Monday, May 30, 2011

tHiS iS wHaT i LiKe (post 268)

Happy Memorial Day

"But the freedom that they fought for, and the country grand they wrought for,
Is their monument to-day, and for aye."
~Thomas Dunn English


The day reserved for people gone before, who lived and died that we might have it all.
Freedom of choice, of life, of love~
Freedom to exist and forgive our friends above~!
Thank you to all who serve so that I can be free, something so precious, or at least it to me. 

Friday, May 27, 2011

ThOuGhT fOr ThE dAy (post 267)

J. Lamb 2011
Wherever you go, go with all your heart.  ~Confucius

...and go I shall. Just a thought...;0)

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Are you lost?

I'm about to confess to something here...and it ain't flattering. If you are under the false impression that I've got it all down when it comes to parenting...then you're sadly mistaken! Yeah, I almost had heart failure the other night as I made dinner for the kids and we realized my little one was missing. Sigh.

I worked for part of the day that day and was pooped by the time I got home. The kids had eaten a late lunch and I wasn't too quick to make dinner. My man picked me up from work and we ran a couple of errands before coming home and the kids were all to eager to go outside and enjoy the sunshine and their new bikes. I let them outside and they amused themselves by riding up and down the street and around the block or so I thought. They had been outside about 45 minutes by the time I made dinner and my oldest son and daughter came right up when I called out to them. My daughter greeted me at the door and asked where her little brother was. I asked where she saw him last and she rode off and I went inside, assuming they'd be right back. A few minutes passed and my daughter returned, announcing that she couldn't find him. I was concerned at this point and took off on foot to see if I could find him, I couldn't. I rushed into the house and grabbed my car keys as my man asked if I found him at the door. I hadn't. I headed out to see if I could locate him and he did as well. I circled the block in both directions and drove down the entire adjacent street. I passed my man and he mentioned he would go the opposite direction and I drove down the adjacent street the opposite direction before circling around the street a couple of blocks away and I spotted him! He was only a block and a half away, but had gotten turned around and couldn't remember how to get back. I pulled up next to him and a kind lady with her dog and got out. "I live up the street...", the woman explained, "he says he's lost and I was walking my dog so we were making our way there". I thanked her profusely and loaded him and his bike into the car and had to bite my lip to keep from crying.

We went through it all, the "why were you so far away?" and the "why weren't you riding just around the block?" and the "why weren't you with your siblings?" I reiterated the bike riding rules:
Stay with someone.
Stay on our street or just around the immediate block.
Stay close to the sidewalk and watch for cars.
I told him how much he had scared me and that you never know what bad people are out there and how important it is to stay safe.

Turns out his sister was partly to blame for this. Always the one to bend the rules a little, she knew what street she could ride on/ around and took it upon herself to ride around the other block showing her brother once and  then leaving him there. He of course wasn't paying attention to where he was in the first place and subsequently got lost. They both lost bike riding privileges for the remainder of the week and were well-reminded of the rules again before they were allowed to ride again. I was completely specific as to whose house they couldn't go past. It seems to have worked...or at least no one has gotten lost again. Parent of the year here. Sigh. ;0(

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

TiP fOr TuEsDaY (post 265)

J. Lamb 2011

Intermittent.

I know, I know what's with me lately?! I get all employed again and then I fall off the face of the earth? Yep. Not intentionally though! Starting a new job (which I love, BTW!) right at the end of the school year is proving to be quite the challenge and I find myself either at work or taking kids to and from everywhere. Sleep? What''s that? Seriously, I'm having a really bad time finding down time at the moment and when I do something needs to be cleaned or picked up or taken care of or I'm just plain pooped. I like it when I have time to share consistently and I suspect I'll not be real good at it until at least after Memorial Day. So thanks for your patience with me and I will be here everyday and sharing my recipes, tips and all around cynical goodness soon!

Friday, May 20, 2011

ThOuGhT fOr ThE dAy (post 263)

J. Lamb 2011

Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.  ~Rabindranath Tagore

Trials in life could feel like clouds, darkening the sun and blocking our view of the stars. Thinking of them in a different manner, as experiences to learn and grow,  makes me appreciate the good things in life. Just a thought...;0)

Thursday, May 19, 2011

The hard way

J. Lamb 2011

My daughter and her friends after running their 4x100 relay Saturday. They had the opportunity to participate in the city meet for their age group after placing first in their school. At the meet they placed 4th overall with a really good showing, we (the parents) were really pleased. This led to the opportunity to try out for the relay team to be sent to the regional meet which they were all excited about and what happened today in the rain. Instead of trying out as a team, they were to try out as individuals being chosen for their times instead. There were many very fast girls there and although my daughter is quite the athlete, excelling in sports and anything active, she isn't as fast as some of the others. She is however a great team player and super friend.

I said nothing as I sat in the rain waiting for the tryouts. She warmed up with her friends as I watched with her brother. The girls readied for their heat and I held my breath as she ran two consecutive 16 sec 100 meters. Slow or at least slower than the others. As we walked to the car her brother ribbed her and suggested she stick with soccer, "I know!", she snapped, obviously upset. We drove to the store on the way home and she sat quietly (unusual for her) and only spoke to snap at her brother for being annoying. I asked her not to snap at her brother and told her I was sorry she didn't do better at her tryouts. The tears came then and she lamented, "But at least you didn't have to run and be all embarrassed!" I hugged her and told her she was really good at so many things and it's really impossible to be good at it all and not to worry about it.

As a parent we can't protect our children from it all, even with as much as we want to. Sometimes you have to let them learn for themselves in the rain, the hard way.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

5/18/11

J. Lamb 2011
I'm sorry Baby, I just had to! After I posted the picture of the length of grass in my yard, I had this pathetic sight in my yard. The one handed mow-job! Of course, this was after our neighbor had volunteered to mow it and had to stop by and rib him a little. Tsk...tsk...

Quick, but not overly accurate

I love my kids. They are my world and making sure they are happy, healthy, and well-cared for is my top priority. As I think back at all the things I do for them on a daily basis and otherwise, I can't help but to think about what my Mom did for us growing up. I say this as I just finished typing up a report on China for my 12 year old.

I typed slowly annoyed that I had to get my report all typed before school the next day, thinking of all the other things I could be doing now. The day was warm and the cool breeze was calling my name and reminding me I had a date later. I glowered at the screen as if to punish it for my lack of foresight. Not that foresight is a easily grasped concept at 17, but then again when you look back as an adult everything is clearer somehow. Mom walked by about that time on her way to do something else and was caught by my pouting in her direction.
"Honey, how much more do you have to go?", she sympathized, aware that I had been sitting there for well over an hour already.
"Um...", I shuffled the pages and sighed and without another word she shooed me from the room and typed up the rest in half the time it had taken me so far. 

As I think about this now as a mother with more things on my plate, I know. My Mom didn't have to help me out, she could have made me miss my date and be responsible, but she didn't. She did just what I would do for my own kids, help out and love unconditionally.

I can type. I am fairly quick, just not overly accurate. Perhaps this is the way life gets lived as well. It's over far quicker than we expected it to be and the kids are old enough to live lives of their own. We won't always get everything right, no one does. I'll bet in the end when our kids are raising their kids, they'll remember what you did get right. Maybe.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

TiP fOr TuEsDaY (post 260)

Good morning all! My apologies for not making it here yesterday, I'll try to do better on the time organization thing. The kids are out of school in a few days and that will cut way down on my taxiing time and will help, ha!

Anyway, since I have a few minutes I thought I'd share what's going on at my house this week on the organization front. The weather seems to have made up it's mind and has warmed up significantly (not necessarily today, but you get my drift) and this means the great seasonable clothes exchange! (Que angels singing aloft) Ahhh!!! This is absolutely a vital part of keeping my sanity and I perform this ritual twice a year. I take and sort through my clothes, store all sweaters, corduroys, warm snuggly jammies, and donate what is worn, out of style, doesn't fit right and store the rest. Sounds simple right? Well, simple enough, but be prepared to have your floor look like the pic above for awhile!
Here's a couple of tips to make the process a little easier:

Do one closet at a time.

I usually start with the kids, the boys' first and then my daughter. Their stuff is a little smaller and I can usually get each of their closets done in an afternoon. I generally don't have enough time to get any more than that done at a time and this keeps them from making a huge mess out of things if I don't get it finished. I'll admit it usually takes me longer to get mine and my man's done, mostly because our stuff takes longer to fold and hang. It's okay, I've never died from having a pile of clothes in my room a few days! ;0P

Wash all the laundry first.

Nothing is more annoying than getting all the clothes put away and stored and then finding more things after you wash it all. Just make it easy on yourself, wash it all first! ;0D


Sort as you go.

I like to set out a few laundry baskets to sort through as I go. One for stuff to store, one to put away, one to donate. This way I can just transport the basket to the right location and be done that much quicker!

Let it go.

If you haven't worn it in a year and it isn't formal wear and you can't think of an occasion you'll for sure need it (not just maybe), then give it to someone who'll use it. I always think of it this way when I sort., I would much rather have it be of use to someone else then to take up space in my house. Being helpful feels good!

Clearing the clutter helps me think clearer (trust me, I need all the help I can get!) and gives me more time to do what I want to do and not worry so much about the have to dos! Here's your TiP fOr TuEsDaY and now if you'll excuse me I have a pile of clothes in my room calling my name! ;0)

Friday, May 13, 2011

ThOuGhT fOr ThE dAy (post 259)

J. Lamb 2011
"Give me odorous at sunrise a garden of beautiful flowers where I can walk undisturbed." ~Walt Whitman
In case you're wondering, I haven't left. Actually I had every intention of sharing with you earlier. Blogger it seems had other plans. Eh,  C'est la vie I suppose!  
Take the time to enjoy the little things around you...for if you look very close you'll find that world is indeed made up of little things. Enjoy the weather now that's warm. Enjoy your children because you'll blink and they'll be gone. Enjoy yourself in even the things you HAVE to do. Enjoy life as it comes it's the right thing to do. Just a thought...;0)

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

TiP fOr TuEsDaY (post 258)

If we are facing in the right direction, all we have to do is keep on walking.  ~Buddhist Saying


Can you believe it? I started this blog a year ago! If I started writing it a year ago, that means I've been unemployed for an entire year. It's true, when you are a kid time drags on forever and all you want is for things to speed up. When you are an adult, you can blink and an entire year is gone. When I look back upon the year that has passed while I blinked, I can't believe how much I have grown. I was thrust into the land of full time Mommy and to be honest I struggled. After working constantly through an abusive marriage and difficult divorce, having my kids be gone for two years, getting them back to struggle as a single Mom, I was just so busy I never dealt fully with it all. This last year was rough financially and emotionally and I feel so blessed it all happened. I'm a firm believer that things happen for a reason and it's up to you to figure out why and to learn and grow from the experience. I learned to be better as a person, as a mother, as a friend and companion. These last few months I was lucky enough to accept myself as I am, as a whole, not as a label.
What does the next year hold? I have been blessed. Blessed with new found acceptance and appreciation for my kids and my man and maybe, just maybe it all shows. I have also been blessed with a great new job! A job in my field no less, working with a product I adore, with great upbeat and impressed with me (wow, right?) people! A job with opportunity for growth and decent hours and not working so much that I miss out on my kids because honestly, I have really great kids.
What about ShE's NoT yOuR aVeRaGe MoM? You know that gluten-free recipe sharing, sewing up super cute things for wearing, mini van driving and Converse wearing, learning about life and all out tip sharing woman? She's here and she just figured out why she is... ;0)
And I will continue on.

Monday, May 9, 2011

tHiS iS wHaT i LiKe (post 257)

GoGo squeeZ

Happy Monday friends! I am in a phenomenal mood this morning and not even the overcast drizzle we're experiencing in my area is going to hold me back today! ;0D I had a super busy weekend with my kids and a couple of nieces and celebrating Mom's Day and I think I'm grateful for the opportunity to just clean house and recuperate! Phew! I'm also excited to share one of my new favorite things (or the kids' rather). Yep, GoGo squeeZ applesauce on the go by Materne.
I don't know about you, I am always excited to find products that are healthy and yummy, snacks for the kids. Throw in no mess and honey, you've got it made! These great squeezable applesauces are not only super yummy, but fun too! I can just throw them in a bag and they are easily portable and I discovered that even my fussy-eater nieces liked them too. 100% fruit, all natural, great flavors and gluten/dairy free (kosher too!) can you really go wrong? I picked these up at Wal-Mart actually, but Costco carries them in bulk as well!
GoGo squeeZ you are definitely "tHiS iS wHaT i LiKe" worthy! Try them, I'll bet your kids like them too! ;0D

Friday, May 6, 2011

ThOuGhT fOr ThE dAy (post 256)

J. Lamb 2011
A good memory is one that can remember the day's blessings and forget the day's troubles

Sometimes through the journey of life keeping your eyes on the horizon is tough. All of us have had trials in life, emotional baggage, memories we'd rather forget. Sometimes life that's passed screams louder than what lies forward and we forget to keep our eyes on the horizon and focus on what is good. Try this trick, when you have something bad or unfortunate happen, think of two things that are good. Outweigh the bad with the good each time and suddenly the bad is diminished and you can keep looking toward the future and continue on. Just a thought...;0)

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Oh, the possibilities!



This is a picture of my family room floor and as you can see it's covered with one of my favorite things, fabric! What is it about fabric that I love so much? The many textures, colors, prints and patterns. The possibilities are endless! You don't have to just sew things out of fabric either, nope. You can make rag wreaths, wrap it around things and glue it down. You can make curtains and blankets and clothes and accessories! I have discovered something, you see all the fabric you see in the picture above  is from the thrift store! My local store bags up what they receive through donation and sells the bags for 5 dollars a piece! I've gotten huge lengths of satin and knit fabrics (score!) in gorgeous colors and textures. I have gotten flannel and corduroy and chambray and canvas. I will be making beautiful things forever now! It's so fun to mix patterns and colors and make things that aren't just store-bought and generic, they are unique! I love it! ;0)

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Smile, it's good for you!


I think this week has been fairly craptacular in all. Way too busy, many emotional ups and downs, and a trip to the hospital later I am beat! I have been blessed with many of these wonderful things (thankfully) and I am able to share one now.

Life is like a mirror, we get the best results when we smile at it.  ~Author Unknown

It's the truth. Expecting things to be good all the time is such a waste because it ain't never gonna happen! Sometimes you just have to make things good for yourself. Make someone smile and you'll make yourself feel good too. I know this works too. 






I made a smile for a friend this week with a little fabric and hot glue. She has had a very rough week and everything is better filled with chocolate chip cookies, right? Right and I did just this! I picked this hat box up at the thrift store for a couple of bucks and used some material I had (along with some ribbon, batting and hot glue I had too!) and I made her a cute box! I also made homemade chocolate chip cookies and stashed them inside for her. I love the contrasting black/white/hot pink and everything is more sophisticated with a monogram initial, right?
Give a smile and receive one back, perfect cure for a craptastic week! Because you can't feel sorry for yourself if you are giving a smile to someone else! ;0)

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

TiP fOr TuEsDaY (post 253)

My world feels a little like this morning...deflated, devoid of color. Life is stressful right? More times than not you will end up with a thousand things wrong at once and it gets to you. Yesterday was one of those days. Many, many things to do on not enough sleep, coupled with the ups and downs of existing and I feel the effects this morning. This morning the washer is broken, I got some disheartening news, and it seems no matter how hard I work it gets me nowhere. It seems the pity party is in full swing this morning! Ha, so what do you do when life as it is gets the better of you? Try this:

Take a time out.

I am a huge fan of this. I take a few minuted to read a magazine or lie down and close my eyes for 20 minutes. I'll go for a walk around my neighborhood or play a game with the kids. I always feel better when I get back to the problem and then I can tackle it at full power.

Put it into perspective.

Often the things that stress us out are minor when it comes to the big picture. The washer is broken and we don't have the funds to fix it. Such is life. Really, if we have to get a used one off of Craig's list for now it'll be okay. As long as it washes and drains and spins, I'm okay. It doesn't need to be the end of the world because it really isn't.

Fix the things you CAN fix, live with the things you CAN'T.

If you can't really fix something that's stressing you out due to circumstance or what not, then learn to live with it. If life were really meant to work out in clean straight lines with no waves or bumps, then what would the purpose of living it be? I think we are here to learn and grow and be better and you don't learn anything by not having trials. Yes it sucks. Life just does sometimes. I can't do anything about something that's stressing me out, I wish I could. I've made a commitment to work with it though rather than against it. Worrying about it constantly is getting me nowhere and stressing me out further and this is MY life, right? I can choose how I feel about it and I choose to be okay with it. And there is nothing wrong with that.

Don't stress so much. Er, okay try to do it a little less! I'll go try to find a little color and that's your TiP fOr TuEsDaY!