Thankful #6, #7, and salami

November 6: I am thankful that I was able to vote. Also, the kids and I went to the dentist and there were no cavities in any of our teeth. I am scared to death of getting a cavity and thankfully I never have. The dentist says that I have my German heritage to thank. I don't know if that's true or not, but I'll take it.

November 7: I am in a bummer of a mood today and so I am very thankful that the sun is out and shining brightly.

On a different note, my kids do not lack in personality and Woo proved that once again the other night. We were hanging out in my bedroom folding laundry and out of the blue she said, "I am going to list the top 10 reasons to buy salami." So here they are:

Top 10 Reasons to Buy Salami
1.  They are circular
2.  You can fold them up
3.  They are yummy
4.  They go great on sandwiches
5.  They have dots and are red
6.  I like to eat them
7.  They might be historic
8.  You should just buy them
9.  They taste great with pepper jack cheese
10. They are good just plain

She's also working on a list of reasons why you should buy Red Velvet Cake flavored yogurt.

Thankful #5

Today I am thankful that my little man slept almost all night long and is feeling much better. In fact, today is one of my perfect kind of days. Tiger is too sick to go to school, but feeling well enough that he is perfectly happy to do his own thing and I don't have to sit next to him all day long. This means that I get to stay home and do whatever I want or need to without having to feel like I am ignoring my little man. Plus the sun is out, bonus. Plus, I get to have left over risotto for lunch. Plus, I am listening to Christmas music. Today is good.

Thankful #4

Last night my little Tiger had a rough night, which means that I had a rough night. He sadly came down with a nasty cold and a bit of a stomach virus and I learned once again that I am far too old to stay up all night long and function normally the next day. Although I am not thankful that I was up all night with a sick boy, I am very thankful that this happened on a Saturday night and not a school night and that I even had the added blessing of an extra hour with the change in time.

Thankful #3 and help needed

November 3: Today I am thankful that we didn't have to be at soccer in the freezing cold at 8:00 on a Saturday morning and that I could just snuggle in my bed as long as I wanted to this morning. I love to be in bed.

On a completely unrelated note, I need a little assistance from those of you reading this who know me and have been to my house. My house is cold and unforgiving and it depresses me every winter.  Well, that and the fact that the sun disappears for months at a time, but there isn't anything I can do about that. I would like this winter to be different and this is where I need your help. I have been attempting to decorate a bit in order to make my house feel more lived in and less sterile, but I am not sure what else to do for a decorator I am not. What can I do to make my house feel more warm and welcoming and less cold and unforgiving? 

 Two reference pictures snapped as is this morning.

To be grateful

We are finally done with October and November has blown in like a breath of fresh air. I haven't been feeling super positive, friendly, or grateful lately and so I thought that I would join the throngs of people out there who are taking the opportunity to identify something that they are thankful for each day during the month of November. I am hoping that this helps my general sense of well being because I know there are a million things I could list, it's just easy to forget what they are.  So, here we go:

November 1.  After about a week of no sun and very cold and wet weather due to Hurricane Sandy, the sun shone brightly and warmed my soul. The sun is very good for me and I enjoy it immensely.

November 2.  Today as my little Tiger got off of the bus, I watched from afar as he willingly went up to his friend's dog and proceeded to allow this little dog to jump up on his chest several times while Tiger laughed and giggled. He also willingly petted this dog and continued to engage with the dog as he walked down the street towards our house. This may not seem like a big deal to a lot of you, but this is absolutely huge for my boy. He has been absolutely and completely terrified of dogs for the last few years and we have been working really hard to help him overcome this fear. It has been a tough road. You don't realize how many dogs are out there in the world until you are faced with a situation like this. So, today's reaction was especially joyful and unexpected to me because just yesterday he was completely freaking out as he tried and was unable to open the front door to our house after he got off of the bus because this same dog was starting to walk down the street and Tiger was terrified that the dog would get him. Whatever the cause of today's turnaround, I'll take it and be grateful that although tomorrow will probably be different, for today he was able to feel safe and happy.

A little adventure

Last week Doug took a couple of days off from work and so we took the kids out of school and headed south for a little fun in nature. We have been trying to do this for years but every time we plan to go the weather really does not work with us. This time we were determined to go and we weren't going to let anything stop us. Although it was cold and rainy at our house, further to the south it ended up being a gorgeous day and perfect for this kind of adventure. The kids had to miss their Halloween parties at school, but I think we all agree that it was worth it.

 

Two nature loving boys.

 



This area was our favorite and the acoustics were amazing. We could have spent all day here just hanging out and playing in the sand.

 



This boy however was racked with disappointment. Apparently, despite all of our descriptions to the contrary, he thought that we were going to be going into actual dark deep caves and spelunking or something of that nature. So, with that kind of attitude lurking about it was necessary to put him in a little pre-teen time out so that he could find his happy place again. I am sure some deep contemplation took place in this rock crevice.

 



This boy was truly in his element. Leaves to crunch, dirt to roll in, and rocks to climb.

 

Sparky loves science and nature and is a walking encyclopedia and he never misses an opportunity to educate whomever is around. Here he is pointing out various water life in this pond and teaching his little brother all that he knows.

 



Hey, here's a cute nature girl.

 



This tunnel in the rock was as close to a "cave" as we actually got.

 



In the end, the adventure itself was enough to cheer this boy up. He ended up having a great time and is ready to go back again.

 



Thanks for the adventure my love. You are welcome to take a day off from work anytime.

Phone pictures from our apple picking adventure

Once again our beloved cousins drove up to go apple picking with us. It has become a yearly tradition and everyone here in this house absolutely loves it! The apples were a little off this year with the crazy hot and dry summer that we had, but we were still able to fill some bags and have a great time in the process.

Tiger just loves Mary. At some point in their relationship they played a game where Mary was the mother and Tiger was something else. Whatever Tiger was in the game is irrelevant because ever since that day Tiger has referred to Mary as his mother or "my mother Mary." It is adorable.

Apple picking isn't apple picking unless you climb the trees, for everyone knows that the best apples are at the top.

A picture of my love and I just to document the fact that we were both present during the outing.

After an hour of picking everyone was getting a little apple crazy and that exhibited itself in the form of piggybacks and general goofiness.

Tiger was apparently completely worn out from all of the "rigorous" walking and needed to take a little break.

Fortunately there was a mud puddle to be found. We tried to get the kids to bob for apples, but none of them were having it.

Hey, here's a cute little apple picker.

A picture of me, completely unedited and in all of my glory, just because I don't ever take pictures of myself.

My three little apple pickers. Note to self for next year. Golden Delicious apples turn mushy as soon as you pick them which means they are not very tasty for eating, but they make some tasty applesauce.

Brothers who love each other.

Brothers who throw apples at each other.

All of the kids. Yes, it was another fine apple picking experience and proof that there are some great things about Fall. We can hardly wait to do it again next year.

Feeling Lackluster

Last month was total and complete insanity and I was so excited for the month to end, sadly I did not know that this month would not be my favorite either. I went from going and going non-stop to being stopped in my tracks with my yearly headache marathon. I don't know why my body decided that I needed to have a headache marathon every Fall, but going into the 4th year of this I would just like to say that I am not a fan. I could feel the headache swimming around my head and kind of peeking out every now and then during the last week of September, but I was foolish. I was just too busy to recognize what was around the corner and now here I am, going into day number 11 and wondering how long this marathon is going to last. One month? Two months? Oh please, not three months. This headache is a royal bummer and it has taken away all of my energy and desire to do anything.

P.S. Laundry is the worst! If I ever decide to rename this blog it is going to be "I Hate Laundry". And then I will forever owe my kids quarters for using the word "hate".

P.P.S. If you were going to get a puppy, what kind would you get? You know, just for the sake of argument.

P.P.P.S. What are your favorite blogs to read? I need some new inspiration.

Some Photo Booth action to get you in the mood for Halloween

He gets it from his father

Yesterday, while the kids were in school, I had the pleasure of getting my hair done. This appointment was much needed and long overdue. Although sadly I will continue my search for a new hair person since apparently my desire for someone who can do a good job with both color AND cut, doesn't smoke, and doesn't cost an arm and a leg, is too much to ask. Anyway, I had my hair color done a little differently this time and wondered what the kids would think, because I just know that they care about things like that.

As the kids got off of the bus and came running/sauntering over to give me my after school hugs, KK said, "Oh mom, did you get your hair done? I like it!" What a sweet girl, I think I'll keep her. Tiger ran by way too fast for me to even get a hug, much less comment on my hair, and Sparky just gave me a hug and proceeded to get a snack.

An hour or so later I was talking with Sparky and I asked him if he could tell that I got my hair done today. He said, "no."

So I had him face me and I looked deep into his eyes and said, "Really? I got almost 3 inches cut off and the color is darker. You seriously can't tell that I got my hair done?"

"Nope. Not at all."

And this is why he gets this from his father:

Doug knew that I had gotten my hair done because I had given him the whole run-down on the experience after my appointment and so when Doug came home he said that he liked the color, but I could tell that he was thinking something that he just didn't want to say, so I convinced him to say it.

"It doesn't look any different."

This comment sparked a nice little conversation between the two of us wherein I was able to educate my dear husband on what kind of hair I have, how my hair was different, the difference that even a little trim can make, and why my hair is never the dramatic change that he always seems to expect when I come home from getting my hair done.

"Oh, now I understand. We should have had this talk a good ten years or so ago."

"Agreed."

And that is why I am glad I have my girl.