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Monday, February 15, 2010

I Slept on a VIRGIN (Island)

My parents just returned from a trip to Grand Cayman Island...man I'm jealous, it's such a beautiful place!  When they returned they had gifts for my children and me.  (shirts for them and shirt & jewelry for me) I love getting presents!  My parents have always been so sweet to bring me things from their trips.  When they gave me my new gifts, I took inventory of what I was already wearing, and I had on earrings, necklace, bracelet and ring from trips they had taken in the past!  I was thinking of all the trips they have taken and all the things they have brought back.  It made me recall when I was younger seeing a shirt my stepfather had gotten on a trip.  It was yellow, if I recall correctly....his fav color.  And it said....I Slept on a VIRGIN (Island).  I remember being so embarrassed that he had this shirt! haha!  I don't actually think he wore it out anywhere, but in retrospect, now that I think about it, it's pretty cool that he had it!

Friday, February 12, 2010

NoIsEs in my HoUsE

LOL, it's funny when you have different age kids in your house.  
They all make NoIsE, some just different than the other!
Last night, the teen was listening to some screamo metal music.
The toddler was making siren noises while playing with his ambulance.
LOL, gotta love it!!

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Technology

I love technology!  love, love, love it....but only when it works!!!  sooooo frustrated right now!  my husband's important company backups that are on a flash drive....corrupt or something.  HELP!!  story of my life....something always goes wrong!

Friday, February 5, 2010

Teens & Toddlers

Of course, I love my kids....but why is it that one moment they are nice/sweet/loving/cordial, etc.  Then a moment later they are the complete opposite??  It's up and down, up and down.  And lately I haven't had much patience for the down.  ugh!

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Mean People

November 27, 2006, from an older blog

I saw a bumper sticker the other night that I really liked, it said....MEAN PEOPLE MAKE LITTLE MEAN PEOPLE.....isn't that true?  I think children really do learn to act like the adults in their lives. 


My Boy


January 23, 2007, from an older blog
 
My little boy is 8 months old, it is so hard to believe how fast time goes by.  Time flies when you are having fun is so true.  Well, okay, colic wasn't fun, but most everything else has been.  Sometimes I wish things would just slow down a little bit.  He is just so cute, all the different phases he goes through.  Like I never thought he'd get how to crawl, and now he is standing up by himself and "cruising" the furniture.  Last night and today he started to stand on his own from a sitting position.  Before he would just let go of furniture or something like that.  Now he can actually stand all by himself, it is just so cool!  Babies are amazing.  Think of how hard it is to learn something new and how long it takes sometimes to learn something new...and then consider all the things that a baby learns in the first year of life!  Amazing!  I am blessed to have such a fun, healthy, happy baby.   I could just spend the whole day playing with him and not doing anything else.  He is just so much fun to be around and so much fun to watch.  Tonight he fed himself peas, it was so cute, of course he was a mess, but it was cute!  And to think these little things would have excited me??  Wow!  Oh, and today I was looking at pictures of  him the day he was born and I can't believe how much he has grown!  I'm a proud mom, can you tell?!

When I Die....

January 25, 2007, from an older blog




I went to a funeral the other day.  It was for a man I'd never met, but by the time I left, I felt like I had known him....wished I had met him.  Five people got up and talked about him.  The family had asked them to tell some funny stories.  It was very moving.  The stories they told, well, some were funny, others more serious.  But, he sounded like such a nice man, it was very obvious that he had really touched their lives.  I had tears in my eyes almost the whole time.
It really makes me wonder, when I die....what would people say about me?  My sister and I have been talking about how we live our lives and relationships that we have, talking about trying to be positive about the good things in our lives, maybe we should also think about  how we influence other people.
I know that my sis and I both touch a lot of lives everyday.  We work with children.  Some of the children we work with might not have a lot of positives in their lives.  We need to remember that what we say to the kids and how we say it can really impact their day.
Well, I'm not planning on dying anytime soon, but it just makes you think sometimes.  Almost 300 people visited the funeral home the other night for this gentleman.  Wow!  I wonder how many people would miss me?


Growing Fast!

April 28, 2007, from an older blog
 
Wow! My boys are growing up so fast! 

It's hard to believe that Joey will be 15 in 11 days!  I first met him when he was at the daycare in Kindergarten, then he moved into my class in 2nd grade.  And, Lee and I started dating when he was in 5th grade and had just turned 10.  He is growing up to be such a nice young man.  He is very smart, funny and just a lot of fun to be around.  I really enjoy hanging out with Joey, we have a lot in common and get along about 98% of the time which I think is great for a stepmom and a teenager!
Jake will be one in 9 days!  That is so incredibly hard for me to believe!  I can't believe how fast this year has just flown by.  It's just been so incredible.  I really enjoy being his mom.  I was so nervous about having a baby and wondering what kind of mother I would be, but I think I've done a great job.  (Except as my husband would tell you, not that I was ever a domestic goddess, but now it's even worse!!)  I just want to spend every minute with him.  I love watching him grow and change. 

My advice to any new parent is to enjoy every second and every stage.  Because if you blink your child has moved on to another stage.  You think the baby will never roll over, then the next thing you know they are sitting, crawling, standing, cruising, WALKING! 
Take lots of pics/videos!


Baby Girl

February 5, 2008, from an older blog
I really can't wait for Baby Girl to arrive.  I'm really over being pregnant.  When I was pregnant with Jake, I could have stayed pregnant for a long time, wouldn't have bothered me.  But, this time is different.  I think maybe she is bigger, or she likes to be up in my ribs more, bounce on my bladder more, etc.  I'm just getting really tired and kinda miserable.  Some people at work say I look like I'm gonna pop!  That's the way I feel. 

I'm pretty much ready now.  Mostly packed.  Did my belly cast the other day.  I love belly casts, I think they are so cool!  I do still have a dresser I need to paint, just got it last night from my Dad.  It was my dresser when I was a baby, then we used it for my sis, then my sis used it for her baby.  So I'm really excited to get to use it. 

I think Joey is looking forward to being a big bro again, he wants a cuddly baby...Jake isn't cuddly...too busy all the time.

I'm so worried about how Jake will handle a new baby in the house.  I hope he isn't too jealous.  I know he will be.  But, I hope it's not too bad.  They will be 21 months apart.

I'm hoping my labor and delivery go well.  I will have a doula again.  My doula, Degra, from last time is in Texas studying to be a Midwife.  So I have a different doula, Autumn, this time.  But, I think we will all be fine together.  I just hope when I go into the hospital I get a decent doctor.  One that is open minded and supportive of natural childbirth.  I still wish I was having her at home, but hubby wouldn't go for that.

I'm also anxious to have a name for her.  Hopefully the hubby and I will come to an agreement on a name soon.  :)


Childbirth, breastfeeding, etc.

March 22, 2008, from an older blog

I educated myself quite a bit when I was pregnant, I had a doula (birth assistant), Degra, who helped me to learn about how natural the process of childbirth is, my husband and I attended childbirth classes and we went on to have a completely unmedicated pregnancy and delivery.  I had a wonderful team supporting me...my husband and my doula, as well as a great delivery nurse, she was very supportive of natural childbirth.  My doctor unfortunately was out of town and the doctor that delivered my son (I found out later), has a very high incidence of encouraging his patients to have epidurals as well as having lots of c-sections. My lactation consultant said his is the King of Interventions.  And my doctor was amazed that I had a natural childbirth with him there! It is amazing to me what a woman’s body is capable of.  And it makes me sad when women don’t educate themselves and just believe everything the doctors say.  I know that doctors are smart, but doctors are also in too much of a hurry.  When it comes to childbirth the doctors would prefer for you to lay in a bed medicated and quiet.  And if things don’t progress as quickly as they would like they give c-sections.  Don’t get me wrong, I know there are circumstances that warrant c-sections, and I know they can save lives.  But, I also believe that there are more c-sections done than needed.  If you are induced, if you have an epidural, if you don’t stand up for yourself, etc., these things can lead to c-sections.  Anyone interested in more info should look up ICAN (The International Cesarean Awareness Network) I also think that breastfeeding is best.  I  breastfed my son exclusively for six months before starting any solids, then we continued on until about 15 months.  It was wonderful.  I really enjoyed the closeness that I got to enjoy with my son.  I didn’t enjoy pumping when I was at work, but it was a small price to pay for him to have the best, healthy start to life.  For more info and support I recommend Le Leche League, I started attending meetings before my son was born.  It is great to have a support group before you get started, that way you can ask all of your questions.  There are many great books out about pregnancy, childbirth and breatsfeeding...if you are pregnant...you should be reading them!  And BabyZone website is an awesome place if you are pregnant or a parent!

This describes my life!

An Excuse for Not Returning the Visit of a Friendby Mei-Yao Ch'en, translated by Kenneth Rexroth

Do not be offended because I am slow to go out.
You know me too well for that.
On my lap I hold my little girl.
At my knees stands my handsome little son.
One has just begun to talk.
The other chatters without stopping.
They hang on my clothes and follow my every step.
I can't get any farther than the door.
I am afraid I will never make it to your house.



I think this totally describes my life!!!  Even the ages/descriptions of the kids.  I love my babies, and sometimes it is hard to get out.  I used to love getting out and doing a lot of things, and hanging with friends, which I still enjoy, but it's not my priority anymore.

Monday, February 1, 2010

Blessings

I have watched two shows this week, that really make me feel blessed.  One was about a little girl who was the only living "mermaid" in the world, her legs were fused together at birth.  Bless her heart, she had so many medical problems, but she was happy and you could tell she loved life.  She lost her fight at the age of 10.  The other show was about a little girl who is five now, she was basically born without a face.  No real ears, nose, no jaw bones, no vision in one eye, can't eat, hearing impaired.  Poor thing.  Intellectually she is just like all other five year olds.  I can't imagine living your life as these children have.  And I can't imagine being a parent to a child with such severe disabilities.  I feel so incredibly blessed to have the children that I do.  On an almost daily basis I hear of another child who has cancer or some other horrible sickness.  And, of children that have been ripped from life and their families prematurely by cold-hearted horrible people.  It really makes you put into perspective how fragile life is.  Just because my babies are well now, unfortunately doesn't guarantee anything.  I love my kids, and I wish them healthy, safe, long lives.

Aging

Yesterday, I was getting ready to fix dinner and the light shone through the window and onto my hand.  I was shocked at how old my skin looked, ugh, I'm getting old!  Okay, so I'm only 37, so in the scheme of things, that's not really soooo old, is it?  I've always felt so young, it is hard for me to understand that I won't always be that way.  It's weird, I think I just turned around one day and realized that I had aged....wrinkles, dry skin, etc.  Did it just happen at this age randomly or was it having my second child that did it to me? did she suck all the life out of me??  I didn't think I looked old before I had her.