Check the New Blog!

The new blog is up and running.  I've posted every NYC school day since the new year.  There is a lot to see.  I've changed the format so instead of talking to anyone who looks at my blog, it is a series of letters to my children and family.  We'd love to have you visit and take a look!  You can click on the link right under our family photo labeled "new blog."  If you're linked up to my blogs--please change your link to the new one. :)  If you use my blog roll on the side to find your friends, just know that I may soon be making this blog private and my new blog has a list of the blogs I follow (if they have been updated within a year).

Happy New Year!!!

To celebrate the new year, I've set up a new blog.  You can see the link at the top of this page "New Blog" or you can go directly to www.dearestplace.blogspot.com.  I'm adding all those that subscribe through email to the new blog. 

Every post on the new blog will be addressed to my kids, but are for everyone to read.  Things to look forward to include, how my sweetheart and I met; goals and accomplishments; and other things that are really important or humorous to me and to them . . . eventually. 

Note to self:  Confetti is strictly an outside deal.  I think I may be cleaning this up for the next few days. . . I've been vacuuming for over an hour.

How are your dreams going?

The other day I had someone ask me, "How is your . . . dream going?" The dot dot dot stands for what this person assumed my dream was.  I answered, "It's not really going right now. It's on the back burner."

It made me really think about what I said. My dreams are still cooking. I'm still contemplating what I truly want and how I want to get it. At present my dreams/hopes/plans are all on schedule as far as I know.

So what are your dreams? Are you living them?

I think I am. :)

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Remember, just because some dreams may be on the back burner, does not mean they are done and over. Some of the best dishes require some simmering to taste just right to you. ;)

Why do we forget epiphanies?

You know when you have that glorious ah-ha moment and you feel like your life will never be the same?  That happens to me about three times a week (at least).  For example my ephiphanous moment yesterday included me realizing that no matter the circumstance, I have control over my reactions (a la Man's Search for Meaning).  If only I could remember that.

I love the look in the photo of the seal and S's face.

Then I was reading a book on relationships.  I was reading a section that I felt described me perfectly.  I almost didn't buy that book; it is used and is heavily pre-highlighted; and again another epiphany.  Mostly it has convinced me that we're all extremely emotional and all that pressure can make diamonds or coal, depending on our reactions.  

I don't have this reaction, much. 

This is from the Julia Child exhibit at the Smithsonian in Washington D.C.

Now as my children are vying for the computer next to me and now with that computer off, the seat next to me. I am typing as the hollering escalates and now I'm turning off my computer to deal with it and we're all going to go make the minestrone soup for dinner tonight that has 4.5 stars from 1,299 people on allrecipies.com because I have everything except the zucchinis and fresh basil.  

And I wonder why epiphanies don't stick. now to go react positively and smile and emote motherly confidence, peacemaking and awesome cook-ness.

Later added addendum:
We had a doctors appointment a little later and we waited 1.5 well mannered hours for the doctor--with confirmed cases of croup and strep, went to the pharmacy and waited one hour when a hunger strike broke out, ate at the Golden Starches (McDs) and then back to the pharmacy where we waited another 40 minutes, including a bathroom break in the off-limits-an-associate-will-stand-guard-of-stockroom-merchandise-as-you-go area of the store. Also, I got a flu shot. Then we window shopped back to the other pharmacy where another prescription was waiting.  It was all cheerful, except for the hunger strike.  It also helped that the second pharmacy gave gumballs to all my kidlets (there was much rejoicing in the land, if you know what I mean). Then to top it off with gladness, W was home and greeted me with a big kiss and hug, which was much needed by then.  Yay! It is the weekend.  Minestrone tomorrow! :)

Christmas Details

Christmas started last night at 11:30 when S woke-up excited as could be. Santa was getting prepared and she woke up T and said, "T, Santa has come!"

It went something like that at 1, 3, 5 and finally at 6:30 a.m, when R woke everyone up. W and I gave up and gave in.

The VDG tradition has all the family members stand behind a curtain.  Then once the curtain is opened all can come out and see what Santa left.

R got a lot of legos, which he put together all day.  He also got a spy kit and walkie talkies so they played a lot of spy too!

I relaxed and it was so nice!  W did too!  Just what we needed.

This was W and T's gift from Santa--a  piano with light-up keys.  

After I originally posted the first time, I found this exceedingly handsome photo of my sweet husband. I love you W! :D

Merry Christmas!

Oh come let us adore Him! 

There were shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flocks by night.

This photo was difficult to get because T kept pretending to eat the sheep.  

Next year, we'll have a real baby to play the part of Jesus. :)

Oh and 11 years ago, today the love of my life proposed to me.  Sweet memories in the making and been made.  I love you, W, R, S, T and baby ? !!!

The Biggest Tree in NYC

Do you like my 1940's hat-inspired hair?!  W said it was wild. I got a lot of double takes from onlookers. :)

When the kids got out of school they were tired and were depressed when I told them we were going somewhere. But I did not pay them heed, because I needed desperately to go somewhere.  So we got some snacks and headed into Manhattan. All I told the kids was that where we were going was a surprise.

The kids and I made a trip to the Rockafeller Center Tree and Swarovski Crystal star.

We also went to the Paley Center for Media and watched our own movies for 35 minutes.  I thought they would have many more television artifacts to see, but they had all the shows from TV from the beginning of television. They have an awesome theater in the basement.

I got to watch The Scarecrow and Mrs. King from 1983; once one of my mother's favorite television shows and now I can understand why--the premise is about a homemaker that has three children, I think, and she gets wrapped up into a spy scheme and becomes the eventual partner of a spy.  The thing I like about her is that though she is trying hard to be a good mother, her children are not angels--they act like normal kids and she acts like a normal frazzled mother (it's free to watch with Amazon Prime). 

We got in free with the Cool Culture Pass that is given to Universal Pre-Kidnergartens in NYC that gives access to 90 museums in NYC, including the Intrepid ($28 per person) and the Guggenheim.   We are planning on doing all sorts of really fun things through the break.  This time we saved $25.

Then, one of the restaurants that a person I respect suggested Carnegie Deli.  She suggested the pastrami sandwich and the pickles--ends up being $18.95.  She also suggested the cheesecake--which at $10 a piece, pretax, I was more skeptical to try, especially since cheesecake is not my favorite.  The sandwich was good, but did not agree with my prego stomach.  I hope cooked/warmed pastrami is okay to eat when prego.

One of the best things that I loved about this journey was that the kids kept asking for stories where the baby in my tummy was already born.  They really want to know if I think the dear is a girl or a boy, but I really have no idea, but will be happy either way. Their delight in talking as if the baby was already here just made me feel happy and proud.

The story today included us on the train when all the sudden the train kept going back 20 years and all the passengers except us changed--but our clothes and accccessories changed to fit the times, then when it got to the 1940's Fred Astair walked on board and so did a 24 piece orchestra.  The orchestra played and Mr. Astaire started dancing and invited the kidlets to join him, which they did; except for the baby.  Then all the sudden the car pushed straight up into the air and up through the floor of a stage of one of the premier Broadway theaters of the time.  Whereupon the sides of the train pulled open like an Easter egg and 65 other dancers came dancing onto the stage and we all danced off the train--then a tyrannosaurus-rex roared offstage and began to walk out onto the stage.  I pulled my kids out of the theater really fast onto the 1940s NYC street and a couple of the Orchestra members found us and told us that as soon as they figured out how to get the dinosaur back to it's own time, they would help us get back to 2013 (after the baby is born).  At this point T was a little worried and had me change the story to we were all hope safe, especially the baby, back in our apartment; waking up from a funny dream. 

Also, it really helped to tell them it was all a surprise, the whole time, because then they weren't disappointed or whiny about where we were going, they were just surprised. Goal of the whole break--make all outings a surprise!

To T

Dear T:

This is the last year I will have you at home with me almost all day.  I won't lie, it has been nice to have 2.5 hours to get errands done while you play and learn like crazy at your pre-k that you love.  You come hopping out with the biggest grin on your face and almost every day try to run past your teacher to me.  You still snuggle with me and you want to learn to read, sort of.  You are learning sight words like "you," "and," "a," and "I."  Daddy is your most favorite person in the world and you will send him loads of texts all day if you're not stopped, and sometimes other people whom you think are Daddy. You love playing electronic games and would seriously play all-day-long if you could.  You know the computers well and how to get to your favorite game sites.  You say you want to be an artist and a daddy. You love running errands with me and like S will run to get your shoes and coat to zip out to go anywhere, even if it is just down the stairs.  You love to be the first one in and out of the door.  You wrestle with R a lot and it starts with gales of laughter and once in a while ends in tears.  You love babies and little children and will herd them like a shepherd when we're at playgroups or play dates.  You laugh a lot.  Going stroller-less has been a challenge for you, so we play games all the way to school to get S and R--this last week the game was aliens, where you had to stay on the sidewalk lines if you wanted to be invisible to the alien--me--and then when you were off the sidewalk lines I could see you and you would run like crazy.  You love yogurt, especially peach.  You like fruits and vegetables sometimes and meat once in awhile, unless it is a hot dog and then you love it all the time.  If there was a choice to go to Ikea or a museum, you would choose Ikea.   You love making friends everywhere you go and are very outgoing.  I love you, T! So glad I've been blessed to have you!

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Love,

Mom

For S

Dear S:

You are my happy skipping girl.  I like to sing to you the song "My Darlin' Irish Girl" from Disney's Darby O'Gill and the Little People only I change the words every time to "My darlin' S girl" and you always give me a big smile.  You skip everywhere. Sometimes you even skip if you're feeling upset.  It's not a full sized skip, kind of a mix between a skip and a shuffle. I love it!   You are very focused. You have a dear sense of fashion and the teachers can't wait to see what combinations you'll come up with the next day.  You really don't enjoy wearing jeans, at all, but you love skirts with leggings.  You are really patient with T. You like to make sure he does his homework. You do your homework first thing after getting out of school and the only thing that stops you from doing it on the playground is if you do not have a pencil or a pen or if there is a really good friend there waiting to play with you. You are the one that keeps R and T awake at night, you are the night rooster; if that makes sense.  You love to keep playing games and telling stories. You run, not walk, to me the moment I ask you for a hug and give me one of those I'll-never-let-go types of hugs and it makes my heart soar! You are one of the most persistent people I have ever met. If there is something you want or want to do you do not give up, until given a loud ultimatum.  You still like to turn the music on our electronic piano and dance around the room, provided T or I are dancing with you.  You love to squash into R's tiny bed with R and T and we come in later to find you all asleep right next to each other and you can sleep there, like that, all night.  You like it when I've done your hair--though you do not care much for the time that ridiculous blow dryer takes.  You love mysteries and your favorite tv show is Monk--which makes you wonder if there is going to be a crime and a detective in every other show or movie you watch. You love little children and going with me anywhere--especially when it can just be we two, for mommy-daughter dates. I love you so much S girl.  I am so thankful Heavenly Father sent you to me!

Love,

Mom

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Because I feel so blessed to have you!

Dear R:
You make me so proud. I love the way you are an example to your brother and sister.  You strive to show them the proper way to do pretty much everything.  We don't get too much time for just you and I to talk, but every time we do I just think to myself, "How did I get so lucky to have you for an oldest boy?"  You love to make people laugh.  There were a few times last year you wanted to be a comedian.  You love to make up and tell stories. You love describing things that are important to you.  In church you are the first one out of the door to go to your class, right after Sacrament Meeting. You're the first to obey, usually. When there is a project you want to complete you are very focused. Right now your favorite toys are legos; they've been your favorite for awhile; but you like all things Mario, Nijago, and interesting.  One of the toys you've been asking for all year, since we went to the Natural History Museum is a rock polishing kit.  I've yet to get you one, but you love feeling the polished stones that they sell at all the science museum shops.  You love being home with the family and if there are errands to be run, you'll happily let someone else run them.  You have great courage, like when you saved me from that mouse--my hero.   You work hard in school--though you claim it is not your favorite you seem to really thrive.  You love to talk in English accents with me (which you know I adore).  You love tickle wars--but remember, family only.  You are learning to play the trumpet better and better every day. I love it when you come to me and ask me to listen to the new songs you are learning. Little children love you and you love them. You'll be a great older brother--again in a few months.  I love you, Charlie Brown. I am so glad that Heavenly Father sent you to me!

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Love,

Mom

P.S. (added later) You told me today that you found out about the Connecticut massacre today and that you cried. You have such a sweet, kind heart. I was trying to help you not worry about it, but I should have known you would find out from school.  All the people there are in our prayers, especially the parents and loved ones of those whose lives were lost.