Tis the Season

Tis the season for sentimental ramblings and organized chaos.

As the Christmas season swiftly comes upon us, so fast it makes our heads spin, I cannot stop the overwhelming DELUGE of emotions that flood my being...

Like this one.

 

Our girls are growing up fast... faster than I realize.

For example:

Yesterday Tara asked of she could have two of her favorite chocolate truffles.
Since she ate all of her dinner, I obliged.
However, she quickly came back saying, "Mommy, there are only four truffles left. So, instead of me having two, how about each of us have one?"

GASP!!!

Tara has always looked out for others, so I wasn't completely surprised. HOWEVER, these are her coveted, most favorite, delicious, creamy milk chocolate Lindor truffles we're talking about here!!!

Another example:

We have been eagerly awaiting both girls' Christmas programs. Tara's Christian Preschool singing beloved carols and Tabitha's trumpeting skills at her band concert.

For a while, both programs were going to be on Wednesdays a week apart.
We could attend both of them perfectly!

Unfortunately, last week Tabitha told us that her band recital has been moved up a week, which put it on the EXACT date and EXACT time as Tara's performance!!!
UGH!
We knew we'd have to have some of the family go to Tabitha's and some go to Tara's.... recording both for the rest of us to see.

Tabitha seemed genuinely disappointed for this. Not just performance jitters, but she was sincerely upset that she wouldn't be able to watch her sissy sing in a school function for the first time. It meant a lot to her.

Tabitha came up to me and said, "Mom, I don't want to go to my program for three reasons."
(She obviously had been thoroughly thinking about this.)

"One: I really, really don't want to miss sissy singing. Two: I don't want to break up the family. Three: Since they moved up my band night by a week, I don't even feel that we're ready to perform in front of people yet."

Being the skeptical mom of a tween, I wondered if #3 was the main reason. However, after talking to her, I truly don't think so. She was excited for her band concert since she first knew about it.
Also, in her defense, her school has been EXTREMLY disorganized about it. I have YET to see a flyer or take-home sheet of any kind, merely just word of mouth from my 6th grader... and so close to the date they move it up a week?!?!?!? Weird.

Regardless, it meant a lot for Tabitha to see her sister singing her best with her classmates in front of her and her family for the first time.

 

Tara apparently "leads the pack" in singing... I have NO IDEA where she gets that... really...

 



...Ahem...

 

 

Of course, I can't fail to mention my doting husband, James.

(He wouldn't let me forget it! Just kidding, honey!)

 

 

 

James deals with my shenanigans every day.

Every. Freaking. Day.

As much as my parents love & support me, I imagine they would get real tired of me after a while.

 

Oh, don't get me wrong, for as awesome as he is, James is no ray of sunshine every day, either! (Which is life, folks! It goes both ways! Relationships are give & take!!)

But, I guess, if that's not love, then I don't know what love is.

 

 

I am WELL AWARE how much of a brat I am. Especially "that time of the month"!

Yes, I know I'm putting myself down. And, if I can say, I'd like to think overall I'm pretty easy-going, optimistic and fun. So, maybe that balances the cheeky shenanigans out. HA!

 

SHENANIGANS!!!

 

James is an excellent provider, father and best friend. He goes to work every day with the stresses of the world on his shoulders, so I may stay at home Monday through Thursday to tackle my other world of 24/7 employment of tending to our children, running errands and countless other domestic duties such as the never-ending laundry loads and vacuuming up pet hairs and children crumbs.

 

Thankfully, James is a better cook than I. He used to joke that I could burn water, but at least now I have a handful of dishes I can prepare. LOL

 



 For example: Meatloaf. :)

 

 

Words to live by. 

ANYWAY

I could go on FOREVER about each individual person in my life and how they are a blessing to me. How I thank God for them every day!

They helped mold me into the person that I am today, through good times and not-so-good times...

 



It's a crazy world we live in...

full of darkness, despair and uncertainty.

It's also CHOCK full of light, happiness and never-ceasing beauty!!!

 

It's everywhere! 

In smiles, rainbows and ...

 

DISNEYLAND

 

LOL

You get the idea.

 

~BOTTOM LINE~

For every crazy, emotionally distraught, tear-your-hair out kind of day, there are twenty (I had to pick a number, but you get the idea!) beautiful days of blessings ABOUND!

ABOUND, I SAY!!

 Count your blessings!!!

 

Being the Christmas season, I am going to post more blogs about our blessings... so...

HANG ON TO THEM HATS AND GLASSES!

 

 

and for your viewing pleasure...

 

The new & improved Big Thunder Mountain RR ride at Disneyland:

 

 

Dogs and Cats!! Living Together!! Mass Hysteria!

We have three dogs now, but who's counting?

Actually, I am counting.

Uno, dos, tres Cavalier King Charles Spaniels.

So, since it has been forever and a day, let me bring you up to speed...

First we had Romi.

Unfortunately, she passed away on June 23, 2012.

She was a sweet soul who had a brief time on Earth. :(
Abdominal cancer... ugh.
 

 I wrote this on my Facebook post:

 

"Rest easy now, Romi, sweet princess. We'll see you again someday in Heaven. Meanwhile, eat all the treats you want and have fun playing and cuddling with Monty, Saber and Tribbles, who are there to meet you. Tell them how much Tabitha and Tara have grown. We love you and miss you terribly. Our hearts ache, but we understand that you were in intense pain while you were here on Earth... We'll always feel you at the foot of our beds and miss the way you would gently nudge us to pet your silky ears... We love you now and forever. "

 

Oh, ya.

So, before Romi there was:

 

Monty

 

 

Saber & Tribbles
 

 

    

 

As far as cats go, we still have:

 

Pandora

 

 

and

 

Charlie Chaplin Moo

As a kitten...

...now all grown up

 

 

 

Anyway, back to the dog timeline.
 

 

Romi passed and we were devastated.

 

 

 

 

Only a couple months later, we acquired:

 

Monet

(Moe)

 

(I just LOVE Tara's photobomb!)

 

and shortly after that

  

Katie

who we lovingly refer to as KatieBug Magee

 

 

 

Just recently, a family at my veterinary clinic decided they couldn't deal with their elderly Cavalier, Biscuit, anymore. The family gave us a little over one week to find her a home
 or they'd euthanize her.

Now, that may sound callous, and it is to some degree, but I understand their desperation.

They kept her in the laundry room all the time because they work full time, have children who are in college and don't have the time to let her outside every couple hours...

They owned Biscuit for almost 12 years. They loved her and gave her everything.

Now that she is an old girl, with all of her old girl issues, they don't have time to give her the appropriate attention and love that she needs.

 

I have known Biscuit for almost 10 years.. I couldn't let her be put down if it wasn't her time. My husband wanted to help, too. So, we decided to take her home for a trial run..

Right away we knew that she adopted us.

Yes, she is mostly deaf and has incontinence issues... maybe even a kidney issue... but she is happy.
We'll just keep on giving her the best quality of life we can give her until the end.

Biscuit and Tabitha

 

 The Three Musketeers.. er.. Cavaliers!

 

 

So far, it has been 3 days since
she has urinated in the house!!!

YAY!!!!

She still urinates overnight
on her bedding in the crate,

but we can cope with that.

She is SO happy!

And we just love her!


 

Observations and Perspectives on Life Reflected on Children

As I get older in life, and presumably wiser, I grow more in awe of life around me.

Stop for a moment and listen. Breathe. Look around.

The beauty around us is enough to make anyone weep with joy!

On the other end to that spectrum, the evil around us is enough to weep with anger and sadness!

Our children grow faster than the speed of light. They start becoming little persons. They start stating their honest opinion of things whether we like it or not. These sponges now have a voice of their own. Who helped to mold and shape that little person?

 

Mine looked like this:

 

 

Now they look like this:

 

 

and this:

 

 

 

Our children become mirror images of us. We need to remember that they constantly feel our vibes. They learn from our love…AND our hatred. A little sarcastic or a snide remark in passing that we don’t think matters… matters to them. On the other side to that coin, they also learn from us when we do pleasant things. For example, when we do something for someone without being asked or give an honest compliment, they see it and it sticks with them. Contrariwise, they get confused when they see us doing something nice for one person, yet acting terrible to another.

A child who sees their parents show appropriate affection to each other will in turn look for that in a partner. A child whose parents outwardly show hatred towards something will also mirror the same. I’m not just talking racism and intolerance, I’m also talking hatred towards other human beings whether it be to the other parent, family member or complete stranger.

Parenthood is rocky. You have all-time highs and intense lows. You have constant lack of sleep. From the time they are a newborn until they are adults you lose sleep for SO many reasons in EVERY stage of childhood.  You are burdened by financial and moral dilemmas. You are upset over something at work or something your spouse said/did. All of these worries and you still muddle through.

You, indeed, are trying your best. But is your best good enough?

Parents are quick to say, “I’m being the best parent that I can.” Yet we see those same parents and their children making terrible, snide comments or violent behavior, which they don’t even FEEL is inappropriate.

THEY DON’T SEE IT!!! That’s the sad part! They don’t even realize it!!

Negativity begets negativity. Positivity begets positivity.

 

Children will remember that specific negative or positive moment and dwell on it consciously or subconsciously.

Now, I’m the first to admit that I am a little naïve. The nativity comes from a good place, though, in my humble opinion. I always try to give the benefit of the doubt, even though it has bitten me in the butt like a ravenous lion numerous times. Nevertheless, I feel I am a better person from it.

Yes, I am quite aware that the world is not filled with unicorns and rainbows and happy endings. The more I go through this journey, the more I see the dark side of this world, and it literally makes my heart hurt.

The book and movie “The Last Unicorn” has a line I think of often: “There are no happy endings, because nothing ends.”

 

 

 

That being said, you can still live as happily as you can.

Actually, let me rephrase that...

You can CHOOSE to live as happily as you can.

That usually means not being as selfish as you once were...

After all, Olaf in "Frozen" said it very well: "Love is... putting someone else's needs before yours."

 

 

I just love Olaf.

 

There is no denying that I had a great childhood. My brother and I were constantly filled with love and support from every possible angle. We NEVER saw our parents fight. We found out as adults, of course, they had their struggles and arguments, but it was NEVER within earshot of us.

Why?

Because they didn’t want us to see/hear that.

They always put their children first.

Some people would disagree and say that children need to see the fights and the hard times so they can go into the world as adults and know how to get by one way or another. Ok, I see what you’re saying. Children, when they are a certain older age, may benefit from seeing some arguments play out rationally.

RATIONALLY.

Honestly, as human beings, how often does that truly play out when it’s the heat of the moment? I can also see how, when they are a certain age, it would benefit the child to see the terrible things around them so they are aware of the possibility of people and things that can potentially hurt them. Understandable.

I’m all for teaching and guiding our children to be adults. That’s our job as parents.

BUT there is an age and a time for everything.

My bottom line:

Stop, look and listen! Take a breather.

Take a snapshot of your life as an intelligent adult.

If you say, “I’m a good person.”  Can you be better?

If you say, “I do what I can in my marriage/relationship.” Can you connect more?

If you say, “I’m doing the best I can with ______”…. Take a good hard look.

Are you?

Don’t misunderstand me. I am not in ANY WAY saying I am perfect.

I have flaws. So do you.

However, we need to learn and listen to the world around us and to each other individually.

I’m not saying to TAKE everyone’s advice or  to “do what everyone is doing”. However, you can make some observations of your own. If something is working for one parent, (or a bunch of parents!) then maybe it wouldn’t hurt to try it! Or at least with your own spin on it!

I’m also not saying don’t think for yourselves. That would be ludicrous. I’m saying just listen to others and be open-minded enough to try something new and grow from it.

We are all a work in progress. I know that every day we are learning more (as we should) and every day we become a little wiser.

There is always room for growth whether you are a teenager or you’re 100 years old. You simply have to make the conscious choice.

 

Take a good hard look at yourself.

 

It can be difficult, but if you do it honestly it is humbling and rewarding.

 

Choose to be as positive as you can be around children. They will thrive on it. Discipline them when they need it, provide boundaries they will grow from, and be as kind and loving to EVERYONE around them as much as you possibly can.

 

I just read a Facebook poll “Which Dungeons and Dragons class are you?” – (Don’t judge me! :P)

 

“You are driven by your faith or religion, and are not afraid to fight for it. You live by a strict set of rules and standards and try to be an example to others."

 

Be that example!

At least, MOST of the time!!!

So, stop for a moment and listen. Breathe. Look around.

Life is so fragile. JUMP at the chance to be positive, even in difficult times.

Our children are our future. What do you want our future to be for them? Or their children? Or their children’s children?

If you read until this point, thank you for sticking with me.

Obviously, I think very passionately about this subject. I hope you do, too.

 

 

HAHA.. I just saw this dated Feb 2011.... "WHOA! It's been a YEAR!" ~ONE LINE!~ LOL!!!

So, I have decided to TRY and keep up with blogging again. As I went to my blogging page, I saw a DRAFT from February of 2011. It was entitled "WHOA! It's been a YEAR!" and it had ONE WHOLE LINE IN IT!!!

"Well, it's almost been a year and I have not posted. Bad, bad Amy."

...sigh... Maybe now that it's 2014, I can keep up a bit.

Even with the constant drama and goings-ons!!
:P

Oregon Coast, sigh...

Thankfully, we live near enough to the Pacific Ocean that we can visit it from time to time. I love the beach.

We try and have a mini vacation at the coast at least once a year. Past two years we went for my birthday/Valentines Day in February. Winter months are obviously more wet and damp, but the rates are fabulous and the storms are worth watching!

This year, James and I got to go (wait for it) ALONE.. (GASP!) for our 10-year wedding anniversary. Oh, it was so relaxing and wonderful! Yes, we did feel guilty leaving the girls, but Grandma Janis, my mother-in-law, (who was awesome enough to fly all the way from Northern Nevada to watch the girls) constantly updated us with phone pics, videos and texts. That made it easier to let go for a while. :)

We stayed at the Inn at Spanish Head in Lincoln City, Oregon. Arriving to our hotel room, we were welcomed with rose petals sprinkled on the bed and chilled champagne in the refrigerator. 

The weather was not too chilly. In fact, it was too hot in the hotel room on the first day we stayed there, and it wasn't from us! heh heh
We opened up the windows and listened to the waves crashing on the shore right under us.

It was so nice to have room service and enjoy each other again. Our marriage has been quite strained since the birth of our newborn in October. A lot of arguments followed stemming from fatigue, illness, melancholy, feeling of being unattractive mixed with the feeling of helplessness, loneliness, getting used to new routines and a new BODY in the house... dichotomy of sorrow mixed with total happiness. I know that seems like a paradox. But it was such a roller coaster of both extremes. 

Since our mini-vacation, I feel like we have found each other again. Not just lovers but friends again. It was almost like a second honeymoon. We'll definitely be going back.

How Lucky We Really Are... (aka: Instant Gratification)

People whine too much. Okay, let me start over by saying *I* whine too much. Yes I whine. It's human nature to whine and God knows I have done my fair share of it. I like to get my way, who doesn't? Being brought up a spoiled, yet polite, girl, I want what I want when I want it.

However

If we really take a deep breath, step back and take a look at our lives, we find that we usually have all we really need. ("Princess and the Frog" even states that, thank you, Disney.)

For example, I complain about this that and the other thing, but in reality, all the pros outweigh the cons. By uncountable measures.
I have a beautiful family, a loving goober of a husband for 10 years, two gorgeous/smart daughters, a roof over my head, food in the fridge, cars to drive, gas in the cars, jobs to get to complain about (LOL I really do love my job), friends to complain *to* not *about*. Financially we are a little better off than we were last year, a lot better off than we were 10 years ago and WAY better off than some families in other countries.

Yet I will always complain about what I cannot have at the exact moment I want it. No instant gratification. My wantings may wane over time and I may not want whatever it is anymore. Isn't that the irony?

We are so immersed in a culture of instant gratification that we expect nothing less. And when something doesn't go our way at that same moment, it's hard to let it ride out.

All's Quiet on the Western Front

I think life has balanced out. My parents aren't as fruit loopy; my dad even apologized to James. Thanks God. We don't need family drama. Let's hold off on that until the girls are teenagers, please. ha!

James and I are doing well. In fact, May 6th will be our TEN YEAR Anniversary..... TEN YEARS!!!!
Makes us wonder where the time went. You can't help but to reminisce on time rushed by.
I'll post some of my memories later...

We are going to the Oregon Coast for two nights. I still don't know how that was arranged. Act of God, I suppose. LOL I already feel guilty leaving the girls but I know they are in capable hands of Grandma Janis. (James' Mom) It will be nice to sleep in and have an romantic, intimate moment or two with my hubby. With two girls in tow, those moments seem to be few and far between at times. But it's getting better.

Like in the Beatles sang "It's getting better all the time.....Better better beeeeeetttttteerrrrr..."