"A Wink and a Smile"

life goes faster than you think One January evening ... the day before my boyfriend's 24th birthday ... the test shows a + sign. I'm a 23 year old girl ... 4 months from college graduation ... not yet married ... totally scared. I let my boyfriend know ... he is scared too. We think ... and talk ... and think some more. This is LIFE and so we choose it ... God has a plan. FAST FORWARD 41 year old mommy of 5 wonderful girls ... I am busy ... I am often tired. My first baby is a senior in high school ... where did the time go? Graduate college, get married (to that boyfriend), have a baby ... then four more ... did all that happen? Joy, tears, tantrums, cuddles, smiles, frustrations, giggles, and oh so many pictures to show for it! This nearly 17 year old is such a GIFT ... not in my plans at the age of 23/24 ... but I TRUSTED. Straight 'A' student, National Merit Semifinalist, active in our Catholic church and in her youth group. ...

While it may be a most unusual day for me with the thousands of hits I am receiving on this here little blog ... thanks to the Pioneer Woman , I thought I would share this IDEA for Christmas . Go check out Sarah's blog and then click on the link here to see what YOU could CHOOSE to do for LIFE this Christmas!

Thoughts I really don't like to HEAR ... "Finally! ... a boy" "She had twins ... a boy and a girl ... perfect! Now there is no need for getting pregnant again" No, I am not pregnant. My sister-in-law is ... with a boy. This of course is the first boy grandchild for my husband's parents. They just found out yesterday. My own family has many more grandchildren and an EVEN amount of boys and girls. I saw that "Finally, ... a boy!" comment on my MIL's Facebook page. She didn't say it, but someone she is "friends" with did. At least my MIL responded with " And a boy, what a nice surprise!" And I don't know the person who just had the twins, but apparently she went though IVF and got the so called "perfect " scenario. Who decided that one boy and one girl were PERFECT? Of course this is what my MIL had and I will not say who said the second statement above, but you can try to guess. I really have a har...

Yesterday, I came across this and it really did hit home.  I know in my situation , having an abortion was never going to be my choice.  To me, it was NEVER a choice. "Does having only one option; the option of abortion represent true choice for a woman? Most women do no have abortions as a matter of choice but because they feel they feel they have no resources to support a different option. A coerced decision is not a free choice, it's a last resort" -Angelica Rosales

When you are stuck inside for the most part, your usual subjects just don't seem as interesting. So what's a girl like me to do? Find other things to take pictures of ... These are the shoes I wear most days.  They match everything I wear (sad) and  are quick to put on. This is what sustains my 3 year old ... carbs, juice, and vitamins.  Sounds yummy huh? This is the project that consumed most of winter break.  It required lots of sugar cubes, lots of homemade icing, lots of grainy spray paint, and lots of daddy input ;) This is the lovely CHIA pet that {m} got for Christmas.  Poor thing had a hair growth issue.  I guess nothing ever looks exactly the way it proclaims to. Ahhhhh ... this is the lovely drink that my husband made for me on New Years Eve.  I rather like this photo which shows that sometimes at night, clutter just seems to not bother me so much when I have a good drink ;)  May have to make a request tonight for one of those.

H/T to Pretty in Pink

This weekend is our first swim meet of this short course and in a few minutes I will be helping the girls to pack up and prepare for it. In a few short weeks {k} will be turning 11 and moving up to the next age bracket ... she is not excited about it one bit. She does have two more meets as a 10 year old and we keep trying to fill her mind with some positive reasons why moving up will be a good thing. This is also the very first short course meet for our 6 year old. She is only swimming one event (25Y free), but I am excited to see it. {e} and {m} will also be swimming. SO this weekend is definitely a family event for us. I've realized over the last 2 months how emotional I have been. My family ... we are busy people (like so many others) and we like to change things up a lot which puts a good amount of stress on me. I know that I have had my mix of good and bad days. Sometimes it is evident in the words you see on my blog. I want to keep things real, but then I don't want to ...

Someone you know and love leaves this in their pocket  ...  And then you , the mom or dad put that piece of clothing into this ... Try putting a good amount of this on the spots  and rub/scrape really good (before the dryer) ... You never know when something like that could happen ;)

 ... these words coming from the 6 year old. I guess all these years I have been just a trophy wife that likes to do odd jobs around the home for free.  Sometimes I pop out babies  ... making sure they don't get hurt, driving them to the pool, buying them snacks, and organizing playdates.  Oh, I also make sure they get fed, clothed, and educated.  I even throw in a few pointers on how to behave and be good people. Before I was JUST a mom . Now I am a Sunday School Teacher . I still don't get paid with money. What if I tell my 6 year old that I work from the heart (no paycheck) ... that I am just trying to share The Good News of Jesus with others?  Will that still be a job to her? Hmmmm ....  Maybe I should just tell her that I do get money (an allowance or paycheck) from her Dad, but that I prefer to spend it all on my children. YES, that's what I will do!   I do have a job ... t w o in fact ;)

For the last 4 years I find I am a little nutty the 2 weeks leading up to school. Last year may have been a little calmer ... only 2 going to "school" and the other 2 were homeschooled. I had a lot less supplies to gather, but then I did feel the first time pressure of lesson planning. Some people have asked about our changes and I am not sure I can fully articulate our reasons for sending all the girls back to "school". I'll give it a try though. A little history ... We moved to our current state back in '05. In the years prior, they (I guess it was only the oldest 2) went to public school. We had a great public school that I did really like. Aside from {e}'s 4th grade teacher, I was pretty happy with the teachers and the school atmosphere. When we moved here, we were warned of the terrible public schools and in our incredible state of being hurried (finding out that we are moving halfway across the country and actually doing it within a 7 week t...

 ... with 5 children and a home. THE CONSTANT PHONE CALLS and APPOINTMENTS This summer has been filled with many dentist visits, well check ups, and orthodontist visits. Again this week ('cause I just went today) we will head back to the dentist to get a filling for my 6 year old (her first ... boo hoo). After this holiday weekend I need to get {m}'s top wire put in (TODAY) after I had to use wire cutters to cut off part of it this weekend.  Her wire fell out of the back bracket poking her in the cheek (ouch!). In between I am trying to get some things taken care of with our home.  THE WINDOW man will still not call me back and I am not sure he will after the phone call I left him. THEN sometime soon I need to make hair cut appointments (for some of the girls who I won't cut their hair). ALSO on the schedule is the oh so important 1st mammogram.  That has to get scheduled before the girls start back at school. ALL THIS TALK is boring to anyone who reads ... I am sure.   I ...

Maybe that is normal after coming back from vacation and spending just a little too much money. $ Sprinklers need fixing $$ Need dirt and sod to correct the oh so very sad looking front and back yard $$$ Just got an invoice for the swim dues that have accumulated over the last 2 months $$$$ Ceiling needs a little fixing after daughter #1 flooded the family room $$$$$ The seals on about 6 windows have blown in my house (warranty? I hope) Forget summer vacation. I NEED A JOB!

I have been tagged by a Dad who lives in a running shoe and has so many children ... The rules of the game get posted on the beginning. Each player answers the questions about himself. At the end of the post, the player tags five people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they’ve been tagged and asking them to read their blog. What I was doing ten years ago: I was a stay at home mom to just 2 little girls who were about 2.5 and 6 months old. I lived in CA and did things like Mommy and Me class, Moms Group, lots of neighborhood walks, visited a lot of playgrounds, and occasionally I got in a rare nap. Life was simple and I didn't even know it! Five things on my To-Do list today: (Well the day is over, but I can give you tomorrow's plan) Morning drop off at Catholic school Field trip with homeschooling group to a recycling center. Bake brownies for my daugher's sleepover later that night. Pick up house, get 2 gi...

I really don't feel like I have sat down. IT HAS BEEN SO BUSY. One day seems to blend in with the next. Lots of stuff going on here ... homeschooling swim practices and meets First Reconciliation field trips piano lessons house issues (broken furnace 2x ... we need to dump a huge amount of $ for a new one) finance class (took a 2 day one last week) RCIA classes each week doctor visits (well checks, orthodontists) a week long visit from the MIL (next week my own Mom comes for a 2 week stay) husband has been very busy with work and that puts more work on me running (although I need to up my exercise routine) Practically one month of the year down already ... WOW!

That would be the slogan for Nationwide , but I feel it practically every day. Just when I think I get comfortable with something , BAM! ... change has to happen. There is always something new to learn and remember. There are always new choices to make. Most days I just feel like I have OVERLOAD on the brain. My husband doesn't help in this department. He loves CHANGE and finding newer, bigger, and better things. I don't think a day goes by that he doesn't share with me something that he just discovered that I MUST try. Most of this has to do with the computer. Some days I enjoy this, but most of the time I just pretend to be captivated in the same way that he is. I suspect he sees right through this fakeness ... I am not good at pretending. This weekend I am taking a break . Today I am just going to hang out with some little girls at a playplace in town. The computer is going to be shut down . Tonight I will just read or maybe watch Nottinghill (recorded ...

We've all heard that a million times. I know that I have fallen for this many, many times. When I was younger it would be that I wished for things that others had. I've wished to be wealthier, to have a bigger home, nicer furniture, and more "me" time. Over the years I THINK that I have relaxed a bit on being envious of others ... at least I have tried to. What I am most guilty of these days is wishing for the past ... for simpler times. I can't have that wish, but I struggle with it daily. Thinking back to days when I didn't have the schedule that I put on myself and our family. The problem with that is that back then, I thought things were hard too. It's all relative. I've also found myself wishing I could be more ... smarter, a better writer, more articulate with my words when spoken, a better photographer, a better decorator, a better housekeeper, a better mom. There are days that I wish my family lived in the places we have lived before b...