MERRY CHRISTMAS 2019

Did everyone have a nice Christmas?

We did!

We celebrated with my father-in-law and sister-in-law last Sunday.  It's unfortunate to say we aren't very close to my husband's side of the family and they aren't very friendly with me.  I didn't feel very welcomed by them.  For years I've watched their nasty stares as they are obviously silently judging me and I hear from extended family all the mean things they spread about me.  I don't know why.  We don't even see them very often and honestly, I'm glad about that.  My daughter developed a bad headache while we were there so it was a short visit.

On Christmas Eve we went to Long Island, where I am from.  My parents, who live here in PA, traveled there too.  My sister throws a fun Christmas Eve party where all the family gathers.  My sisters, brothers-in-law, brother, sister-in-law and all the nieces and nephews.  Also, some extended family and friends who have become family.  My family is loud, vulgar, and love to drink alcohol.  My kids seemed to be a little intimidated by that because it's a behavior they aren't used to but they had fun with their little cousins (my great nieces and great nephews).  We really did have a great time.  It's been 4 years since the last time we made the trip for Christmas.  The years I'm not there are hard for me.  So this was a special Christmas.  Traveling to New York is expensive and a long drive so we don't make an effort to go very often, but whenever I'm with my family it's always filled with laughter and fun.

My parents, sisters and brother and me.  With my mom's declining health it's hard to know if this will be her last Christmas, or at least the last one she will be able to travel.  These people are a blessing. 

The cousins photo.  My two kids and nieces and nephews.  One was home sick and one is celebrating in heaven.  It's amazing how much the family has grown.  

Just a couple proud aunts with our nephew, who recently joined the Air Force.  

We spent the night at a Hampton Inn and woke up Christmas morning and ate a delicious breakfast before heading home.  It was a quick trip because we needed to pick up the dog at our friends' house and we wanted to celebrate Christmas Day in our home opening gifts.  When we arrived home my son was surprised with a PlayStation 4 and some games.  It's what he wanted.  My daughter had an art set waiting for her, which is what she wanted.  And so many more gifts.  My husband surprised me with tickets to see Lauren Daigle this summer and a backstage pass to meet her.  I'm so excited.  Her music is so inspiring and inspirational.  My daughter will be going too.  Next month my daughter will be in a winter recital and will be dancing to one of her songs.  

It was truly a fun Christmas.  

This Sunday my mother-in-law will be coming over.  Again, it's much like I described in my first paragraph, but I stay quiet and deal with it all for the sake of my husband and kids.  

We also never forget the true meaning of the holiday, which is the birth of our Lord and Savior.  We had to miss Christmas Eve service but we did go last Sunday.  I'm forever thankful for the gift of Jesus and his sacrifice for me.   

A Young Loss

Last week we learned of a 17 year old senior in our town who died from gun shot wounds.  Her and a few friends were driving through the city when they were shot by someone in another vehicle.  At first we had no idea why they were driving through the city but I recently heard a rumor they had bought some drugs, didn't pay for them so the dealer followed them and shot them.  That's heavy.  This was a girl that my 8 year old daughter had met when playing at a friend's house.  She was a friend of her friend's sister.  Everyone is making this girl out to be someone who was a good kid with a great reputation.  Maybe she was, but she was a good kid who made a poor choice that led to her death.  Regardless of her choices, she didn't deserve to die.  She was young and maybe naïve but had a full life ahead of her.  Teenagers make a ton of mistakes but she'll never have the chance to learn from it and grow from it.  There's also a family and a lot of friends who are left grieving.

This news left me feeling very sad.  She worked at a nearby restaurant and was our server last month when we ate there.  This definitely shook our town and school district.  She was a popular girl and was admired by many.  It also left me feeling worried when it comes to my own children.  Granted, they are only 8 and 12 and so far seem to be very level headed kids, but who knows what their future is going to be like and the kind of influences that will surround them.  They will be going to the same  high school this girl went to and will be around many kids who are into all sorts of negative and illegal things.  I can only do my part in providing as much knowledge as possible to them and teaching them that it's important to make good choices that will lead them to a successful future.  Currently they seem to be on the right track.  They talk about how dumb it is to smoke and do drugs.  I'm hoping they keep those same thoughts when they are teens and young adults.  When their friends start to get into bad habits I hope they are brave enough to walk away.

This is a parent's worst nightmare.

Happy Homemaker Monday - 12/9/19

The Weather Outside Is:

Rain for the next few days and then snow Tuesday night into Wednesday.  

On The Breakfast Plate This Morning:

A bowl of frosted flakes, a cup of coffee and then a cup of cranberry juice.  

As I Look Outside My Window:

Dark, foggy and drizzling.  

Right Now I Am:

Typing this up, of course.  I just finished vacuuming the floor and inside the couch.  The stuff that gets stuck inside the couch is gross, oh my.  Also, threw a load of wash into the wash machine and another in the dryer.  Trying to get as much cleaning done as possible before I head into work.  

As I Look Around The House:

The usual mess left behind from the weekend, although I did start to clean some of it.  The Christmas tree stands in the corner of the living room and lots of other decorations are around.  

On Today's To Do List:

Finish laundry, straighten up, head to work for my three hours in the cafeteria, figure out a menu plan for the week.  Take Bri to dance class tonight.  

On This Week's To Do List:

Monday - tap for Bri

Tuesday - basketball for Matt

Wednesday - basketball pictures

Thursday - basketball practice

Friday - ballet and praise classes for Bri

Saturday - pancake breakfast with scouts, basketball game

Sunday - church, rest!

On The Menu This Week:

I must confess, when it comes to having a full menu plan I stink at it.  I love being able to plan ahead and have everything purchased in one shopping trip but that doesn't seem to happen lately.  Tonight will be pork chops and tomorrow will be tacos but that's all I have so far.  

Currently Reading:

Nothing at the moment.  I haven't had the time.  

On The TV This Week:

Fuller House season 5 on Netflix 

Christmas movies

What I Am Creating At The Moment:

Whenever I find the free time I sit at my laptop and type up a story idea I have.  Getting a book published is my ultimate life goal.  

Prayers, Inspirational Quotes, Or Devotionals:

"I believe in Christ, like I believe in the sun - not because I can see it, but by it I can see everything else" -- C.S. Lewis

If you are interested in participating in Happy Homemaker Monday you can do so by going to the creator Sandra's page here.  

Have a wonderful and blessed week, friends!!  

Starting The Dream

As any good parent, we want what's best for our children.  I certainly do.  I may not always be able to afford to give them all that they want and that's okay.  Money isn't everything.  But dreams are.  I've always been a dreamer but never did much to fulfill any of them, sadly.  I want my kids to have dreams too and even though they may not succeed in all of them I'd like for them to at least try.  I also want to do my part in helping them achieve every goal and dream possible.

My daughter has loved to dance before she could even walk.  She would sit on the floor and just bounce around.  As a child I took ballet but only lasted five years.  I grew bored with it.  I regretted that later.  So when I had a daughter I decided to put her in dance class.  This is her fifth year and she loves it.  So far, her plan is to start teaching dance class when she's in high school and then attend college to become an elementary school teacher by day and a dance teacher at night.  It sounds like a pretty good plan.  She's still very young and that could change and I'm okay with that.  For now, I enjoy watching her.

For the second year she has joined her dance studio as they hosted Moscow Ballet's Great Russian Nutcracker.  It's such an amazing experience where the young dancers are invited to join the professionals on stage.  She missed school that day because of having to be there early and I took off work so I could help her get ready and volunteer until show time.  We started the day with a little relaxing at home, then getting her hair and makeup ready.  We arrived at the theater just before 1pm.  The young dancers tried on costumes, had professional pictures taken and then we hung out in the dressing room until the professionals showed up.  They were traveling from Maine, where they had a show the night before, and ran into traffic and bus trouble.  Luckily, they arrived in time for an hour of rehearsal before the show was ready to start.  Then I joined my family and Brianna's teacher from last year in the audience.  I'm not sure if Moscow Ballet will be back in our town next year but I really hope they do.  It's an amazing opportunity.

Today my son had a chance to hang out with some former professionals in baseball.  He often talks about wanting to play baseball in college and then going pro.  I told him if he goes in the majors he better buy me a mansion and he agreed.  So, I guess I better help the boy achieve his dream so I can get that mansion.  😂  He's been playing baseball since the age of five and, in all honesty, he isn't the best on the team, but he tries his hardest and has so much passion for the sport.  Even if he doesn't make it to the pros, or even gets a spot on a college team, I will still believe in him and support him no matter what. Besides, I may be biased but I think he can do it!   As a belated birthday present my husband scheduled a practice with Jason Aspito, a former MLB player and a former player on our minor league team.  He runs a place in our county for baseball training along with some other former minor league players.  So that's where they went this morning.  It's a good experience for him.

Thank you Moscow Ballet and Backyard Baseball for making these events possible.

My kids are by far living a better life than I ever experienced or imagined.

Hello December

Hello everyone … happy Monday and happy December.  How did we get to December already?

I had typed up the Happy Homemaker Monday and then it deleted everything.  Ugh.  I have a new laptop with a very tricky and sensitive mouse.  I was able to get back in since it saved but when I tried again it deleted everything and when I tried to go back in everything was gone.  I thought Blogger automatically saved?  This happens when I start typing after posting a picture.  I'm not sure why but it's very frustrating.  So instead of redoing the Happy Homemaker Monday I decided to just simply write a quick post.  Next time I'll be sure to write out the future HHM posts on my computer, instead of this laptop.

It's a chilly day and we're expecting snow and rain.  We had a lot of rain yesterday and over night but so far this morning it's been dry.  The snow was supposed to start at 9am and so far nothing.  Don't you just love how wrong the weather forecast can be?  I hardly ever rely on it anymore.  The radar on my phone shows the rain and snow on top of us now but when I look out my window there's nothing going on.

The kids are enjoying their final day off of Thanksgiving vacation.  Here in PA they have off the Monday after for hunting season.  We are not hunters, so instead, we enjoy a relaxing day at home.  My parents are on their way to take our daughter to the movies to see Frozen 2.  My son didn't want to go so instead he and I will be doing some Cyber Monday shopping and I do need to run to the grocery store too.  The good thing about not doing a HHM post is I don't have a menu planned for the week yet.  Since we had a big Thanksgiving meal on Thursday and days since of eating leftovers, today I plan on making a garden salad with chicken strips.  Simple.  Healthy.  Then my daughter has to go to her tap class tonight.  Tomorrow she has rehearsal for The Nutcracker and on Wednesday is the show.  She'll be missing school on Wednesday and I'll be missing work because she has to be there early.  This will be the second year she's been part of the Dance With Me Program with Moscow Ballet's Great Russian Nutcracker.  It's such a fun experience.

So, back to my first thought.  How did we get to December already?  Where has this year gone?  I can't say it's been the greatest year with having three skin cancer surgeries and a face that is full of scars and I'm hoping 2020 is better.  As for now, my focus is getting ready for Christmas.  We decorated last Friday and shopping for presents has only begun.  The older my kids get the more expensive their requests are.  This is the first year my son stopped believing in Santa and it's very sad for me.  He's also been filled with attitude lately and it's frustrating.  Help me!

Enjoy your week, friends!

Matthew is 12!

Over the weekend my son turned 12 years old.  He's my oldest and the one who made me a mother.  It's amazing how quickly the years are passing.  I remember the day he was born, waking up throughout the night for endless feedings, his first word, first step, putting him on the school bus for his first day of school, and so much more.

He's always been affectionate and continues to be that way.  I'm sure all those hugs, kisses and "I love you mom" will slow down soon and I'm embracing it as much as possible.  He still plays with toys and loves using his imagination.  That too will change soon, I know.  It's hard to believe that in one year he will be a teenager.  A TEENAGER!  I'm not ready for it.

Since his birthday fell on a Sunday this year and his favorite NFL team was playing at home he wanted to go to a game.  This is something he and his father had never experienced before.  I joked and told him we couldn't afford it, even when we had purchased the tickets already.  I'm so glad we made his wish come true.  Bonus: his team won!  If you know anything about the Washington Redskins you know that they have some of the most loyal fans who stick with them through years of one defeat after another.  It was cool to know that they won.  Only the two guys went to the game while me and my daughter stayed home.  It was kind of hard not being with my boy on his birthday but I knew he was having the time of his life.

My boy is 12.  As I said, he's very affectionate and also kind.  He's shy around people but at home he talks A LOT.  He has a bit of a speech issue and is working on it with a speech teacher in school.  Academically he does very well in school.  He's in an advanced math club and, well, can do arithmetic a lot better than I ever could.  He's involved in boy scouts, baseball, basketball, and plays trumpet with the school band.  This boy can take the music he learns on the trumpet and play it on the piano.  I'm amazed at his abilities.  I'm so, so proud!  As much as he picks on his sister I know he loves her and it's nice to see how much he enjoys playing with her.  I'm not sure what the teenage years will bring but I'm grateful for this kid!

Day Out and Dance Observation

In the last few days I haven't been feeling well.  It hurts when I take deep breaths, my head hurts and my body aches.  The change in season already spikes my depression and gets me emotionally down.  It also makes me feel tired and all I want to do is bundle up under a blanket and relax.  Now I have this to deal with.  I got a flu shot last week so I'm hoping it's not from that.  I never had an issue after getting a flu vaccination before, but I do hear a lot of people end up sick afterwards.  I'm just hoping this doesn't turn into something worse.

I wanted to write a recap on my mother/son day on Saturday.  We went to the mall in the next county.  He's in need of winter clothes so I did buy him some new pants and treated him to a drink and pretzel at Auntie Anne's.  I also bought him a new Pop Figure, he collects them.  Then he played in the arcade.   It was a simple day but he and I both enjoyed the quality time.  He and I never have one on one time together so we decided to make this a regular thing.  I told him our next mother/son date would be snow tubing.  He told me he likes walking around the mall and seemed very happy with the day but I know snow tubing will be something more exciting and fun.  I cannot believe this boy will be 12 in a few weeks.

Also, last week and this week is observation week at dance.  I love getting to watch my daughter dance in her classes.  This year she's in three different classes.  Kids Ballet, Kids Tap 2, and Praise.  

Praise

Ballet

Tap

This is her fifth year of dance and she's come so far.  When I was a child I only made it five years in ballet and I'm hoping she goes further.  She definitely has the desire to.  The girl loved dancing even before she knew how to walk.