So I Was Just Thinking

My friends and I (Flygirl, Miruspeg, Octamom and AVTCoach) are embarking on this year long joint venture this month. We are working together to create posts about our word of the year. This was inspired by the Zen in You (Caroline) where we each picked a word to inspire, motivate or direct us through the year. This month we have decided to use a form of poetry called an acrostic to express our take on our special word. The following are our contributions to this effort: Miruspeg from Middle Aged Ramblings B elieve in yourself. A llow the positive energy to flow your way. L ook, learn, laugh and Love. A lways allow for a few stumbles along the way. N ever give up or stop trying. C limb that mountain, till you reach the top. E njoy the journey. Octamom of Octamom(c) xxx E nergetically xx e X acting x un C ommon xx r E sults xxx L eaning who L ly xx d E pendant xx o N a pea C eful xx r E deemer AVTCoach from This Abundant Life *A* tone for your hurtfulness. *B* id farewell ...

There are so many different kinds of pens out there. Most people find themselves on the never ending hunt for the perfect pen. Take this pen for example. It came with this notebook. Therefore, I feel some sort of moral obligation to make sure it stays attached to this book. It has a kraft paper covering, and it certainly is stout enough to hold onto, but I find the length a little too short, giving it an odd center of gravity. A pen's center of gravity determines how small or large I write. I am not a fan of small writing, but handwriting that is too large tends to make its author appear a little bit juvenile - in my humble opinion. Other things to consider when choosing the perfect pen are color, fineness of point, smoothness of ink flow and roller vs. felt-tip. (We shall leave fountain pens out of this discussion as those who prefer them seem a bit too sophisticated for this discussion. ☺) When I pick up most pens, I generally assume they have black ink espcially since I teach s...

I Saw this on SassySasha's blog the other day and thought I would see what I had accomplished on this list of 100 things. It reminded me of the movie The Bucket List which I had not seen until last night. I had avoided seeing it since it came out around the time my father was sick in the hospital. Now this is not my bucket list, but it was interesting to read Sasha's and then mine and see what we had in common and to learn some interesting things about her too. Please feel free to copy this to your blog and let others have a little peek into your life. 1. Started your own blog 2. Slept under the stars 3. Played in a band 4. Visited Hawaii 5. Watched a meteor shower 6. Given more than you can afford to charity 7. Been to Disneyland 8. Held a praying mantis 9. Climbed a mountain 10. Sang a solo 11. Bungee jumped. 12. Visited Paris 13. Watched a lightning storm at sea 14. Taught yourself an art from scratch 15. Adopted a child 16. Had food poisoning 17. Walked to the top of the ...

I know it...I can't help it, but I am making a concerted effort to stop whining in one particular area of my life and that is how far and how often I have to drive to get my children's various therapies. On my son's third birthday, he was not talking very much if at all. He had many ear infections and the pediatrician referred him for speech and hearing testing. After several referrals and tests, the health plan agreed to provide him with speech therapy. Rewind. My beautiful daughter had always been a little different. At age three, she could stare straight through you. My cousin's husband scolded her in a very strong voice (loud enough to make my heart stop,) but it didn't faze her in the least. She just kept staring at him like he was the one with the problem. I didn't think much of it but noticed over the years her inability to pick up on social cues, observe personal space boundaries, handle even the slightest change in plans, and many other assorted odditie...

Just a short post to look at my goal of Cooking 5 days a week. Saturday 1/10 - Sliders (mini burgers) Sunday 1/11 - Chicken Noodle Soup (had enough leftovers for two lunches) Monday 1/12 - Rice and Polish Sausages w/ Beans is slated for tonight. Tuesday 1/13 - Spaghetti (using ground turkey for the meat) Wednesday and Thursday I am not usually home, but if I start thinking now, I could make a crock pot meal. Friday is still up in the air. Okay, I am off to look up crock pot meals and to get my menu planned for next week, too. (Yes, Peggy. I have made a list.) Post Note: I found a nice site to plan my meals for a week, get recipes and add the necessary ingredients to a saved shopping list. Wednesday is now broccoli stuffed baked potatoes and Thursday is "Pigs in a Blanket" because I can prepare the "Pigs" ahead of time and store them in the fridge until I get home for a quick meal with James and they will stay warm in the toaster oven until Gary and Caitlin get hom...

What does that word mean? dis•ci•pline 1. Training expected to produce a specific character or pattern of behavior, especially training that produces moral or mental improvement. 2. Controlled behavior resulting from disciplinary training; self-control. 3. Control obtained by enforcing compliance or order. 4. A systematic method to obtain obedience. 5. Discipline aims at the removal of bad habits and the substitution of good ones, especially those of order, regularity, and obedience. 6. Training to act in accordance with established rules; accustoming to systematic and regular action; drill. How does that fit into my life? Definitions 1-4 are more in fitting with my daily life at school, but I am currently working on definition #5 - removing bad habits and substituting them with good ones. The bad habits are numerous and include: Drive Thru Restaurants Sweet tea Internet Usage Couch Potato Lifestyle Procrastinating Spending Money Staying up late The good habits I would like to replace ...

So this is what a grocery cart looks like when I am able to go to the market without worrying about my three year old running away. My refrigerator isn't going to know what to do when the vegetable bins are full of produce. For once, I already know what I will be serving for dinner this week without including a trip through the drive-through. I can actually pack a lunch and not rely on school cafeteria "pot luck." What has brought on this miraculous change? My husband is home! I was actually able to go to the store without making an event of it - no packing a change of clothes for a still potty training boy or playing hide and seek through the dairy section. Before reinforcements came from the Philippines in the form of my wayward husband, I would only go to the store when we were out of milk or cereal. I would do it on the way home from school between dance classes and the picking up the youngest from daycare. This is my first step in my journey toward a more disciplined...

Today is the last real day of my holiday before I have to go back to work on Monday. I have a medium-sized list of things to get done today like laundry, return phone calls, go to the bank, wash my dad's truck, fix some blinds at my mother's, hang a plaque for my mother, contact the body shop....Okay, the list seems to be growing as I type. They are all doable because it is early, and I was smart and took my youngest to daycare. I was feeling badly about making him go to "school," but I knew I wouldn't get a single thing done if I didn't. The question was how to get him there with as little fight as possible. I was certain that he wouldn't want to go in the car so early in the morning since he has figured out that nothing good comes from getting in the car at sun-up (doctor's appointments, daycare, etc.) Instead we walked to school. It is only ten minutes, but it seemed like an eternity. Of course it wasn't without complication. Three minutes from ...