I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Olympics. I really do. Winter or summer, Torino or Vancouver...I LOVE the Olympics. Watching the opening ceremonies last night I marveled at the wonder in the athletes' eyes as they walked into the stadium. I envied the hope of gold in all of their hearts as the waved their flags in front of a crowd of 60,000. How neat, men and women from so many countries, political tensions put aside for the sake of healthy competition.
Then we have the competitions in our lives that are less than healthy. The competitions that pin us against the people we should align ourselves with. Our neighbors, our siblings, our friends...the people in our lives who should be our support systems can so easily become the people we see as threats to our happiness.
It is so important that we take a step back and realize we can't and shouldn't measure our success by other people's lives. How boring would life be of we were all meant to do the same things and live the same way? We need to realize our accomplishments aren't measured against other's, but by the happiness they bring us...the happiness we can bring ourselves.
I like to believe I'm not competitive with the people in my life, but I'm probably only fooling myself. I'm not immune to the very thing I'm blogging against. I will say I am making an honest effort to reassess how I evaluate myself and my life. My FAVORITE quote, which I know I have used before, "Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent." -Eleanor Roosevelt
YOU are in charge of your happiness. YOU are your best friend and your worst enemy. YOU are your own competition, because every body's elses life is everybody elses. THIS is yours, so live it and live it well.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Friday, February 12, 2010
With a Cherry on Top
I never thought I'd be that mom who wants to push her kids out the door and onto the school bus. I didn't get the parents who couldn't wait for summer break to be over and the kids would be out of their hair. Well, along came "Snowmaggedon 2010" and everything changed. After an entire week of school being canceled and coughs and fevers preventing them from doing much, I can't WAIT for life to get back to the old routine and the kids to get back to school.
I love them to pieces, but every hour I have to reassure them the Valentine's Day party will be rescheduled. I have to convince them the 100th day of school celebration will be pushed back. I need to remove Elliot's hair from Beckett's balled up little fist. There isn't enough coffee to energize me at this point.
A couple of nights ago we were all on the edge. Television wasn't entertaining anymore, coloring had gotten boring and nobody had the attention span to listen to another story. I remembered seeing a post on Facebook about ice cream made from snow and knew that would get my little ones smiling again. I sent the hubby to Cogos with a few dollars for half and half and the kids and I took out all the other stuff we would need.
The whining stopped. The crabbiness was replaced by giddiness and we all had fun mixing and making the ice cream as a family. They all got to help and then they all got to eat it up. We even swirled some caramel on it, and, after much begging from Elliot, put a little cherry on top!
I guess in some ways that is what parenting is all about. Our kids, even the sweetest of them, can really push us to the limits of our sanity sometimes. It is in those moments we need to step back, reflect and just HAVE FUN! We need to celebrate the wonder of ice cream made from snow rather than just trying quiet the masses, we need to marvel at the magic of steady flurries falling from the sky rather than curse the covered sidewalk, and we need to celebrate that sometimes the best thing at the end of a long day is just that cherry on top!
SNOW ICE CREAM, VANILLA
MIX:
1 tbsp. vanilla 3/4 c. sugar 1/8 tsp. salt 2 c. half & half, or more
ADD:
Snow, 2 cups at a time. Make sure you get CLEAN snow. Add enough snow to get a thick ice cream but make sure you keep tasting it so it tastes good. Too much snow and you'll lose the flavor. Eat right away.
I love them to pieces, but every hour I have to reassure them the Valentine's Day party will be rescheduled. I have to convince them the 100th day of school celebration will be pushed back. I need to remove Elliot's hair from Beckett's balled up little fist. There isn't enough coffee to energize me at this point.
A couple of nights ago we were all on the edge. Television wasn't entertaining anymore, coloring had gotten boring and nobody had the attention span to listen to another story. I remembered seeing a post on Facebook about ice cream made from snow and knew that would get my little ones smiling again. I sent the hubby to Cogos with a few dollars for half and half and the kids and I took out all the other stuff we would need.
The whining stopped. The crabbiness was replaced by giddiness and we all had fun mixing and making the ice cream as a family. They all got to help and then they all got to eat it up. We even swirled some caramel on it, and, after much begging from Elliot, put a little cherry on top!
I guess in some ways that is what parenting is all about. Our kids, even the sweetest of them, can really push us to the limits of our sanity sometimes. It is in those moments we need to step back, reflect and just HAVE FUN! We need to celebrate the wonder of ice cream made from snow rather than just trying quiet the masses, we need to marvel at the magic of steady flurries falling from the sky rather than curse the covered sidewalk, and we need to celebrate that sometimes the best thing at the end of a long day is just that cherry on top!
SNOW ICE CREAM, VANILLA
MIX:
1 tbsp. vanilla 3/4 c. sugar 1/8 tsp. salt 2 c. half & half, or more
ADD:
Snow, 2 cups at a time. Make sure you get CLEAN snow. Add enough snow to get a thick ice cream but make sure you keep tasting it so it tastes good. Too much snow and you'll lose the flavor. Eat right away.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
For whatever reason, Mother Nature decided to dump three years worth of snow on the Mid-Atlantic in two days, leaving gleaming white piles of "pain-in-the-ass" all over the place. I actually think it looks beautiful out, and if it were just a matter of being snowed in, I wouldn't mind. That is a perk of being married to an educator - when the rest of the city still needs to drive through the madness to get to the office, I get my hubby here with me!
My problem with this winter wonderland started around 10PM Friday night when the power went out. Both of my daughters (who should have been asleep) came up the stairs screaming bloody murder. I walked around, gathered some candles and my husband got a fire going in the fireplace. I gathered pillows and blankets, we pulled out the sleeper sofa and went to bed. I say went to bed rather than went to sleep because while the three of them cuddled on the bed, I was on the couch part, squished and cold.
When the dog decided it was time for the day to begin at 6:30 the following morning, I was annoyed to see the power had yet to return. The hubby got the fire going again and I figured out how to keep the kids entertained and fed in the only warm room in the house. I got creative and cooked hot dogs over the fire and stored the milk outside in the snow. As the day went on we realized there was less and less chance of our power being restored, so we shipped 2 kids to my brother's for the night and picked up Chinese food. Our neighbor borrowed a generator so we got our furnace going and one lamp, but I was jonesing pretty bad for Internet and the local news. My husband called the power company and was told we should have our power back no later than Friday. FRIDAY!!!! That was still 6 days away!
Sunday we woke up, loaded the boys into the truck and headed out on Mission Find a Freaking Generator. Our neighbor's friend was coming to reclaim theirs, so we couldn't risk failing this quest we were on. We began by heading south to the Home Depot in Washington, Pa. They were expecting a shipment of between 50-75 generators. When we arrived we were told 50 "magic" tickets had been handed out already. We could wait but we weren't guaranteed anything. It was like Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. A large group of people were gathered by the lighting department, clutching their golden tickets. One gentleman said he was thinking about selling his ticket to somebody without one.
This was the first time in all of the craziness that I felt a bit defeated. A man was really talking about taking advantage of people who just wanted to take care of their homes and families. A woman next to him quickly proved to me that good wins out, though. She offered to call me when the shipment came so we could take the little boys for breakfast and said she would listen for anybody giving up and handing their ticket off. After 2 hours in Washington, though, there was still no word of the truck arriving, and we decided to try our luck at another Home Depot in Bridgeville, Pa. As we pulled into the parking lot, a friend called and said he had bought a generator for us in Allison Park, Pa. We met him there, he returned it and we bought it.
Our tour of the Pittsburgh area wasn't over, though. A coworker had offered to let us borrow a small generator he owned, s we headed to Turtle Creek and then finally made it back home. All told, we drove 110 miles. I will say, coming home, hooking it all up, switching on the television and checking my email made it all worth it! We were able to get three neighbors up and running as well between the 2 generators.
Finally, Monday afternoon our power returned and I began to clean up and organize the mess that had materialized while the power was out. I think I'll appreciate flipping a light switch a bit more for a few days. It amazes me how we don't even realize the things we take for granted. Even though the whole thing got stressful, I can honestly say Joe and I never lost our cool with each other or the kids. We worked as a team and now we are ready for round two that is supposed to blow in later today!
I am going to ignore the ugly in the whole experience and celebrate the neighbors who came together, the strangers looking out for each other, and the family that reached out to help! Even two feet of snow can't freeze the hearts of Pittsburghers!
My problem with this winter wonderland started around 10PM Friday night when the power went out. Both of my daughters (who should have been asleep) came up the stairs screaming bloody murder. I walked around, gathered some candles and my husband got a fire going in the fireplace. I gathered pillows and blankets, we pulled out the sleeper sofa and went to bed. I say went to bed rather than went to sleep because while the three of them cuddled on the bed, I was on the couch part, squished and cold.
When the dog decided it was time for the day to begin at 6:30 the following morning, I was annoyed to see the power had yet to return. The hubby got the fire going again and I figured out how to keep the kids entertained and fed in the only warm room in the house. I got creative and cooked hot dogs over the fire and stored the milk outside in the snow. As the day went on we realized there was less and less chance of our power being restored, so we shipped 2 kids to my brother's for the night and picked up Chinese food. Our neighbor borrowed a generator so we got our furnace going and one lamp, but I was jonesing pretty bad for Internet and the local news. My husband called the power company and was told we should have our power back no later than Friday. FRIDAY!!!! That was still 6 days away!
Sunday we woke up, loaded the boys into the truck and headed out on Mission Find a Freaking Generator. Our neighbor's friend was coming to reclaim theirs, so we couldn't risk failing this quest we were on. We began by heading south to the Home Depot in Washington, Pa. They were expecting a shipment of between 50-75 generators. When we arrived we were told 50 "magic" tickets had been handed out already. We could wait but we weren't guaranteed anything. It was like Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. A large group of people were gathered by the lighting department, clutching their golden tickets. One gentleman said he was thinking about selling his ticket to somebody without one.
This was the first time in all of the craziness that I felt a bit defeated. A man was really talking about taking advantage of people who just wanted to take care of their homes and families. A woman next to him quickly proved to me that good wins out, though. She offered to call me when the shipment came so we could take the little boys for breakfast and said she would listen for anybody giving up and handing their ticket off. After 2 hours in Washington, though, there was still no word of the truck arriving, and we decided to try our luck at another Home Depot in Bridgeville, Pa. As we pulled into the parking lot, a friend called and said he had bought a generator for us in Allison Park, Pa. We met him there, he returned it and we bought it.
Our tour of the Pittsburgh area wasn't over, though. A coworker had offered to let us borrow a small generator he owned, s we headed to Turtle Creek and then finally made it back home. All told, we drove 110 miles. I will say, coming home, hooking it all up, switching on the television and checking my email made it all worth it! We were able to get three neighbors up and running as well between the 2 generators.
Finally, Monday afternoon our power returned and I began to clean up and organize the mess that had materialized while the power was out. I think I'll appreciate flipping a light switch a bit more for a few days. It amazes me how we don't even realize the things we take for granted. Even though the whole thing got stressful, I can honestly say Joe and I never lost our cool with each other or the kids. We worked as a team and now we are ready for round two that is supposed to blow in later today!
I am going to ignore the ugly in the whole experience and celebrate the neighbors who came together, the strangers looking out for each other, and the family that reached out to help! Even two feet of snow can't freeze the hearts of Pittsburghers!
Friday, February 5, 2010
No Good Deed...
I have a confession to make...I've been driving around with expired inspection stickers for a while now. Some of you may be shocked to find out after all this time that I am nothing but a hardened criminal...a hooligan...shall we go as far as gangsta? It appears this whole "good guy" act was exactly that - an act.
Today after dropping my daughter off at preschool I decided to run into the post office with my two, very grumpy little boys. Nolan, my 2-year-old, was whining for blankie, which had been left at home. Beckett was screaming because Nolan refused to share any of the Cookie Crisp he had in a little baggie. I wouldn't have normally stopped when they were in such a mood, but I needed stamps to send fliers to local businesses asking them to help me in my fundraising goal for the St. Baldrick's event I am taking part in.
I pulled into a spot and noticed a police officer slowly pulling over to me. I had been spotted...the gig was up. Fair enough, I thought. He started to pull in next to me, but I guess he got a good look at me and could see my evil nature shining through. He pulled his police cruiser behind me so I couldn't escape. Can't you just see it now..."Nolan, Beckett, hold on. Momma's gonna see what this minivan can do. I'm not going down for this!" Now imagine the sound of screeching tires and smell the burning rubber as I peel out of the post office parking lot for have an expired inspection. GIVE ME A BREAK!
It gets better. After being certain to have me blocked so I can't escape, he turns his lights on. Really? Seriously now. It isn't like I had pulled in after swerving all over the road, stumbled into the liquor store while my kids are left in the freezing minivan. I was at the post office for stamps to send letters to raise money for children with cancer. Ugh.
Anyway, he didn't even get me for the expired inspection. Apparently my registration was expired as well. I can honestly say I had no idea. I never got the renewal form in the mail. I know this with 100% certainty because I have a regular routine when those lovely envelopes come from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. They go in a particular spot so Joe can take care of it. It never came, and I don't make a habit of looking at the little sticker on the back of the car to see when it was up.
I assured him I would go straight home, get on the computer and renew my registration pronto. He didn't buy it. Granted, he could have also written me a ticket for the inspection, which he didn't. He merely gave me a warning there. However, my trip for stamps ended with a $160 ticket. At this point you can imagine how pleasant the boys were strapped into the car seats in a very cold minivan outside the post office. I, of course, blame the entire thing on my husband. Isn't everything always the husband's fault?
Today after dropping my daughter off at preschool I decided to run into the post office with my two, very grumpy little boys. Nolan, my 2-year-old, was whining for blankie, which had been left at home. Beckett was screaming because Nolan refused to share any of the Cookie Crisp he had in a little baggie. I wouldn't have normally stopped when they were in such a mood, but I needed stamps to send fliers to local businesses asking them to help me in my fundraising goal for the St. Baldrick's event I am taking part in.
I pulled into a spot and noticed a police officer slowly pulling over to me. I had been spotted...the gig was up. Fair enough, I thought. He started to pull in next to me, but I guess he got a good look at me and could see my evil nature shining through. He pulled his police cruiser behind me so I couldn't escape. Can't you just see it now..."Nolan, Beckett, hold on. Momma's gonna see what this minivan can do. I'm not going down for this!" Now imagine the sound of screeching tires and smell the burning rubber as I peel out of the post office parking lot for have an expired inspection. GIVE ME A BREAK!
It gets better. After being certain to have me blocked so I can't escape, he turns his lights on. Really? Seriously now. It isn't like I had pulled in after swerving all over the road, stumbled into the liquor store while my kids are left in the freezing minivan. I was at the post office for stamps to send letters to raise money for children with cancer. Ugh.
Anyway, he didn't even get me for the expired inspection. Apparently my registration was expired as well. I can honestly say I had no idea. I never got the renewal form in the mail. I know this with 100% certainty because I have a regular routine when those lovely envelopes come from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. They go in a particular spot so Joe can take care of it. It never came, and I don't make a habit of looking at the little sticker on the back of the car to see when it was up.
I assured him I would go straight home, get on the computer and renew my registration pronto. He didn't buy it. Granted, he could have also written me a ticket for the inspection, which he didn't. He merely gave me a warning there. However, my trip for stamps ended with a $160 ticket. At this point you can imagine how pleasant the boys were strapped into the car seats in a very cold minivan outside the post office. I, of course, blame the entire thing on my husband. Isn't everything always the husband's fault?
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