So, today is my 37th birthday and I'm pretty indifferent about it. I will say that it started off very well with my husband driving 4 hours home from work in Salinas, climbing into bed and being the first person to wish me Happy Birthday. I promptly went back to sleep, but remember being very happy that he was home again where he belongs. I got this idea from Jill over at her blog (see Creativity, Musings & Such in my blog list). I'm still too much of a dufus to figure out how to include a link in my post.
Here are some important things about me to celebrate my 37th year of life:
1. I wish I could make a living as a photographer, but I don't know if I'm good enough
2. My favorite place on the planet is Yosemite
3. My middle name is Lynn, but I dropped it when I got married and now use my maiden name as my middle name
4. I have been a Dallas Cowboys fan since I was 5
5. I was born in Utah, but I'm not Mormon
6. I was the only brunette in my class until 4th grade
7. I moved to CA when I was 14
8. I've had the same best friend since I was 11
9. We haven't lived in the same state in 23 years
10. I love my in-laws, all of them
11. I hope to work for the JDRF in some capacity one day
12. The sounds of my daughters laughing makes me smile wherever we are
13. My last boss was crazy, seriously
14. I am a list maker, I have them everywhere
15. My brother is one of my favorite people and I'm so grateful for him
16. I love Texas
17. I lived in Philly for 3 years and couldn't wait to move back to CA
18. I love New York City and feel completely safe there
19. I'm addicted to scrapbook supplies and any kind of paper products
20. My daughters have made me a girly-girl - I wasn't before I had them
21. I love to cook
22. Sushi is a relatively new passion for me, I love it!
23. I hate to play games....philosophically that is - I LOVE board games
24. I am an awesome thumb wrestler
25. I'm addicted to magazines...I buy at least 5 a month, but do not have subscriptions to any
26. I love to write, stories, letters, notes, you name it
27. I am learning to speak my mind
28. I am a people pleaser by nature
29. I love the fact that one of my daughters looks just like me
30. I have really great friends that love me just the way I am
31. I am ALWAYS late, but I'm getting better
32. My cell phone is the bain of my existence
33. I am very stubborn, sometimes to the point of being unreasonable
34. I work better with men than I do women
35. I want to be the mom that other mom's want to emulate
36. Fall is my favorite time of the year
37. I love being married, truly.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
And so it begins
Ms. J, my crafty, way too intelligent for her 3 year old (almost 4)self started preschool today. She's been talking about it for months and we decided that a full year of school prior to kindergarten would be a good thing for her. She was up and dressed, hair done, breakfast almost finished by the time we had to go - we were off to a pretty good start for the first day of school. THEN, we get into the car to head out and she informs me that I'm going the wrong way, that the school is above Guncle's (that's Uncle to most folks) house. I tell her that we have a different way to get there from our house and to please trust me....we pull up to a stoplight and she points to a blue trash can with numbers and letters stenciled on and asks me, "Do you know what those letters and numbers on that blue trash can say Mommy?" When I give the honest answer of "No", since I was focused on the light and hoping not to get rearended by the man in the ginormous truck speeding up behind us - this is what she tells me....."Those letters and numbers say "THIS IS NOT THE WAY TO SCHOOL"!" I laughed so hard I snorted...for about 5 minutes.....this girl cracks me up....as we passed the bank with the digital sign out front, she commented "that sign says to turn around and go back to where you came from"....again I laughed out loud. She kills me, this child of mine - couldn't love her any more if she was twins!
I did spend her first day of school with her....mostly for my sense of well being. We had a training session with her teachers regarding testing her blood sugar and I thought it would be a good idea to be there as a back up just in case. I'm happy to say that the teacher did a great job, Ms. J was a huge help and told her teacher exactly what she needed to do.
One other really great thing about Ms. J's first day of school is that she is with her best friend, who is also her cousin, Ms. K - they were so happy to be there together and I really think that it will be a great thing for them to share this experience sans their parents. I'm so proud of them!
I did spend her first day of school with her....mostly for my sense of well being. We had a training session with her teachers regarding testing her blood sugar and I thought it would be a good idea to be there as a back up just in case. I'm happy to say that the teacher did a great job, Ms. J was a huge help and told her teacher exactly what she needed to do.
One other really great thing about Ms. J's first day of school is that she is with her best friend, who is also her cousin, Ms. K - they were so happy to be there together and I really think that it will be a great thing for them to share this experience sans their parents. I'm so proud of them!
Sunday, August 3, 2008
What an Awesome Group of Ladies
There are a group of women on eBay, who are in a phenomenal group, The Boutique Angels - and several times a year they do a charity drive via their auctions. The newest launch starts tomorrow, August 4th and continues until August 17th. 100 PERCENT, yes ALL OF THE PROCEEDS from these auctions will be going to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
This is a very personal matter for me as my oldest, Ms. J is a juvenile diabetic since before she turned 2. My husband is also diabetic, his kicked in when he was 23. We've had many ups and downs with this tempermental disease, but most of the time it's business as usual, just a few more steps than your average kiddo at meals, playtime or bedtime.
If there's anyone out there reading this blog (highly unlikely, but you never know). I would definitely encourage you to check out the auctions or read about the Boutique Angels on their blog - http://theboutiqueangels.blogspot.com/2008/07/big-hearts-come-in-little-packages.html
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Sunday, July 27, 2008
New Friends - Good Neighbors - Lots of Little Girls!
We moved to the town we live in now just this past February - it was one of the best moves we've ever made (minus the steep driveway, all the stairs and the heavy as hell furniture that I seem to love). Over the past 2 years, we spent more time in this area than the little neighborhood we used to live in - Ms. J went to gymnastics here, was up here 2 days a week for daycare with Grammy, good restaurants and just a quieter way of life - oh yeah, and did I mention that my brother and SIL have lived here for almost 4 years. Now we live 9 miles from them versus the 42 miles it was before. Need I say more?
One Saturday as we were sitting down to dinner, I noticed a cute little family walking down our street, Mom, Dad and 2 little girls. Then I realized that I knew the mom and the little girls - the oldest had been in Ms. J's gymnastics class. I ran out to the deck to yell hello and we reconnected. We hadn't been to gymnastics since January, as it was an expense that we just couldn't justify given where we lived and the fact that I wasn't working. BUT, the great thing was that all 4 Littles remembered each other and we promised to exchange information and get together for playdates and such. Fast forward 3 months, and one lazy Saturday afternoon...and there is a knock on our door, 2 wee little girls and their Mommy standing outside with a note for us saying they wanted to play. We had an impromptu playdate right there (our playroom was already destroyed, what could 2 more Littles to do it?) with great conversation and promises of more time together to come.
I knew that I liked her for the year or so that we talked at gymnastics- but those were very short, non-personal conversations in between spotting our girls on the ladders and trampoline. Now that we were sitting in my house, at my table having a great conversation I was so happy that I had found another great lady to talk to and that lived right down the street! We have quite a few things in common, besides each having 2 daughters...we've worked in the same field for years and have similar life experiences. Now I'm just sad that it took me so long to really get start getting to know her. Here's to new friends, for both my girls and me and to good neighbors that we can look forward to seeing out at the mailbox!
One Saturday as we were sitting down to dinner, I noticed a cute little family walking down our street, Mom, Dad and 2 little girls. Then I realized that I knew the mom and the little girls - the oldest had been in Ms. J's gymnastics class. I ran out to the deck to yell hello and we reconnected. We hadn't been to gymnastics since January, as it was an expense that we just couldn't justify given where we lived and the fact that I wasn't working. BUT, the great thing was that all 4 Littles remembered each other and we promised to exchange information and get together for playdates and such. Fast forward 3 months, and one lazy Saturday afternoon...and there is a knock on our door, 2 wee little girls and their Mommy standing outside with a note for us saying they wanted to play. We had an impromptu playdate right there (our playroom was already destroyed, what could 2 more Littles to do it?) with great conversation and promises of more time together to come.
I knew that I liked her for the year or so that we talked at gymnastics- but those were very short, non-personal conversations in between spotting our girls on the ladders and trampoline. Now that we were sitting in my house, at my table having a great conversation I was so happy that I had found another great lady to talk to and that lived right down the street! We have quite a few things in common, besides each having 2 daughters...we've worked in the same field for years and have similar life experiences. Now I'm just sad that it took me so long to really get start getting to know her. Here's to new friends, for both my girls and me and to good neighbors that we can look forward to seeing out at the mailbox!
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Little G gets it, she really gets it.....
As it is very early in my "blog life", I still have many things to talk about and to share about my family and what they are all about. What happened yesterday kind of shocked me and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it - I even dreamt about it last night. But, let me back up and tell you the history on the event before I share the current tidbit.
Our oldest daughter (almost 4) J, was diagnosed as a Type 1 Diabetic 2 years ago at 22 months old. We had just found out that we were preggers with little G, who's now almost 18 months. We had a rough few days in the hospital, but the educators and nurses and endocrinologists that we came to know took phenomenal care of all of us, not just Miss J. Throughout these past 2 years, there have been many adjustments to her insulin, changes in her testing times, and equipment (insulin pen, testers, finger pokers and such) - we have incorporated diabetes into our life fairly well I believe.
As in any household, mornings are pretty crazy around here - testing blood sugar, breakfast, taking shots, getting dressed, teeth brushed, faces washed and all that jazz. We don't hide testing J or doing her shots, especially when we're in our own home. Which brings me to what happened yesterday.
The girls and I were up at my brother's house and they were playing with their cousins - Big K and Little K. The 4 of them are so close in age and spend so much time together that they're almost like siblings. Anywho....fast forward to lunchtime and we're testing Ms. J's blood sugar. Lunch is had, plates are cleaned and carbs are calculated for Ms. J's shot - Little G comes to me with a fake syringe from the doctor kit in the playroom, pulls up her shirt and pokes her little Buddha belly with the syringe and then says "all done", puts her shirt down and runs back to play. I sat there stunned.....I had no idea that she was taking all of this in and really got what was going on with her sister. One of the other things about that moment that brought it all home for me was that when Ms. J was in the hospital initially they were putting an IV in her arm and she was screaming "ALL DONE" while 5 adults held her down to do it. That phrase apparently is something that I use when I finish Ms. J's shots now as well.
From the mouth of babes
Our oldest daughter (almost 4) J, was diagnosed as a Type 1 Diabetic 2 years ago at 22 months old. We had just found out that we were preggers with little G, who's now almost 18 months. We had a rough few days in the hospital, but the educators and nurses and endocrinologists that we came to know took phenomenal care of all of us, not just Miss J. Throughout these past 2 years, there have been many adjustments to her insulin, changes in her testing times, and equipment (insulin pen, testers, finger pokers and such) - we have incorporated diabetes into our life fairly well I believe.
As in any household, mornings are pretty crazy around here - testing blood sugar, breakfast, taking shots, getting dressed, teeth brushed, faces washed and all that jazz. We don't hide testing J or doing her shots, especially when we're in our own home. Which brings me to what happened yesterday.
The girls and I were up at my brother's house and they were playing with their cousins - Big K and Little K. The 4 of them are so close in age and spend so much time together that they're almost like siblings. Anywho....fast forward to lunchtime and we're testing Ms. J's blood sugar. Lunch is had, plates are cleaned and carbs are calculated for Ms. J's shot - Little G comes to me with a fake syringe from the doctor kit in the playroom, pulls up her shirt and pokes her little Buddha belly with the syringe and then says "all done", puts her shirt down and runs back to play. I sat there stunned.....I had no idea that she was taking all of this in and really got what was going on with her sister. One of the other things about that moment that brought it all home for me was that when Ms. J was in the hospital initially they were putting an IV in her arm and she was screaming "ALL DONE" while 5 adults held her down to do it. That phrase apparently is something that I use when I finish Ms. J's shots now as well.
From the mouth of babes
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Where is the light at the end of this darn tunnel?
So I've been a SAHM for the past 7 months.....my last real office job was for a company that is a mess on a good day with an owner that has more personalities than a soap opera. I opened my mouth when I shouldn't have and my resignation was accepted that very day - I didn't shed a tear or even acknowledge the relief I felt until I was in my car leaving that day. I have never regretted leaving that Godforsaken company and no matter what happens I never will. I am ready to go to work again out in the office world and now have to figure out what will make me happy AND help support my family so that my husband isn't bearing it all on his shoulders. I have loved every day home with my 2 girls and really have treasured my time with them - but the rest of the homemaker role is just not something I'm good at. My house isn't organized or tidy, but it is clean at least and I do cook every night. I was home to see my littlest one take her first step and then again when she was running like a mad woman 2 weeks later. I have been able to get my oldest ready for pre-school and go to all of their appointments. Money as always is a stress factor for me - I stress when I'm bringing home a paycheck and I stress when I'm not. Large purchases are something I stew about for days on end and I rarely buy anything for myself. I have a list of personal wants, like everyone does, but mine is for very specific things.....like the exact digital camera I would give my eye teeth for....but that's pretty much where my personal wants end. I want to feel good about my role on this planet, the kind of wife and mother I am - but is it too much to ask that I get paid good money to support my family?
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