A quick rant.

Tiss the season... ...for sick kiddies. Do you know what's on the rise aside from flu? Pertussis. Do you know what your child can get immunized from beside the flu? Pertussis. Do you know what can't happen if you get immunized? Autism. Can you still get sick? Sure, but the chances are far less likely. Two years ago a friend of mine's daughter nearly died from the flu. She was three years old. A perfectly healthy little girl. She got sick. It got bad. She spent a week in a coma. She's fine now, but she's one of the lucky ones. There are two many kids who aren't so lucky. I do need to say that this friend was not an anti-vaccine person. She didn't put her child in harms way. It just happened. What makes me mad is people who willing do put their kids in harms way. They choose not to vaccinate. Which keeps diseases that should be eradicated around. What makes me angrier is that not only are they putting thierry own kids at risk but they are also putting all those they come in contact with at risk as well. I don't get all the science behind the argument. And quite frankly I don't care. I realize that some people can't get vaccinated because of some other medical issue. I don't blame them, in fact, I feel bad that they are out in such a difficult position. What burns me up are people who champion to stop vaccines from being mandated. People who believe vaccines are the cause of autism. People who are willing to put their kids at risk of serious illness for no good reason. I just don't get it.

Gadget love.

I love gadgets. I love what they can do. Simplifying complicated tasks.
What I have and how I use them (perhaps a bit braggy and pretentious but fun still):
1. IPhone - more than just a phone. It's my calendar, my email, it's my connection to everything and everyone. I do so much on my phone it's ridiculous. When we first got the phones we got the unlimited data package. Having no clue it turns out this was a great idea. For a time it was the only way I surfed the web. At times it has been too much of a distraction but for sure I'd hate to ever give it up.
2. iPad- wifi only. Didn't want another constantly connected device. This machine is incredible. I keep my grades on it. I have a plan book app to do lesson plans. I watch movies or shows. And more we surfing and reading. It is wonderful.
3. Nook. Black and white. It's easier to read long books on this screen then on the iPad. And I don't miss having real books. I love its portability.
4. Ninja food processor. See it's not all computers. From smoothies to chopped veggies this thing has worked hard for me.
5. Keurig. I got this for Christmas last year and am so happy with it. My guest can come and have coffee and I can have all the fun drinks in the world. My favorites: chai, hot cider, and southern sweet tea over ice

so I am sure that there are more gadgets I can profess my love for but I'll leave at that. Now I'll shear with you my wish list.

1. Sewing machine. Okay I have one, actually I have two. But both are simple basic machines. What I want is a digital controls one that does embroidery.
2. Camera upgrade. I would likea. Dslr camera. I have a fairly powerful camera with a lot of functions that I have been using that last few years. I've learned a lot with it. I'm ready for an upgrade. I want to learn even more and do a bit more. From what I gather a dslr will make some of what i like to do even easier.
3. A food dehydrator. Completely random right? I love gardening. And I love to preserve what I grow. I would love to expand my preserving by using a dehydrator to preserve peppers and make sundried tomatoes.


So there you have it. I love my gadgets. I love what I have and I use it all and well. And there's always more to want. But alas none of it do I need and I'll live without until I don't have to 😏

100 posts

It turns out this is my 100th post.
Don't have much to say really. It's the beginning of Advent. That always makes me happy. I love preparing for Christmas.
Actually, this is the first year that we are not set up right after Thanksgiving. Hopefully by the end of the week we will be. Why didn't we get it done? DISNEY!!!
We surprised our kids with a trip to Disney. It was my first experience on a plane as well as the kids. It was the kids first Disney trip and mine as well. (okay so I went when I was 3 but I don't remember any of it so it doesn't count).

Things from that trip:

• you can see some of our adventure on our trip blog
• I am so glad we waited until the kids were older
• I will never go with a baby or toddler. It may be a kid friendly place but never never never would I want that hassle. 
• My kids are fantastic travelers
• I am not
• Disney is all it's hyped up to be

I know I don't blog much. I keep saying I'll do more and then I never do. I wanted to post some pictures. But I'm not a huge picture person. I love playing with my camera. I want a fancier one. But I want to enjoy my photos and keep them to myself. I'm not a huge fan of photo blogs. For me pictures are to trap memories. I like the shots that capture moments in time. I don't like posed shots. I don't like looking at 100 pictures that all feel the same. With my big camera I took almost 800 pictures at Disney. Most of them didn't come out the way I wanted. But a lot of them caught some great moments. I tend to hold the shutter down and snap 3-5 pics at a time. It creates a really neat affect sometimes. 

ANYWAY, the tumblr has some pics and maybe in a few days we'll add some more. Right now we are prepping for Christmas. It's a time for shopping, crafting, baking and so much more. 

Catch you later

i know you miss me.

Well, I did it. I let blogging take a backseat. To, well, everything.

My last post was September 16.

Here's a disjointed brain vomit of what has happened since then.

Since then I have dove head-long into the world of working mom. The fall was/is pure insanity. Things are finally mellowing out with the sports season coming to an end.

There has been a lot of adjusting and a lot of eye-opening in the last month and half. Honestly it feels so far away. I can't believe that it's been only a month and a half.

I work 4 days a week and my schedule is inconsistent from day to day but week to week it's mostly the same. Each of the four days my hours are different and my location is different. It's taken me these last 8 weeks to really wrap my head around the ever changing days.

I'm learning that I need to take in more caffeine. I was a one cup a tea a day kind of person, but I find I need more just to get through the day. I don't know how else to keep my energy up and not pass out by 8am.

Thankfully the kids have adjusted beautifully to a working mom. For the most part it doesn't really affect them that much. They spend their days in beautiful ignorance of what I am doing and where. What they have noticed is my lack of presence at their school. Last year I stepped up big time and was volunteering twice a week. This year I am very rarely there.

The nice thing is that what my daughter really wants is to see me come to school masses. Those happen every Friday. Which happens to be my day off. I have been to two so far. :/

Some of our survival skills that were employed when the twins were born have really come back to good use. For a while there we were running to early evening practices four nights a week. Being big on the family meal we had to do some creative menu planning. Much like when the kids were babies we have made a lot of freezer meals to pull out on those nights where there's no time to cook. (A new favorite is taco pockets) (A book I recommend: Don't Panic Dinner is In the Freezer). We've been big menu planners for years. Every week we sit down and hammer out what we are going to eat for the week. This cuts out the "What are we eating for dinner?" problem.

In general we are doing good. Life is crazy. We have done a lot but I lack the time to tell you all about it.

Perhaps later this weekend. I'll get to some photo blogging. 

The thing about Josh.

Joshua is five. He is the younger of my twins (by 1 whole minute). Does this matter? The doctor thought it did. He litterally ifted his hands up on and watched the clock tic off a minute before he pulled Joshua out.

Joshua for a long time was my smallest child. He was born at 4lbs and change. Definitely the runt of the litter. :) Being small has never really slowed him down. If anything it gave him the perfect cover. Josh, from the time he was a small baby has always been my independent one. He thrives best when you leave him alone.

The irony to this is that he is also my space-cadet. This boy can get lost standing next to you. The poor kid comes by it honestly though. He doesn't mean for things to happen they just do.

Today marks the end of the 3rd weeknof school. In this time my darling boy has:

• lost track of a sweatshirt
• thrown away a Tupperware container
• put an open gogurt tube back in his lunch box
• put all of his lunch trash in his lunch box, rather than throw it away at school. This included and open applesauce, juice box and trail mix crumbs.
• left his library book in his desk for two days

The thing about Josh is that he's a little bit forgetful. A little bit exasperating. And a lot of fun.

i'm working. it's working.

A think to ponder before I do a full update:

A stay at home mom should be praised for her sacrafices. Admired for her ability to get it all done. A stay at home mom needs love and support from her community.

A working mom should be  praised for her sacrafices. Admired for her ability to get it all done. A working mom needs love and support from her community.

Some mom's can choose to stay at home and do so because that is what is best for her family. Some mom's can choose to go to work and do so because that is what is best for her family.

Some mom's have no choice to work or stay at home those are the mom's that need love, support and encouragement the most. They choose life and for that they should be praised.

Motherhood is hard. Motherhood is challenging. Motherhood is beautiful. Motherhood is rewarding. 

holy cow.

Hello September.

What the hell happened to August?!?

We went on vacation to Myrtle Beach and had so much fun.

We came back from a great family week to madness. Paul flew out to Hawaii and back (which isn't as great as it sounds, well Hawaii is apparently great, but his trip was not). My garden was in full bloom. It was harvest time.

We have been eating fresh tomato and peppers with our salads. I have so far canned 7 quarts of tomatoes, 10 8oz jars of bruchetta, and 5 pints of relish. I also have 1 8oz container of pesto sauce in the freezer. Today I have to can more tomatoes. It's a fair amount of work but it's worth it to have home grown food.

August was also filled with back to school shopping and the first day of school.

The first week went well. I definitely had some tired and sensitive kids by the end of the week. I'm grateful now for this four day weekend. 

You would think that getting the kids out of the house would free me up, but it hasn't yet. I don't exactly expect for me to get bored. There is always something for me to do. This week I have been preparing for a big consginment sale. You can read about it here. I have dug through every bin of clothing. My living room has bins everywhere. It will be a while before I get everything back in order again. 

I have piles ready to go straight to donation. A pile that goes to one friend. A pile that goes to another friend. A pile that goes to storage until the spring sale. A pile that goes into storage until the kids can wear it. And lastly the pile that is tagged and ready for the fall sale. Lot's of piles, lots of bins, but it's all going somewhere and most of it is leaving the house. 

I also don't plan on being home all year. I have been interviewing for jobs. I am confident that something will come down the pike that is right for me. Something that offers the flexibility I need and the opportunities I crave. 

Well for now I will marvel that it is September. My kids first cross-country race is this weekend. The second week of school is only four days away. So many new and exciting experiences are coming our way.