I'm back!!

I just wanted to post a quick update to explain my absence. Our family went away on a 4-day vacation to Orlando, Florida! I have tons of photos and stories to post but I am trying to get back into the groove of the everyday since we got in at the wee hours of the night. I did not do any Facebooking, blogging or Tweeting while we were gone and I actually survived!! It was a much needed break and I can't wait to share some details. Now I'm off to unpack, do laundry and get my house cleaned up for the New Year. I promise to catch up on blog reading this weekend. I wish everyone a happy and safe New Year's weekend! :-)

Wordfull Wednesday | A priceless keepsake

Growing up as a child was not very easy for me. I had a very different upbringing from my peers and had a lot of self-esteem issues. Honestly, a lot of my days were very sad. I had this sheet I slept with every single night since I was very little (maybe  4 or 5). There was nothing glamorous about it. It was just a simple light blue bed sheet with butterflies on it.

There was something so special about this sheet though. Over the years it had become so worn that you can practically see through it. It feels like silk and has not one single hole in it. I left my parent's home when I was just 17 years old. I was not allowed to take anything with me but I did manage to grab my "blue sheet". I went through so much over the years but always had my sheet to comfort me. I still have this special sheet after all these years and have even put it in my will for Briahnna to have when I pass away. She has always had a thing for butterflies and it seemed fitting for her to have it. I no longer sleep with my sheet but I do keep it around the house to remind me how much I have grown as a person. 

Do you have a special keepsake that you won't let go of?

Why didn't I do this sooner?

It just dawned on me a few days ago that William's bedroom is a lot bigger than my office. Both rooms are next to each other and they used to be the girls' rooms before William was born and then they moved into bedrooms downstairs.  He only goes in his bedroom to sleep at night. How did I let a little kid get the bigger space? He doesn't even have that much stuff! It is also the one room in the house that is coldest in the Winter and warmest in the Summer. A light bulb went off in my head. I grabbed the girls and we switched rooms. Yep, I kicked the boy out of the big room with a full-sized closet and put him in a smaller, cozier room. Would you believe that now he wants to hang out and play in his "new room" all day long? It was a very smart move. It took me 3 1/2 years to think of it but at least it's done. I am loving my new office space and William is enjoying his new bedroom. We both win! :)

I'm a mom and I lie

Today I was on the phone chatting with my buddy and of course that gives William the idea that he doesn't need to listen to me. I told him he needed to complete his map puzzle so that we could put it back where it belonged. He decided to stack the pieces and ignore me. I told him I was on the phone with his dad and said that daddy needs him to pack his puzzle away right now. Do you know the boy sprung into action immediately?! I asked him to pack the puzzle up several times with no luck. Here I go and say his dad says to do it and the job was done in a matter of minutes. Hmmph! Oh well, I guess it is good that he fears his dad and knows he better do what is expected of him or else he will have to suffer the consequences. Although I don't make it a habit to lie to my children, I do what I have to when the need comes about. It is so important for dads to discipline their sons. Like I always say, only a man can teach a boy how to be a man. I'm lucky to have such a fantastic husband to do just that with our son.

Do you lie to your kids when you need to?

A special project I am working on

For about 2 years now I have been compiling a small collection of some of my secret recipes for my children. I have this great plan that I will give the girls a cookbook as part of a graduation present. I have at least 6 recipes typed up and I even have a photo to go with each recipe. I was going to surprise them but I ended up telling them about it. It touched them so deeply and they had teary eyes and were so happy that I was doing this for them. Now the downside is every time I cook something they love, they ask me to add the recipe to the "book". Are they kidding me? I will be up to 100 before you know it! I am just glad to be able to pass along these recipes and hope they will do the same with their children. I really need to focus a little more on this special project since Chardie will graduate in a year and a half. It is very time consuming since my cooking style is so far from using actual recipes. It really takes a lot of thought to make the recipes make sense. My wish for the end result is a full-color, full-sized book made from waterproof photo paper filled with all of the girls favorites...most of all, filled with love ♥