hard they tried, they couldn't commercialize a holiday that's entire purpose was to reflect on the gifts God gave us as a nation, so we just skip that one. It's pretty sad.
Anyways, I told Cameron that we don't visit Santa until after Thanksgiving and she challenged me with the fact that all of the other brats in the Mall got to sit on his lap. I didn't have an answer to that except that their families must have different rules that ours. It's getting harder to be a good parent that always has the answers now that Cameron always has the question.
I am looking forward to Christmas in the worst way because the kids are going to absolutely love it. There's nothing better than when they're old enough to understand but young enough to be innocent to the whole Santa thing. Can you imagine the magic? It's hard for me to remember the excitement and the joy of it at that age. I won't sleep a wink that night I'll be so excited to watch them open their gifts. And it's only a month and a half away!
Anyways, I told Cameron that we don't visit Santa until after Thanksgiving and she challenged me with the fact that all of the other brats in the Mall got to sit on his lap. I didn't have an answer to that except that their families must have different rules that ours. It's getting harder to be a good parent that always has the answers now that Cameron always has the question.
I am looking forward to Christmas in the worst way because the kids are going to absolutely love it. There's nothing better than when they're old enough to understand but young enough to be innocent to the whole Santa thing. Can you imagine the magic? It's hard for me to remember the excitement and the joy of it at that age. I won't sleep a wink that night I'll be so excited to watch them open their gifts. And it's only a month and a half away!
Saturday, November 7
Craft Fairs in Boise
Just had to add these quick photos of Tucker's first experience at carving a pumpkin. I have been up since 5:45 this morning becaue I can't quit coughing to sleep. It sucks. I have already had tea and medication and I still feel like crap. I am off to the Eagle Craft Bazaar, even though I feel this wa because this is the one time that Matt knows he's got the kids for the day. No matter what. I live for these shows so hopefully I can get it together enough with a shower to make due for a few hours.
I have to share a pretty funny story. Last night Matt wasn't feeling well so he went to bed early. I figured he was out cold and I REALLY didn't want to get sick today so I decided to go with my Grandma's old home remedy of eating garlic. I took a piece of wheat bread and completely slathered it with butter and then used my garlic press and pressed a whole clove of garlic into the butter. I rolled it up and downed it. I could smell my breath. A little bit. But I went to bed and was lying there reading and he wakes up out of a dead sleep and says, "Becky. Something stinks like onions and garlic." He starts coughing and gagging and I think he actually went into the kitchen and gagged in the sink. He slept in Cameoron's room because aparantly the whole house reeked like my breath. I couldn't quit laughing even though it's not funny. I imagine he's going to be pretty peeved at me this morning, but you know, there are times when he stinks pretty bad too and he doesn't seem to be very considerate when he does this so I think maybe we're finally even.
I have to share a pretty funny story. Last night Matt wasn't feeling well so he went to bed early. I figured he was out cold and I REALLY didn't want to get sick today so I decided to go with my Grandma's old home remedy of eating garlic. I took a piece of wheat bread and completely slathered it with butter and then used my garlic press and pressed a whole clove of garlic into the butter. I rolled it up and downed it. I could smell my breath. A little bit. But I went to bed and was lying there reading and he wakes up out of a dead sleep and says, "Becky. Something stinks like onions and garlic." He starts coughing and gagging and I think he actually went into the kitchen and gagged in the sink. He slept in Cameoron's room because aparantly the whole house reeked like my breath. I couldn't quit laughing even though it's not funny. I imagine he's going to be pretty peeved at me this morning, but you know, there are times when he stinks pretty bad too and he doesn't seem to be very considerate when he does this so I think maybe we're finally even.
Thursday, November 5
Halloween photos and ear infections
It's been a few weeks since I've posted, so here are some updates.
I had to show these off. We were invited to a couple's Halloween party and Matt and I had the hardest time coming up with a couple's costume that wasn't just trashy or lame. Anyways, we started with the idea of going as a priest and a nun, but I couldn't come up with good costumes, all of them were pretty cheap looking. So we went with this look, all based around the black wig that we borrowed from my Grandma. I am proud to say that I think we can totally pull this look off, so when that midlife crisis time comes around.....Cameron and Tucker may have this to look forward to when we sell everything we have and buy Harleys. Ha.
Those pants are pleather, which is basically lined plastic and they do not breathe. I was stretched so tight into those and they were getting hotter and hotter. I was so afraid to even sit down for fear of blowing out the butt, something I haven't done since a dance club my freshman year of college. I never thought I'd attempt pleather after two kids, but hey, in the spirit of the holiday, I had to give it hell.
Happy Halloween! I don't know what Tucker's deal was, but early in September, I grabbed one of the Taste of Home Halloween magazines at the checkstand and Tucker was obsessed with it. He would carry it around and stare at the food and make me sit and look too. Every time we got to the spider cake page, he'd say, "Make dat Mommy?" over and over again. OF course I couldn't say no, so here is Cameron and Tucker's version of the spider cake. Of course theirs was beautiful and black, but have you ever tried to make black frosting? It just doesn't look black. I guess I'll have to go to Michaels and get the real black frosting dye for next year. This year we went green. I baked the cake in the Pampered Chef mixing bowl and then frosted it with big globby spoonfuls of frosting. Then we stuck licorice in for the legs and oreos for eyes and nose and smarties for the mouth. I was thinking licorice for the mouth, but we couldn't get it to stay, and when you're baking with a two year old, it's all about speed rather than details. So here is Tucker's spider cake.
I had to show these off. We were invited to a couple's Halloween party and Matt and I had the hardest time coming up with a couple's costume that wasn't just trashy or lame. Anyways, we started with the idea of going as a priest and a nun, but I couldn't come up with good costumes, all of them were pretty cheap looking. So we went with this look, all based around the black wig that we borrowed from my Grandma. I am proud to say that I think we can totally pull this look off, so when that midlife crisis time comes around.....Cameron and Tucker may have this to look forward to when we sell everything we have and buy Harleys. Ha.
Those pants are pleather, which is basically lined plastic and they do not breathe. I was stretched so tight into those and they were getting hotter and hotter. I was so afraid to even sit down for fear of blowing out the butt, something I haven't done since a dance club my freshman year of college. I never thought I'd attempt pleather after two kids, but hey, in the spirit of the holiday, I had to give it hell.
Happy Halloween! I don't know what Tucker's deal was, but early in September, I grabbed one of the Taste of Home Halloween magazines at the checkstand and Tucker was obsessed with it. He would carry it around and stare at the food and make me sit and look too. Every time we got to the spider cake page, he'd say, "Make dat Mommy?" over and over again. OF course I couldn't say no, so here is Cameron and Tucker's version of the spider cake. Of course theirs was beautiful and black, but have you ever tried to make black frosting? It just doesn't look black. I guess I'll have to go to Michaels and get the real black frosting dye for next year. This year we went green. I baked the cake in the Pampered Chef mixing bowl and then frosted it with big globby spoonfuls of frosting. Then we stuck licorice in for the legs and oreos for eyes and nose and smarties for the mouth. I was thinking licorice for the mouth, but we couldn't get it to stay, and when you're baking with a two year old, it's all about speed rather than details. So here is Tucker's spider cake.
Here's my two monkeys enjoying our jack-o-lanterns. Cameron has seemed to have lost her pants somewhere in the process, but hey, somebody at every good party always seems to loose their pants. 
Halloween has come and gone, but here is the Halloween card I did for our monthly swap. I used a sketch off of a website but kind of toyed with it enough to make it my own. I love this line of paper. 
Here are the treat packs that Cameron and I made for her preschool class. It was different from what I originally invisioned, but still turned out pretty cute. I wanted the flap to fold over the top, but my dimensions were too short and Cameron was getting impatient to "help" so we just went with it. 
I have been stressing and stressing about the Swine Flu. I have been watching every little symptom that my kids are having in order to make sure we don't get it. I am the hand sanitizer natzi. And so far so good, but they have been coughing and coughing and coughing and I am about to go crazy. Halloween was a long day of missed naps and a late bed time and then, crash, on Sunday Cameron took a nap. That's how I know when she's sick because it is the absolute, ONLY time she will give in and rest is when she's completely exhausted and sick. She took a nap twice. Holy crap. Monday morning she was running a temperature and laying under the coffee table so off we went to the doctor. Low and behold, no swine flu, but two ear infections. Atleast these can be treated. So home with antibiotics and another all afternoon nap. Am I a bad Mom to admit that in the midst off my child's suffering and misery, I secretly LOVE it when she's sick because she sleeps and it's quiet in the house? For three and a half hours, I watched tv and balanced my check book and I didn't have to answer any incessant questioning or demands. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it when she takes naps and since she only takes them when she's sick, I secretly love it when she's sick (but not too sick).
Anyways, today Tucker was in the doctor for the same thing, running a temp last night and this morning and he also has an ear infection. They are both watching a movie on the couch and borderline taking a nap. If I didn't feel like crap, this would be a very productive afternoon, but instead, I think I may take one with them.
Enjoy your afternoon.
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