Embracing Life

I have been wanting a new work bag for, well, ever. In fact, I told Keith recently that I really wanted the Thirty-One Cindy tote, but couldn't justify the price at this time. He mentioned that since I had been complaining about this for well over two years, I could use part of our tax refund to get a bag for myself. I was super excited, but wanted to make sure it was going to be money well spent. I emailed my wonderful friend, MB, who confirmed that yes, the Cindy tote was a great bag, and..... there was a great deal going on this month as well! *Please excuse the cell phone pictures, our computer is still broken and I (meaning Keith and the mess that his desk) still cannot find the camera cord. The front.  Isn't it pretty?  And no, I swear I did not hug the bag  out of happiness when  I first took it out of the box. The inside has one zippered pocket,  as well as three deep open pockets.   There is nothing I like more t...

Well I can see that Tima beat me to posting, but she is 7 hours ahead of me..... ;) Happiness is not one, but two of your favorite authors/series publishing new books on the same day. The book on the left is Twice Tempted by Jeaniene Frost. This is part of her Night Prince series. And it stars Vlad, as in Vlad the Impaler.  Most don't know this, but my love of vampires began while reading about the real Vlad Dracul when I was in high school. I even wrote a paper in college, discussing how Eastern European folklore (namely from Vlad and Countess Elizabeth Bathory) found its way into modern day America.  And the book on the right... ahhhh... The Black Dagger Brotherhood. Blay and Qhuinn. Wrath and all the others.................. Sorry, I was day dreaming about being a BDB shellan. I devoured the first seven books of the series when I discovered them (thanks Melissa and Juliet!) a couple of years ago. Since then, I have eagerly awaited each new release. In the new...

One of the kids threw a pull-up in the dirty clothes,  and I didn't realize it until after I had washed it.  (Hey, at least it was a clean one.)   That was a lot of fun to try  and clean out of the washer.  (And then have to re-wash a bunch of clothes.)    Keith bought me flowers. ♥  And then the kids decorated my credenza  with "Easter animals".  Please do not argue with Keira  about the "Easter penguins".  You won't win. My town had an Easter egg hunt on Saturday.  The kids had a great time.  After finding their eggs and getting their goody bags,  we headed over to the village hall where  they got "hopped" up on sugar with cookies and munchkins.   Good times. Not.   Then we met the Easter Bunny.  Well, everyone but Keira who is scared of him.   A female police officer even offered to go up  with Keira to...

Keira made me this crown.  She asked me this morning to take it to work and wear it for my work friends. That felt a little awkward to me... so I thought I'd take a picture and share it with my non-work friends. ;)

I know it's a mother job to worry about her children. But this morning, it hit me. I need to do something fast before it's too late. This situation is getting out of control. It all started on the way to Connor's school. The radio was tuned into this not-very-local classic rock station that only sometimes comes in. Connor: Mommy, can you turn on a good song? Me: Sure. Wait, what? This is a good song. Connor: No it's not. I like Daddy's music. Me: Daddy listens to horrible music. This is classic Guns N' Roses. Besides your daddy grew up with heavy metal and only recently started getting into that pop junk music on KISS FM. I told you the other day when you asked me to turn off Pink Floyd that we only listen to Mommy's music in the morning. Connor: Well can you turn on horrible music then? **** I've have a very eclectic taste in music. I love CCR, Pink Floyd, Bad Religion, Type O Negative, Pearl Jam, Adele, The Cure, and Rise Against. I...

Need I say more? I love that boy. I just cannot believe he will be finishing up first grade in a couple of months. I took him shopping with me to Kohls on Sunday, and this morning he said, Remember when we went to Kohls? That was an awesome time with you. I got him the "Where's My Water" app for  our Kindle Fire, and he gave me a big hug and said, Thank you Mommy, You are the best. 

I found this fun idea over at From My Grey Desk !  Basically you post about your five favorite things from the week. My fun nails! Essie's Chrome polish and Avon's Mosaic Top Coat in Black Keith's awesome find - can you believe someone was throwing this out? It will soon be our new entertainment center.  Sharing a picture and laughing with my sister (We loved Pitch Perfect)  A dunkaccino from DD (a yummy blend of hot chocolate and coffee, perfect for this cold Chicago morning)  A new board game for the kids. I picked this up at the twins' club resale over the weekend. The kids loved it! Gave up something to do in the evenings since due to the time change, we are having some trouble putting them to bed.

Did you know that today is World Kidney Day ?  Did you even know there was such a thing?  Do you know why I'm even interested in this?  Did you know that one in three people are at risk for kidney disease? Did you know that the groceries you buy can affect your kidneys? Check out this page and see the 8 Golden Rules   for taking care of your kidneys and yourself.

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Well, I'm debating giving up the blog.  Not necessarily something that should be posted on  something titled the Happiness Project,  but still I wanted to put it out there.  Until I actually make the decision,  I can still play along with Leigh and  post things that make me happy. For instance, this cabinet/credenza/thingy that Keith found on the side of the road.  Check out our new entertainment center!  I cannot wait!  The top needs some staining,  and one of the corners has some scratches.  Once those are fixed,  I can't wait to see it sitting pretty in our family room. Side note - that's a toddler bed on top. Not some weird extension of the cabinet. And please ignore the mess behind... I'm not allowed to clean the garage. Hey, while you are here, why not check out my giveaway ? Or not. Whatever. It's cool.

One of the benefits of being a Purex Insider is getting to try new stuff before everybody else. Recently, I received a bottle of Dial's newest body wash - Coconut Water.  First of all, the smell is absolutely wonderful! It instantly transports you to a Caribbean island... (one where children still stand outside the cabana and scream your name, but I digress...) Not only does the body wash leave your skin feeling soft and hydrated, but there is also a nice fragrance that perfumes your skin even after you towel off. Even my husband with extremely dry skin was in love with this stuff - his words after using it for the first time: I can't believe my skin feels like I've already put lotion on it, even though I just got out of the shower. Purex and Dial have generously shared with me not one, but TWO coupons for a FREE bottle of Dial Coconut Water Body Wash to give to some lucky readers of my blog. It's easy to enter the contest, just check out the widget below. Als...

I wish I could write the most amazing blog post that would have people talking and sharing it and somehow land me a book deal. But even as I type this, I think of Pearl Jam's song Wishlist and for a moment I am sad as I remember that one time that I don't let myself think of anymore. Then I replay the song in my mind as I think of all the things I wish for. All the things I wish I had. And how I wish yesterday had gone differently and how I wish my kids behaved and that their father didn't yell and how I wish I had an answer for what was wrong with me.  I wish I didn't want to write this to try to prove something. But Eddie reminds me that I wish I was as fortunate, as fortunate as me... I am blessed - I truly am. It's just hard to remember that sometimes.