Vacation

There is something wonderful about vacation. Ok, there are a lot of something wonderful about vacation. This year, instead of vacationing some place with a lot of fancy things to do, we have decided to go back to my husbands roots and rented a lake cabin on a lake that he and his family has a lot of history on.

Keep in mind that we did not actually see the place that we decided to rent (for two weeks!) until we were here. Upon entering the cabin (which was explained to me as a “lake house”), we were immediately taken back to 1920. Now, don’t get me wrong, this place has character…more character than Disneyland! I immediately had to sit my kids down and remind them of the rules about no balls in the house, no running, no jumping on the beds, etc. These rules were more important now than ever because let’s face it, if they break something, there is no where on the planet that we could go to replace it unless we were shopping on the Antique Roadshow.

Now, while I may sound like this is the worst place in the world, it really is the best. There is no other vacation that I have ever had where my 6 year old son actually gave me a lesson on how to fish and my 3 year old daughter helped to put the worm on the hook. I then caught my very first fish!

Plus, we have not had TV in the 5 days that we have been here. Instead, we have filled our time with boat rides, BBQ’s, and board games. We have also had a lot of time to spend with family that we don’t get to see all of the time.

So, while we may have a tough time at night with the strange noises and the kids being scared if they are not in the same bed with us. And maybe my husband and I have not gotten a good night’s sleep since we got here. However, I really think that this is going to be a vacation that will go down in the history books as a time that we will never forget as a family. We are making those memories that are hard to come by these days. I hope that they are ones that last a lifetime! I know that they will for me! Stay tuned!

Fun Crayons

If you have kids, you most likely have crayons.  Whether they are from home art projects or from the school year, there is a good chance that you have some old and broken strays.  Here is a fun project that I did with my kids after a day of cleaning out their bedrooms and art center.  Kids love the final result!

 

What you need:

Small broken crayons (paper removed)

Muffin Tin (mini or regular sized)

Muffin cups (paper type)

To make fun crayons:

1.     1.Gather broken crayons and peel any paper off of them.

2.     2.Preheat your oven to 250 degrees F (120 C)

3.     3.Place a muffin cup in each of the muffin cups of your tray.

4.     4.Put some crayons in each of the cups (do not overfill).  Make sure to mix the colors to make your crayons even more fun!

5.     5.Bake for approximately 10 minutes.

6.     6.Remove tray from oven and let cool completely.

7.     7.Remove muffin cups from crayons by peeling back paper.

 

These crayons are fun to use on many projects and can even make a great gift!  Simply wrap a few in a small bag and tie with a cute ribbon.  Pair them with some coloring books or drawing pads and other art supplies and you have a fun and unique gift that any child will love!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day!  What a great day!  Today is the day that I sit back and realize how much I love being a mom.  It may not always be the easiest job in the world!  Let's face it, I may want to run away sometimes, but I would not change it for the world.  I am blessed to have two healthy and happy kids, a great husband, and a pretty darn good life.

This is also the day that I usually vow to be a better mom this year.  I want to be the mom that my kids remember as a happy and fun mommy.  I want my daughter to have the same respectable and admirable role model that I had growing up.  I want my son to learn to have compassion and love.  Ok, so I just want my kids to not have to spend half of their adult lives in counseling (just kidding!)

I also have thought a lot about my own mom.  She is an amazing mother that really has always managed to make things look extremely easy.  She is the most level headed person I know and looking back, I don't know how she did it all.  I appreciate her more and more every day that I am a mom and have even learned to tell her how much I appreciate all that she put up with.  

I count my blessings that I still have my dear grandmother (aka Big Grandma) around.   She is the coolest and spunkiest grandma that you will ever meet.  At over 80 years old, she is still up for playing Wii bowling with my 6 year old son.  She is amazing!  She too has been an amazing role model and I love her to pieces!

So for today, I send out love to my mom and grandmother!  You both have made me the person that I am today.  I thank you for supporting me through my own journey through motherhood.  To my wonderful children, I love being your mommy!  I may not always do the best job, but know that I love you more than anything and that you bring so much joy to my life!  Happy Mother's Day! 

What is my legacy?

In the hustle and bustle of my life, I have to always be reminded to stop and "smell the roses".  I will admit, if they had a rehab for people who take on too much, I would be the first to sign up!  I don't know why I do it to myself, but I have.

In the process of taking on three businesses, a full time job, being mother of two, and wife to a man who also takes on too much, I have started to realize that it is or will take a toll on my family.  I had one of those "aha" moments as Oprah likes to call them the other morning as I was feverishly trying to get everything into book bags and comb a 3 year olds snarly hair.  What are my kids really going to remember of me?  What legacy am I leaving for them?

Now maybe you are reading this thinking that I am crazy because legacies are not something that we think about until we are older.  However, I really believe that I want to start thinking about that now while I have something to say about it!   So, I have started to think about what I want to leave as my legacy for my kids.  Do I really want them to think of me as the stressed out mommy who was running from meeting to meeting or do I want them to remember a happy mommy who was fulfilled and made time for them and for herself?  It is a hard balancing act to play, but one that I know I must work on.

In the meantime, I am going to help my ancestors leave their legacies with my kids.  I was stuck the other day when I was telling my son a story about my paternal grandfather and he said to me, "Mommy, you had a grandfather?"  Have I really failed to mention all of the great times that I had growing up with this man?  Had I really forgotten to tell my kids that I got my blond hair and blue eyes from this man?  That he one of the greatest men to ever walk this earth?  

So, while I work on the legacy that I am building, I am also going to work on telling and recording more of the stories that make me who I am and ultimately, who my children are as well.  I believe strongly in the power of story and feel that it will help my children be more connected to me and those great people that I had the pleasure of growing up with as well!

New Year - New Things!

Happy New Year!  As I look back on 2008, it was a very interesting year. A lot of good came from the year, but a lot of craziness also took place.  My goal for this year is to always take a step back.  I realize (as I am sure many others have before me!) that worrying about everything does not necessarily change the situation.  With all of the hardships that people are facing, I plan to simplify and spend more quality time with my family teaching them to simplify as well.

I know, I know.  We all start out with good intentions and the next thing you know we are back off the wagon (just like the diet that I started yesterday!  I am already into the chocolate!) However, I feel like if I don't really work on this resolution, I am not only failing myself, but my kids too!

I am so fortunate to have met some really great ladies who have started a social network on ning.  We are called WNY moms.  I am going to be doing a blog with tips for dealing with education and creative ideas for kids.  The other ladies are all doing other blogs with great tips on how to go green, organization, recipes and more.  I look forward to learning from others this year and connecting more with other moms.  That has been difficult for me since so many of the people that I know do not yet have kids.  While I love all of my kidless friends to death, I sometimes find it hard for them to relate to the stuff that is stressing me out.  They are my continued support though in getting out and doing other things that help me to stay me!