Wordless Wednesday: My Christmas Table

More Wordless Wednesday

What the...?

That's what I asked myself at dinner tonight.

First of all, let me catch you up on a few things about Luke's eating habits. He doesn't really do meat unless of course it is chicken nuggets or some other form of chicken. Hamburger makes him gag (he forgets to chew), sausage-well refer back to the hamburger, & turkey-occasionally but only in lunch meat form. Oh, I almost forgot, fish sticks might make it down too. So...that leaves for some healthy choices chicken nuggets or fish sticks. Needless to say, he probably doesn't meet his protein quotient for the day most days.
Next, comes vegetables-he just doesn't do vegetables at all, except for the occasional bit of spagetti or pizza sauce.
Fruit, well we like it, but we have all of a sudden stopped eating several of the things that we use to love (ex: peaches, pears, & most recently grapes, but they are fun to squish!)
Bread & Dairy-not really a problem & I do try to make them the 'healthier' forms (yogurt instead of ice cream, whole wheat bread instead of white, etc.)
Sooo...many of our meals include lots of fruit with some bread & dairy...not too shabby I say.

That brings us to tonight's supper. I fed him his supper while ours was cooking & he didn't really eat to well. I blamed it on him being tired, since he hadn't really napped much today at the neighbor's house. Scott & I sat down to eat when our supper was ready & wouldn't you know it-the little beggar came running (like usual). He likes to eat off of our plates & we usually let him because he'll eat it this way, but not if we try to him the exact same food in his high chair. Many times, though, he acts like he wants it, but then won't even open his mouth to try the food when we do attempt to feed him off our plates. Tonight's supper was ravioli with a side salad-Scott was in the middle of eating his salad when Luke came up to him so Scott picked up a piece of lettuce, held it out to Luke & he ATE IT!!! I about fell off of my chair to say the least-this kid never eats vegetables, the least of which is LETTUCE!

Sorry folks, this story doesn't end there, it wasn't some kind of fluke thing because Luke kept grunting for more-I bet he ate 6-7 bites of lettuce & then he proceeded to eat 2-3 whole pieces of ravioli too. Don't worry I'm not getting my hopes up that this will continue, but holy cow, lettuce-I just can't believe it! :)

A Day in the Life...

Today was a good day. I had nowhere to go, nowhere I had to be & really nothing that HAD to be done. Does this mean that I accomplished nothing today? Well...no. I actually got to do all that I wanted to do, which was good.

Here's the abbreviated version:

I got to go on my 30 min walk/run outside-it was a beautiful day, sunshine with a slight wind. The temperature was just perfect for running-just cold enough to make me want to keep moving, but just warm enough that I didn't have to worry about losing my fingers to frostbite! :)

I got to clean out one of the rooms in my house that I have been wanting to get cleaned up-the mudroom area. I have hated walking into this room everyday for the last several months because it has been such a mess & very cluttered. I feel so much better now that it is done.

I played with Luke/watched him play. Sometimes, I love to just sit on the couch & watch him do his thing. I find it fascinating & am constantly wondering what he is thinking as he wanders around the room piddling with his toys.

I put Christmas presents away. I didn't quite get them all put away, but mostly all of them. It is good to see the tree not looking so cluttered anymore.

I got to sit & read a book~what more can I say~that is a VERY good thing!

With more of the same type of activities on the agenda (& Luke going to visit the neighbors/babysitter) for a few hours tomorrow, I am hoping that there will be another good day in my future! :)

"You Light Up My Life" Sunday 12/28/08 edition

That's right-after a week off due to family festivities & just plain old tiredness on my part-it's back! (For those of you placing bets as to who it will be this week-good luck! That means you Mary!) :)

This person can always manage to do or say something that makes me laugh.
He loves to share his knowledge (loudly), especially in regards to politics, with his family & friends.
He likes to bake, even though I don't always particularly enjoy the goodies he enjoys baking.
I have known him my whole life.
He loves to pick on my mom (hmmm...I wonder where I got that from-Sorry Scott!)
He loves to play host to people at his house.
I can honestly say that I know him a lot better as an adult than I ever did as a kid.
He always surprises me when he answers the phone-he'll talk to me & my sisters for a long time, but is always eager to pass the phone off if it is anyone else.
I love watching how he interacts with & worries about his grandkids because I don't remember seeing that side of him (although his sisters tell us he did the same thing when we were little too!)
I love how he knows the "proper way" to set a table for guests-even if it is just his kids, which is the inspiration for me choosing him this week (more on that in a future post-I'll even have a pic to post-SHOCKING I know!) :)

So to my DAD~I love you & can't wait to see what you have in store for us today at our family Christmas celebration!

When is she going to make up her mind?

I know, I know, I just changed the blog, but I wasn't really happy with it so I went out searching on my own & found this template. Throw in several crossed fingers, a few Hail Marys & now here we are...there is a good chance that I am done for awhile with the major changes, but no promises! :)

Merry Christmas!

I know, as usual, I'm about a "day late & a dollar short", but I just wanted to wish everyone out there a very Merry Christmas. We have had some fabulous family celebrations so far & still have a couple more to go over the next week or so. I love getting to spend all of this time with family & friends & am ready for a couple days of my 'break' to catch up on things around the house too.
My Christmas wish this Christmas is that each & every one of us knows just how truly blessed we are & that we try to show appreciation for those blessings the whole year through!

Merry Christmas!

From the mouths of babes...

We (Scott & I) got to babysit my niece & nephew this morning while their parents went to a doctor visit (reg. checkup for #3 who is on the way). We enjoyed it & Luke liked having a couple of other people besides Mom & Dad to play with him. I found it quite educational as my niece & nephew shared different things with us over the course of the morning.
Here are some things that I learned:

1st episode
Niece: "Where did my mommy & daddy go?"
Nephew: "Mommy & Daddy are at the office getting their backs worked on." (Interesting-that's not what they had told me...hmmm)

2nd episode
Scott was telling the nephew about how when he (Scott) was 3, the nephew's dad was 1.
Nephew: "NO! My dad is 45!"
Scott: laughing "I'm sure your dad would LOVE to hear that." (He's only 30.)

3rd episode
Nephew: "Nea (that's my name) your a girl just like my mommy." (whew, I'm glad he figured that one out for me!) :-)

Final episode
Niece: "Oh no Nea! Your chin is broken!" (she was referring to my chin cleft)
Me: "No, that's just a dimple like you have in your cheeks when you smile."
Niece: "Oh, a dimple..." lays head down & a couple minutes later...repeat the same conversation...then repeat it all again!

The 12 Days of Christmas Break*

On the 12 days of Christmas break, I have lots of things to do:

12 days of holiday fun
11 hours a day to play with Luke
10 days remain of 2008**
9 season of Friends I could watch
8 magazines to finish reading
7 people to make Christmas brunch for
6 parties with family & friends
5 cookies to bake
4 nieces & nephews to spoil
3 weekends to enjoy
2 books to read
And 1 great big house to tidy!

*Disclaimer: I technically have 16 days of Christmas break, but obviously that does not work as well with the song. Also, you can try to sing it if you like, but I'm not sure that the melody completely works with what I have written~I can sing it for you though if you really need to hear it, however, no one wants to hear that! :)
**This was the only thing I could think of for this # so make it work-don't actually do the counting! ;)

Changes...

I've changed it again...the blog, that is. Check it out & I hope you like my blog's new surroundings! :)

I promise more of the "good stuff" in the next few days squeezed in between Christmas party appearances that need to be made! (Do I sound like a movie star yet? Maybe I can have Scott follow me around at the parties with the camera & I can call him my 'paparazzi'! Wouldn't that be grand!)

A Stress Free Holiday...

is what I am aiming for this year & so far, so good!

*Christmas shopping (done-thank goodness!)
*Presents wrapped (not quite, but they will all be done by the time we need each of them)
*Christmas cards mailed (nope, but I'm not worrying about it this year! They will get to people when they get to people~in fact, Christmas technically last 12 days beginning Dec 25 & ending Jan 6th so people shouldn't be surpised if their cards show up sometime during that timeframe :)
*Baking done (not yet & to be honest, this may be the only thing this year sort of stressing me out only because I know I have to wait closer to the actual "party days" to make them-I had previously decided not to make any candy this year, so that has helped out a bunch too)
*House cleaned (well now that school is out for a couple of weeks, that will be one of the first things I work on!)
*Christmas spirit in place (check! Bring on the holiday activities~I'm ready for all of them!)

I hope this post finds you enjoying a stress free (or at least a lesser stressed) holiday season!

Snow days

I love snow days only for the joy of knowing that I will not have to get up & rush around in the morning to get to work. I also enjoy not having to drive to work in bad conditions. Otherwise, I could probably do without them most of the time. I always have high ambitions for these unexpected days off-a list of things a mile long in my head that I could get done if I just had a day off to do them. The problem is that with a 'snow day' I can't plan ahead for it-it just happens & therefore it becomes a little "mini-vacation" day where I get nothing done, except for reading, relaxing & playing with Luke! Now that doesn't sound so bad, but it's the messy house, piles of laundry, & dirty dishes that ARE bad as a result of all of this.
I have to admit though-I am guilty of this same type of activity on the weekends too. I have found over the years that after teaching all week long I usually need some sort of "wind down" time at the end of the week. It usually happens on either Friday nights or Saturday mornings-we as a family just take these times to lounge & relax-not much gets done besides that, but it sure does help us to get motivated for the rest of our weekend & I've noticed that the weekends we don't get this "wind down" time are much more stressful for us. I am hoping that maybe my weekend will be a bit more productive right off the bat this weekend (between the couple of family Christmas parties we are going to), since I have now gotten my "wind down" day out of the way here in the middle of the week! Keep your fingers crossed!!! :)

"You Light Up My Life" Sunday 12/14/08 edition

This person is someone whom I have known her whole life~I have a few vague memories of when she was born.
She is no longer a pesky little kid who I have to look after, but...
has become a very good friend as we have gotten older.
I have found that her & I actually have a lot more in common than I ever thought we did growing up.
I cannot imagine my life without her in it & dread the day that either one of us has to face that possibility.
This person is quite generous & loving.
She is a wonderful aunt to all of her nieces & nephews.
She can be a little "dense" at times, but most of the time is very good natured about it, but...
I also learned a long time ago that you don't want to mess with her temper, if you do get her fired up! :) [it takes A LOT to get her worked up though]
She is one of the best sisters that I could ever have (along with my other sister too of course!)

So Beth~here's to you, I love ya & Happy 25th Birthday (yesterday)!

Are We Done Yet?

I think the answer is

YES!!!

What is she talking about now you might be asking yourself?

Christmas Shopping, that's what! I've got to admit that I am quite pleased with myself this Christmas season. I got probably about 80% (interesting fact about me-I like to make up statistics about stuff!) of my holiday shopping done back in November when I went shopping with my mom, sisters, aunts, & cousins from mom's family on our annual Christmas shopping trip. It was great! I haven't felt the stress this season that I normally feel about trying to get the right gifts for people then not being able to find things, which results in last minute shopping a couple of days before Christmas & settling for mediocre gifts-I HATE that! This year is different though-it's all done (minus the couple bags of candy I forgot to get today to fill a few candy tins for coworkers) & there are still lots of days until Christmas! I can't wait to fill them up, NOT with worrying about what to get/where to get it/having time to get it/etc/etc/etc, but with singing & dancing to Christmas carols, baking, wrapping gifts, & most importantly maybe even actually being able to RELAX a little bit (yea!) Merry Christmas to me!!!

The Dreams of Youth!

Last week I was having a conversation with one of my 1st grade reading groups. We were getting to ready to read a book about dinosaurs that talked about how we learn things about them by studying their fossils. I mentioned to them that a person who studies dinosaurs is called a paleontologist & that when I was about their age (3rd grade to be exact) I wanted to be a paleontologist. I was obsessed with dinosaurs & dreamed of digging in the dirt hunting for fossils. I also mentioned that by 4th grade I had already changed my mind again & was set on being an astronomer, then at some point (junior high) I wanted to be a doctor & eventually (college) I decided to become a teacher. One of the girls looked at me very seriously & said "Well I know what I want to be, I want to be a doctor." I started to say something encouraging like "It's great to have dreams/goals" or "Good for you!", but before I could even finish my sentence she said...

& a Rock Star!

Aaaahhh to be young again! :) I told her that I couldn't wait to see her in concert & would be proud to tell everyone that she was the only 'Doctor Rockstar' I knew!

BAH HUMBUG!!!

What a great time of year for bad news! Early last week, Scott was told that he was no longer employed. The company he worked for is a supplier of electronic parts for cars & with the demise of the car industry they were looking for people to cut. Merry Christmas to us! It's not all bad though, we have been very blessed overall & are both "savers" so we'll pull through this as we have all of the other hardships we have faced up to this point, but couldn't they have picked a better time of year to hand out crappy news to people. Geez!
I think the hardest part for both of us will just be getting use to the nonroutine of it all. I hate not having the same routine each morning, I miss dropping Luke off at the babysitter's (& I know they miss him too!), I hate not making the turn on my way home to pick him up & our little chats about what he did that day, but I especially miss that little bit of time that I had all to myself (well...Luke is with me so I'm not 'all by myself') each day when I get home before Scott would get home just to unwind & be with my thoughts (& Luke). Now don't get me wrong, it has been kind of nice having a 'house husband' around the last week or so, but even Scott will tell you that I am a person who cherishes her alone time alot! I'm not complaining though because I know that the most important thing is to find Scott a job & to stay positive for our family's sake because hopefully this is just a small glitch in what will become our family's history, but I'm just sayin' that if you see me out in the yard all by myself turning around in circles-it's just me trying to get my alone time! =)

The 100th post!

To celebrate my 100th post, I'm going to share some faves from my blogging experience! Enjoy reading & thanks for joining me on my blogging adventure!

The very 1st post that started it all:
We've come a long way Baby! April 24, 2008

My Top 10 Favorite Posts:
A Penny For Your Thoughts April 25, 2008
I'm Living With A Conartist! May 23, 2008
Happy Flag Day!!! June 14, 2008
Grandmas & Their Things July 7, 2008
If You Want To Go To School... Aug 11, 2008
One Baby Demolition Crew Aug 9, 2008
"Who was that moron in the parking lot?" Sept 18, 2008
Oh the humanity! Oct 21, 2008
Intervention Time! Nov 12, 2008
Stay out of the woods! Dec 4, 2008 (this song gets me everytime!) ;)
These were hard to choose because I had so many faves so I just tried to pick one from each month I've been blogging~lucky August got 2 picks because its the month with the most posts so far!

Ten Posts Named After or Inspired By a Song Title:
"Play that Funky Music Mommy!" Nov 5, 2008
"I Just Can't Fight Those Frizzies Anymore!" Aug 21, 2008
"Where, Oh Where Has My Little Baby Gone?" Aug 20, 2008
"Life Ain't Always Beautiful" Aug 3, 2008
"Love Hurts" July 14, 2008
"I Like It, I Love It" June 26, 2008
"I Want It All & I Want It Now!" June 18, 2008
"Lazy Days Are Here Again!" June 3, 2008
"I'm Walking On Sunshine!!!" May 20, 2008
"Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head..." May 7, 2008
(There are several more, but I'll leave that up to you to do your own exploring to find them!)

& last but not least,

10 Posts about either Faith, Hope or Poop: =)
Thank You Whoever You Were Nov 10, 2008
Election Blues Oct 24, 2008
Away Too Long Oct 20, 2008
I Am A Catechist Sept 21, 2008
2-8 Sept 19, 2008
How Can I Help You? Sept 2, 2008
One Year Ago... July 23, 2008
Looking Forward to the Future June 19, 2008
Hittin' the "Beach" May 23, 2008
Diaper Rash Wars April 27, 2008

I hope that you have enjoyed reexperiencing these memories along with me~here's to what the future holds & sharing it right here with you!

"You Light Up My Life" Sunday 12/7/08 edition

This person has a giggle (especially when he's tired) that always makes me laugh.
This person has taught me the true meaning of the term a "mother's love"~I now know just how deep that love is.
I love listening to this person walk around the house 'talking'.
A hug from this person can brighten my spirits any day.
I love wondering about who this person will become as he grows.
I appreciate all of the time I get to spend with him even when he is crabby. :)
I hope that one day he will be able to say that I have set a good example for him.
I want only the best for him, but don't want him to become one of those kids/people who believe they are "entitled" to things.
This person amazes me each day when he learns something new, especially when I think about just how far he has come in the last year.
This person's smile makes my heart melt every single time.

I'm sure you've guessed it by now, especially considering that quite a few of my posts involve him!
So, here's to you Luke~I love you, baby boy!

No, no, no, no!

Welcome to toddlerhood, Luke!

He turned 1 a few months ago & "officially" became a toddler, but it hasn't been until this past week when he has fully realized it!
I believe that the official beginning of toddlerhood is when they learn the word "NO!" Toddlers love this word & use it quite often for everything, sometimes even when they mean yes.
So, Congratulations son! You are now an official toddler in my eyes, since you have began saying this wonderful word now (although he only says it in a singsongy way thus far) & as your mother, I fully realize that we have really only just begun!

Stay out of the woods!

That's right-they're back in full force here in Illinois-it is the second weekend of shotgun deerhunting season so watch out for those hunters! I've already spoken on this matter here ~ so for this post I am just going to share a couple more of my favorite "hunting" songs (again-please don't judge me!) :) Enjoy & Happy Hunting!

Blog confusion?!

I'm so confused! Over the past few months, I have been checking my blog with Firefox & I really like it, but lately when I go to view it-everything is disconbobulated (that's a "Scott" word, but it sure is fun to use!) Things are not where they should be & the posts are streeeched out. I don't like it & I thought that maybe I had done something wrong, but really had no clue what it could be. So I opened up Internet Explorer & checked the blog-everything was just as it should be-but it was still crazy in Firefox. Whaaaaaat is going on here????? I have no idea, but if anyone could clue me in on what I am missing-I'd love to be educated!

Thanksgiving'd Out

I have many things to be thankful this year-my family, my job, my friends, being alive & healthy, etc-but I think that I am most thankful for this Thanksgiving weekend to finally be over! It has seemed like the longest Thanksgiving weekend ever & frankly, I'm just ready to get back into the normal swing of things! (I believe that Scott & Luke would tell you the same thing too!) :)
We had a crazy busy weekend between family celebrations & one of Scott's best friends getting married with very little down time. In fact, I believe that the only down time we had was on Saturday morning for just a couple of hours & believe me we just kind of hung out at home and did NOTHING-it was great! Normally, I am one of the biggest fans of this holiday, but this year I'll admit that I was dreading it (only because of the busyness of it all-2 family dinners Thurs, 1 family dinner & rehearsal dinner Fri, wedding Sat, last family dinner Sun), but after spending all of that time with so many of our family & friends I can definitely say that our family has truly been blessed & we apprecate all that we have been given. I hope that the beginning of your holiday season has found you feeling the same way too!