the blizzard of 2010

oh goodness---we are getting some SNOW up over here. these pictures are from this morning...but keep in mind we had another foot plus load us down since

its just been coming and coming since early yesterday. everything in the city is closed. we are snowed in....and super tired of changing wet snowy clothes...don't have enough gloves and hats etc. my lame face in the photo is cause i am super sick of being cold...and wiping snow off the floor. :(

luckily we still have power. THANK YOU LORD. and camille is keeping us warm with all her baking skills.

its been fun and lovely to have all this beautiful white snow cover up every possible square inch of our lives, but we are all ready for this to end now. thank you very much.

mom award

i have officially won the best loser mom award.

ya wanna know why? i'll tell you. i've been having issues with a certain teenager in my home and now i have evidence to confirm my suspicions.

the said teenager has had her cell phone taken away off and on for weeks. i have been nagged, ridiculed, cried at, and been told straight out -i am the strictest--evilest mom there ever was. how could i be so cruel?? all because i knew the accused teenager was dropping out of her regular life for a life of phone crime...losing all interest in daily pastimes, family adventures--even conversations--in an effort to spend every possible second texting on her phone. i knew in my heart it was getting out of hand, but i trusted her to put it away and make good choices. and that is where i made my fatal mistake. but since she is a teenager and i am allowing her that space--cause i want cool mom points and i wanna respect her space too...well i just never thought. i just never thought my straight a student who hates breaking rules with a passion...well i never thought she'd break a rule- esp. my rule. i have so much to learn as a momma. :) we've been going through this for weeks...the air thick...and me wondering if i'm being unfair or lame. questioning myself. wanting to be the best mom.

fast forward to today...when it comes to my attention my once sweet perfect rule abiding teenager, now sassy and breaker of my mom laws--has sent 14,999 texts in a 30 day period. and that is WITH the phone taken away for several hours after school and at bedtime. so this means she does nothing else but text on her phone. NOTHING ELSE. and i am the loser who is allowing this possibility.

i must admit that i am rather proud that my girl can actually type that fast and that much. i mean, come on, one text shy of 15000...in one billing cycle...that's gotta be a record or something. :) i will silently give her props right here for that achievement. however...

the truth remains i am deeply saddened by what it really means. i shouldn't have questioned myself, i should have stuck to my guns and kept the phone if i just wasn't sure. she has abused the privileges i have given, she has lost all interest in every aspect of her life that doesn't involve her phone and "friends". i have no problem with her having friends--of course what she is asking to do with her friends is causing all sorts of other problems for us. she wants to go off and hang at malls, hang at parties with boys, she wants all sorts of things that i don't allow. she basically wants me to let her do what she wants and have no boundaries.

are all teenagers like this? this all feels so hard and stressful and is pushing me to my limits.

where is my lil girl who use to craft with me? where is the girl who chit-chatted my ear off after school? shes still in there--shes just figuring out what she can and cant do. i know. the days when i take the phone away--she finds her way back. she hangs out upstairs, she helps me with cooking, she will even TALK to me a little here and there. so you can see why i have such hard feelings for the cell phone now. i feel like i've let it take my baby girl somewhere i just don't like. and now i need to wear my mom award on my sleeve and don't give in at all.

i want her to have friends. i want her to communicate with them. but this is just stupid--for lack of a better word. and so i am now in possession of 2 phones until further notice.

i wonder how other parents figure out the whole cell phone thing. when she first got it at the start of 6th grade it was so so cool, it gave her an IN when she moved to a new town. and now...well now i feel like i want to smash that phone on the ground and beat the shit out of it- (sorry). its really caused me so much anguish--i rather hate that little white phone.

any suggestions? any help/advice? cause i could sure use it.

xoxo

a little bug

* i absolutely could NOT rotate my picture. i did it in Picasa and saved it like 10 times and it still goes back to this sideways shot. oh well. :)

today i got the kids back to school from a 4 day weekend...and literally the minute the bus drove away i felt my insides turn over. i have some kind of a bug doing crazy dances in my stomach. i can hardly stand up it hurts so bad. so i gathered some supplies to set me up on the couch with.

book? check. tums? check. toast? check. twilight movie on the tv? check. crochet hook and yarn??? check.

do i know how to crochet? uncheck. uh, no. i was hoping that i could somehow teach myself. no book on that either. maybe i can find something online in between belly aches. i've been seeing these granny squares blankies around blog town and i want to join in. me and my cold feet just might need one of those -and made by me, even better.

this is one of new years changes. to DO some of the things i have been wanting to do for so long. i always wish i did this or that. but i am pathetic and give up before i even try. well, not this time. yes, crocheting is on my list of little wishes for myself. why not? if it adds joy to my life, a little happiness. i'm a crafty girl...

i'll be on the couch until this little upset tummy goes away. which is too bad really cause i had a long list of things to get to work on today after the kids skadaddled. too bad i can't plan my sickies for those days when i have nothing to do, that would work so much better.

xoxo

henry, get off the couch--no wait, stay!

henry? what do you see each day as you sit on the top of the couch?

usually he is sitting the other way, with his little butt on the couch, his body on the window shelf area and his face leaving slobbery puppy drool on the glass. he watches the wind blow, the snow fall, the rabbits and squirrels and kitties walk by-taunting him. neighbors coming and going, kids playing...he takes it all in. he is the best window watcher. i am so lucky he found this spot. at first i wanted him off the couch and out of the window. now i cannot think of a better thing. it is my peace. when he is sitting up there, he is not bugging me, he is not fighting or playing with buster and i have some good solid time to get things done without a little henry dog at my feet. :) in this photo, he feel asleep with the sunshine on his back and his face tucked into the couch. as tough as he looks and acts, this staffy puppy is turning out to be kinda sweet. see i toldja i was falling for him.

now if i could just get him to stop wanting to eat anyone under the age of 6, we'd be in good shape.

xoxo

today...

was back to routine day.

it did not go well.

camille forgot her lunch. got her phone taken away. izzy and logi got into a brawl before and after school.

these three are not sitting happily on the couch like here opening advent gifts...

they did finally return to school, after 18 days of winter break. the house was quiet and calm with just the doggies and me.

that is until the sweet darlings returned from school. and all hell broke lose. seriously. each is now in their room, banished from cell phones, and tvs and even homework. they are writing sentences...something like..."i will not cause chaos and havoc before or after school".

there are moments like this when it is so hard to be a mom. i don't know if writing 200 --(yes 200 for today) sentences will really teach them to stop doing the bad behaviors, but once the crying is over and they actually start writing, it gives me a little bit of time to talk myself out of the freak out i am about to have. :)

i wonder what other parents do when things escalate between siblings?? alex makes them do yard work...which is usually where they share their screaming matches with all the neighbors. i like the sentences. it gives me a bit of peace, and my children have the best handwriting. and then we discuss the issues at hand.

well its dinner time. i'll do that and see if things perk up.

xoxo

shopping

today i took the girls to the mall to spend their money; and to target to use their gift cards from their meema.

and afterwards, i have decided that i will only go shopping with kids if i can take one at a time. it all went ok, but it was too long and hard to enjoy and...the thing is, i love shopping. i don't want my shopping experiences to feel crazy or overwhelming. and the girls like different stores. an hour into hollister, izzy was in tears....then camille would not step a foot into the toy isle of target. yes, it'll just have to be one at a time, i felt exhausted.
they each came home with lots of lovely goodies (new socks, jeans, lipgloss, lotions, petshops (izzy) tshirts, ds games, magazines, and itunes cards) and are now in their rooms enjoying themselves. :) camille mentioned that she could shop all day....yeah, me too sweetie, me too!!

ps. we also took down our christmas trees. i felt a little sad, but henry kept eating the ornaments off and it was making us all crazy chasing after him. you can only do that for so many weeks, and then enough is enough.
tonight i'm looking forward to reading a new sewing book i got. our bookstore is closing and everything is just a few dollars, so i used my gift card and got Amy Karol's Bend the Rules with fabric. i already have her bend the rules sewing. its a great crafty sewing book, if you're in search of one.
oh, i'm also reading the sequel to the book chocolat. i got it a few months ago at a thrift shop for 50 cents. i forget the name....but its really good. i read the first one back in college. it makes me want to rent the movie and snack on some goodies....

anyone figure out their goals & resolutions for this year yet??
mine are still simmering. but i'll tell of one: to get my etsy shop opened. ive been a member since 2007...and that's just plain sad...my poor shop has been waiting...empty for me. it is time. :)
i wanna add lose my ten pounds, but i am just going to let that happen as it may. i'm tired of stressing about it, cause the added stress is making me bald. nice, huh? i can't just be ten pounds overweight, i have to throw in a few less hairs. its almost gross getting older...sorry.

xoxo

happy new year!!

it's about 10pm. i am trying to stay awake til the new year's first minute. not sure if i'll make it. two of the kids are already getting delirious. you know when you are so tired you just act plain stupid and then giggle nonstop about it? yeah, me either. but the kids are just about right there. alex is home playing some video game live on the xbox--getting his butt kicked by some 10yr old boy in india. :) yes, we are seriously into celebrating the newest year.

to inspire a fresh clean new year, i pulled my better homes & garden january 2008 issue off my bookshelf. and alex said, i'd never look at those again...i figure the tips for '08 are just as good for '10. i know for a fact i didn't keep up with all those clutter control tips and the organizational skills they tried to teach me back then well, i am in need of a new lesson.

there is something amazing about the start of a new year. as i get older, i find myself looking forward to it. a new month can be a great welcome, and it is known waking up to a new day can help mend yesterdays broken heart. but a new year--well, it brings with it so much hope. so much potential. it is so BIG and so very much can happen. and i love the possibility in the air.

2009 has been good. so much growing and maturing for my children. a little heartbreak here and there-just enough to teach life's lessons. izzy's broken arm healed. her return to singing everyday. new best friends. she is finally enjoying a book each night. logan's grades back up to fantastic. his fascination with legos and astronomy and science and spies. camille's obsession with skinny jeans. her entering teenager life-to its fullest. a new boyfriend--even though its not allowed. she also entered the workforce of babysitting and she loves the families she sits for and she really enjoys having her own money. (and has not complained at loaning mom a few dollars when necessary).there is much to be happy for my kids this past year. they always improve on their beautiful selves and continue to amaze me. i am so very lucky to have such truly good, gifted children.

alex spent some time away this year again; but is home now and we all made it through. he is extremely happy with his job and even though once again the military life brings much sacrifice, him being proud of what he does carries over into our family life and that is a very good thing. he finally at age 36 grew a beard. well, i don't think it was called a beard, but you could actually SEE it, which is new for him. and he is finally attempting to read at bedtime as well. :)

what have i done this year? my usual. some volunteering at school. some scrapbooking. a little home decorating. a constant battle with my 10 pound weight loss. i go up, i go down. i'm currently down by 3. go me! i did take a few steps up in my crafty business. making more money than i ever have. branching out a bit. i also made a few new friends, and they are really nice women and i am thankful that we moved where we are (even if the house is smaller then i wished, i am finding it cozy as well) and welcome the chance to spend time getting to know them better. i am feeling the beginnings of home...yes a year and a half later, but thats the usual for me. i know i won't want maryland to be home forever, but i am so glad that i am feeling like i fit okay here. you military wives know what i'm talking about. it is so hard to be in a place where you just can't feel right. :)

as a family we celebrated a huge achievement by buying a new home here in maryland. settling into this community on a semi-temporary permanent basis. :) the split level design is not our favorite, but everyone has a room and we have a nice yard and the kitchen is bigger than any we've ever had and we get to live on a cul de sac where everyone is safe. we are having good memories made here. having my cousin kelly's family visit in the summer was wonderful. henry higgins is beginning to fill all of our hearts--even mine. i know i said it would never happen, but i find him not so scary anymore and am growing rather fond of him.

and our latest happy family adventure this week has been teaching buster baxter to shake his paw. and if you know buster, then you know this is a miracle. a very sweet happy miracle. he does NOTHING but eat and sleep and lounge in the sun if possible. so him learning this new--his only trick at age 7 is just the happiest thing for all of us. we are so very proud and lavish him with kisses when he does it.

of course, there are so many big and little things that happened this year to my family. of which i wish i spent more time documenting them here. but guess what? i have a whole new year to try again? and i bet so much more to come.

i wish for a fantastic new year to everyone. i'm so ready for 2010; how about you? even the number is cool.

lovingly,

sherry