PROJECT 365- Day 90 - Girls and Curls
After showers tonight, I offered to curl The Princess' hair. We are both partial to curls even though we were both born with poker straight hair. It looked so stinkin' cute that I wanted to take a picture. Since her accident, she hasn't been too willing to take any pictures. We have been sure to remind her that bruises fade (as they have), the teeth can be fixed, and she is beautiful inside and out. But she has still been hesitant to pose for a picture. So I was happy that some curls encouraged a little photo shoot. I did get some shots tonight with her smiling and showing her teeth, but she asked that I use this one instead. I am respecting her wishes even though the other pictures are just as beautiful as this one. It's hard to not feel good when you get a little pampering and some bouncy curls!
PROJECT 365- Day 89 - Post-Op
Brown Dog is resting comfortably in post-op after needing serious reconstructive surgery on his arm. He needed several stitches, but was a very brave dog through out the surgery. It appears that he lost some stuffing but his vitals are good and he should be able to return to his job as The Bear's best bedtime friend tonight. ;-)
PROJECT 365 - Day 88 - If only I could open cabinets....
This is The Puppy. That cabinet is where her treats are kept. When she decides that she needs a treat (many times through out the day) she plants herself in front of this cabinet and stares. If she could will this cabinet open she would. She is a treat junky. She has been known to lay here for hours until she wears us down and one of us gives her one. Now I am not being mean...she had one after dinner. I'm not sure if she forgot that she had one because her almost 14 year old mind is a bit fuzzy or if her almost 14 year old mind is perfectly clear and she just thinks she deserves another. Either way, I'm sure she'll wear us down soon. She wasn't too thrilled to have me take a picture and still not give her one....hee hee...maybe she should get two for being my project 365 model of the day......
PROJECT 365- Day 87 - Big Brother, Little Brother
I love when I walk in on moments like this. The Boy brought home a library book today that The Bear thought was cool. So after getting changed for bed they climbed onto The Boy's bed and started reading together. I know a little brother who thought it was pretty awesome that his big brother approved of his library book choice. :-)
PROJECT 365- Day 86 -
Sunday Dinner
The smell of this delicious pot of gravy (GRAVY, not sauce) cooking on a Sunday is a fond memory of Sundays through out my life. I am continuing that tradition for my children so that their Sundays smell like gravy cooking too. Macaroni with gravy, meatballs, sausage, Italian bread, and red wine (for the adults ;-)) is the best dinner on this planet and the sole reason that I could. never. give. up. carbs. Buon Appetito!
PROJECT 365- Day 85 - Closet Clean Out
I spent today cleaning closets and drawers. (This is The Princess' closet.) What fits the kids and what doesn't? What do we need, what do we have? I honestly started this project today in hopes that I could convince Mother Nature to bring back the warm weather for good this time. Enough long sleeves and pants. We are ready for shorts and short sleeves. The closets are cleaned, the kids have clothes that fit. Bring it on Mother Nature - we are waiting!
PROJECT 365- Day 84 - Boxcar Children
The Bear, The Princess, and The Boy are very imaginative. They can make a game out of anything. They can make anything into a toy. One of their all time favorite "things" to use in imaginative ways is a box. The Bear once made a soccer stadium out of a box. The Princess once made a house for her Lalaloopsie dolls. The Boy made a house as well. Today they used some boxes to make a car (The Princess), an airplane (The Boy), and a star fighter (The Bear). It does sort of make me wonder why we spend money on toys. It also leads me to believe that when they tell me they "have nothing to do" they are not telling me the truth. :-)
PROJECT 365- Day 83- Out of this world!
Some days I have no idea what the picture of the day will be until I find it. Does that make sense? Some days the picture is an obvious moment. Some days there is no obvious moment. Sometimes I take lots of pictures and pick one. Sometimes I take one and that was all I needed. Sometimes I haven't taken one yet and the day is slowly escaping. Some days are eventful in both good ways and even bad ways. Some days are uneventful in that every day life kind of way. After the eventfulness of the past week, an uneventful day is sort of welcome. After 83 days of Project 365, it has become a household project and a constant conversation. My Wonderful Husband and the kids are all participating which I think is really cool. The kids ask what picture "made it" for the day. They even make suggestions. Sometimes I take their suggestion under advisement. Today was one of those uneventful days in which I had no idea what to photograph to represent the day. As the kids were getting ready for bed, The Bear said, "Do you have a picture yet?" "No" I told him. "Any thoughts?" He grabbed this drawing and said, "Take a picture of me with this. I think this drawing came out really good!" So I did. And you know what? I think his drawing IS good - I think the drawing and the kid are out of this world!
PROJECT 365- Day 82 - Class Books
The Boy's kindergarten class makes class books during their Kid Writing time. Each child gets a turn to bring the book home and share it with their family. The Boy loves being able to share these books and we all enjoy reading them! Today's book was from St. Patrick's Day and entitled The Luck of The Irish. Each child was given a writing prompt that said "If I caught a leprechaun...". We all got a good laugh after we read The Boy's page....
If I caught a leprechaun I would say to the leprechaun, "Yo leprechaun. I want your gold Mr. Leprechaun."
PROJECT 365- Day 81 - The Cleaning Crew
For some reason when I ask my children to clean up THEIR toys and THEIR rooms and THEIR playroom it is as if I am asking them to cut off their own arms and hit themselves with them. They act as if those toys simply appeared all over the place. They get temporary amnesia and have absolutely no idea who took anything out or if they were ever even in that room. Fingers get pointed, arms folded, bickering takes place, and in the amount of time that this is all going on, they could cleaned all of the toys on the block. This doesn't stop me from making this insane request every night and for that reason I am certain that my children think that I am a slave driver with obsessive cleaning issues. (ok, that last part is sort of true). Now that being said, oddly enough, they will fall over themselves to help with such tasks as swiftering, taking out trash, wiping down the table, dusting, etc. So tonight I had help in abundance with these tasks and they actually did a pretty good job. They helped clean up after dinner, emptied all of the bathroom trashes and brought out the trash, swiftered the foyer, kitchen, and powder room and even wet mopped. They discussed among themselves how this was so much better than putting away toys. Sounds good - I like the help from the cleaning crew. :-)
PROJECT 365- Day 80 - Exhaustion
My Wonderful Husband came home from Montreal early Saturday morning. In an effort to get home hours earlier than he originally told me, he drove through the night stopping at a rest stop to snooze a bit in the car. Then disaster struck Saturday and his wish for a good night's sleep sort of went down the drain. I told him I would stay up with The Princess and he could go to bed but he still didn't get a sound sleep worrying about his little girl. He was hopeful last night that he would catch up on those zzzz's but then The Puppy got sick (yup seriously) throwing up and he slept down on the couch to keep an eye on her and quickly get her outside if she threw up. So tonight within minutes of us getting the kids to bed, he was asleep on the couch. I don't have the heart to wake him and tell him to go to bed. He is exhausted. I'm exhausted. Do you see the white flag we are waving?
PROJECT 365 - Day 79 - You've Been Warned...
The Bear finally asked if he could go outside today.... almost unsure if he could or should after yesterday's events and his sister's injuries. When he got out there, I looked out the window and saw him looking at the driveway. I went out to see what he was doing and found he had written this message in chalk at the top of the driveway: "No riding down the hill with bikes, scooters, and skateboards. PS. It can really hurt you." He was not taking any chances. He was issuing the official warning. Now let me be the first to say, that I hate that damn driveway....but the accident was caused more by the leftover gravel at the base of the driveway then the driveway itself. But far be it from me to pass up the opportunity to give credence to my constant pleas that they not go down that driveway. I don't actually enjoy having my point proven that much given the result though. :-( I guess we've all been warned....accidents happen.
PROJECT 365- Day 78 - Not a good day...
The Princess fell off her bike today - she hit some gravel, skidded, lost control, and fell off her bike. She is bruised pretty bad and we had to make an emergency trip to the dentist because she chipped her two front teeth. I am absolutely nauseous about this. It breaks my heart to see my babies get hurt and I wish I could rewind this day and get a do over. Thankfully My Wonderful Husband had gotten home from Montreal already today or the nervous breakdown that I had may have been the end of me. My sweet girl is sleeping peacefully on the couch where we will stay tonight so I can keep her elevated and keep an eye on her and give her more advil if necessary. I am thankful that she didn't get any more hurt, thankful she had a helmet on.... I would switch places with her if I could - but I can't. Not a good day.
PROJECT 365- Day 77 - An Eggcellent Day ;-)
Today was a beautiful day. I have been waiting and waiting for the weather to warm up. I think I may have mentioned how much I despise winter... Well today was the best medicine. I went for a run and when I came back I started cleaning off the front and back porches. While I was cleaning off the chairs and tables, I found this nest. Let me give you some background. This nest is actually from last year. I had put this flower pot on the back porch and didn't plant anything in it right away. When I was ready to plant something, I found this perfectly formed nest inside the pot. I just left it because I thought it was cool and decorative...yes decorative - don't judge :-) Anyway, the crafty bird that built it never came back to lay any eggs in it. But I still left it - all spring, summer, fall, and winter. So today when I looked into the pot, I was checking to see if my pretty little nest was still intact in the flower pot. What I found were these three little blue eggs! Now if that is not a sure sign that spring is on it's way, I don't know what is. What an eggcellent day!
PROJECT 365- Day 76 - Shades of Green
At bedtime last night, as we were getting clothes out for today, I realized that the kids don't have many clothes that are green. Not wanting to be a St. Patrick's day poop...we found some green. Had My Wonderful Husband been home, I may have sent him out to get some cute green attire for the kids. Needless to say he dodged a bullet on that one - he's happy for that conference now I bet. ;-) Anyway, as I said we found some green or should I say Shades of Green? The Bear had the most appropriate green in his drawer and aside from a bit of a stain on the front it was all good. The Boy had a questionable green but he was pleased with it...so thank goodness. The Princess was the biggest challenge. Her green was more of a turquoise but I sold it with a sparkly green pin to add to it (thanks to GiGi's collection of pins :-) ) and a green ponytail holder. No pinching these kids (or their Mommy)! :-) It was a beautifully warm St. Patrick's day and when the kids went outside to play after school, this was the pose I got when I asked for a picture. Peace, Shades of Green, and a Happy St. Patrick's Day from our little leprechauns to yours!
PROJECT 365 - Day 75 - Hey Daddy!
Day 2 of My Wonderful Husband's conference in Montreal. All is well on the home front - business as usual. The big news is that this is the first time the kids can Skype with Daddy. (Side note - thank goodness we have Skype because we did not consider the fact that Canada is international and therefore requires roaming charges on our cell phone.) They were so excited to not only talk to Daddy this morning and tonight before bed, but also see him. At one point they were not really talking to him at all, but more talking to each other and among themselves. They talked about their day and what happened in school and asked him to show them around his hotel room with the webcam. Hey Daddy - we miss you!!!
PROJECT 365- Day 74 - My Gang
My Wonderful Husband left for a conference in Montreal today. That means it's just me and my gang..... The Bear is "the man of the house" while Daddy is gone. The Princess will act as my right hand Mommy. The Boy will be The Boy...as evidenced by this picture. One day almost down... 4 more to go. ;-)
PROJECT 365- Day 73 - Poetry
Today, The Princess had to write a poem with her spelling words. She was so excited to do this "fun homework" (geez I love this kid). She sat down and wrote. This is her poem:
Spring is Coming
Spring is finally coming around.
Finally flowers are being found.
I hear a bird making a chirping sound.
All the kids are running out.
There is something they are happy about.
"Spring is coming!" they all shout.
Snow is melting now.
The sun is shining down, that's how.
Through our house the sun is shining bright.
Springtime colors catch our sight.
I know that I am biased, but that is the best poem I have ever read!!
PROJECT 365 - Day 72 - Chilaxin' at the beach house....
The Bear has been begging to watch Return of the Jedi. He and The Boy have been on a Star Wars kick for quite a while now. The Princess finally decided if you can't beat 'em, join 'em and they all hung on the couch at the beach house this morning chilaxin' with the movie.
Project 365- Day 71- You Know You Have a Problem When...
(Guest Blogger: My Wonderful Husband)
We spent last weekend at the beach to celebrate my birthday (and Poppy's). I sent Mother Nature a request for some good waves but she failed to deliver. So I spent Saturday surfing some smaller waves and Sunday going for a run with my beautiful wife. A very nice birthday weekend, but still missing that great surf session. We arrived home and as the forecasts for this weekend started to emerge I realized that it was going to be the surfing weekend I had hoped for. What is a surfer to do? I gathered the family and pleaded for another 3.5 hour trip to the beach. They relented--thus enabling my addiction, but I love them for it. I woke up at 5:30am today with the wind blowing strong out of the south (the entirely wrong direction for our beach). A quick text from my buddy let me know that Manasquan was chest to head high and clean--but that is almost an hour north! Again, what is a surfer to do? I loaded up the car, hit the parkway and was in the water just before 7am for a great early morning surf session. So as the title states--you know you have a problem when...you beg and plead with your family to drive 3.5 hours to the beach only to drive another hour north in the dark of the morning to surf some fantastic waves in 40 degree water. I love Jersey surfing!
PROJECT 365- Day 70 - My Corner Office ;-)
My new desk (thanks Bobbi) and my pretty corner office in my living room. I LOVE it!!!
PROJECT 365- Day 69 - From one moment to the next.....
One moment the kids were playing downstairs. It was after dinner and soon time to clean up, have some dessert, take showers, and get ready for bed. There is not a picture of what happened next....... Dr. Jeckle turned into Mr. Hyde. The Boy has some how gotten into his 5 (going on 6 year old) head that if he yells loud enough and long enough he will get his way. I am not sure why he thinks this will work, since it never does. But he is anything if not persistent. He has staying power, he is stubborn but he has met his match. Drama is not new around here. This is not the first 5 year old in this house. The Boy is painfully unaware of our knowledge of the 5 year old Jeckle/Hyde phenomenon. Eventually he gave up, pulled himself back together, having completely forgotten what started his transformation into Mr. Hyde. From one moment to the next, you never know what you might get.....
PROJECT 365- Day 68 - My Day
Three kids went to school today. One husband was home. Me? I got to get a manicure and pedicure and I finally got my hair done. The hair was a drastic change back to blonde - I may have had a bit of heart attack at first. But My Wonderful Husband loved it, The Princess thought it "looked better" and "looked like it did in the summer", and The Bear and The Boy didn't even notice. So I guess my day of beauty was a success. haha :-)
PROJECT 365- Day 67 - Spring Break - Woo Hoo!!!
My Wonderful Husband has spring break this week, which translates into a spring break of sorts for me as well. He has taken the kids in to school the past two days, picked them up yesterday, been around to help out with The Princess who has been home sick for the past two days, and tonight he made breakfast for dinner. (an extra special treat because he isn't even normally home on Tuesday nights for dinner) Ahhhhh it is truly the little things in life.....
PROJECT 365- Day 66 - Oooppss...
I forgot to charge my camera last night. I forgot to charge my camera all day today. When I picked it up to take a picture tonight, I realized my mistake. Uh oh.... Here's what I missed...more snow, another delayed opening and surprise, surprise another sick kid. So here is my charger...my camera is finally charged but my most popular subjects are long asleep.... But I'll be all ready for tomorrow. :-)
PROJECT 365 - Day 65 - Happy Birthdays....
We celebrated Daddy and Poppy's 41st and 71st birthdays this weekend. We sang Happy Birthday to them both and then Poppy made the kids laugh when he told Daddy to blow out the candles - "Go ahead - youth before beauty..." Hope they made good wishes! Happy Birthdays!
PROJECT 365- Day 64 - Hello Ocean Air....
Have I mentioned how much I love the beach? The weather doesn't matter as long as I can hear the ocean, smell the salt air and walk on the sand (even in shoes when it's just too chilly to go bare foot) I went for a run this morning and left my iPod home so I could just listen to the waves. My Wonderful Husband went surfing after far too long not able to get in the water. So it only made sense that the kids got to ride their bikes up to the beach and run around awhile playing. We are admittedly a family of die hard beach bums. So tomorrow when we go home, we will carry with us the sound of the waves, the smell of the ocean air, and maybe some sand in our shoes.....until next time.
PROJECT 365- Day 63 - We made it!
Trip to the beach for the weekend - take 3. We finally made it here after two failed attempts due to weather and sickness. So now we can celebrate Poppy's 71st birthday and Daddy's 41st birthday! We left after dinner tonight, had the kids change into jammies so they were ready to say hello to Poppy then fall into bed. We are ready for a nice weekend.
Now, while this is a great spontaneous picture that I got as soon as I walked in the door after the kids, this was almost not the picture of the day. I had the opportunity to take a great picture today but apparently My Wonderful Husband is unaware of the rules of spotting unidentified flying objects. If you see one, you stop and take a picture of it! Yes, we saw a spaceship. But he would not stop so that I could photograph this amazing find. We were driving down Rt 72 towards the beach when we saw this UFO (b/c it really was hard to identify and it was an object that appeared to be flying - so go with me on this one). It was hovering over Rt 72 very low with a lot of lights. Ok, so there might be a logical explanation for this, but I much prefer my explanation. It was totally a spaceship! Unfortunately, I have no picture to share because my husband would not stop the car. That is so sad. That would have rocked as a picture of the day. ;-)
PROJECT 365 - Day 62 - Lost in a Book...
I love to read. I love getting so lost in a book that you have to pull yourself out of that world to get back to your own. I have a very hard time putting a book down once I have gotten lost in that world. That is what happened when I started reading The Hunger Games. I have had this book for maybe two years since my librarian sister in law shared it with me. She gives me lots of great books to read and I like all of them. But for some reason, I never read this one. Not sure why.... Well the other night I was desperate for a book. I needed a little escapism that only a good book could provide so I decided to finally start reading it and I really couldn't put it down. I finished the first book, eager to find out what happens to the characters and My Wonderful Husband got me the second one on his Kindle. I finished the second in record time and he got me the third. It took everything in my power to stop reading today and get anything done. As a matter of fact, I really need to finish this blog so I can find out what happens next.... :-) Time to get lost in my book......
PROJECT 365 - Day 61 -Things I Learned from Dr. Seuss
Today is Dr. Seuss' birthday. I thought I would share some of my favorite bits of Seuss wisdom:
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind."
"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."
"A person's a person, no matter how small."
"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,
Nothing is going to get better. It's not."
"From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere!"
"So be sure when you step, Step with care and great tact. And remember that life's A Great Balancing Act. And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and ¾ percent guaranteed) Kid, you'll move mountains."
"Just tell yourself, Duckie, you're really quite lucky."
"Try them, try them, and you may! Try them and you may, I say."
"He should not be here, " said the fish in the pot. " he should not be here when your mother is not."
"Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas. . . perhaps. . . means a little bit more!"
"Think left and think right. Think low and think high. Oh the thinks you can think up if only you try."
"Some days are yellow. Some are blue. On different days I'm different too."
PROJECT 365- Day 60 - Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired!
Dear Universe,
If you wouldn't mind, could we please make this the last sickness that goes through this house. Pretty please? With sugar on top? We are so truly sick and tired of being sick and tired. Thanks.
Sincerely,
A Mommy who is seriously done with it!
