MIA

Once again we are having computer issues. I have a million pictures I want to share but I'm waiting for Jon to get it fixed. We had a lovely holiday. Santa brought us a wii, and we love it. I especially love the wii fit. It is great and I think it will be a great motivator and help with my weight loss.
The last week has been a little rough. My Grandma Faye has had a rough year health wise and this last week has been touch and go. I've had some other not so fun stuff I've been dealing with.

We are planning on a quiet night tonight. We've invited Grandma over to play the wii and I think we will go to dinner at our favorite Mexican place. But it will be a happy new year spent with my family.

I hope you all had a great Christmas and will have a wonderful new year!

When didn they change the words?

Brianna's Version of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Reindeer
Had a very shiny nose, like a light bulb
and if you ever saw it, saw it
you could even say it glows. Like a light bulb
All of the other reindeer reindeer
used to laugh and call him names; like looser
They never let poor Rudolph Rudolph
join in any reindeer games. like Rock Band
Then one foggy Christmas Eve,Santa came to say: Ho,Ho, HO
"Rudolph with your nose so bright,won't you guide my sleigh tonight?"
Then how the reindeer loved him loved him
as they shouted out with glee, Yippee
"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,You'll go down in history."

Brianna's Recital

Here are a few pictures from Brianna's Christmas Dance Recital. She really love to perform.(Hmm I wonder where she gets that from?)


They danced to "It's Beging To Look A Lot Like Christmas"


Her Cousin Alexa is just to the right of her. They really have fun dancing together.

Little Dancers

This year Brianna and Carly both got to take dance lessons Carly is still too young to dance in the recital but they did invite the parents to come see the little dancers on the last day of class. They are all just too cute for words.

Her teacher says that teaching preschool dance is like herding cats. But Miss Lisa is a fabulous teacher and the kids really love her.

This is a little snippet of Carly "getting Funky" as the teacher called it. Sorry I'm lame and don't know how to rotate the video. It's still cute!

I HATE Walmart

I have never been a fan of Walmart. They are too busy, to dirty and they have absolutely no customer service what so ever. I rarely go there unless I'm desperate. I think the money you save isn't worth the aggravation. My one exception is their photo lab. I like emailing my picture in and picking them up in an hour.


So today I had sent in an order and was going to venture out into the snow. The store I usually get things printed at no longer offers 1 hour photo so I had to go to a different one that is out of my way. I get there to pick up my prints and they ask me who took the pictures. I said a friend. They then told me that because it was a portrait that I needed to have my friend sign a release. WHAT? She isn't a professional photographer I told them. They don't care. I said I'll call her you can talk to her. No, she has to sign the release. I got the manager (which was a half hour process) No I still can't have my pictures until I get Jill to Sign for them. I was livid. I'm not proud of how I treated that lady, But. No where on the website or on my email confirmation order did it say I need to have a release signed to get my pictures. So Walmart sill has my photos and I will try some place else.

I'm never going in another Walmart. And I mean it.

Grrrrrrr

We have picked up a nasty computer virus. So I'm having to use Jon's work laptop which is a pain. So even though I have a million things I'd love to blog about, it may be a while till my computer is feeling up to it. For now Check out our new family Photo. My friend Jill is getting to be quite a good photographer and I asked her to take our picture in front of our newly redone fire place she did a great job. Thanks Jill!

Reality check

In the past few years I've started getting more comfortable with my maternal instinct. I think for the most part I'm pretty good at being a Mom and, for the most part I know what I'm doing. Elementary school as sort of thrown me for a loop. I feel like I'm learning how to be a mom all over again. I've had a hard time finding balance. I want my kid to be independent but I also want her to do well. So how hard do you push? Last night I learned a big lesson.
I've always thought that my girls were the cutest, smartest, most talented being ever to exists. (This is my right as a mother, it don't mean that the other kids aren't great, but because they are mine, my children, in my eyes will always be the best.) So last night was the reflections night at the school. Brianna had drawn a lovely picture of a waterfall. She has always loved to draw and is (in my eyes) very talented. Well she didn't win anything. She was heartbroken. And truthfully I was a little mad that these people didn't see how fablous by baby is. My mama bear was clawing to come out and find out why she didn't win. I didn't let her out. Instead Jon and I talked to her about how lots of other kid had entered and how if there are winners there have to be losers. And just because she didn't win doesn't mean it wasn't good, it just means that some people thought that others were better, but that we thought she was fabulous, and she would just have to try again next year. Then we said we'd go for ice cream. On the way out we saw another little boy who was crying. Bri went to him and asked what was wrong. He said he was sad because he didn't win anything. Bri said,"It's okay my Dad says we just have to try again next year." I'm so proud of my little girl.
So, now I sit here wondering. How do you prepare your kids for the possibility that they won't always be the best? I don't ever want my girls to miss out on things because they are too scared to try. I know that losing is just part of the game. But I just hate to see my little girl disappointed like that.
So I guess I still have a lot to learn about being a mom. I thought that since we've pretty much made it through the baby and toddler years that the hard part was over. But I think it just gets harder from here on out.

Christmas questions

I got this in an email and thought it looked fun.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Both
2. Real tree or Artificial? artificial
3. When do you put up the tree? Dec 7. It's tradition to put it up on Jon's birthday.
4. When do you take the tree down? ASAP I usually can't wait to get my house back to normal.
5. Do you like eggnog? sometimes
6. Favorite gift received as a child? I don't remember anything I got. But I do remember the year our family got our first VCR.
7. Hardest person to buy for? my in-laws
8. Easiest person to buy for? The girls
9. Do you have a nativity scene? yes
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? mail
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Your all going to think I'm crazy, but I hate it when people give me money. I never by myself something with it, it just ends up going for groceries for whatever. And I think it basically says I didn't care to spend the time energy or thought to go get you something.
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Love Actually, I don't know if it is really considered a Christmas movie but it takes place at Christmas time.
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? We usually start in early November
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yes
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? My neighbor Tammy's peanut brittle.
16. Lights on the tree? yes
17. Favorite Christmas song? Sleigh ride.
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Stay home.
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? yes
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? We do Christmas Eve with my brother and sister and Mom, and then open our gifts Christmas morning. It's nice to spread it out a bit.
22. Most annoying things about this time of the year? to much to do.
23. Favorite ornament theme or color. We don't really have a theme we just put them all up there.
24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Anything easy since I usually have to make it.
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? A new chair for my sewing room.