Remember Today 4.11.09

{remember} all the preparation that goes into getting ready for Easter, and how great the boys were with helping: cleaning the house together, filling plastic eggs, taking a picture witht he Easter Bunny, coloring eggs, and in between all of this we managed to take a break to see a movie at the Dojo (Bedtime Stories--very cute).

{filling, or more like eating}

{no tears this year}

Remember Today 4.10.09

{remember} finally nice enough to be a flip-flop kind of day! Don't mind my ugly toes--haven't gotten my summer pedi yet!!

Remember Today 4.9.09

{remember} how easy it is to please this little guy: a tray full of Moon Sand + a couple of Matchbox cars = one very happy little boy and his Momma (who can actually get some things done!)

Remember Today 4.8.09

{remember} the boys setting up a fort in the family room with all the pillows, blankets and cushions, bringing down a stacks of books from their bedrooms and sprawling out to read. And to quote Camden: "I'm not finishing until I read all these books. Nope, not going to bed until I'm done. No sleep for me tonight." Ha, sounds like the perfect night to me!

Remember Today 4.7.09

{remember} Camden crying and telling me he misses me at school, that he wishes he could just not think about me because then he gets sad. Logan piping in in almost a whisper that he misses me at school, too. Aww, little muffins. Here I was thinking they couldn't wait to get to school to get away from their Mom who sometimes yells more than she should, makes them do chores for responsibility, and doesn't always do the fun stuff they want to do. What do I know!

I'm a 44

And no, I'm not taking bra size! My sister emailed me this quick quiz today that I am going to copy and paste right here (hoping this doesn't break copyright laws). So grab a pen and paper and write your answers. Don't forget to leave me a comment to tell me what yours came out to be.

Answers are for who you are now and not who you were in the past...Have pen or pencil and paper ready. This is a real test given by the Human Relations Dept. at many of the major corporations today. It helps them get better insight concerning their employees and in their prospective employees. It's only 10 Simple questions, so grab a pencil and paper, keeping track of your letter answers to each question. Ready? Begin.

1. When do you feel your best...
A) in the morning
B) during the afternoon and early evening
C) late at night

2. You usually walk......
A) fairly fast, with long steps
B) fairly fast, with little steps
C) less fast head up, looking the world in the face
D) less fast, head down
E) very slowly

3. When talking to people you...
A) stand with your arms folded
B) have your hands clasped
C) have one or both your hands on your hips
D) touch or push the person to whom you are talking
E) play with your ear, touch your chin, or smooth your hair

4. When relaxing, you sit with....
A) your knees bent with your legs neatly side by side
B) your legs crossed
C) your legs stretched out or straight
D) one leg curled under you

5. When something really amuses you, you react with...
A) big appreciative laugh
B) a laugh, but not a loud one
C) a quiet chuckle
D) a sheepish smile

6. When you go to a party or social gathering you...
A) make a loud entrance so everyone notices you
B) make a quiet entrance, looking around for someone you know
C) make the quietest entrance, trying to stay unnoticed

7. You're working very hard, concentrating hard, and you're interrupted...
A) welcome the break
B) feel extremely irritated
C) vary between these two extremes

8. Which of the following colors do you like most...
A) Red or orange
B) black
C) yellow or light blue
D) green
E) dark blue or purple
F) white
G) brown or gray

9. When you are in bed at night, in those last few moments before going to sleep you are...
A) stretched out on your back
B) stretched out face down on your stomach
C) on your side, slightly curled
D) with your head on one arm
E) with your head under the covers

10. You often dream that you are...
A) falling
B) fighting or struggling
C) searching for something or somebody
D) flying or floating
E) you usually have dreamless sleep
F) your dreams are usually pleasant

POINTS:
1. (a) 2 (b) 4 (c) 6
2. (a) 6 (b) 4 (c) 7 (d) 2 (e) 1
3. (a) 4 (b) 2 (c) 5 (d) 7 (e) 6
4. (a) 4 (b) 6 (c) 2 (d) 1
5. (a) 6 (b) 4 (c) 3 (d) 5 (e) 2
6. (a) 6 (b) 4 (c) 2
7. (a) 6 (b) 2 (c) 4
8. (a) 6 (b) 7 (c) 5 (d) 4 (e) 3 (f) 2 (g) 1
9. (a) 7 (b) 6 (c) 4 (d) 2 (e ) 1
10 (a) 4 (b) 2 (c) 3 (d) 5 (e) 6 (f) 1

Now add up the total number of points and find yourself in the ranges below:

OVER 60 POINT: Others see you as someone they should 'handle with care'. You're seen as vain, self-centered, and who is extremely dominant. Others may admire you, wishing they could be more like you, but don't always trust you, hesitating to become too deeply involved with you.

51 TO 60 POINTS: Others see you as an exciting, highly volatile, rather impulsive personality, a natural leader, who's quick to make decisions, though not always the right ones. They see you as bold and adventuresome, someone who will try anything once, someone who takes chances and enjoys an adventure. They enjoy being in your company because of the excitement you radiate.

41 TO 50 POINTS: Others see you as fresh, lively, charming, amusing, practical, and always interesting, someone who's constantly in the center of attention, but sufficiently well balanced not to let it go to their head. They also see you as kind, considerate, and understanding, someone who'll always cheer them up and help them out.

31 TO 40 POINTS: Others see you as sensible, cautious, careful & practical. They see you as clever, gifted, or talented, but modest. Not a person who makes friends too quickly or easily, but someone who's extremely loyal to friends you do make and who expect the same loyalty in return. Those who really get to know you, realize it takes a lot to shake your trust in your friends, but equally that it takes you a long time to get over if that trust is ever broken.

21 TO 30 POINTS: Your friends see you as painstaking and fussy. They see you as very cautious, extremely careful, a slow and steady plodder. It would really surprise them if you ever did something impulsively or on the spur of the moment, expecting you to examine everything carefully from every angle and then, usually decide against it. They think this reaction is caused partly by your careful nature.

UNDER 21 POINTS: People think you are shy, nervous, and indecisive, someone who needs looking after, who always wants someone else to make the decisions and who doesn't want to get involved with anyone or anything! They see you as a worrier who always sees problems that don't exist. Some people think you're boring. Only those who know you well, know that you aren't.

Leave a note with your score because I'm nosey like that, and I love to get notes!

Remember Today 4.6.09

{remember} this conversation with Camden:

him: Mom, does God make everything? I mean, I know he makes lots of things, but did he make everything? Like even paper?

me: Well, God made the trees that we make paper from. He makes the people that make the paper.

him: Paper comes from trees? {ponders this for a moment} But money doesn't grow on trees?

Hmm, I'm thinking I'm not going to be able to use this line on him. I can hear him already: Yeah, money's made of paper, and paper comes from trees, so money really does grow on trees.

Remember Today 4.5.09

{remember} family dinner at my mom & dad's with extended family, bringing generations together, making memories for my children like the ones I have of Sunday Dinner at my grandparents' with aunts, uncles & cousins.

Scrapbooking Words of Advice

Here are some lessons that I've been thinking about in recent months. Maybe you scrapbookers will find them helpful, or maybe you already know all this stuff.

1. Find ways to weave scrapbooking into your daily life. Scrapbooking tasks can be broken down into manageable chunks. Look through magazines for inspiration while sitting in a waiting room, or in the looping line at school, or at traffic lights (sorry, it was probably me at the front of the line when the light turned green). Draw up sketches while your kids swing, or do homework (nice together time), or eat lunch. Get out paints, or Play-Doh, or beads for the kids while you sit with them to create items for your page. Keep a notebook handy to jot down page ideas, inspiration, conversations, journaling, or anything else that comes to mind. If possible, keep layouts in progress out where you can walk by them several times throughout the day. Ideas sometimes spring up at the craziest moments. I also often start a layout at night, and finish it in the morning. I love the fresh set of eyes I can look with in the morning, and sometimes ideas come to me as I'm dozing off to sleep or in the shower.
2. Scrapbooking does not have to be this great overwhelming task. You don't need to create a publishable work of art, with loads of handmade embellishments and intricate designs. Matching photos up with the stories they tell is about all it takes.
3. I have realized that I will never be "caught up"; to accomplish that I would need to stop taking photos, and that's never gonna happen! So now I scrapbook whatever I feel like doing (I'm not a chronological scrapper). Sometimes I impose deadlines on myself (complete vacation album before next year's vacation), sometimes I scrapbook recent photos because nothing motivates like fresh pictures. But most often I grab a stack, thumb through them, jot down thoughts or feelings, and scrapbook a page to tell the story.
4. In the words of Ali Edwards, "embrace imperfection" These two words have become my scrapbooking mantra. In 25 years, no one is going to analyze the color scheme you chose, or critique your writing with a red pen. What they will notice is the time and effort you took to tell the stories of those you love. Don't you wish you had an album of what you were like as a child? That's the important stuff of what you're creating.
5. Use those supplies. For so long I would buy papers, stickers, embellishments, etc and then think they were "too good" to use on my layouts. I was a hoarder. And for what? Because you know what happened? I looked through all that cuteness and prettiness and realized it wasn't my taste anymore, or it looked dated. There will always be new papers, embellishments, etc coming out. Trends change so quickly, so use up what you bought while you still love it. Besides, nothing is as inspiring as new product. Next time you pick up new paper, force yourself to cut into it within a week. I find it very freeing to crack open a new paper pack, or peel off a new sticker. Once you do, it's no longer new and you'll have no excuses not to use up the rest.
6. It's only paper. Cut it, tape it, paint it, create with it. If you mess up, you can just get more. And what really is a "mess up"? Most of the time, what you think of as a mess up can actually be used, either elsewhere on a layout, or in another project. Cards are perfect little projects to use up those tossed aside embellishments or miss-cut paper scraps.

Well, there it is: everything I know about scrapbooking from my little hands and into your brains. Don't tell me I never taughtcha anything ;)

Day Five: Feeling a change

It's funny how I started this 37 Day challenge with some hesitation and doubt. I wasn't all pumped and geared up, I didn't glorify how wonderful the whole thing would be, I wasn't 100% motivated, and certainly not 100% sure I could even do it. But now 5 days into it, I'm feeling really good. When I had Logan, I would scrapbook every waking moment he was asleep. By his first birthday I was totally caught up on his first year. Crazy, I know. Somewhere between child one and child three, my page production decreased dramatically (gee, I wonder why!) Anyway, my point is, this 37 day challenge has put me back in touch with the "getting it done" part of scrapbooking. These past few days I haven't just been thinking about the pages I want to create, I've been creating them. I'm thinking that all these years of stewing in my own creative juices is culminating in these 37 days (and beyond) of delicious production. That's my philosophical rant for Day 5. Here's my page.

Remember Today 4.4.09

{remember} yet another cheesecake fiasco. Remember this one. Well, I've managed to botch another cheescake. Our back doorknob suddenly stopped turning this afternoon with no warning what-so-ever. Shouldn't something that you use every single day give you some kind of a heads-up before it just quits working on you?! Anyway, my cheesecake, which might have been a bit overcooked as I was busy getting the boys showered, jammied, and brushed while it baked, had just gone under the broiler. C was on the phone with P telling him about said door and I busied myself trying to figure out how to open said door, rather than watching my cheesecake grow "attractive spots of brown." Something smelled a bit off. "Oh, (insert bad word muttered under breath), the cheesecake!" as I leap over two children and throw open the oven door. Forget the brown spots, this thing was blackened and in flames!! Lots of bad words trying to force their way from my lips as I put every effort into keeping it PG-13 for my kids. "Shoot, fffff, crap, damn" and lots of grumbles and groans as I scrape the singed top off and hope that the rest of it doesn't taste like an ashtray. It's only for my family, and if it tastes like we're chewing cigarettes, they'll still love me anyway.

Remember Today 4.3.09

{remember} Camden cheering up one of his karate classmates who was upset because he made a mistake in class: "You did really good karate. Sometimes it's just confusing. I mess up too. But you did really good." I couldn't help but tear-up hearing his sweet words.

Digi kit to benefit Autism Speaks

Ali Edwards collaborated with Song Bird Avenue to create a digital scrapbooking kit. This kit is chock-full of papers, embellishments, word art, frames, and my favorite: templates, and is selling for only $8. 100% of the proceeds from the sale of these kits benefit Autism Speaks. I'm thinking this kit will come in very handy for my 37 Days challenge.

Remember Today 4.2.09

{remember} spending time outside on a beautifully sunny, and finally warm afternoon, wanting more permanence to these days (especially since I'm tired of doing battle with the boys over wearing shorts).

Day Three: In a Pinch

Tonight was scrapbooking night. I get together with a group of friends every other Thursday night to scrapbook, or work on whatever project people have going (organizing photos, children's party invites, knitting, whatever). I look forward to this night, to laughing with friends (man do we have some good ones!), and I know that I rarely get much scrapbooking done. I am a peace-and-quiet, thinking-without-distraction kind of scrapbooker. Well, it was 10:30 tonight, a couple of people had left, and I still had not done my page. As one friend pointed out, "You have an hour and a half left." Nearly ready to ditch the night, I turned to my "Pages in Progress" album where I have lots of layouts in various stages of completion. Some just needed titles and/or journaling, some need embellishments. I pulled one that had a sketch, 4 photos, a sheet of background paper, a stamped and punched circle accent, and a scrap of corrugated packing material I thought would make a cool embellishment. I had gathered up these items probably over two years ago and slipped them into this page protector. Well, this little bit of PRE-planning saved me from the failure that could have been Day Three. A bit of paint, some ABC stamps, and adhesive and this page was done with plenty of time to spare (which I used to write some heartfelt journaling). Take that, Day Three!

Day Two: Motherhood Strikes

Yesterday was my Day 2 of the 37 Days Challenge. Here is what I accomplished before my youngest son awoke just before 9 pm with a fever of 101.2:

{Note his little self in the lower right corner} So it was off to bed to cuddle up with a sick little boy. The whole idea of committment is thrown out the window when you become a mother. The best you can strive for is intention. Day 2 is not a failure. I finished my layout (you can see it here), and I have every intention of completing Day 3 tonight. Besides, this whole 37 days challenge is for me, no one else. And laying with my feverish little one is exactly where I needed to be last night.

Remember Today 4.1.09

{remember} feeling grateful that no one pulled any pranks on me today, even though I lamely gave the boys impossible-to-solve mazes and told them we found the perfect summer camp to send them to this summer. Someday there will be craziness going on in this house, I just hope no one ever gets the nerve to Saran wrap the toilet seat like their cousins did.

Remember Today 3.31.09

{remember} dancing with Maddox to this song after the boys got off to school, his laughter, my spinning, his bouncing, my singing (scroll down to pause my music first).



This is such a cute video!

Day One

Today is day one. I completed my layout. I'll be posting each one at Life Made Creations. I'm going to be perfectly honest: I stink at commitment. I stink at this whole following-a-regime thing. When I read Patti's 37 Day challenge, I got so wrapped up in the idea of doing something worthwhile every day. But there was this little voice that said, "Don't do it. You suck at these things. You won't be able to do it. You'll fail."

Well, today is Day One, and I did it. And I'm one day closer to succeeding, to silencing that little voice of little faith. One down, 36 more to go. I'm not sure this is the attitude one should have on the first day of an endeavor like this, but it's my honest attitude. And my blog has always been good at keeping me honest. See you on Day Two!

Remember Today 3.30.09

{remember} how proud Maddox was of himself for jumping off the block all by himself at swim. After class he looked at me with this gigantic smile and asked, "Are you so proud of me?!"

37 Days

Tonight I found the blog of Patti Digh, author of 37 days, a book that poses the question, "What would you do today if you only had 37 days to live?" Right now she is challenging her blog readers to do something meaningful for the next 37 days straight. Err, make that the next 33 days, because, unfortunately, I'm 4 days late for this party. But I love this whole concept. So what would you do? Besides soak up as much time with my children, husband, family and friends (and say to hell with all the housework--they'll have to clean up the house after I'm dead), I would want to scrapbook as much as humanly possible. I do have this secret fear that I will not be able to tell my children's stories (or my own, for that matter) before I die. That hundreds of stories will be left untold, thousands of pictures will sit in envelopes or on a hard drive without stories and anecdotes matched up with them. It's one of the main reasons that I scrapbook: because someday someone will pick up these albums, look through the photos, read the stories and say, "So that's who so-and-so was."

I'm rarely on time for anything since having children, so I'm okay with being 4 days late. Tomorrow will be my Day One. And here's my contract: (copied from Patti's blog; I hope that's legal)

"I, ___Michelle Neddo___, being of kinda sound mind and body, have willingly decided to try to do one thing consistently every single day for the next 37 days. C’mon, self, it’s just 37 days.

The one thing I will try to do every day is this: create a scrapbook page (or some semblance of one) to add to my family's legacy.

I’m not going to pick two things or nine things because that will dilute my focus –- just one thing. One. One simple action. An action, not a goal. An action, not a value. An action, not a wish. Something I can DO.

I’m doing this challenge at this time because: with every day that passes I am one day farther from these memories and one day closer to not being able to record them accurately.

I’ve chosen this particular daily action because I believe if I do it consistently for 37 days with no (NONE, ZERO, ZIP) exceptions, I will: grow as an artist, feel more accomplished as my family's historian, be more aware and mindful of our lives, and feel generally better for having engaged my creative energies.

If I should fail, I won’t blame anyone but myself (not even my partner, that idiot with 29 items in the express lane at the Piggly Wiggly, the IRS (so needy!), the people who make frosted Pop Tarts and Lofthouse Cookies, or Fate).

I also realize that this contract is solely with myself and carries no rewards, penalties or punishments other than those associated with the reflection of the strength of my character.

New things will happen for me.

I’m ready.

TODAY IS DAY ONE. "

Remember Today 3.29.09

{remember} Camden choosing me over his dad (only one of us could go because L is sick) to take him to skating lessons. I'm not sure why he did it (he offered up that "Daddy gets to brush my teeth sometimes"), but I was honored to be able to see this little guy on the ice, and that he WANTED me there (nothing against you, Daddy-O!)

Remember Today 3.28.09

{remember} finding out one of my projects was featured on One Pretty Thing--huge grins, lots of happy dances with the boys (who have now verified that their mother is certifiably crazy), and phone calls to people who truly "get" what this means. Oh happy, HAPPY day!!

A Little PSE Before and After

My photos usually need a bit of help to look their best (don't we all?) So here's a "before and after" of a photo I took today at a school playground.

First the before:

I had shot some pictures earlier this morning and changed my white balance to tungsten and had forgotten to change it back. Ugh, nearly every photo I shot at the sunny playground made my children look like Violet Beauregarde after she chomped on Wonka's chewing gum. But when I did an adjustment for skin tone, it altered the beautiful vibrant blue of the sky. Enter a handy tool I just learned last week in a new CK special issue. Using the Magic Extractor tool under Image, I was able to get Maddox on a separate layer from the sky (be sure to create a dupe layer first). Once he was his own layer, I could adjust his skin tone to its normal color (too bad I couldn't help poor Violet this easily) and keep the sky the vibrant blue that it was. I also used the Clone Stamp tool in the side bar to get rid of the unsightly monkey bar in the lower right corner. This is one of my favorite tools, that and the Spot Healing Brush, which I seem to need on pics of me a LOT lately! Here's the final, and much improved picture:

I used the same Magic Extractor tool to extract Camden's bandana in this photo, and change the rest of the photo to B&W. Super cool stuff! Try out the Magic Extractor on one of your photos. It's so easy, even I can do it (plus, there are great instructions in PSE when you open the tool!)

Me & You

Soaking in the final months of

Me & You

before You

head off to school with your backpack

to make new friends,

have new experiences,

and learn from someone other than me.

Many things get easier

with each child,

but

letting go only gets

harder.

Remember Today 3.27.09

{remember} attending Literacy Night at L's school and relishing in the community in which we live. Watching my three boys completely engrossed with this author's talk, and thoroughly enjoying it myself. Sadly, forgetting my camera and missing some great shots of LC&M having books signed, and Logan and his good friend hugging with crazy grins only true friends share.

Remember Today 3.26.09

{remember} volunteering in C's classroom, having to leave and him giving me the biggest hug ever, the kind where I have to be the first to let go. He had tears in his eyes because he couldn't be at the center where I was helping like he usually is. A reminder to me of just how sensitive this tough brute of a hockey player really is.

This picture about sums up. . .

the way I feel about laundry:

Remember Today 3.25.09

{remember} being totally inspired by this book I picked up at the library to create art.

I love when an art book moves me to create with both inspiring tutorials and inspiring theory.

Remember Today 3.24.09

{remember} Camden losing his very first tooth while eating tortellini soup at dinner tonight, and then negotiating some sort of crazy deal with Logan: if L puts the tooth under his pillow and the Tooth Fairy takes it and gives him the money, he'll give C the $$ and also one of his prized Bakugan. Not sure what the point of this deal was (Logan's attempt at being given a chance to catch the TF in the act, perhaps), but I strongly advised against it: "If the Tooth Fairy is confused about where the tooth is, or can't find it, she probably won't leave any money."

Remember Today 3.23.09

{remember} Camden coming home and announcing that he had invited his two friends over. Little Mr. Social grabbed his class phone list and the phone and proceeded to place calls to his two friends to firm up the plans for 1:00. Too funny--this kid will never be without friends!

Remember Today 3.22.09

{remember} Maddox telling Logan to "mind your own business"--so not nice, but it was hard to contain my stifled chuckle.

Remember Today 3.21.09

{remember} scrapbooking in the kitchen and listening to the boys playing in the backyard; serving the boys lunch on the deck--spring is in the air!

Remember Today 3.20.09

{remember} sharing our Friday pizza and a movie with friends, and looking over from my spot in the chair with M to see the 5 kiddos nestled on the couch with my friend--too cute!

Remember Today 3.19.09

{remember} celebrating the last night of winter with our favorite soup. Recipe to follow soon.

Remember Today 3.18.09

{remember} our first trip to the park this year. It was Maddox's idea and not until I flipped through the photos did I realize how utterly happy he was the ENTIRE time. And Camden, yeah he attached himself to a cute baby and didn't leave her side for a half hour--pushing her in the swing, playing peek-a-boo at her carriage. He'll make a great Daddy someday!

Remember Today 3.17.09

{remember} forgetting to wear my green or dressing the boys in it, but making up for it with green cupcakes and sharing a corned beef & cabbage dinner with my parents.

Remember Today 3.16.09

{remember} Camden home sick with a mysterious rash on his face--no other symptoms whatsoever--strange, very strange. But he was loving a day filled with lots of screens!

Remember Today 3.15.09

{remember} taking a bit of time for me at the LSS and stopping by an antique shop I've always wanted to visit. And then off to a hockey game where the boys (and I) got to see Sam from iCarly--I admit I'm a fan of the show. The three youngest boys were enamored, and the oldest guy was embarrassed that I was trying to snap pictures with his cell phone. Good thing we made the decision very early on not to wait in line to get her autograph. This was most definitely the longest line I have ever seen in my life (stretching around the entire perimeter of the arena).

Remember Today 3.14.09

{remember} opening the door to find this standing in front of me:

I've been holding onto some patterned paper that reads "boy (n.); a noise with dirt on it" I think I've just taken the perfect photo for that page!

Remember Today 3.13.09

{remember} a very full day: pilates, Maddox's preschool screening, grab C from M&D's, lunch for me & M, playdate with friends, quick change for Karate, Friendly's for dinner, and a movie in my bed where the boys were supposed to conk out. Well, at least the rest of the day went as planned!

Remember Today 3.12.09

{remember} a day of catching up with old friends--lunch with a colleague from my Master's program that I haven't seen in about 6 years; and drinks with co-workers from my pre-children days.

Remember Today 3.11.09

{remember} eating Oven Pancakes at Mom & Dad's with C & M--only at Grandma & Grandpa's can you have pancakes for lunch!

Remember Today 3.10.09

{remember} using the 'new' treadmill for the second time since we got it 3 years ago. I'm one step (pun intended) closer to understanding the craze that is running. I was feeling the burn, maybe sweating just a tad, and liking it!

Good Reads

I just signed up for Good Reads, a website that tracks what you've read, what you're reading, and what you want to read. I can't tell you how many times I have read a book and less than a year later can't recall the storyline (and forget about character's names). Someone will be talking about a book that sounds so very familiar, yet I can't be definite that I've read it at all. I have started books and abandoned them, then tried to pick up where I left off months later and have to start all over again. I've thought about starting a book journal, but it feels almost book report-ish. I'm hoping that Good Reads will help me track my reading and network with others to find books worth reading.

Please join me! I'm all alone out there, so sign up and add me as a friend so we can all share good reads together!

Remember Today 3.9.09

{remember} watching Maddox swim with no bubble for about 8 feet and managng to keep his tiny button nose above the surface of the water--a proud mommy-moment!

Remember Today 3.8.09

{remember} enjoying a sunny, taste-of-spring day outside with the boys, and being inspired by the warmth and sunshine to create this:

outside with L & M painting alongside me, while C & P played hockey in the driveway

Remember Today 3.7.09

{remember} being inspired by the warm weather to go on a "run" with the boys. Maddox insisted on running, not going in the stroller, so it was a lot of me jogging in place while I waited for him to catch up, intent on getting my exercise-worth.

Remember Today 3.6.09

{remember} changing up the Friday schedule a bit: an earlier Pilates class, going to C's school sing-along (and loving his little waves and big smiles everytime he turned around to see us), no karate, and sharing our pizza and movie night tradition with my sister and nephews--change is good.

A recipe

A lot of what I use my blog for is to tuck away tidbits of information so I won't lose or forget them. So, I'm just tucking this little recipe right here so I won't have to go searching for it later. Don't these look scrumptious? Can't wait to see how they turn out--I'm a carb addict.

Remember Today 3.5.09

{remember} the relief (that I thought would feel so much bigger) after boxing up 165 invitations, and 320 envelopes for tomorrow's delivery.

Click, quick!

You have got to check this adorable little project out. Hurry and click on it, I'll wait. . .

Is that not the cutest thing you've ever seen? I can't wait to make one, though it may be May before I get around to it--lots of projects in the works right now. In the meantime, I will just study Liz's.

Remember Today 3.4.09

{remember} registering for CKC--my very first one!

Remember Today 3.3.09

{remember} giving Logan the "out" to quit his swim class (he's struggling at this level and one level down is full), and him looking right into my eyes and saying "No, Mom, I'm ok, I'll finish the session." I am so glad this kid is not a quitter!

4 bits of inspiration

Here's a bit of inspiration I have gleaned through my blog travels today:

1) From Liz Kartchner: "I confess. . ."
A little list of innocent confessions, good scrapbook page journaling

• I just took down my Christmas cards
• I finally cleaned my bathrooms this weekend after 2 weeks
• I still have my Valentine decorations up
• I add extra pasta and meat to Bertolli frozen (and overpriced) prepared dinners so that there's enough to feed my family of 5 (and I don't tell Perry it's not made from scratch!)
• I put a fistfull of Jelly Belly's in my pocket and pop a little bean of sweetness in my mouth throughout the day.

2) From A Foothill Companion: "In Real Life. . ."

Take pictures of everyday things that show your "real life" and write a brief blurb about each (another great scrapbook page inspiration).

3) From Small Fry & Co.: Place Mat Purse compliments of Kayla!

A tutorial on making an adorable purse from a single placemat. I feel like I always run into great placemats at Target, Pier One, and even Christmas Tree, but never buy them because they don't match my kitchen. Now I have an excuse to buy them! Speaking of matching my kitchen, Perry is soooo lucky the new Orla Kiely line at Target doesn't go with our cream and blue color scheme. . . sooooo lucky!

4) And one I came up with while ironing my outfit yesterday for my nephew's first communion: a page of "right now" versus "back then" to illustrate how my life has changed since having kids:

Right now I iron for Easter and Christmas and maybe one day in between; back then I ironed nearly every weekday for work. Right now I clean my house one room at a time and by the time I get to all of them it's time to start over again; back then I cleaned my house every Saturday morning in one fell sweep. Right now I wake to the sound of Maddox's sweet voice saying "I'm hungry for breakfast"; back then I woke to the buzz of the alarm clock, or whenever I felt like rolling out of bed.

Remember Today 3.2.09

{remember} a day of snowy perfection: all five of us home, Perry working in his office, me working in the kitchen, and the boys kicking back doing whatever they want (Logan building Maddox's new Spongebob Lego set he picked out at the mall, Camden alternating between drums and guitar on RockBand, and Maddox switching between both depending on the next song that came on. Fun, relaxing, and productive day, but let's hope they don't have anymore snow days this year--I want them home when the weather is warm.

Remember Today 3.1.09

{remember} a loaded day: church for Andrew's first communion, party at Sherri's with family, Camden to ice skating (where he was bumped up to the next level), a trip to the mall (which resulted in zippo purchases by me, but Perry and the boys did ok for themselves) where I tried on this dress and loved it (aside from the fact that I couldn't get the darn zipper up!),

and then a stop for Teppanyaki on the way home (where I needn't wonder anymore why I couldn't get that darn zipper up!). A great (and rare, these days) day of togetherness!

Remember Today 2.28.09

{remember} L & C at their friends' house leaving Maddox and me to make meatballs and sauce, and play all his favorite songs on Rock Band.

Remember Today 2.27.09

{remember} Camden going to a friend's house after school and telling his friend's mom all about how he wants a dog and his Dad won't let him get one: "My Dad says dogs are dirty. Their paws get all muddy and then they get the mud all over the rugs."

Remember Today 2.26.09

{remember} waking up this morning to find Logan in bed reading the last pages of the 127 page chapter book he had started last night. I LOVE that he is a READER!!

Remember Today 2.25.09

{remember} Camden using our icy front walkway as a skating rink.








Then when I finally got hi hockey helmet unsnapped, he says, "Whew, I thought that was gonna have to stay on until Daddy got home." {Me, too! I just can't get those darn snaps undone!}

Remember Today 2.24.09

{remember} treating myself to a little scrapbooking time now that I'm down to completing the final 25 wedding invitations--yippee!

Remember Today 2.23.09

{remember} some rituals lately: playing Rock Band with Maddox in the morning after the boys get on the bus; spending nights in the stUdio with Perry while we both get some work done; playing soccer with Camden in the playroom.

Remember Today 2.22.09

{remember} watching Logan ice skate for the very first time, and how dear Camden was waiting for him (but then he realized it was more fun to lap him and check-in each time he passed).

Rememebr Today 2.21.09

{remember} making chocolates with the boys this afternoon and flashing back to the time a bunch of us got together at my Grandma's to make chocolates for Easter when I was a kid. So much fun to paint the colored chocolate into the molds with them, and their faces when we popped the chilled pieces onto a plate--so much fun, and a great way to spend a wintery Saturday afternoon.

Remember Today 2.20.09

{remember} hanging out with the boys on the last day of their vacation.

They have this way of playing with PlayDoh that entails dumping out every canister,

mixing the colors together and forming a road on which to drive their cars:

I have this thing that their messy play is ok only if the time it takes to clean up the mess is less than half the time they spent actually playing. This activity is borderline!

Remember Today 2.19.09

{remember} saving our February vacation with a trip to the roller skating rink with L & C: a bit of chicken dance, red light-green light, hokey pokey, all skate, and soft pretzels and Icees--lots of fun!

Childhood Dreams

Creativity Prompt had this journaling prompt this week:

Childhood dreams tend to be grand and out of this world. We feel that everything is possible if we just want it strongly enough. Childhood dreams can involve figments of our imagination as well as feasible goals and aspirations.

For this week’s journaling prompt set aside a few moments and try to remember what were your childhood dreams. Write a list of every dream you manage to call to mind and make a note about the ones that actually came true.

Here's what I came up with:

• to be a teacher
• to get married and have babies
• to spend summers as the educational director at the San Diego zoo
• to learn sign language, and teach it to chimpanzees (courtesy of the movie Project X)
• to have a dream that I found money all over the playground at school and wake up to still be clutching it in my hands
• to find a pot of gold and a leprechaun at the end of the rainbow
• to have lots of pets
• to visit the Wonka Chocolate Factory
• to live next door to my best friend when we grew up

Make a list of your childhood dreams and create a layout featuring then and now pictures of yourself.

Remember Today 2.18.09

{remember} feeling grateful that we've made it over the hump of this week. I don't like feeling this way, but between the rocky start to the week, having to cancel plans, the boys getting under each other's skin, the amount of "screen time" going on in this house, staying indoors (more because I don't like the cold), this week is turning out to be a disappointment for all of us. We managed to squeeze in an hour at the bowling alley, but even that wasn't enjoyable. We have two more days to get it together--maybe baking cupcakes is in order for tomorrow before we go roller skating, well, because cupcakes just make everything better, don't they?

I wanna doggie

Lately the boys have been asking for a dog. Maybe it's the movies about dogs they've been picking from the library: Because of Winn Dixie, Shiloh, Shiloh Season, or the neighbors on both sides of us with canine companions. Or the books they choose at bedtime: for instance Maddox picking Clifford the Big Red Dog for the 83rd night in a row and then telling me this:

M: I wanna doggie.
Me: Talk to Daddy about that.
M: If he says no, then it's no.
Me: {took the words right out of my mouth} Do you think he'll say no?
M: No. . . actually, yes.
Me: You think he'll say no?
M: Yeah, but I really wanna doggie.

These days

this little guy can't get enough of the computer:

We call this nook "behind the wall." It's always been a catch-all for the large toys that don't fit into the playroom cabinets. A while back the boys helped me move the computer from Camden's bedroom where it was just another piece of furniture I had to dust to "behind the wall" where it gets way more use. This computer is a dinosaur and the monitor is even older. There's no internet access, no printer hook up, but for now it's serving its purpose, especially for Maddox, who feels so grown-up maneuvering the mouse around the screen. Logan is hoping Santa will bring a computer that he can use his Funkeys on (this one is painfully slow), and Camden's figuring if you're going to bother asking for a big ticket item like a computer, might as well go for the full Monty: a laptop "so I can carry it around with me."

Remember Today 2.17.09

{remember} walking down the hall to find this little bit of evidence of just who had been here before me.

Capture these types of "evidence" and scrapbook them. Before you know it, these bits will be long gone.

Remember Today 2.16.09

{remember} starting February vacation with a stomach bugged child--poor thing laying on the couch all day eating a carrot for breakfast and three bites of Ramen noodles for dinner, no Wii, no DS, just lots of mindless tv, back rubs, a short nap, and a fever.

Remember Today 2.15.09

{remember} watching Camden at his very first ice skating lesson--the entire family went to see him take to the ice. We were so proud of how well he did (and fearful that hockey may just be his sport afterall).

The first lesson consisted of learning how to stand up: start on your bottom with your legs out in front (a natural falling down position!), swing legs around to kneel like a doggie, put one knee up, give a big push, and stand up tall. Camden decided that one step was missing before the final stand tall: the "touch-your-toes-balance-check." Hey, whatever works, right. And of course, it wouldn't be Camden doing a sport if his "fierce" competetiveness didn't come through. It didn't matter that the two children he was "racing" against were twice his height (and probably twice his age), he scooted across the ice as fast as his little legs would shuffle with one eye in front of him and the other peering over his shoulder to see what kind of a lead he had!

Forget love. . .I'd rather fall into chocolate!

My parents gave the boys jumbo chocolate kisses for Valentine's Day, and of course immediately after lunch they tore right into these. The tearing off of the foil was the easy part; biting into the chocolate fit for a giant was a different story. They managed, so well that while I went upstairs briefly they had devoured about half of their kiss. Lucky I had snapped these photos first:

Remember Today 2.13.09

{remember} how much I love Fridays (I think I've said this before): Pilates class, followed by the NAZ where I read a mag, karate where I worked on invitations, pizza take-out on the family room floor, and a movie curled up on the couch with the boys--does it get any better?!

What a dollar buys you

Picked up these stiff felt "coasters" today for a dollar. I'm thinking an embellishment on a page, or how about the cover to a mini-album. I also grabbed two shaped chipboard albums, a pack of round and square coasters, and some recipe cards (that I've already used for a cookie swap we're going to on Saturday) All for a dollar each! I'm proud to be able to tell my grandkids, "Back in my day you could buy the makings for a really great project for only $1"

How to leave a comment

Many of you have told me that you have tried to leave a comment and couldn't get it to work. I love getting comments (and knowing that people actually read my blogs), so I will attempt to tell you how to do it.

1. Click on the word "comments" at the end of the post.
2. A pop-up screen will appear.
3. Type your comment in the box.
4. Click on the "Name/URL" box and type your name in the box that appears (you can leave URL blank).
5. Click publish your comment.

See, easy!

Wreck This Journal

I picked up this book at Border's today with my birthday coupon. I came upon it on Amazon the other night, and was thrilled to find it at the bookstore (I like instant gratification). Perry saw it on my desk and thumbed through it to find: Tear out. Crumple., Make a funnel. Drink some water., Chew on this. Warning: Do not swallow. Ok, he was less than thrilled. "How much did you spend on this?" But trust me, this book could be life-altering. In the very least it will spark some creativity when I'm in a dry spell. The premise of the book is to let down barriers of perfectionism, snub what your "better" judgement is telling you, and deface a brand new book. I think the whole experience will be very liberating. I'm starting tomorrow. I'll let you know how it goes.

Remember Today 2.12.09

{remember} the boys occupying themselves long enough to get a little crafty in the stUdio. I'm thinking I could get a whole lot more scrapbooking done if I got better organized with my projects. What do you know? The latest CK issue arrived in my mailbox today and it's all about getting organized.

Remember Today 2.11.09

{remember} getting a little further in my digital photo organization project--this is going to take a while! Here's my system, in case you're curious:

My Pictures>year (2007)>photo shoot and date (5-21 boys on swings). Putting the date first with the month's number makes them automatically sort chronologically--nice!

Since I organized my paper photos by date (because they pretty much come that way when you get the film developed), I'm hoping it's only logical to do my digital ones this way as well. Of course you don't really know if something is going to work until you actually try it. After the hours I'm putting into this, it had better work!

After I sort the two years worth of photos (I'm glad now that it took me so long to convert to digital), I will use ACDSee to tag each of my photos so that I'll be able to do searches to pull up all photos of Logan and Karate. Ahhh, it all sounds so good!

What's your system and do you love it?

Remember Today 2.10.09

{remember} Maddox's response when we heard and saw his name get called for the preschool lottery: "I'm going to schoooool, yaaaay!"

Well, hello there. . .

This is what I looked up to see while doing dishes at my sink today. Do you think he's hungry? How on Earth did he get up there?!

The poor thing looked really desperate sticking his paws through my squirrel-proof feeder to try to scrape the meager remains of what the birds have been eating from the bottom tray. I just had to throw some shelled peanuts onto the deck for him (unsalted, of course), and Maddox thought he might enjoy a handful of Kix, too.

. . . it's my birthday too, yeah. . .

Things that made my birthday special:

* Perry's happy birthday hug and kiss this morning
*The boys making me birthday "cards" without Perry even mentioning it
*Maddox getting into preschool via the lottery drawn on tv this morning
*Camden & Maddox periodically telling each other "You can't cry on Mom's birthday!"
*Opening my email to find oodles of Happy Birthday wishes
*Coming home from L & C's swim lessons to lots of Happy Birthday messages on my machine
*Not having to cook because I did a crock pot meal
*My Mom & Dad taking the boys and I out for ice cream (I regret opting for the Jim Dandy Jr. I could've taken on the Jim Dandy--the mac-daddy of all sundaes--really I could have. My 35 year old hips (and butt, and thighs, and gut) are thanking me for not making the attempt.
*Feeling grateful for everyone who made my day so special

Remember Today 2.9.09

{remember} Logan coming in from school and sitting right down to do his homework and write Valentine's without any hassle.

Remember Today 2.8.09

{remember} stuffing my face with yummy brunch foods at my cousin's baby shower, and reminding myself that she has an excuse to eat a lot; what's mine?

Remember Today 2.7.09

{remember} roller skating the morning away with L & C at a birthday party--so glad I donned the skates and got out on the rink with them--fun times!

Remember Today 2.5.09

{remember} listening to Maddox crack himself up while playing with the Little People.

Remember Today 2.4.09

{remember} driving by our old house and telling Maddox he wasn't even born yet when we lived there. His reply: "Pretty soon I'll be born and I can go there."

Remember Today 2.3.09

{remember} Maddox strutting around the house with this iron-on guitar patch he picked out at the store, and Camden needing to dress in his interpretation of a rock star, too.

Remember Today 2.2.09

{remember} a tiny taste of spring when the temp hit 50: bike ride, chalk drawings, laying with the sun in our faces. It won't be long now!

the view from my back on the driveway:

Quote of the Day

I found this on a new blog I've been frequenting belonging to Paula from Big Picture Scrapbooking

Hope she doesn't mind me stealing it! Surround yourself with people who create good in your life--it's too short to not be happy!

25 Random Things

I've been getting a bunch of tags for this lately, so here goes:

25 Random Things about me:

1) I married my high school sweetheart.
2) I always thought I'd be mom to girls, and ended up with 3 fabulously fun boys.
3) I would love to go back to school for Art/Graphic Design.
4) I'm addicted to Baked Lay's.
5) I can't sleep without socks on my feet.
6) I organize everything I can according to rainbow order.
7) I stuck a green blueberry up my nose when I was 3.
8) I rammed a pen through the roof of my mouth when I was 3.
9) I had a spinal tap when I was 4 to diagnose JRA and can't imagine all that my parents went through now that I'm a parent.
10) I lived at college, but came home nearly every weekend.
11) I was proposed to at the end of the jette I climbed on when I was a little girl.
12) I've never done drugs, but I have smoked a handful of cigarettes.
13) I've never broken a bone or had surgery.
14) My first wisdom tooth is coming in now, at age 34.
15) I have a huge sweet tooth.
16) I met my husband working at the grocery store.
17) I was petrified of all bugs until I taught an insect class to first and second graders.
18) I worked the middle of the night shift at my college dorm's front desk.
19) I learned to ride two-wheels on a purple bike with a white sparkly banana seat.
20) I've been wearing contacts since the 7th grade.
21) I became an aunt in 8th grade.
22) I've been on a plane 4 times: Vegas with my aunt to visit my aunt and uncle in 8th grade, San Fran to see my best friend in 11th grade, Boulder for my cousin's confirmation, and Antigua for our honeymoon.
23) I've never been to Disney.
24) I was never a night owl until I had children.
25) I only get my haircut about once a year.

This list makes a great scrapbook page topic. So quick, go grab a pen and paper and make yours. Don't forget to send it to me!

Making history

The boys were part of television history tonight: watching the first 3D commercial. They did a fabulous job sharing the one pair of 3D glasses we could find in the house. Time to clean out their junk drawers again--we must have at least 4 more pairs.

And I will be securing this precious pair to cozy down with Chuck tomorrow night!

Remember Today 2.1.09

{remember} watching the half-time show with the boys before scooting them off to bed--they love watching "music" and it's fun to share music from our days with them.