Food, glorious food

I just love peanut butter pretzels....or wait...is it caramel apples? Grandma's homemade donut recipe...that's it! I gt on a kick of something that I really like and I can't get enough of that one item. It was lasagna for a while, then it was salad with feta cheese and cranberries. I even went through a stage of bri cheese and rice crackers. The craving, if you will, usually lasts a couple of weeks and then another one pops up in my head. Is this normal? Does anyone else out there have the same issue?

Kids Say the Darndest Things

We decided to finally get our dog, Tucker fixed. We explained it to the two younger kids as "getting his pee pee snipped so he couldn't make puppies." My daughter woke up this morning and gave Tucker a hug and asked me how he would go pee from now on. (Quick thinking sets in..) So I then try to delicately explain that he just gets a hole in his belly, then a seed gets a knot in it and he's all done. Simple as that. It seemed to satisfy her curiosity. I just love those moments. :O) What things have your kids said that make you laugh?

Spring Fever

Here we are. March 1st. I am so ready for the weather to start getting warmer. I want to re-decorate my bathroom, wash the walls, throw away half of the junk that the kids have accumulated over the past several months, and maybe get some yard work done soon. I wish I could have an endless boost of energy. It seems as though I start a project, get half-way through and get going on something else. Right now it is my closet. Does anyone have any half-finished projects going right now? What do you want to get done before summer hits?

Out with the old...

My daughter's cat died this past weekend. My husband and I were trying so hard to figure out how the tell her. She loved this cat. She named him and renamed him. She drew pictures for him and read to him. So, we brought her into our bedroom and I began to cry. All I could muster was "your kitty was sick...." Gene took over. He told her in the simplest way and without a missing a beat also told her that we would get her another kitty very soon. She said "Really?!"..with much excitement. A minute later she was out of the room and for most of the night we were online looking for a kitten. On one hand, I am happy that she didn't cry and feel bad. On the other hand, I want her to feel that loss just a little bit and miss her cat. This was 4 days ago and she still hasn't mentioned a word about it. We got her the new cat (6 months old) yesterday and she fell in love all over again. He really is a sweet cat and fits into the family perfectly. I just wonder if she is hiding these feelings about the cat that has passed or does she really not care that much?? Should I bring it up again and ask her? I don't want her to feel sad on the inside and keep it from me. Am I over-reacting?

Weekend

I just love Fridays. It's the last day of school for the week, so the kids get out of bed so easily. I usually have things going on for the weekend. (the "must have something to look forward to" girl). This Saturday we are having some friends over to watch the play offs. We might play cards and I am going to have a taco bar set up. I would like to have some sort of dessert too. Any ideas?? I will have 10-15 guests.
Happy Friday Everyone!

Winter Blues

As a kid, my father was in the Navy. We moved about every 2-3 years. We always had a change of school, friends, and scenery. Sometimes it was exciting and other times it was sad. The weather was never as cold as it is where I live and the days were never as short as they seem now. I get a little depressed that it doesn't get light until after 8:00 in the morning and it gets dark before 6:00 in the evening. It has been unusually cold so far this month. If it weren't for family, I would love to move somewhere warmer. In the mean time, I try to have things to look forward to. What do you in these winter months? I'd like to know.

Much Too Young

We found out today that an old friend of ours died in a snowmobile accident last night. It is always sad when someone dies, but so tragic and horrifying when it is someone "young" and so sudden. Why him? What if he'd had just stayed home? I held my daughter after I found out and just cried. I thanked God for the blessings that I have. It is going to be a hard, long road for his wife. They have 3 children all under 10 years old. I have had a strange and upsetting feeling all day. I really need to not take life for granted so much. We always kind of feel invincible and just think that life won't end for us or our loved ones until we are "ready". I always picture myself growing old with my husband, which I am sure most wives do. I am sure Carrie did. It's just not fair.
RIP Kevin

Excited

I have been watching my kids play sports for almost 10 years now. i am always excited to see a game whether it be baseball, football, basketball, etc. I know I am not alone or unique in being a mom that loves to watch her kids.
BUT....
There is something different about today.
Tanner broke his wrist about 6 weeks ago at basketball practice. He is a freshman, so the whole "high school athletics" thing is exciting for our whole family. We were very sad to know he wouldn't be playing in the first few games. I actually shed a few tears in the ER, though he didn't know it. He got his cast off a couple of days before Christmas and has been wearing a brace to practice.
Tonight is his first game with the team!
I am SOOO excited I can hardly wait. I have been counting down the days to see him play high school sports. I have the button with his pic, my outfit sporting the school colors, and some "shakers" all ready to go. (Actually it looks like somebody hid the shakers...hmm)
I'm just sad that I only have about 10 more years of this.

Destination Unknown

It's only January, but I am so tired of this bitter cold weather. I am the girl who needs something to look forward to and warm weather is one of those things.
We told the kids we would go somewhere for spring break. We want to take two or three days and go to a warm place. Well, since that would mean expensive airline tickets or lots of driving, we would like to stay near home and go to a resort of some sort. We took them to the Kalahari in Sandusky, Ohio last February. It was fun. It has a huge indoor water park, arcade, 2 restaurants, a candy shop, pottery shop, gift shops, etc. We loved it. This year we are looking for something similar. So, I am asking for feedback. Where have you gone that is withing 5-7 hours of driving (from northern Michigan) that would be a great spot for the whole family? Or, maybe a place you have just heard other people talk about.
In advance, thank you.

Monday Monday

Well, that was fast.
It seems like Christmas break only lasted a few days. Though I am happy to see the kids get on the bus this morning, I am a little sad to see them go. These are the creatures that have the ability to make me laugh hysterically and then send me to psycho mom in 2.2 seconds. Isn't it funny (wait a minute, why is this program trying to make me spell check isn't?) Did I miss something? Anyway.....Isn't it funny that when the kids are in the infant-toddler stage, we are trying to get them to walk and talk? When they become "humans" we are telling them to sit down and shut up? Not literally....but it does have some truth to it. Is it also, that all moms get the brunt of "Mom can I have" and "Mom will you get me"? I had the worst headache yesterday. I lay down for a nap in my bedroom and my husband was in the living room watching football. I had to take a phone call, get juice for my daughter, and help this same child open a snack. Arguing about some game erupted after the yelling match regarding who left the milk out was over. Not that my husband was ignoring the kids. Maybe I was being selfish for wanting two hours to myself. The kids sensed it like a shark smells the fresh blood from an injured guppy.
Needless to say, I didn't get a nap.
The kids' New Years resolution is to say "Daddy" 10 times a day. (They just don't know it yet)

Day 1

This is day 1 of my BLOG. I will attempt to write daily. I plan to share recipes, personal parenting tips, hobbies, jokes, or whatever else comes to mind.
I am a wife and mother of three children. I was born on Naples, Italy (Navy brat). When I was 15, my family moved to northern Michigan and my father retired soon after. I continue to live in northern Michigan and other than the bitter cold winter days like we have been having lately, I love it very much.
I have been interested in writing poetry and keeping a journal for over 20 years. I am currently writing a book which I started about 3 years ago. I write a little here and there, but it is only about 15 pages long right now. Talk about serious writer's block!
At any rate, I am not sure what, if anything I will get out of "blogging", but here goes...