Domestically Challenged

Gratitude Challenge - Day 9 possibly

So, I may be a day off. Things have been a little...hectic. School is approaching a grading period, so gotta keep the kids on track.

Today's lesson (I think) was this: Enjoy the people around you. Take a moment to appreciate their unique talents, abilities and personalities.

I have been trying to do this more and more. I am sitting here, looking at my son work on his vocab. He should have been in bed an hour ago, but we worked so hard to get him caught up that I don't want to get behind at all again. So, he is happily working and TALKING non stop. Yet, when I walk by him, he latches on to my arm like I am the best thing that exists to him. It's so sweet! He is also sooooo excitable about almost everything. I need to foster that, even when he talks so fast that I have to ask him to sloooow down so I can understand him.

I am trying to appreciate my husband more. He is currently sitting on the couch watching a hunting show, but he just returned from getting us O ice cream sandwiches, even though I'm not even supposed to eat them. He ran out after working for a full day, then working with the kids with me. He is a fabulous husband and has really been picking up the house slack for me. I am totally the luckiest woman around!

I am really working to appreciate my daughter. She is a very difficult child and is being observed for oppositional defiance disorder. She can be a toughie. But she is also very loving and a great artist and singer. She is a beautiful young girl and I am trying to be more positive with her, despite how hard it can be at times. It isn't always easy, but I want her to remember me being happy and loving with her, not getting mad at her for one thing or another, even if that is what a lot of our time is like.

Gratitude Challenge - Day 5

I didn't post day 4, just didn't want to put it all out there. :)

Today's challenge is to write for 5 minutes about everything I am grateful right this minute. Here goes:

I am grateful for my kids - they are beautiful, smart, funny and have made my life full and complete. I am grateful for my husband, who literally is the best thing that has ever happened to me. He is wonderful for me!

I am grateful for teachers, who make so many things in life possible. I am grateful for my job,  because I love teaching and there are so many who don't have jobs, much less jobs they like.

I am grateful for my family, my dad and brother, who are almost all the family I have left. I love them very much!

I am grateful for my friends, even though I don't get to see them as often as I would like.

I am grateful for my health and the health of my loved ones.

Gratitude Challenge, Day 3

I am grateful for my family - both the one I have now and the ones I have lost. They are what has made me what I am today, for better or worse. I hope I can continue to create a loving and supportive environment for my kids. I am grateful to have a wonderfully supportive husband who puts up with my insanity, balances me and is helping to raise some pretty cool kids.

What are you grateful for?

The ABC's of Gratitude

Today's assignment is to write about things you are grateful for in ABC format. I am totally wiped from work and then a class and then homework, so I will just jump right in!

A - Antwon, my brother

B - Books. My favorite way to de-stress, relax and unwind.

C - Coca Cola. My favorite drink, especially since I have food allergies. It is my treat!!

D - D#@!@# - my son, whom I am very grateful for. We are so very, very lucky with him. Wonderful kiddo!

E - Eggs, my favorite allergy friendly weekend breakfast.

F - Family, because after my mom passed away, I feel like it all kind of crumbled away.

G - Grandfather, who was a huge influence in my life and I miss him very much. He was a very unique person. Quiet, strong and funny as hell.

H - Our house, which hubby has worked very hard to maintain for us.

I - ice, which I must have with my coke in the morning.

J - J, my husband, who has saved my life, been my best friend for years and is literally the best husband anyone could ever ask for. Ever.

K - Kisses!! Hubby kisses, kiddo smooches and even wet, sloppy dog kisses.

L - azy days, though I have had too many of them lately.

M - Mom, who I wish was still here so I could tell her...

N - Night, because it is the one time my house is peaceful

O - Ocean, because I find it so relaxing.

P - pool, we built it after my mom passed away and it is beautiful!!!

Q - Quiet, because it so rarely happens. i got to drive home in silence tonight and it was amazing.

R - Romance, because how can you not love it? My hubby makes me feel special quite often, even after 14 years

S - S$#@@# - my daughter, who is teaching me that maybe I'm not completely a tomboy.

T - Teachers, because with them, all things are possible

U - Um. A word I like to count when people are speaking. And it's better than umbrellas

V - Vision, because I am reading a story about Helen Keller with one of my classes and I am grateful that I have such a gift.

W - Water, because it tastes good and swimming in it makes my back feel better.

X - xrays, which sounds cheesy, but turned up just how pronounced my scoliosis really is. I'm glad I know now, even though it scares me.

Y - You - I am very grateful for anyone who has been touched by my writing or teaching

Z - Zen. Balance. Peace. When I have it, I will be damn grateful!

Gratitude Challenge - Day 1

Today is World Gratitude Day and because things have been a little rough on me lately, I decided to participate in The Gratitude Challenge by tiny prints.

Now, I want to start by saying that I am in no way affiliated with tiny prints or The Gratitude Challenge officially. There are many mom bloggers who have gone from blogging about their lives to blogging about their products. There's a time and place for it, but there just seems to be too much of it.

Because things have been difficult and especially with everything going on around us with the economy and such, I thought it would be a great idea to join this challenge. You can read more about it at the home page, but to summarize:

Welcome to The Gratitude Challenge, a 21-day challenge created to help you take note of the brighter side of life.

At Tiny Prints, we believe that sharing gratitude for everyday experiences can revitalize our commitment to living life in a sensational way. As a result, we invite you to spend a few minutes each day to count all of life's little blessings.

Despite my constant complaining, I am very grateful for everything I have. Now, I will have a way to show it.

Wanna join me? :)

I signed the pledge - I commit to expressing gratitude over the course of the next 21 days. I accepted this challenge because I need to focus more on the positive than the negative in life. I hope to be happier and show the people in my life that I am grateful to be a part of their lives. I also hope to find some inner peace, something I desperately need right now.

Do you have what it takes to be grateful for 21 days???

5 Ways Moms are better than Kanye

You'd have to be living under a rock to not have heard about what Kanye did to Taylor Swift. Even though I don't consider myself a fan, I cannot get over what Kanye did to her - what would his mother think?

In his honor, here are 5 ways moms are better than Kanye:

5. We accept our role in our overall family - Kanye thinks he's Gods gift to music.

He once said "I realize that my place and position in history is that I will go down as the voice of this generation"WTH?

4. Whether you are a SAHM, WAHM, WOHM (and any other acronym there might be), we are ALL moms. Kanye thinks it's all about Black and White.

"I’m a pop enigma. I live and breathe every element in life. I rock a bespoke suit and I go to Harold’s for fried chicken. It’s all these things at once, because, as a tastemaker, I find the best of everything. There’s certain things that black people are the best at and certain things that white people are the best at. Whatever we as black people are the best at, I’m a go get that. Like, on Christmas I don’t want any food that tastes white. And when I go to purchase a house, I don’t want my credit to look black."

I think I just threw up in my mouth a little bit there.

3. Moms have humility. Kanye has Kanye and he loves him some Kanye, whether you love Kanye or not.

“I’m doing pretty good as far as geniuses go… I’m like a machine. I’m a robot. You cannot offend a robot"

No, but you can offend an idiot - they just don't know they're being offended.

2. We know we rock, but we don't have to tell everyone about it - all the time. Kanye is always professing his genius, his musical ability, his looks and I don't know about you, but I think most of his songs sound exactly the same.

"You want me to be great, but you don't ever want me to say I'm great?"

Um, yeah. It's called humility.

1. Us moms know its NOT all about US!

“I realize that my place and position in history is that I will go down as the voice of this generation, of this decade, I will be the loudest voice."

Really? Because I can think of at least a dozen other musicians that would kick his ass.

Meal Planning Melee

So, I keep professing the benefits of making a meal plan and yet it is still a task that I haven't mastered. You see, with 2 ADHD kids, my health issues (including food allergies) our commute and general life, it just doesn't seem to work out.

It goes along with my favorite quote - "The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry."

I try to plan. I really do. But then a kid keeps me up half the night, or I have a tough day at school or the hubby is running late, or, or, or.

I know this is a valuable skill, so my goal for next week is to plan a week's worth of menus and then try to stick to them. To make it easier, I'm not going to pick specific days, just make a list of the different weekly meals. I will probably eat something different than the rest of the family at least one day a week - sometimes its just easier for me to grab a bowl of cereal than it is to cook wheat/yeast/dairy free to where it actually tastes good, you know?

The other issue boils down to two things - time and skill. Yes, I know we are all strapped for time, but between commuting, homework with the kids and my infuriating need for 8 hours of sleep, there isn't much time left to cook. Especially when you suck at it.

I didn't always suck at cooking, if you call cooking Rice A Roni, Hamburger Helper and other easy convenience food items. I know its not that good for you, but it has to be better than fast food, right?

The other point is the fact that my husband is a great cook. Like, the kind who doesn't need a recipe to whip something up that is actually edible. He has a tendency to make fun of my cooking. A lot. Over the years, this has worn me down and decreased my cooking confidence. Well, that and the time I cooked a chicken without taking the innards out, but I digress.

Fact of the matter is, if it isn't simple, it isn't going to happen. I read about all these moms who are cooking things like hummus and other things that I don't even know how to pronounce, much less cook. Its all just too overwhelming, too scary, too much potential for disaster. I can grill chicken, make homemade spag and even a few other things, but you can't eat the same things every week (though we come pretty darn close).

We'll see how it works!

I love today. I hate today.

Today was my son's 9th birthday. It also would have been my moms 55th birthday. It has now been over two years since she passed away, but days like today make it soooo difficult.

When my son was first born, she was BEYOND THRILLED to share a birthday with her first born grandson. She was so excited, in fact, that when I went into false labor a week before, she tracked us down at the hospital DESPITE the fact that we didn't tell anyone (besides my work) that we were going. It was freaky, I tell you.

When we made a birthday cake, we always put her name on it too (even though it bothered me a bit) because it made her feel so special. When we sang Happy Birthday, we sang it to her too. She ate it up.

She was sick for a long time and we knew that it was a real possibility that our son would eventually have to face a birthday without her. We just didn't think it would happen so soon. So young.

Wow, I miss her...

My Blackberry and Me

A few months ago, my beloved Palm Centro took a dive on me. Not literally, like my last phone which went swimming in a cup of oj, but in a figurative manner.

Because I was too poor to get a new Pre, I let the hubby talk me into getting a Blackberry. It's the weirdest thing. While I am totally addicted to the phone, I don't love it. In fact, it ticks me off all the time.

Here's why:

1. The calendar sucks. I've had it all summer long and it still takes me 10 minutes to enter an appointment.

2. The memory. It will only hold a finite amount of appointments in the calendar because of how the memory is set up. WTH? On my palm, I had years of appointments and could look up when the kids got sick or any other ocd thing I had noted. Not. Any. More. And I hate that.

3. The stupid little trackball. Yes, it's a little thing. But I hate it. It's loud and I just want to tap the screen and be done with it.

Maybe Palm will come out with something that a poor teacher can afford. Maybe I will get an IPod touch for my bday and then can at least use Agendus on it. Maybe I will jsut accept the damn phone and find something else to whine about...

Where to even start

You see, I have had good intentions. Really. I have like 23 different blog posts all written in my head. But they never seem to make it to the screen.

Why? Well, I've been a little busy. This whole ADHD kid thing is wearing me the hell out. It literally requires constant vigilance which basically means that I can't sit around on my butt and read or surf or Twitter (gawd, what a bane to my existence!)

So, my vow is for September to be better. It has to be. Because I said so.