Should I Be Worried?

Tonight was ski club night for my 11 and 14-year olds. They both do the snowboarding and just love it. My 14-year old is learning it for the first time. She's getting good enough to go down some of the hills that her more experienced friends can go down. Luckily, though, she's also a scaredy-cat. She's afraid of heights. She won't go on any high rides at amusement parks. I don't have to worry about her doing anything stupid while snowboarding.

My 11-year old has been snowboarding for a few years now. He's passionate about it. Without my knowing, he told the instructors that he's good enough to learn jumping, so they put him in the group that teaches jumping. He told me he's so good he can't believe it. He wants to constantly improve. He doesn't have the fear. This is why he wears a helmet. I tell him ALL THE TIME, "Be super carefull! Please don't do anything stupid!". "I won't, mom." I know he doesn't think he'll do anything stupid.

I'm usually not a worrywart. I don't know why. I'm careful. I make sure my kids are careful, but I just don't worry that much. Snowboarding worries me. I remember when I was little. My friend's older sister was in the ski club at school and broke her leg. People ride into trees and get seriously hurt (but I can't say the "D" word on my blog). One of my neighbors is a senior in high school, and he is an instructor at the ski resort. He's even going to college in Colorado to take up something about snowboarding. He loves it too. I ran into him this afternoon at Best Buy. He wasn't in school, and was on crutches. I told him, "Please don't tell me you did that snowboarding!". "Yes", he said, and he told me how he ran into a tree while snowboarding in Oregon with his freinds. He ripped his leg in a few places. He just had surgery yesterday and won't be able to walk for 6 months. I felt sick. My kids have ski club tonight!

Well, my kids came home fine, other than some bruised up knees. Then my daughter said, "Guess what happened tonight?". I didn't think I wanted to know. I didn't. One of the boys in her class forgot his helmet and crashed. He got a concussion. She didn't know exactly what happened, but he wasn't on the ski bus home. I love how my kids get the chance to do this, but I hope I'm not making a mistake. I know a lot of people are skiers, but I also know a lot of people get seriously hurt skiing. Only three more weeks of worrying left.

I've Been High-Fived

I've been high-fived by my friend Marie at Marie's Random Thoughts on Love and Life. It's an archive meme.

Here is the reason why this meme was started:

"I know that when I find a new blog that I want to visit again, I rarely have enough time to go back and read everything from the beginning (although sometimes I do!). I want to get to know that person, but it's hard to commit to reading all of the posts from the last 2 years!This meme is designed to make some of those old posts readily available to those who may be new to your blog, or even those who are regulars, just not from the start."

Here are the rules:

Go back through your archives and post the links to your five favorite blog posts that you’ve written. But there is a catch:Link 1 must be about family.Link 2 must be about friends.Link 3 must be about yourself.Link 4 must be about something you love.Link 5 can be anything you choose.

Post your five links and then tag five other people. At least TWO of the people you tag must be newer acquaintances so that you get to know each other better. Readers - don’t forget to read the archive posts and leave comments!

So, here's my list of links:

Family-This was probably the funniest post I wrote. My daughter is now 4 and is already out of this difficult stage! I can't believe how much she changed since then!

Friends-Oh my gosh. I just realized I barely write about my friends, probably because I barely SEE my friends. That reminded my of my list of resolutions.

Myself-My list of 7 most random things about myself!

Something I love-Well what I love more than anything else, I guess, is doing things with my kids. I love weekends, and when they're on vacation from school.

Anything-I have to say that my new budget that I've been on has had a big impact on me. I'm still so excited. I've gone from spending $200 to $100/week on groceries for a family of 6! I figured I already saved about $600! Read this one. It was my lifesaver.

I have to tag 5 people. I choose... Jen, Leslie, Irene, SuburbanCorrespondent, and Steph. Have fun!

Raising a Reader

I've been trying to get my 11-year old to enjoy reading more. I always read to him when he was little. I insist that he gets to bed early enough every night so he can read for at least 1/2 hour. Though he gets good grades in school, he's not the fastest reader, therefore doesn't enjoy reading. I tried to explain to him that it just takes practice, and that books are usually better than the movies. He doesn't believe me.

My oldest loves to read. She's read so much, that she found that there's very few books that she doesn't like. I think the main reason is because I read TONS of books to her when she was little. I had a lot more time back then. We went to the library every week, listened to story time, and got a huge pile of books. Every afternoon we'd sit down and read a stack of them. Every night we'd read between 6-10 books. When she got older, I still read to her. I read lots of the American Girl books. She used to get so excited. I loved them too. I'm proud of her. Right now she has an unofficial "book club" with her friends. They each buy a book, read it, then trade them with each other. Tonight we're meeting her friends at Border's so I can buy the new Grisham book (yea!) and she and her friends can buy their books. I think that's pretty cool for 14-year olds!

With each kid I had, it seems that I read with them less. My husband and I still read to the youngest two, but with boy scouts, basketball practice, and picking up kids from wherever they are, sometimes we're lucky just to read one book. I want my youngest to be a big reader as my oldest is, so I decided I'm going to start reading to her more. I'm going to read books every afternoon, and really try to read more than one book at night.

My 11-year old is reading Swiss Family Robinson now. He told me he only likes funny books. The other night he didn't have anything to read, so we went into my daughter's "library", and I picked out Swiss Family Robinson for him. He said, "Oh, I love that movie!". I told him, "Then read the book! The books are always so much better." He agreed to try it. Later that night, when I was putting my other son to bed, I asked him how his book was. He gave me a thumbs up. I told him, "Now you have another type of book that you like!". He said, "Yeah, adventure books!". Hopefully his enthusiasm will last. I'm not going to give up on this. Does anyone have any ideas for some good books for boys?

Cathy from A Bit of the Blarney gave me this award! This really made my day! Cathy is my newer bloggy friend. I enjoy reading her blog.

The rules:By accepting this Excellent Blog Award, you have to award it to 10 more people whose blogs you find Excellent Award worthy. You can give it to as many people as you want-even those that have received it already, but please award at least 10 people.

I will give it to all my "Amy" friends: Amy, Amy, and Amy, Shellie, Kidzmama, OHMommy, Burgh's Baby Mom, Leah, Bia, and Kimmy. Thank you Cathy!

It's Over Their Heads...

Tonight we went to my mom's house for dinner, like we do almost every Sunday. My mom's neighbor, who live across the street, had just passed away a few days ago from cancer. She told me that she had just found out that her other neighbor, who lived two houses down from, her had died on the same day as her other neighbor. I told her, "Don't tell me, from cancer?". She didn't know. I can't believe how many people I have heard of who had cancer lately. My friend lost her father and father-in-law to cancer in the past year. My 11 year old has two friends who lost a parent to cancer in the past year. Two people about my age at church have been diagnosed with it. It seems like I've been reading about it a lot on people's blogs. It scary.

But, anyway, my 11 year old, who was standing by listening, asked us, "How do you get it, or what can you do?". My mom told him that there are cancer cells in your body all the time. Then I noticed him eating the strawberries. I told him, "Eat strawberries. I heard strawberries referred to as cancer fighters, because they can actually kill the little cancer cells in your body before they do anything." To which my son replies:

"I can't wait for golfing!"

We burst into laughter. Maybe he's avoiding a tough subject, or it's over his head, but one things for sure, he can go from one subject to the next without batting an eyelash! Leave it to the kids to lighten things up!

Delicious, CHEAP Dinner

I made the best dinner last night. Too bad I had to eat it all by myself. My husband and kids won't eat fish. I probably could have gotten my daughter to eat it, but she ate earlier. I made myself a Tuna Burger. I actually made up this recipe myself! I made it once before, and meant to write it down and never did, so I had to try and remember what I put in it last time. When I sat down with hubby I was oohing and ahhing over it. "This is sooo good! I think I could sell this in a restaurant!" Hubby didn't seem too impressed, so I just had to share it here. I served it with mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli. Believe me, the picture doesn't do it justice. I hope someone will try it and let me know how it came out. So anyway, here's how I made it:

Tuna Burgers

1 can albacore tuna (This is the trick. You need the albacore to make it chunky.)

1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs

salt and pepper

1 tablespoon green onion (Last night I used red onion.)

1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese

1 egg

1 tablespoon Miracle Whip (or mayo)

First put the tuna in a bowl without breaking it apart. Then add the rest of the ingredients on top. Carefully mixed it together with a fork, slightly pulling apart the tuna, without mashing it (you want the burger to have lots of chunks of tuna in it). Then add a little more bread crumbs, just until you can scoop up the mixture. Place half of the mixture on a plate of bread crumbs, sprinkle more on top, and shape into a patty. Drizzle olive oil on top, and place in grill pan on med. high heat. Drizzle more oil on the top side. When it gets nice and brown, flip and cook until that side gets brown. Place the burger in a bun and top with ranch dressing mixed with hot sauce. If you like tuna burgers, try this. It's so cheap and easy to make. Yummy! I'm so impressed with myself!

On other notes, for Christmas I got my husband a subscription of Golf Digest magazine. He just got his first issue this week. He's a happy golfer now. Did you know you can buy subscriptions on EBay? My sister told me once before how cheap they are, so I decided to check it out. I found 1 year of Golf Digest for $2.79 and free shipping! I just looked today and they have 3 years for $3.79 with free shipping! They say the reason they're so cheap is because they make all their money with their ads, not the magazine itself. I got Parents magazine for the past 14 years. I thought about $9.00 was a good price for it. I looked up the price on EBay today and it was $5.95 for 3 years and free shipping! If you get any subscriptions, look up the price there!

Me

OK, this is me. My sister took this picture of me to use on my profile. I WAS going to use it, until I took a closer look. In front of me is a bottle of Peach Schnapps. Behind me to the right is a bottle of gin! Next to that is, uh, something. I'm not really sure. It looks like I'm at a wild party. I was actually at my mom's house for dinner with my sister and her family and my cousin. Not exactly a happening party, but I didn't want anyone getting the wrong impression of me! Oh, and also, there a paper coming out of my head!

I think she felt bad for me, because she made me this new layout and is going to try to edit out all that background stuff. So here's the pic for now. Hopefully the new one will come soon. (So, is this what you thought I looked like?)

Birthday Parties Everywhere!

Within one weeks time, our kids have been invited to 6 birthday parties! I guess this was a good month to have babies. Two of my son's friend's birthdays were today. The kids are all excited. One was a sled riding party. Another is a bowling party. Another is at the local indoor water park.

I remember when I was little. None of my friends had big birthday parties. If they had a party, it was at their house, just some games with prizes and cake and ice cream. When we got a little older, a few of us would have a slumber party. I don't do a lot for my kids parties. I really can't afford to do big parties for 4 kids every year! I let them have a party or two, but usually we just do something small, like letting them invite a friend along to go bowling with us. Last summer I let my 7 year old have his party at the local outdoor pool. It was great! We invited his whole baseball team. We brought our own food, and just had to pay for each kid to swim ($3.00). He's already talking about where he wants his party to be this year. What party? He can go swimming again! No, he wants friends over the house, but I don't know if I'm up for the chaos of little boys running around my house. Actually, if I could, I'd do a big party almost every year. The kids have so much fun, but that's just out of the question.

My husband can't believe all the parties my kids have been invited to. He once told me that they don't have to go to every party that they're invited to. Sounds rational, I guess, but then I reminded him of "the birthday party story":

When my 11 year old was in 3rd grade, he got an invitation on the last day of school to a skating party for a boy that was not exactly his best friend. He was considered by many to be a "bad" kid. "Bad" as in just a troublemaker, but not a mean kid. My son said he didn't know if he wanted to go, because he wasn't really friends with him. I convinced him to go, because he loves to skate, and there would probably be lots of his other friends there. Well he went, and had fun. When I went to pick him up, I talked to his mom and asked her how many kids she invited. She told me 24, but only TWO showed up. The other kids didn't even call to RSVP, so she wasn't sure how many would actually come. She brought with her 24 treat bags. I was shocked. All I could do was agree how rude that was. I was SO glad my son was one of the only 2 who went. From then on, I decided that my kids will go to any birthday party that they were invited to, unless, of course, we couldn't. So the "bad kid"... I don't think that helped him much. Even Monica Lewinski never forget how Tory Spelling invited her whole class, minus Monica, to her birthday party.

So why don't people RSVP? It means to say if you're coming or not, unless it states regrets only. I'm sure maybe a few of the kids forgot all about it. Maybe some just didn't show their mom's the invitation, but 22 people? The birthday parties at the indoor water park are very expensive. The last time my son went there, the invitations said "regrets only" on it. I knew that was a mistake. I don't know how many didn't show up, but the mother told me the place made a lot of money on their party. They paid for a lot of people that didn't show up. It would have been cheaper for them to just pay for each kid that came.

On the other hand, last fall, my 7 year old was invited to a birthday party for a girl in his class. The whole class was invited over her house. My son didn't care to go because she was a girl. I, once again, convinced my son he'd have his other friends there, and that he'd have lots of fun. He went. I got bad vibes from the minute I dropped him off, but just brushed it off. My son walked in their house and said to me, "What smells?". I was embarrassed that my son was so rude. There were a couple adults standing there and I didn't know which one was the mother. After a few minutes I realized it was the one standing right in front of me! She didn't say anything! OK, whatever. Then I came back to pick him up and my son ran out of the house and said, "This was the worst party I ever went to!". I still thought he was just being rude. Then, on the ride home, he told me the mom was putting all the boys in time out. At a birthday party? Then they wouldn't let my son have any pop because they told him I said he could only have milk or water. I didn't say that. My son asked them for a phone to call home and ask me, and they told him they didn't have a phone. Later I talked to some of the other moms, and they all agreed that the house was dirty and it was a strange party. What do you do when you show up at a party, then decide you don't want your son to go anymore? I know what I'll do next time. I'll, at the very least, pick him up very early and say we have to go somewhere. I guess this is the other extreme, and usually very unlikely to happen. One of the moms told me, "I can't believe how many parents just drop their kids off without leaving a contact number!". I didn't. "Oh, I know", I lied. Sometimes you just are trying to be nice, and it just doesn't work out.

The Wiener Game

My two youngest are always finding new very creative games to play. Sometimes they play spy. Sometimes it's monster. They look for the "bad" guys in our house. Well I was watching TV, when I heard my 7 year old ask my 4 year old,

"Hey, do you want to play the wiener game?".

"Yeah!", she said. I chuckled under my breath. It does sound kind of funny.

"What's that game?", I asked them. Then they showed me.

"We put the balloon between our legs and chase each other around the house with it!"

I don't know where they got this from! I'm so glad no one was over to see it! I monitor what they watch on TV. My older kids don't talk like that, and I don't either! I calmly just said,

"Uh, you can't call the game that. It doesn't sound good. You should call it something like..."

"The balloon game?", my son replies.

"Yes!"

Then they ran off to play the wien, I mean the balloon game. The next day my 4 year old asked my 7 year old if he wanted to play, once again, the wiener game. Thankfully my son replied,

"We're going to call it the balloon game, now."

She didn't seem to think anything and ran off to play. I guess it could have been worse! I was shocked at the time it happened, but now I am very happy with how I responded. Very cool. Kids say the darndest things!

New Layout!

I finally got my new layout! I still want to add a picture of myself (I think!) and a picture on the header. I picked out a really cute layout and couldn't get it working right. I took me hours, so I just decided on this one. I like it for now, and at least it's something different. I think I'll just keep this for a while, until I'm ready to spend some more hours on getting a new one. So, what do you think? Any ideas for me?

Homemade Soft Pretzels

When you have four kids, your house seems so quiet and calm when two of them are gone. Thursday night was ski club for my oldest two, and my husband went with them, so I decided to make some homemade soft pretzels since I had some free time. I got the recipe from my mother-in-law years ago. They came out great, so I decided to try them again. Rolling out each pretzel did take some time, but if you have your kids help, it could go a lot faster. They might even enjoy doing it!


Pretzels Recipe:


1 1/4 cups water (room temperature)
1/4 cup oil
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups flour
2 1/4 teaspoons bread machine yeast


Combine ingredients into bread machine. Set on dough cycle.

Next, place dough on floured surface and divide into 4 parts. Divide those four parts into six pieces.

Roll each piece into a rope about 18 inches. Shape the rope into a circle, overlapping about 4 inches from the end. Twist the ends where dough overlaps. Lift the ends across to the opposite edge of the circle. Moisten and press ends to seal. Place on greased cookie sheet.

Let rise uncovered until puffy, about 20 minutes.

In a 3 quart saucepan, bring 2 quarts water and 1/3 cups baking soda to boil. Simmer a few at a time for 10 seconds on each side.

Place on greased cookie sheets. Brush with egg white. Sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake at 425' for 12 minutes until browned. Remove from cookie sheets and serve with mustard or cheese sauce.

My kids loved them. They were very happy to find these after a day of skiing.

On other notes, I'm going to change my blog layout this weekend! Leslie reminded me of this when she asked me how my resolutions were going. I looked at my list and decided now is the time. My sister is in town this weekend, so she is going to help me hopefully tomorrow. I definitely need a change. She's also trying to convince me to show pictures of my family. I'm thinking about it. Check back soon to see my change!

Conversations With a Four-Year-Old

I was sitting on the couch with my little girl, just taking some time out of my hectic day to give her my full attention. She usually just calls me mom or mommy, but the last couple of days she's been calling me mama. She says it after almost every sentence. Only, it sounds more like mawmaw (can you tell the difference). So this is what a conversation with a four-year-old sounds like:

4 yo: "There's your chick, mawmaw." She pointed to my chin.

Me: "That's not my chick, that's my chin."

4 yo: "CHIN. Ha, ha! Chick, chicken head!"

Then she gives me 5 kisses. Next she wipes them all off.

Me: "Did you just wipe off my kiss?"

4 yo: "I don't like kisses, only hugs. You have germs, mawmaw."

Then she hugs me.

4 yo: "I feel like I'm going to cry, mawmaw!"

Me: "Why, because you love me so much?"

4 yo: "Because I missed you, mawmaw!"

Me: "But I didn't go anywhere."

4 yo: "You went upstairs and I didn't know where you were! I said, 'Mawmaw! Where are you?' . You're so pretty!"

She goes from one subject right into another one! The mawmaw thing is so funny. Sometimes you just have to stop and take some time to appreciate it. It all ends too fast.

Riding in the car (again), my conversation with my 7-year-old goes like this:

7 yo: "Mom, where does the baby come from when you have a baby?"

Me: (Oh no!) "What do you mean?"

7 yo: "When you have a baby, where does the baby come out?"

Me: "Well... Uh..."

Then my 4 yo interrupted us with something. Thank you!

About 5 minutes later...

7 yo: "So mom, where does the baby come out? Does it come out of you belly button?"

Me: "Well, sometimes. What got you thinking about babies? Oh! Did you see on Full House this morning about Uncle Jesse and Aunt Becky having the twins?"

7 yo: "Yeah."

I didn't think he was mature enough for much more than that. I guess I should be better prepared about what I'm going to say the next time he asks!

Now, a conversation with an 11-year-old is not always so cute. My 11 yo is usually such a good boy. He talks politely (most of the time), gets good grades, and almost never gets in trouble. This is my kid that I worry about the least. So when I went to the mall with him, I got a good understanding of why he drives my 14-year-old crazy sometimes. We go into the mall to get his haircut. He was walking really fast. Innocently, I just thought he wanted to hurry to get it done. I tried to get next to him, but every time I got next to him, he just walked faster ahead of me. Then I realized what he was doing. He was embarrassed to walk next to me! How could this happen? He's suppose to be my easy going kid! I thought he was better than that! Also, how could he be embarrassed of me? I thought I was a cool mom! I consciously try not do that to my kids.

I remember being embarrassed of my mom, when I was young and vowed I would never do that to my kids (sorry mom). I would never kiss them in front of their friends in the school cafeteria! I'd try not to treat them like babies. I remember how it felt! Now I'm disappointed. So what did I do when my son walked ahead of me? Well I ran up to him and grabbed his arm and made him walk arm in arm with me (OK, I guess I did embarrass him now). I told him if he didn't walk with me then he would just have to hold my hand. That didn't work. He's 140lbs. and just wiggled away from me.

When we got home, my daughter was telling my how I have to pick her up from school every Tuesday and Wednesday from her new school club that she's in, and he said, "What? Mom has to pick you up from school Tuesday and Wednesday because you have detention!". My husband only heard this last part and said, "What? You have detention?". "NO!", I said. Now I can understand how he can annoy my overly sensitive 14-year-old!

It must just be the middle school thing. My daughter went through this when she started sixth grade, too. She thought she was all of a sudden big deal. She also got out of that real fast when I stopped letting her do many things. I always tell her that I will let her do a lot of things with her friends if she tells me who she's with, where they are, exactly what they're doing, and talks nice. If I can trust her 100%, she can do most anything. It's really worked. She even told me recently that she doesn't have to hide anything from me because I let her do whatever she wants. I told her it's because I trust her, "So don't EVER disappoint me!". Once she was walking around outside with her friend and they ran into some boys they knew . (It's not as bad as it sounds. She was pretty close to home and I knew the boys and they were just walking down the street.) When it was time for me to pick her up, her friend asked her, "What are you going to tell your mom?". My daughter told her, "I'm going to tell my mom what we did, because I know my mom won't be mad!". Meanwhile her friend concocted a big story to tell her mom.

Take time out to really listen to the little ones. They say the sweetest things. It all ends so quickly. The teenage years will be there before you know it. On the brightside, those middle school "tough" years pass quickly, too, and they soon become your best friends.

Happy Birthday Baby!

Today was my little baby's birthday. My little baby turned 4. She's definitely the baby since she's the youngest of my four kids. It makes me sad because when my other three kids turned four, I either had a younger child or one in the oven. I'd love to have more kids, but I don't know if I could afford it, or be able to handle the work!

So anyway, my little baby, I mean big girl had so much fun. She jumped up and down and clapped her hands together just picking out her ice cream cake. We stopped at Toys R Us to get her birthday treat. If you join the birthday club there, they send you a $3.00 off any purchase coupon and a ticket for a birthday treat - a crown, stickers, balloon, and strawberry shaped sunglasses.

We just had our family over for cake (my parents, aunt, and mother-in-law). She was thrilled over everything she got, Full House season 5, Barbies, princess costumes, dress-up shoes, Strawberry Shortcake dolls, etc. It's so fun to buy for her because she loves everything! I couldn't calm her down! I know it was a happening party, but cool it a little! Thankfully she fell right to sleep. That was an exhausting day. Next I'll be deciding where to send her for preschool, another bittersweet moment.

Now about my son and the girl who hit him over the head. This morning when we got in the car, he started talking right from where we left off yesterday!

"Mom, guess what? That girl hit me again! I scare her in the halls and she hits me!"

"Well make sure you never tell on her, or she'll tell on you!"

The scaring game. He loves to scare the girls, even his own sister and cousins. Usually the girls hate the game. This girl must like it, I hope!

No Kissing the Girls!

Anyone who knows my 7 year old, whom I often refer to as my spirited child, will attest that he is the most different of my kids. It's hard to even explain it. His favorite thing in the world to do is games, video games, board games, and outside games. He HATES music and singing. If The Wiggles come on TV, he closes his eyes and covers his ears until it's over. He loves me SO much. He'll hug and kiss me all I want, but NOT anyone else. Well, he'll hug Dad, but doesn't want a prickly kiss from him. No one else can kiss him. He covers his eyes if there's kissing on TV. When he found out his uncle was getting married he said, "Oh no! I don't want to see them kiss!". He hates girls. Before school started he told me he hoped there weren't going to be any girls in his class!

So, this morning, on the way to school, I had an interesting conversation with him. He was telling me how one of the boys in his class who lives by us had a roller skating birthday party and didn't invite him. "That's OK, though", he said. "He doesn't have to invite everyone." Wow, I was impressed he took it so well. So then I asked him who he does play with now at recess:

Son: "Uh, we just play a game."

Me: "What do you play?"

Son: "Oh, I don't want to talk about it."

Me: "Why?"

Son: "Because I just don't."

Me: "Is it something bad?"

Son: "Why does everyone think that?"

Me: "Because why would you not want to tell me?"

Son: "Mom, what would you do if I kissed a girl?"

Me: (WHAT?) "Uh, you'd be in trouble! Why? Did you?"

Son: "No. It's something someone did to me."

Me: "Did a girl hug you?"

Son: "No. It's nothing."

Me: "Just tell me!"

Son: "Well... A girl hit me in the head at recess. We were just playing."

Me: Whew! "Did anyone get in trouble, and did you get hurt?"

Son: "No."

By now it was time for him to get out of the car. He never ceases to amaze me. But I still wonder, what was he talking about? He's my different child!

Disney Princesses!

Yesterday I went with my mother-in-law and (almost) 4 year old daughter to see Disney's Princesses on Ice. Wow! What a great show. It made me want to visit Disney world again! We sat 3 rows back from the center. The costumes were amazing. My daughter LOVED it. She didn't move a muscle. I'm already talking about going to the ice show next year!

Not wanting to leave my very boyish 7 year old out, I asked him if he wanted to go with us. He replied, "Well... what do they have to eat there?". Let's see, $10 for cotton candy, $6 for a box of popcorn, "You know, you probably wouldn't like it anyway. It's all about princesses." "OK."

Boys are fun to have, but I'm so glad I have girls to take them to events like this!

I got my first awards today from Amy! Thank you Amy!

The first was a You Made My Day Award. I'm supposed to:"Give the award to up to 10 people whose blogs bring you happiness and inspiration and make you feel so happy about blogland! Let them know by posting a comment on their blog so that they can pass it on. Beware! You may get the award several times!"

The second was a Spread the Love award:

I'm going to give this award next to Irene, Leah, Magirk, Kitty, Kila, GrandmaK, Dawn, Lizzy, Bia and Karen. Enjoy, and share the bloggy love.

Just Another Busy Weekend

Well, this has been such a busy weekend, and tomorrow is still activity filled. I wish I had some time to just read and blog! Last night was the Boy Scouts pine derby race. My son and husband, mainly my husband, worked so hard on their car. They painted it real nice. They added weights to it. They made sure the wheels worked good. There were four kids in my son's group. My son's car came in... fourth place. He was pretty disappointed. They gave ribbons to the 1st, 2nd , and 3rd place winners of his group, so he sat off to the side and watched. Pretty pathetic looking. He said, "Mom, I can't believe I didn't win!" I told him I couldn't either, because I know how hard they worked. The only consolation was that the top 3 winners of the whole place were the kids that my son raced in the first round with.


This morning was multicultural day at the museum with the Boy Scouts. We took our youngest with us. The only part my son liked was the cave with the slide. He was not at all interested in learning about other cultures.









Next it was off to basketball. My 7 year old played first. If you didn't read my post about what happened with his team, to make it short, we never got a call from his coach. When I finally got a hold of him, he said our last name was spelled wrong and our phone number wasn't listed. They already had some practices and 3 games. Today was only his second game with the team. He did great today! He wasn't nervous and jumped right it. He even made his first basket! He told me, "Mom, can you believe that I'm so good?" "Uh, sure!" I sure was surprised he made that basket!



After that was my 11 year old's game. Luckily it was right after my other son's game and in the same school. After being sick for a whole week, he was weak. He had no energy. When the team was running down the court, he actually walked. I'm just happy he's feeling better. I know it will take a while to get his strength back.






Tomorrow, after church and our church breakfast, we see Disney's Princesses on Ice! I'm pretty excited. I know my 3 year old will just love it. I'm going to take pictures. Has anyone else seen it? I can't believe, though, that I kind of can't wait for this weekend to be over. I need some time!

I Want To Go To School, Mom!

My 11 year old is actually asking me if he can go to school. I never thought I'd see the day! I kept him home on Monday and Tuesday to celebrate the Russian Christmas, but he got sick on Monday, so he would have been home anyway. At least we have the excuse of Christmas that won't count against his absences. Today is Friday. He is still sick.

Son had a really high fever. I don't know how high it actually got because he stayed at my mom's house at Christmas, but when he came home it was 103.7. You know how when you're really sick and then you start to feel better, you think you feel SO much better? Well, last night he told me he thought his fever was gone and he could go to school today. I took his temp. - 102.7! He couldn't believe it! "The thermometer must be broken!", he replied. I took my daughter's temp. just to make sure. Nope, her temp. was normal. It wasn't broken. The school rule is your temp. has to be below 100 for 24 hours.

I got all of my son's work from school, so that won't be a problem. At least now he has all weekend to catch up on his work and get all better. Oh, then I realized! TONIGHT is the school dance! So that's why you want to go to school! Actually I wouldn't mind if he went if his temp was down, but I don't think the school would allow it. Sorry! I just don't think it would be fair to everyone at school to send him in. Maybe next time.

It seems like so many blogs that I've been reading, everyone is talking about their kids or themselves being sick! Everyone in my house has been sick. My husband and I both have terrible colds right now. Is there anyone who has managed to stay healthy?

Pinewood Derby

My 7 year old, the spirited child, announced this year that he wanted to join the Boy Scouts. "Are you sure?", we kept asking him. "Yes!", he told us. "But you have to go to meetings all the time and do good deeds and help your community!" "Yes!", he responded over and over again. My husband and I were not thrilled with another activity to add to our schedule. My son is not one for sitting still and listening to meetings. He'd rather be playing video games, watching TV, or playing a game of Kick the Can or baseball, not doing good deeds for others. We finally decided to let him try it. The worst that could happen would be that he hates it and quits. We also decided it might even be good for him (if he would actually do what they wanted him to do).

We bought my son the uniform (and warned him beforehand that he'd have to wear one) and he loved it! They told him he had to read the book. He wanted to stay up late with dad reading it! They told him how to earn his badges. He's so proud of himself whenever he earns a new one! Well, I guess he showed us! He loves the Boy Scouts. Good for you son!

Now, I grew up with just one sister. I did the Brownies and Girl Scout thing, but never knew much about Boy Scouts. My husband said they have to make a car for the Pinewood Derby race and race his car. Isn't that dangerous? Isn't that expensive to make? Isn't that HARD to make. Well, it was only a little hard to make:

Oh! Is that what you meant? I guess I was thinking SOAP box derby? Isn't that where you make a big car out of a box and actually ride in it? OK. I guess it's not very dangerous. Shows how little I know about the boy scouts! So far he recycled newspapers to earn money for his scouts, visited a huge pumpkin farm, saw a presentation from a real Indian tribe member, and this weekend we will visit the children's museum to learn about multicultural day. It's been a great thing for my "spirited child".

Now this is funny. I have a friend who has a son in my son's class. He asked her is he could be in the Boy Scouts, too. "No!", she said. "Why not?, asked her son. "Because I don't like the boy scouts." "Why don't you like the Boy Scouts?", I asked her. "Because I don't like them." OK? You don't like the Boy Scouts? She didn't say something like she didn't think her son would like it, or she just didn't have the time for it. How can you not like a group that is trying to teach kids how to be good citizens? Oh well. That's my friend for you.

Book Meme

I was tagged by GrandmaK at A Bit of the Blarney for a book meme. I think I have about 3 meme's to still complete, so I figured I better get busy.

*1. One book that changed my life: A Travel Guide to Heaven. My sister gave this to me to read and it was very uplifting. It makes you think about our ultimate goal, getting to heaven. He uses quotes from the Bible to explain what we know about what heaven will be like. It 's very exciting.

*2. One book that you have read more than once: All the What to Expect books. I read them all 4 times for my 4 kids.

*3. One book that you want on a desert island: I'd have to say the same as GrandmaK - The Holy Bible.

*4. One book that made me laugh: I guess I don't read many funny books, but the closest to that would have to be Growing Up Brady. I hate to admit I have a Brady fascination. That was a pretty funny book.

*5. One book that made me cry: Chicken Soup for the Mother's Soul. I hated the sad stories, but loved the happy ones. I also have to say Let's Roll. You remember that one.

*6. One book I wish had been written: Hm. I guess I can't think of any!

*7. One book I wish had not been written: The Chamber by John Grisham. You keep reading the book thinking he'll somehow escape going to the chamber, but he doesn't. It's too sad.

*8. One book I am currently reading: Harry Potter. I can't get enough of them.

*9. One book I've been meaning to read: The Appeal by John Grisham! I'm so excited he has a new courtroom battle book coming out on January 29! John Grisham is my absolute favorite author. I've read every one of his books (actually except Playing for Pizzas). My husbands uncle gave me a gift certificate to Border's for Christmas so I'm going to buy it the day it comes out.

I think I will tag Irene, Karen, Ohmommy, Flea, Amy, Steph, and Tina. Have Fun!

Merry Christmas?

Yes, Merry Christmas. Today we celebrated the Russian Christmas. Our church follows the old Julian calendar, in which December 25 falls on January 7. I kept the kids home from school today and will again tomorrow. I was surprised that there were two other kids at my daughter's school who were celebrating it, too. It's a very busy, yet very fun day for us. Though we exchange our presents on December 25, my kids said they enjoy today even more.

We began the celebration by going to church last night. Only the older two came with me because it started at 7 and didn't end until close to midnight. Then we went to my mom's to eat a big breakfast of ham, sausage, potato salad, cabbage soup, and wine. The older two slept at my mom's since my younger cousin's were in town staying there, too.

This morning we headed back to my mom's. My sister and her family came. We went to church again for a short service at 5. I decided to bring my 3 year old, since I haven't been bringing her to church very much lately. I soon remembered why I don't! I kid you not, about TWO seconds after it started, she started to cry because she wanted to stand in the front with her cousin. I had to take her out to the foyer with my husband for the rest of the service. After church we headed back to my mom's for a big party with more people and tons of great food. The kids ran around like crazy kids, having so much fun. I stuffed myself like a pig. My older two are sleeping over there again since my cousins are still there tonight. The only downside was my 11 year old got sick. He didn't want to miss out on anything, but he's still staying at my mom's, lying on the couch with a fever.

Tomorrow my cousins will leave to go back home. The kids will be sad. We won't see them until Russian Easter when the festivities will begin again. Then our life will get back to normal. I will go jogging again. It was a very fun day.

Becoming a Runner

I actually went running today! It's been so long, weeks! I was afraid that I lost all my stamina. I really had to push myself to go. I've had too many excuses lately, getting ready for Christmas, too cold, too tired. Well today was also a busy day, but isn't every day? It was even pretty warm out, about 45'. It was pretty hard, but I did it. I didn't want to hurt myself, so I went for a long walk and ran part of the way.

I just starting running last summer. I use to think I couldn't run because I never did before. I feel like I'm starting to get old. I'm 37. I want fight it every step of the way, and just grow old gracefully. I learned that you're almost never too old to run. Here's how I did it.

I've always been a walker. I love to go on really long walks. I just started to add in a little running. First I would start out with a fast walk to warm up. Then I would just run from one corner to the next. I would do that just a few times during my walk. Two of my kids took up cross country in the fall, so I started to run with them a little, too. They pushed me to go even farther. Every time I went out (only about 3 times a week), I would go a little farther. I worked up to about a mile. I'm not a marathon runner. I don't want to be a marathon runner. I just want to be ABLE to run and to feel better about myself. One day I sat down on the couch and said, "Oh my gosh! Look at my thigh! It's so much tighter!" I love how I feel so much stronger, from my ankles all the way up. When I first go out, I start to feel tired. Then after I get over that hump and just push myself, I get a burst of energy and feel good.

When I get home from running, I feel so good. It keeps me motivated to eat right and drink more water. After I get back into my routine again, I actually WANT to go running. I don't buy fancy running clothes or read Runner's World, but I like to say that running is one of my interests. I'm proud of myself for learning to do it at my age. So, am I motivating anyone? Are you getting your running shoes on yet?

I'm learning to play the guitar! Guitar Hero, that is. I told my kids I was not going to buy the game for them. I couldn't understand why they would want such an expensive game anyway. So, the kids sold some of their old games and put their money together and bought it themselves. I'm SO glad they did! Boy is it fun! At first I thought it was a real guitar, and that I would never be able to play the game. It's really not that hard. After just a couple tries I could play it, even on medium, I might ad! I never knew I had it in me. Now, The Scorpions were never my favorite, but after playing Rock You Like a Hurricane, I'm beginning to enjoy it! It's kind of like like the saying you just have to give something a try and be open minded. I wish we had two guitars so we could play two players at the same time. That's me playing the game at 11:30 last night. I was so tired that I even had a headache. I hope I can find time to play again today!

Well, today should be an interesting day. My 7 year old has his first basketball game, and it's been a long haul getting there. I signed both of my sons up at the same time, on one paper. I wrote one check. They went to tryouts and the coaches said they would call them and tell us when the first practice would be. Well we waited a long time. My husband said there were tons of kids in the 7 year old group trying out and that the coach said it would be a long time before he called us.

Well, after a long time we still didn't get a call. My older son got his call and already started practices and had a few games. My husband assured me, don't worry, he said it would be a while before they called. I figured they must be having two groups of teams playing since there were so many kids this year. I decided to ask my neighbor who's son is in my son's age group. I asked her if she heard from her basketball coach yet. She told me she had but they only had one practice and three games so far. ONLY?

Well, I started to make some calls. I called the basketball commissioner's cell phone. No answer. I left him a message to call me back. The weekend was coming up and I didn't want my son to miss another game! I called him again the next day, left another message. I called him back a few days later. He finally answered but it was very loud wherever he was. He told me he'd find out who the coach was and call me back. Now the weekend was over and my son had probably missed another game! I called him back, (you know the drill) no answer, left a message. A few days later, still no call back. Frustration is building. Steam would start to come out of my ears every time I thought about it!

OK, now I'm starting to act like a private investigator. I got on the website to see who else I could call. I called my neighbor, who's also a coach, and asked him who I could call. He said the commissioner. But he doesn't return calls! How many times do I have to call him! What if I call someone else who's name is listed on the website? My neighbor said they'll just tell me to call the commissioner. All right, I called the coach, again. (Same thing.)

Well, I decided to call some other names. I looked up everyone's name in the phone book. The first guy, not home. The second guy, BINGO! He had a listing of all the coaches and their phone numbers! He gave me our coaches name and number. I called the coach and he actually answered. He said he didn't have our phone number listed and our last name was spelled wrong. I know I wrote our number down at sign ups and I know I didn't spell our last name wrong! He said he called the commissioner and he told him he had no information about us, so the commissioner said they'll just have to wait for us to call them. Wait for us to call them! Didn't he tell him I called him SIX times! No. My husband coaches baseball in this organization, too. He told me they only had two practices and three games so far. ONLY?

So anyway, here's where we're at now. My son is going to his 1rst game today. He's never met the coach before. He doesn't know anyone on his team. He doesn't have the team shirt. He's never played basketball before so he doesn't know ANYTHING at all. He's played in our driveway, can dribble and shoot. He doesn't know positions, how to do a layup, how to play with two hoops, how to guard, where to stand, the rules, NOTHING! He's starting to panic. We're going to try to work with him a little today, but there's snow on the driveway, so we'll have to work in the garage or something. Should be an interesting game! I hope he's not too disappointed. At the very least, we ARE getting reimbursed our money.

Snowboarding for Less

Yesterday was the first day of ski club for my 11 and 14 year old. My husband met them there after work and went skiing himself. This was my daughter's first time on a snowboard and my son and husband were very impressed with her! I was so happy for them to go out together. I don't know what I was thinking, though. When no one came home from school and work, I missed them! I was home with the little kids while they were out snowboarding, having a great time? I couldn't even remember why I was mad at them yesterday! I was just happy no one got hurt. That's my biggest worry.

Skiing can be very expensive. It's usually not a sport for someone on a tight budget, like us. Here's how we did it. First of all, let's just say, very generous grandma. She bought my son his snowboard for his Christmas present. Then she said she felt bad because she couldn't get him anything else. Puleeze! Don't feel bad! You're TOO generous! Now, if you don't have the generous grandma around, this is what my husband did! He had the skis, but needed boots. He searched Dick's, the swap and ski at the ski resort, Amazon (one of my favorite places), and EBay. Every place wanted at least $100 for used boots! A few weeks ago he went to the resort to pick up my son from snowboarding. Up on a high shelf they had used rental boots for sale. Get this, $10! They were the same ones that they were selling on Amazon, and they were in great shape! He said he felt like buying 10 pairs! What a deal!

Next, my mom and sister and I were going to buy him a buy 4 get 1 free lift pass for a Christmas present. After looking over their website carefully, I noticed they have a college discount. My husband takes 1 class a semester at the local college and is therefore considered a college student. The student price is only $19! Way cheaper than the buy 4 get 1 free! So, we just got my husband a gift card for the resort to pay for some of the $19 passes! Now, when I went to buy the card at the kiosk in the mall, the student price wasn't even advertised on their brochure. The girl working there didn't even know it existed! I had her call the resort to make sure I was right, and I was right!

So anyway, last night I got the two little ones to bed on time. While I was waiting for the rest of the gang to come home, I decided to watch Celebrity Apprentice. I usually don't like the Celebrity anything, but I loved it! I think this is going to be my favorite season. I like knowing these people from the start, and seeing who can do what. Stephen Baldwin is so funny. Wasn't he the one on Celebrity Mole? He made the whole show! I loved the hot dog sale. My husband said, "You wouldn't buy a hot dog for $100, would you?". I tried to explain to him that it was for charity and you get to buy it from a celebrity, but he didn't get it. (Actually, I still wouldn't have bought it.) I can't believe how many New Yorker's walk around with $100 in their pockets! I can't wait to see next week's show.

Kids and Chores

Even though I stay home during the day, I can't seem to keep up with all the work that needs to be done. The laundry, as I've said before, is a never ending pile. There's always a room that needs to be cleaned. Clutter has got to be my worst pet peeve. Anyone who has kids in school knows what "the pile" is. I try to sort through it as soon as it's there, but it's often easier said than done. I'm usually interrupted while doing it at least 10 times.

I'm constantly telling my kids (even daddy kid) that they HAVE to clean up after themselves. I honestly don't mind doing the cooking, cleaning, and laundry when I don't have to stop and pick up first. Once I told them that maybe we just won't pick up after ourselves anymore and I'll randomly choose one person to go around the house picking up after all 6 of us. "No way!", they say. "Well what do you think I do every day!"

Each kid has different chores to do. My 14 year old empties the dishwasher on the days there is no school, cleans up the kitchen after dinner, irons, feeds the cat, and babysits whenever I need her. My 11 year old picks up the toys at the end of the day, clears the table after dinner, takes out the garbage, brings the garbage cans in on trash day, and shovels the sidewalk. My youngest two just are suppose to do any chore that I give them. All the kids are supposed to make their beds every morning and clean up after themselves. This morning no one's bed was made. Their wet towels are laying on the floor. There are boots and pants on the floor by the door. The kitchen had food on the floor and around the sink. There's clutter everywhere. Can you tell I'm upset here? Not only that, they go to ski club right from school today, so they won't be home until late!

OK. They're in trouble now. I think it's time to start deducting from their allowance. The punishment for leaving towels on the floor is having to carry up ALL the laundry. No one's going anywhere tomorrow until everything is done! I guess I'll just stay home and clean all day, after I take my son his ski equipment to school. Or maybe not!

Birth Month Meme

I just got tagged. Tina from tagged me for a meme about birth month characteristics. The rules are: copy and paste the 12 months with their characteristics below, highlight the characteristics for my birth month, and make a comment next to each one about how it fits me (either serious or funny). Then tag 12 people to do this. My birthday is July 25, so...


July is:

Fun to be with. Well I think I am.

Secretive. I am especially when I'm keeping a secret.

Difficult to fathom and to be understood. You mean like when I call everyone in the house by the wrong name almost EVERY time?

Quiet unless excited or tensed. Ohh, not really. I think I'm always excited, even while sleeping.

Takes pride in oneself. Well I care about how I look, care how I act, but don't always care for how I look or how I acted.

Has reputation. Sure I do! A good one!

Easily consoled. I guess.

Honest. Always! Except when I tell my 7 year old how lucky he is to get to go to school, or when I tell my 3 year old whatever she wants to hear at night, just to get her to go to sleep, or when I ... OK, almost always.

Concerned about people's feelings. OK, definitely on this one. Sometimes this can be a weakness of mine. I feel sorry for EVERYONE when they're upset. (I mean a little too much.)

Tactful. I try to be.

Friendly. This one I've learned just since I got married. In high school, I was probably the most unfriendly person there. I didn't think anyone would want to talk to me. Now my husband thinks I'm overly friendly. I talk to people in every line I'm in and everywhere I go.

Approachable. Doesn't this go hand in hand with friendly? Yeah!

Emotional, temperamental, and unpredictable. I have to say yes again. I cry easily, get scared pretty easily, get mad, I mean, try not to get mad too easily. What can I say? I have four kids!

Moody and easily hurt. Sure. I guess I can take things too personally sometimes.

Witty and sparkly. Huh, what did you say? Uh, sure am.

Not revengeful. I don't think so.

Forgiving but never forgets. Yes. Not always, though. Only when it's too hard to forget. That's happened a few times. How can you forget something really bad that someone did to you?

Dislikes nonsensical and unnecessary things. Pretty much. I really hate dusk catchers!

Guides others physically and mentally. Well of course! I'm Mommy of 4!

Sensitive and forms impressions carefully. Yes, but is that always a good thing?

Caring and loving. Definitely.

Treats others equally. Not at all, especially with my kids. I treat them fairly, but they're all so different that I have to talk to them in different tones and punish differently for what works the best with each one.

Strong sense of sympathy. Yes, my husband says too much.

Wary and sharp. Wary yes, not always sharp.

Judges people through observations. Yes?

Hardworking. Of course, I'm a stay at home mom!

No difficulties in studying. Well I don't study now, but I guess I did when I was in school.

Loves to be alone. I don't know what that is!

Always broods about the past and the old friends. I guess the past has effected me. some of my bad experiences when I was younger still haunt me.

Likes to be quiet. Sometimes.

Homely person. No.

Waits for friends. No?

Never looks for friends. No. I'm always looking for new blogging friends!

Not aggressive unless provoked. It takes a lot for me to crack.

Prone to having stomach and dieting problems. Yeah, that's it! I not very good at dieting because I have stomach problems. My stomach's always hungry!

Loves to be loved. Of course, who doesn't?

Easily hurt but takes long to recover. That's a hard one. I guess it depends on the circumstances.


OK. I think I'll tag Kellan (she always has the funniest things to say), Bia, Mary, Karen, Becky, Steph, Cindy, and a new one, Leah. Sorry, I only tagged eight.

This was fun(and long), and I can't wait to hear everyone else's answers!

JANUARY: Stubborn and hard-hearted. Ambitious and serious. Loves to teach and be taught. Always looking at people’s flaws and weaknesses. Likes to criticize. Hardworking and productive. Smart, neat and organized. Sensitive and has deep thoughts. Knows how to make others happy. Quiet unless excited or tensed. Rather reserved. Highly attentive. Resistant to illnesses but prone to colds. Romantic but has difficulties expressing love. Loves children. Loyal. Has great social abilities yet easily jealous. Very stubborn and money cautious.
FEBRUARY: Abstract thoughts. Loves reality and abstract. Intelligent and clever. Changing personality. Attractive. Sexy. Temperamental. Quiet, shy and humble. Honest and loyal. Determined to reach goals. Loves freedom. Rebellious when restricted. Loves aggressiveness. Too sensitive and easily hurt. Gets angry really easily but does not show it. Dislikes unnecessary things. Loves making friends but rarely shows it. Daring and stubborn. Ambitious. Realizes dreams and hopes. Sharp. Loves entertainment and leisure. Romantic on the inside not outside. Superstitious and ludicrous. Spendthrift. Tries to learn to show emotions.
MARCH: Attractive personality. Sexy. Affectionate. Shy and reserved. Secretive. Naturally honest, generous and sympathetic. Loves peace and serenity. Sensitive to others. Loves to serve others. Easily angered. Trustworthy. Appreciative and returns kindness. Observant and assesses others. Revengeful. Loves to dream and fantasize. Loves traveling. Loves attention. Hasty decisions in choosing partners. Loves home decors. Musically talented. Loves special things. Moody.
APRIL: Active and dynamic. Decisive and hasty but tends to regret. Attractive and affectionate to oneself. Strong mentality. Loves attention. Diplomatic. Consoling, friendly and solves people’s problems. Brave and fearless. Adventurous. Loving and caring. Suave and generous. Emotional. Aggressive. Hasty. Good memory. Moving. Motivates oneself and others. Sickness usually of the head and chest. Sexy in a way that only their lover can see.
MAY: Stubborn and hard-hearted. Strong-willed and highly motivated. Sharp thoughts. Easily angered. Attracts others and loves attention. Deep feelings. Beautiful physically and mentally. Firm Standpoint. Needs no motivation. Easily consoled. Systematic (left brain). Loves to dream. Strong clairvoyance. Understanding. Sickness usually in the ear and neck. Good imagination. Good physical. Weak breathing. Loves literature and the arts. Loves traveling. Dislike being at home. Restless. Not having many children. Hardworking. High spirited. Spendthrift.
JUNE: Thinks far with vision. Easily influenced by kindness. Polite and soft-spoken. Having ideas. Sensitive. Active mind. Hesitating, tends to delay. Choosy and always wants the best. Temperamental. Funny and humorous. Loves to joke. Good debating skills. Talkative. Daydreamer. Friendly. Knows how to make friends. Able to show character. Easily hurt. Prone to getting colds. Loves to dress up. Easily bored. Fussy. Seldom shows emotions. Takes time to recover when hurt. Brand conscious. Executive. Stubborn.
JULY: Fun to be with. Secretive. Difficult to fathom and to be understood. Quiet unless excited or tensed. Takes pride in oneself. Has reputation. Easily consoled. Honest. Concerned about people’s feelings. Tactful. Friendly. Approachable. Emotional temperamental and unpredictable. Moody and easily hurt. Witty and sparkly. Not revengeful. Forgiving but never forgets. Dislikes nonsensical and unnecessary things. Guides others physically and mentally. Sensitive and forms impressions carefully. Caring and loving. Treats others equally. Strong sense of sympathy. Wary and sharp. Judges people through observations. Hardworking. No difficulties in studying. Loves to be alone. Always broods about the past and the old friends. Likes to be quiet. Homely person. Waits for friends. Never looks for friends. Not aggressive unless provoked. Prone to having stomach and dieting problems. Loves to be loved. Easily hurt but takes long to recover.
AUGUST: Loves to joke. Attractive. Suave and caring. Brave and fearless. Firm and has leadership qualities. Knows how to console others. Too generous and egoistic. Takes high pride in oneself. Thirsty for praises. Extraordinary spirit. Easily angered. Angry when provoked. Easily jealous. Observant. Careful and cautious. Thinks quickly. Independent thoughts. Loves to lead and to be led. Loves to dream. Talented in the arts, music and defense. Sensitive but not petty. Poor resistance against illnesses. Learns to relax. Hasty and trusty. Romantic. Loving and caring. Loves to make friends.
SEPTEMBER: Suave and compromising. Careful, cautious and organized. Likes to point out people’s mistakes. Likes to criticize. Stubborn. Quiet but able to talk well. Calm and cool. Kind and sympathetic. Concerned and detailed. Loyal but not always honest. Does work well. Very confident. Sensitive. Good memory. Clever and knowledgeable. Loves to look for information. Must control oneself when criticizing. Able to motivate oneself. Understanding. Fun to be around. Secretive. Loves leisure and traveling. Hardly shows emotions. Tends to bottle up feelings. Very choosy, especially in relationships. Systematic.
OCTOBER: Loves to chat. Loves those who loves them. Loves to take things at the center. Inner and physical beauty. Lies but doesn’t pretend. Gets angry often. Treats friends importantly. Always making friends. Easily hurt but recovers easily. Daydreamer. Opinionated. Does not care of what others think. Emotional. Decisive. Strong clairvoyance. Loves to travel, the arts and literature. Touchy and easily jealous. Concerned. Loves outdoors. Just and fair. Spendthrift. Easily influenced. Easily loses confidence. Loves children.
NOVEMBER: Has a lot of ideas. Difficult to fathom. Thinks forward. Unique and brilliant. Extraordinary ideas. Sharp thinking. Fine and strong clairvoyance. Can become good doctors. Dynamic in personality. Secretive. Inquisitive. Knows how to dig secrets. Always thinking. Less talkative but amiable. Brave and generous. Patient. Stubborn and hard-hearted. If there is a will, there is a way. Determined. Never give up. Hardly becomes angry unless provoked. Loves to be alone. Thinks differently from others. Sharp-minded. Motivates oneself. Does not appreciate praises. High-spirited. Well-built and tough. Deep love and emotions. Romantic. Uncertain in relationships. Homely. Hardworking. High abilities. Trustworthy. Honest and keeps secrets. Not able to control emotions. Unpredictable.
DECEMBER: Loyal and generous. Sexy. Patriotic. Active in games and interactions. Impatient and hasty. Ambitious. Influential in organizations. Fun to be with. Loves to socialize. Loves praises. Loves attention. Loves to be loved. Honest and trustworthy. Not pretending. Short tempered. Changing personality. Not egotistic. Take high pride in oneself. Hates restrictions. Loves to joke. Good sense of humor. Logical.

Happy New Years!

Will it be a Happy New Years? I sure hope so. I'm probably the only one who doesn't embrace the new year with hope and excitement. I always get a sick little feeling inside of me when I think of it. I think of all the sad things that happened last year, all the people I know that were diagnosed with diseases. What is going to happen this year? Will there be any natural disasters?

I know, I know, I shouldn't even think this way. We're not supposed to think this way. We should be happy and think of the wonderful things that could and will happen. I really need to work on this. My brother-in-law just announced he's getting married. Maybe someone I know will have a baby. My daughter will start high school this year and I think she will do great there. My youngest will start preschool and she can't wait to go. (These last two are also on the negative list.)

I usually don't have a New Year's resolution. This year I an going to just make a short list of some of things I want to accomplish. I need to do this every once in a while. New Year's is a good time to reflect on what changes I want to make each year. So here are a few:

1. Lose weight. Like everyone else in the world. I need to get back on track a little better. I want to get in a little exercise every day. I need to evaluate my eating and eat better. I want to lose at least 5 pounds right away, then maybe work on a few more after that. Last year I stepped on the scale and realized I had gained 10 pounds. I decided I had to lose weight and fast so I watched every single thing I ate until I lost it. I only drank water for the first week or so and didn't eat one bite of anything between meals. It worked. My weight is only up a couple pounds since then, but I know I can do it as I did before.I just read some tips on MSN on losing weight to get me motivated.


2. See old friends. I make out Christmas cards to all my old friends, but I really need to call them more. I need to make plans to go out to lunch with them (a low fat lunch, of course). I get caught up in what needs to get done around the house and the kids. I miss a lot of my old friends.


3. Read more books. I don't read as much as I want to. I stay up too late at night blogging! I actually love to read while I ride my exercise bike, so I'm going to make sure I do more of that. I have a bunch of books I want to read this year.


4. Make a new layout for my blog. I'm getting bored with how my blog looks. I'm going to put some kind of pictures on it. I just need to figure out exactly what I want, then actually do it.


5. Learn to take better pictures. This is so time consuming for me, but I'm going to find a way to fit it in. I want to learn how to use every function on my camera (I have to find my book for this), and learn more photography tips. I also need to organize all my pictures I have.

Now that I have a list of at least some of things I want to accomplish this year written in my blog, I can go back to it halfway through the year and remind myself of it. I know if I don't even make a list, there will be even less of a chance that I'll do these things. What are some of the things you want to do this year?