Month Of Thankfulness - 11/10

Today, I am thankful thank I get to spend at least one holiday every year with my family. It may not be the most normal Thanksgiving in the world, but I love it.

Month Of Thankfulness - 11/9

Today I am thankful for good friends. I am thankful for all of my friends in general, but I am really thankful for the few fantastic people that I know will be in my life forever, in more than just a facebook way. I love them dearly, and don't know how I would get through life without them.

Know Peace No More

I'm sitting at the computer, in relative peace at the moment. I realize that just typing that will certainly cause a fight to break out momentarily, but until it does, I'm going to sit here, type, think, and sip my sweet tea. It all sounds so good, right, uninterrupted time on the computer and all that.
It isn't exactly quiet, The Girls are in eye shot watching TV and coloring together. So, it is loud, but calm, which is the best I can ask for anymore.

About the same time I realized that we had momentary calm, I simultaneously realized how fleeting it is. The Little One is three and a half now. She can do a lot on her own. She gets to go to the playroom and chill, leaving me to do laundry in my bedroom, or whatever I need to. She can get a drink from the fridge if I let her have a box juice or milk. She can also get her own snack, like a cheese stick, from the fridge. So, I don't have to drop everything for her. I don't have to have my eyes on her constantly, anymore. The Big One is seven, and though she would prefer I still follow her around and wipe her rear, she really is pretty much independent within our home, as much as a seven year old could and should be.
Next year, it will all be gone. While the two I have will only continue to grow up and be more independent, we are going to have a brand new little tiny babe, who can't do anything. I will be back to picking them up, holding them, doing everything, even being their food source, which certainly leaves me chained to the new child. I actually happen to love the baby stage, but I realized today that it is going to be a total shock to my system at this point. Starting all over now will be...weird. I know how it will go, and what to do, but really, its the idea of starting all over again that is startling.

 I'm sure it will all be fine, and I will definitely enjoy the special time together with the new little one, knowing for sure that this will be our last. It will certainly be a major adjustment for everyone.  I think there will be some jealousy, especially from The Little One, who won't be the littlest one anymore, and who is used to having my lap or hand when ever she wants.  She will miss having my total attention during the day, when her sister is at school.  The Big One already knows what it is like to start sharing.  I actually think she will start to flourish, under the even bigger sister role she will get to take on.

Yes, there will be a lot of changes for us. The quiet times will be different, or gone.  The independence gone, but there will be even more love.  In a few years, it will begin to be quiet again, and I'm sure I will miss their need for me.  So, I will just choose to enjoy the dependence while I can, and cherish it for as long as they need me, even if it means no more quiet time for me for quite a while.

Month Of Thankfulness - 11/8

Today I am very thankful that I live in an age where a womyn can be whatever she chooses to be, how ever she chooses to be it. I am thankful that I can both vote and run for office. I am thankful that I can express my opinions anytime, anywhere, no matter what they are. I am thankful for the freedom that many women haven't had, and still don't have elsewhere.

A Month of Thankfulness

Since November 1st, I have been participating in a month of thankfulness challenge I saw somewhere. I posted this on my moms group discussion board, but I love it so much, I want to carry it over to here.

Every day, I want to post something that I am thankful for. So often, we look at the bad, the negative, and dwell only on that. If, though, we took a month, just 30 days, to think of at least one thing we are thankful for every day, maybe we could change some of our own attitude, and maybe even that of someone else. Why not try to make the world a happier place for one.

So, here are my postings so far, with one more to come each day.

November 1st - I am truly thankful for all of the beautiful laughter I got to share in with my girls at bedtime tonight.

November 2nd - Today, I am very thankful for my mom, who answers the phone cheerfully and lovingly no matter how many times I call in a day.

November 3rd - Today I am thankful for the beautiful weather that allows me to wear a t-shirt instead of a snow suit.

November 4th - Today I am thankful for the relationship my little sister and I have. I love her to death, and I am so thankful that we have finally grown into, and grown up enough to have the beautiful relationship that we have now.

November 5th - Today, I am thankful for really good instant coffee. Just makes my life and attitude a little bit better some mornings. = )

November 6th - Today I am thankful for technology and all it allows us to do, like me help my sister (who lives in Atlanta) find her way when she is out and about and lost. If it weren't for cell phone, my internet connection and google maps, I swear we would have lost her long, long ago.

And finally, today. November 7th - Today, I am thankful for public library systems. That may sound crazy, but reading is a huge part of my life. It is all of my down time right now, and I know that I, like many, certainly couldn't afford to buy everything I read. My girls both love to read, too. We go to the library no less than once a week and always leave with a massive bag of books. So, I am thankful that my girls and I can go get books, participate in reading programs, story times, and enrich our lives, whenever we want. It is a fabulous thing to be able to do all for free, and sometimes, you just don't realize how great it is.

What are you thankful for?

Oh My, The Questions

The Big One has questions about the new baby to be. Every day. All the time. She even announces it like that, "Mom, I have questions about the baby" so that there is no doubt as to what we will spend the next 15 minutes or more doing.

I think she is really curious, but doesn't know what all to ask. Since I told her that any time she had a questions she could feel free, I also think she feels the need to ask, even when she doesn't know what to say. Hence our 30 minute random sessions of question asking. Believe me, that are random.

Tonight, I got what I think will be my best question, but I will try to make a list of all the good ones she gives me, and update frequently.

Tonight's Q & A started as normal with the announcement, then my giving the go ahead. At that point, she him and haws around for a while, and is asking me about the baby turning out different. I thought at first we were going to have a serious discussion about the possibility of the baby having a disability, or something like that.  I started thinking about all the ways to explain how children are sometimes born different and special.  All the while, she kept asking this series of questions about being different.
Finally, she hit me with the big one, and the closest thing she could to what she really wanted to know.

"What if they baby speaks Spanish instead of English."

That took me a minute.  I had to process it, and come to a realization of what she was asking.

"Are you trying to ask me what if the baby is Hispanic?"

"Yes."

"Well, then your father would have a lot of questions for me."
She didn't bat an eye at that.
I did go on to explain to her how that wasn't possible and just a snippet about how the baby will be made up of Mommy and Daddy's genes.  

This only gets funnier because later on, The Little One told me that maybe this baby will be black. I think she meant it would have black hair, but that isn't what she said. My Husband nearly went into hysterics.

I'm not really sure what my children think of me.  I'm beginning to be worried about the reputation I have in my own house hold.

What I need to do now is find a picture of The Little One at birth to post.  No matter how many people refuse to believe me, I really am of Native American heritage on my Mom's side, and it shows in her family.  In fact, I am enough Native American to claim that legally.  My Dad's side, though, is straight up white bread Irish, and I am only third generation here.  His DNA won out in me, and I look at white as possible.  So, white, that I am nearly translucent and I swear to you that parts of me glow in the dark.  Yet, somehow, some way, when the The Little One was born, she had a head full of black hair.  I think it came from my heritage.  She also had jaundice, and was tinted fairly dark compared to me.  I actually had people look at me and ask if I was sure that was my baby.  Her jaundice went away, and her hair turned red, then went blonde, but that definitely isn't how she was born.

So, if after all those discussions, with both children about what the baby can look like, if the baby really does come out like The Little One, I think my own children might start checking out the UPS Man just to be sure.

She Is Not An Angel

I think I should spend more time relaying the simple, adorable, and often precocious things my children do because like all parents, I like to gloat about how great my kids are.

Last night was Halloween. I'll post more about the holiday and how much candy I now have to hide later. On to the real story of how wonderful my children are.

The Little One was a fairy. The Big One was a caterina; half cat, half ballerina. We actually found that costume.

The Little One was very much in love with being a fairy. She told everyone she was a fairy. Most people got it right away, what with the big pink fairy wings, purple sparkly dress, fairy face paint, and all.
There was, though, one exception.

As we were close to home, and maybe a little tired, we came to a house where an older lady opened the door. I happen to know this woman, as her granddaughter was in The Big One's first Girl Scout Troop. Bless her heart.
Anyway, The Big One is at the door first. She knocks. The door opens. The Nice Lady tells her how cute she is, they do the normal Halloween exchange of "Trick or Treat" and "Thank you"s, and The Big One steps out the way.

The Little One moves up.

The Nice Lady goes nuts for her. She was pretty cute. The Nice Lady kept saying how precious she was, and then she called her an angel. At first I thought she meant she looked angelic. Then said said again, "You are an angel". The Little One got a funny look on her face, but said nothing. She had already said her due "trick or treat" and so she just stood there, pumpkin bucket out, staring at the woman. After another second of gushing, telling her how much of a beautiful angel she was, and still no response from the stone faced Little One, the woman gave her candy.

Then, she got her response.

"Thank you! And I am a fairy!" Then turned with a huff and walked away.
She was no fool. She waited until she had the goods to let the Crazy Lady know she wasn't an angel. Apparently, being called an angel was an affront this this fairy.

She was so upset, the Poor Lady actually apologized to her.

I giggled before telling her to be nice and reprimanding the huff. I told The Nice Lady thank you as well and we were on our way.

Oh, my angelic little fairy.