Looks Don't Last Forever.

Funny. Kind. Good looking. Compassionate. High, yet realistic goals in life. From a good family.  Isn't this what we all hope for when looking for a significant other? If you read the post before this one, it's pretty evident that I have been blessed enough to find all of these in TOH.  But the one I was most concerned with wasn't any of those. And almost 13 years later, I don't regret my (what some may consider) unordinary choice one bit.
You know when you're young and you start to really think about what you want in your 'perfect guy?' ...well, (WAY back) when I was in my early 20's, of course all of those standard qualities ran through my mind.  But for me...I wanted him to be from a big family.  Weird, I know.  Here's the deal. I am an only child. And as glamorous and wonderful as all of those who aren't think it is, it does have some negatives.  I wanted to be an aunt. An aunt to many, many neices and nephews.  I wanted my future kids to have a ton of cousins to play with.  I wanted the holidays to be full of chaos.
I do not lie when I tell you that on one of our first few dates, I made sure I found out all about the family. 
And I literally hit the jackpot.  Not only did I find out he had two brothers, but also two sisters. I could have sisters. Younger sisters.  It was fabulous.  And two weeks later, I invited myself to their house. It was crazy...crazy good. It was loud. People were wrestling. It was perfect.
The next summer, I lived with their entire family for the whole summer.  I shared a bedroom with both of his sisters.  It was the best summer ever.  And to this day, I am thankful.  We were just together two weeks ago, and it was awesome.  We had a huge family dinner, game night, birthday celebrations, and I spent my Friday night out with his parents and sisters-just me, no TOH (he had been up since 2am, so he and the girls were all asleep by 8pm!) - which I know for a fact is something many of my married friends would never even consider, let alone having a blast doing so.
I have different relationships with each of them and I love them all as if they were with me from the start.  I have seen all of them through happy, sad, and monumental moments in their lives and it is exactly what I had always hoped for.  Not only did I find an awesome husband with to-kill-for in-laws, but also four siblings who I wouldn't trade for the world (and to add to the fun, they each have spouses/significant others of their own who I love...like I said, jackpot).

Good looks usually pass with time.  Humor may lessen over the years.  But family, they're not going anywhere.  The memories you make with them are the ones that will last.  We've made some great ones so far, and we're only getting started.

(almost!) The whole crew...love you guys!

Believe It.

And he is.

I couldn't be luckier.

Happy Valentine's Day, DPW...

you make my world a better place.

Perspective

I've been told that after doing something for two weeks, it turns into a habit. Take not working out for example...(what is my obsession with this lately? Can you tell I haven't been doing it and feel guilty?)...after not exercising for quite awhile, you get into the habit of being lazy and don't have much motivation to get off your butt and move.  But once you finally realize that it's time, and more importantly, you get the energy to do so, the chances that you will suddenly change the way you think about the dreaded  'E-word' are pretty good. 
This post isn't about exercise.  I mean, after reading the post before this one, yes, it absolutely should be, but it's not.  Instead, it's about the other thing that has been taking up a lot of my time lately other than the cooking and the little ladies. 
After being at home with the girls for over a year, it was time for me to find something to do.  TOH's schedule had changed and it allowed me some free time in the afternoons and evenings.  So, to help keep up the old resume, my choice was to do some after-school tutoring.  I thought it would be easy, low-key, and something that would kick-start the 'teacher-brain' again.  And luckily, I found it to be all of the above...and more...
Before deciding to stay home with the girls, I taught for nine years.  That included Special Ed. (elementary, middle school, and high school) and a year of plain old, regular 2nd grade.  I saw a lot.  I taught at low-income schools, schools where a large majority of the population were farmers, and schools were kids were like the students on 90210.  Wow, dated myself on that one.  I was always the teacher.  I worked with the students for the 7 hours they were in school, assigned the homework, corrected the tests, and gave the feedback to the parents.  As a teacher, you always picture what it's like at home for each student, and you may know their parents and what their house looks like from the exterior, but you don't usually get the opportunity to really see how it 'works' on the inside each and every day. 
Being a tutor is eye-opening.  It's like nothing I would have ever imagined.  The company that I work for provides in-home tutoring and it has been a real game-changer for me.  I now see the students in their element..the ins and outs of their days..what they deal with each afternoon when they leave that school building.  Some don't get home until 6:00 at night.  Some have eight to ten people living in their home. I now understand why homework doesn't get finished, why it gets lost, why some students aren't prepared for the test, and why some come to school exhausted and hungry. 
This has been a life-lesson for me.  The perspective I have gained is invaluable. When I do return to the classroom as the teacher again, I will be different.  All of those little scenarios will be considered a bit more and I will be putting a little more heart into that 'picture' I have of each of my students.

A Machine

Treadmill. Elliptical. Stationary Bike. Weights. That's what most people would associate 'machine' with at the beginning of a new year.  Well, not this girl.  While everyone else is out there getting their skinny on, I have been busting my butt cooking up a whole lotta good eats at the casa.  So much so that Bug came into the kitchen tonight and her exact words were, 'Mama, you have been making SO many recipes lately!!'  (with a definite emphasis on So!)  So there you have it. When a 4 year old recognizes it, you know you're in trouble.  Most are trying to lose the calories and we are here enjoying every last one of them.  So I thought, why not share all the goodness that I have found (and tried) recently?  And these are different from my usual Pinterest posts because I can honestly tell you that I have personally made and tried devoured each and every one..and as a side note, I don't do difficult or lots of ingredients, so these are all low-maintenance, few-ingredients pieces of heaven.

Source:  Pinterest

Chicken Bundles...Crescent rolls filled with chicken, cream cheese and whatever else you please.  We had these tonight and they were a huge hit with the whole family...which is saying a lot with the girls.

Source:  Pinterest

Italian Chicken...This was Monday's dinner.

Made it in the crock pot,

and the picture does not do it any justice.

So, so good.

Source:  Pinterest

Almonds are my all-time favorite snack.

Add some cinnamon and sugar and that takes it to a whole other level.

Made these this week...they didn't last a day.

Source: Pinterest

For those of you who know me, you know I am a crazy person for buffalo chicken dip.

This buffalo chicken toasted sandwich is the dip

times ten.

 

Source: Pinterest

Love pasta? Meatballs? Cheese? Garlic bread?

Yeah, me too.

Hello, Spaghetti Stuffed Garlic Bread.

The family response..delicious..just add more cheese and more sauce.

Now if only my New Year's resolution was to cook more...and eat more carbs...

Roar

They say your year begins/ends like a lion or a lamb.  The end of our year was anything but Mary's little friend. That lion was big. It was loud. It was adventurous. We have to go back-like end of October back-to get the full picture (and also see why I was invisible in the blogging world).

We threw Grandma her first surprise birthday party, best friend's baby was showered, and the girls stocked up on enough sugar to get them (and us) through the rest of the year.  Novemeber...while most were filling up on turkey, we filled up our tanks and drove over 1400 miles in 10 days.  Grandparents birthdays, soaked up time with friends who now live way too far, TOH's big #33, job interviews, a beautiful wedding, three friends welcomed three new baby boys, and oh, Thanksgiving was in there too.  Onto mid-December...finally got to catch up and enjoy some much needed friend time with those around home, Nutcracker Round II (and this time with Kater-tot who loved it and did awesome!), built gingerbread houses, played at the park because it is apparently March here, celebrated Christmas week with both sets of grandparents, and welcomed in the New Year at home. It was wonderful.

..trying to get 6 girls under 4 to look..not even worried about smiling..

Now the decorations have been packed away, the snow is obviously taking a year off, the house has been organized from top to bottom in the event of a quick move (that's all the info I can give as far as expanding on the interviews!), and the holiday pounds have been oh-so-nicely packed on. 
2011 was good.  No complaints.  Odd years have always seemed to be better for us for some 'odd' reason, but I just have a feeling 2012 is going to be pretty great.  It's already off to a good start with my best friend becoming a mom to a perfect, amazing little boy...we just booked our summer vacation at the beach...and my brother and sister-in-law found out they are expecting again!! 

Oh yeah, and in a few short weeks, we are Florida-bound.  Like I said, pretty great.  Here's to a very happy 2012!

What a Difference a Year Makes

After just reading back through old posts from last year at this time, I cannot believe how much change takes place over the course of 365 days.  Worlds. 
This week last year we had the chance to see Bug perform in her first dance 'show' to us parents at her weekly dance class.  As you would have guessed, I was a crying mess and could hardly take pictures because I couldn't see clearly. Watching 3-year olds dance is beyond cute-it's their first time-and it's tearful. 
This year...totally not the case.  This time, the only tears I had were from laughing so hard.  Four year olds dancing are hysterical.  They are all trying their best to concentrate and do all the steps (which, by the way, are not so easy) and they are awkward, all over the place, and simply hilarious.  Hoping I recorded it, right? 

Enjoy! 

(In case you're wondering,

Bug is the middle one right in the front)

Watch it a few times, and you'll laugh even harder.

What It's All About

You come across a good person every so often in your life.  Yesterday I came across a good one...a really, really good one.  Miss Linda.  I had met her once before and she seemed like a very nice woman.  She works with TOH, she is a grandmother, and she is sweet...what I had considered to be 'grandmother sweet.'  Until yesterday.
On that first day that we met (back in September), she invited the girls and me to a Christmas gift exchange.  She described it as a fun day for the girls to get dressed up and exchange gifts with other little girls their age.  So, off we went in our fancy dresses with our gifts in hand to our gift exchange luncheon.  Oh, how I was in for the surprise of my life.
We met at a local restaurant.  A very nice restaurant.  She had an entire room reserved.  The staff was ready and eager for us to arrive.  It was Christmas morning and I had no idea. 
There were a mix of children from ages two through ten.  They came from all backgrounds...all walks of life...all types of lifestyles.  They got along like they had been friends since they were born.  They laughed, they played, they shared.  There was no 'mine' or 'yours', no whining or crying, no fighting or pouting. 
Miss Linda started the girls off with lunch (which they ordered themselves and sat at their very own table--for 17!)...then they played games, had homemade desserts and then the gift-giving extravaganza began.  Not only did the girls exchange the gifts they had brought for each other, but Miss Linda had a 4-foot stocking full of individual gifts for each girl, toys for each girl, and a family gift for each girl...by the end of everything, there were tears from many...restaurant staff included.
It was unlike anything that I have ever seen before in my life.  Miss Linda is someone that I will forever strive to be.  She works hard.  Three jobs hard, to be exact.  She works for months to prepare for this every year.  She does this out of the pure goodness in her heart and would not accept anything in return.  When I think of those shows on television like Extreme Home Makeover and You Deserve It, I immediately think of her.  She deserves every bit of goodness in the world.  The amount of joy and happiness in the eyes of those little girls was something that I will never ever forget and it is something that I hope to be able to provide someday. 
As much as we all love receiving gifts around the holidays, nothing is as great as what Miss Linda did for these girls.