Last Day of Winter

I am enjoying the last day of winter by sitting on my deck, watching the kids play in the backyard, all the while I am wearing my capris and my new sandals to show of my pedicure.  Meanwhile, my friends and family back in Chicago woke up to 2 inches of snow.  (Sorry don't mean to rub it in).  Ah, glad Old Man Winter has left Indiana!!!!!  If you see me skipping instead of walking, you know why!!!

Random thoughts here....

 Just some random thoughts I'd like to share.

These past few weeks have been a little nerve racking with my Mom being in the hospital.  She has colitis and had a severe inflmation/flare up that put her in the hospital for 20 days!  On top of that, an old bladder problem was giving her issues, but luckily she got that fixed.  Her health conditon was never critical, but stll scary.  Luckily I had a weekend off from school, so the kids and I went up there to see her.  I think seeing the kids really lifted her spirits.  And while visiting her in the hospital, the kids drew her numerous pictures to hand on the wall of her hospital room.

Which leads me to Ms. Kate.  Every day since we have been back, she has made something for Nana (usually a rainbow or fireworks) out of construction paper.  She then goes gets an envelope, has me address it, and SHE puts the stamp on along with some stickers.  Kate has now moved on to making things for her best friend Gracie who is moving.  Yesterday she made a picture for the sitter Nikki and put in the envelope some perfume.  Today she made a picture for "Baby" Jake who goes to Nikki's and put a little pet figurine (Nikki: If you are reading this, I won't be mailing it!  I'll bring it next week!).  It is so wonderful to see what a good heart Kate has.  She is always thinking of other people and the little things that will make them happy.

Then tonight, we were all watching the movie "The Princess and the Frog".  Kate fell asleep early on since she did not have a nap today (luckily she had already seen it).  So Luke and I were watching it.  At the end of the movie, he said that if he ever had to go see someone get married, he would bring his DSi so he did have to watch the kissing.  Then he said that he hoped I would catch the flowers from the bride so I could get married next. (Note: As far as I know, NO plans to go to a wedding any time soon that the kids would be going with, but I do have a few I may go to....)  Anyway, I asked why he wanted me to catch the flowers, and  he said "So you can get married again and we can get a new Daddy."   What a punch to the gut that was while trying to explain that he already has a Daddy.....

Larry the Leprachaun came for a visit

A new tradition started in our household this St. Patty's day.  Larry the Leprachaun came for a visit.  The idea was inspired by Kate's preschool and when she got home from school on St. Patty's Day, all she could talk about was Larry's visit to her school. 

NOTE: In case you don't know who Larry is, he is a sneaky little guy.  He pops up out of the ground when you are not looking.  He steals your Lucky Charms that you left as bait.  He leaves you footprints with tape on them.  He also leaves you some clovers.  And best of all he leaves you some goodies.  He is so sneaky and fast, that you will never see him......I have heard he has been known to leave some green milk or green pancakes or green eggs for the kiddos and some green beer for Mommy and Daddy.  He also has been known to knock over some chairs and make a mess while he visits.  He is different from Santa and the Easter Bunny who have already been to your house when you wake up....as Larry can 'pop' up at any time during the day.....

So I improvised....We placed some Lucky Charms outside as bait.  So "Larry" snuck outside when the kids were watching TV.  The kids made their way outside as it was a BEAUTIFUL March day to find some Mardi Gras beads and V-day candy (hey, it is all I could find on short notice in the house....but it should work year from year!)  They were excited and spent the next hour looking for 'clues' where Larry went to next by looking for 4 leaf clovers.....

The Mardi Gras beads and Vday Candy on the swing in our backyard.

The kids with our neighbor Mady and their bags.  Check out Kate's bag.  She made it at school.

Movies...

        Okay, in my household most of the movies I watch involve some kind of animation. It is a rare pleasure I get to watch an adult movie (not THAT kind, so get your mind out the gutter!). WE have a Netflick account that actually gets a lot of use. I have used it to catch up on TV shows I have missed….I am now hopelessly addicted to “Mad Men” thanks to Netflick. In the past week I have seen two movies that were certainly not Oscar contenders, but really got me to thinking and confronting some uneasy emotions.


        The first movie is “The Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood”. I originally saw this movie when it came out, which was BK (before kids). I must say I really enjoyed it back then and even more now. However the first time, I really did not understand why the character played by Ashley Judd had a breakdown and left her family briefly. It was after an incident in which her three young children were throwing up and pooping in the bed as they had the flu. I did not understand, the kids couldn’t help it….Now that I am a Mom….I GET IT!!! Mom’s try so hard to nurture everyone else yet neglect themselves and their needs. This makes me think about something I recently read: “Women are usually calm in the middle of a storm, yet it is the little things that bring us down.” SO TRUE!!! We hold strong in the hard times, yet then the littlest bump in the road will cause us to crash. I am a testament to this!

       The other movie was “We Are Marshall.” I shamefully admit I had NO idea about the tragedy at Marshall until the movie came out a few years ago. Oddly, in 1999 Mark and I had driven through Huntington, WV on our way to go whitewater rafting on the Gauley River and spent the night there. This was when he was working out in NYC and his baggage got ‘lost’ on its way to Indy, so the airline re-routed it the airport there so we could pick it up on our way. I remember driving to the airport and both of us commented unknowingly, “Wow, I would never want to LAND in an airplane here!” It was such a small airport practically on top of hill surrounded by trees. I thought it was a wonderful movie though very emotional to watch. I am not sure why, but it really has gotten me to thinking….maybe I can relate to the sudden and unexpected loss?

      Anyway, the next movie in my Netflick queue is “The Hangover.” I have been on the waiting list for several months….I am hoping it will be a funny movie that doesn’t make me think!!! And I am not going anywhere near “Marley and Me” anytime soon….

Spring...oh please be here!

Signs of Spring are here everywhere.....temps in the 40's....lots of sunlight...saw a couple of sparrrows this morning....just waiting on a tulip to push through the mulch.

And oh, how my weary soul needs you Spring. Yesterday, when I woke up I had a touch of the stomach flu....by the end of the day, I felt revived after spending some time outside with the kids in the sun and the fresh air! Though my stomach is still queasy and I have to watch what I eat, being outside felt wonderful!!!

Oh, what a long three months it has been....no more hibernating!!!! All the blinds are open in this house! I think my plants need the sunshine as much as I do!!!

Almost forgot....

In my mood of 'funkiness' (as I'll call it), the Saints won the Super Bowl (as most of you already know).

Now, I live in Indy and of course I love the Colts. However, I went to Purdue. I was there the same time as Drew Brees. I saw all of his college games that were played at Purdue. While I never met him personally, nor did Mark (though Mark did meet Mike Alstott once at a sorioity dance, that is another story...), we always loved Drew Brees. He was the kind of guy that played his heart out and never got the credit he deserved. We were even at the Purdue-Notre Dame game in Sept 2007 in which Drew and his wife Britanny came back to donate money to the school. Needless to say, we live for anything Gold and Black in this household.

When the Conference Championships were on, we watched the Saints-Vikings game. Luke shared in my enthusism for the "other" black and gold team and made up this cheer: "Go Gold and Black, Go Quaterback!" So I bet you can figure out who I wanted to win.

Yes, I let Luke stay up for the whole game (thankfully it was over by 10PM!). And what a game it was. It was such an awesome game!!! After Luke fell asleep, I stayed up to make sure Drew was named MVP. And I saw this:

Well, I lost it and I mean LOST it.....crying so hard snot bubbles came out of my nose (sorry if this is TMI!). So sad that Mark was not physically here to share this moment with Luke. I know Mark would have been beyond excited for Drew. And to see such a touching moment like that....a pure, picture perfect moment between a father and a son.....and my heart breaks that Luke may not have any moments like that in the future.....and I am not mad at Mark for that, I was just completely sad and broken hearted for Luke....and grateful that he was sound asleep so I did not have to explain the bubbles coming out of my nose.

And while some schools were off on the Monday after the Super Bowl here in Indy, Luke went to school PROUDLY wearing his Purdue Football jersey......

Hopefully I am back...

Sorry for the depature from my blog the past few months....the holidays were brutal this time around....I have been in a funk....winters are hard on me to begin with....though I love to play in the snow....I feel like a bear and all I want to do is sleep and hide. But luckily I am finally feeling like I am getting out of it.....there is a light at the end of the tunnel....Spring is just around the corner!

I certainly have many things and blessings to be grateful for. My schooling is going very well. The class I am working with (a first grade class) I LOVE!! I am learing so much from them and look forward to going there.

I cherish all the time I am now able to spend with the kids. And I am constanly reminded that I am doing a good job with them. Being a parent, let alone a single parent, is hard and challenging. A parent is always thinking and wanting to make sure that they are guiding their children down the right path.

Mark and I always said we wanted to raise thoughtful, caring children. Mark was the type of guy that would give a complete stranger the shirt off his back. Right before he died, I remember him telling me of how he stopped at a serious accident scene on his way to work to try to help even though he ended be late for work. And I see Mark's endless, giving spirit in Luke and Kate all the time. It melts my heart as I know he lives on in them.

For example, the other day, Kate and I were waiting outside for her preschool to open up. Her friend Graicie was crying because her hands were cold. Kate instinctly took off her gloves and gave them to Graicie. Today while at Big Splash Adventure, we were in the arcade. A boy about 4 years old was watching Luke play a game. He said that he wanted to play but did not have any tokens. Luke instinctly reached into his pocket and gave him a token to him...and then got up to let the boy play.

And these past two days with the kiddos at Big Splash Adventure have been absolutely wonderful. Again I am reminded how grateful I am to be able to spend this quality time with the kiddos. We have had such a great time and have laughed so much. Laughter really does wonder for the soul.