Silly Sentence

Here's a task:
Create a sentence with each word beginning with the first letter of each word in HOLIDAYS.

Here's my attempt:

Happy old ladies in daily audiences yell something.

(Does this make sense? Is this a sentence?)

Again, another wonderful, meaningful task for second grade children!!!!
Send me your ideas!

Unconventional Generosity

I was lucky enough to be able to spend some alone time with my husband today- thanks to Gramma who came to babysit a sick Logan and a sassy Leah!! As we ventured out into the rain, A says, "We have to make one quick stop. I have to give the homeless guys their annual Christmas gift." We get into the car and I see a 12-pack of Steele Reserve Malt Liquor. At this point, I nod my head and go with the flow. Next thing, we pull up to "homeless acres" and Anth jumps out of the car. The guys walk over and A says, "I heard you like to drink, I do too." And he handed them their gift! Well, let me tell you, these guys were SO happy... all because of my husband. A Happy Holidays to all... and away we went!!

A Pod of Orca's

So, how cool is this? We're on the boat, enjoying Bloody Mary's and breakfast with Santa Claus and musicians strolling around, when the caption announces, "It seems like we have a pod of 6-8 orcas swimming around the boat." So we all go running up to the deck and lo and behold, big freaking whales with super giant dorsal fins! They were huge with beautiful, shiny black skin, big white eyes, and enormous, sparkling teeth. They "played" with the boat for about 45 minutes until we had to head back to the dock. (Anthony thinks they liked the Christmas Music playing on the outdoor speakers!) It was AWESOME!! Right in the Puget Sound- diving and darting 40 feet away from our boat. Logan was in awe- kind of in disbelief- and Leah kept saying, "amazing, cool, wow." Me, being a dolphin lover, thought this was incredible. What a special way to remember our Santa Brunch Boat Ride!!!

Things that deserve mentioning...

1. I got my haircut and highlighted on Friday! I always feel so much better after getting my hair done- and it looks great.

2. The "L Kids" thought it would be fun to take rolls of toilet paper and throw them from one end of the room to another until it looked like a Winter Wonderland. Where was I, you ask? Close by, in my room folding laundry!!!!

3. My brother is in Hawaii right now, going to the U2/Pearl Jam concert. No, I'm not jealous at all!!!!

4. We went on an Argosy Cruise Santa Brunch boat ride. It was great- fun for the whole family!

5. My parents took Logan for the day today and A and I had some quality time with Leah... and I got a TON of stuff done around the house!

6. I am the luckiest Mom around!

Thinking...

"The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it." -Michelangelo

I read this quote the other day and it really got me thinking. I feel like I am a pretty successful person (not in terms of how much money I make, but in terms of what I do). I fulfilled my dream of becoming an educator and have been teaching for 10 years- and I LOVE it! Wow, 10 years- that is scary and makes me seem OLD! I also have a family and try to be the best mother and wife I can be. All in all, things these days are great. What more could I and do I want? I haven't thought about it too much, given that I am extremely happy with the way things are right now- great job, supportive, loving husband, and 2 healthy, happy, and totally cute kids. However, once I look deeper, yes, there are some other things I would like to do and accomplish- as an individual. Of course, as a given, I will continue to be the best mom and wife I can be... keeping myself knowledgeable of the different stages and experiences that my kids go though and guiding them through life. To me, this is the most important thing. However, once I think about it, I do have other hopes and dreams. My friend Misa has a "Life To Do" list. It was an assignment that she was required to do during her college years and she continues to add to it. She mentioned that some things on her list are real simple and basic while others are more elaborate and harder to attain. I really like this idea... a life to do list!! I just might have to start one!!!

Ski Patrol

In my family, winter equals skiing! For the past few years, it seems like I was either pregnant or with a newborn so I haven't skied too much- just here and there. We usually go on one big ski trip in the winter with my whole family and then take a few trips up to local resorts occasionally. Until... my big-boy son started ski lessons! Last year, he took a 4-week lesson that met every Saturday from 9:30-12. It was amazing to see Little Lo, fearless as can be, go zooming down the bunny hill. He LOVED it. And he was even brave enough to go on the big ski lift toward the end of the season. So, this year, Logan starts his lessons in January and they will run for 6 weeks. Now, the one thing that concerns me is that the lessons are from 9:30 until 2:00! Yes, that is 4 1/2 hours!!! Now, I don't even ski for that long. He does get a lunch break with us from 11:30-12:45 so that will be good. I was a bit concerned about the length of the lessons but my husband, who is always thinking, reminded me that it's not all skiing- the kids play inside, make snowmen, have snowball fights, and basically, have a great time. There is 1 instructor for every 2 kids so it's pretty individualized. Now, my other concern is that Ms. Leah, is going to want to ski once she sees all of us do it. We can keep her away from the slopes around Seattle... but when we go on our trip come January, we might be in trouble! Hopefully, she will be content riding in the little purple sled! Although, she did already say (in her little robot voice), "Leah ski, too, with Logan." Too funny! So, pray for snow and a good ski season for ALL!

Do/Don't

I DO like the snow!
I DON'T like taking 45 minutes to get everyone bundled up, then spending 10 minutes outside!

I DO love buying Christmas gifts.
I DON'T like the back-ache that I get from leaning over to wrap presents for hours on end.

I DO like the sweet, precious, and peaceful look on my kids faces when they are sleeping.
I DON'T like spending 2 hours to get them to sleep!

I DO like the cute matching pajama's for Lo and Le.
I DON'T like the fact that Anth and I can't find any matching pajamas.

I DO love Hawaii.
I DON'T like the fact that my brother is there right now... without us!

I DO like sleeping in on Friday.
I DON'T like when certain Team Members decided to wake up at 5:00am on Friday morning.

I DO like when Anth says, "Hey, let's see if we can find a babysitter and go out."
I DON'T like it when no one is available to babysit.

I DO like doing editing work for my Dad and his company.
I DON'T like when I have to edit for people who can't write at all!!

I DO like the teachers at my school.
I DON'T like when the teachers at my school give meaningless assignments!