Spring Goals

Dear Spring,
Welcome!  I hope you treat us well.  Please do not allow your fresh pollen to attack our sinuses this year.  Do note, however, that if you decide to attack us we will be prepared, for we are armed with Claritin and Sudafed and plenty of tissues.   We do invite you to bring plenty of warm, happy, sunshine-filled days to play in.  We eagerly await the buzzing of bees and blossoming of flowers.  And when the occasional rains fall, we will be grateful to the Rainmaker, for from that rain comes life.  Also, Lady Spring, please do remember that it is now your time to shine.  Do not let Old Man Winter bully you into bringing more snow!  He has had his turn. 

Respectfully Yours,
Crystal & Family

That was fun! :) I do hope to reach these goals this spring:

*to find a church
*to make some spring/Easter crafts with my kids
*to plant and grow some kind of veggie
*to do something for myself
*to have a date night (or day) with my hubby

I met most of my goals for winter:
*If we get enough snow, make a snowman with my kids
H and I made three snowmen this year, and for the first time ever, Hubbs was able to make one with her! Very exciting! C just ate the snow.
*Take more pictures
I felt like I took a fair amount of pictures. :) Will most likely continue this goal.
*Have a date night with my husband
We had a fun night out together!  I just wish I could have relaxed and enjoyed it more.

Now for the goals I didn't quite reach:
*Give to someone else on my birthday
I attempted (during moving time chaos) to assemble a blanket drive shortly before my birthday, and it didn't quite come together.  So when the Haiti earthquake hit, I decided to send info about another drive to the few who were interested.  Moving is not an excuse, and I guess I got discouraged when so few responded to my initial attempts.  I foresee another attempt in my near future.
*Get a tattoo for my birthday
Again, with moving expenses, etc, I was unable to reach this goal.  I have an idea of what I want, and now we have only to save up the money for it and to find a reputable place around here.  Or, we might just wait for a return trip home, so that we might go with what (who) we know.

So, that's how I fared for winter 2010.  How did your goals go?  Did you meet them all?  Some?  Forget about them altogether?  Well, if you fall into the latter group, the good news is that spring is here! - a time for new growth and a fresh start.  So what are you waiting for?  Make a goal list.  I promise it'll make you feel great to cross them off as you meet them!

Sea Monkeys

Yesterday was our family day.  We played at Pump It Up and went to the mall to stroll around.  Then we went out to eat at Famous Dave's and Hubby decided it would be nice to get H a little gift on the way home last night. Sea Monkeys. I never had sea monkeys as a kid, and don't know much about them, so I googled them. Have you seen what a fully-grown "sea monkey" looks like?? They're not pretty. They actually kinda remind me of silverfish, which grosses me out!  Here's what the adult sea monkey is supposed to look like:

Gross, right? They look nothing like the cute little drawings on the box. 

So, I'm thinking, "What are these things, exactly?"  I mean, all we know is that they are easy to grow on your own.  They eat some kind of special fish food that comes with the kit.  Then what? How long do they live? According to the website, they have been scientifically engineered to live "longer than ever before" - approx. 2 yrs.  I don't know if I want to take care of some weird alien-bug for two years.  H is all excited about it, though. So that's cool.  I just hope she doesn't get weirded out by them.  I just hope I don't get weirded out by them!  Because I'm sure I'll be the one taking care of these things. 

Well, we prepped the tank this morning, so tomorrow we will add the eggs and sometime within the next week we should have baby sea monkeys swimming around.  I'll be sure to post pics as we go!  Wish us luck!

Growing Pains

Today, my baby boy transitioned from a crib to a toddler bed. I am so proud! Hubby put the bed together this morning and C was able to sleep in it at naptime. He was very excited about it, and did surprisingly well both at naptime and at bedtime. I use the sit in method (from one of those "Nanny" shows) and it took a grand total of only 20 mins for him to fall asleep at nap and 15 mins tonight at bedtime. I only had to lay him back down about three times. I was very impressed with him.

My daughter seemed just as excited as C was about his new bed. I actually had to calm her down before both nap and bedtime tonight. With the two of them sharing a room, I figured things would be quite crazy at this point, but surprisingly it's not. They're getting so big. I can't believe they're going to be turning 5 and 2 soon.

H's birthday is next month, so we've been asked for a list of what she wants. Gigi (my mom) suggested we let her look online at a toy website and write down all of the things she would like to have. So we went to toysrus.com and let H browse the pages (category: age 5-7, subcategory: girls). I have a list so far just shy of 30 items. I think we have enough.

My furbaby, Onyx, is getting big too. She's seven months old now and probably just shy of her full size. She still has a lot of kitten in her, so she's very mischievous. There have been several times in the past week or so that she's gotten out when we've come in or out of the house. She's not "fixed" yet, so we don't really want to let her outside just yet. She's also very intrigued by water, and will make a mess in the toilet, sink, etc at any chance she gets. Just a bit earlier tonight I heard a crash coming from our bedroom, and found that she had knocked the top of the gerbil cage off. Luckily only the top came off, and Scamper is doing fine.

Hubbs and I are planning to get her fixed soon and hopefully that will help with some of the mischief. Overall, she really is a sweet cat. She's cuddling with me right now as I type. She loves to play and cuddle with the kids, too - as long as they're nice to her. I guess she understands somehow that they are little like she is.

All three of my "babies" are getting bigger. And the best part? I don't have to sit back and watch. I get to be a part of it. I can't wait to see what happens next.

Here a Tooth, There a Tooth...

Molars. They're necessary for chewing, of course. But what a pain! Literally! For the past couple of days my son has been cranky, throwing things, barely eating, and very much wanting to be held by Mommy. It dawned on me this afternoon that he must be getting his molars. He's nearly 21 mos, so it's about that time. I even felt around in his mouth a bit and he said "ouch!" as my finger ran across his gums. Nice. I feel so sorry for him... especially when he tells me "I hongry, Mama! I want!" I know he's hungry, but eating hurts right now so he ends up only taking a couple of bites, if any. I read about these "teething tablets" that dissolve in the kid's mouth and relieve the pain. I wonder if they're any good? They're supposedly all-natural, which translates to "costs an arm and a leg." Anyone have any experience with these? It's been about three years since I've had to deal with this. I feel like such a noob! *Sigh* Well, here's hoping that the crankies end soon!

Mr. and Mrs. Fix it?

It's been well over a month since I've blogged. But I do have an excuse. :) We've moved. Across state! I know this might not seem like a big deal to some of you (if anyone actually reads this), but it's a big deal to me! I have always been in the same area my whole life. I grew up with all of my aunts, uncles, and grandparents within driving distance. So moving across state is a huge move for us. I'm pretty proud of myself. So far, so good. It helps to be able to keep in touch via phone calls and facebook.

That being said... You remember the day when you were younger and your mother said to you, "I hope one day you will live in an old apartment where nothing works! Maybe then you'll be grateful for what you have now!"? Remember those times? Yeah, well.. I'm pretty sure Mom jinxed me when she said that. Either that, or she really is able to perform feats of magic! (Just kidding, Mom.)

We knew this new place was an older place, and expected to have a few problems upon moving in. It's a duplex that's about 10 years older than I am. Well, to make a long story short, here's a list of things we've had problems with:
*heat/thermostat
*leaky faucet
*leaky pipes under sink
*dishwasher (still haven't had this one fixed - hubby wants to "look at it")
*oven is filthy (on my "to do" list!)
*knob on stove (we have to check it regularly to make sure it's "off")
*washer (hose leaked)
*fuse (shorted out when light switch was bumped)

That's all I can remember right now. Know how long we've been here? Two weeks! Haha.. But I'm not complaining. Every time something else happens I just laugh. I'm pretty sure it drives my husband nuts when I laugh about the escalating problems. He says, "I'm glad you find this funny" as he tries to fix x,y and z.

All in all, we are glad to be here and we are loving it. I think the times we spend together asking "does it work now?" will keep us from asking the same question about our marriage later. So, I'm not too concerned about the problems we face, because I know we'll be stronger because of them.

Well, I'm off to clean the oven! Wish me luck!

My Bucket List

A friend of mine tagged me in a note on facebook, and inspired me to write this. Like my friend, even before I watched the movie "The Bucket List" I have had a list of goals to accomplish before I die. I suppose I've always had this list with me, but I've never written it down. No, I'm not terminally ill, and I don't plan on dying any time soon. But God's plans are different from my own, and none of us knows how much time we have left. So, that being said, here's my "Bucket List" in no particular order. Some are things I'm afraid of but want to do before I go, and others are huge dreams of mine. Here goes!

1. See my kids graduate college
2. Get at least one tattoo
3. Go to each state in the US:
•Alabama
•Alaska
•Arizona
•Arkansas
•California
•Colorado
•Connecticut
•Delaware
•District of Columbia
•Florida
•Georgia
•Hawaii
•Idaho
•Illinois
•Indiana
•Iowa
•Kansas
•Kentucky
•Louisiana
•Maine
•Maryland
•Massachusetts
•Michigan
•Minnesota
•Mississippi
•Missouri
•Montana
•Nebraska
•Nevada
•New Hampshire
•New Jersey
•New Mexico
•New York
•North Carolina
•North Dakota
•Ohio
•Oklahoma
•Oregon
•Pennsylvania
•Rhode Island
•South Carolina
•South Dakota
•Tennessee
•Texas
•Utah
•Vermont
•Virginia
•Washington
•West Virginia
•Wisconsin
•Wyoming
4. Go to the following places outside of the US:
-Australia
-Spain
-Mexico
-England
-Italy
-France
-Virgin Islands
-Galapagos Islands (to see the turtles!)
5. Do at least one of these:
-Skydiving
-Parasailing
-Bungee Jumping
6. Help someone to better himself
7. Volunteer my time to those in need
8. Become a nurse/health care professional
9. Witness a heart transplant
10. Become fluent in another language
11. Eat at least one strange and exotic food in each foreign country I visit
12. Swim with dolphins
13. Learn to sew on a machine
14. Learn to drive a stick shift
15. See "real" snow
16. Go snow skiing
17. Write a book.
18. Fire a gun at a nonliving target (and hit it)
19. Shoot a bow and arrow and make a bullseye
20. Ride in a hot air balloon
21. Take ballroom dancing lessons with my husband
22. Eat the best pizza in the world

That's all for now. I plan to cross off and add to this list as needed. What does your list look like?

Goals for Winter

There are so many things I would like to do. I want to learn to sew, I want to travel, I want to be able to give to people the way celebs do. We all have goals, don't we? I enjoyed having my list of goals for fall, and with my husband's help, I have been able to accomplish those goals:

*jump in piles of leaves with my kids; check!
*find a church home; check! - well, we have found a church that we enjoy attending!
*have a bonfire; check! - hey, a fire in the fireplace counts, right?
*make s'mores with my hubby (who had never had them!); check!
*have a halloween party; well, I didn't throw one, but I did go to one!
and *make something great to bring to Thanksgiving dinner; check! -brownies!

Since I met (or somewhat met) all of my goals for fall, I have decided to keep this up and make some goals for winter 2010:

*If we get enough snow, make a snowman with my kids
*Take more pictures
*Have a date night with my husband
*Give to someone else on my birthday
*Get a tattoo for my birthday

Meeting these goals for myself, as simple as they are, gives me such a sense of accomplishment. If you are reading this now, I emplore you to set a few goals for yourself. Whether they're goals for the week, month, season, or year, make a list of things you would like to accomplish. Then tell someone about your list. My husband read my list of goals after I wrote them and, either consciously or subconsciously, he helped me to reach them. Perhaps the same can happen for you. To my hubby - Thank you for always supporting my goals and for helping me to accomplish the things I set out to do. You're the most amazing man I know, and I love you very much!