I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these goggles. Of course they have bright stripes and like i said before those bright stripes make me happy! We are a skiing and snowboarding family, we love to go to Boyne or Crystal every winter. It is so much fun to go as a family and i think it will be something we can all do together for years to come. My boys already go down the hill faster than me i think... it won't be long and they'll be doing jumps, mogels, tricks etc. and leaving mom in the powder dust! Back to goggles... Marc and I have had the same goggles since high school and considering we are over 35 and moving onto 40 those goggles are outdated and very ugly. This year we were both a little embarassed in our dorky goggles and figured it was probably time to get new ones. I then found the above goggles in Crystals ski magazine and fell in love. Now let me give you some background... i am not really a namebrand kind of gal, if it is cute i buy it... it doesn't have to have a certain "name" for me to feel "cool". Why is it then that i see a car and think it is sharp and then realize oh of course it is it's a Lexus or i pick out other things and always it is expensive... ugghh it drives me crazy! Well, the goggles were no exception, i got online to check them out and discovered they were on sale... yipee, they are on sale right? yeah -on sale for $105. Yup 105 dollars. Needless to say i have not purchased these goggles but they sure are cute with their happy little stripes

Thankful Tuesday

Today I am thankful for strong and healthy bodies. I am thankful that Marc, myself and the boys are healthy and strong... a blessing to be thankful for!

OVERWHELMED

Overwhelmed and over committed that sums up life these days. I cannot wait for June - SUMMER to arrive, my life should slow down some then. I need those lazy, hazy summer days. I will still have a more hectic schedule than usual come summer but it should be a lot less crazy than it is right now! I feel like so many good things vie for my attention but I need to learn to say NO! I need one year where I solely focus on my family and their needs not the needs of school and church. Not working is not an option so I have to do that but everything else is going to go. There will be other years to help school and church but next year my focus is my family!! It is so hard to enjoy life when I'm running around like a chicken with my head cut off and then when I'm stressed I start yelling at the boys and snipping at Marc and not being the wife and mom I want to be! God called me to be a mom when he blessed me with these boys and I need to realize that I cannot allow all these other things to pull me and stretch me to the max and then have nothing left to give my family. I wish I could be superwoman, it seems as though so many women can juggle it all but i am not one of them! I will still look for easy ways to help when I can but for now I'm going to set some boundaries and look forward to next year not feeling overwhelmed and over committed but rather OVERJOYED!

Thoughtful Thursdays and Thankful Tuesdays

~Luke's class has been doing "thoughtful" things every thursday and the radio station has been doing thankful thursdays and I thought both idea's were really cool. So tune in every tuesday and thursday... I will begin thankful tuesdays and thoughtful thursdays next week. Every tuesday I will post something I'm thankful for and every thursday I hope to do something thoughtful and will let you know what that was...(that will help keep me accountable). So if you have something your thankful for or something thoughtful to do, post a comment and let me know. I believe God desires for us to have gratitude in our hearts and He calls us to be compassionate and to show his love in tangible ways... so tune in as I try to be more grateful for my many blessings and as I try to show more compassion to those who desperately need it and as I try to show God's love to other's through my actions!

1 * 2 ...Tie my shoe

There are just some things that as a parent you need to teach your children and quite honestly you do not enjoy the process because it can be extremely frustrating. The top two for me are potty training and teaching them to tie their shoes. Of course it does not help that I have very little patience..." just shoot me now" is the thought that comes to mind. Yesterday was one of those days... Jaeger has been struggling lately with being the youngest from being the first out in dodgeball, to being the youngest in the neighborhood and then of course that he could not tie his shoes. He has been crying a lot about these types of things lately and yesterday he had a complete meltdown because he couldn't tie those darn shoes! Now remember, I have very little patience and really like immediate gratification and following in my footsteps is my Jaeger Jay. We practiced tying, he and I, but Jabes really doesn't like being shown how to do something he just wants to know how on his own... he wants to know how to do it without mom's help and he wants to know how to do it NOW! This became very frustrating and at one point I gave up because he was frustrated ( ummm let me rephrase that... he was pissed ) so I left him to his own devices and I kid you not he was flipping out in the kitchen, in hysterics because he could not tie his shoe. Again, shoot me now!! Well, by some small miracle he regained his composure today and actually allowed me to show him one more time and hallelujah Jesus he figured it out and has been tying his own shoes all afternoon! I will be praising Jesus all night that this did not become a drawn out affair... I would not be able to handle meltdowns like yesterday everyday that is for sure. So for the record I now have 3 boys potty-trained and 3 boys who can tie their very own shoes! I should have a party!!

Wild Crazy Boys!

Luke, Jack and Jaeger with the neighbor boys (their best friends) all dressed in their camoflage and "hunting" all through the neighborhood. I cracked up when I looked outside and there they all were decked in head to toe "camo" I love their imaginations and their wild spirits! And below my 3 "tough" guys... one of the things I love about boys is that for all that toughness there is also that wonderful tenderness that each one of them has and the tender love they always show their mom!!

Growing up I always envisioned myself as a mom of girls. I assumed I'd have a boy in there somewhere but I was sure I'd have girls. I mean I was never the tomboy... Heather fit that role in our family. I wouldn't say I was prissy but definitely very girlie. I was never ever a risk taker, didn't really like to get dirty and really thought boy things like fish and worms were rather quite disgusting. I expected dress up boxes filled with frilly dresses... I expected little fingernails painted in glitter nail polish. I envisioned pink everything for my little princess. We would shop together, someday pick out prom dresses together and ahhhhh... someday even the wedding dress. I am a girlie kind of mom! So who could've imagined that I would be the mom of not 1 but 3 wild and crazy little boys. Boys who fall off kitchen chairs in hysterics when someone even mentions the word fart, boys all casting fishing poles with hooks at the same time in Grandpa's fishing boat, boys who not only don't mind dirt but are always covered head to toe in it and boys who wear camouflage ( see pics above ) yes "camo" not pink cinderella dresses. My boys have alot to teach their mom like how to pop wheelie's and how to put a worm on a hook and how to make "farting sounds" with my armpits or better yet maybe this mom will stay girlie and boost my boys ego's as I ooh and ahh over their wheelie's and let them feel macho when I need them to put the worm on the hook for me and simply just laugh at my silly boys when crazy sounds come from armpits. All this being said ...who could've imagined the joy of boys and how crazy blessed I feel to be the mom of 3 wild but wonderful boys!

Gold and Silver, I have none...

but worth a million are my sons!

HAPPY

My Happy Cup

colorful notepads

my Gap sweater in happy colorful stripes

I feel so happy today and it is simply because I finally feel better, my energy is back! I feel happy enough to shout yahoo's, do cartwheels and run up and give complete stranger's a bear hug... seriously, I feel that happy. Speaking of being happy; did ya'all know I have a "happy cup"? I have this crazy addiction to buying all those adorable starbucks mugs to contain my other addiction, coffee and one day came across my "happy cup". See the picture above... just looking at it makes me happy. People even know it as my happy cup, just ask Marc's family who all want their own happy cup for the cottage. You might just ask, what is it that makes this cup happy? It is the happy colors and the stripes. I soon realized that I gravitate towards all things in these sunny, bright colors and in stripes. These are the colors I love and they simply make me happy! Want a bear hug? I'm giving them out today!

Take note of the pics above and my love of all things in colorful stripes or polka dots! From coffee mugs to that Gap sweater to beach towels and more, those colors color my world with happiness! By the way... my happy cup is now a pencil holder due to the fact that although very happy it was very large and my coffee got cold too fast and that did not make me well, happy!

Gray hair and wrinkles!!

35 and I have gone gray!! Gray hair people... I am not laughing. Not only gray hair but also fine lines and wrinkles. O.k. listen it was bad enough when after having the boys the boobs sagged and the stretch marks appeared but now I have to be gray and wrinkled? Again, I repeat... I am not laughing, although I have heard people call some of those wrinkles laugh lines... evidence of a life well lived and I suppose raising 3 boys does lend itself to giving me a few gray hairs but wow, when did this happen? Funny that I simply do not feel old enough to be turning gray! Will I grow old gracefully you ask? Well that depends... I'm getting my hair colored again in 2 weeks and quite frankly, I've been applying anti-wrinkle cream to my face everyday. As for sagging boobs and stretch marks... I'm not sure there's any hope without a lot of mula... something I am not getting more of! But hey I will always be young at heart!!

This picture may not show it well but just confirm it with my sister Heather who gasped, yes, gasped at Sunday dinner a few weeks back when she sat next to me and noticed the good ole grays. Yes Heath, thanks for that! Go ahead, take a closer look...yep...gray hair!

Yuck!

It has been a rough week... headaches, exhaustion and then yesterday Marc and I got slammed with the flu! Marc was home all day while I went to work and to the gym.... I felt incredibly exhausted and somewhat achy with a headache... well by 4 pm I could barely drive home, had full body aches, chills and then everyone's nightmare... the vomiting began. So today I'm not feeling so LUCKY and still not feeling great. It is a good reminder however to be grateful for strong, healthy bodies. We have so much to be thankful for. Today I will be praying and asking God to restore us to full health and I will thank Him that most days my family is healthy and strong... we do not live with chronic pain or incurable disease and that my friends is a blessing indeed!

Don't you know that the Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of all the earth?... He gives power to those who are tired and worn out: he offers strength to the weak.
Isaiah 40: 28-29

Lucky to be loved by you...

Happy St. Patrick's Day! We had a fun day all dressed in green so we wouldn't get pinched. I feel so LUCKY to be loved by my guys... they are my pot of gold! We dressed in green, we had cupcakes with green frosting and I made a fruit rainbow with a pot of gold (aka: rollo's) which was a really fun after-school snack. In my senior water aerobic classes today we did the shamrock shuffle and leaping leprachauns and we held a drawing for the much coveted prize of Irish Spring bath wash. It really was a ton of fun. The boys decided next year we are going to lure leprachauns with gold coins under a trap... but we've heard they are really hard to catch. We also agreed that green frosted cupcakes were a great bedtime snack but maybe Shamrock shakes from McDonalds would be fun next year. There was no drinking of green beer but we did drink in the goodness of life today. I leave you with this Irish blessing:

Wishing you always-

Walls for the wind

And a roof for the rain

And tea beside the fire

Laughter to cheer you

and those you love near you

And all that your heart might desire!

this is Jaeger fish-squeezing his cheeks because he was tired of smiling... too cute

T.G.I.F.

I love fridays...
1. I almost always have fridays off
2. It is the start to the weekend
3. Time to spend with Marc and the boys
4. I get to sleep in!

So today I am Thanking God It's Friday!!!

I am... Beautiful

So here is my list... and Rachel if you are reading this, I'm tagging you to do it next!

I am... Beautiful (Jaeger told me so today )
I think... life's joys are found in the simple pleasures
I know... that I am loved
I want... to build a house someday
I wish... summer was here now and would last 6 months vs. 3
I hate... racism
I miss... warm weather and suntans
I fear... someone close to me dying
I feel... BLESSED
I hear... my wild boys
I smell... coffee brewing
I crave... chocolate
I search... You-tube for music
I regret... overeating
I love... Target...who said Disney World is the happiest place on earth?
I ache... for others who are hurting
I care... too much about what other people think of me
I always... hit the snooze button
I am not... a risk taker
I believe... that Jesus loves me!
I dance... while cleaning my house & if the house stays clean I do a happy dance
I sing... the 3 little birds song almost every morning with my guys
I cry... easily
I fight... temptations... every single day
I write... LISTS... to-do lists, grocery lists, bucket lists, wish lists etc.
I win... because I have victory in Jesus... God gave me the gift of grace & eternal life!
I lose... quite frankly I often am losing my mind and my kids will say I lose my patience!
I never... can catch up on laundry
I confuse... my times tables ( Luke can so whoop my butt )
I listen... to my gut instinct
I can usually be found... with a coffee mug in my hand
I am scared of... being outside in the dark, alone
I need... time to myself
I am happy about... having the day off tomorrow
I hope... my boys know without a doubt how deeply they are loved!!!

Pinkalicious and Purplicious

So I love to read and I love children's books as previously noted... but can I tell you that as a mom of 3 boys who considers herself rather "girlie" I have such a strong desire to buy girlie things, pink things. Imagine my dismay when I find this adorable book called pinkalicious, and then realize just who in my family wants a book called pinkalicious other than myself. Thankfully I have nieces that I can spoil with all things pink and girlie. I bought Pinkalicious for the girls and now this week bought them the sequel Purplicious. Just hearing Kyle Kenzie and Jess say Pinkalicious is precious. Kyle says "Pinka- ishis"


Pinkalicious...$4.00
Purplicious...$4.00
Hearing the girls say pinkalicious... PRICELESS

Still Love Scholastic

I still remember coming home with the scholastic book orders in elementary school. I would be so excited and would sit and flip through each page devouring each and every book offering. I would circle the ones I really wanted and then I would wish with all my heart that I would be able to order a book. I know my parents did let me order a book on occasion, funny I don't remember which books I ordered but I remember thinking this was the best thing next to going for ice cream or out to McDonald's... ah the simple pleasures of being 8 years old or so. Well some things never change... I still get giddy when the scholastic order comes home but now it comes home in the backpacks of Luke, Jack and Jaeger. I just ordered a few more books and I cannot contain my excitement... can you tell I love to read? Scholastic book orders : just another one of life's simple pleasures!

My mental health vacation

So I took a " mental health vacation " this week and it was wonderful! I was feeling very overwhelmed with life and needed to breathe and find time to do things that I love as well as get some things done that needed doing! I got almost all of my shifts covered so I did not work too much, I did not go to the gym everyday, I did not answer my phone and I did not commit to one single thing. Today was Friday and my husband took the day off to spend with me. The kids were at school, we had coffee and went to the bakery and simply spent the whole day together... it was awesome! Take a look at the pictures below to catch a glimpse of just a few of the things I got to do... read books, worked in my scrapbook room ( stay tuned for before and after pics ), I did laundry to the point that the basket was empty and all clothes were put away (if only for 1 day) I cleaned my house and it looks pretty good, shined my sink, even made decent dinners most of the nights home, I bought flowers and this is just a sample of my week. It was much needed and I am so thankful for this blessing to "breathe" and ''enjoy" my everyday life!

P.S. You will need to scroll down and hit older posts to see all the pics... I don't understand why some people's blogs you can scroll down forever and mine is so "short" anyhoo... thought I'd add that little tidbit, let me know if you know how to help me adjust that!

Our delinquent TOOTH FAIRY

Yesterday, Jaeger received a letter in the mail from the tooth fairy explaining that she has had the most miserable case of the sniffles and her wings have been too weak to fly but that she would be visiting soon and to be on the lookout for her pixie dust that she left behind. I am happy to report that she did arrive sometime last night and this morning Jaeger woke up with pixie dust ( aka : glitter ) all in his hair, on his jammies and even in his ear and he ran downstairs so excited to show us his 2 silver coins! Whew, glad that tooth fairy finally got her act together!

"Tooth Traditions"

So as you know from reading my blog earlier, my baby had a loose tooth and thus began our "tooth traditions" such as reading our favorite tooth book Wibble Wobble and wiggling our tooth everyday. Well it did not take long and that tooth came out which brought us to our next tradition of tucking that tooth into our tooth fairy pillow and waiting for her special surprise! Now it just so happens that the tooth fairy is very and I mean very delinquent when it comes to visiting our house and after being MIA for over a week, we had one disappointed little boy ( see pic below) who then had a second loose tooth which also fell out within days of the other one and still no tooth fairy... she had better have a good excuse! Stay tuned ...