Friday, December 31, 2010

Friday Five-Rain

In honor of today's crazy freaking weather, I give you a Friday Five devoted to rain...

1. What's the worst thing about really bad rainstorms? 
The rain?? Lol. The wind, usually, is the worst part of bad storms. This year alone we lost two trees to wind and my favorite barn blew down because of the wind.

2. What's the best thing about really bad rainstorms
 Puddle hopping afterward

3. What's your favorite thing to do when the power is out?
Honestly? Sleep. Otherwise I am dealing with two freaked out kids and a going crazy cat.

4. In what ways are you always prepared for a bad storm?
We always have bottled water, candles, and matches.

5. What's your favorite song with the word "rain" in it?
"Covered in Rain" by John Mayer or "November Rain" by Guns and Roses

the guitar work alone is enough to make me listen to "Covered in Rain" over and over again-then add John's voice to it...heavenly!

"November Rain" is a classic rock ballad from the 90's. Probably my favorite G n' R song

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful for new beginnings; both in the sense that the new year is coming and in the sense that Gabe is at a new school, we live in a new (old) town, and Geo is starting a new job. 2010 was a roller coaster. While it was filled with good things, it also had more than its' fair share of crappy things. I'm looking forward to a new year with new beginnings and more good things :)

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Sledding!

For Christmas the kiddos got sleds from their great Aunt Becky and great Uncle Kenny! Luckily for us, there is a park close to the house that sets up a snow fence and bales of straw and all sorts of good stuff so people can have a safe area to sled on. We went yesterday to take the kids for their first sledding EVER. What a blasty blast. They loved it and didn't want to leave. Unfortunately it was cold as all get out and it was getting dark, so we bribed them with the promise of coming back another day to sled and came home to warm up. I am fairly certain Geo and I enjoyed sledding as much as the kiddos did, other than the frozen butts since neither of us have snow pants :P And now...









Sunday, December 26, 2010

Christmas Day Wrap Up

*whew*

We had a busy and slightly chaotic Christmas day...how about you?

We got up very early to open up Santa's gifts...okay, it was ME who got up before everyone else. Can you believe I actually had to wake the kids up?? The kiddos were thrilled with the gifts Santa gave them-Santa was very generous this year because Santa had elves to help him (as always, I am stunned by the generosity of strangers) and didn't want to leave to go to Grandma and Grandpa's house.

We went to Geo's dad's house for a delicious lunch, movie and gifts-the gift of the day? Gabriel got a Blackhawks jersey with his favorite players' number on the back-what a happy boy-after that, we all piled into the car and headed to Geo's mom's place for a light dinner, gifts, and catching up. All of us were stuffed to the gills, content, and tired by the time we got home last night.

Overall, Christmas was a rip roaring success-and exhausting. Both kids woke up this morning with bags under their eyes and I ended up napping on the couch for a bit while Daddy watched the Bears game this afternoon.  As fun as Christmas is, it's a lot of build up for one day. It's such an overwhelming experience for everyone. Next year I think we are going to switch it up a bit-I am not sure how, but even adding in our stress relieving movie nights for a few weeks before the big day, it's still too much stress. Something has to give-I'm curious as to how other families do Christmas and keep it low key? Or does everyone have a crazy day and then need a week to recover?

This year as I was baking my mom's gingerbread recipe, I finally began to understand how my parents must have felt around Christmas time-they had three kids to deal with, whereas I only have two, but jeez oh pete. The kids were wound tighter than tops, the house was a constant mess of cookie splatters, tape bits, and stray pieces of wrapping paper. The cat tried to take down the tree more than once (he was content with just chewing the branches and playing with ornaments though lol)  and I am fairly certain I developed carpal tunnel syndrome rolling out the four million cookies I made. Quite frankly, I'm exhausted. I'm so thankful the kids had a great day, but I'm also thankful that the holiday is OVER.

The upside, of course, is that right now my two little loves are singing to themselves as they quietly play with the new loot they got. A little while ago, they were sitting at the table together giggling like mad while painting pictures together. Last night Gabe and Geo sat on the floor, heads together reading the instructions for the race track Santa brought and then a half an hour later, they were giggling and cheering each other on as they raced. Bitsy and I had a tea party with Tinkerbell and Silvermyst last night and then built a bakery with blocks. Everyone is happy, everyone is content, even Boni cat, and that made all the chaos worth it.

And now, for what you've all been waiting for...the pictures! (not that I really took a ton, but here's a few)

Friday, December 24, 2010

Friday Five-Holiday Memories

Thought I'd do a little something different for Friday Five today, rather than answer five set questions, I am going to share five favorite Christmas memories/traditions. In no particular order:

On Christmas Eve growing up, we always spent the afternoon with my grandparents-we'd have a big lunch and exchange gifts. One year my grandmother went off on a tangent because she just knew we didn't remember what she had asked for that year for Christmas-she asked for one thing and she knew she wouldn't get it (silly Grandma) As she was rambling, she was opening a gift-the exact gift she had asked for :P Boy was her face red.

My father makes the most amazing food at Christmas time; I can almost taste his church window cookies if I try hard enough. He also dips multiple things in chocolate and does a lot of work with cheese. It's no wonder everyone in our family gains weight at the holidays.

We started a new tradition last year with the kiddos-Christmas movies at night the weeks before Christmas. We continued it this year and love it. I am fairly certain it's here to stay.

My mother in law makes the most amazing cookies for Christmas-"go to bed mints" I have been told many times I will get the recipe on her deathbed...I hate to have to wait that long BUT as long as she keeps making dozens and dozens each year, I guess that's ok...

In 1999, after going to midnight mass, my darling HH, Geo proposed to me...and the rest, as they say, is history. I'm so happy that all these years later we are making memories and creating traditions in OUR family.

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Thankful Thursday-True Colors

It only seems fitting that my first blog post after moving is a thankful Thursday post; in the last few weeks we've really had a lot to be thankful for. Most importantly, I am thankful for the opportunities we've had to see the true colors of the people in our lives.

Our move was chaotic and filled with a lot of uncertainties; we didn't have a place to move to right away because we had stopped looking after we thought we found the house we were moving too. I had done a lot of work to get things ready for the new place-new bus routes, new utility connections, etc etc all to have it blow up in my face. It was a big slap in the face, but we've gotten over it and I'm thankful for the learning experience.

We didn't have a ton of help with our move-but the help we had was awesome. It's hard to move 25 miles with two small children and a small car, but thanks to some family members and some friends who are like family, we got it all taken care of. It was touching to see how much people really DO care about us; sometimes we take each other for granted and a reminder of how great your friends and family are makes a huge difference.

Unfortunately we also learned who we do NOT need in our lives right now; when a kindness is done for others, it should be done without any expectations that it would be repaid OR any other sort of strings attached, however sometimes it would be nice to have someone who we've been kind to time and time again repay the kindness; I just hope that people who've been the recipients of others' kindness will pay it forward to others; I suppose if we are giving our time, money, and effort to someone it should be without the expectation of getting anything in return...but it still stings to realize that you don't mean as much to them as they mean to you. Again, another lesson learned, and I'm thankful for it.

And on another completely different note, I am thankful that Geo and I are going to be the proud auntie and uncle of TWO new nieces or nephews late next summer thanks to a new Witkowski baby coming and a baby Walker on his or her way :) As of August of 2011 we will have TEN nieces and nephews...how cool is that? Congrats Jd, Katie, Faith and Levi :) Here's to healthy,happy pregnancies, and easy peasy deliveries!

Friday, December 10, 2010

Moving Time

Hi everyone! So sorry it's been so quiet around here lately, we've been packing to move and have started the moving process. We're moving back to Saint Charles, a little over two years since we moved FROM Saint Charles. We found a cute apartment and Geo is currently moving our things in as I sit at this warm desk and type about it-don't worry though, I'll be doing my fair share of work once the boxes start being moved in. We'll be off line for a few weeks as we get things settled, but I'll pop in once in a while and update everyone! Have a great holiday with your families...and if you want to read my FAVORITE Christmas story...click here!

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Sharing is Fun!!

My sweet little Bitsy girl is SO good at sharing; a bit too good if you ask me...this week she shared the stomach flu with me. It's been a fabulous last few days filled with toast, sleeping, and multiple trips to the "facilities" I am fairly certain the only one in the house who hasn't minded Bits and I being sick is Boni cat; he's been content to lay at the foot of my bed, on the electric blanket, comforting us. By comforting us, of course, I mean nipping our toes and meowing at us when we dare leave the bed for something. As I type this he's sleeping next to me on the chair and just meowed because I dared to pet him *gasp* the horror :P

Thankfully Geo and Gabe have NOT gotten this flu bug and it doesn't look they will either.

We'll be off line for a while as we get ready to move in the next few days. We're hoping to be in the new place Monday evening as long as everything goes as planned (lately nothing has gone as planned, so I am not counting on ANYTHING going right at this point...story of my life ha ha)

Not to worry though, we'll back up and blogging before you know it!

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for seeing things through my childrens' eyes.

Last weekend we went to the Christmas parade in the next town over; it was a ton of fun. Family, hot chocolate, bag pipers...and of course, the man-the myth-the legend-Santa Claus!

Gabe is at the age where Santa is a certifiable BIG DEAL. As we watched Santa coming down the road, he turned to me, eyes huge, grin even larger and said "Oh my goodness Mom. It's SANTA! Do you think he sees me? Do you think he got my list? OH MY GOSH! SANTA!!!!!!!"

It was genuine, it was sweet, it was awesome. It's been a long time since I've looked at Santa with that sort of admiration or, heck, belief to be honest.

This year however, I do believe in Santa because of one small blond boy and I'm pretty sure that the people around us who were grinning as Gabe went on and on about Santa are going to believe this year too.

Thank you Gabe, for letting me see Santa through YOUR eyes this year.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Wordless Wednesday: The White Stuff

First snow...talk about excited kiddos-Gabe wanted to make snow balls and Bits wanted to know if Santa was coming tonight :P

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Wordless Wednesday: Missing (a bit early)

SAHUARITA, Ariz. (KGUN9-TV) - The Sahuarita Police Department is asking for the help of the public in locating a missing man.
42-year-old William Bark was reported missing by his family on Monday, Nov. 29.
Sam Almodova, a spokesperson with the Sahuarita Police Department tells KGUN9 that Bark did not return home after leaving work and running some errands.  He drives a white 2005 Ford Freestyle with tinted windows.
The family grew concerned because he has missed some family functions he would not normally miss and has not returned to work.
Bark is described as six foot tall, last seen wearing a gray long sleeve shirt, a tie and black or khaki pants.
Almodova also tells us the last location where Bark was seen was at the Bank of the West near I-19 and Continental Road in Green Valley making a deposit for his employer.
If you have any information that may help in locating Bark, please call 911.







Source:
http://www.kgun9.com/global/story.asp?s=13589239

Friday, November 26, 2010

Thoughts on Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving; lots of yummy food, Geo's family around us, and then desert with the other side of Geo's family. It was warm, there were jokes told, surprises shared, and was just a good day overall. The kids enjoyed themselves (even if they did only eat bread...weirdos)

Geo and I were winding down last night after the kiddos were in bed and he told me an amusing little story; apparently Bits and Geo walked into the kitchen after the turkey had been carved and the bones were resting on the cutting board. Bits looked at Geo a bit horrified and pointed to the "hole" in the end of the turkey and asked "Was that where the turkey's head was Dad?" He said he tried very hard to not laugh and said "yep, that's where it was" She looked at the hole again and was again horrified. Now I understand why she kept asking me "What do they do with the turkey's head?" "What happened to the turkey's neck?" Poor kiddo, traumatized at 3 by a turkey...

Geo's uncle K (as Gabe calls him lol) is a closet viking-and none of us knew until yesterday when he put a huge turkey drumstick on his plate for the first round. I love seeing people eat with gusto and wow, that was some gusto K....I am contemplating crocheting a viking hat for his Christmas gift this year...or maybe a crocheted turkey drumstick??

Today, of course, is Black Friday...and we slept in, all of us. It was glorious. No crazy lines, no pushing, no shoving (well, except for Boni cat, who felt that Geo's feet had no place on our bed...) I don't understand the appeal of Black Friday. it's unpleasant, the people involved are usually rude as all get out, the clerks are frazzled and while the deals are good, they aren't THAT great. (at least not in my opinion)  Black Friday seems to complete contradict what Christmas is all about. Yes, yes, Christmas is the season of giving, but at what cost? Is it really worth shoving, shouting, and swearing? Getting up at 2 a.m. to wait in lines for hours so you can get into the store and score deals? I don't know, it just seems to me that it's a bit over the top for a holiday that's supposed to be calm and peaceful. I know I'm in the minority, but that's okay, I don't mind :)

Now it's back to the old grind-we're moving in a few days and still have plenty of packing to do. God love Geo, he's been doing SO much packing. I hate packing (I don't mind UNpacking, but cannot stand the packing process) Most of the big stuff is taken care of, most of the things we don't use on a regular basis, now it's just the little stuff that has to be taken care of. UGH

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday :)

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Wordless Wednesday: Missing







LAURA FUENTES VALENCIA
Case Type: Endangered Runaway
DOB: Nov 20, 1995
Sex: Female
Missing Date: Oct 20, 2010
Race: Hispanic
Age Now: 15
Height:  5'5" (165 cm)
Missing City: TILLAMOOK
Weight:  110 lbs (50 kg)
Missing State :  OR
Hair Color: Brown
Missing Country: United States
Eye Color: Brown
Case Number: NCMC1158703
Circumstances: Laura may be in the company the companion, Sergio Godinez-Valencia.
 They may travel to Texas or California.



SERGIO GODINEZ-VALENCIA
(Companion)
Case Type: Endangered Runaway
DOB: Aug 15, 1990Sex: Male
Missing Date: Oct 20, 2010Race: Hispanic
Age Now: 20Height: 5'7" (170 cm)
Missing City: TILLAMOOKWeight: 118 lbs (54 kg)
Missing State :  ORHair Color: Black
Missing Country: United StatesEye Color: Brown
Case Number: NCMC1158703
Circumstances: Laura may be in the company the companion, Sergio Godinez-Valencia.
 They may travel to Texas or California.

Wordless Wednesday: Mr. Meow

Boni is one of our two black cats; he's our "crabby old man" cat (as he's affectionately referred to around here) We adopted him two years ago from our local animal shelter. We went into the shelter, Gabriel leaned down to talk to him, and Boni sat up and rubbed his head all over Gabe's face. We checked out a lot of cats that day, but Boni was the one we kept coming back to-and he kept coming back to us. He was two when we adopted him; there was little chance that anyone else was going to adopt him-everyone wants a kitten, not a two year old cat who has been sitting in a shelter most of his life. Not us, we loved him and felt that he had chosen us-SO he came home with us and the rest is happy kitty history...until two days ago or so. Sunday night was SO warm (65 degrees) We figured since it was probably the last warm day for a while, the cats should go out and get some fresh air and do a little hunting. Monday morning Jax came in but Boni didn't, which is a bit out of the ordinary, but we weren't TOO worried at this point. Yesterday morning, though, when Boni STILL hadn't come in, we started to get worried.

Geo and I both bundled up and went out to look for him. Geo found him behind a pile of wood in the shed; the problem was that he was stuck and we weren't sure how to get him out. I started moving planks of wood-which after getting Boni out I was not able to move at all-I've never really believed that "super human" strength bs that people talk about but since Geo was barely able to move them, I guess maybe it's not so much bs after all...we got him out and realized he was very hurt. He had ripped out more than once claw trying to get himself out of the spot he was stuck at. I took him to the shelter we had adopted him from to get him taken care of, crying the whole way-thank GOD we live in the country, no one could see me LOL

After a few hours of waiting, Boni was ready to come home. He's sore, he's limping, and he's on three different medications but he's going to be fine, thank goodness. Lesson learned-no kitty should be outside-even if they've been fine every single other time they've been out. We're all so glad Boni is home and safe.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

The Perfect Marriage

"You guys have the PERFECT marriage" "George is the PERFECT husband" "Oh my god, George is so spoiled to have a wife like you"

A hundred times a week, I hear some variation of how perfect Geo and my marriage is or what kind of spouse one of us is. It's people who've known us for years, it's people who've just met one or both of us, it's complete strangers. And quite frankly, it's annoying.

It's annoying because people assume we don't do anything and our marriage is effortless OR they assume one of us is manipulating the other or has the other one "trained".

What is wrong with people? Is it envy? (maybe) Is it ignorance? (maybe) Is it something else? (maybe)

For one, I am NOT the perfect wife, Geo is NOT the perfect husband, nor do we have PERFECT marriage. We have our share of short comings, we have our share of fights, and we have to work hard for the relationship that we DO have. Apparently our relationship looks effortless from the outside, which, honestly, annoys andpleases me. It annoys me because people are assuming that one of us is perfect or has the other one trained-which is just flat out rude-but it pleases me because obviously we are doing something correctly if people think we have a great marriage.

I wish I could tell people that a marriage like ours takes time, commitment and work. It didn't happen overnight and it's something that we make an effort to work on every single day. It's easy to get caught up in the day to day working-parenting-shopping-cooking-cleaning routine and neglect your relationship. You have to make TIME for yourselves and your marriage. Geo and I were actually discussing this exact thing the other night (after hearing for the umpteenth time how amazing our marriage was) People seem to forget that a good relationship takes work and effort-as with everything else in life, you only get back what you put in.

Geo and I choose to put time and effort into our relationship because we believe that having a healthy marriage will in turn make a healthy family. If we are happy, our family is happy and that's our ultimate goal: a happy family.

Next time you admire someone's relationship or spouse, take the time to think about what it is that you admire-do you admire that Mrs. X's husband never speaks sarcastically to her? Do you admire that the W's spend time together and actually ENJOY themselves? Find what you are envious of and try to recreate it in your OWN relationship...happy marriages/relationships lead to happy families and isn't that what you should be striving for?

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Ready For My Close Up

Today at the library we did a photo shoot fundraiser...Bitsy happened to be in her ballet outfit and here's one of the pics we had taken. Hard to believe she's only three *sigh*

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Thankful Thursday

I am always thankful for my family, but today especially. Thru thick and thin, good and bad, and everything in between, I consider myself incredibly lucky that I have such an awesome family-both immediate and extended. It's been so wonderful having the chance to get to our know our niece Aubrey more since they moved here in August-I'm so thankful we've gotten that chance. I'm looking forward to lots of family time in the next month or so during the holidays as well as the coming year since it's going to be such a busy and exciting year!

What are you thankful for today?

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Wordless Wednesday: Missing

Have You Seen These Children?
These two children were abducted by their father in late October from LaPorte, Texas.

Wordless Wednesday:Goofy Girl

Monday, November 15, 2010

Oy Vey

Bits sometimes has what we call "train wreck" days...as in she gets completely derailed and loses control. God love the girl, she's so sweet and kind and sensitive. It's such a good thing to be, except for when she gets overwhelmed. Today was a level four trainwreck sort of day.

Bitsy and I have a running joke when I get dressed. She was nursed nearly two years so she is still fairly obsessed with my breasts; mostly she just likes to stare at them longingly and sigh, so in the morning when I get dressed, she makes a very big to do out of staring at me and I make a very big to do about saying "My eyes are up here lady!" She giggles, I giggle; a good time is had by all.

This morning I added the words "liverchops" to my phrase..and trainwreck one went a little something like this:
Mom: "hey liverchops, my eyes are up here!" *giggle*
Bitsy: "I'msorrymommaIwasjustlookingatyoubecauseyouaresobeautifulandIloveyou" [big deep breath, large dramatic sigh] "I'msosorrymommaIloveyouandI'msorryandI'mnotaliverchops" [sobsobsobsobsob]

For those who don't speak train wreck, let me translate:
I'm sorry momma, I was just looking at you because you are so beautiful and I love you. I'm so sorry momma, I love you and I'm sorry and I'm not a liverchops.

*sigh*

This, sadly, was the first of many trainwrecks in our day...

At Trader Joe's we had a disagreement; she wanted two packages of string cheese, I only wanted one. She sobbed "BUT MOMMMA GABE WILL NEED ONE AND I CAN'T SHARE MINE WITH HIM.PLEASE WE NEED TWO"

I am fairly certain the woman next to us would have bought the second string cheese based on the sobbing that followed me putting one package of string cheese back (okay, seriously, string cheese is expensive darn it and trader joe's is even MORE expensive than normal string cheese-don't judge me LOL)

A little while later, Daddy thought Bitsy should perhaps sit in her carseat and be buckled; she thought perhaps she should not. I didn't hear the entire conversation but I think I heard him mumble something about teenagers and grey hair...

And finally, we had a train wreck at walmart; she was starting to get tired, so it wasn't long and drawn out but it was filled with sobs and please oh please momma, I need this tinkerbell five hundred dollar toy or maybe a bike, yeah I need a bike, buy me this bike" *sigh*

Thank GOD she napped for a while this afternoon, I was about ready to have my own trainwreck over here...it would've gone something like...

IJUSTWANTADIETCOKEANDFIVEMINUTESTOMYSELFINTHEBATHROOMPLEASEOHPLEASECANIJUSTPEEINPEACEANDFINISHANENTIREDIETCOKEMYSELF? IPROMISEI'LLBENICEANDI'LLSHAREMYNEXTDIETCOKE. PLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASE. [sobsobsobsob]

now it's off to bed, here's to hoping tomorrow will be an on the rails kind of day :P

Time For a Salad

We are having a giant salad for dinner tonight (oh yum) we had to run to the store and get some salad dressing and crutons; Bits LOVES to eat crutons-she wanted me to open them in the store but I told her she'd have to wait until we got home. We got home and she IMMEDIATELY ran to the bag and said "can I please have a puton?" I asked "a what?" She said "you know, a puton, you put it ON a salad. It's like crispy bread"

She's so goofy and clever...I love it!

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Black Friday HUZZAH!

Because of the generosity of two people who shall remain nameless, though they know who they are (and are so wonderful-thank you a million times over G da G's) Geo and I for the first time ever are going to get some Christmas gifts on Black Friday...or so we thought.

Last night after the kids went to bed we excited sat down at the computer with a pencil and a pad of paper, prepared to make our list of bargains. We clicked over to black friday ad site with high hopes...we sat for two hours looking at ads, mumbling to ourselves and each other. The words "wow" and "I'm not impressed" were the two most common things said...because really, the ads were completely underwhelming. We don't go insane with gifts for the kids at Christmas, because in our family Christmas is a time for family and friends and celebrating the birth of Jesus. We usually spend about a hundred dollars for everything under the tree and in stockings-I am good at finding sales and thrifting.

Finally though, we hit PAY DIRT. Oh yeah, my pencil was ready, my pad was a blank slate ready to be written on. The most important list of the year, right???

We clicked on the Walgreen's ad and heck yeah, there it was! Exactly what we've been looking for.......ready for it?? READY FOR IT????

Our favorite laundry soap is on sale for $1.99 and they have memory foam pillows for $5.99.

WOOOOOHOOOOO!! PAY DIRT!! We wrote both things down and then began planning how we could manage to get as many bottles of laundry soap as possible with the two bottles per person limit...hmmm, could Gabe be considered a person? Could we hit up multiple Walgreen's and buy two bottles each? Wait wait wait, could we maybe tell friends about it so we could get ALL THE BOTTLES??

Clearly, Geo and I need to get out more. CLEARLY we've become "boring" as Gabriel would say (His new word is BORING. I am boring. GEO is boring. Going to bed is boring. At night he gives me a BORING kiss-meaning he barely touches my face with his lips while he rolls his eyes-we are SO BORING-I told him to use the word mundane, it isn't nearly as annoying as hearing BORING all day long)

Laundry soap on Black Friday...what happened to us? We used to be cool; we used to be hip...we used to be AWESOME Clearly we are not anymore...unless of course you consider clean laundry and a good nights' sleep awesome (which we do) so wait, maybe we ARE awesome...

or boring...

one can never tell can they?

Friday, November 12, 2010

Ally Week

I'm angry; I've been angry all week. I'm not one to dwell on being angry, but I am angry and I just keep getting angrier the more this week goes on. Let me explain...

Earlier this week, at a local high school, it was "ally week" for those unfamiliar with it; ally week is part of a growing movement called It Gets Better. If you ask me, it's a pretty cool concept; in light of all the gay students committing suicide recently over the social stigmas they've felt because of being gay, this project couldn't have come out at a better time.

So, the local school had an ally week; they asked students to wear purple shirts to basically say, we're allies; it doesn't matter if you're gay or straight-most importantly you are a person.

Three students showed up the first day with a shirt that said "Straight Pride"on the front, and on the back a verse from Leviticus that says that if you are gay, you ought to be put to death. (I'm simplifying it, of course, you can see the various versions of the verse here)

They were asked to cover their shirts and they did; they were not punished. The next day two more students showed up with these shirts and were asked to cover them-and they did. End of it right? No, of course not, there are now right wing nut jobs who've jumped all over the issue pushing their own religious and political agenda onto these teens.

Let me just say this-while I don't agree with the sentiment of "straight pride" (Or gay pride, as far as that goes, we don't need to discuss our sexuality with other people in my very humble opinion) as an educator, I can see why no one was punished-freedom of speech and all that HOWEVER the fact that the verse on the back was  a full on threat bothers me. In my opinion, that sort of hate speech is completely and utterly inappropriate in a school setting and the three teens should have had some sort of repercussions for wearing that awful shirt.

As if it isn't hard enough being a teenager, think about the gay teen, who is more than likely ostracized for the mere fact that they are gay, and now they have classmates who are promoting the belief that if you're gay you should be killed.

NEWSFLASH PEOPLE: NO ONE should be killed because of their beliefs-just because YOU don't agree with someone or what they believe doesn't make them wrong. I don't agree with people who kiss their dogs on the mouth, but I certainly don't think they should be put to death. I don't agree with people who consider women second class citizens, but I don't think they should be put to death.

What I want to know is where were those teens parents? How in the hell did they get out the door with that sort of message on their shirt? AND if the parents believe homosexuals should be killed because of their sexual orientation, why would they be passing that onto their children? My God, of all the things to teach your children, hate is NOT one of the things that should be high up on your list. (shouldn't be on the list at all, really)

I am mostly Christian. I fully believe that GOD makes us the way we are-God made me a brunette with a tendency to have a large rear end and a love for all of his children; gay or straight. I have a hard time believing that God would want HIS people to persecute, ridicule, and punish those who don't fit their stereotype of the what God would want. EVEN if the bible says something is wrong and should be punished, I strongly feel that we ought to go back to basics. Our church has a motto; "People matter, things don't" and if you boil down all of the bits and stories in the bible, that's what it says. PEOPLE matter, what they do in their bedroom does not-who they choose to love does not-PEOPLE matter-as it's been said, hate the sin, but not the sinner.

*shakes head*
Come on, it's not that hard of a concept-treat others the way you'd like to be treated.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Thankful Thursday-Veteran's Day

Today, as always, I am thankful for those who've served our county whether state side or abroad. I am thankful that someone volunteered to fight for my freedom; for my family's freedom, for ALL of our freedom. Today and everyday, when you see a vet, thank them for their service.

veterans Pictures, Images and Photos

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Wordless Wednesday: Missing

There are currently 125 missing children from ILLINOIS on the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Click on over and see if you recognize any of these children...it might be a long shot, but at least you took a look.
Children Missing in Illinois

Wordless Wednesday: Hey Neighbor

our neighbors have horses, this big boy is our favorite; we go over once a week or so to see them and feed them carrots!

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Fall Back? Don't Mind If I Do!

I know a lot of people do NOT like day light savings times, but I am NOT one of those. For one, I'm a morning person, so the sun coming up early doesn't bother me, for another, when it's 4:45 and the sun is gone for the day, I'm happy-why? Because it takes less convincing for the kids to go to bed!

Tonight they had a bath and were in bed by 7. I haven't heard a peep out of them since tucking them in and giving them a smooch (or six). They were both snuggled up in warm blankets and had a book in hand.

Gabe has always been a good sleeper; he slept through the night after about three months and regularly sleeps 12 to 14 hours at night. It's glorious, not to mention when he gets up, he quietly goes about his business; he'll have a drink or some yogurt and more often than not is laying on the couch with a cat and a book. He's so easy going; it's fabulous.

Now onto my Bitsy girl. Is it any surprise that she didn't start sleeping through the night until she was almost a year old? Is it a surprise that she sleeps about two hours  and then gets up and wanders into someone else's bed? (sometimes Gabe's, sometimes ours, sometimes she ends up on the couch) She's a very restless at night and despite trying a dozen and a half things, she just doesn't seem to wind down very easily. She's up early and stays up all day; she rarely naps and when she DOES nap, she fights it tooth and nail. I think it is because she's afraid she's going to miss something.

*sigh* If only someone would MAKE me take a nap! If only someone would make me go to bed at 7! Think of how productive I could be...*yawn*

Dear...

Dear Lowell, Ma visitor...
We miss you all so much and are hoping to come see you all at Spring Break. Every time we see "Lowell, MA" show up on our tracker, we smile :)
xoxo
Witkowski Family

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Hope Faith Love

We spent Friday and Saturday with friends getting ready for and then attending their wedding. It was beautiful; small, intimate, fun, and filled with happiness. I did a reading at the wedding and probably would have been able to keep from crying if the groom wouldn't have been tearing up during the reading (that's my story and I'm sticking to it ha ha)


During the ceremony, the pastor read the cornerstone verse of Geo and my marriage; our wedding theme was centered around it and our lives revolve around it: Hope, Faith, and Love. In every room of our house we have at LEAST one faith, hope love plaque/wall hanging. I can't choose a favorite, though the one I look at when I sit at my desk that was made by Geo's grandma is probably my favorite:

Photobucket

It's my visible reminder to keep faith, hope, and love at the forefront of my mind. So yesterday, as the pastor was reading the verse I was struck by something that I hadn't realized before this point-or hadn't realized consciously: "love is patient, love is kind,  love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."


Love is KIND. KIND


That's really all you need to know about love; that it's kind. If you think about it, being kind is truly the cornerstone of a strong marriage; it means being kind in your every day life; the little things-changing the trash before you go to work because your wife likes to start the day with a fresh bag, putting new napkins and silverware in your HH's lunch box unbeknownst to him, cranking up the heat right before your wife gets out of the shower so the bathroom is super warm, buying your hh's favorite snack just because.


It seems so simple, yet so many people don't do this. So many people struggle at just being kind to one another; they play the "I'm not doing anything nice because he never does anything nice" game, or "Why is she doing something nice? What does she want?" Love isn't supposed to be suspicious or rude.  


Does it go deeper than being kind to your spouse? Yeah, I think it does. You need to be kind to yourself above all. You need to know that YOU are worth it; that you are worthy (?) of someone else's love. I always thought it was bunk when people said that you had to love yourself in order to love someone else, but the more I observe people, the more I realize this is true. If you don't love yourself, how can you expect to love someone else AND take the love your partner wants to give? 


So today, go out and be kind-to yourself-and let that kindness reach out to other people. I once had a coworker who used to tease all of us about our attitudes toward ourselves, he'd say, "You know what I do? I put my arms around myself and give myself a big hug and tell myself 'you're good enough, you're smart enough, and gosh darn it, I like me'" We'd all laugh and get out of our little funk and go back to what we were supposed to be doing. This guy had the right idea-I am good enough, I am smart enough and I DO like myself...today when you're feeling down, give yourself a big hug and tell yourself how much you like YOU. You might be surprised at how much your attitude toward yourself can change your attitude toward your spouse...and theirs' toward you!


:)

Friday, November 5, 2010

Friday Five-I'm HUNGRY!

  1. What’s your favorite kind of salad? Chicken Caesar
  2. What’s your favorite kind of sandwich? Ham and cheese on a good thick bread
  3. What’s your favorite kind of soup? If I have to choose, I say beef and barley, but I am soup lover, so it's hard to narrow it down to just one...
  4. What’s your favorite kind of pie? Cherry or Pecan
  5. What’s your favorite kind of cake? I can't narrow it down to one...chocolate, vanilla, you name it, I like it LOL

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Thankful Thursday

My thankful Thursday is two fold today; first off I am thankful that Gabriel has such an excellent teacher (Even if she DID go to MSU...ha ha) She's very in tune with Gabriel's needs-both academically and physically-and they seem to be a good match.

The second thing I'm thankful for is that Gabriel is so bright and happy and charming. He's doing so well in school-other than needing to SLOW DOWN which he gets from his mother, he's making friends, and he winks at his teacher. HE WINKS AT HIS TEACHER.
*shakes head* I am sure wherever Uncle Joey is, he's smiling every single time Gabe winks at her.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

*sneeze*

Pardon our dust, I'm doing a bit of rearranging of our blog...as you can see to your right, there's a little button that says "I'm on the fence" or something equally as charming about a fence...it's a link-a-doo and if you'll be so kind as to click on it, you'll be voting for our blog to become a favorite-I'm in the family life category and wouldn't mind some votes...gotta get some new readers to go along with you oldy moldies :)

In addition to cleaning up the blog, we're packing up the house...packing, in a word, sucks. I hate it with a passion, in fact the only thing I may dislike more than packing is Bob Dylan. (Hmmm...I don't believe I've ever talked about my passionate dislike for Dylan. Rest assured, it's mostly a joke, but maybe it's not...you never can tell...)

Packing flat out sucks. There's no two ways around it. You think you're doing so well and then you get to your new place and you open up a box that's clearly marked "kitchen" and find something like a hammer and four feet of twine in it and you think to yourself "now why in the hell did I put that in here?" then you open the bathroom box and find caulk, a wooden letter G that's painted with polka dots, and a single mitten you've been searching for frantically for the last three and a half weeks...or is it just me? Am I the only one who organizes things like this? A hammer and twine OBVIOUSLY belong in the kitchen because of the junk drawer. The caulk belongs in the bathroom...because sometimes you have to caulk the edge of the tub, right? RIGHT!?

No, probably not, I'd bet some of you out there are master packers, you're probably the type that labels everything precisely and knows where everything is right down to the candy cane coasters that match the penguin place mats your godchildren gave you for Christmas one year, right? Yeah, I kind of hate dislike you for that kind of organization, I'm just sayin', it's not right. Normal people don't behave that way...

Now...back to packing!

Wordless Wednesday: Missing



This is Doug Donham. He is an awesome guy with a promising academic career. He was reported missing October 30 by his parents and was last heard from on October 17th in Denver.

His apartment lease ended last month around the time he was defending his dissertation at the University of Colorado Denver. Subsequently, he was somewhat homeless while revising his paper: sleeping on a couch in the student union and sometimes getting a hotel room. As of the 17th his phone has been turned off and his parents, friends and adviser have not heard from him since then.

If you have any information on his whereabouts since then, please contact Chris Schilling (chris dot schilling at gmail dot com) who is coordinating with Doug’s parents. Also, more information and updates can be found at the Updates on Doug Facebook page.

If anyone can help, it would be greatly appreciated.

Wordless Wednesday

New House :)

Monday, November 1, 2010

Report Card Time

It's report card time at ye olde Witkowski home and I'm so pleased that Gabriel is doing SO well. His areas of "expertise" seem to be math and reading, which I couldn't be happier about. His daddy is awesome at math (and I'm not so good...lol) and not to brag or anything but reading is my strong suit. He's reading above grade level and devours books the way locusts devour a field in a biblical plague.

We have parent-teacher conferences coming up and are excited to hear how well Gabe is doing and what we can do to help him excel and become the best possible Gabe he can be. I don't really care about grades, truthfully, because grades don't really show how a child is doing in school. I want to see (and hear) that he is comprehending things, that he is showing that he knows them both written and verbally, I want to know that he is doing the best he can do-that he's working up to his potential.

I shall report back after his conference on Thursday and we'll see how well he's doing...

In other news, we have a new house :) We'll be moving at the end of the month back into town (ha ha-the fact that Maple Park is considered town cracks me up) about two blocks from where we originally lived when we moved out here. It's an old house (as in, built in the 1880's!!) but the kitchen is newly remodeled and has a brand new washer and dryer IN THE KITCHEN (my dream kitchen, seriously. Yes, I realize how lame that is, but really, who wouldn't want to have the machines RIGHT THERE when you spend as much time in the kitchen as I do?) I happen to know the landlord (yay small towns) and it looks like it's going to work out great. Two car garage that had Geo drooling, a huge yard with a big clear spot for a giant garden that had the kids and I drooling, and a three seasons room that I am SURE is going to get a lot of use between us and the kitty cats.

*sigh*

We're all feeling so much more relaxed and calm right now, thank goodness. Now to pack everything up...ugh...not looking forward to that, but at least this will be the last time we do it until we buy a house.

Hope you're all doing well :) I've had increasing hits on my blog in the last few weeks-so welcome if you are new to the blog and ♥♥♥ to all of our oldy moldy readers he he.

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Friday, October 29, 2010

Wordless Wednesday

It's been a weird week, so wordless Wednesday is now on Friday LOL

Photobucket

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful that in the midst of an incredibly stressful situation, Geo is my rock.

Last night we were informed that the man who owns the house we rent would like his niece to be able to move into our house and that we have until December first to move out; our landlord was very apologetic but there really isn't much they can do about it since they rent from the man who owns the house.

I'm thankful that Geo had today off and we were able to go look at a house that may work out well for us-it's within walking distance of our current house and is affordable. If that one doesn't work, we'll find another, because things always have a way of working out...but I am so thankful that Geo is here to help with all of it.

♥ you honey.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

No...and I Mean It!

I run more than one parenting forum on line, most of them are filled with new parents, some are more experienced like myself, but as a general rule it's first time parents. The most common questions I read over and over is "why won't my child behave?" or "how do I get my child to listen to me?"

Now, don't get me wrong, sometimes Gabe and Bits do not listen to me; contrary to how I *wish* they behaved, they sometimes have bad days where it doesn't matter what I do, they ignore me and do as they wish (though not for long...ha ha)

The number one thing to do to get your child to behave and listen to you? Be consistent in your words and actions. If you tell them no, MEAN it. If you tell them not to do something or there will be consequences, you had damn well better make sure you follow you with consequences if they do it again.

Someone asked today "How do I get my 18 month old to stop playing in the kitchen sink?" This seemed like a no brainer to me-remove the temptation of the sink (the child had a stool for the sink) and if he goes back to the sink, pick him up and tell him it's NOT for playing with. Do that as many times as it takes for them to understand that a) the sink is not for playing and b) I'm mom and I'm the boss.

Did anyone say that?

No, of course not. The answers ranged from "let him play, there's no harm" to "just redirect him, nothing you do or say is going to stop him from playing in the sink"

*shakes head* Really? Really? There is NOTHING you can do to stop them from playing in the sink? I am baffled.

I have a theory about why children run parents lives now. I think it's just too hard for some people to actually BE parents. It's far too much effort to pick a child up and take them from the sink fifty times in ten minutes than it is to just let them play in the sink. It's too much effort to run to the bathroom every thirty minutes to set their toddler on the toilet; it's too much work to let their child come into the kitchen and help them prepare food with you so they can learn how to do it. It's too much work to make a small child clean up a mess they made.

Now, I know some of you are thinking "well I work a full time job/I'm a single mom/I have more than one child, etc etc" I haven't always been a stay at home momma. I worked a full time job (with Gabriel there with me) for the first three years of his life. I worked full time, had a disabled toddler, and a high risk pregnancy on top of it. I have a husband who works retail and is sometimes gone for upwards of 14 hours a day (and even more during the holidays) At one point, I worked third shifts so that we didn't have to have child care during the day. I worked eight and a half hours overnight, Geo worked his 8 or more hours during the day and I was home, up with a toddler and a baby.  Believe me when I say, I understand that it's tiring to be a parent. While I cannot imagine how hard it is being a single parent, I do know how hard it is to work all day long and come home and take care of the kids by myself for days at a time.

It's exhausting to clean up and chase and entertain children all day long...it's tiring to hear mom called five hundred and sixty thousand times a day...removing a child from a sink fifty times in ten minutes is maddening to say the least HOWEVER I'm the PARENT and I have to do these things to raise my children properly. Trust me, you are not doing your child (or yourself for that matter) any favors by not being consistent with how you handle situations. You can stick to your guns 49 out of 50 times on one issue and the 50th time when you slip up and don't handle it your normal way, your child is going to remember that and is going to push and push and push. And you'll have to start over and handle it correctly the next 50 out of 50 times.

A little extra effort in the beginning goes a long way toward the end result. I don't claim to have the worlds' most amazing children, in fact, Gabriel the little darling that he is, once spit on the floor in front of our pastor-not once but twice. (thank God our pastor raised three boys and laughed about it, Geo and I were embarrassed beyond belief) SarahAnne-well we all know she's got a sailor's mouth, once walked up to a friend of mine and said "it's not nice to sh*t on the floor" (Thank God said friend has four children of her own...) Despite the fact that every once in a while they slip up as a general rule they are really well behaved children. Nothing makes me prouder than someone complimenting my children on their manners or their behavior when we are out. They are polite, kind, and know that when momma (or daddy) says no, they mean it.

You are not going to screw your kid up by saying no and meaning it, trust me. Children need boundaries in order to grow up feeling secure and loved. As a teenager I thought my parents were AWFUL because I had a midnight curfew (MIDNIGHT!?!?!? The horrors...that is so uncool) Now as a parent, I completely and utterly understand why they did that (and my children will have an 11 p.m. curfew ha ha) I realize now that they did these sorts of things because they cared about me and wanted what was best for me. The same goes for that toddler you are saying no to and following through with-you should be doing those things because you love them, because you want them to be happy, healthy and safe. In a few years they'll thank you for it...

Monday, October 25, 2010

Follow Up to Wordless Wednesday-Missing

It's with a heavy heart that I make this post; last Wednesday I posted a missing poster for a local girl; sadly they found what they believe is her body on Saturday night. While details haven't emerged, the general consensus is that the body found was Toni Keller's as it fit the description and had her missing personal items with it.

DeKalb is a stone throw away from us; we live in DeKalb county and do a lot of our shopping in DeKalb. In fact, the other day I was right by NIU. This hits really close to home and I've found myself very weepy over the last few days over this life cut so short. I feel like there's more that should be done when someone goes missing-so I'm going to do "more" on Wednesdays from now on, I'll be posting a missing person poster and maybe, just maybe someone who reads my blog will see it and see the person. Idealistic? Yes. Helpful? DEFINITELY.

So...to the Keller family, friends of Toni, and the entire NIU Huskie Family, God bless you all; may you find peace in all of these dark days and I hope your memories of Toni will give you comfort in the hard days to follow.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Thankful Thursday-Love of a Lifetime

We are in the process of planning Geo's grandparents 60th wedding anniversary and a few nights ago I emailed Grandma the Great about some details of her wedding...I hope the Greats won't mind, but I want to share some things about them, their love story if you will...because I'm thankful that love like theirs exists.

Grandma told me that she was 16 when she and her "Johnny" started dating, he waited for her to turn 18 so they could get married. They were so young when they got married people didn't think it would last, that they didn't know what they were doing. They've proved so many people wrong, they are the proud parents of three sons, three daughters in law, two grandsons, two granddaughters in law, one great grandson, and two great granddaughters.

Looking at the two of them it is SO obvious they are still so in love after all these years. Hearing Grandma's sweet voice saying "Johnny, oh Johnny" Hearing Grandpa's gruff yet tender voice calling Grandma "Dolly"...their love is evident, even to those who do not know them.

They are wonderful role models for married people all over, perhaps if more people took the time to honor their wedding vows each and every day and to say I love you and mean it there would be fewer divorces and many more happy people.

I hope in 50 years Gabriel and SarahAnne can say that we had the kind of marriage the Greats have; one that was rooted deeply in hope, faith, and love for one another.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Houston We Have a Problem

And it's getting out of control...

We have books all over the house. At any given time there are five or ten piled up on the table next to my chair in the living room, we have a HUGE plastic crate filled with kids books in the living room, I have a pile of books in the kitchen to be returned to the library, we have two bookshelves in the rec room PLUS a stand that I keep filled with books (and the crate of Montessori books I keep at hand) Then...upstairs. The kids both have a full bookshelf, Gabe has a table next to his bed that is covered in books, today I cleaned under Bitsy's bed and found TEN books that had slid off after she fell asleep reading AND in our room we have a full bookshelf and my night stand has books on top of it that I am reading, not to mention that under the night stand I have a pile of books as well. (did I mention the books we still have in storage OR the books in my "craft" room that are all for crafting?)

Thankfully I have an especially tolerant husband who doesn't seem to mind all these books all over the place (oh...and the cookbooks in the kitchen, how could I forget those? and the pile of books on the back of the toilet...) but seriously, we are being over run with books.

It's completely and utterly my mother's fault. That's right Mom-it's ALL your fault. You instilled a love of reading and books and shopping at yard sales and resale shops (and the library book sales...and church sales and friends' houses...) for books. I rarely pay full price for a book so it's almost as if it doesn't count as a "book" PLUS I'm the Friends of the Library president and I get first dibs on the books when they come in as donations...I am fairly certain that I am providing the FOL with at least 50% of it's profit on books every month ha ha.

Did I mention this is my mom's fault? Because maybe it's not ALL her fault...maybe Gabe is to blame too. I mean, how else do you explain that the other day when I went to the bookstore I couldn't bring myself to pick just ONE book for myself, so instead I got him two new books? (and Bits two new books as well, because really, we have to be fair here...) Maybe if he wasn't such a voracious little reader, I wouldn't have to buy books all the time. Yeah, that's it, it's ALL Gabe's fault.

Well maybe not, maybe it's Geo's fault for putting up with so many books...unlike the yarn balls that he insists I either use or pass on to other people (I just gave away 15 yarn balls...) he never discourages me from bringing books home. So it's Geo's fault, just as much as it is my mom and Gabe's fault.

Before you say "Well why buy books when you can borrow them from the library?" I need to say this, I have a problem. A huge problem, bigger than the books in the house...at any given time there are AT least ten books on my wait list at the library and I have four or five checked out. I am one of those people who DEFINITELY get my tax dollars out of my library membership. At the beginning of the year, I set a goal to read 100 NEW books this year. By March I had surpassed it. I have lost count of the new books I've read this year.

Actually, you know who's fault this REALLY is? My sisters. Yep, it's Tori's fault. She reads almost as much as me (Though a lot of it is for school) and she is CONSTANTLY giving me suggestions for books and of COURSE I have to take them. I mean, what kind of sister would I be if I didn't take her advice on books? Also, I feel the need to add that she also contributes to the amount of books in this house...in fact, the last time we saw her I brought a bag of books home! (I left a bag up there too, so it's a trade off, right??? he he)

Alright, I admit it, it's my own darn fault there are so many books in this house. I love to read, I read constantly, and I can't get enough of a good book (Though I will finish a bad book too, just so I can say I finished it) I read quickly, I read often and I am SO SO lucky that both of my kids have picked up my reading habits. Books transport you to new worlds without having to leave your house, books have the power to inspire, make you feel good, make you realize how good you have it and generally give you a new perspective on life.

and besides that, who doesn't love an excuse to curl up under a fleecy blanket with a hot mug of tea and a book??

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