Back To School

Summer vacation flew by too quickly as it always does.  My kids got on the bus this morning for their first day of 1st and 4th grades.  The morning went very easy.  They were both awake and dressed early and wore their back packs a half hour earlier then they needed to.  Because of the solar eclipse taking place later today the school is letting them out early.  We have our special solar eclipse glasses and are ready for the big event. 

Another school year has begun and we are back to that normal routine.  I hope and pray the kids have a good year and continue to do well. 

I got a job working in the cafeteria at the high school three hours a day but can't start until all of my clearances come back.  I am excited to get back to work.  It's been 10 years since I've earned a paycheck and this will be a small one but it will help.  I'm also happy to find a job that will allow me to be home when the kids are home.  That was a big deal to me. 

My Baby Girl Is 6

We just celebrated our little girl's 6 birthday.  I don't know how these last 6 years went by as fast as they did.

The day started with me having to go to orientation for my new job, more of that later, then we started birthday fun with presents.  I bought her one of those generic American Girl dolls because I'd rather spend $30 for a doll than over $100.  She also got some Shopkins and a swing set for her Barbie dolls.  Then we went to Build A Bear where both kids made bears and then to Chuck E Cheese for dinner and fun.  The evening ended with a sleepover at Grandma and Grandpa's house.  She seemed to enjoy the day.  Last weekend we went to a local theater to see Peter Pan and had cake at my parents' house.

She's still small for her age but I tell her never to let that bother her.  It does annoy me when people have to mention how little she is.  So what?  That's how God made her and she is perfect in His eyes.  She loves pink, sparkles and is everything girly girl.  She even loves wearing makeup and received a makeup kit from the grandparents.  She only uses it at home for dress up.  Never outside of the house except for dance recitals.  I look at her and realize age 16 isn't going to be that far off and I don't want her to grow up so quickly.  Between makeup and always talking about being a mother someday I fear she will.  I'm going to hold onto that little girl for as long as I can.

She joined the children's choir at church and loves it.  We also signed her up for another year of dance; this time taking one ballet and one tap class instead of the combined class.  I love watching as she dances around and she's so graceful.  I also love watching as she continues to use her imagination.  This girl has such a love for God and for others.  She's always willing to help out those in need and I'm sure her career will involve helping others somehow.

She's a blessing.  I am privileged to be her mother and I thank God for this opportunity every day. 

Skate Park Summer Fun

Summer vacation is going by very fast.  In three weeks the kids will be back to school.  I can't believe it.  So far the summer has been very laid back.  Aside from our trip to the beach we haven't gone on any other vacations.  We haven't even had many play dates for the kids.  My daughter was able to play with her friend from kindergarten Elee a few times.  Elee (Erin Lee) came on Saturday for an early morning play date while her brother was at his wrestling tournament.  Elee is filled with energy and she kept us all moving but that was great.  She's a good kid and unlike a lot of kids that come over she wasn't destructive and out of control.  So, come back any time Elee!  We love having you here. 

On Sunday we took the kids to a nearby skate park.  I took the kids to the skate park last year but my husband never saw it.  It's really cool.  A huge skate park that was build in memory of a 14 year old boy who had died years ago.  The ages of the kids who were there vary.  The younger kids use scooters and the older guys use skateboards.  I am impressed by those guys on skateboards.  I can't even stay balanced on a skateboard so forget about trying those jumps and tricks.  My son has a skateboard but he hasn't quite figured out how to use it so he used his scooter and my daughter brought her three wheel scooter too.  She was the only girl there.  It was a nice free thing to do.  Although, the day was hot!

Quiet Time

I wanted to come on here and write.  It's a very quiet and kid free day for me.  My parents took the kids for a few nights and I will be picking them up tomorrow.  I feel so grateful that my parents are always willing to take them, even though my dad has a lot to deal with taking care of my mother.  I know having the kids with him brings him some excitement and he enjoys it.  As much as I miss the kids I am enjoying the quiet time.  I have been getting things done around the house without any interruptions.  My husband and I are going out to dinner tonight.  It's nice when we have time for just the two of us. 

On Monday when I dropped the kids off for the start of their grandparent vacation I joined them for some fishing and a swim in the pool.  Fishing is something my dad has enjoyed since he was a little boy.  I was surprised to see just how much my son enjoys it as well.  I guess it helped that he kept reeling in one catfish after another, and one time he had two on one hook. It was a great day.  I enjoy spending as much time as I can with my parents.  My mother is over 70 and my dad will be 70 at the end of the summer so the years with them are growing shorter and shorter. 

Speaking of time, I just realized that I have had this blog for 5 years.  I haven't really told anyone about this blog so I know it doesn't have much traffic coming through and that's okay.  I love having a place to write and share my current events.  I started another blog Running With Sunshine that is for more formal writings just like many other blogs out there.  However, I love blogging the old fashion way.  Instead of the How To's and stuff like that I more enjoy those blogs where people are sharing their day to day experiences.  Social media and blogging has definitely changed the way we are and opens the door for lots of judgement and criticism; pointing out when another mothers or someone is doing something wrong.  It's silly.  I like blogging because it gives me a place to keep track of our events.  A lot of times I go back and read something and realize it was something I had forgotten about.  When I was on Xanga I ended up meeting a lot of other bloggers from all over the country and it was so cool reading what was going on in their lives and reading the comments they left on my page.  I miss that part a lot.  I miss Xanga.  Blogger has been fun but nothing will ever compare to Xanga. 

I am going to enjoy a few more hours of this quiet time before hubby gets home.  I might do something special to mark this 5 year on Blogger anniversary. 

Delaware Vacation

A few weeks ago we enjoyed a short three day vacation to the beach.  My husband came up with the idea to try Dewey Beach in Delaware.  None of us have ever been to the Delaware beaches but have heard so much about them.  I was born on Long Island, surrounded by beaches, so I guess you can say I was born with salt water in my veins.  I love the beach.  I know it's not for everyone.  Some complain about sand getting into places ... ha ha.  It doesn't bother me.  There's truly something about being at the ocean that gives me a feeling of peace.  I feel such a closeness to heaven there.

We arrived at Dewey Beach and stayed at this hotel here:

I wouldn't say it was as great as the reviews said it was but we were able to get the rooms for a great price and it was a decent place to stay.  To be honest, I don't like hotels.  No matter how cheap or how fancy I hate staying at hotels.  Sleeping in a bed that was shared with many strangers before me and imagining all that they were doing on that bed ... gross.  Even with clean sheets ... gross.  I don't like hotels but I deal with it.

Once we arrived it was too early to check in so we sat on the beach and ate our packed lunch and dipped our feet into the waves.  The kids LOVED the water.  Throughout the vacation all they wanted to do was splash and play in the waves.  They went in as far as I would let them.

Once we received the okay that our room was ready we checked out the room, unpacked our things, put on the swim suits and headed back to the beach.

We also spent some time at the hotel pool.  My daughter loved it because it was on the roof.  I don't enjoy public pools as much as I don't enjoy hotel beds.

We ate dinner at Grotto's Pizza.  We heard so many good things about that pizza place and it was our first experience.  My husband loved it so much he insisted on going back the next day for dinner.

Wednesday was a bit chilly and windy.  It wasn't beach weather at all.  We drove one mile over to Rehobeth Beach and spent some time there.  Rehobeth is much more crowded then Dewey.  There's a boardwalk filled with shops and restaurants.  We checked out some shops.  Bought some taffy and t-shirts for the kids.  My kids really couldn't wait to go to Fun Land, a little amusement park for kids right on the boardwalk.  We bought some tickets and let them ride some rides.

Then we headed back to Dewey.  The water was too cold and my daughter was starting to get sick but we made the best of it.

On our last day we spent the morning at the beach, walking around with our bare feet in the sand and splashed a little in the water.  As much as I enjoyed the beach there was a part of me that couldn't wait to get home.

I believe we will be back to both Dewey and Rehobeth Beaches.  It was a great, relaxing vacation that we all needed.

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!