Giving Thanks - 2010 Edition

Last year I was "challenged" to write something I'm thankful for every day in the month of November in preparation for Thanksgiving. In 2009, I didn't get started on the first day...I actually only found out about the challenge a little more than a week into the month. This year, I started the challenge again, but this time did so on the first of the month!!!

I posted something different each day on Facebook as my status update, and I kept track of them in a Word document to make posting on my blog a little easier. It was so fun this year...several friends who noticed my project started participating, too. And I had someone leave me a comment on my Facebook page that she looked forward to seeing my update each day because it helped to remind her of all the things she is thankful for in her life, too. We live in a world that is non-stop action, it seems like. Taking time to appreciate the little things is so refreshing! It's given me yet another reminder that it's the people, not necessarily the things, in life that make living so worthwhile.

Here's my list for 2010!

Day 1 of Counting My Blessings: I am thankful for my wonderful husband. Happiness really is being married to your best friend.

Day 2 of Counting My Blessings: Today I am thankful for Megan. She's older than her brother by less than a minute, but she never lets us forget that she's his big sister. There's always a smile on my face when she hugs me and tells me I'm her best friend. :)

Day 3 of Counting My Blessings: Today I am thankful for Jeremy. He is a resilient and fun little boy with a grin that melts my heart. When I tell him he's my favorite son, he responds that I'm his favorite mommy. That's my boy!!!

Day 4 of Counting My Blessings: Today I am thankful for our home. We've lived here almost nine years now...it's not fancy, or large, or "perfect." But it's not just a house either...it really is a HOME. I am thankful for a roof over our heads and a safe place to raise our children.

Day 5 of Counting My Blessings: Today I am thankful for my parents. They have always taught my brother and I to treat others the way we would like to be treated. They have given us unconditional love and devotion. It's amazing to watch my parents with their six grandchildren and know how lucky these kids are to have a Grammie and Grandpa who love them so much, too!

Day 6 of Counting My Blessings: Today I am thankful for the cooler weather (however long it may last!).

Day 7 of Counting My Blessings: Today I am thankful for family members who are like friends...and friends who are like family members. :)

Day 8 of Counting My Blessings: Today I am thankful for my children's VPK teachers. They have amazing amounts of patience and they make school "fun" for all of the kids in the class. Megan and Jeremy consistently come home with happy stories about the things they have learned, and I enjoy seeing how much they've grown in just a couple of months.

Day 9 of Counting My Blessings: Today I am thankful for my brother, Kris. We've been there for each other through thick and thin, and I have a lot of great memories from our childhood together. He's an awesome uncle to my kids, and he's given me a sister-in-law, two nieces and two nephews to love and adore, too!

Day 10 of Counting My Blessings: Today I am thankful for the gift of laughter. Whether it's because of a joke told by a friend, something silly the kids have said or done, or just the realization that I've done something silly myself, there really is no better medicine than laughter.

Day 11 of Counting My Blessings: Today I am thankful for all of our country's military men and women who have served or are currently serving. Freedom isn't free, but I'm so glad to live in the land of the free and the home of the BRAVE. Happy Veterans Day, everyone!

Day 12 of Counting My Blessings: Today I am thankful for my friend Wanda, because she had a medical emergency earlier this year and has made an amazing recovery. She's my "walkin', talkin' miracle friend," and I am so grateful for her. She's a fantastic wife, mother and friend, and I love every chance I get to hang out with her!

Day 13 of Counting My Blessings: Today I am thankful for things that remind me of my grandparents. They've been gone for a while now (14 years and 12 years), but every now and then something happens that brings great memories back for me. They were fantastic people and I miss them so much!

Day 14 of Counting My Blessings: Today I am thankful for the opportunity to celebrate with a friend who is welcoming her first baby next month. She has a lot of adventures ahead of her and I am so excited for her and her husband!

Day 15 of Counting My Blessings: Today I am thankful for my Flagler Hospital family. I left my job almost five years ago to stay home with the twins, but there are still so many happy, smiling faces and I feel like I am back "home" whenever I go there to visit. :)

Day 16 of Counting My Blessings: Today I am thankful that something as simple and easy as pizza night with my family can make me so happy. :)

Day 17 of Counting My Blessings: Today I am thankful for the love of God, who knows what even our smallest hopes are and takes care of us. We may not always understand why things happen (or why other things don't happen), but there are reasons for everything.

Day 18 of Counting My Blessings: Today I am thankful for my health and the health of my family. We can handle the occasional cough or sniffle, or the minor backache or headache...there are so many others who are facing so much worse.

Day 19 of Counting My Blessings: Today I am thankful for the opportunity to spend time with a friend/dorm neighbor from college. It's been over 10 years since I've seen her, and I can't wait 'til she arrives this evening!

Day 20 of Counting My Blessings: Today I am thankful for a busy schedule, because it means I'm rarely bored (even though downtime is sometimes nice, too!).

Day 21 of Counting My Blessings: Today I am thankful for my camera and the many photos we've taken of the kids over the course of five years. They're turning five just three weeks from tomorrow and I have so much fun taking a walk down memory lane whenever I get a chance...I can't believe how fast time has flown!

Day 22 of Counting My Blessings: Today I am thankful for friends who call just to say hello. I can get so caught up in everyday responsibilities (like raising kids, work, errands, etc.) and it's nice to just hear a friendly voice!

Day 23 of Counting My Blessings: Today I am thankful for the crazy things the kids come up with...like Megan's "epiphany" that her teeth are kind of shaped like candy corn, or Jeremy's plan to be an astronaut who plays basketball in space. Life can be taken too seriously sometimes...they remind me to lighten up once in a while!

Day 24 of Counting My Blessings: Today I am thankful for the opportunity to work from home, because it's allowed me to stay home with my kids for the last (almost) five years. With Steve's schedule being so random (working every other weekend, switching from days to nights to days every two months), it's nice to be able to be home when he’s home, too!

Day 25 of Counting My Blessings: Today I am thankful for the opportunity to count my blessings for the last 24 days! I'm thankful for all my friends, for my family, and for the chance to get together with loved ones today for wonderful meals. I'm thankful that there are always blessings to be found, especially when you really start watching for them. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Halloween Spooktacular

We spent a few hours at Sea World on Sunday! We have been longtime passport members, and Sea World is our favorite place to go when we want to get some uninterrupted family time in (especially since our schedule can be a little hectic at times!). This was our third year attending the park's Halloween Spooktacular event. There are candy stations scattered throughout the theme park, and costumed characters and fantastic decorations are around just about every corner. The kids love Sea World on ordinary days, but hunting for candy and treats is always an additional source of excitement for them.

I don't have time to post a whole lot about the day, but I wanted to post a few photos. If you have the opportunity to get there, the event continues Oct. 23, 24, 29, 30 and 31! Visit www.seaworldorlando.com for more information!


Megan and Jeremy at the entrance to the trick-or-treat path...


"Visiting" one of the whales in the observation tank behind Shamu Stadium. The kids have been known to tell people that they have a pet whale and that we go visit him at his house...


Megan and Jeremy with one of the garden fairy characters in the park. Notice the strained smiles? They don't look directly at the camera much...Steve says I "broke" them by taking so many pictures during their first few years... :)

Cooler Weather

The temperatures have been staying at or just below 80 degrees the last few days...I LOVE it when the Florida temps begin to drop for the cooler season. In Florida, we don't have four seasons like everyone else. Steve and I like to joke that we have two seasons here...summer and summer-lite. The last few years when the kids have had their birthday party (in December), we've worn shorts. To me, Christmas just isn't the same when the temps are so high. I grew up visiting my grandparents in Canada for many Christmases, and eight feet of snow wasn't unusual for us...going to the Christmas Eve service at church without needing to wear a jacket just doesn't seem the same to me.

The only problem with the cooler weather at the moment is the fact that I want to open the windows, but we haven't checked all our screens yet. The mosquito population seems to have multiplied ten-fold in the last few days, so I'm trying very hard not to invite those little buggers into the house. Jeremy got bug bites all over his legs on a walk last week, and the poor kid looks like he's been attacked by vampires...red welts everywhere.

The kids have their first field trip on Friday, to a local pumpkin patch. It will be their first "real" ride on a school bus! I bought their field trip t-shirts today, and I think I'm just as excited as they are because I get to go as a chaperone. I'll have my camera with me, of course...don't think I could go on a field trip with them without one (and anyone who knows me would completely agree!).

School has been going well for them...they still have completely different attitudes when it comes to schoolwork. Megan comes home and immediately starts asking if she can do her homework. Jeremy kicks back and turns on the tv or dvd player and relaxes. Not sure if that's something we can attribute to the difference between boys and girls, but it's pretty funny to watch. I dropped them off at class this morning and neither one even noticed me once they got settled in at their worktables. Usually Megan hollers for me to come give her a hug and kiss before I leave, but today I didn't get that request. It's a great feeling because I know it means they're happy there, they're comfortable and not having problems. But at the same time, it's still an adjustment not having them need me just a little. Just proves that another interesting thing about being a parent is learning that sometimes you rely on your kids just as much if not more than they rely on you.

Time...

No matter how much I try to keep my schedule organized (as if that's possible with two four-year-olds!), time just seems to fly. I can't believe how fast this past month has gone. My kids started school on August 23rd...and we're already 2/3 of the way through September! I haven't blogged since the kids started school...shame on me!

I've been working hard to change my organization patterns on my computer desk at home over the course of the last week. We'll see how long those changes last, but so far I like the fact that things are a little more streamlined. I bought a new planner/calendar so I can keep track of everything, from the kids' school schedule to my work schedule (even work-from-home moms need to schedule things carefully!), to Steve's work schedule and family commitments like birthdays, anniversaries, etc. We're not the "busiest" people in the world, but I'm pretty actively involved in several volunteer/charity functions, and those include meetings galore.

I'm going to adopt a chart my friend showed me a few years ago. I laughed (on the inside) when I first saw it, but I'm interested to see if it's something I can apply to my daily life. It involves targeting specific areas in the house so that you can do a few small tasks each day and at the end of the week there's very little to be done because you've been taking care of it already. For instance, clean the guest bathroom on Monday and Thursday. Vacuum on Tuesday and Friday. Clean the fridge the day before garbage day and take five minutes to clear out products that are expired, etc. This plan may work, it might not...but it's worth a shot, because I'm overwhelmed with my current pattern!

I would really like to set aside at least 20 or 30 minutes a week to sit and blog. I keep saying I'm going to do it, but then it slips by. I read friends' blogs when I have some downtime, and I really enjoy reading them.

The kids are loving school, and I have to say I'm finally adjusting to the pattern of dropping them off/picking them up. It's not always easy (three hours FLIES even faster than you might think!), but I'm learning to lay out their clothes the night before and pack their snacks the night before to help with our time management in the morning. If I could convince them to eat breakfast a little faster than snail's pace I'd be thrilled. They like to take their time with their cereal! We had some issues at first with Jeremy not wanting to cooperate with activity transition (moving from the blocks to the classwork activity was apparently not something he was thrilled about!), but now that he's getting into a routine it's going fairly well. For anyone who had doubts, I can certainly tell you that GIRLS and BOYS have completely different personalities when it comes to school. Megan has done extremely well adapting...Jeremy has had a rocky start, but is gradually coming around.

I'll have to write a separate post sometime soon about the black eye Jeremy got two weeks ago...he was running in the house right before bedtime and fell and smashed his eye on some furniture, and it was quite the event around here, to say the least. I have pictures of his shiner, and thankfully it wasn't a really severe injury, so we can look back in hindsight and chuckle about it a little.

Til next time!!!

First Day of School!!!

The kids started VPK on Monday. It's technically 1 a.m. on Tuesday, but I wanted to post this before I go to bed. Other than a little whining (on my part...they didn't want to cooperate and let me take 800 photos!), I think the day went very well. I was pleasantly surprised that Steve was able to leave his zone for a very short time so he could be there to walk the kids in for the first time with me. My mom had come down from Jacksonville to go with me, since I thought I'd be on my own. So there were three of us trooping in behind Megan and Jeremy at 9:15 in the morning, and the kids made a beeline for their classroom. They learned its location at the open house on Saturday, and their friend Savannah is also in their class, so it's good to know there's already a familiar face there with them.

I left the school with my mom and Steve left to go back to work. Mom and I went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast, and I couldn't help but feel strange to be there without the munchkins. The waitress we requested is the same one we try to get whenever we go there though...we met her five years ago, right around the time I was put on bedrest. Mom would sometimes sneak me to Cracker Barrel for a meal on the way home from a doctor's appointment, and she was always so sweet to us. It was kind of like coming full circle to go have breakfast there and visit with her. :0

We ran a few errands after breakfast and then went to pick the kids up again at 12:15. Jeremy was crying! We quickly learned he was upset because he wanted to stay at school and play on the playground longer. Hmmm. I'm proud to say he's the only one of us who cried though...I went tear-free all day. Surprisingly, since I figured I'd boo-hoo just a little!

I won't post the multitude of pics I originally wanted to, just the one of them with their backpacks on before we left the house. My babies are growing up!!!

A Playdate Gone Astray

I completely failed to realize that my last post (which was in JUNE...wow, I am SO far behind in my pledge to keep up!) was my 100th post. I did nothing special for that post, but I'm very excited about #101. :) My blogger friend Alana over at http://alana-isms.blogspot.com/ and I planned a fun playdate for our kids (and for ourselves, as well!), and it was scheduled for yesterday. Neither one of us could have foreseen what would become of our "great" adventure. We worked together via e-mail after we got home to document the day and I am happy to present the whole story below. Read at your own risk!

Alana: It started with a wonderful plan. Katie had two free family passes for a really amazing indoor play center. We were stoked to see each other again, and were thrilled to have something air conditioned and fun to do, as the heat index here has surrounded us with temperatures feeling like 110 degrees. The plan was to meet at the mall at 9:30 a.m., in order to leave my car in the mall parking lot. Em and I would join Katie and her kiddos in their car to carpool to the play center. It was a sunny and beautiful day.

We arrived at the mall. Katie helped transfer Em's booster seat to the center of her car (which Em gets a kick out of, as she gets to sit BETWEEN Katie's 2 kiddos.) We buckled the kids in, popped a movie in the DVD player and Katie started the car.

Katie: So everyone's loaded in the car and we're ready to roll...fun times await! And I look down at the dashboard for some random reason. And my check engine light was on. Ugh. Between May and June I took my car into the shop a total of five (count 'em, FIVE) times because of the check engine light. The problem was fixed in the middle of June, but what could possibly be the issue now?

I looked at Alana and at first I said, "We can probably make it..." but then started thinking about it. If we got stranded 30 minutes away I would feel like a complete goof. Alana offered to follow me to the service shop, which is right down the street from the mall anyway. We could leave my car there for maintenance while we had our grand adventure, then pick my car back up on the way home later in the afternoon. Alana hopped back in her car, intending to follow me to the shop. Much to our surprise...

Alana: When I turned my key in the ignition, there was a clicking noise, but MY car would not start. My immediate thought was that something was wrong with the car battery. However, I was perplexed. As the car had been sitting idly for only 10 minutes, how could the battery have died? After a quick check of all gadgets (paying special attention to the interior dome light Emma sometimes plays with) indicated that nothing was amiss, I held my hands up in a "surrender" to Katie. How could we BOTH be having car problems at the same time? I proceeded to empty my trunk of the back-to-school crate and bags full of supplies, along with Emma's beach play-gear so that I could get out my jumper cables. Meanwhile, Katie sat in the car with three kiddos (Emma age 5 and twins Megan and Jeremy age 4) trying to entertain the kiddos and explain why we were sitting in a parking lot rather than going on the adventure we had promised. After clearing my trunk, I lifted the flap where my spare tire is stowed only to determine that the jumper cables and emergency kit my Dad purchased for me several years ago were not there. (Oops...I seem to remember moving them to the garage when I needed extra trunk space a while ago. Sorry Dad!) Doh! My thoughts of having Katie jump-start my car were dashed. Guess we'd have to move on to Plan C. Wait! What's Plan C?

Katie: Plan C? I was still trying to figure out why Plan B wasn't working out. I am a cop's wife, so you think I'd be smart enough to keep jumper cables in my car. Nope. I had taken them out a while back when we had the car in the shop for repairs. Oops.

We tried to find a mall security guard, then tried asking the maintenance people at Sears about how much a battery would cost for Alana's car. We wound up taking my car to the shop, since it was still in driving condition. They have a kids' playroom there, and we basically vegged out in the waiting room until the service rep came and told me (almost an hour later) that the check engine light was not caused by the same problem as before. It appeared to be the catalytic converter, which "lucky" (and I use this term loosely) for me is still covered under the warranty. Just one problem...the shop we were at used to be an official Saturn dealership, but Saturn went out of business early this year and the shop had become a used car lot with a maintenance bay. To get warranty repairs done, I'd have to take the car to a different dealership that was an "authorized maintenance location." But first, I had to pay $65 to the shop for the diagnostic fee. Ugh. Already out that much and haven't had any actual repair work done.

The bright side of this part of the story is that the service rep had checked into an issue with the rental car company down the street...they had rented a car for me for one day when my vehicle was being held overnight for service, and somehow the rental agency had charged my card twice the amount of a one-day rental when I wasn't supposed to be charged at all. The rep from the shop told me they had me listed as a three-day rental, not a one-day rental. We ran by the rental place after leaving the shop and Alana stayed in the car while I straightened that mess out. Yay for progress!

Alana: Two things to add before I forget. One: The guy working at the Sears car shop at the mall told me it would be "at least a four-hour wait" AND $120 - $140 to replace my car battery....NO WAY, buddy! Two: Cracked me up when Katie said her kids thought our "big surprise" (intended to be the indoor play center, of course) was just the small play area at the car shop. Are they sweeties, or what? Back to the story...

Next, we went back to the mall parking lot and met up with my AWESOME father-in-law, Craig, who had agreed via phone to come to my rescue. Katie kindly volunteered to take Emma with her and her kiddos to the car dealership so they could play together in the dealership playroom while she had the "check engine" light on her dashboard investigated.

This is where our story separates for a bit. Craig and I stayed in the parking area while I did my womanly best to hold his flashlight while he
dug through his tool bags trying to find the correct-size wrench to loosen the cover on my car battery. Katie and the kids...

Katie: After dropping Alana off with Craig, the kids and I made our way to the "authorized maintenance location." I had talked to one of the service reps there about four or five months ago when I was getting quotes on tires for my car, so I felt pretty good since I at least had a name. The kids and I unloaded and walked into the service department to explain our story. I brought juice boxes to distract them (which worked for about 30 seconds before my kids started harrassing the service rep and asking him where all the toys were). Long story short...the other service department had switched off the check engine light, clearing the error code, when they ran the diagnostic on my car. And this service place wouldn't even look at my car unless a) I had a check engine light on or b) I was willing to pay for another diagnostic, which wasn't even guaranteed to work since the error code had been cleared by the other guys. Even when the service rep who had helped me with tire pricing came to my rescue, it was obvious that they couldn't do anything to help. I decided to wait and see if the check engine light comes back on in the next week or so. Car maintenance is a necessary evil.

The kids and I piled back into the car and got on the road. We headed for Chick-fil-A near the mall because I figured it would be less crowded than another one close by (wow...I was so wrong). We ordered kids' meals (all four of us...because you get free ice cream if you trade your "toy" in at the counter without opening it) and settled in for our lunch. The kids ran around in the playground at the restaurant for a while, and when Alana called to say she was on her way with Craig we left the playground and went to get our ice cream so we would have a treat while they ate their lunch. It was probably about 2:30 when they got there...and I was anxious to hear how Alana's car was faring...

Alana: When Craig found the correct size wrench to undo the cap on my car battery, we discovered a lot of white/green corrosion. The Amazing Craigster was able to use a pocket knife and screwdriver to clean the majority of the corrosion off. We were then able to jump start my car. (By the way---the jumper cables Craig used were made by DH's Pappaw years ago. Cool, hey?) As with the jumper cables assistance my car started quickly, I was hopeful the battery had died due to age and corrosion, and we'd be able to replace it and my car would be fixed. However, as a precaution, Craig followed me to the mechanic to verify how much "juice" was left in the battery and to verify all was okay with my car.

After running a diagnostic test, the mechanic informed me that the battery appeared to be okay. It had most likely been drained due to the car needing a new alternator. Gulping at the $380 fee, but knowing it was necessary, I "approved" the work order.

Craig kindly drove me to meet Em, and the gang at Chick-fil-A in order to pick Emma up while my car was being repaired.

Katie: Alana and Craig got their lunches and sat with us so we could catch up. Megan and Jeremy took an instant shine to Craig, so now he's got two admirers. If I'd been thinking about it, I would have had a picture taken of the whole group of us to go with this blog post, but I wasn't exactly thinking clearly after such a long and drawn out day. We parted ways right around 3:30 to head home, and I felt pretty foolish driving home and wishing that my check engine light would click back on. It was definitely "the playdate that wasn't," but somehow we weren't too much worse for the wear, and the kids really enjoyed themselves and the time they spent with Emma. Although I feel pretty bad that Alana's car repairs were so expensive, since our intention for the day was to use the free passes I've been holding on to since June and then eat lunch at O'Charley's (since the kids' meals are free). It was such a great plan! We'll definitely have to attempt it on a different day. :)

Alana: Emma fell asleep in Craig's backseat as he drove us to pick up my car from the mechanic. Thus, I asked him if he would mind if I followed him to his house to allow Emma more "nap" time. He kindly agreed. I paid the mechanic, waved at Craig that my bill was taken care of, and walked to my car. Just as I saw Craig turn out of the parking lot, I tried turning the ignition on in my car. Guess what? It was the same clicking noise that had occurred at the mall. ACK! Though annoyed, I was relieved that if my car was not going to function, at least it "chose" to break at the car mechanic's.

I returned to the inside of the mechanic shop. The guy was aghast that the car wouldn't start. "We turned your car off and re-started it several times before calling you for pick-up." They had replaced the alternator, thinking that the battery would be fine with a new alternator. However, turns out the battery was also fried.

I called Craig...who I had inadvertently pawned Emma off on. He said I could just pick her up at his house whenever my car was done. $70 bucks (battery cost, no charge for labor) and 40 minutes later my car was finally "done."

What a day! Despite the financial and logistical burdens of my day, I had two HUGE blessings: Katie and Craig. Both stepped in, helping with my car woes and childcare without prior notice. I don't know what I would have done without them! And while car issues are always a hassle, I'm also grateful that the alternator/battery issues occurred during the summer instead of when I'm back to work in 2 weeks.

I have to smile at the odds....what is the likelihood of BOTH cars having issues at the exact same time? Katie reported that her check engine light did not come back on during her 20-minute drive home. As for me, I can't wait for our next playdate...maybe DH will let me borrow his car next time, just in case! :)

Katie: That's all we wrote, folks. Our adventure in hindsight was not exactly "fun" like we planned, but I was just grateful that we got to spend some time together. The kids got along really well, and all three were actually very, very good considering how boring it all must have seemed for them. Talk about counting our blessings!!!

Stop and Smell the Flowers

It never fails. There are two things that my children insist on doing whenever we go to the local grocery store. First, we stop at the bakery, where they are practically on a first-name basis with the people who work there. Then, before I can even break out my grocery list to begin our shopping, we have to go over to the floral display. My kids consistently remind me to take time to stop and smell the flowers.

I don't know that many people who can claim to NOT be busy. I don't think I'm all that much busier than the average person. I have a family to care for, a job (or two) to keep up with. I have friends who I love to spend time with whenever possible. And I have volunteer activities that I enjoy because I treasure the satisfaction I feel when I help someone else. Sometimes my schedule is smooth, sometimes it's rocky. There are days when I have nothing planned...blissful days when I might choose to get an hour or two of work done just to make sure I have less to do later on my busier days. My kids are a great reminder that sometimes, just sometimes, it's alright to just stop and enjoy whatever peaceful moments I can grab. I am so lucky to have them, and their reminders are definitely priceless.

Yesterday, I was working on a project and my son came into my home office. He said nothing at first, just looked at the computer and stood quietly. I wrapped my arm around him and said, "What's up?" Very calmly, very quietly, he leaned toward me and said, "Mommy, come cuddle with me." The kids got twin-size beds a couple of months ago, and he's just thrilled with the fact that I can squeeze onto his bed with him, something I couldn't do when they were sleeping on toddler beds. We climbed onto his bed together, cuddled up, and pointed out "imaginary" shapes on the ceiling, a game he's come to love recently. It was a perfect moment in time, one I don't think I'll forget anytime soon.

If you're having a busy day, do yourself a big favor...stop for a moment. Take just a few minutes to stop and smell the flowers. Jeremy and Megan might not stay little forever, they might not always want to cuddle with their momma, but the memories we make today are ones we can carry with us for years to come.