Where's the Line?

Sometimes, okay, if I'm to be honest lots of times, I have a hard time judging when I'm reacting appropriately to things.  Am I too bitchy picky?  I get upset when things aren't as I think they should be...is that all right?  Or should I just let things go?  I realize that it's kind of pathetic sad that I don't trust my reactions, but there you go, I'm being honest here. 

Saturday night, Julianna and Mark attended a Father-Daughter Girl Scout dance.  Very! Exciting! stuff.  She's been looking forward to it for weeks, she's been so excited I honestly thought she was going to burst.  One of the things we did to make the dance special was order her a corsage.  The dance has a black and white ball theme and she was going to wear a black dress.  I told both of those things to the person I ordered the corsage from.  I also told her Julianna was torn between two outfits and one had hot pink in it.  I explained I wanted a very small wrist corsage, mostly white, with a hot pink ribbon.  


This is what I picked up:

Now I do have some perspective and I do realize in the grand scheme of things it really doesn't matter what her corsage looked like.  She was absolutely over the moon to have a corsage and she did not know what I had asked for so she was perfectly happy.

I was not.


This is not a white corsage with a hot pink ribbon.  Not even close.  They did get the small right, it truly is a perfect size for an 8 year old, but I am disappointed.  I wanted things to be perfect for my little girl's night, and while I do have enough perspective to realize for her it was, I still believe I deserved to have what I had ordered.  If they weren't able to do it for some reason, they should have called and talked with me, not just done whatever they wanted.  That is a mostly purple corsage with a little bit of pink.

When I picked up the corsage, I was obviously disappointed.  The owner of the business agreed it wasn't a white corsage and told me next time I order something to see her and she'd give me a good discount.  Not the point.  I wanted this right.


It was not cheap, $25.00 for a little girl's corsage is insane in my opinion, but I'm often shocked by what things cost so I went with it.  But I do think I should have gotten what I ordered.


What do you think?  Would it bother you or slide right off your back?  To be fair, the owner did offer to give me two corsages, this one and another one someone ordered "a few days ago" and never picked up.  She even stood there and pulled off all the dead flowers as we talked before she offered up what was left of it.  Um, no thank you?


As usual, I think I'm a little upset at myself.  Years ago at Jason & Lori's wedding I called to arrange for the petals for Julianna to strew as their flower girl.  The day of the wedding what was there was not at all what I had ordered.  I let that go.  I thought that perhaps Lori or her mom had changed things and did not want to make an issue of it.  Honestly though I really always thought the florist had just taken it upon themselves to change the order.  That's exactly what I'm thinking happened with this.


Would you go back?  Is it fair to cross this florist off my list?  Unfortunately it's the only independent florist in our community and I do try to support independents when I can.  At the same time, I really do want to get what I pay for. Was it fair to be upset about this one?

Just Thursday

www.MurdocksMama.com

 

 

 

Outside my window...it's snowy.  We're not going to get much though.

Today I feel...tired.  Very tired.  Mark wakes up every night coughing or for medicine, it wakes me, and I can't go back to sleep.  This can't last much longer, right?

I am thinking...I really, really don't want to do science fair project this weekend.

I am thankful for...people who came to my Pampered Chef party.  They like me, they really like me!   Life really is like middle school, isn't it?

Tomorrow I am going to...survive.  Work.  Clean up.  Live for 4:45 and getting off work.

I am wearing...jeans, a black shirt and slippers.

I wish...this weekend wasn't so full of stuff we have to do.

This weekend...we have Pinewood Derby, Father-Daughter dance, and those d*** science fair projects.

I am reading...lots of things on my Nook Color.  I really like it.

I'm bummed...say it with me, "science fair projects!!!"

I am working on...improving my attitude figuring out when we're going to fit everything in.

Yesterday I...don't remember.  That's sad, isn't it?

I am hoping...we never do another science fair the projects get done with a minimum of fuss and that some weekend we can actually have an entire weekend with no activities, no school projects.  Nothing.

I am hearing...Toddlers and Tiaras and it's stupid.

I bet you didn't know...I really hate science fairs I got married at 17.

One of my favorite...things to do is be with my family.

Current temp...30.

Happy almost Friday!!!

Thank you Murdock's Mama.

Giveaway!!!

Result: 5 Powered by RANDOM.ORG

 

Well, Random.org has spoken, comment #5 wins!  Congrats.

 

 

It's gray...again.

Mark's sick...again?  Still?

I can't hear out of my left side...

Enough!  One thing I hate about January is it's a relentless same-old, same-old.  It's goes on foreverrrrr and, let's fact it, it's not really the cheeriest of months.  In honor of my youngest brother's birthday, today, (he would have been 51, hard to believe he's been gone 29 years), let's do a giveaway.  This is a good one.

Unfortunately, when I went to take the picture, the glass water bottle was in use and I'd already given J the jump rope as he's working out regularly.

Jacob has had a lot of problems in the past with his teeth.  Now, he may just be a tad unlucky and have lousy teeth, but I've also wondered from time to time if it could be from a lack of calcium in his diet.  My girls have, knock on wood, never had a cavity, but have all kinds of structural issues with their mouths, my boys, have had more than their share of cavities.  Jacob especially.  If it is unluckiness, there's not much I can do, but if it's calcium, that we can rectify.  About a year ago I discovered a wonderful milk that he loves and he's gone from being a kid I had to force to drink one glass of milk a day to being a child who cheerfully drinks 2-3 glasses a day.  If Snowville milk is available in your area, I highly encourage you to give it a try. I've also been excited to discover that Jacob loves yogurt, specifically, Yoplait.  He'll happily eat 4-6 (or more if I'd let him) yogurts a week and that's also obviously a great way to boost his calcium consumption.  Will it make a difference?  No clue, but I do know it certainly can't hurt him.

My Blog Spark, in cooperation with Yoplait, have provided me with a Yoplait Original yogurt gift pack.  It includes a coupon** for a free sample of yogurt, as well as a duffel bag, speed rope, water bottle and sport towel.  As usual, My Blog Spark and Yoplait generously gifted me with a prize pack as well, and it's a really good one.  It even has me motivated to fill up that duffel bag and figure out a way to get myself back to the gym!

It was also a really good reminder that we need to be making sure we get enough calcium in our diets.  In fact, in an effort to educate all of us about the importance of maintaining strong, healthy bones with both lifestyle as well as a diet rich in calcium, Yoplait has partnered with Nancy O'Dell to give away one million cups of yogurt!  Visit Yoplait on Facebook to sign up for a free cup and make a personal commitment to meet your calcium needs everyday.  There's also daily calcium tips froma  Registered Dietician, Katherine Brooking.  Pretty cool!

Last night, I learned a classmate of mine from high school died of a heart attack.  Scary stuff.  As I said at the beginning, this giveaway is in honor of my brother Jeff.  I'm going to listen to all the signs pointing at me and make a real, concerted effort to take better care of myself and hopefully be around for my family and myself for a long, long time. 

It really is a nice prize pack.  Thank you so much to Yoplait and My Blog Spark for providing it to me.  Now, to enter to win one of your own, leave me a comment telling me what you're doing to try and take good care of yourself.  Bonus entries for following this blog, simply leave a separate comment.  Contest ends February 4.

**Coupon unfortunately not valid in some states, including California, Idaho, Louisiana, Minnesota, New Jersey, Nevada, North Dakota and Tennessee.  :(    

January 24 MPM

Well, I'm finally seeing the light at then end of the tunnel.  Julianna's all better, thankfully she was only sick a few days.  I'm almost all better.  I still can't hear out of my left ear, but other than the congestion, I'm good to go.  Unfortunately, Mark's sick.  Still.  Again?  We don't know any better, but he's really sick and I am very sad for him.  He's been through a lot and he definitely needs to start feeling better.

The kids and I stole away for a few hours to take Rebekah out to lunch yesterday.  That was wonderful!  So good to see her.  I miss her lots, but I count as one of my biggest blessings the relationships I have with my children and that it's so hard to not being with them.  She seems like she's doing really well.  So happy, and thankful,  for her.

Busy week ahead.  Aren't they all now?  I think it's so we're extra thankful when we finally get to pause and catch our breaths during spring break. 

We have the Pinewood Derby next weekend, a Father-Daughter girl scout dance, and science fair projects to do.  I cannot wait until next weekend's over.  :)

Monday (dance):  Lasagna casserole from freezer, bread, salad
Tuesday (piano & dance):  Oven Fried Chicken, Corn pudding, green beans, roasted carrots
Wednesday (scouts & swimming): Chicken Gyros w/tzatziki
Thursday (dance & Pampered Chef party):  Tyler Florence's Tortellini & Meatball Soup--I'll add some fresh spinach to it, to make it more like wedding soup, and using chicken meatball's from Barefoot Contessa that I have in the freezer, Scribbit's Awesome Bread Machine bread
Friday: ??
Saturday lunch (Pinewood Derby--wish us luck!):  Pioneer Woman's Chicken Tortilla Soup
Saturday dinner (Father-Daughter dance, Mark & Julianna out?):  Southwestern Brown Rice & Black Bean Burgers, rolled tortillas, fruit
Sunday lunch: out
Sunday dinner:  Waffles & ham steak
Monday (dance):  leftovers
Tuesday (dance, piano):  Gorditas, fruit, brownies
Wednesday (scouts):  Salmon patties, buttered noodles, creamed peas
Thursday (dance, Chinese New Year):  Crockpot pepper steak, rice

Check out Organizing Junkie's for more meal plans.

Jonah

Twenty minutes ago I was so steaming mad at my hubby.  Sometimes, honestly all too often, it's so easy to get caught up in the things about him that drive me crazy.  It was just one of those times when I found myself thinking of the thing that made me mad in the first place.  You know where that led, right?  Yup, before I knew it I was composing  a very thorough list, in my head, thank goodness, of everything about him that makes me nuts.  I was in rare form.  One thing led to another, the list got longer and longer, I got more righteous by the minute.
Thankfully, something, made me stop.  I sat back and thought about what I was doing.  Why is it so easy for me to see his perceived faults and so easy for me to ignore mine?  Trust me, the list of things I do wrong is exceedingly long.  I truly have no business worrying about anyone else's faults.

I felt my blood pressure lowering.  The anger seeping away.  Good sense returning.

I even called to apologize for being so mad.  He was surprised, to him it wasn't a big deal, but trust me, that's only because he couldn't read my mind.  It felt good though to make the phone call.  It felt good to calm down.  It felt good to remember to work on me, not to get caught up in acting like I'm so perfect and he's just a bundle of wrong.

Why do I do that?  Does anyone else do that?

Ironically, the kids wanted to watch a movie.  As Julianna's still sick and there's no school today, why not?  Know what they picked?  Jonah.  You know, the movie about compassion and mercy?

I'm listening God.  Sometimes it takes me a while, but I am listening.

One more...

So, as I said, yesterday when I picked Julianna up she was quite distressed, and quite visibly very sick.  Jacob was livid that the nurse hadn't called me.  Full of indignation at how his sister had been treated.

Rebekah called as I was driving home and I was taking the chance to talk to her for a few minutes.

Mom!  Mom!  Jacob kept interrupting.

I don't think Julianna's okay.

I looked, she was passed out asleep, which I understand was scary to him, as we had been in the car perhaps 30 seconds, but my goal was to just get us all home and then try to sort things out.

We got home, Julianna laid down on the couch, and I tried to get all the kids settled that I watch.  Jacob kicked into over-drive.  He was so nurturing.  I've never seen him like that, and it was completely unguided, just straight from his heart.  He got Julianna her quilt as she was shivering with cold.  He got her her water bottle.  He quickly did his homework and read her 3 books. 

The list of things he did for her, unbidden, honestly goes on and on.

It was incredible and such a wonderful sight.

I was so proud of him, of the compassion that I didn't know he was capable of showing.  The empathy.  The love.

Truly a wonderful Mommy moment.

Now, I can't wait until she's better and he's going out of his way to irritate her.

Life in Bullets

• Julianna's sick.  Really sick.  Yesterday when I picked her up from school she was crying as she walked to the car.  I asked her what was wrong and she told me she had been feeling really sick all day, headache, stomach ache, chills and aches & pains, but the nurse wouldn't call me because she didn't have a fever.  She feel asleep on the 1/2 mile drive home.  Yes, I am very upset with the health office.  It's ridiculous.  She should not have been in school.  Her teacher emailed me and told me she won't allow that to happen again, so there's that.  Anyhow, Julianna's running a high fever (104.7), and I'm not working and hopefully she'll be better soon, but realistically I'm just hoping she's better by Monday.  Some unscheduled, unpaid, and I know inconvenient time off that hopefully the parents I work for won't be too upset about.  Nature of the business and definitely nothing I can do about it.  
• A good friend of mine's mother died yesterday.  It makes it hard to care too much about the unpaid time off and even how upset/not upset the parents are.  I am just heart-sick for her.  It was completely out of the blue, her dad died in mid-November, and she's hurting so much.  I now have infinite amount of patience with Julianna, nothing like a very vivid and sad reminder that life can change in an instant.
• Lori has quit her job, which is wonderful for her.  I proposed that I still watch the kids for a few hours once a week to give her some time alone, let me see the kids, and give one of the little ones I watch her weekly Matthew "fix".  Ellie loves playing with Matt.  Anyway, yesterday when Matt came in he was visibly upset.  Long story short, there was ice cream for snack at preschool and some kids got ice cream cones, but they wouldn't allow Matt to have a cone.  So frustrating!!!  Matthew has a peanut allergy and the school, in an abundance of caution, wouldn't let him have one.  The thing is, according to law, if a product has peanuts in it or is produced in a facility with peanuts, it must be on the nutrition label.  These were clearly safe.  They didn't want to take a "chance".  Then why have them in the classroom in the first place???  This preschool supposedly has a peanut-free strict policy.  If that's true, there should never be a product there that a child with a peanut allergy can't have.  I encouraged Lori to go back to the school and let them know how upset he was.  Bad advice.  They just didn't get it.  To them it was no big deal, something he (and she) is going to have to deal with.  The end.  I'm so disappointed in them.  I have sung the praises of this preschool forever.  It's where 3 of my 4 children have gone, we have a relationship that goes back 14 years.  To see them be so clueless about this is truly bothering me.  No a cone or not a cone is not the end of the world, but to a five year old it is a pretty big deal.  They should respect that.  If they truly have a peanut free policy, Matt should never be put in that position to begin with.  Finally, he kept trying to tell them he was allowed to have those cones, that he has them at home, and they just didn't listen.  So insensitive, and not the child friendly place I've always known them to be.
• J's got a job, and it's a job he absolutely loves.  I swear, there's pep in his step.  He's at such a different place, it's amazing.  He's tweeting again.  He's blogging again.  He's happy.  His self-esteem has soared.  I love seeing it.  It's such a wonderful thing to see your child so fulfilled.
• I'm missing Rebekah.  It's different this time.  When we took her to school in September it was hard, but it was greatly cushioned by knowing she'd be back for a long break come November.  Now, she's pretty much gone until mid-June, and she's truly gone.  She has a life there, and it seems to be (thank God), a good life.  She's happy, she's thriving, and it's all wonderful except I miss her so very much.

Well, that's what's going on here.  Mark and I are still sick, hoping that passes soon.  Praying for Julianna and that she gets well soon, and my friend who's going through such incredible loss.  Hopefully it will be a weekend of healing and rejuvenation.  We can all use it.

Google Friends

Is anyone else having problems with "following" blogs?

A few weeks ago, I had a problem when I went to comment on one blog.  I've never been able to comment on that blog.  I always get an error message saying that I'm not the person associated with my blogger account.

Shortly thereafter I've tried to "follow" several new-to-me blogs.  It always end up in a never-ending cycle of not being able to sign in to my Google account.  When I try, it takes me right back to a screen telling me to sign in to my Google account.  Endlessly.

Anyone else?  Any advice?

I've tried deleting cookies then re-enabling them, but that had no effect at all.

Help!

Open Mouth, Insert Foot

Ugh.  I had one of those moments yesterday when I would have given a lot to have been able to turn back the clock and yank my foot out of my mouth.

We were at dance and talking with one of Julianna's friend's mother.  The mom mentioned they were going to be having a sleep over in a couple of weeks and would like Julianna to join them. 

Sounds great.

Oh!  Oops!  That's the night of the Girl Scout Father-Daughter dance, I don't know that she'll be able to make it.

Then, I realized how insensitive I'd been.  What an a**.

The mom was really nice, we talked about how maybe Julianna could come late, basically the conversation drifted off as it does when you've said something really dumb and all you want to do is get out of it.

What did I say that was so bad?

This little girl's daddy died last May.  Unexpectedly.

It's all so very sad and I am so upset that I reminded them, in any way, again, of their loss.

What I wouldn't give to turn back the clock 2 minutes or so to plug in my brain.

*sigh*

January 17 Meal Plan

Still sick.  Good times.  Getting very tired of it, thank you very much.  Mark's still sick too.  Thankfully, the kids are not and we're definitely functionable (that's totally a word, right?), so it's fine.  Still, I can not wait for that magical day somewhere in the (hopefully) not-to-distant future where I sleep all night (not woken up by my or hubby's coughing), my ears aren't ringing and completely stuffed, my eyes are clear, I'm not congested and my head doesn't feel like it's going to explode.  I wonder if I'll notice right away or if it will sneak up on me.  I can't wait to find out.

Last week was full of huge hits, I'll have to remember to make them again soon.  The kids loved the city chicken, beef stew, and chicken and dumplings and for some reason the spaghetti was absolutely delicious.  Nice when everything you make is a big hit.  :)  Best of all, our order got mixed up a bit and I ended up making chicken and dumplings Thursday night so Mark still owes me cooking dinner.  It's nice to have that in reserve.

Life goes on, thankfully, so here's what we'll be having this week.
Monday:  Cook's Illustrated's Indoor Pulled Pork, via The Bitten Word. I'm hoping it's good.  It will be nice to have it in the freezer too.  I made my own BBQ sauce, using Jim Budros' recipe.  Yum!  Cole Slaw, Potato Wedges
Tuesday:  Oven-fried Chicken, corn pudding, salad, cookies
Wednesday:  Oriental Chicken wings, rice,szechwan green beans
Thursday:  Salmon patties, buttered noodles, creamed peas
Friday:  BBQ ribs, baked potatoes, veggies

Too much BBQ, but I made a mistake and defrosted everything at once, so there you go.

Hope your week's are good.  Delurking Day was fun, if you don't normally comment on my blog, or if you do, leave a comment, it's fun to know who's been here.

Find more meal plans at Organizing Junkie's.

Pretty Please

Image stolen not-so-shamelessly from the wonderful Melisa at Suburban Scrawl.

I know, we all do it.  I read a lot of blogs, do I comment on all or even most of the blogs I read?  Sadly no.  Why?  Who knows, lots of reasons, sometimes I'm too pushed for time, sometimes I feel like maybe my comment's not original enough, sometimes I feel like the blogger has so many readers it doesn't matter if I comment or not.

I know that's not true though.  I know bloggers love comments.  How do I know that?  Because I blog and I LOVE when people comment here.

Won't you please celebrate Delurking Day, not to mention palindrome day, 1-14-11, by leaving a comment and saying hi.  Tell me where you're from, what you're doing (or not doing) today, what you're hopes for the new year are, whatever, just take a minute to delurk and let me know you're here.

Thank you.

I promise to return the favor on the blogs I read.

Because You Have to Have Hope

So...I'm working.  A lot.  Things are feeling more stable for Mark.  Unfortunately, due to the nature of life, either of these things could change at any time, but for right now, I'm remembering to exhale and life is good, and I even find myself feeling like we can make some plans again.  Like we can dare to dream again, and perhaps to plan an inexpensive vacation.

Julianna has a burning desire to go to Williamsburg.  Jacob and Julianna would love to go back to Washington DC.  It may be a moment of insanity, but I'm actually thinking about it. To be honest, I'm thinking more about DC than Williamsburg because there's so much to do there that is absolutely free.  We love the zoo, the monuments, the museums, and they're all free.  It really is the best vacation bargain I know.  Rebekah and Jacob and Julianna's spring breaks do not coincide this year, which means if we were to go away, it would be that much easier to just have the four of us instead of five, (or even six,) I'm thinking (hoping?) it should be fairly reasonable.

I figure I can pack snacks, and breakfast, and we can plan on eating out one meal a day; food should be not too expensive.  The metro's a pretty good bargain.  In the past we have found it safe, and clean and easy to navigate so I have no hesitations about traveling around the city via the metro.  The biggest sticky wicket is the hotel.  One year when Jacob and Julianna were little, Hampton has an incredible special and we were able to stay on Massachusetts Avenue right in the heart of DC for less than $100 a night.  Deals like that spoil you.

I'm looking for a decent hotel, in a neighborhood we'll feel safe in, preferably close to the metro.  I have no problem with using a park and ride lot, as long as I can be fairly sure my van will be safe and sound when we return for it at the end of the day.  I'd love an indoor pool, but it's not a deal buster.  Some sort of included breakfast would be great, but again, I can work around that.  The biggest consideration is that it be clean, in a decent area, and inexpensive.  If you have any places to pass on for me to check into, I would really appreciate it.

Also, know any yummy but inexpensive places to eat?  Tell me about those too.

Lastly, what about Williamsburg?  Anyone ever been there?  Can you get something out of it if you're only able to be there one day?  The Governor's Inn seems really inexpensive ($59!), anyone ever stay there?  Are meals at Williamsburg insanely expensive?  Is it worth the experience?  Are we better off just taking a side trip to Mount Vernon or Monticello?  Mark and I have been to Mount Vernon & Monticello before but J&J were either not born, or too young to remember.  I can't figure out if Williamsburg is just too much to try and squeeze into one day, or if it's worth doing even if we don't get the full experience.  Thoughts?

Thanks.  It may be just a pipe dream, but I'm feeling optimistic enough to at least look into it further.  I appreciate any knowledge/experience you can pass on.

Even if it doesn't work out, and chances are good it won't right now, it still feels really good to be able to even think in this direction again.

January 10 Meal Plan

Still sick.  Yup.  Mark is too.  At least it's definitely functional at this point.  We're worlds better than we were 2 weeks ago, but still, it's getting old.

That being said, we did feel well enough to sneak out this morning, leave the kids with Jason, and go to a super-nice brunch to belatedly celebrate our anniversary.  It was wonderful!  The eggs benedict were truly amazing.  It was worth every penny, I'm so glad we did it.  We followed up our date by going to the grocery store before we picked up J&J.  Yup, 27 years together and we still know how to party.  ;)

This week is crazy busy.  I have to go to dance class each night with Jacob & Julianna.  They'll find out what the theme of the big recital in June is as well as see a picture of their costumes.  Very exciting stuff.  I'm also watching Matt & Lily 3 days this week.  Mark has to work all next weekend.  Thankfully that only happens once a year.  Hopefully he'll be feeling much better before then. 

My parents came up yesterday for the day, to help with Jacob & Julianna's Pinewood Derby cars.  We had a lovely time.  I feel so blessed to have the relationship that we do, and to have them live as close as they do.  We all enjoy my mom and dad.

Did I tell you about the awesome Christmas present Mark gave me?  Once a month, my choice of menu and date, he'll make dinner.  I'll be using that one this week.  Jacob's dance class is Thursday 4:45-5:45.  It will be so nice to come home to dinner on the table.  We all gave each other homemade coupons for something we would do for each other this year for Christmas.   His gift to me was a major "win".

Well, that's pretty much what's going on.  Here's what we'll be enjoying this week:

Sunday dinner:  City chicken, mashed red-skinned potatoes, salad
Monday (ballet):  Beef Stew w/biscuits
Tuesday (piano, jazz/hip hop):  Spaghetti w/meat sauce, bread, broccoli & cauliflower.  Dessert TBD
Wednesday (Brownies & Cub Scouts):  Chicken & Dumplings
Thursday (hip hop):  Orange Chicken, rice, szechwan green beans
Friday (Mark works until 8):  Most likely we'll have "potluck" tonight, with Mark working until 9 or so.  It's the kids' favorite thing to have anyway.

That's a snapshot of our week ahead.  Hope you have a good week.  Check out Organizing Junkie's for more MPM.

Closer to You

Rebekah got a new I-pod for Christmas, thank to a very generous Grandma & Grandpa.  She was, of course, absolutely thrilled and very excited, and in the spirit of good-will and generosity immediately passed on her old I-pod to Mark and I.  That was wonderful and I know we will enjoy having it.  Before she left to go back to school, we synced it to my computer, which left I-tunes on my laptop with all her favorite music pre-loaded.

I find myself sitting quietly in the afternoons, when the younger of my home daycare kids are napping (or at least supposed to be), and I open I-tunes and press shuffle to randomly listen to all the music that makes her so happy.  Invariably, it makes me smile.  I conjures up real, vivid memories of her, and when I'm sitting here missing her so very much, it's nice to have that little bit of her still here.

It's THAT Time of Year

Yup folks, it's that time of year--it's time for Jacob and Julianna to enter their school's science fair.  In an effort to break out of "worst mommy" mode, I'd love for them to have cool, engaging, fun projects that they actually might learn something from.  I believe we have about a month (I told you I'm bad at this, I really don't know details yet), and It'd be great if it wasn't terribly complicated or expensive.  I'd love to hear any ideas you have.  I really am hopeless at this and it doesn't seem right for my children to suffer so.  :)

Please help!

Happy New Year

Yes, I know I already posted New Year's wishes, but this is different.  :)

I don't think I have ever started a new year feeling more ambivalent.  Maybe it's because I have been sicker in the past week than I have been in years and it's truly hard to care about anything except please make me feel normal again, NOW!  Maybe it's because last year, in a lot of ways, kicked my tush and honestly I'm just happy to see it over.  Sure, lots of good things happened, Jason & Lori moving to town definitely top my list.  I absolutely LOVE having them 2 1/2 minutes from our house.  [Sidebar:  Jason got a job!!!!  A real, with benefits and salary, work for us on and on, grown up job!!!  Definitely an awesome development.]  Another great thing that happened in 2010 was our incredible daughter graduating with honors from high school and being able to attend college.  There were certainly good things about 2010, but, the not-so-good things that happened were big, and scary, and very not-so-good and I am not sad to see it go.

So, bring on 2011.  Aside from being happy to turn the calendar (okay, that's a lie, I have to figure out where I even put the new calendar and get it hanging on the wall before my very type-A daughter comes home from school today and hyperventilates because the old one is still hanging on the wall.), I feel a big dose of meh.  No New Year's resolutions this year, no burning desire to reinvent myself, my family, my situation.  No lofty goals, unfortunately no real dreams either.  I think, for 2011, I want to just be.  I want to be myself.  I want to be with my family.  I want to not worry about yesterday, nor obsess about tomorrow, just be.  (I'd still really, really like to get over this horrible flu NOW please.)

What about you?  Are you a resolution maker?  Do you have lofty dreams/goals/ambitions for the new year?  Honestly, I'm a little worried that my ambivalence is almost a form of giving up.  That last year kicked my tush so much and in so many ways that I'm a little beaten down and dreamed out.  I hope not.  That's not who I want to be or how I want to live.  I don't really think that's it though, I think I'm just ready for some calm, some status quo, some time to embrace the normal in every day.

Whatever your dreams, I hope all of you have a very blessed 2011.