What's that accent?

I love to read. My favorite genre is romance (mixed with historical, supernatural & suspense). I find my own thoughts respond in the same general language & style as the characters I just finished reading about, especially with historical or supernatural books. Any other readers have that? Just curious...

A three-year-olds perspective

Loving your child

I think love is such an incredible emotion. It's a basic emotion that anyone can experience for a person, place, memory, song, object, etc. It can mean so many things. Yet the bottom line of love is...

• to share your entire self, accept someone for who they are (not in spite of it)
• showing your affection all the time in words & actions (no one should have to ask if they're still loved)
• making memories together that will carry on forever in both hearts
• exploring & sharing opportunities to explore the world & each other's dreams
• making good choices for the best possible life.

By no means, does this list reach into the depths which love is or how deep it can tough your life. Love has no rhyme or reason; it simply is. Each day I am thankful for all the people in my life who I love & love in return. The blessings in my life are invaluable & could never be replaced. Love is something I intend to forever share with husband, children, family & friends. I want my husband to know he has & continues to touch my heart & make my life better every day. My children show me everyday what a simple act love is & how honest it can be. Our children will never grow up without knowing the depth of our love for them & never will my husband doubt how much he means to me. I love you all!

Outing in the city

Saturday we took a family outing downtown where we saw dinosaur bones, mummies & animals. Our son loved every minute. Within minutes of arriving, another boy gave our son one of his plastic molded dinosaurs. After seeing many exhibits & learning more about... everything! He soaked up everything we taught him. Our daughter rode in the stroller the entire time & was able to participate & see everything too. After the museum closed, we headed over to the tallest building in the city. Our son looked up with his head straight to the sky in pure awe at the buildings. He was so excited about going to the top & seeing all the lighted buildings below. It was a fun, exhausting day… the favorite type of day any family could ask for!

Lunchtime lovin'

It’s amazing to see how much our two kids love each other. Our son loves to make his sister laugh & she simply adores him in return. It gives us such a thrill to see how well they get along & how protective our son is of her.

Three hours & one book later…

Everything went routine during my follow-up visit to my doctor. I always enjoy this poem in one of the patient rooms. Then my in-laws stopped by to visit (now that we’re finally overcoming the germ riot here). Our son enjoyed playing with his new moon sand with them. Then it was out for dinner at yummy Portilio’s . We do love their ribs because vegetarians we are not!





After my hubby went off for game night with his friends & the kids went to bed, I completely relaxed taking a three hour soak in the bathtub & read one of Sherrilyn Kenyon’s fascinating books in her Dark-Hunter series. It was so nice!!! Then of course, I saw what my knee injury looked like almost two weeks later still but hey, at least I’m not limping as much.

The co-pay is how much???

All four of us were seen by the doctor last Monday. What a killing they made in co-pays today! My hubby was treated for pink eye & his continued hacking cough. I was cleared for pink eye (but treated for it to prevent it to getting to the kids) & then scheduled for a CT-scan since my goose egg on my noggin still throbs frequently. My son & daughter were both cleared for pink eye as well. On the other hand, my daughter was diagnosed with a double ear infection. That was a surprise. Not exactly the president’s holiday we expected!

Our son mixes the STRANGEST foods; like today he decided to mix his grill cheese sandwich in his bowl of applesauce (thus the picture you see). I don’t understand it but at least he ate it without coaxing! I, on the other hand, made some bacon which my hubby & I love to snack on.

Afterwards he made a path with his floor tiles (putting the numbers in the right order) & then wearing his fire helmet & crashing fire truck into his ‘castle’ made of bowls. He thought it was the funniest thing ever! He has the most infectious laugh ever.

Fossils & more!

A small local museum had a presentation on dinosaurs that included many fossil replicas. Our son sat on the floor with the other kids for awhile until he started getting cranky. A fifteen minute nap in the car was definitely not enough. After the presentation, he & I really enjoyed our ‘date’ together exploring the other animals in the exhibit. We had a wonderful time together, he & I!

Tastes like chicken!

Today at lunchtime, our son was goofing around & pretended to take a ‘bite’ out of his sister’s head. Then he looked up, smiled & said, “Tastes like chicken!” We all burst out laughing. I think he might have gotten it from the barnyard movie.

Promised party pics

Some pictures from our son’s valentine's preschool party as promised…

New theater decor

My in-laws have finished putting up their new ‘theater décor’ for their home theater. Doesn’t it look cool?

Sewing has begun again!

I got an early birthday present from my mother today. It was a sewing machine that I got to practice with this evening. Finally I was able to re-familiarize myself with sewing again, I made an Indian headband for my son & a small 'blanket' for my daughter. He thought it was so cool & she loved the silky blanket!

Hold the lemon, please!

This makes me think twice about using lemons in public restaurants & bars!

Achy breaky head!

The huge bump on my head (where I fell during snowboarding lessons last weekend) still throbs. It only hurts around the bump itself versus my entire head throbbing when I move it. Still... not sure if it's because of the neck tension. Still I told my hubby that I would try snowboarding again with the right protective gear. So he bought me a helmut, waterproof overalls & kneepads. Yes, I am his 'delicate flower' as he calls me & prone to injury. I enjoy hiking, canoeing, kayaking & horseback riding but I really struggle with active sports (such as snow & water skiing, snowboarding & wafeboarding). Normally I would say forget it but I know how important this is to my hubby that I give this a try. He really wants our entire family to continue the tradition of ski trips together.

College Tragedy Strikes Again

Today is a day when people are supposed to celebrating their love. Instead there are families out there mourning the loss or injury of their loved ones, all because of a man who went on a shooting rampage at Northern Illinois University. After killing seven students & injuring 16 other, he then turned the gun on himself. Eighteen people were directly involved & most treated at the hospital. Those poor students had their lives cut short & so many more traumitized forever more. None of them will have this woman's future similar to Edna Parker. It makes you wonder if this was spurred by a lover's quarrel, loneliness or rage. Either way, it's compeletely senseless!


Let me just ask all of you... what is the point of ending others' lives when you are ending yours??? Having experienced depression in the past myself, I never once thought about hurting others to punish them. How does that make sense? Murder & suicide effects everyone. If anyone has depression, unhealthy thoughts or contemplating suicide, please get help! For everyone else, the 'Out of the Darkness' walk is an excellent way to raise awareness for those who have suffered or will suffer in the future.


I'm very thankful that nobody we knew is safe & was not involved. Others were not so lucky. In a society like this, how can anyone feel safe sending their kids to school anywhere, especially a college campus? Life is sometimes downright really scare. Our thoughts are with the families & friends involved...


For those interested... here are additional article links.

• Chicago Tribune
• Chicago Sun-Times
• ABC News
• Local Va. Tech survivor reacts to NIU shooting

UPDATE as of 2/15 at 7 AM: One victim have been identified here.

Valentines Party... preschool style!

Our son loved his preschool valentine's party. One of our friends posted some pictures from the party. I'll try posting my own tomorrow.


Funny thing is that our son kept making more reasons to have another party... like a birthday party for Santa Claus!

Love is in the air!

Happy Valentine's Day! Whether you have someone special in your life or not, always remember that your family & friends love you always & see who you really are. Never forget that...

As for us, my hubby has been laid up with his severe cold & cough since Monday. Tonight is the first time all week he's felt like he made any improvement. My mother helped us out a lot this week. My knee is making improvement but still needs frequent rest.

A head & knee injury later...

Last week was crazy! We got 13.5 inches of snow in 24 hours so we made the best of it. Grandma & myself played with my son in the snow while Kaylee slept soundly & Daddy snowblowed the driveway (until the metal handle bent & he had to jerry-rig it). Grandma gave her grandson a sled ride around the block. My son & I made snow angels, had Daddy bury us in the snow & then made a snow mountain with Grandma’s help. Okay… so maybe it was supposed to be a snowman until we realized it was constantly mis-formed. It worked out regardless. Later that day, Grandma made castles with our son while our daughter watched while gumming her toy. My hubby went to exercise & I got a massage to work out the kink in my back (from a few days prior).

On Friday, our daughter went to the doctor for her cold (which is even worse now with her cough). Then we dropped the kids off at Grandma & Grandpa’s & I cleaned up the car at home while my hubby did some work. Once my sister-in-law & her hubby arrived, we headed north. As we started to watch a movie for the evening, I had a minor mishap on the stairs. I misjudged the width of the stairs & took a step too big thereby landing all my weight on my left pinky toe on slate tile. I proceeded to lose my balance & slam my ear into the doorjamb corner. Yup… I’m smooth!





As we headed to the ski resort, all prepared in our winter sports gear, I was still limping slightly & should have taken that as a sign of things to come. We figured out how to put on the snowboard boots, got our boards & met our snowboard instructor, Brent. He was very friendly, encouraging & helpful. We knew this was going to hurt but… man, we all really got banged up. About an hour & half into it, I was starting to get the hang of it when I banged my head a zillionth time; this time it was EXTRA HARD. It really stunned me & brought tears to my ears & throbbing pain through my head. I finally got up & kept going. About half hour later, my head was throbbing so bad, I was somewhat dizzy on occasion & couldn’t focus. So I rested for about two hours until my head stopped throbbing every time I moved it. Then I went back outside with the gang. My hubby stayed with me, helping me practice & remember what we had learned. Meanwhile my sister-in-law hubby practiced more & then went to conquer the next hill. My third time down, I was going to fast & couldn’t stop or turn. When I did manage to fall, it was HARD on my right knee! I couldn’t even manage to kneel on it afterwards to get up because it hurt so bad. Realizing I was done for the day, I limped back & returned my gear. Upon inspection of my bruises, I noticed I had developed an ‘extra kneecap’ on my right knee from the last fall (hence my inability to walk right or continue snowboarding). My first thought was, “Please don’t tell me I have a bone there!” The first aid nurse checked it out & said it looked like a popped blood vessel but to stay off of it & ice it for the next 24 hours. She kept offering to page my hubby for him to pick me up but I was too stubborn for that. I limped back upstairs, found a table in the bar where I sat icing my knee, drinking cappuccinos & crocheted a blanket. Two guys joined me at the table briefly while they warmed up & kept me company. They even bought one of my drinks in return for ‘sharing my table’. I told them it wasn’t necessary but it was sweet.

That evening, we headed home & stayed overnight at my folks since we were so tired. Once we woke up & realized every muscle (even ones we didn’t even know existed) ached to high heaven, we crawled back into bed where my parents let us sleep until 1 pm. It wasn’t until Tuesday that we could begin to move without moaning in pain every time. Unfortunately for us, we’ve both been hit with another cold on top of the cold we’ve been recovering from. My poor hubby has been coughing up both lungs & was like death warmed over the past two days. Now my daughter & I seem to be developing this cough too. Our daughter is already congested enough. My hubby & I have also had extremely sore throats to the point where we got checked for strep throat which was negative thankfully. Still our doctor gave us antibiotics to treat our throats just in case.

In other news, the medication I started for my recent migraines seems to be working. I haven’t really felt ‘in a fog’ like my doctor said & have definitely had fewer migraines. I’m very thankful for that! At least our son is healthy for his Valentine parties at school this week. (Let's not talk about how much sugar he had!!!) It’s the little things that count too.

Where are those sore muscles?

Wouldn't it be cool if there was an x-ray that could show which muscles are how sore using colors???

Success!

On Tuesday, we voted along with the majority of the country. We were thrilled when over 60% of voters voted yes to pass the local school referendum to expand & maintain our school system. It’s a good thing too, because otherwise drastic action such as cutting the preschool programs & reducing kindergarten to half-days would have been done. That would only have been the beginning.

Snow, Blue Hair & Game Night

Last week I was doing grocery shopping & running errands with the kids when it began to snow. Meanwhile, after work, my hubby had to take our cat to the vet so she could get her bi-annual exam. While our cat did fine, the snow continued to come down heavier & coat the roads. After an hour long drive home in the snow, we got home safe & sound. Later that evening, our son was having difficulty getting to sleep. So while Daddy calmed him down & to sleep; I went outside & shoveled the driveway. I took all the snow from our driveway & made a big hill for our son. A neighbor & I chatted a bit while we both worked in the dark silence with snow still falling. There was something so peaceful about it all.

The next morning my husband & son were in awe of the snow mountain I had made the evening before. My son was even a little intimidated by it because it was taller than him! That evening my in-laws came over to baby-sit while my hubby & I went out for a wonderful date night. We had a delicious Italian dinner at a local family restaurant, shared a bottle of dessert wine & then saw the movie ’27 Dresses’. The movie was a perfect date night movie – romantic, funny & with a happy ending.




Last Saturday I went to the salon where I got my dark blue highlights which are very blended very well into my dark brown hair. I like how it looks & am glad I started out dark. Next time, I think I’ll get somewhat brighter dark blue highlights.





Afterwards we went to a family game night at my aunt & uncle’s where we had a blast. The kids were great & went to sleep with Grandma. Then we got to have some adult time with my relatives. As you can tell, we got goofy (as my family does!). Towards the end of the evening, I started getting congested from the cold my hubby brought home from his ski trip. Still, it was a great evening.

Sunday my hubby took care of me when I felt even worse! He gave me a bath, back massage & made breakfast for me. That afternoon I finally got our mountain of laundry done. Otherwise, we spent our day relaxing & didn’t really watch the Superbowl game. (I know… shocking!) Truth be told, we forgot it was even on until pone of our friends texted us! How funny is that, especially when it’s one of the most sought advertising time slots ever!

Ski Trip to Snowmass!

This is her hubby. I just got back from our annual ski trip with my dad and sister. We had a great time as always. I created a short video from our trip. Enjoy!