Family Day

Today is a day that has important meaning to our family. We have three absolutely amazing children, and my husband and I are very blessed to be so in love. No, of course life isn't perfect, but everyone in this family knows they are loved!!!

JR is an amazing 12 year old. He is very responsible, most of the time, and is a good big brother to his brother and sister. He loves all things related to art, and of course loves video games and TV. He enjoys playing baseball, but sports is not his favorite thing overall. He struggles at school, but works hard. EVERYONE tells me how sweet and helpful he is, and it's very true. He has just about the gentlest nature of anyone I've ever known.

JC is my spunky girl. She is definitely a mothering type, which her younger brother doesn't always appreciate. We've always said though, that she's going to be our nurse! She's also talked about wanting to be a teacher as well. She is very stubborn (like her mom), but (unlike her mom) can also be very, very quiet. I'm finding that she prefers friends that are boys, but finds a great deal of comfort and companionship in her best friend Belle. They completely bring out the best in each other. She enjoys watching sports, but doesn't necessarily have any of her own athletic talents.

HT is our amusing youngest. His sense of humor is often hilarious, although his ability to reason and use logic, while many times a good thing, can drive me crazy! He's very good at reading, and absolutely loves EVERYTHING related to dogs, cars, and John Deere. He doesn't know a stranger and is pretty sure everyone he meets can't wait to be his best friend. He's the typical baby of the family, and he's pretty sure that if he waits long enough to do something, someone else will take care of it for him, and he'll find a way to make that happen. He also has the most contagious laugh of any child I've ever heard.

My husband is an amazing husband and father, who allows me to be me, and I'm so grateful that we compliment each other so well. I'm so blessed to be a part of this amazing family!

What we've been up to

Life is moving along here. I really can't believe that January is almost over! We had a very busy week, but that's really nothing new. My wonderful husband has started taking another class in order to (eventually) have his principal's license. He's gone every Monday evening through April into early May. JR has rejoined karate and JC is also going. She loves it, and I think it's going to be very good for her. They go for two hours, two nights a week. HT is still playing basketball and yesterday he played some pretty decent defense. He also had his scout pack meeting this past week where he received his derby car and he'll be working on that before too long. I had a meeting this past week as well because I've agreed to be the treasurer for a mentorship program that a friend of mine is trying to get started through the schools, and I got to work three days this week. So, yeah, you might say that we are a little busy, but I've also come to realize that is just the way life is with three kids!

Last evening my husband and I attended a gala to benefit the arts community in my hometown. I had always wanted to attend a gala, but usually the price was prohibitive. However, this one was very reasonable, and my sister wanted us to go with her. In addition, the outgoing President of the organization is one of my mother's best friends, and I just thought it was a perfect opportunity. Mom even agreed to watch the kids so that we didn't have to pay for a sitter. We had a very nice evening, and the best part for me was running into the mother of an old friend from high school with whom I'd lost contact. It was so much fun to hear what he and his wife (and their three kids) are doing these days, and nice to see many other people I hadn't seen in a while as well.

This week pretty much brings more of the same of our life with three kids, and I wouldn't want it any other way!!!!

They've won a lifelong customer!

I have to mention, and give a plug to, this phenomenal customer service I just received. I'm not exactly sure how it happened, but the flannel sheets my husband and I have had on our bed for years seem to have shrunk. In spite of the fact that we used to have two nice sets, neither set fits anymore, and this time of year (and the fact that we keep our house set at 65 degrees in winter) makes me want flannel sheets. I had some cash back built up on our Discover card, and cashed in enough to receive $75.00 in L.L.Bean gift cards. Combined with the $2.10 I had left on a previous gift card, it was exactly what I needed to cover the $77.00 price for the flannel sheets. And to top it off, L.L.Bean charges no shipping! Unfortunately, when I scratched off the cover of the PIN number for one of the gift cards, the PIN number scratched off as well. I was not at all pleased, because without these gift cards, the flannel sheets were not in the budget this month. I called customer service, and a very pleasant individual was happy to assist me. Not only that, but when she realized a minute or so after we hung up that she had lost some information from her computer, she immediately called back and apologized when asking for the information again. Without a doubt, I will be a lifelong customer of L.L.Bean. I've always been absolutely thrilled with their merchandise, and I couldn't be happier with their customer service. It's nice to know that somebody out there still cares about their customers!!!!!

Dinner prep

My wonderful husband is making dinner this evening. All three kids decided to "help" (and actually, there is a lot to be done when making tacos), and I am enjoying the sounds and conversations (and of course the smells!) that are coming from two rooms away. I'll be honest, as the chaos (organized chaos) is occurring in the kitchen, I'm calmly sitting at my computer and just relaxing. That is until, my husband walks in.

Hubby: Would you suggest having one can of refried beans or two?

me: Definitely two. I've really been craving refried beans lately.

Hubby: Unfortunately, we only have one can.

me: Then why did you even ask if we should have two?

Hubby: I have no idea.
He then turns and walks back into the kitchen.

All right then.

Might be a storm coming!

Supposedly, there is a winter storm coming. Yeah, whatever. This winter has made me rather cynical about winter weather. There was supposed to be snow yesterday, and well, we got a dusting last evening. Now, I do acknowledge that where my parents live, just 30 miles north, they received about two inches. Here though, nothing. We haven't even managed to have a fog delay this year! Anyway, they are calling for not exactly snow this evening, but a freezing rain/wintry mix. Timing is perfect (unless of course, one hopes for a snow day!) to pretty much just stay in tonight and not go anywhere. That is precisely my plan. And what shall we be doing? CLEANING. That's right folks, the children have become quite lazy and complacent in their bedrooms, and we are going to take care of that starting this afternoon when they get home from school. I say starting, because I have a feeling this could take all weekend. No problem, we've pretty much got all weekend with few interruptions. I know the kids are not looking forward to it, and frankly, neither am I. Must be done though, and leaving them to accomplish it on their own CLEARLY doesn't work. HT in particular is a huge challenge. He is going to someday be on that TV show Hoarders...he does not see the reason for trash cans. After all, he never throws anything away! Because of this, I went up and did some prep work while they are still at school. I guarantee he'll never miss the trash that I managed to clear out of his room. Ah, this shall be such a joy this weekend!

Braces OFF!

I'm sorry it took me three days to write about it, but on Monday, JR's braces finally came off! We knew as of our last appointment in December that this would be the end, and to say that he was excited is an understatement. He was literally counting down the days, and telling everyone he would see that Monday was the big day. We also had JC, HT, and my husband scheduled for dental cleanings and exams that afternoon. Because it is all in the same office and it's a half hour drive, I was thrilled by the gas we would be saving. However, by the end of the afternoon my patience had long since expired. We were there OVER THREE AND A HALF HOURS. No one should have to spend that much time in a small dental office waiting room. The kids did well for the most part though, and I must say, JR's teeth look really great. We treated the kids to Friendly's Ice Cream for dinner and dessert, and it was a great way to celebrate his braces coming off!

Pop! goes the Christmas present

I had asked for a "real" popcorn maker for Christmas. I'll be honest, I'm pretty much addicted to popcorn. I have it as a snack probably five evenings a week. It's definitely my biggest vice, but I figure as far as vices go, it could be much worse (nice justification, right)! And I didn't just want an air popper...I already have one of those. I wanted something that really made the popcorn taste good. I know that I don't need all the calories of movie theater popcorn, but I wanted something that tasted better than air popping. However, after spending a couple of hundred dollars to do the final repairs on our chimney (the never ending project)* I decided that a popcorn machine was too much to ask for Christmas, and I rescinded my request. My wonderful husband found a good deal on a table/counter top model, and I LOVE IT! The popcorn tastes AWESOME! I even like it better than the microwave popcorn, and as a bonus it's cheaper and healthier. Love it! The kids have even commented on how they love the smell in the house after I pop the popcorn. Kudos to my hubby!!!!

*Upon re-reading before posting it has occurred to me that technically this isn't the final repair. When the chimney was put upright this summer back against the house, some settling occurred that caused cracks in the plaster walls in our living room that need to be repaired. Like I said, it's the never ending project! My dad advised us to wait until we were sure everything was done settling to have it fixed so that we only had to do it once. So, THAT will be the final repair of the never ending project!