8 Years Ago!

On a crisp, cold and snowy day, very much like the one we are having today, my boyfriend, (now) husband, took me out on a date... we had dinner, watched a movie, and then we went for a leisurely drive to Boulevard East where you can really see the NYC skyline. It was there that he handed me 3 dozen roses which he had hiding in the trunk, dropped to one knee in the snow and asked me to marry him. Thanks, Steve, for choosing me! I love you!!

Heart Breaker

Today I found out I am the worst mom ever... I am responsible for breaking the hearts of at least one first grader... possibly more to come.

Yesterday on the drive to school, Christopher expressed concern over his loose tooth. It has been getting really wobbly and he was anxious about having it fall out while at school. Nothing is worse then losing a tooth at school because he's afraid that 1) it will fall out and he won't know that it fell out and therefore have no tooth to bring home which means 2) the tooth fairy will not come. He was going on and on and on and for a while I just came up with all sorts of scenarios about what to do if your tooth fell out... that the tooth fairy will still deliver money, etc. But then, I thought... is it really worth it to continue to let him believe in this tooth fairy? Then the light bulb came on... just COME CLEAN! Tell him the truth! The Truth Will Set You Free!

So, I did it... I looked at him in the rear view mirror as we approached his school and broke the news to him. "Honey... the tooth fairy actually lives in our house."

"She DOES!?????????"
"Yes... she is part of our family. The tooth fairy is actually me & Dad"
"WHAT!?!?!? But you don't have WINGS!!!!!" "You don't fly... you are not a fairy."
"I know.. it's just all pretend."
".................(silence).................... "oh"
...................(silence)..................
"What about the other kids? Do they have tooth fairies?"
"No..it's their mom and dads... but you can't tell them.. it's a secret until their mom's and dad's tell them. Ok?!?!? "
"OK"
"Love you, buddy!"

And off he went. I felt great about coming clean... that was until he announced to me this morning that his best friend Peter lost a tooth at school yesterday. Me -"You didn't tell him about the tooth fairy, did you!?!????!? "
"Yes.. I told him it was his Mom"
"But it was A SECRET!!!!"
"But he should know!"

I tried to explain that it was up to his mom and dad to tell him... for all I know this kid ran home and told his mom that I am to blame... the whole first grade may know that the tooth fairy is a fraud by 3pm today. Let's see what kind of fallout I receive later this week.

Wait till he finds out about Santa!!

The Trip

Had a wonderful Thanksgiving... spent Thanksgiving Day with Shirley, Dad M, Ruben & Jonathan down in South Jersey.... if you have never experienced Puerto Rican cooking on a holiday, I hate to tell you, but you are truly missing out. I would eat Pernil (pork roast) over turkey any day of the week. All I can say is that I was blessed in more than one way when I married into this awesome family!

So, after stuffing myself on Thanksgiving, we traveled home and got a few hours sleep before heading to the airport. We had a pretty good flight (meaning that I only had to squeeze the life out of my husband's arm about 3 or 4 times because of turbulence). When we arrived, it was a wonderful reunion. We had Thanksgiving dinner and the kids were in the pool. You've got to love being able to swim during November in Florida.

More stories and pictures to come over the next couple of days. I snapped this picture while we were driving up to my sister's house one morning and thought it was great! If you can't read the print, it is Jeremiah 29:11.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Praying God's continued blessings on each of you and your families. Enjoy this special day and give thanks for God's faithfulness yesterday, today and FOREVER! Enjoy this classic Michael W Smith song

Ahhhhh

Well, the good news is I found a dentist today and he was able to take me this morning. I had a cracked tooth that he was able to fill in and then I'll have to go back before Christmas to have a crown put in. Fun times my friends!

Managed to go to the supermarket and got all my ingredients for my pies, made a ton of returned phone calls and emails and feeling much better about things in general. I packed like a maniac last night.. luckily going to Florida means shorts, t-shirts and bathing suits. Anything else you need you can just pick up - at least that's my philosophy.

Well - off to tackle a few more errands before little guy is home from school and then finishing my evening with a trip to get my annual mammogram -- the perfect ending to a "dull" day. I guess that mammogram will get me more comfortable and ready for the full body pat down I'm going to receive at Newark Airport later this week. Ha Ha

S-T-R-E-S-S

I have a lot to be stressed about... way too much to do - not even sure why I am sitting here and blogging, and yet here I am. So many good things happening this week... thanksgiving and spending time with my husband's family, and then off to visit with my family for a few days in Florida. I know that by Thursday and Friday of this week, the stress I am feeling at this very moment will be just a memory... if I can just tackle one day at a time it will all be ok.

So, here's just a glimpse into what's happening:
- Today a cavity or cap, fell out and I have a gaping hole in the back of one of my teeth... not good 4 days prior to Thanksgiving! Oh, and we switched dental plans and have to hunt down a dentist in the next 24 hours.
- I am room parent and am organizing my son's Thanksgiving Party, craft, snack, etc. Can someone shoot me for picking a craft where I have to draw/cut out 180 leaves!? And no, we don't have enough time during the party to just let the kids do it.
- My dryer died last week... the good news is that I haven't had to do laundry the last few days... the bad news... I almost have to climb over the laundry pile in my bedroom to get into bed.
- Good news - a new dryer is being delivered Tuesday.. just in time for me to wash some clothes before packing for Florida.
- Pies, pies, pies! I LOVE to bake so the highlight of my Thanksgiving is making the desserts. On tap for this Thursday is homemade apple pie, pumpkin pie and a special request from one of my nephews, red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. A special note to my family... I am sorry to announce that the leftovers of said pastries will not be heading to Florida with me.

So -- quite a lot happening, but I am thankful for it all. I am thankful for a sound mind, for a Savior who loves me, provides for me and never leaves. He knows my frustrations and is walking beside me.

Hope to update you all as the week goes on.

Kid Stuff

"Mom!" "Mom!" I rolled over to look at the clock to see that it was 4:00 am. "Mooooommmm!" I dragged myself out of bed and into my son's room to see what was wrong. He had been home sick 2 days last week with a stomach virus from which he has finally recovered. I was just praying he wasn't getting sick again.

"What is it, Chris?"
"The tooth fairy came!" Oh yes... last night he lost his third tooth and he excitedly and expectantly placed it under his pillow last night. Thankfully, the tooth fairy remembered to do her job and left a little something for my lil guy.
"I'm so happy she did, honey. How much did she leave? "
"Well.. can I turn my light on to count it?"
"No! It's 4 AM!"
"I'll just feel the coins and figure it out"
"Sounds good to me... next time just tell Mommy when you wake up.. not at 4:00 am."

Thankfully he fell back to sleep right away.. Unfortunately the tooth fairy can't say the same.

Cookie Class

Last night my hubby blessed me by coming home from work early so I could attend a 3 hour baking class where my friend, Melissa, is the owner/pastry chef. I L-O-V-E to bake and have wanted to do this for a long time. Last night's class was on Christmas Cookies... we made 3 types - the infamous sugar cookie, peppermint cookie (they look like candy canes) and sugar plums. We made all the dough, decorated like pros and of course sampled the fruit of our labor. It was great! I learned so much! And can I just say, that I love icing cookies!!

I had planned on showing pictures, but we've pretty much devoured what I brought home. Nothing made me happier then when Chris said to me today "thanks mom for making these yummy cookies - they are just so delicious!" I'll be sure to snap some shots when I make another batch for Christmas... I'll have to do it quickly before they disappear again!

We Did It!

Made it successfully through our first sleepover. I'm exhausted, but have a very happy boy this morning (for those wondering... we have no school today or tomorrow and that's how I was able to do a sleepover in the middle of the week).

This song has been in my head the last two days so thought I would share it. It's called "You are God Alone ".... although I didn't link the kids Shout Praise version of this song, it is one of my favorites.

Coming Of Age

Tonight Chris is having his first sleepover. I've put it off since he is only 6 but he and his buddy have been asking me and the other mom for the longest time and we finally agreed. So.... Chris' little friend will be arriving around 6pm tonight and staying (fingers crossed) until tomorrow morning. I guess we'll have to wait and see how this all works out... I'm already exhausted because I am an insane mother who insists on cleaning before this little guest arrives (as if he will notice and if my house will even be recognizable by tomorrow morning!)

Road Block

Today has not gone as planned and, if I am anything, I am a planner. I have my lists, TWO calendars, my label maker, etc. I try to be organized and nothing gives me greater satisfaction then checking something off my list and having my day go according to plan.

So, right now I should be sitting in my Beth Moore Bible Study, sharing wonderful insights with friends and then watching this week's video. Obviously, that didn't happen. I was all ready to go... had my workbook and bible with me in the car so that after I dropped Chris off at school and voted, I would be on my way. And it was going great until I was a few miles from my house. Then there was a road block. Heavy construction... repaving roads. Single lane. No one moving... no one even crawling. No side roads to turn off. I kept thinking "if I just wait a little longer and then it would start moving. Maybe I'll just miss the worship part." Then time passed and I thought, "well, maybe I'll just miss the small group discussion." But after 35 minutes of moving maybe 1/2 mile, I realized that even if by some small miracle, the police man waved all the cars on my side of the road through, I would still be arriving at bible study well beyond the start of the video and it really wasn't worth the 40 minute journey.

So, as soon as I was able to finally get to the highway entrance, I was able to take some back roads towards my home. About 5 minutes into the trip home, I hit ANOTHER road block! By this time, I was thinking, "how come every plan I have today is not going my way!?" Luckily, I didn't have to wait as long at this road block, but it just really confirmed in my heart something about me and MY plans. Obviously, God has other plans for my day. And even though the plans I had in place were good and positive, even God-focused plans --- they weren't what he wanted or needed me to do with my morning. The whole drive home, I was thinking of all the other things I could accomplish on my list when I got here. And while I was mentally reworking "my plan", I felt the Lord impressing on me what HE wanted me to do this morning.... and I knew that He and I would have some quality one-on-one time with no interruptions and THAT is the plan he wanted for me this morning.

So, I guess I'm grateful for the road block that opened the path for me to spend my morning the way God wanted me to spend it!

That's What You Get !

I never liked Halloween on Sunday's.. just doesn't seem right. Especially when you walk into church on Oct 31st and your 6 1/2 year old turns to you and says, "Are we going to sing any Halloween songs this morning?

Nice...... I guess I should be happy he didn't ask to wear his batman costume to children's church.

Dancing With The Stars

My husband was playing a Beethoven/Salsa clip that he found on Facebook. While sharing it with us, he broke into a little impromptu dance. I guess Chris was impressed with his coordination, moves and musicality which made him wonder if he was a musician... however, the question that he came out with was "Dad, are you a magician?" We had a good long laugh and then I said "Yes... he is a magician and maybe if we turn off the music he'll make the dancing disappear."

Breast Cancer Controversy

There has been a ton of "buzz" in our school district regarding breast cancer awareness these last few weeks. Apparently, there are some retailers who are selling "I Love Boobies" bracelets. In general, there are several organizations who make bracelets available for purchase and a portion of the proceeds goes to that charity or organization. The problem with this particular bracelet is that, while it is supposed to be worn in support of breast cancer research, etc., the children sporting them (as young as 7 and 8) are obviously wearing them for other reasons (sexual comment). Call me crazy, but should a 2nd grader in my son's school be allowed to wear this bracelet?

I personally think the bracelets should just have the common symbol for breast cancer awareness, the pink ribbon, and let that be it. To have that phrase on it, to me, just demeans the whole purpose. Having lost a parent to this horrible disease, I take offense to it and really hope that parents pay attention to the bands your kids have on their wrists and have a heart-to-heart conversation with them about it.

To me, it's not cool for a young boy to have this band on his wrist (and to be able to wear it under the pretense of supporting a cause when the really is wearing it more as a joke - sexual remark). Don't wear a t-shirt to public school that has religious meaning behind it, but go ahead and wear the "I love boobies" band - that's just fine. Any thoughts out there? Do you think I'm overreacting or not getting mad enough?

Yogi

A few weeks ago, I was driving Chris to soccer practice, minding my own business, when all of a sudden, a HUGE black bear ran right in front of my car on this 2-lane road. I was thankful that he didn't run into my car and that my car wasn't going too fast so I didn't hit him. Chris and I just starting screaming --- AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH It was so random and so unexpected.... the closest I had been to a bear prior to this was watching Yogi Bear on TV... oh and Special Agent Oso for those of you with small kids.

I am so thankful for God's protection on the roads!

Heaven

Chris has been asking a lot of deep questions about heaven and what it's going to be like. Where do you live in heaven and more importantly, what do we do in heaven. So, I explained to him that we will be praising God and singing and worshipping forever. So, he looks at me for a few seconds and then comes out with... "And then what? When do we get to play with my Wii?"

These Boots Were Made For Walking

Up until this morning, I believed that there was no other activity more disheartening to a woman than shopping for a bathing suit or a pair of jeans. Both quests can make a woman have a moment of two of body image regret... (regret eating that bowl of ice cream, regret eating that piece of cake, etc.) Today, I realized that bathing suit shopping and jean shopping are a walk in the part compared to the dreaded "boot".

I went off to Marshalls this morning for some retail therapy and I wanted to buy a pair of boots. Specifically dressy boots (AKA -- boots that have no function in bad weather, are not waterproof, but boy do they look nice!) . There are so many different types of boots out there so I grabbed a mix of them (ankle boots, calf boots, knee high boots, etc.) First up was the knee high boot. I sat down and proceeded to pull them on. I had the zipper half way up my calf when IT happened.... I couldn't close the zipper! On the top part of my calf! Are you serious??? Now, call me crazy, but my calves have not changed size. (Thighs are a different story for a blog on a different day) I have not begun a body building regime so they are not muscular and super toned, but my goodness, it took me by surprise.

So then, I am reasoning to myself, that maybe the boots were cut "thin" or "narrow". You know.. if they have a "wide" shoe, maybe this was a "narrow". So, I grabbed a few other pairs, and while able to zip some of them, they just didn't look good. AT ALL. What is a girl to do? So, I guess once you hit 40, I'm best to keep the boots either at my ankles or slightly higher... no knee high boots for this girl.... I guess I better go shopping for a bathing suit or jeans to bolster my body image. LOL

Getting Ahead of Myself

I haven't even put away the summer clothes, but I have:

-Learned the words to almost every song in Christopher's upcoming Christmas play

-Purchased several Christmas gifts

-Researched airfares for our trip to Florida in December

-Updated my Christmas Card list

-Pulled out all my Christmas CDs

-Enrolled myself in a Christmas Cookie class at Cookie Crumb Productions, owned by my pastry chef friend, Melissa.

I think I'm a little ahead of myself, but I don't like frantic Decembers... I like everything in order and ready to go so I can sit back and enjoy those weeks... well, that's the plan anyway.

Why I Don't Like First Grade

Let me just say, life was simpler in Kindergarten. Everyone loved each other, they all shared, the world was a happy place. First Grade is the ANTI-kindergarten it seems. It's such a hard age... I remember being six... you learn a lot about your world and the people who make up the world. As a mom, I wish I could shield my son and tell him that everyone will love him as much as I do, everyone is always kind and that the world is a totally loving and happy place. Is it just me, or is it torture watching your child learn to navigate their way through the world?

So far, he's learned that kids are mean (for no apparent reason), that they will throw things at you and tease you just because they feel like it. He's learning how to fight his own battles and to make friends with kids that are nice to him and stay away from those who always seem to be in the "reflection" chair. He also just realized this past weekend that not everyone goes to church! I think he was SHOCKED when he realized that not everyone loves Jesus the way he does. He is growing up and I feel like I'm reliving all those childhood growing pains once again. It just means some extra time on my knees praying each day for him.

Boy, I miss kindergarten...sigh

Addendum: After talking to my concerned father, I should note that the reason why the kids seem so miserable is because they merged two elementary schools into one... so the majority of Chris' classmates are from the other school who are now trying to adjust to this new environment. It doesn't excuse bad behavior, but I truly believe things would have been a little different if they had kept the schools separate. Just my observation.

It's Been A While

So, what have I been up to?? The first week that Chris was in school, I spent my time cleaning and organizing.. not that you would know it and we are only a few weeks into the school year. Now, I am in the throws of running my business, running our home, being the Room Parent for Chris' class, bible study, walking with friends, soccer practice, soccer games, book fairs, etc. You get the picture. It's been non-stop but it's all good.

Fall just crept up on me and it's hard to believe it's time again to haul out the winter clothes. I hope with the Fall will come some more opportunities just to be home and to catch you all up on my life and blog a little about all that's happening in our little neck of the woods.

Got to close for now -- hosting 5 girlfriends at my house for coffee and some goodies. Promise to be back soon!