Another Season Over

We are officially into summer vacation.  School ended a few weeks ago but this weekend was the last of baseball and dance.  My son had also finished cub scouts.  So, we can all take a deep breath and relax for a few months.  I can have a break from rushing to get dinner done early and my husband can take a break from having to hurry home from work and eat dinner as quickly as possible.  I love, love, love that my kids are so involved in after school activities but it can definitely wear you out! 

I am proud of my kids.  They are doing so well in their lives.  My son's grades could have been better but I won't complain about them.  Hey, he's better at school than I was.  He received an award from our State Representative.  In scouts he bridged over to Webelos and has two more years until he can become a boy scout.  I'm not sure if he will continue but he is willing to finish up the cub scouts.  He also finished his first year in kid pitch baseball.  He did very well with it.  It seems each season he gets better and better and his attitude and enjoyment towards the game improves as well.  He wants to keep going with baseball. 

Yesterday my daughter had her second recital.  It was titled "From Ballet to Broadway" and it was her dance school's 20th anniversary.  The first act was "Belle's Enchanted Garden" and she was a butterfly. 

She loves dancing and wants to keep going.  I would love to see her do so and even though it's going to get even more expensive I am willing to do whatever it takes to make sure we can afford to allow her to do so.  It's already clear to see she has both the passion and the feet for dancing. 

I am looking forward to a relaxing summer filled with vacations, outings and plenty of fun.  First vacation - the beach!  Yay! 

20 Years Later

It was June of 1997 when I walked down the aisle towards the superintendent and high school principal wearing that hideous yellow cap and gown.  As a lot of people did, the superintendent mispronounced my large Polish last name, but without hesitation I stood up and received my diploma.  I did it.  Somehow I did it.  School wasn't something I was ever interested in.  I hated it (sshhh ... don't tell my kids).  I missed a lot of school my senior year and I didn't try academically as much as I know I could have.  I just wasn't into it.  But, nonetheless, I did it.  I passed.  I graduated.

That was 20 years ago!

It truly is hard to believe that two decades have gone by already.  Time does fly.  I am definitely not the same person I was then.  18 years old, depressed, clueless, unmotivated and unsure of what the future was going to be like.  Wow.  I can't believe I was ever that type of person.  What was I thinking?  Those four years of high school went by so fast and I didn't enjoy any of it.  As I look back and think about those years I really do wish I would have had a different attitude.  Sure, there are some things I wouldn't have changed but there's a lot I wish I could change.  It's too late for that but it's not too late for me to make sure my children do better.

Facebook has allowed me the opportunity to get in touch with all of my friends from school and I'm thankful for that.  Everyone has changed and it's nice to see how far everyone has come in their lives.  I'm happy for all of them, even those that weren't very nice to me.  I wish them all well.  I have no grudges.  I wasn't bullied in high school and I did have a lot of friends but I wasn't what's considered "popular" either.  My attitude was awful.  I just didn't care.  My grades were C average.  My attendance was horrible because there were so many days when I woke up too depressed and too unmotivated.

Life in high school wasn't all that bad though.  For two years, both sophomore and junior years, I was part of the colorguard in the band.  It was a fun experience to dance and toss flags around the football field every game and for the competitions.  We took a trip to Toronto, Canada with the band.  During my senior year I decided to stop doing colorguard and got a job instead.  My dad told me it was one or the other.  I had babysat my neighbor kids for a few years but becoming a server at a retirement home was my first official job.  It wasn't the best job but it was money.

Then came graduation.

sporting that hideous gold cap and gown with my awesome grandparents

I was so happy to be finished with school and I went on to spend one semester in community college.  I wanted to study journalism but after one semester I changed to business school.  Ahh, business school.  That is when life got better!  

I just cannot believe it's been 20 years since the last time I walked down the hallway of high school.  

Congratulations to the new graduates, Class of 2017!

Mother's Day 2017

"Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all" -- Proverbs 31

These were two moments when I learned that love at first sight does exist.  I will never forget those times of seeing my babies for the first time.  After carrying them for 40 weeks I couldn't wait to see their faces and to hold them.  Motherhood is quite an adventure and it's all worth it.  I wake up early, get them ready for school, make sure they go to every doctor and dentist appointment, make sure they understand the importance of good hygiene, help them with school work and celebrate in all of their accomplishments, rush one to dance class and cheer on the other during baseball games.  Even when it's' cold and rainy I make sure I can get a good view of my son while he's at bat or playing on the field.  All the whining, crying, runny noses and complaining of boredom.  The fights between the two that I have to break up but then the times I see them sharing and helping one another.  Making sure there is a warm meal for them every evening and plenty of snacks and treats to fill their hungry bellies in between meals.  Everything I do as a mother is worth it.  I do believe in teaching my kids how to be independent and I won't do stuff for them that they can do for themselves.  When I see them accomplish a task without asking for help I feel like that part of my job is fulfilled.  As Dr. Phil always says, "You aren't raising kids, you are raising adults."  I want to make sure that my children grow up to be independent, self-sufficient, responsible, respectful adults.  It takes a lot of work, doesn't it?

Yesterday was probably the best Mothers Day I have experienced.  I was told I could sleep in but, of course, I woke up early.  I stayed in bed and waited until the kids came in to get me.  My son prepared a delicious strawberry pancake and bacon breakfast.  I was presented with a beautiful bouquet of flowers that my daughter picked out, presents from my husband and handmade cards from the kids.  Then my son helped with lunch and also dinner.  My parents came over to spend most of the day with us.  After my mom's stroke 5 years ago each year with her is a blessing.  My husband cleaned up.  I didn't have to lift a finger yesterday.  It was nice.  My husband and kids did an excellent job at making me feel special.  I love them so much.

Becoming a mother has been the greatest gift and I am so honored that God chose me to be the mom of these two.  They make me smile and laugh all the time.  Since they have been born I can't imagine what my life would be like without them.  They have given me a purpose and drive me to be the best person I can be.  It's an amazing thing.  I am blessed!

A day late but wishing all you beautiful mommies out there a Happy Mother's Day.  You are all awesome! 

Drowning In Housework

 This is me drowning in housework!

I have been spending my days cleaning and organizing and getting ready for a yard sale in a few weeks.  My ultimate goal is to declutter this house and have a better storage system for everything we decide to keep.  It's just too much.

In a few weeks the kids will be finished with school so I'm trying to get through it all.

Hooked on Instagram ... and now Snapchat

Oh my goodness!  For years I avoided Twitter but when I found out my dad has a Twitter account I joined.  It's all basically just political blah and I'm not really impressed with it.  Then I decided to join Instagram and I love it.  I know it sounds silly but I followed a bunch of singers and celebrities that I like.  It's fun to be able to take a glance into their everyday lives.  I have become hooked on it ... but not in a freaky stalkerish kind of way.  As a housewife I spend my entire day cleaning the house so it's nice to be able to take a random break here and there to jump on my phone and check for the updates.  I also have some family and friends on there and it's really nice to see their updates.  I have been on Facebook for many years and that has been a great way to keep in touch with everyone; however, lately it seems to have turned into a platform where people can post their political views and share false information.  It's so annoying.  I keep going back and forth with whether or not I want to stick with Facebook.  I like it.  I do.  But I decided I'm going to go back to taking a break from it.  It's not worth jumping on there to see something that's going to put me in a bad mood.  Instagram is just pictures and videos that people post without the drama.  I like it that way.

And if having all that wasn't enough, I also discovered Snapchat a few days ago.  All the Snapchat filters are so cute and my kids enjoy taking pictures and vidoes of themselves.  They laugh at themselves but they also fight over my phone with it.  So, we'll have to work on that.

Yes, I'm a 38 year old mother who plays with Snapchat.  Welcome to my world ha ha.

I absolutely think my daughter is so cute in this video.  She came up with it all on her own.  "I have lost my mother."

Sunrise

This is on the Firefox search engine today.

Now, if I can get myself to wake up early enough to watch the sunrise. 

Easter 2017

Easter is always a great time.  It's such an important holiday.  Okay, let me change that, it is the most important holiday and any Christian would know why.  To think of what Jesus went through is so incredibly sad but to know why He did it is the most amazing thing in the world.  Thank you, Jesus!

The kids spent two nights of their long weekend at my parents house.  I used that opportunity to redecorate the rec room.  Then on Saturday night we went to a hockey game.  This was my first hockey game.  It was okay.  I'm not too into sports like my husband and son but it was a fun time.  Go Hershey Bears!

On Sunday morning we all dressed up and went to church.  My mother-in-law joined us for the service and we invited her to stop over for dinner.  My parents were already expected to be there.  I prepared ham, mashed potatoes, corn, carrots and rolls.  I was going to also make a lasagna but totally forgot ... oops.  We had cake for dessert and painted eggs after.  We usually paint eggs sometime within the week before Easter but we had no time.  Life is so busy lately.