Choosing Wisely

Have had a really rough day today... seems like nothing is going well at work, home is chaotic, Colin has decided that listening to Mommy is overrated, and I'm trying not to be disappointed that Joe and I have been planning a weekend away (sans kids) for months, and it is possibly not going to happen- or if it does happen, he probably still won't be feeling the greatest.
So, my mood has been less than wonderful, my complaining is at an all time high (especially at work- think those people are about to drum me out of the place), and I've just been moping around. So much for the 'new appreciation' from a few nights ago.
But, saw a post on Facebook tonight from my dear friend Mark Eley that reminded me that, "When you are choosing your attitude you must choose wisely."
And I'm choosing it, right now. I'm choosing to see the positive in my life: healthy kids, almost healthy husband, still have a job, still working in the profession that I have a passion for, have a beautiful house, etc. etc. etc.
Here's to a positive outlook and a positive attitude. Thanks Mark.....

Legs and Wings and Antennae, Oh MY!

The second grade at Julia's school had their music program tonight- "Legs and Wings and Antennae, Oh MY!" It was WONDERFUL. A great combination of the science and music curriculums for second grade. Julia did a fantastic job. (But, I'm her mom so I have to think that!) Seriously, she had a speaking part, and she was GREAT! Compared to the other kids, she was really calm, spoke slowly and clearly...
No pics from during the performance... the MPR is just not kind with regards to photography.. but here's a photo of her prior to the performance. She was SO excited....

Great job Miss Julia... Daddy and I are so proud of our girl!

New Appreciation

Okay, you know how sometimes God puts a few challenges in your path- just as a way to wake you up and make you a better person? Well....
Lately, I've been feeling a little full of myself. (I know... just lately?) Seems to have gotten a little easier to balance my job, motherhood, keeping the house, running, etc. My kids are getting older- are a little more independent, and have both discovered the joy of earning allowance by doing a few household chores. Anyway, since the holidays, I've felt pretty successful in keeping everything balanced. I think I've also had a few judgmental thoughts (again.. not me?) about folks who seem to struggle more with the whole parenting thing. How hard can it be to keep your kids fed, clothed, homework done, etc.?
Welp- I've gotten knocked down off of that high horse in the past few days. See, Joe got sick. Now, for those of you who know Joe, you know that he's been sick like 5 times in the entire time that we've been together. He just NEVER gets sick. He's a healthy guy, takes good care of himself, and I swear his metabolism just kills the germs off before they have a chance to take hold. Anyway, he woke up Saturday morning and he was SICK. I've never seen something come on so strong or so fast. We went to the 'Minute Clinic' and they told him he had bronchitis. Gave him some antibiotics, cough syrup, etc and sent him home. Kids and I had a good Saturday. Did some chores, played a little, had pizza for dinner. Joe slept. Sunday came, and the bulk of the weekly responsibilities hit. Laundry, cleaning of rooms, and the identified chore of the weekend- which for this week was to try on last year's shorts, etc and determine clothing needs. I also rotated the closets and pulled out items for donation to Goodwill. On top of this, I did more house cleaning than normal since Joe and I are scheduled to head out of town this weekend and his mom will be staying at our house.
Anyway, by the time I got all of that done, kids' homework done, and lunches packed for Monday, I was exhausted. Decided to check on Joe- who hadn't made more than a peep all day. After talking to him for about 5 minutes, I decided he needed to go to the ER because something just wasn't right. He wasn't making a lot of sense, was in a lot of pain, and felt nauseous. Called Joe's sister Bic and her boyfriend Eric (thank goodness they were available.. thanks again guys!) to come over and hang out with my kiddos, who were just getting ready for bed, while I took Joe to the ER.
I have never had an ER experience quite like this one. Joe looked like hell, felt like hell, and wasn't coping too well with being in public. Let's just say that I've never seen people in the ER (who have been waiting for hours to be seen by a doctor) actually say to the nurse- I really think that guy needs to go first. Anyway, we got back to a room fairly quickly, got Joe some drugs and some IV fluids, and hung out for more hours than I want to think of. I've never been the one in the hospital just waiting. Joe was pretty drugged up most of the time we were there, and I was stuck watching horrible tv, trying to read with the light out so Joe could sleep and freezing to death. I found out that waiting in the hospital can be pretty tiring- even when you aren't the sick one.
Then, it was home from the hospital in the morning, quick shower, take the kids to school, etc. Came home from doing that, took care of Joe, ran into work for a bit, picked up the kids, took Colin to karate, picked up some groceries, came home, put groceries away, cooked dinner for Joe and the kids (different things of course) and then packed lunches and dealt with the backpacks. Not to mention finished putting away the laundry from last night, and got Julia's stuff ready for her music performance tomorrow night.
So, here's the awareness. I am TOTALLY lucky to have a partner in my life who is helping me raise my kiddos. I have no idea how I could do what I do if he wasn't there pitching in, lending a hand, and encouraging me. After just 3 days without him, I'm ready to call UNCLE. Also, I don't know how folks who have spouses with prolonged illnesses do it... I just don't know how they care for an ill spouse (or parent, or friend) and at the same time care for their families and their homes.
Needless to say, I will now appreciate my friends who are single moms/dads SO MUCH MORE. I will reach out more with offers of help and friendship. I will listen more and be more appreciative of the fact that they are doing really hard work and they are doing it by themselves. I will also reach out more to anyone that I know who is taking care of a spouse or parent or other ill person. Basically, I will BE a better person. :)
Carrie

PS Joe is feeling better. He actually got out of bed for a little while tonight, and has eaten a few small things today. He is able to talk and is actually watching tv with the kiddos while I write this.

Bountiful Baskets

Some of you know that I belong to a fruit and vegetable co-op. Bountiful Baskets. I love this thing. Pay your $15 and head to the park (way too early on a Saturday morning) and you leave with a laundry basket full of fresh fruits and veggies. Most of which is what you would have bought at the grocery store anyway... and then there are always those few items that you wouldn't have bought- but you have now... so you better figure out what to do with them. I got introduced to this whole idea by a girlfriend a few months ago- I was a regular for awhile- and then the holidays hit and I just didn't have the energy AND our schedules were too messed up. But, this week, I decided to get back on the wagon and sign up again. Our basket had the following treasures this week: broccoli, red peppers, tomatoes, spinach, green leaf lettuce, English cucumbers, apples, plums, oranges, blueberries and bananas.
It also just so happened that they had some extra specials this week- pink lady apples and sourdough bread. YUMMY! A couple of my favorite foods! So, I now have 40 lbs of apples and 5 loaves of sourdough bread at my house.... 20 lbs of the apples will go to my mom, as well as 2 of the loaves of bread, but still....
The best part about the whole thing is watching my kids get so excited over fruits and vegetables... Julia was over the moon with the apples- and I had to convince her that more than 3 apples in a day *will* really make your tummy hurt- I PROMISE! And, Colin can't wait to have blueberry pancakes tomorrow morning...
Anyway, I think I better get off the computer and get busy making something with all of this stuff! The good news is that folks in lots of places will benefit this week by enjoying homemade apple pie! Happy Saturday everyone!

Lion King!

In October, I got a flier advertising that the Broadway show Lion King was coming to Grady Gammage at ASU. I was VERY excited! I have always wanted to see that show, and I thought it would be the perfect time to expose Colin to the theatre. Julia has gone several times before, but Colin never seemed quite ready to sit still for that long. (I think I got scarred with Colin in several movie experiences when he spent the entire 2 hours of a movie bouncing up and down in the seat. And I spent 2 hours apologizing to everyone around me...) Anyway, I really wanted to go and take Colin and I had a pretty good feeling that my mom would want to go as well (she LOVES the Lion King soundtrack). So, after several calls and conversations with my mom and like a 2 hour internet session with Ticketmaster, we secured tickets for Feb. 7th- the 7:30 p.m. show. Why 2 hours on the internet you may ask? I wanted very specific seats- 1st balcony (cheaper, and I think your view of the entire stage is actually better than on the floor), in the center, in the first or second row. Needless to say it took putting in almost EVERY date for the show to get these exact seats, but I did get them eventually! In all of this searching, Joe decided that it probably wasn't worth the cost for him to go with us. The tickets were very expensive- especially when you added on the surcharges and fees. So, we just got 5 tickets for Nana, Papa, Julia, Colin and myself.
So, then several months passed. Julia and Colin's birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, 2nd Christmas, etc. etc. And I had basically forgotten about going. :) But then the week arrived... and I realized that Colin needed a new pair of dress shoes- I swear that kids feet grow faster than weeds! So, we hit Savers to look and see what they had. I just couldn't see paying $20-25 dollars for a pair of dress shoes knowing how little he would wear them. We were in luck- found a great pair (looked like they had been worn once) of brown tie loafers. Julia also found a 'fancy' dress that she fell in love with- and still had the tags- for $6. So, now both of my kids had some new finery to wear- we were ready for the day to arrive.
We had great fun getting ready to go. I ironed Colin's pants and his dress shirt (I can't believe how big his clothes are getting- ironing his dress shirt was close to ironing one of Joe's!) Daddy was off canyoneering, so the kids and I had a good day together just hanging out and getting ready. Julia wanted 'fancy' hair to go with her 'fancy' dress- gotta love her- she just doesn't realize that hair is NOT momma's forte. Anyway, eventually we were all ready and dressed and headed over to Nana and Papa's house.
Nana and Papa are my kids whole lives. I don't know how else to describe it. So my kids were very excited to go see Lion King with Nana and Papa. Here are some photos of Nana and Papa with their kids.....

*Nana and Papa and their kids*

*Papa and his girl.... *

*He really was happier about going than he looks in this photo. :) *

We had dinner at Serranos and then headed to the theatre. We had to walk a little bit to get there and being the bad momma that I am, I forgot Julia's jacket, so she was pretty cold. The show was AWESOME- especially the music. Colin did enjoy his first trip to the theatre- except for the fact that he dozed off during the second act and slept through the end of the show. How anyone could have slept in that theatre- as loud as it was- is totally beyond me, but my little guy did it. I so wish I had taken my camera to the theatre so I could have taken a picture of my little man, all dressed up, sound asleep in his chair. We didn't get home until almost 11 p.m. and my kids were exhausted! (note to self: next time go to the matinee, not the evening performance!) Anyway, I will be on iTunes later today getting the music from this show. ;)

25 Random Things from Facebook

I wrote this for my Facebook account after being tagged by like a dozen people. Thought I would post it here for those that don't 'do' Facebook. Started out doing it as a lark, but I think I actually learned a few things about myself that I didn't expect.. and it was more painful than I thought it would be. Haven't posted here in awhile, going to try to get back in the habit again...

25 Random Things

In no particular order:

1. Joe Furedy is my soul mate- the love of my life. I could not go more than a day without talking to him. I fell in love with him when I was 14 years old, and I have not stopped loving him since.
2. That being said, I really wish I had met Joe 10 years later... to give both of us the chance to have experienced more things.
3. Giving birth naturally to my children (no drugs, no interventions) and breastfeeding both of them are two of my greatest accomplishments in life.
4. I love to listen to music and I love to sing- loudly. I usually only do this when I am in the car by myself. Usually.
5. I love shopping at Target. I shop there at least once a week, usually more like 2 or 3 times. This has only gotten worse since they built a SuperTarget that has groceries down the street.
6. Mexican food is the best food on the face of the planet. I could eat Mexican food every single day without hesitation.
7. I drink TOO much Diet Coke- at least 64 oz every day. I cannot function without it.
8. I love my children more than life itself. I cannot imagine where I would be or what I would be like without their presence in my life every single day.
9. That being said, most days I like one of my children much more than the other one. And I feel horribly guilty about that most of the time.
10. I need time by myself every single day. If I don't have it, I get really cranky.
11. One of my biggest regrets is that I have NEVER learned to read music or play an instrument. (which is a shame because- see #4)
12. I think Joe and I have often chosen the path in life that is safe, rather than the path in life that was right when it comes to jobs, school, etc.
13. In my adult life I have been every size between a 4 and a 14 (and possibly bigger but at some point I stopped buying clothes), and I have hated my body at each and every size.
14. I would love to have another baby with Joe.
15. However, sometimes I can't wait until my kids are older and we have more time for just the two of us.
16. I have kissed ONE man in my entire life. One. (see #1 and #2)
17. I really like to swear. The 'f' word really is my favorite. I try to keep myself from doing it, but some days....
18. My mother is my best friend (outside of Joe), but some days that is really hard.
19. One of my biggest goals for myself in the future is to run a marathon. But, since I run 3-4 miles every single day and that just about kills me, I wonder if I'll ever get fit enough to do it.
20. I read every day while I blow dry my hair. I read anything and everything. I usually have 4-5 books going at any given time.
21. I rarely allow myself to drink because of the genes that I have inherited, and I am horribly afraid I will become an alcoholic.
22. I want a tattoo. Badly. I have researched tattooing, looked at all sorts of designs, and found out which shops nearby are the best- with good artists and good safety procedures. But, I have yet to dig up the nerve to actually go get one. I swear I will when I reach my ideal body weight. We'll see.
23. I have strong faith and believe in God. I pray every day, and believe that he is my savior. I have not regularly attended church for the last 10 years because I can't find a church where my family 'fits'.
24. I want to go back to school and get a PhD. But, I worry that in doing so, people would figure out that I am not really that smart. I also worry that adding the stress of school to our already busy lives would ruin my marriage.
25. I worry way too much about what other people think. All the time. I've read this about 20 times worrying about what everybody will think about it...

I'm back....

Okay, so I've basically all but abandoned this blog for the past couple of months... let me fill you in!

It all started at the beginning of July... Nana and Papa swooped up our kiddos and took them up north in the RV for a few days. This meant that Joe and I had a few days to ourselves.. no kids... no lunches to pack... just the two of us again. Needless to say, I did not use my free time during those days updating the blog! Nana and Papa turned this into a really special time for the kiddos... they got to go horseback riding, fishing... it was fun for all!

We headed up north on the 4th of July to spend a night with folks, Uncle Andrew and Aunt Stacy, and the kids (of course) before heading home. It was a great way to spend the 4th... 4th of July is a very hard holiday for my family (another story, another day), and this one was pretty memorable because we all had the chance to enjoy ourselves.

We came home, did laundry, and then turned around and left for an 8 day vacation in Puerto Vallarta. It was a fabulous trip. We stayed at the Crowne Paradise Club- an all inclusive resort.. and it was fantastic. We enjoyed every minute of the trip, from swimming with the dolphins, to the pirate cruise, Joe para-sailing and taking the zip line tour, to swimming every day in the pool and in the ocean. Words cannot describe how relaxing and enjoyable this trip was. Here are a couple of my favorite pics... way too many to share them all...








As you can see, we had a fab time!

Then we came home... and Joe and I were sick. Joe's passed within a couple of days, but here we are, 7 weeks later and I am STILL having stomach issues. Needless to say, I've spent a fair amount of time at the doctor, in the ER, and in bed just generally feeling like crap. This doesn't leave a lot of time to blog or anything.... I saw a great GI guy last week- he has a new plan which involves some massive doses of antibiotics as well as a colonoscopy to biopsy the inflamed portions of my colon, which should, hopefully, provide answers to the question WHY?

That's all for tonight... I'll fill you in on the kid's first day of school and all of the other fun stuff thats happened during the last couple of months in my next post! :) Adios!