Anything and Everything.

It's been a fun and busy week, but there's always something to be thankful for. This week I'm thankful for the following, in no particular order: How my brother and youngest child texted back and forth discussing breakfast foods. It was really amazing to watch the interactions from one side anyway. I hope my kids have a life long relationship with my baby brother.  For amazing Twitter interactions this week. It's nice to make 'friends' over social media, especially when you've got something in common.  For four mornings out of five with no disagreements over who gets to toast their waffles first, or who's going to use the bathroom first. If you're a parent, you understand what I'm talking about. An 80% happy morning start is win-win for us all.  My favourite black pants. There is nothing special about them; they're a black velvet type material that fit really well. Everything goes with them, and when I wear them, I feel super confide...

Another week has passed by, another week to be thankful for all my blessings. Things I'm grateful: (in no particular order) My "nephew" coming for supper. He was once a baby that I took care off (along with his older siblings). For the first seven years of his life, I was a daily fixture in it. We did everything together, and he even attended the school I taught at, until I had my own children. He's like a big brother to my kids, and the fun reaches stratospheric heights when we're all together. I love it - and love him. I affectionately call him my 'first son'. It's easier than the-boy-i-used-to-take-care-of. ;)  Hubs taking a day off. He took a weekday off, and after I attended to some 'at home' work, we had a nice leisurely lunch at an "adults" restaurant. We spent the child-free day together and reconnected. It was nice and unexpected, as he didn't make the decision until Thursday night.  For a working vacuu...

It's been quite a week. :) The five things I'm thankful for, in no particular order, are:  My Critique Partner. She's going through That Summer with a fine tooth comb, and I can't be more excited. She's wickedly awesome, thorough and picks apart scenes letter by letter. I get so excited for her emails & tweets, wondering what she's gong to say next. No matter how tough she is, I know it comes from the heart. She's not doing it to be mean, she's doing it to make my story the best it can be. AND, she's available to edit your novel. My local library. We're regulars at our local branch. We're there every two weeks at minimum for a program they run - Evil Genius Club. The librarians know my kids (they're usually the only ones at the programs) and they know me. Because of the strong connection I have with one of them, she asked me if I wanted to join their upcoming book club (umm, yeah!). She mentioned it would likely be jus...

Making up chore charts has been something I've done for my kids since they've been old enough to read. Afterall, I have my own chore chart (aka - my to-do list) hanging on the fridge that I must follow. ;) I like to change it up, make it interesting and fun. We're all part of this household, so we all need to pitch in and keep it clean and tidy. My children do not earn money for their chores. We tried this and it was an epic fail. They didn't care. My children, ages 8 & 11, do however, earn electronics time. They do not get time during the week, I'd rather they play outside or read or both. Their time to play with these coveted machines is on Saturday & Sunday mornings, since they get up at the crack of dawn, and I'd much rather sleep. ;) Now, with them playing their DS's, X-BOX games, computer games, what-have-you this mom gets to sleep in and they get to play. Win-win. For all of us. So... I wanted to make the chores FUN and I like giving the...

Another what makes me smile post. Sundays. Sundays are truly wonderful days in our house. First of all, I typically get to sleep in! Yeah! Then, lately at least, we've been having breakfast at home. Bacon, eggs, sausage, toast and coffee. But it's not the breakfast that makes me smile. It's the conversations at the table that warm my heart. Today was no exception. My hubs and I recalled memories from when our kids were younger and some of the funny things they said or did. They LOVE hearing these stories just as much as we love telling them. There were lots of laughs and giggles, and no one was in a hurry to leave. Breakfast was devoured without an issue (we have an anti-egg eater, but today, he ate up with a smile.) It was an awesome way to start our day. Then we all pitch in and clean the house, because to me, a clean house is happiness. Laundry is done, ironing finished (usually while watching NASCAR), and everyone is calm, cool and collected. Tonight we...