Curious George Live!

A while back D.R. won an award at work which entitled him to 2 free tickets to a show at the Sears Center Arena. When he heard Curious George was coming to town, he requested his tickets be for that event. Well, somehow he got 4 tickets instead of 2, which meant we could all go and sit together!
We didn't tell the kids about the show until this morning. They were so excited. It was a great experience because our seats were in a suite. This allowed Gia to get up and dance, eat, walk around, and of course eat again! Tia really enjoyed the show. Gia enjoyed everything else.
Here are some pictures, but unfortunately it was so dark in the arena, I didn't get very good ones.

Cuddle Time

They really do love each other! Sometimes they fight so much it makes me wonder. And then there are times like this one when I find them cuddled up together, totally unprompted by me. I love it!

Christmas Crafts in January?

I'm not sure why I get myself into these messes. I was in Michael's (craft store) the other day and they had all their Christmas "kits" on sale for .99. I figured they would be fun for the girls to do on a boring afternoon. This particular one was for making a gingerbread Christmas tree.


It sure was fun for the girls, and VERY sticky!

I can't believe how much frosting was involved, and I only mixed one of the two packages that came with the kit.




Gia was actually sucking the frosting out of the piping bag! Look at the smile on Tia's face. I'm not sure if she's excited, or just completely hyped up on sugar.
Nonetheless, they had a great time, and it really didn't make a huge mess since I kept everything on the baking sheet.
Oh, the things I do for my kids!

Getting Organized

In my continuing quest to become more organized, I decided to ask Santa (my Mother in Law) for a laminating machine this year. I'm not really the type to go for lots of gadgets and gizmos, but when I decide I need something, I use it a LOT!

Recently my friend Amy Jo posted on her blog something about how many papers and craft projects her son comes home from school with. Then there's the dilemma of what to keep, what to toss. I was in the same boat here with Tia now in preschool. She brings papers home almost every day, and would be crushed if she ever saw me throw one in the garbage. I have been keeping a huge pile of all her school work on top of my refrigerator (so baby sister won't ruin them), and I thought "there has to be a better way".
Well, Santa came through with the laminator, and I was able to get started on the latest organizing project.

Here's the lovely specimen!

And here's what I'm doing with it these days.

I'm saving the important papers, then when I have a big pile, I laminate each of them. I use a 3-hole punch and put them all in a big binder. Tia was very excited to see her work preserved, and didn't notice at all that I have tossed a few pieces here and there (Shhh). We even included a couple paintings that Giuliana did in her little 2-year old class.
Now, don't ask me what I'm going to do with that big binder once it's full. I haven't gotten that far!

Giuliana at School

As promised, here are some pictures of my baby girl at "school". I never even thought to bring my camera last week and then felt guilty about it.
She goes once a week for one hour. They play and create, and she loves it!

This is shaving cream, which she was very reluctant to touch with her fingers...

But that only lasted a couple minutes! She came back to this table 3 times, she couldn't get enough.

A Rare Winter Sighting...

The sun! It was shining brightly today. We don't often see it here in the Windy City during the winter months.
I hear all these reports about how kids today don't get enough Vitamin-D due to lack of exposure to sunlight. Then they say if we live north of Georgia, the sun isn't strong enough to really make a difference anyway.

So, my thought is, why not just stay inside where it's warm, and take a vitamin!
Well, for the sake of the kids, I braved the outdoors. I'm not exactly a big fan of winter, and would prefer to stay inside, in my flannel pajamas!
They had a blast playing with their sand toys, shoveling the snow INTO the driveway.

When exactly do we begin to despise winter and snow? I can remember playing outside in the frigid temperatures with all the neighborhood kids. I wouldn't come in until my jeans were frozen and hands were numb. We built forts and tunnels and snowmen, and loved every minute of it. I wonder when and why we lose that. All I do know is that it's gone from me forever. I was actually happy when Gia's boot came off and her foot got wet..."whoops, we have to go in and change her socks before she gets too cold!".

The Artists at Work

Last year we decided to have a wall put up in the basement to make an exercise room. We wanted our equipment out of the way in order to make it safer down there for the kids, without actually finishing the whole basement.
My goal for this year was to set up and art area for the girls to do their projects, and keep the mess out of my kitchen. I finally got around to bringing most of the art supplies and easel down there, and the girls had a blast! They loved it. I'll eventually get around to painting that ugly wall you see behind them, but that's a project for when I'm not working every weekend. At least we're now getting some use out of the space.

All Kids Do It

My Mom always told me that all kids, at some point, will give themselves a hair cut. For that reason I have told Tia over and over again that Ms. Christi (our hairdresser) is the ONLY person who is allowed to cut her hair. Not even Mommy or Daddy are allowed to do it. When she first started using scissors in preschool, I reminded her repeatedly of the no hair cutting rule. I have been pretty confident all along that she knew the rule well and would never try to cut her own hair.
Well, I came home from the grocery store this morning and began cleaning up the messy kitchen floor. What did I find? You guessed it, a curl!


I immediately started asking who did it. Both girls have exactly the same hair color now so I couldn't be sure whose hair it was. Tia told me Gia did it (I wouldn't be surprised). Gia told me Daddy did it (not likely). After I asked a couple of times, Tia said "Mom, I did it, it was me". I almost cried because she had that concerned look on her face, and she was being sincere and honest. I didn't yell at her, I just made her promise to never do it again, and thanked her for telling me the truth.
Thankfully this is all she cut, and I can't even tell where the curl came from. She has a lot of hair! I made sure to let D.R. know that this incident happened on his watch. I asked him where the adult supervision in the house was when it happened! We all had a good laugh about it, and again asked Tia to not do it again.
So, Mom was right, ALL kids do it!

Gia the Talker

Almost daily someone asks me how old Gia is. She will be 3 in April. She talks like an 8 year old. There isn't a thing she can't say, and she's not afraid to say it all! Some days I think she never stops. Even when she's supposed to be napping, I hear her on the monitor talking to her teddy bear. In fact, last week Tia came to me and whispered that she was going to play in her room. She told Gia she was going to lay down. I'm pretty sure she just needed a break from the constant chatter of her sister. I later checked on her and sure enough, she was playing quietly in her room with Barbie's, surely enjoying the quiet.
Gia started a class this week for 2 year olds (Shame on me, no pictures!). She really enjoys it, and the other parents enjoy listening to her (I hope). They have all asked me to clarify how old she is. I quickly realized that none of the other kids in the class can talk like Gia. I'm not bragging, I'm wondering what the heck I'm in for!

Here are some of the things she says that have had me cracking up over the past few days:

We were walking down the hall at school where there was a poster with Elmo and Zoe from Sesame Street. I said "Look Gia, those are your friends". Her quick response was "No, they're not my friends at all Mom. You're my best friend, forever!".

On the first day of class, Gia noticed cubbies and hooks in the hall and asked "Mom, can I hang my coat on the hooker?". I thought I'd fall off my seat at that one!

At play group she sat next to another Mom, not caring where I was, and proceeded to tell this stranger "When I turn 3, my birthday is in April, I'm gonna' have a party with all my friends and Mommy will get me a Strawberry Shortcake cake. It's gonna' be a party". Naturally the mom came over to tell me how delightful Gia is, and ask how old she is!

This morning Gia woke up, came to me for a big hug and said "Mommy, I'm going to be your baby all the time, every day, forever". Now that's music to my ears!

Later in the morning I asked her if she'd like to watch a movie on the big TV upstairs while I took a shower. Her answer was "Is it Blu-Ray?". Seriously?

I promise to get pictures of her at "school" next week.

silly snow time fun

We've been a little bored and a little silly lately with all this snow and cold weather. I brought home pipe cleaners for the girls to play with, and D.R. decided to make a pair of glasses with them. Of course then they both had to have a pair.
Shouldn't we all look this cute in glasses!

Happy Birthday to my Sister!

Today is my sister's birthday. I jokingly say she's my favorite sister, but she's my ONLY sister. I'm pretty sure she'd be my favorite even if I had a whole bunch of sisters.
My kids affectionately refer to her as "Aunt Kimmie" and she loves to spoil them. She's the most positive, outgoing, and caring person I know.


She is a friend to all who know her (and she seems to know everybody!). She gives of herself, and takes care of others without ever expecting anything in return. In fact, today she has chosen to spend her day volunteering at The Journey Home, the hospice home where my Mom was cared for.
She and her husband (of 22 years) have opened their home to us so many times since we moved out of state, offering to host parties and dinners whenever we are in town. There is no limit to their generosity and love of family.
I am proud to have her as my sister, and even if we weren't related, I would choose her to be my friend!
Happy Birthday Kim!!

Happy New Year

2009 was certainly a tough year for our family. It was the year we lost my Mom. We miss her terribly, and the holidays were hard without her. We thought of her often, and believe she was 'with us', in spirit.

2009 also brought us a new family member. My first Great nephew, Angelo was born. What a blessing!

Here are some of the other things we have to be thankful for...

Most importantly, we all remained healthy and safe in 2009. We are thankful the flu has not hit our household! We hope for the same in 2010.

In today's economy, it's worth mentioning that D.R. continues to do well at his job with Sears. They like him there and he is very good at what he does. We are so thankful for that! Because of his continued success, I was able to stay home with the girls for another year. That's something I don't take for granted and appreciate every day.

Tia started preschool and almost immediately came out of her shell and became a whole new kid. She is more confident now, not shy, and has a bubbly personality. She's doing great in her class and loves school. We are so proud.

Gia started taking dance class and thoroughly enjoys it. She looks forward to getting dressed up in leotard, tights, and tu-tu. We think she has found her "thing". Both girls had their recital on the same night, and both did awesome. They will start again in February.
Also in Gia news...she's potty trained! We really lucked out. Although she kept her diapers longer than I'd like, when she decided it was time to give them up, she just did it by herself and was done. That's it. Simple, just the way she likes it!

As for me, I continued to interpret just enough hours each month to keep my skills polished. That's enough for me. I prefer to be with my girls!
I read 32 books in 2009. It might have been more because sometimes I forget to write them down.
I also decided to take my fitness goals to the next level and join a big, fancy gym. I'm having a great time with it and I'm feeling good. I can only hope that all this hard work will pay off in 2010!

Happy New Year from our family to yours!

Merry Christmas 2009

Even though we had planned on spending Christmas here in Huntley this year, wanting the kids to be able to stay in their own home on the holiday, the weather has other plans for us. We've been checking the forecast all week and noticed a marked difference in the conditions between Friday and Saturday. We decided to change our plans and drive home to Rochester on Friday (Christmas Day) in hopes of beating the bad weather. Let's hope we made the right decision.
So, with our sudden change of plans, "Santa" had to come a day early to our house. Our kids are still so young that they don't know the difference anyway.

So, when Tia woke up this morning, she saw that Santa had paid us a visit. She was up before her sister so she couldn't open presents from under the tree. However, I did let her have her stocking while she waited.

Look at the pure joy on her face! Her stocking was hand made by my Mom before Tia was born. We all have one and they are so special to us.

After Gia woke up, the excitement was on again and they opened their presents together. Our kids are thankfully not into big ticket items yet. They each had just 5 small gifts to open and then D.R. rolled out their "big gift", their bikes.


The bikes were a huge hit and the girls have been sitting on them in the house pretty much all day. I can't wait for Spring! Now, if we can just get Gia to agree to wear a helmet.
After the bike excitement, we realized that Gia never opened her stocking, so I sat her down for a picture with hers too.

My Mom made this one before I was even pregnant with Gia! She just knew we would have another baby, and her hands were getting worse with arthritis, so she thought she better make one while she still could. We're sure glad she did.

So, tomorrow morning we head out on our big road trip to NY. We're hoping the weather will cooperate, and praying for a safe trip.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Winter Wonderfest 2009

It's that time of year again. We went on our annual trip to Winter Wonder Fest at Navy Pier in Chicago. The first hour that we were there, Tia cried more than she smiled. She just couldn't figure out why she had to wait in line for each of the rides (she is royalty after all!). Once we figured out a plan, where D.R. would go on the ride with them, and I would run off to the next ride to stand in line for them, then things began to go a little better.

Here are some pictures from the day...

Mini Ferris Wheel

Our favorite, the Dragon Ride

The decorations alone are phenomenal, and worth the price of admission!

The kids were not at all happy with having to pose for a picture in front of the tree with Daddy. They just wanted to run and play!

The most exciting part of the day was when Tia got called up on stage to help with a performance. She was so proud and took her role seriously. I think she's a natural on the stage!

After the stage performance, and lunch, Tia kept asking if we could go to "her" hotel. We had stayed at the same place in September, so it was fresh in her memory. All she could think about was getting back there. I guess to a 4 year old, a nice hotel is a lot better than a winter festival! We did have a nice morning though. It's our family tradition. I always wanted to start one of those!

Tiny Dancers

Over the weekend, the girls both had their dance recital. It was so precious! This was Tia's second year, but Gia's first. They both did a fantastic job and caused a lot of Oooh's and Aaahh's from Mom and Dad. I really love this time of parenting sweet little girls. These days fly by much too fast.

Small Town; Big Family Fun

Living in the midwest with young children has really been a treat. There are so many things for families to do. This week we went to the Huntley Library Holiday Open House. The library shuts down regular business to put on a big party for the children. They had a clown, snacks, arts & crafts, music and of course visits with Santa! All of this was free. To top the evening off, we were all (adults included) given a book to take home and keep.
The best part of the evening was that Tia got the courage to sit next to Santa! She's pretty scared of the big guy, but that night she was willing to sit next to him for a picture.
The library is one of our favorite places in town, so it was a special treat to go there at night. A great time was had by all.

More funny stuff

My kids are still cracking me up every day. These are so funny, I just had to write them down!

* Gia tells me she doesn't want to take a nap. I explain that everyone takes a nap, even Mommy, Daddy, and Santa. She gets a look of disgust on her face and says "NO! He's not sleeping, he's at the MALL!". I guess she told me.

* Yesterday I'm trying to tell D.R. a story..."There's a lady in my playgroup whose name is Gia...". Gia comes running into the room and yells "Hey, I am NOT a lady!". Good to know. Also good to keep in mind that she is listening, even when we think she's not.

* I was making up a song and singing to the girls before bed..."I love my family, we live in harmony...". Tia says "Mom, we live in Huntley". Glad she knows that important piece of information!

That's all for now. I'm sure there will be more very soon!

Tia's First Christmas Pageant

Tonight was Tia's Christmas pageant at school. She hasn't talked about it at all in the weeks leading up to today, so I nearly forgot all about it. Thank God for my husband and his steel trap memory!
Because Tia goes to a Christian preschool, they have Christmas songs, a Christmas party, and even a Christmas tree. Most public schools have stopped having Christmas celebrations for fear of offending non-Christians. Although I understand the reasoning, it sure was refreshing to have a good old fashioned Christmas pageant. Just like when I was a kid!



We all had a great time and were so proud of our little singer! I have no idea what song they're singing in this clip, I'd have to look at the program and try to figure it out. I just think they're all so darn cute!

Christmas Cards

I was planning to get the kids dressed up in their Christmas dresses and take pictures for our Christmas cards this year. Then, my husband in all his wisdom, said "Why don't you just take them in their dance outfits right now". We were getting ready to go to dance class so they were already dressed. I thought about it and decided, what the heck, who says they have to be in Christmas dresses? They love their dance outfits, and this is how they look normally, so we went for it. Here are a couple of the best shots I got.
I'm their Mom, so I think they look great in anything!

We're using the first one for the cards. If you're reading this and you don't get a card, please don't be offended. We had 48 cards, and we have already run out! Note to self: buy 60 cards next year.

A Few of my Favorite Things

My friend recently published this on her blog, so I stole it from her and changed the answers to suit me! I'm quite sure she won't mind at all.

A place you'd like to travel to:
Right now I'm thinking about Hawaii. I've been all over the world, on many adventures, but Hawaii always brings me back. We were there on our honeymoon and 1 year anniversary (with Tia). It's warm, the sun always shines, and the people really know how to relax. My kind of place. It may soon be time to show Gia our favorite place!

Your Favorite place at home:
The couch! I love to cuddle with my sweet girls on the couch (D.R. prefers the floor!). It's also where I sit to read lots and lots of books. Very cozy.

Your favorite TV show:
Well, it depends. Right now I'm really into "Rescue Me". I didn't watch it while it was actually running on TV, we get it on Netflix and watch several episodes in one night. A few months ago we did that with "The Tudors". We find a good show and get hooked. The only problem is we go through the episodes too fast, and are sad when the series is finished.

Your favorite food/drink:
I think I could eat cereal every day of the week and never get sick of it. I love Honey Nut Cheerios right now. I am also a pretty big fan of pizza if it's done right (the NY way!).
As far as drinks go, I like water and Diet 7-up. I rarely drink alcohol but when I do I like Kahlua in my coffee.

Your favorite piece of clothing:
Pajama pants and t-shirt. I love comfort more than style!

The season I love the most:
Fall! I enjoy the crisp air, the changing colors and the lack of humidity. I don't do well with extreme temperatures, too hot or too cold. Fall seems to be just right.

Something I look forward to everyday:
When Tia wakes up and comes bounding down the stairs to say good morning to me. She is always wearing her biggest smile, crazy curls, and rosy cheeks. We should all wake up looking and feeling so good.

That's it for now!

Thanksgiving

We had a very busy and fun week of Thanksgiving. D.R.'s family arrived Tuesday evening and of course brought many gifts along! One of our favorites are the hats and scarves that Nonna made by hand for the girls.
Here's Tia modeling hers (no pictures of Gia!).

The next day we went to the mall and the girls played to their hearts content. Uncle Anthony brought a roll of quarters so they could ride the rides as many times as they wanted.

We even got to meet Santa. This is as close as Gia would get. Just close enough to tell him she would like Dora for Christmas!

They girls especially liked looking at all the Christmas decorations. There's a lot to take in for little folks.
Since Nonna won't be here to see the girls' dance recital in a couple weeks, they tried on their costumes for her. Everyone got a kick out of them.

The girls enjoyed dancing around and putting on a show for their adoring fans!

Our Thanksgiving dinner was amazing, thanks to all the help I got from Nonna. She took care of the turkey, and I took care of all the rest. Teamwork!
We had a wonderful visit with our family, and we have a lot to be thankful for.

Northwest Herald | Stay-at-home parenting a phenomenon?

Northwest Herald | Stay-at-home parenting a phenomenon?

Recently, a local reporter interviewed me for an article she was working on about stay at home Mom's. She didn't ask me many questions, just let me talk about why I stay home, and how we came about the decision. At the end of our talk, she asked if there was anything else I would like to add. At the time I couldn't thin of anything, but of course after we hung up, I thought of so many more things I wanted to say. I didn't bother calling her back, so I'll share those thoughts with you here.

I know firsthand that having one parent stay home is not an easy decision to make, and it's quite an adjustment. So many people say they need 2 incomes to survive. I believe in many cases that's probably true. However, I also believe that more couples could do it if they were willing to make some major lifestyle changes.
When we decided that I would quit my full time job and stay home with our children, we also agreed to make many changes to our every day lives. Here are a few examples of what I mean by that.
First, I became a serious bargain hunter. I don't pay full price for anything. I cut coupons and buy on sale whenever possible. D.R. and I don't go out to dinner or shows. That's not easy since we live near Chicago and it seems every week a great musical act or show is coming to town. We tell each other "no, it's not our time, we'll do that stuff when the kid are older". Once in a while we go out to eat as a family, but it's almost always for lunch (cheaper than dinner), and we usually have a half price coupon. I know that makes us sound like a couple of cheapskates, but these are the things we have to do to make it work. We also have agreed to not make un-necessary purchases. We talk first about major purchases, and do our research before buying. We also don't go for designer label clothes. We're just as happy shopping at Target and JC Penney (with coupons of course!). We don't buy books, we use the local library. I take the kids to all the free activities in town.
I could go on and on. There are so many little things that we do every day, that all add up to a huge savings. All these things allow us to live on one income. I know I said it was a 'sacrifice', but honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way. I'd be willing to give up lots more to be able to stay home with our girls.
These are the things I would have said to the reporter if I had time to think about it. That's our story.

Our New Favorite Recipe

Recently, my family has sworn off High Fructose Corn Syrup. A friend of mine was telling me all the bad things it does to our bodies, so I went home and did my own research. Sure enough, she was right. HFCS is seriously bad stuff. Among other things, it actually makes you crave sweets (big problem for me). So, in our continuing quest to be a healthy family, we've begun reading labels a little more closely. Just like a few years ago when we banned Trans fat from our diets, we are now getting rid of the HFCS. I can tell you it's in a lot of foods you wouldn't imagine, like ketchup and mustard! For some things we've had to go to Trader Joe's, and for other things, it's just a matter of changing brands at the local grocery store. Out with the old, in with the new!

Another friend who knew about my latest endeavor recommended "Better than Peanut Butter and Jelly", a kid friendly cook book. She doesn't even have kids, but recently became vegan and needed some simple recipes. That's where I found our latest favorite recipe, and I want to share it with all my friends. I must tell you that I changed a couple things from the original recipe to suit our needs. Enjoy.

Pumpkin Cookies:

4 TBSP light margarine or "Lighter Bake"
1/4 Cup pure maple syrup
1 TBSP water
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 Cup canned pumpkin
1/2 Cup unbleached white flour
1/2 Cup wheat flour
1/2 Cup wheat germ or toasted wheat bran
1/2 Cup Rolled oats
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. allspice


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
In large mixing bowl, combine margarine, maple syrup, water, and vanilla. Beat with electric mixer on low until well blended. Add pumpkin and beat until thoroughly combined.
In separate bowl, combine flours, wheat germ, rolled oats, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Mix thoroughly. Add to pumpkin mixture and stir until well blended.
Drop batter by rounded teaspoons onto cookie sheet. Bake 12-14 minutes.
Makes about 4 dozen.

Because these cookies don't contain any refined sugar, they're not super sweet. That's just the way we like them. Tia and D.R. are not big on sweets. And since they're made with real pumpkin, we're getting another vegetable in, which can only be a good thing!

You'll see from the picture that I let the girls put a few white chocolate chips in a couple of the cookies. I didn't mix the chips in the batter, but had them each make their own special cookie by pushing the chips in. When the cookies were done baking, they knew which one was their own.

Live healthy. Live well.

She did it, she did it, oh yeah, she did it!

Gia has always been a very strong willed child, who has to do things on her own terms. For months now we've been talking to her about using the potty. We've bribed her with treats to no avail. Then she discovered a Princess website that she liked. We told her she could play it if she went on the potty. She decided to use the potty once a day just to get to do the Princess game, and that was the end of it. We've known all along that she knows what to do, and can do it when she feels like it, but that she just wasn't ready.
Well, today, she took her diaper off, handed it to D.R., and went into the bathroom. When he tried to follow her in there she said "Daddy, you go away". She was in there quite a while and then burst out with a great smile on her face. Lo and behold, she pooped on the potty all by herself! That's it, she just decided to do it on her own. No prompting from us and no bribes. She's been diaper free all day. We even went to the park with no diaper and she did just fine.
This kid is amazing. There was no talking her into it until she was good and ready. She decided on her own how and when that would happen. I guess in her mind, today was the day.
Way to go Ju Ju!

Absent Due to Illness

I remember back in my High School days, if ever I missed a day of school, my Mom would write a note "Ronda was absent due to illness". That's it, short and simple. Well, that's my excuse for not blogging in the past week. I've been absent due to illness!
First, Tia got sick with a hacking cough. Then, because I'm the Mom, she coughed directly in my face on several occasions. Of course I was next in line for the cough. Gia and D.R. didn't get sick. D.R. has never been sick, even once, since I've known him. I think that's just ridiculous, but that's a different story.

So, we've been laying low, staying home, and doing a lot of cuddling. Yesterday I mustered up the energy to paint the girls' nails. Today we baked cupcakes. That's about it. No special projects or trips. I haven't even taken one picture of these girls in a week!

It seems we're all on the mend now. Every day is a little better than the day before. I'm sure our adventures will resume in a day or two!

Time flies!

Today marks the 3 year anniversary of us moving to Illinois and into this house together. D.R. had come a couple weeks earlier, but we all made this our home 3 years ago today. WOW, it truly seems like just yesterday. A lot has changed in those 3 years.
Tia was just a baby and I was pregnant with Gia. I didn't know a single soul. It was a hard transition for sure. We now have more friends than we can count, and are busier than ever. The kids have settled into a nice routine with preschool, dance and play dates. We really love it here, except for one thing. The winters. I've never felt anything like the bitter, bone chilling temperatures that go along with a Chicago winter. Man, it's brutal!

D.R. and I had a big decision to make. Did we want to stay here for the next 15 years, and see the kids through to high school graduation? Could we bare 15 more winters here? We both quickly answered no to that question. So, we decided that a big, and more permanent move is likely in our future. We want to move to a place with a warmer climate, and stay put in that place for a long, long time. We would like to do this before our kids are in the school system here, to make it a less dramatic move (if there is such a thing). I think it would be easier that way.

Will D.R. be able to find a job? When will this happen? Will we be able to sell our house? Where will we end up? These questions remain unanswered. We just know that we want it to happen, and we're ready for the adventure.

Until then, we continue to enjoy life here in the mid-west, taking it one day at a time. Life is good.

Happy Birthday Thomas

Today is my nephew Thomas' birthday. He's 29 years old today! I still can't believe I'm old enough to have a nephew who is 29, or that my sister is old enough to be his Mom!


Thomas is a pretty amazing guy. He makes friends where ever he goes, loves to crack a joke or two, is always ready and willing to help others, has a radiant smile, and loves his family. He is wonderful with my kids and they love him for it. When ever his name comes up Tia will smile wide and say "Mom, Thomas always plays silly with me!". We are lucky to have this gem in our family.

I could go on and on but I'll stop here and just say Happy Birthday Thomas! We love you.

The inevitable has happened

Months ago, my friend Nilu told me about a website that her son, who is about the same age as Tia, really enjoyed and was using often. It's geared toward teaching preschoolers to read.
I hesitated to introduce Tia to the computer for two reasons. First, she is not exactly a very patient kid. I didn't want to deal with her fits of frustration if she couldn't figure out how to work the mouse. The other reason being, I figured once I let her use the computer, I'd never get to use it myself!
Well, I finally relented, and showed Tia the site. My predictions were sort of right. She did need me to be there with her, helping her with every move. She couldn't get the hang of clicking the mouse, and got very frustrated. After she got a little more comfortable, I told her I had a couple things to do and that she could continue playing for a few minutes. Sure enough, when I came back she was playing the game all by herself, using the mouse perfectly! I can't believe how quickly she caught on.
Today, she asked to play it again. I was able to prepare our entire dinner while she played independently. Even though I know she'll be on the computer more and more as she learns to use it, I have learned to accept this as a good thing. Most of Tia's peers are familiar with computers by now. And I know they use computers in Kindergarten, so Tia was sort of behind in that respect. I held off as long as possible, wanting her to remain little and untouched by all the technology we encounter every day.
The time has come to let her have a taste of technology, and learn to read in the process. My little girl is growing up!

Planning Ahead

It's been quite a while since I've posted any good clearance rack finds. We all know I LOVE a good sale. Well, last night while in Walgreen's picking up my pictures, I was pulled by magnetic force over to the "75% off" section. I found the girls' costumes for next year. There weren't a lot left to choose from, but we were able to find 2 girl costumes, in a size a bit too big.

Tia's was $2.75

Gia's was an astronomical $3.00!

As soon as they woke up this morning, they wanted to try them on (hence the crazy hair). They love them, and hopefully I can actually convince them that they're for next year!