One year ago this week...

A year ago this week the boys, my mom and I visited San Francisco and Alcatraz for the first time. *well, first time for me since my girl scout troop spent the night there when I was in the 8th grade*

What a difference a year makes! We have this Friday off too --same as last year -- for a teacher work day. I wonder what we'll be up to this year?

Today was a busy day. I had meetings for work out of town and stopped by the flea market in Galt to pick up a few things... fun things for everyone. Then home to get the boys... almost immediately we headed off to Steven's basketball game. They won!! 42 to 30 or something like that (I can never remember the final score, why is that?) Steven played a lot more today and scored a 3 point shot. He is improving from all that practice, which is a great thing and he still loves it. Todays game had more kids playing, and less of the "main" kids because one was benched for missing practice, the other was late to the game. The kids played great defense the whole game and in every combination -it was nice to see.

Then home to my doggies who were not pleased about me being gone all day, home for an hour, then gone 2 more! They are needy little things.. but tomorrow I'll be home working, all day long... so they should be thrilled by that.

Dinner was quick... pasta with a meat ragu made in 30 minutes *love that Rachael Ray* and with it I tried a Sam Adams Cranberry beer -which was quite tasty, but made me sleepy and full quickly -I was only able to drink 1/2 of it.

Then we all watched last night's Chuck -if you haven't seen this show... it is one of the most hysterical on TV right now.. we all love it. Finished just about 8 and the kids headed off to shower (Jack) and bath (Steven) and I settled in to do some work. I'm done now and heading to bed.... I'm beat, my hands hurt and my bed is calling to me....

Tomorrow I'll post a new picture of the 2 boys together.. for comparison...

Happy December!!! and Menu Monday

Wow, it is December already. I can hardly believe it. Time really does go by quickly as an adult --I remember as a kid it seemed to drag on, but not now.

Today was a busy day. I had lots of work to do, deadlines looming so I can take time off this month... my plan is to be off from my birthday (17th) until January 5th. So I will be a busy bee, trying to get everything done before then so my clients are happy. I went to my weight watcher meeting...not great news -I gained almost 2 pounds... but yesterday I had Chinese and little smokies...so probably water weight, but whatever -today is a new day and I am starting over. I decided to go and face whatever it was -and I did~!

Then I worked awhile and took a break to take the dogs to the dog park, a quick stop at the library and then came back and worked. Then a short break for lunch (while updating my blog template and making a new header!) and then back to work. I checked the laundry and played with the dogs... then back to work.

I have to keep telling myself all this work compressed into a week is worth it ... for 3 weeks off... it is worth it, it is!

So our menu for this week is easy....

Monday: grilled cheese and soup
Tuesday: spaghetti and meatballs, garlic bread
Wednesday: Taco's
Thursday: Shepards Pie
Friday: chicken & potatoes
Saturday: Out of town for baseball tournament
Sunday: Out on way home from tournament or sandwiches (depends on how early we leave Redding)

They're off!!

I was able to get this shot in the front yard before the guys headed off to the game. They all seem happy and excited to be going. The kids are excited just to be together and I heard them walking towards the van with Jackson saying "I call sitting by Logan" and Steven agreeing "it's fine to have the 3 seats in the back to myself." The younger boys have their ds lites with them and I'm sure that the ride will be a nintendo fest for them.

Me, well after this blog post I am going to drink my Starbucks Caramel Macchiatto (thanks honey!) and read the paper. Then at 10 I am expecting my friend Carolyn -and we are going to spend a few hours scrapbooking and hanging out. She lives across the street, yet we sometimes go weeks without actually seeing each other. We've know each other for 12 or so years... met while working at USAA and have been friends ever since. I really enjoy spending time with her -there is no stress, no guessing what she's thinking, no worry about saying the wrong thing... I am just me uncensored and I love her for that! Great girlfriends are so important to have and I am lucky to have her in my life.

So, off I go to read the paper...... don't worry, I'll be back later to post some more pictures that I finally off-loaded!

Saturday

I've come to the conclusion that I am not as young as I used to be, nor as agile as I like to think.
Today I am feeling the physical effects of my all day shopping, lifting, holding, standing in line excursion. My arms and legs are achy/sore, my shoulders are tense and my ankles are stiff. I had a hot bath before bed last night and motrin today, but still I feel the effects.

The motrin helped a bit... I was able to sweep the downstairs levels and get the kitchen cleaned up. But now, my wrists are killing me.. I am typing this, then more motrin, another hot bath and I am off to bed. The carpal tunnel I have is a curious thing... I can be fine for several weeks, then *boom* I move wrong, sleep wrong or overdue use of my hands and the pain in unbearable. I will schedule a chiropractor visit for early next week and a massage for tomorrow if I can.. hopefully by Wednesday I will be pain free again... but that means no mopping for me. The sweeping overdid it I guess (or maybe just on top of yesterday) it's hard to know for sure. But the throbbing, shooting pain each time I move my hand and the inability to pick up my steaming hot full tea mug is a constant reminder that I do have carpal tunnel.

What's amazing is that for several years I lived with this lack of use and the pain everyday. It was "normal" for me and I took motrin a couple times every day. After chiropractic treatment for a year, finally I could go a month between visits and I would say I am 90% pain free. Most days are good, some aren't but there are less of those. I re-read my journal from that time frame and it's amazing to think that I couldn't hold a full glass, open a jar or lift a saucepan to move it off the heat without using both of my hands. I adapted and learned to do things 2 handed, in an effort to feel "normal" while being in denial that there was something really wrong with my hands.

With the current economic atmosphere, I have seriously considered going back to work full-time for financial reasons... however today I realized that really isn't an option. I like to think that I could, but my hands would never accept being on the computer hours every day and that is the kind of work I am most qualified for. Working from home allows me a great deal of flexability and the opportunity to take frequent breaks and stretch my hands, thereby not overdoing it.
Most days I work 2-3 hours and I am able to do that in 1 hour increments with an hour in between... I am very thankful that I have the opportunity to work from home and am taking steps to add clients and build my business a bit. That will allow me to remain at home with the boys, work at a do-able pace and increase our savings as well.

We have opted for me to work part-time since the kids were born as it is important for one of us to be with them. I realize now that although we have lived within our means and on a cash system, we are not as prepared with savings as I would like us to be. We both have cars that are 8+ years old with over 100,000 miles .... sometime soon we will have to replace those. What about appliances... ours are 10+ years old and will also need to be replaced. So now is the time to think ahead and get ahead, so when those bumps come up in the road we'll be ready.

One thing is for sure, I am happy to be done with my Christmas shopping. I am planning to stay out of the stores and not buy anything that isn't absolutely necessary between December 1-30. I am ready for the challenge, I really believe I can do it. It will give me lots more time at home to just enjoy the holiday times and my family.

So today we all stayed home. No one went anywhere. We watched some tv and the Bruins game. We tried to watch How to Eat Fried Worms.. but the Blockbuster dvd was scratched and turned off part-way thru. We updated our Blockbuster Queue with holiday movies we want to watch: Elf, The Santa Clause, The Santa Clause 2 & 3, Home Alone, Unaccompanied Minors, Christmas Vacation, The Family Stone, Scrooged, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and some others.... looking forward to many happy family movie nights this month.

Tomorrow the boys and Jonathan are off to the Raiders game, it's the boys first NFL game (they've already attended multiple MLB, Hockey and NBA games)..... so I guess there's just one thing left to say -- Go Raiders!!!

Happy Black Friday...

Today is the busiest shopping day of the year. Last week, I thought about staying home today.. but you (meaning I) can't buck tradition, right? So I figured that even though my Christmas shopping is all done (and mostly wrapped) that I would head out with my mom, SIL and niece for some shopping and breakfast...fast forward to yesterday... my mom is not feeling well, so she decides not to go.... SIL is pregnant and not sure how many stores or what order she will go... so I think, well, I'll just stay home.

Then comes the car ride home... kid is loud, husband is snappy and I think.. I am shopping tomorrow -just to get out and do something. So my friend is planning to shop with her other friend in Folsom (30 minutes away from me)... she asks if I will go with them if she shops in Roseville (15 minutes from her as she lives in the middle). I say sure and we tentatively plan (via text at 11:15 p.m. for me to meet her around 4.. she'll text when she leaves her house. I wake at 4:53 and realize I have overslept.. I didn't fall asleep til after 12:40 a.m., so small wonder..I text her and all is well --she is almost done at Kohls and heading to Walmart. So I hit Starbucks and meet her there.

I will spare you the detailed list of what (10) stores we went to and the vast difference in customer service levels in those stores... suffice it to say that almost 11 hours later, I was home.

I did buy some things: pj's and track suits for Jack, some dvds, pj's and socks for me, some fabric and some "stocking stuffer" gifts. I probably went crazy in the $2 dvd section, the $3 dvd section and even the $3.98 dvd section at different stores... many of those titles will have to go back -what was I thinking? But the good news is I enjoyed myself, had a nice day out with my friend and came home relaxed (but tired) and happy.

We did make it to IHOP for breakfast. While there I couldn't help but have a bit of sadness to not be there with my family as I usually am on Black Friday. I missed shopping and experiencing this day with them.. but there is always next year. I enjoyed an omelet and yummy pumpkin pancakes (which I brought home and had for lunch too!).

My honey made me a cup of hot tea so it was ready when I got home.... then he, Steven and I sat down and watched the final disc of Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.. I must say that installment was MUCH louder than the others...but it was nice to finally see the triology end. I feel about the same as I did when they drug it out over 3 years in theaters.. you just want to see the whole story ... but 10 hours is a bit much at one time. I think Steven liked the movie overall, his ears perked a bit at hearing they are working on starting to film the Hobbit (which was my favorite of the books). I suggested he read it.. so we'll see.

So what's the plan for the rest of the weekend.. a whole lot of nothing! The boys seem tired, which is strange considering they've been off school for 2 weeks. But late nights are catching up (we are all often up at 11) with us all and Steven heads back bright and early Monday for basketball practice at 6 a.m. so we have to start ending the nights sooner (tonight). So tomorrow is still up in the air, but will probably be a lazy day except for cleaning and laundry.. then Sunday the boys are headed to their FIRST Raider game with their dad, uncle and cousin. They are excited and I am too. I have the whole day free! I think I will scrapbook with a friend... sounds like a perfect day to me.

I hope to download the pictures tomorrow that I took on Thanksgiving and finish up my Christmas cards.. wish me luck!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Today I just have to take a day off from everything - thinking, striving, working hard to improve myself and so on. Sometimes it can be really exhausting! So today I am not going to think (or stress) about work, bills, timing or money, I am not going to spend time online (just jumped on to post). I am going to spend the day hanging out with my family... trying to get a photo for our Christmas card... reading... playing games with the kids... looking thru the ad's (although I have done that already and am not sure there is really anything worth going out for) to see if there is anything I must have.

So today I am going to spend the day being thankful and being present. I want to experience each moment as it happens.. no wait til later, in a minute, just a second things.. just living in the moment.

I am happy to spend the day with my entire family... my parents, my brother and SIL, my niece and nephew and my sweetie and kids. I love that time when no one is rushed, everyone is just hanging out and we get to let down the defenses and just enjoy being together. Moments like that are harder to come by as the kids get older and involved in many activities.. I intend to enjoy every minute of it.

Today I am grateful. I am grateful for many things .. we have a home, family, food, jobs and cars. We have each other. I am grateful for this blog.. that it provides me with a recap of the year and tidbits of how I feel, think and what we do. I am anxious to have it printed this year ..then a book will forever be available to me.. a journal of sorts, but still able to share it with others.

I am thankful for all of you who can't be with us today. Know that I am thinking of you and wishing you a peaceful day filled with happiness and family.

Thanksgiving Challenge

My friend challenged me to make a list of the things I am thankful for (big and small). So I did...

warm baths, tivo, candlelight, fireplaces, movies, Jackson's smile, my family's love, winter hats, California winters, long lost friends, new technology that makes it so easy to keep in touch with friends and family I love, my WW leader, my book club, beauticontrol, starbucks caramel macchiattos, the local donut store, my new $6 shirts from WM, my parents, holiday reflections, photography, my ipod, crafting, microwave oven, my new muffin pan, my palm centro, my relationship with God, bible study group, Steven's persistence, my husband's efforts, dishwashers, Sammy, River, warm blankets, my comfy bed, friends who listen and don't judge, sunshine, dog parks, baseball, herbal teas, longaberger mugs to drink from, working from home, spending time and knowing my kids, board games, not having to cook the turkey on Thanksgiving (my mom's rocks!!), pumpkin anything, fresh crisp apples, Quaker apple cinnamon rice cakes, WW 1 point caramel chocolate bars, virtual friends, bubble gum, my garage freezer, eating dinner as a family, watching jackson at karate, fuzzy warm socks, finished Christmas shopping, Christmas lights......

times up... 10 minutes and just a brain dump of things I am thankful for. Now she also challenged this:

My list is by no means comprehensive, but it is a good start. Once you've got a few of your "thanks" down, I further challenge you to turn your thanks into "giving" -- for every item on your list, donate some amount of money. It does NOT really matter how much you give, but that you give freely. Count up your thanks and then multiply it by whatever you can, and give it back to someone in need.

So in response to this challenge I have listed 58 (I counted 3x and that's what I think) items I am thankful for. So I multiplied that time 3 to get 174.... I gathered 174 items (canned/boxed food, gently used jackets/sweaters, shampoo, toothpaste/toothbrushes... it is in the front seat (and floor) of my car and I will drop it at the Salvation Army downtown today when I am running my errands. It feels good, it will do good and I did it all based on her challenge.

Sometimes it is the simple things.. someone else bringing it up and challenging you and look at the good it can do!!!

So I am passing this challenge on to those of you who read my blog... make a list and then do something for others... you know you want to!

Technology and Time

Growing up an Army Brat wasn't so bad. We saw lots of neat places and learned about different cultures and beliefs. But the moving... that was hard on friendships. At the time I was growing up (seems like eons ago) you could write letters or talk on the phone.. but long distance phone calls were expensive. So I would write a few letters to the friends I left behind... and usually never got one back. So my friends came and went.

I talk to people all the time who still have friends they met in kindergarten or middle school or high school.... I envy them. It is the only thing that I would change going back.. if I knew then, what I know now.. I would have tried harder to stay in touch.

Welcome to 2008! We now have email, messageboards and my new favorite Facebook! In the last 2 weeks I have located 3 long lost friends from high school in San Francisco.. people who I think of often and missed... but lost touch with. Maybe I am nostalgic with this being the 20th anniversary of my senior year. Maybe I am just sentimental.. but I am so happy to have found these friends. I also got in touch with a missing friend who was in my wedding and have a great lead on the other... when I got married and everyone else was still single.. my friendships drifted away.. I miss those people, those connections. I still feel their presence in my life, friends that are just drifting on the tide... and now I have contact with them again. It is like being rescued from a deserted island...

Ok I am tired and my mind is going a million miles a minute. This post may make zero sense tomorrow... I realize that. But for now I am just going to bask in the glow of my big computer screen, knowing that technology of today has brought me back into my past and I am awed.

On a final note, today I went to Weight Watchers and found I had lost another 2.2 pounds. That means that since June when I started this healthy lifestyle journey I have lost 20% of my body weight!!! I am so psyched at that. 10% more to go! Also if my leader is to be believed, she says that every 5 extra pounds you carry puts 15 pounds of pressure on your body... so I have taken 105 pounds of pressure off in the last 5 months. That is why I feel better, have more energy and am so excited about the whole journey.

Hope everyone has a Happy Tuesday! Stay warm and cozy, it's gonna be a cold one here (63 and rainy) .... which I know the rest of you in other parts of the country have it worse weather wise.. but for us.. this stinks!