January 10, 2009

I am grateful for my mother. We haven't always seen eye to eye on many things in life, but she is my Mom and I know she loves me just they way I am. I'm glad I have her as a shoulder to cry on when things get difficult in life.

I am grateful for my dear little Kennedy. She always seems to know when I am having a bad day and just need a big hug from her to make things better. She is such a little angel.

January 2, 2009

There was just so much to be grateful for at Christmas time that there's only time for a few...

1. I am grateful that the economy hasn't hit us too hard and we were still able to provide a nice Christmas for our family.

2. I am grateful that my daughter has learned the meaning of charity. Her school did a fundraiser for families in the area that would not have enough for Christmas. They were asked to bring in pennies but Kennedy insisted that she take in all that she had in her piggy bank which had about $30 in it. She was glad that she was able to give other boys and girls a nice Christmas.

3. I am grateful for our wonderful neighbors. We received so many nice trays of treats from several of them and it was very nice of them to think of us at this time.

4. We were grateful for the good weather that followed us in our travels. We only hit bad weather around the last hour of our trip.

5. I was grateful that Dad made it home on time on Christmas Eve. We were worried with all of the weather and flight delays that we might not have had him here but he made it!

6. I am grateful that Grandma Rena got to come spend the holidays with us. She's always fun to have around.

7. I am mostly grateful for the birth of our Christ and the true meaning of the holidays. It's hard with little kids because they tend to focus mainly on the presents and treats but I always try and remember what this holiday is really all about.

December 23rd

I am grateful that my husband will be home to share the holidays with us (hopefully). It's just not the same without him.

December 16th

I am grateful for the sunshine. I don't care if it's ten below or 110 degrees... if the sun is shinning then it's a great day.

Day 7, 8 and 9.

Day 7 - Rowan hasn't been feeling good so I laid down beside him in my bed... and you know the rest.

Day 8 - Massive sprinkler problem and Kennedy's First Sleepover. One of our sprinklers just kept going and going even when you shut it off so one part of our backyard ended up looking flooded and the rest was bone dry. We have the solution solved right now but I didn't know how to handle it. Then Kennedy's friend McKayla stayed the night. I expected the worst but was pleased to see that they did very well. So well that we will do it again soon.

Day 9: I'll do some extra to make up for the days I never got around to blogging.

1. I am grateful for people with integrity. The adjuster from Allstate showed up at my house on time and ready to do his adjustment. I asked my builder to be here at the same time so they could talk about what should be done... but they were a no-show. Thanks Kenmark. You won't cover this under warranty and then you ditch me when I need you.

2. I am grateful that I have clean water to drink. I have a water filter on my faucet even though our county water has been certified safe (I know... I'm weird about things like that). It's unfortunate that there are so many places in this world that don't have safe water.

3. I am grateful for Pillsbury Cinabon Cinnamon Rolls. Nuff Said.

4. I am grateful for the TV Show Scrubs. Everytime I watch it... and I mean everytime... I still laugh my butt off even if I've seen it 10 times.

5. I am grateful that the water bill has not arrived this month yet. I'm kinda dreading that one.

That's as much as I've got right now. I'll try to keep this up better...

Day 6

1. I am grateful that I got to watch my son walk for the first time. The first time Kennedy walked it was while she was having an overnight stay with Grandma and I missed it. I know how bad it hurts not to be there for their "firsts" and I'm sorry Lucas had to miss it.

2. I am grateful that I have found a good therapist. It's hard finding someone that you trust enough to let our you innermost feelings, but I really like mine. Even though we talk about difficult things it always makes me feel better once we have met.

3. I am grateful for the most part that I am feeling better. I still have bad days and I need to keep trying to turn those around but that seems to happen less and less. I also feel like I have my energy coming back and I have all these things to do but as my therapist says... don't overwhelm yourself. Do one thing at a time and stop trying to become super woman. That I really have to work on.

Best Part of the Day (actually yesterday): Watching my little boy walk. I know that his walking will only increase my daily workload by chasing him around but I'll look at that as good exercise.

Worst Part of the Day (actually yesterday): Watching my little boy walk. It seems like just yesterday he was coming home from the hospital and this year has just flown by. My only regret is that I hadn't started these blogs sooner so that I could capture his life along with Kennedys.

Day 5

1. I am grateful for the rain! We seeded the front lawn about 1 1/2 months ago and then it rained pretty good for a week straight. The front yard actually looks like a real lawn.... with the exception of a whole lotta weeds. We planted the backyard last Sunday before Lucas left but it has been bone dry here for that whole time... despite the fact that every weather report said rain. Well, it finally started raining tonite and hope we get enough to help the backyard to start growing grass rather than just more weeds. And it actually just stopped as I finished this paragraph. I just can't wait for the water bill this month.

2. I am grateful that young children believe in things like the "gold pot at the end of the rainbow", the "Easter bunny left that basket for you", and "he comes right down the chimney with toys for good boys and girls". I am especially grateful that a certain little girl is expecting the Tooth Fairy to visit. The first two teeth she wanted the tooth under her pillow. This time she says she's going to leave it on the counter so the Tooth Fairy can find it easier. Trust me... She will! Those pictures soon to appear on the Montana Skinners blog.

3. Sometimes it is very easy to get caught up in all the things that you have to do that you forget how to just be that Mom that forgets about making sure the house is spotless and just sit down and have a fun day with your kids. I am grateful that today was one of those days. I've got a bucketload of work to do once they are in bed, but at least I got to spend some quality time with my munchkins and not care.

4. I'm grateful that I live in an age where you can communicate via video with others around the world. That means usually once a week me and my mother, who is on Active Duty in Germany, we not only get to talk but see each other. I know she truly misses her grandkids and it's killing her to be away from them but at least she can Skype and visit with them. Now if they would only let Lucas do it from Alaska!

Happy Monday to All!

Day 4

It's been a bit of a busy day where I actually got to get alot of work done. I have also been busy searching for a babysitter to watch the kids a few hours a day a few days a week. We also made it to Costco so I could get the Shark Steam mop which I have been wanting for weeks now since I got my Shark Floor Vac. As most of you have seen, I have a very large Kitchen floor and sweeping it by hand is dreadful. The floor vac does it very well and Kennedy will usually do it cause she loves it. I will try out the floor mop tomorrow and report on it's quality. Anything to make my life easier I'm willing to try.

1. I am grateful for my Dyson vacuum. LOVE IT! Kennedy and Rowan usually eat snacks on the living room floor and at the end of the night I can bust it out real easy and clean up their mess.

2. I am grateful for my Shark Floor Vac. It saves me massive amounts of time and allows me to get so much more done every day. And all I have to do it pull it out and push it around the room for 5 mins.

3. I am grateful for the few minutes a day that I get to talk to Lucas. I really wish that they would let them use Skype up there so we could see him too, but I guess the Internet connection is way too slow. I told Lucas to pressure them on that not only for him but for all of the people who work up there. I'm sure that they would love to see their families too.

Best Part of the Day: I usually let one of the kids sleep with me each night to keep me company when Lucas is gone. Well, last night I let both of them jump in bed with me. Kennedy is known to be a tosser and turner but it was Rowan who ended up moving all over. Half way through the night he flipped completely around and slept down down by my feet. By morning he was back up by us and it was nice to wake up next to both my little angels. Unfortunately that only lasted 5 mins before Kennedy was begging to watch her cartoons and Rowan was screaming for a bottle. It was nice while it lasted.

Worst Part of the Day: One of Kennedy's front teeth is loose and she has been avoiding playing around with it because she says it always hurts. Well, she started playing today and got it completely twisted around so the back is showing in the front now... and now she won't play with it again so she looks goofy. I keep giving her Tylenol and putting Rowans Baby Orajel on there to numb it up so she could turn it back around but she won't. Then she just sits there and complains to me but won't let me help her with it. I may just grab the pliers tomorrow and yank it out and have her hate me for a few days... or clear it all up with some treats. Oh, and Rowan screamed half the day for no good reason. That child can be such a turd at times.

Day 3

It has been a long, exhausting day so I may barely get this out.

1. I am grateful that my son does fairly well with babysitters. I always worry when I go to the YMCA daycare that he will be a terror but they always tell me that he does really good. He always does good when he goes with the neighbors too. That gives me hope in finding a part time babysitter.

2. I am grateful that my daughter is fearless. That should sound weird coming out of my mouth because I am very protective of her. I just like how she can just talk to anyone and make friends and later on in life it might teach her to chase her dreams and never be afraid. That is a quality I admire in her very much.

3. I am grateful that I am learning to let go of worldly possessions. Not all mind you... I'm not perfect, but quite a bit. I am finding it quite easy to go through this house and see what we don't need and either find someone who could benefit from it or donate to charity. I used to hoard things thinking that one day I might need them but I realize in most cases I don't so I will start clearing out the clutter.

Best Part of the Day: Taking Kennedy and McKayla to the YMCA pool to swim for the afternoon. I got to play around with them a bit and then do some water aerobics. They are alot harder than they seem. I worry how I will feel tomorrow.





Worst Part of the Day: It seems as if I step out into the sun for even just 5 mins I get burnt. Today was no exception. I try to keep sunscreen on but sometimes you just don't think you need it for such a short trip outside. If I keep this up I am going to look like a wrinkled old piece of leather before I hit 40. (I hope my dermatologist isn't reading this.)

Day 2

1. I am grateful for the few short moments that Rowan doesn't scream if I'm not holding him. It allowed me to "clean" parts of the house today. I put clean in quotes because it's still not clean but messes are slowly getting smaller.

2. I am grateful for my neighbor Sicily. I spent alot of our first year here in Billings in the house cause I was either miserably pregnant or so sleep deprived I couldn't function. Now that I am getting better she always tries to include me in all the fun things the neighbors do even though I usually have to decline because I haven't found a babysitter yet... although I now have some names. She is a very sweet woman and I appreciate all she does for me.

3. I am grateful for the Bishops wife Lisa. She takes care of the kids whenever I have doctors appointments and always calls to check in on how I am. Then we take her daughter McKayla to play with Kennedy which keeps her entertained for a while so I can get more "cleaning" done.

Best Part of my Day: Kennedy found a purse in our backyard this morning. When we opened it up you could tell that it had been pretty much cleaned out except for some lip gloss and pens. Fortunately they left the wallet and we found out that it belonged to our neighbors daughter up the street, the Rushs. I called and let them know we found it and took it up to them. They were so grateful that they got back her wallet which still had her credit and debit cards along with her IDs and Social Security card. I fell bad that she had to go through all that but happy that we could help get her important things back to her.

Worst Part of my Day: Finding out from our neighbors, the Rushs, that several people in our neighborhood have had cars and even homes broken into. Luckily he works for the Fire Station and used to be a Police Officer so he has been able to get constant patrol on the neighborhood. I told Lucas what had happened and that I either needed a big, loud dog at the house or an alarm system. I never thought I'd need one because we live in what seemed to be such a nice neighborhood.

Day 1

Some people say Oprah is the Devil, but not me. I have learned some great things from her show, like the "gratitude journal". At the end of the day you write down all the things you are grateful for that day. I am also going to add the best moment of my day to remind me what is wonderful in life but also my worst moment of the day to show me what I need to work on. Well, I'm a computer geek so I am going to do this blog style cause it's just easier that way... and also I can share it with those who matter to me. So here goes... Day 1!

1. I am grateful that it is summer and that I don't have to get out of bed at 6:00 A.M. to get my daughter ready for school. I can sleep a bit later and I trust me... I get the most I can.

2. As much as my mother hates to hear this, I am grateful for coffee. With 2 young children I don't think I could survive without it.

3. I am especially grateful for my husband who leaves us for three weeks to travel to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska on three different airplanes (and he hates flying), to go work in a place where the weather averages between -30 below and 40 in the summer (and he hates the cold). He does this to provide a good life for me and our 2 kids. I am also grateful for the three weeks he gets to be home.

4. I am grateful that I have a washer and dryer in my home, especially with a baby in the house. We usually have days when there is either a diaper blowout or throw up or "fun rubbing everything I eat into my outfit". When we lived in the apartment we had to trek to the laundry room and I dreaded it more that you will ever know. It would have been torture if I had to do that with Rowan.

Best Part of the Day: Getting the time to setup this blog. It can only help me realize all the great things in my world that I ususally forget.

Worst Part of the Day: Sleeping late. That is my biggest vice right now. I have a neighbor who wants me to get up and do Pilates with her at the YMCA every morning but I love sleeping late. I really need to work on going to bed and getting up at the same time everyday. I don't know how I did it when I had my career. I could get up at 5:30 and even though I was tired I did it. I'll try 7:00 and see how that goes. Sounds pretty weak but wish me luck!

Kennedy wanted me to add in her thoughts:

Her best part of the day was getting to cuddle with Mommy in bed.
She is grateful for having a loving Mommy and Daddy.