WINTER WONDERLAND

So, as most of my regular followers know, I love the cold and I hate the heat. And that is why we moved to Wyoming, to have more of the cold and less of the heat. But when you get to a cold climate, snow usually follows. That's just how it is. No big deal I loved snow - until I had to drive in it in Casper, where the plowing sucks and the school district doesn't cancel school in dangerous situations. But hey, I tolerated it.

Well now I think I have come to the end of my tolerance and it isn't for reasons that you would think. It's not that I don't like the cold. It's not that I'm tired of the beauty. It's not that I want to move to Ketchikan, AK (where it doesn't snow nearly as much as people think) so bad I can barely stand it. It is because I can't walk in the snow anymore.  As most of you know, snow and ice requires you to walk carefully (except for kids and skinny shits who move lightly). Well, that just won't do for me anymore.  Walking carefully while trudging through the snow is doing my pain/hips/knees more damage than falling on ice probably would.

Now here it comes, those people who are going to say - 'I told you so, I told you not to move to a cold climate.' Well this is my message to you. IT ISN'T THE COLD CLIMATE THAT IS BOTHERING ME! It's just the damn snow. If I could find a place that gets really, really cold but doesn't snow, I would be there in a heartbeat. Bah bump, bah bump, bah bump.

I had to get the little's from school myself the other day. The thermometer in my car read 0 degrees. I stood out in it for about 10 minutes, waiting for them and it was actually refreshing. Yes, you heard me right, I said refreshing!!! I feel so alive after I have been out in the cold like that. But the walk to and from the car is what killed me. The plows obviously forgot to come out in our town with this storm because not only did I have to walk through near ankle deep snow on the sidewalks but also on the street in front of the school. ( They are supposedly a high priority for plowing, but not this storm). I have not hurt so bad since the minute I stood up for the first time after my first c-section. It was awful. Not to mention the snow that is in my driveway/yard that I have to herd the little one through a couple of times a day.

So I have come to my end. I must get away from the snow. But I will mourn the extreme cold. I might even be willing to move back home to heatsville since I can't leave the house much anymore anyway, but then again I don't want to mourn the loss of the extreme cold for the rest of my life either. Hmmm. This is something I will have to think about. The two places I want to move are cool and can even get downright cold sometimes so I think that might be our compromise. I will have cool with occasional cold and maybe even the occasional extreme cold day. Yeah, I think I can live with that.  Too bad it will most likely be several years before we can move. Until then, I think I will invent a way to walk on air to get to and from places in the snow.  Hey, that could be a solution. Hmmmm. ;)

Until Next Time... Don't judge people for choices they made when those choices seem to start to go south. When we first moved to cold country I had no clue that my occasional hip/back problems would become permanent or that my migraines would go form pain to aura (which are bothered by the brightness of snow). Therefore, I had no clue that I wouldn't be able to live in cold country for the rest of my life. We didn't make the wrong decision to move here, we made the right one. But it seems there were other plans for us and it will be exciting to see where they take us. <3

GETTING READY FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Our weekend was great - how about yours??? Eating, shopping, spending time as a family, playing, having fun!

We had a pretty good Thanksgiving even though we were missing one person. It was strange not having her here or even being able to talk to her on the phone, but we made the best of the situation.  I must say that the food was excellent this year!  We were luckier than some to be able to have our feast.

There is so much we have to be thankful for. Our family may have been torn partially apart by outside sources, but at least everyone was healthy!!! We have plenty of food, a roof over our heads and a furnace that works (but breaks every year ;) ). We have the holiday season to show us how important friends and family are.

The day after Thanksgiving, The Hubs was off to work and the kids and I were prepared to decorate all day.  But first a trip to the store, which I was surprisingly able to make myself despite my issues. I left the baby and The Sophomore sleeping and took the two 'littles' with me.  It was an amazing morning! Both kids behaved and I actually got to spend quality time with them. We were able to talk and really communicate with each other. And we were looking forward to the instant repeat of our previous night's dinner!!! Then it was home again for decorating. And here is how that turned out...

Before decoration

Cheesy girls ready to decorate

More cheesy girls

Tree hugger ;)

Trying to be a tree hugger

Decorated, finally!

Decorated with lights off!

The final product!

The stockings were hung on the wall with care ;)

One missing :(

The counter (left)

The counter middle

The counter right

Our TV stand and yes, that is marker on it.  Hope it comes off! ;)

Until Next Time...Cherish your family, you don't know when something might happen to disrupt your life plan. Happy Holidays everyone!

SCHOOL BREAKS, PUSHING KIDS TOO HARD AND OTHER UNPOPULAR OPINIONS

Today is the beginning of the school week - a short school week. The kids go to class Monday and Tuesday and then have Wednesday and Thursday off. I'm trying hard to understand why my kids are even going to school at all this week.  They will not do any learning. They will have parties and 'fun centers'. They will have no homework. They will basically do nothing, except enjoy the holidays - in the school environment. In the long run I believe that can be counter productive.  I like how they do Halloween - parade and party the last forty five minutes of the day but before and after that it is business as usual. I can not tell you how many 'fun' things they will have to do over the next month and then in there somewhere is two or more weeks of standardized testing. So basically my kids aren't learning until after Christmas Break.

So hey, why not give them the whole week of Thanksgiving off and let families have the time to travel to see the loved ones they are thankful for. Then they can start fresh after Christmas break.

~~~~~DREAM SEQUENCE~~~~~

I remember the days when I was a little kid. We did all of our fun stuff leading up to holiday's during our music/art/drama sections of class. The rest however was business as usual. Then about halfway through the last day of class before break, we finally put our books away and had a party to end all parties.  They were always so much fun. Hours of food, games, family visits and just plain fun!  This is how it was with all of the major holidays. And kids loved it, but we still learned something WHILE having fun. We had something to look forward to, but still knew that School was about learning.  The kids in our schools here, get lax and start to feel relaxed at the holidays and are hit hard with testing and intensive learning (to get caught up) after the Holidays become just a memory.

WARNING!!! UNPOPULAR OPINION COMING ;)

Maybe I'm just old school and like how things were done in the 'good ol' days' but hey, I think it worked better.  Did you know that I read an article shortly after Miss Crazy started Kindergarten, that said because of the intensity of pre-school/kindergarten and the 'non-learning' phases of school, that most kids, even the very bright ones will start to struggle by second grade. And you know what?  She is in second grade now and there are areas where she was advanced before, that she is now starting to struggle in. She is burning out - in second grade.  :/

Until Next Time...Society says push your kids hard, make sure they can read by the time they are three etc...but studies are starting to show that this might not be the best course of action. I am a prime example. I was put into an advanced learner program as a child and although I don't fault my parent's for it, I literally struggled to the point of suicidal thoughts just to get B's and a couple of C's in high school and college. Kids brains are ripe for learning when they are young, but ONLY if they do it at THEIR pace. If it is forced upon them (even if they seem to be having fun), it could, and many times does end in disaster.  i.e. instead of making them sit down everyday and making them learn, how about getting them involved in activities that teach them without them knowing it. Videos, book, or even when you talk to them say 'I like your green dress' or 'bring mommy the yellow book'. They will learn their colors much faster than if you sit down daily and grill them on it by just pointing them out  on a chart. (Kid tested, this mom approved.)

NOTE:  I did before and am now trying to participate in studies to prove/disprove all of this, and truthfully I am so excited!!!

DID YOU KNOW: We standardize test all of our students from special ed to super advanced, where a majority of the countries that we want to be so much like in education, only test their upper level students - The ones bound for college...Maybe that's why we don't compare???? ( So glad I took cultural studies.) :)

THANKSGIVING

It is so hard to believe that Thanksgiving is upon us again already. It seems just like yesterday we had cooked a turkey and all the trimmings at sat down as a family to eat and be thankful.  But now here it is time to do it all over again.

Do you have traditions you follow for Thanksgiving? We do.  We put the Turkey on first thing in the morning and are usually eating by two. It is usually just a family/hang around and be together day (unless someone has to work, or take naps so they can work overnight). And sometimes if there are too many quiet times, I will get out the Christmas decorations to prepare them for the following day. On a very rare occasion, if we are unable or unwilling to cook the whole big meal, we go out for dinner.

The day after thanksgiving we have an 'instant repeat' of Thanksgiving dinner and decorate the house for Christmas. It is a really nice, fun family time. (Although the hubs usually has to work, being in retail and all)

This year, our Thanksgiving will be a little different if only for the fact that one family member is missing. However, the rest should remain the same. We will either cook a big meal (or we have been offered the opportunity to go out if we want) depending on timing and weather etc. And then we will hang out and have fun for the rest of the day.  Relaxing and getting caught up on life!

And then the day after, I might go shopping if there are good enough deals (when you have a huge family, you can't pass up deals!!!) And of course we will decorate the house. The tree will go up. The figurines and musical animals will be put out and the outside lights may even go up.  Then it will be time to start preparing and enjoying the next part of this wonderful season because, after all, Christmas will be less than a month away!

Until Next Time...Have a great Thanksgiving and remember don't eat too much, or shop too much, just enjoy the time with your family. And if you can't be with your family or friends, enjoy a little bit of alone time to rejuvenate your soul. And know that someone, somewhere is thinking of you because I will think of all of you and say a quick prayer for everyone on Thanksgiving Day!!!

FROM THE HEART

Sorry about slacking again, but we had a major family problem that had to be taken care of.  Although it would be great fodder for a mommy blog, I just don't feel safe talking about it. I may at some point, but then again I may never feel safe again. So I will just go on with a blog post about making sure to have a mind of your own. Hope you enjoy it!

So, I think it is very important to have a mind of your own in life.  If you don't it will ALWAYS end in disaster. And by ALWAYS, I mean ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS. If you let other people do your thinking for you, then you really are living their life and not yours right?  That is how I see it in any case.

I know someone (Well a couple of someones but for the sake of this blog, I will use only one example) who has never before thought for 'him/her self', ever and it kills me everytime I think about it.  It has made a person with a leader type personality a follower. It has ruined a young persons family. It has devastated everyone who has ever TRULY cared about this person.  And boy did people pick up on it and milk it for all it was worth.  If you sense that weakness in someone it is easy to take advantage of it.

One thing I have noticed is that people who have this type of personality like attention and they will lie to get it. It is these lies that perpetuate people taking advantage of them. And the sad thing is that they don't even realize they are lying. They take little bits of the truth and turn them into big lies in their own head.  One person I met always had to help their family out around the house so when they wanted attention they told someone that they were being forced to do everything around the house and it led people to feel sorry for them. And this in turn led to these so called 'friends' manipulating them into thinking they were super special/didn't have to do anything in life. This person is two steps away from being destitute and alone forever now.  It really is quite sad.  Because eventually the people they lied to, find out the truth and purge them from their lives.  It is a horrifically vicious cycle and every time I think about it I come close to tears.  To have seen someone in my life go through it is heartbreaking and does nothing to help me have faith in humanity. But then, maybe I am being too harsh on the people who perpetuate this problem because after all they are being lied to and might not know any better (or SOME OF THEM KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THEY ARE DOING).

So, here is how it goes. These people lie to a 'friend'. The friend feels sorry for them or thinks they need to help this person. Next step?  The new friend tells them how to go about fixing their life and the messed up person believes EVERY DAMN WORD their friend says and they run with it. Even if the advice is bad.  They start to ignore the people who know them and try to get them to face the truth in their situation.  It can get really messy. All of the people they once trusted become the enemy and these new influencers run with their newfound power and it just really messes up many lives.

A mental disorder that goes hand in hand with it is narcissistic personality disorder (LINK). I am far from an expert so I will let you read up on it on your own (Just click the link). Unfortunately in this day and age, more and more people seem to be suffering from it and it is a recipe for disaster without help.

Until Next Time...It is really hard to get through to someone who can't think for themselves so if you notice it young, please get them help. It can be overcome, but it will take years of therapy.  I know a mommy out there who wishes she'd had this advice many years ago. <3

DID THE 6TH BIRTHDAY GO OFF WITHOUT A HITCH?

Time completely got away from me last week. Between the pain I was in, a birthday, doctor visits/shots for some of the kids, and bustin A on NaNoWriMo, I have been crazy busy.  I totally forgot to do a Thursday blog. But then I probably would have had to wait until Friday anyway because what I wanted to write about was my Son's 6th birthday. I can not believe my little boy (who was supposed to be my last child) is six already.  Time is marching way too fast. How am a going to feel when my actual last child turns six....shhh shhh don't talk about that yet!!! Oh wait, that was me. Hmmm, okay I won't talk about that yet.  Her turning three soon will be hard enough!

We had an Angry Birds cake (I don't see the appeal, but the kids love those little flappers). He got three presents - One on the kindle and then two hands on gifts. (Plus the one his sister got him) He chose his birthday dinner which was Grilled Hot Dogs and Mac and Cheese. It was overall a great time. Have you read my blog about how we celebrate birthdays on the cheap ( http://www.brokenwifeandmom.com/2012/11/trick-your-child.html)

It just seemed so weird having my boy in school during his birthday and I have no clue why because Gwen was always in school during hers.  But The Sophomore and Miss Crazy have their birthdays during 'no school' time as did I so maybe that's why.

We took cupcakes for his class - Two packs of Angry Birds and a pack of Cars. The troops (2 kindergarten classes) really seemed to enjoy them. That is one part I actually like about the kids having to go to school during their birthday. It's fun to let them share a bit of their fun with their class. And seeing the colored frosting dyed faces is kinda funny too!

This year, it was a birthday that almost wasn't.  Part of the misbehavior we had before Halloween  had the birthday being threatened too.  But as is usual with my kids, he squeaked it out just in time.  I was so ready to take presents back for a refund, but in the end we got to sit down and watch a Star Wars Lego episode on DVD together and we got to play with his new Disney's Cars set/playmat.  It was a fun evening with large pieces of cake and hyper children - you know, the usual in my house. ;)

Until Next Time...Celebrations don't have to be big to be special.  I think my son (and his family) thoroughly enjoyed him turning six. Next up... My Little Butt turns 3, three short months from yesterday.  Break out the tissues right?

HAPPY BLOGIVERSARY TO ME!!! :)

Well folks, it has been a year since I first hit the publish button on this blog.  And what a year it has been.  There have been ups and downs. Heartbreaks and triumphs. Love and laughter. Good and bad.  I just want to thank all of my loyal fans for giving me one of the best years of my life.  So what did I do on the eve of my blogiversary? Well I spent the day marketing my special promotion for my novel Virgin Voyage and would you like to know what the results were?

Yep! I was moving those books off the shelf like crazy.  :)  Needless to say, I am one happy Mama.

So, I know a lot of you are wondering what happened with Halloween...Well, the monsters earned it back just in time. We went to the mall, which was a dud this year. The stores that participated were being stingy.  And then we went over to Wal Mart and the kids made out like bandits!!!! They got so much candy it was unbelieveable.  And then my back went out.  Sigh... But the good news is, after some heat and some rest it actually is having less pain now than in over a year.  The stiffness is still there, and the feeling of weights bearing down, but the pain is much better.  I'll take it for now.  Maybe I just need to get out and walk all over town (doctor, store, mall, walmart) all day... Hmmm let's see Black Friday is coming up soon. Anybody want to go shopping???? ( You can buy stuff, I'll just have to look because I don't have money. haha). Here are some pics I took on Halloween. Sorry if they are blurry, but my phone sucks and I can't find my darn camera....HEY KIDS WHERE DID YOU PUT MY CAMERA?!?!?!  ;) Here are my zombie, power ranger, princess, huntress and doc mcstuffins!