Some things should never go green

Valentine's Day has never been my favorite holiday. When I was single, I hated it because I had no one to share it with. When I was dating, I hated it because I never knew what to get the other person and it was awkward for me because if he was a new boyfriend, you didn't want to do too much, but you wanted to do something. When you were in a serious relationship, you had to choose wisely or it might mean too much or too little. Now that I married I get bugged that flowers and chocolates double in price, and it just seems silly to celebrate love when I should be celebrating it all year, right?

I had a change of heart this year. Boyd was gone the whole week prior to Valentine's day, so I had all week to think about how much I missed him and how much he does to help around the house and with the kids. So, I decided that I wanted to celebrate Valentines Day with the whole family and make Saturday a special day. It isn't such a bad thing to take a day to celebrate the people you love and you don't have to spend tons of money to do it. So, I made valentines with the kids on Friday night. I cut out about 100 hearts and scattered them all around the house. On Saturday morning when he returned I made raspberry stuffed french toast w/ raspberry coulis and a whipped cream heart on top. We also had bacon on the side. We had a red tablecloth with hearts all over and homemade valentines on each of the plates. IT was fun and I am glad I was able to do that for the 3 boys I love.

That night Boyd and I were able to go out because we had a babysitting swap all set up! We went out to a nice restaurant for my birthday earlier this month and we didn't want to spend a lot of money, so we decided to go to the Shake Shack. They just opened a place on the upper west side recently and it is one of the best places to get fresh hamburgers and fries!

The Museum of Natural History is close by to the Shake Shack and I thought we should try out their new ice skating rink since it was so close. It is actually not a real ice on the rink. Here is how it is described on their website..
"It is made of artificial ice, or a synthetic surface that allows ice skating blades to glide smoothly. The use of a synthetic skating surface has environmental benefits; natural ice requires a significant amount of electricity for refrigeration, and the synthetic surface is made of 100% recyclable and non-toxic materials."

We should have noticed all the warning signs. Their was practically no one on the rink when we got there, but their was a huge line waiting for the next session. The lady who sold us our tickets told us that the ice is not real. WE waited in line for our skates (They had us wait in line away from the rink). We put on our skates and made our way out to "ice" We attempted to make our first glide. NO LUCK. You can't glide. There is no grip. It is like trying to walk on plastic with ice skates. IT WAS HORRIBLE. We stayed for 10 minutes and got a pictures. I have to say that we laughed so hard. I expected cameras to come out and say "you're on candid camera." Everyone looked silly. We decided the $10 we paid at least gave us a good laugh.

We'll stick with the real ice next time, even if it isn't so green!

My tummy hurts

I love Gavin when he tells me he has a tummy ache when he doesn't want to eat any more of his dinner/lunch/breakfast.

Not too long ago Gavin got a stomach bug of sorts and pretty much didn't eat for 4 days or so. Eventually he started eating again, but he hasn't been the same since. He gained some insight as to what he can say and do to get out of eating.

He became a much pickier eater. Now we sit down and he doesn't like what he is eating, he says.. "I have a tummy ache and I just can't finish my dinner." At first I worried he had some sort of stomach problems. But, I began to notice that he played the "my tummy hurts" at very selective times. It magically disappeared during dessert or treat time.

It has carried over to bed time. He now says he has had a bad dream when he wants to get out of bed. It is has been funny, but also very frustrating.

One day this past week, when we were eating some cabbage patch soup for lunch, he told me his tummy hurt. I told him that when he tells me his tummy hurts for dinner, it also means that he can't have dessert because his tummy hurts. He paused for about 30 seconds and then said, "mommy, my head hurts," and held his head and looked at me with his big brown eyes..

Always

The last couple of months have been a bit rough for me. The winter months usually are difficult. I have to remember when I feel down that it is temporary. I have felt frustrated and impatient with my boys. I have been feeling pretty down about myself. I could go on and on, but let's just say I've been blue.

Today, as I was reading books with Gavin, I realized I didn't feel that frustration and that sadness and that I haven't for a couple of weeks. I wanted to know what it was that made the difference. I don't remember a particular event. It is just gone and I can feel the difference.
I know the beautiful weather we have been having has certainly helped that happy feeling!

Gavin and I read a book from the library called Always by Ann Stott. It is starts out with a picture of a little boy and it reads "Do you love me?" "Do you love me when I get dressed all by myself? Do you love me when I'm gentle? Do you love me when I'm not?" The book continues in a similar pattern. It brought me to tears. The little boy reminds me of Gavin.


I thought about the last couple of months and all the frustration and impatience I have felt with them. I wish I could take back the times I was impatient and frustrated with them. I can't and I am sure that I will continue to have time where I feel that way.

But, oh how I love them. I love them even when they don't get dressed by themselves. I love them when they share with each other. I love them when they jump off the furniture. I love them when they give me hugs and kisses as I go out the door. I love them when they make messes. I love them when they clean up their messes. I love them when they throw tantrums. I love them when they hold my hand and tell me they love me. I love them when they spill blueberries on my chair. I love them when they tell stories. I love them when they use their imagination. I love them when they get up at 5:00 Am. I love them when they get up at 8:00 AM. I love them when they take naps. I love them, always.

I hope that I remember every day why I love them, so I am going to post everyday during these cold winter months why I love them.

Good Habits

I am not exactly sure why I haven't been posting lately. There has been a lot to blog about, but I just haven't felt the desire to blog. I want to post again, tonight, even if it is short. Otherwise, I am afraid I will stop blogging all and that would be sad! It has been a great outlet for me and I am happy to be recording this precious time in my life. It is always amazing to me how long it takes me to get into a good habit and how quickly a habit can disappear and how quickly bad habits form and how long they take to disappear.

Last year I had a resolution to start exercising again and I did it for 4 months. I worked hard to get that far. It only took one week of Boyd being out of town (so I couldn't go to the gym) for me to not return for 8 months. I started working out again a couple months ago and I have been proud of myself. Boyd has been gone all week again, so I MUST GO ON MONDAY morning or I fear I won't return.

I have to keep my good habits going, otherwise my bad habits will take over.