Maybe, Just Maybe, We are doing a good job

Wow! I can’t believe it has been a whole week since I have written any thing on this blog. You know it seems when life gets busy the things you enjoy are the things you let go first. Life got in my way: So anyway, first I would like to say Thank YOU and I love the blog button Sniffles and Smiles has awarded me.

I will wear it proudly and give it a good home. I promise to feed it everyday and teach it not to bark……. You are so good to think of me… Sniffles and Smiles….You have really become a special friend and I just want to thank you properly.

THANK YOU!

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There have been lots of things on my mind this week; First things first ~ School ~ We have been schooling now for 7 years and this is the first year I have not doubted myself…….as much. Every year I have people ask me if I think it would be best to put the kids back in school and every year we have held our breath and held our feet steady and said; “No, we are doing a good job and this is best for our family.” Hoping…….. We where right and everything would be okay. Believe me, when I tell you it has not been easy………”IT” has not been easy! We have home schooled through………. THREE very long lay offs, under employment, family divorces, accidents, the death of Mark’s father, a baby (Yeah!), cancer, a heart attack, a miscarriage, self employment, dyslexia, bratty kids, defiant kids, stinky kids, great kids, now a toddler and the list of the fun stuff just goes on and on………..My point is in telling you all this is we have stuck to what we thought was best thing for our family even when it was hard. Choosing to home school is never an easy choice……….. It has been hard to stay focused and keep our eyes on the goals we have set for our family. It is hard to see these goals day after day; It is hard to stay focused through tears, fighting with kids that really don’t care to get school work done or do not believe one day they will grow up and things will be different. They will be the ones that are in charge. They will actually be in college and have jobs one day. It is hard to stay steady through day after day ~ doing school all day, every day…. ((and I mean all day…some days from 8 or 9 in the morning to 10 or 11 at night))…….We have taken away privileges, friends, parties and anything that will help the kids see if math is not done and done neatly......they will not, can not and should not do whatever or anything they want.....If they don't study for that test they will fail...It has been hard to make kids understand Mom is not mom in the class room. She is the teacher. Do your work!

..It has been hard explaining our position to well wishing friends that are teachers or to people that just think we are making the biggest mistake of our lives. Through all this Mark and I have stuck to our guns. We have stuck together strong. For us, Home school has been our only choice……..WE live in South Carolina and let’s face it…..This state is not family friendly. The education level of this state ranks last ~ This is not because we have bad teachers……we have some great teachers in our area…teachers that really care…... I am sure this is due to the funding the schools are NOT getting from the state. The class rooms are over crowded and there is just not enough money to go around. When we realized our children where not getting what they deserved in our schools and we where unable to afford a private education the next best choice was to home school. At the time we left the school system the company Mark worked at for 20 years was closing it’s doors due to “over sea’s competition” and 9-11…… Since then…It has been a long hard road…..I look at our family now and see……..we have grown and survived so much. Our family is strong…….the education we have given our children has been great for everyone…..even me.

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I have a secret about our oldest…. Matthew…that I must tell you about;

He has started the “Jump Start” program at the Technical School in our area. ((“Jump Start” is just what it says…….a “Jump Start” on college.)) He earns high school and college credits…..at the same time… The kids that take these classes have to qualify for these course. To qualify they have to pass the college entrance exam…..which he did……. I am so excited about all this. I can’t help but think things are finally starting to pay off…….all those years of fighting with him to get his work done….all those years of making him go, dragging him, to debate class. All those endless hours, tears and sleepless nights…..We have sat in our class room working…….. is paying off. I am so excited for him. I can’t help but think this is going to be a great way to ease back into the school setting. AND you know what?

The best part....

The best part is, the other kids are seeing Matthew’s success and they want it too. They want to start college in high school. They want to qualify……These past two weeks……..when I have been looking for kids to start school……..they have already started……..with out ME……

I am just giddy!!

…Can you believe it? I think I can let my breath out…… just a little this week……because I think….I just think maybe, just maybe I am doing a good job with this teaching thing.

Just maybe I am.

The Church Light

Last year around this time, on Mothers Day, my nephew, Joe was hurt in a terrible accident. We where all praying hard that Joe would make it another minute, an hour and day……Every time we saw the doctors that week they all said the same thing………”Every minute he hangs on is good. We are taking this minute by minute, hour by hour.” They where tough words to hear……….mostly for Karen, Joes’ mother. A year later Karen wanted a party to celebrate Mothers Day and the fact that her oldest child made it through what we all hope will be one of the toughest trials in his life. In fact; In their lives. The night was dark, rainy and late…….Joe was going home coming from a party. While he was riding his bike down a dark country road something terrible happened………We really didn’t know what it was…..All we knew……… he was hurt and hurt badly. Among the cuts and bruises he had hit his head. There was a cracked skull and swelling on his brain. While in a drug induced coma, he had a stroke and things only seemed to grow worse for him…….Later that same week…..part of his skull had to be removed. It would be saved and replaced for a later date when things inside his head had settled down. He was in the coma for almost a month…………. I think……..

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It has been a hard year for Joe, Karen, and the family. William, Joes “little” brother, made himself available daily to help his brother in his recovery. Karen never left Joe’s side. This Mother’s Day was going to be different. This Mother’s Day Karen wanted to celebrate the trials and tribulations of the year. Through out this whole year there where questions left unanswered. All we knew about the night Joe was hurt was; some one…….a man…maybe…..watched over Joe and waited until help came. We didn’t know who it was. We really didn’t know much about anything……just that someone helped Joe that dark, foggy and rainy night.

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Among other things this past year; Joe had decided to go back to school and we are proud to say he is progressing beautifully. The first day of school; As often as it happens with a brain injury………….Joe got lost. He found himself at the school counselors’ office. She was talking to a woman. This woman happened to be going to the same class Joe was headed too…….The counselor asked if this woman would mind making sure Joe found the class…..He followed her. In the new class, the new teacher wanted to help her class relax. She had her students play a “get to know you game.” Each student took one card. That student had to find the match …….which another student would have. When the student found his match they were to find out as much about each other as possible and then he would share it with the class. Joe took his card and set out to play the game. It happened Joe found his cards match in the woman’s hands that lead him to his new class. They talked……”small talk”……they shared a few uninteresting facts. There names……….Joe ~ Sharonda There ages……….30 ~ 28………Where do you live……..?.......What brings you to this class…….?........ Then the big question came…….. Sharonda asked…………..”What’s with that big scare on your head?” “What happened to you?” Joe tells her………..what he knew………She listens and then says……….. “What????” “When????” “Where????” “That was you???????????????” “I am the one that stayed with you that night………I am the one that called the police…..I am the one……….I thought you died……..Oh! That was you? I almost didn’t stop…….If it was not for the church light shinning on you that night……I wouldn’t have stopped…….I can’t believe that was you?”

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Sharonda came to the Mothers Day party ……..Then it was Karen’s turn to ask the questions……….

Sharonda told us all about that night…..The Church Light……and the dark, long, country road.

Sharonda told us as she was driving home from work that night. She saw a light in the sky…..spinning……she thought it may be a license check. So she fasten her set belt…….she told us how she hates set belts and never wears them………and she also said, she slowed down. (This part was very important because as she told us; this road………the road Joe was on…….. was one of those roads that you “drive straight on and people don’t stop for nothen.” “They don’t care if there is a dog in the road or whatever. They hit it and keep on go-en.”)

She said as she approached the light, she saw a man and a bike in the middle of the road………..But the thing that got her attention was not the man lying beside the bike. It was the light from the church shinning on the man. She said she "was scared"…….because she doesn’t trust people……She said, she didn’t know if the accident was staged and the man would grab her when she got out …….. Or what would happen….……She told us, she "was scared for her life". …..She told us, she has been in and out of foster homes most of her life…..she told us her mother tried to kill her when she was just 12 years old and ……she told us about the beatings her mother gave her..….. She told us, she had to fight her way through……. most of her life………. She said if it was not for the church light that was shinning on Joe…..showing him plainly, she would have just kept going. But the church light bothered her……the church light showed he was bleeding on the side of his face…..she said she saw a “white” man in a “white” truck drive….look……and drive past…….(maybe he was going for help………we just don’t know….)

Sharonda said she tried to call the police on her cell phone……….but her phone had one bar on it and “out there you can’t get good reception.” So she drove in a panic to the nearest gas station, called the police……..”gave as little information as quick as she could” and raced back to the man in the road and the church light.………hoping, praying….. NO ONE else would race down that dark country road too…. She made it……… She stayed with Joe until the police came…..until the ambulance came….until the crowds came…….she said she heard a woman crying saying “that’s my son”……”my son is dead”……..”that’s my brother”….” my brother is dead”…….”that’s husband”….. She said she had to stay at the the scene because the police questioned her about what she saw….she said they checked under her hood to see if she hit him…….She didn’t……..They thought he must have hit the sign….after all the night was rainy, fogy and dark…He didn’t………..they checked for deer prints…there was nothing.….They thought maybe he slipped on the straw on the side of the road……he didn’t …..The police said many things…….

But nothing seemed to fit…..

Nothing seemed to fit until Sharonda told us more about what had happened..…….She felt; Joe could not have slipped on the straw…..the bike was to far away from the straw…….Joe could not have hit the sign. The sign had no damage to it. There was no damage to her car or his bike ……. …..Sharonda felt he slipped on the road……..There were heavy rains, heavy fog and visibility was tough that night……...Sharonda said he slipped and hit his head on the yellow reflector in the road……….

She told us she tried to find the man in the road the next day. She said she went to the local hospital but they did not have any information on him…..She thought he had died.

The images of the church light shinning on the man in the road haunted her. They haunted her so much she could not travel down that road and........after the accident she couldn't sleep for days. She said she still has difficulty traveling that way......so much so........she moved.

Little did she know Joe was transferred to Chapel Hill…….Little did she know he was in a fight for his life…….little did she know……… He made it. Little did she know she would be sitting on his front porch celebrating this fact with his family and friends. All because of the church light…….because she was kind enough to stop…..little did she know……She was his angel that night…….seems to me they both may have been saved by the church light…… Joe has learned a lot this year….he has learned he is a fighter…and he has learned he is not afraid of school and he has learned …the body can take many things…..He has also learned….you never know where your friends will come from….. Maybe Sharonda will learn to trust and learn about faith and family…..I know she has found a life long friend in Joe.

I can’t help but wonder………..what will come from all this? I hope only good things……..For both of them.

The May Birthday

Tuesday, May 12, was my mother's 29th, 28th or 39th Birthday.

All though we are all very confused about exactly how old she is we celebrated anyway ......

After all, there was Chocolate Cake.

Even though the cake was not Simply Sweeter's..........It was good!

I must tell all my cousins ,for those that don't know,............my mother GOT the COOKIES!!

AND

THEY WHERE "Simply" Fabulous!!

BUT!

The best present came from my father's Oncologist. When he told my parents things where going nicely for my dad and he is doing very well...Better then they had ever expected.....Dr Stephenson also said, my parents should go to San Diego and Cheer on the Marathoners!! for the BIG run.

Maybe there will be more Cake when they get home!! Well! We have to Celebrate...............26.2 miles is a long way for my sister to go.

OOP! There it is again!!

So the other day, Well maybe it was a couple of weeks ago…….I was talking to a friend of mine. I don’t know if I have mentioned this or not but I try (and I use the term loosely) to sell Mary Kay. Every now and then I may have a class for a friend who is trying to raise money for something special. I give the profits to the charity and sometimes I get a new customer out of the deal. It is a fun way to help out a little and try to stay connected. I am not the greatest Mary Kay consultant there is………I don’t keep a lot of stock in. I don’t have very many parties and I don’t try to get new customers. I fit the Mary Kay in when I want to or if someone asks me. I really like to use the products for myself. I can get it for half price being a consultant and well, that is enough for me. So anyway, we where talking and she was telling me what she thought……..She thought I needed to make Mary Kay more of a priority. I was not doing all I could……… I need to sell, meet people and just be a GREAT Mary Kay woman……I can do it! ….I can rise to the top! Get a car! OHHH!! ……."It takes work! Hard Work!" And I need to get out there and place my orders and decide what I want and…………HERE it comes………..P-U-T My PRIORITIES in order. I simply smiled at her.

Well, this made me think another time I had this conversation……..I thought of the time I sat in the office of my Karate Instructor or shall I say………the Master Instructor of all of South Carolina……… maybe even the country…..maybe the world….I just think he is that good. I remember the day we had “the talk”……….I was teaching classes at the school but I did not receive payment…AND ……..I paid for my families instruction……….(Yes! I know! C-R-A-Z-Y!!!!! Who in their right mind would do such a thing………only a real sucker)………WELL, NO! People who have a love for the Martial Arts do these things…….and people that just want to learn all they can. You will do it especially if you are told you would recieve ONE ON ONE instructions with the Master……. You grab it! AHHHH!! To do that again...... how Tempting!!!!!) OH Sorry! I forgot what I was saying! Back to my story; I walked into the school excited about a weekend trip that Mark had surprised me with………He had planned a trip to the beach. But! The trip interfered with the classes I taught at the time.…….I asked one of the other teachers if they could cover my classes because I was going to the beach………She couldn't and to my surprise someone else told me……… HERE it comes …… I needed to put my priorities in order and decide what it will be. You will be pleased to know, I went with my family……….We had a great time. The women that came to my classes understood why I canceled and wished me well. But, there was trouble when I returned.......I was told I was taking to much time off and away from my training, away from my classes…..I really needed to decided what I was going to do……I needed to ......here it comes again......Put my Priorities in order........I did……..I hung up the teaching towel………or It hung me up……..Yeah! That was more like it……….I was “weeded out” …….like it so often happens when your priorities are not in order. All okay because I loved it ALL and even though I was sad not to teach anymore I think it was time to stop. I still went to class and enjoyed it all very much. The last Karate straw……..I was expecting our fourth child……….It was time to step back from what I truly loved to do for myself and enjoy the new gift we where receiving. I put my priorities in order and I am now taking a break from Karate. I realize what all these people where doing was telling me my priorities needed to be their priorities and they where very unhappy that I was not conforming to their norm.

In my last post, I recieved a comment from a friend of mine that I never expected………She told me how much she admired the things I did. She told me I have been an example for her………she even went as far as saying I (me) am an example of a Proverbs 31 women……which I had to look up……..I know now …She is giving me way to much credit…..I was stunned and honored by this and I really didn’t know what to say or think. After giving it much thought….....very much thought………I have to say……….I had a Great Example………My Mother. She taught me how things should be done………When we where growing up she was the one that was there for us. She was the one that put her self last. She was selfless………She was the one who put the family first. She was the one who would be there with the kids, doing home work, getting the meals and helped my dad with his business……… helping his dreams grow. She was the one that gave the support…………..She was and still is the wind beneath our wings. It just so happens I (WE… all 5 of us) have been blessed with two wonderful parents……….Great examples of how to give of yourself……how to give to your family. However, I must give most of the credit to my mother. She has taught me that my family should be first. Everything else comes second. My intention in my past post was to show my priorities are my family just like my mother taught us all they should be. All 5 of us are many things but the one thing I know we are is excellent parents. Let’s face it………… I am not a doctor. I will not be saving lives anytime soon. I am not a writer. I will not be publishing books that will change the world…….. I am not a political figure. I will not be changing laws in the near future………Today.....….I am a wife, a mother and just a woman…….Just like my mother……….I am proud of that. My hope is to be the example for my family………..like she has been for hers.

With all that said……….I know now why I can smile and walk away when someone tells me my priorities are off………When my priorities are not what someone else wants them to be. I can walk away happy knowing they are wrong and my mother was right when she taught me what was important in my life. Thanks Mom……..I Love you!

Alexander's Announcement!!

This is Alexander Michael Hoverath.

He is the son of my sister , Margaret, and her husband, Reiner.

He is 8 years old and Home Schooled.

He is very bight I might add.

He also has a big announcement to make that he wants the share with the world....

He has received his First Communion!! He is very proud as you can see!!

Look at that happy face!

What a doll!

This is his Dad...........uuummmmmmm!!!

No, he doesn't always look like this.......Sometimes he looks worse.

But, I seem to remember he did shower before Mass........

Maybe that is why Alex looks so happy.

Just kidding!! He cleans up really well!

This was just my shameless attempt to get a picture of Reiner on my blog

after the mud run he did Saturday.

We are proud of both these Hoverath Men.

They had a great weekend!

Hey, what is family for?

Love you Reiner!!

“See all these plates I have in the AIR?”

“Oh! You Home School do you?” “You must really have a lot of free time.” Or and I love this one: “You home school, can’t they just do “it” tonight, tomorrow or this weekend.” “Can’t you just skip it?” and my all time favorite…………”When do you have your ‘Me time’?” The answer is…….. NO! No! I don’t have a lot of free time………..No! I can’t just do it tomorrow. No! If we don’t start in the morning we won’t get it done. No! I don’t want to do school on the weekends………….and Yes! We will be working this summer. Oh Yeah………..and……..ME TIME??? Does it count on the nights I can’t sleep and come down stairs to read or maybe even write on my blog. Is that ‘me time’? Being a mother to teens, a preteen girl and a toddler takes up all my time. Being a home school mother of a high school student, 2 middle school students and a toddler that wants ALL the attention takes up even more time. Having a husband who is self employed and who needs someone to handle; accounts, phone calls, office needs, and help keeping track of names and numbers of customers, and scheduling takes up even more time. I’m busy………and that’s good. But sometimes people really don’t understand just how busy I am. I’m home and some think if your home maybe your not as busy as you say you are and you have time for; a drop in or a phone call or running to the mall or lunch with friends…………..Some people think you maybe able to watch their kids while they …..run errands, have a date night or maybe …..Have a little ‘Me Time’…..Exactly, what is that again? When I am asked to meet for lunch or the phone rings and it is a friend or sometimes even a family member………..I screen calls during school…(I’m sorry! But, it is true).. I don’t go to lunch…and sometimes the party that I have been invited too seems like a lot …..YES! I know…..seeing it in black and white …… it seems bad……It really seems very bad. But! Ya know……in my defense…..Sometimes I just can’t talk or have that visit while we are in school ….I maybe in the middle of a math lesson with my daughter who cries when she can’t understand her math or I may be in the middle of a discussion with my son about the Theology he is studying…and I am having trouble understanding exactly what he is saying ……..I may be helping my other son ,who is dyslexic, remember spelling rules we have worked so hard on. I could be reading to my little one who has waited all day to have a turn to “do school with mommy.” Sometimes I just can’t socialize on the phone or in a group. Sometimes I just don’t have the time or the energy. There are times I maybe dealing with a customer or Mark may need me to check on a price or find a number for him. I have to drop everything, even school, to get those things done. I have been known to cut telephone conversations short or even completely off when the business phone rings ……..I need to get these phone calls. They pay the bills, feed the family and hopefully will keep the roof over our heads. All these things that I do may make me seem isolated, selfish even………I am told I seem unsociable……..I am told I don’t want to bother with people. I have been told I only seem to like my own kids…………Yes, sometimes true……but not mostly….I do like people. I do want to be bothered and I do like other people’s children. AND Yes, it is true……..I do like my own children better. I know they are not perfect but they are my children and yes I like them more then anyone else’s. I think this is just honest. These things are just some of the things that I am needed for in my own family never mind; laundry, grocery shopping, getting dinner on the table at a decent hour or even the outside factors of my life. I have a lot to do and I know it. So when I am asked if I can go here or there or meet people for lunch, a party or a trip to the park, a lot of times I have to say NO! Sometimes, I try to make it and then I have to cancel because I am needed at home. Sometimes, I am very late because I got a last minute phone call from Mark asking me to call someone or check on something for him. People get mad and upset and figure ~ Well, she is home…..”Why can’t she get it done”? Or they think I am just being inconsiderate or I am not very giving. I feel like I am juggling all the time; Sometimes, I take on more and think, “Okay, throw another plate up here. I can juggle one more"……and then sometimes, I think; if I take on one more thing I will drop all these plates I have in the air and then I will have to start over. I just can’t. Then I hear, Well your home anyway...... Why can’t you just………and I think...... Oh! Boy, if they only knew.

America's Got Talent 2

Lizzy sings "Happy Birt-day Matt-mew"

Move over Susan Boyle!

I could have missed it all.

This is Matthew's Birthday week. He will be 17 ......It takes my breath to say that. I can't believe this is the baby that had to be revived twice the night of his birth. This is the baby Doctor after Doctor told us he surely would die because of the sever reflux he suffered from.

This is the baby that changed everything for me, for us. When he came into our lives we where married 10 months and 15 days. In total honesty, I was a little put out about it all. I wasn't going to be one of those mom's that stayed home and got bored all the time doing nothing but watching kids. I was going to work and have a life. That was until April 30 midnight when the nurse came into check his vital signs. I got up to go into the bathroom and I herd the nurse swear. I can still hear and see it all clear today "Damn it, Damn it" as she hit him with the palm of her hand on his tiny back......then throwing him into the cradle, his feet flopping up into the air and then down......she took my baby in the cradle and ran out of the room. I ran into the bathroom and watched it all through the crack I left in the door..............I then heard "Code Red, Code Red" not knowing what else to do I stayed where I was..... hiding........hoping it was not for him.

By the time I came out an hour must have gone by...........the hospital floor was quite.......I went out to the nurses’ desk asking where he was.........for we still had not named him yet. The nurse was so smart that night in her thinking.........she said and I remember it so well..........."Oh! He is just the prettiest baby we have seen and all the nurses are taking turns holding him.........They just want to keep him for a while."..........."Oh .......Okay" I said.........She told me to get some rest........She knew he was my first baby and I was young.....I bought it..........I went into the room and I called Mark to tell him what was going on. I told him what the nurse said..... He said okay.......try to get some rest...........so I did. The next morning I was up early and ready for my new son...........The doctor came in and told me there where problems..........."He" had to be revived twice that night.........."He" was being transferred to another hospital right away. "He" had been baptized because the hospital saw I wrote Catholic in the religion box............and "He" may not make it............What?

"He" stayed in the hospital for 10 more days.......... We brought him home with a heart and lung monitor and medication that had to be given to him 9 times a day. We where not allowed to leave the hospital without CPR lessons and anyone that would care for this child had to know CPR ...........We were scared to death of this tiny little baby. We had named him Matthew Joseph............and he stole our hearts.

We were told we should hold him for at least 30 minutes after every meal.........I never put him down.......We were told how to give him his medication.......I never missed a dose.........We took him to a Doctor in Charleston, SC who told me , Matthew would surely die and there was nothing I could do.......... We took him to another doctor.

At four weeks old we where back in the hospital for an ear infection.........Mark looked at me and asked if I quit my job and was I going to stay home with him.............I said, Yes......and it was done.........I never looked back. We never looked back.

Now, I look at that time with him and I think........What a Blessing..........I could have missed so much if I went back to work...........If I wasn't so scared........If I trusted just anyone to give him his medication.......or just to hold him......I could have missed it all.

Now he will be 17 April 30 and I am so happy God sent us a reflux baby.

Fashion Sense

Remeber when you could wear anything and it looked good on you?

NO? Me either.

Humph!!

She is laughing now..........But, how about in 30+ years?

Need Inspiration?

There are some days I really just don't want to workout. I can come up with a million and one excuses of why I can't or why I shouldn't; There is always the kids. I like the martial arts and I don't have a punching bag. I LOVE! the old it is raining excuse. I have to clean the house. School is too hectic...........you get the idea.

But then there are these simple facts; I love the way I feel when everything on my body does not feel fat! I hate! tight clothes. When I have to buy larger clothing I take it really hard....... Exercise gives me energy. I eat better. It is good for my heart, head and my family if I get a workout in.

AND

The biggest fact of all!

My Father! Or sometimes known as my GUILT!

This is the gym my dad has worked out in for decades. It is his gym. It is our gym. It is a room off the side of his house that he has turned into a place of fitness. In this room we could spend time with him; doing sit ups, jumping rope, get on the rowing machine he use to have or simply do an aerobics tape. I remember many nights going out for a run with my dad and then going into this room to have a sit up competition or watch him do his push ups with his toes placed high on a stool he made to get the job done.

See the punching bag?

We had great times in this room.

AND

We still do.

Even though he now has NON smokers lung cancer (found in the late stages in 2005) and he has been getting heavy doses of Chemo treatments for almost 4 years now; He still finds the energy and mental strength to exercise in this room. Some days he does more then most his age. Some days he may not be able to do much at all. Some days he may just do sit ups in bed. There are times he may go out to this gym and try something but he may turn around after 10 minutes or less in exhaustion. BUT! Even though he may not have felt good that day, you can bet sit ups where tried, a little walking may have been done.....or even some type of leg lifts......... something in the form of an exercise was approached.

Even through all this ...........He is always thinking of others. He wants us all to be healthy and even though we can all come up with very good excuses of why we shouldn't workout and we can all take care of our own needs........well.........mostly. He wants to take away all the obstacles and keep us all healthy.

For his 56 wedding anniversary he bought my mother a treadmill and an exercises bike to go in this room. My mother saw this gift of love for what it really was............He was saying to her; "Hey, I am going to make it and I want you around with me. So let's get to work." It seems there are no more excuses of why some type of exercise can't be done by the healthy people around him........He will often say...........You can only workout early in the morning......."Come on over. Workout in the gym."............You can't sleep and feel like hitting the bag?........"Come on over."........It's raining and you want to run?........"Come on over........No one will hear you. No one will see you......just come."

I find it all very loving..........No, because of the cancer, chemo and radiation treatments he is not what he use to be in terms of physical fitness..........I personally don't even think that matters.

To me ~ He is more of an inspiration these days then ever. If you ask me, he should be the Nike Poster Boy of the decade. He just does it........ Even if it is not what he wants it be...........He does it.

We should all take a lesson from this.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He gave me my love for physical fitness.

AND

My mother gave me my love for chocolate cake.

See, there is a balance. I guess that is why the marriage has lasted for 56 years.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

With these thoughts out there..........I really need to get it together and just do it. No more excuses!

Over Protective…Right or Wrong?

Why is it in our society that Mother’s are criticized when they are over protective?

My cousin has brought up this very same question on her blog……..http://www.theamazingtrips.com/ She made a decision about guns and her children and now it seems she feels the need to defend her “over protectiveness”. This got me thinking……….What’s wrong here? What happened? I, for one, am the NUMBER one over protective mother and I will not apologize for this. I am often criticized for the protective decisions I have made and make. For example; I not only home school, spend the night rarely happens in this house, we have never had a Bratz doll and I do not allow certain clothing for Barbie. After shopping for dolls one year for Christmas I made a conscious decision to buy only American Girl Dolls for Kathryn. These dolls are all clothed according to time periods; they come with history books and moral lessons. And again more protectiveness on my part; I will not leave my 2 year old daughter home alone with her soon to be (gasp, gulp and sigh) 17 year old brother.

My son is very capable of baby sitting………However, I don’t want him too. I don’t want him to have to change her diaper. I do not want him to have to give her a bath. This is not because I don’t trust my son…..I do….I trust him very much…this decision was made simply because; I do not want to put him and my very young daughter in a position that he or she should not be in. In my eyes, things happen in the best of families. I want to do my best to keep these things from happening. I see this as protecting both parties. I do not want her comfortable around the boys without clothes on and vice versa. None of my older children have ever changed the diaper of their little sister. None of them have even given her a bath. I never leave more then 2 kids home alone at a time. I look it all as I am their mother, they are the siblings. They do help but it is our job, as the parents, to do most of the work raising Mary Elizabeth. As I have been struggling to get back to sleep tonight I watched a little TV. I watched a few minutes of Moray or one of those shows. It was about whose child is this or I’m not the dad or something stupid like that. I found myself deeply saddened ……looking at the beautiful innocent faces while the father of the children called their mother terrible names. Saying he was not the father, they don’t look like him or act like him and on and on……….Well, he was. As I turned the TV off I saw him saying to the mother of his children “I’m sorry baby.” WHAT? I was so sad for these children. Who is protecting the innocent? Who’s watching the store? Why has our culture come to except such behavior and even worse find it all entertaining? This made me think of another experience I had today; I had the chance to see a mare and her new born foal. As my mother, daughters and I walked closer, the mother became nerves……she became over protective. She walked her baby behind the barn out of our site where she felt her baby was safe. She didn’t like us being there. She didn’t like me taking pictures. Maybe she didn’t like the language……..Who knows. She nervously took her baby out of the situation. Just like a good mother should. Why do “we” find the need to apologize if one parent wants to home school and the other one does not like guns? Why are we all so offended because other GREAT mothers don’t like that show or they really worry if their kids are playing with those kids or like me are anti-spend the nighters, very picky about my daughters clothing, watch very carefully who any of my children find themselves friends with, and scared to death of my teenager driver? Why do we have to expose and throw them to the wolf because “they are going to see it one day anyway?” When has everything in our society become okay? I am often called a prude, over protective, and laughed at for being the way I am…………I really don’t care. My thoughts are more along the line of this Mare………..protect and shelter……..and don’t apologize. I just think it is our job as parents.

I Married MacGyver

Last weekend Mark informed me there was something wrong with his van. He told me he had to spend Easter Sunday working on it to make sure it was ready for work Monday morning.

Not a big deal ........He can fix it.

He really can fix anything. He can just fix anything, really.

So IT began

My first thought was "BUMMER". He will spend all of Easter Sunday under a hood.

As he said, It was okay. He will fix it by dinner.

The kids and I went to my parents and we had a very nice time watching Stephen hide the Easter eggs way out of the younger children's reach. The kids played, found the eggs, came up with very inventive ways to get the eggs down, dinner came and went but there was NO Mark.

When I called him to ask him how things were going. He said, Fine, I just have more of a mess then I thought.......I said Oh, Okay see you when we get home..........knowing by tomorrow every thing would be okay. Because, he really can fix anything.

At 11:00 PM came Mark come in the house greasier then I have ever seen him before. I asked him how the problem was.......I just knew everything was okay....and I have learned at times like these it is always best to only ask questions you only know the answer too........Right?

As I stood there smiling, He stunned me with "NO! It's not fixed......I told you I have more problems then I thought."

WHAT?????

OH!

Huuu? He still has not fixed the problem.........Now what do I do?

My mind went blank....... I thought to myself, "SELF?? How could this be? He always fixes the problem.?.?"

Oh! No! Now, this is a CONunDRUM!

He tells me not to worry........He'll have to take care of it tomorrow.

Tomorrow?!?

We have customers waiting. How can he fix it tomorrow?

{Just so you know; We are self-employed and if anyone hasn't heard yet........They are saying jobs are scarce everywhere .......especially in the housing sector. They are also saying the economy is bad........and let me tell you...........It IS!!}

But, I don't panic.........I'm just good like that....................Okay, I don't panic too much .........Well, just between us, I panicked where he could not see me.

Monday Morning

Mark gets up and heads out to work on the van. He comes in and says he "thinks" he has fixed problem one. But, now there is another problem.

WHAT? Another problem? What do you mean another problem?

He says "Now the alternator is down."

Down? What do you mean down? ...........He says, like I have to buy a new one.

And then he says, "But don't worry I think I can fix it."

Of course he can fix it. He can fix anything. He really can fix just anything.

He does a little of this and a little of that.............He runs the alternator down to a friends garage for a wrench for some reason we don't have. He comes home, works on the thing some more. He sprinkles a little magic dust on the part. I see bubble gum and duct tape and then he tells me...............That it should work and everything will be fine.

Yay! Of course it will be fine........Why wouldn't it be?.......We lost a job or two today but tomorrow will be better and then everything will be fine.

Everything will be just fine.........RIGHT????

Well................. Mark comes into the house again and tells me the part that he was tightening broke off in his hands. "OH! That can't be good." I say. "What are you going to do?" He tells me he will see how much the new part will be and where he can find it.......... Then, he will put it back on..........He tells me he should get the thing up and running by the morning.

He goes to the computer. He searches and then says to me, "the part we need is over $1,000.00".....................$1,000.00??? are you kidding?????? He says apparently, this is a common problem with this type of car......... I really don't remember anything else he could have said................Because, that is when 'THE" headache started.

He tells me everything will be okay and not to worry. He is going to see if he can make the part...................

Well......... He can fix it. He really can fix anything........

I will be okay.

I worked with the kids in school........I did a little of this and a little of that.....I tried to work on a story for the blog.....hit the publish button by mistake..........burned dinner, went back to the computer looking for something to distract me, saw I had two comments on the new story.............. THOUGHT "OH NO! I'm so embarrassed what did I do?" .........I fixed what I could............tried to understand Matthew,s Physics.

AND

The headache grew worse!

Mark comes back in and says.........."NOW! I have to think about this one."

Think about it? How long? What do you mean 'think' about it?

Then, I have to ask the questions all good secretaries have to ask………..I ask him if he thinks he will be able to get it done by the morning or should I call the people that are waiting for him and cancel for tomorrow?

He says "CANCEL!"

Yicks!!!!!!

I do it ~ One lady says that's okay she understands. Yay! Nice lady! One down…One to go......The other lady says, she will call someone else and hangs up mad......GREAT!! Stupid woman!

Tuesday Morning

Mark gets up and heads out to the garage.....He comes in and tells me he has to go out and see if he can find the parts to make the part he needs.................He is gone most of the morning. My headache is a little better but it is still there…….I am still thinking......Oh No! I hope he can get this done before tomorrow.

Nothing like a supportive wife and little pressure, huh?

He comes home around noon. I hear banging in the garage and see a little magic dust, bubble gum and duct tape.............and then...........

TADAAA........... The VAN works! Better then it did before.

Of course it works!...........I wasn't worried...........Where you?

My Dirty House

You know, It just doesn't seem like I have a chance in getting this place clean.

Never mind these facts; We school at home and there is someone home most of the time. We live in the South and we fight red clay, ALL the time. We are self employed and we use our home as our office. We have 2 crazy dogs running in and out of the house any chance they get looking for love. We have a rock sidewalk and a gravel drive way...........things get sandy, messy and really hard to keep up with.

BUT! Believe it or not those are not my biggest problem with dirt and grime.

There are hand prints EVERY WHERE! Yes, everywhere................I naturally, have hand prints in toddler sizes where Liz has rubbed her hands down the hall wall as she balances herself............There is also the writing on everything stage that she is in. If I am not paying close attention to her she will scribble on walls, furniture, books or just about anything she can find.

There are the little shoes running in and out of the house bringing in red clay, dirt and sand.

If she runs through the house with her shoes on it really does not matter much …….With a broom and a little scrub everything comes off easy.

AND

THEN THERE IS........

This GUY!!!!!!!

Nobody is more lovable then he is..............

BUT!

What a messy guy!

In his 14 year old style, as he races down the stair way he will grab on to the balcony stairs, swing and then jump into the down stairs hall..........As he amble down the hall into the kitchen he reaches up with ease and touches the low decorative part of the ceiling.

Then there is THIS………

These are HIS shoes........They are a size 15 and they are tight.

He is rough on the house, his clothes and his shoes..........

I realize some kids are just messy but this kid…………

has dirt everywhere……..As he walks down the hallway it is not unusual for him to rub his hands down the crown molding. Yes, You read that right. I said the crown molding.

Sometimes when I get the house clean I really just want to keep him out for a little while.....BUT THEN I figure I should let him in................He is good to me and even though he is messy he is my biggest helper. He knows when I need a hug, a laugh or even a piece of fudge. He is my diamond in the rough.

AND, I love him.

GEEE! I really don’t have a chance keeping this place clean.

DO I?

And Now She Says Everything!

Now that Mary Elizabeth is 2 years 9 months she just says everything, CLEARLY. She understands everything......and she is just so darn smart it is amazing to me. She knows all her colors. She can count to 14 and she recognizes letters as we travel down the road. It is not unusual for her to see an E and rejoice "Oh, Mommy, Mommy look an E". For months people would ask me when is she going to talk. For a very long time she would not say anything.

Well, She would not say words............She would more or less glare at people.

Let me clarify; it was more then that. This was a judgmental glair. If someone wanted to talk to her and she didn't know them or maybe just didn't like them.........she would look at their face and without moving her head her eyes would travel slowly as she took it all in, from their face to their clothing, right to their shoes and then back up again.

It was is if she was saying "Your wearing that?" With those shoes?" "WOW!"

It was really strange at how uncomfortable everyone including me became. I would laugh my uneasy, embarrassed laugh and the checkout lady or her grandmother, or even my very own sister would say "Wow, I feel like I should not have worn this today." Now, If she really liked you, she would only say things she was sure she could say........like "Mommy", "Nana" "M" and "up". When I would tell her to say down ...............she would say "up". As a matter of fact when I told her to say anything she didn't want to say she would say "up". She called Kathyrn "Y-O" . She would call the boys and to much of Marks displeasure........."Hey"

I remember one night Mark saying to me with alarm........"LISA! She is calling me Hey!" I couldn't help but laugh........Hey! It was funny. It was....... and............. still is........... To me. These days she seems to know everything and she says everything: She understands when her Grandpa is sick and we can't go to "Her" Nana's house to see them. She will say very sympathetically "Oh, Poor Ve-pa. He has chemo." When I am not listening to her and she is calling me she will say......."Mommy Lisa, Please listen." This always gets my attention.

She says "please and thank you" and too much of Mark's delight, when he come home at night she claps and says, "Yay, Daddy's home."

Recently one morning she woke up saying "I just love it when my nana takes me to see the monkeys."....my mother had told her Sunday on Tuesday she would take her to see the monkeys. It was Tuesday and she just knew it was time to see the monkeys with Nana.....

So they went.

What do you wear to the Zoo?

I only have 1 hour

It has been a busy week running here and there and everywhere. There is so much to do with school and all the end of the year "outside" programs that we are involved in. Debate is ending this weekend.........THANK GOD! There is so much to do when it comes to debate. We do it because it is a GREAT class and Matthew learns so much from it. It is a political science, economic, history and debate class rolled into one......There is always a tremendous amount of learning going on for everyone; from the debaters, to the parent judges, and the sibling timers. It really is amazing. You can't walk out of one of these debates without saying........hhhhhuuuuuu.....What did he say?

If you home school get your high school students into one of these classes and make them go. Take them kicking and screaming if you have too. It really is worth it. You will feel dumber then you ever have in your life but I tell you, they will learn so much.This program is called the National Forensic League of Debaters, it is all over the county and a remarkable class.

Next year it is Stephen's turn to start......I will be dragging, my by then 15 year old 6 ft 4 in., son all the way to get him there, but he will go.

He will be mad as anything. He will fight every Wednesday. I don't care. I will sit in the class with him if I have too. If there is one thing I am it is determined and tough. (okay that's two things).......... I believe in this class that much. We will get the job done and he will be the better for it.

Tomorrow we have a big debate tournament..........It will be all day from 8 to 8. And then, I think it is over, for this year. I hope!

I did not come here tonight to talk about debate and school.

I came to talk about working out and feeling frustrated.

I am trying to workout HARD again. Like I use too. I am trying to do a lot of things.......just for an hour. Unless that hour is in the middle of the night, it goes by so fast and it is so hard to get anything done.

You would think all I have to do is get ready and go.

Not so easy! I find getting out and staying focused very hard. There are always obstacles............such as kids, the phone or people I know stopping to say hello. I try to get up very early to get a workout in but sometimes Mary Elizabeth is up so much at night I can't move in the morning. Some nights, I wake up and find her curled up in the middle of my back.....I think how did she get in here? Then I remember...... I let her in........I know.....but we get so tired. We just roll over, pull her in......and hope for to get back to sleep.

Those are the days I try to fit a workout in after school with the kids or even sometimes at the end of the day.

When this happens:

I have to take my phone in case it rings with work for our business. I have to handle the calls and it does not matter where I am. I have to be ready to take down all the important information needed. I am the secretary in this operation and this is my job. Working out or not. Then there is always the friendly neighbor or passer bye that wants to stop me to say, "Hello". How are you? And "What are you doing out on the road?" "How far do you go?" I tell them, " I set my timer for an hour........that is all the time I can give myself." I want to tell them........"GEEE?? I really need to get going.....your holding me up.......don't you see I'm trying to get a workout in? What's wrong with you?" Then there are my kids; I don't care what time of day it is they want to come...........Yes! It is great! They want to be with me and I am "so happy". How many 16, 14 and 12 year old kids do you know that want to hang out with their mom? As Liz says "I'm so happy"........ well....... kind of. But, not so much when I want to workout. I have always taken my kids with me any were I go from the time they where very little. When I played at the Karate School, we took classes together. I also helped teach their classes. I was always there with them, they where always there with me. Now things are different, they are older and we are not at Karate right now. We as a family are running.........or trying to run. I try to get the kids out with me and make it a thing we can all do together. Maybe it is home school........I don't know. But sometimes, I just want a little space.....to run and listen to something on an I-pod....(not even mine or my music..... I wouldn't even know what to listen to if I had my own.) I just want to listen to what my kids have on their I pods and run........there have been a few times I would come home and tell my son to take this song off and I will ask him, do you really want this in your life? Stephen goes great guns in the beginning. But, then I find myself slowing "up" to drag him along. I don't want to do this.........I really just want to go. There is Elizabeth. She wants to run too. When I put her in the stroller she tries to climb out. She wants to walk. She tells me she is big now. She is 2.5. When I have her in the stroller, I worry about cars coming to close to us. I worry about having to get out of the way while the cars go rushing by. Now, I have put her in a back pack.........I'm caring 28 pounds on my back just so I can get a decent workout in...........people are telling me..........Oh! you shouldn't do that..........you will hurt this or that........But......... If your a mother then you know......these are the things we have to do. Like today, I got up early to run........by myself..........my 12 year old heard me up and around. She came down to see what I was up so early to do.....and asked me if I was going running. I told her I was and asked her if she wanted to go. She told me that is why she got up so early. GRRREAT! I thought. We started easy. I wanted to keep it kind of light.........she is only 12. BUT! I go for one hour and then I come home. She knows that. Ten minutes goes by, she says......."How long has it been? Oh, 10 minutes? It seems longer." I tell her, we can turn back and I will be happy to let her go in and wait until everyone wakes up but just be quite. Start reading your book for school. She says "No.....I'll stay." We run some more...........then start walking..........ugggggggg! I only have an hour I think to myself. We run...........she complains about her.....foot, ankle, knee, shins, elbow, nose, finger, eyelashes......we walk.......ugggg! I asked her again..........do you want to turn around and then I can finish myself.........NO! This goes on for the full hour. I say things like........are you in pain? NO. Is it an ache? NO. Do we need to go home? NO. NO. NO. NO. UUUGGGG! I only have an hour to get this done........... The hour ends.........we walk towards the house. Thinking ~ Boy that was not what I wanted today......we start to go in. As we get to the door She stops me, gives me a hug and says "THANKS MOM, I Really love going running with you." GEEEE! Now I feel bad.............It is only an hour............ For her, I should have a life time. I have to learn to stop and realize my time with her is only for a short while and most of all...........It is only a run. . One day I will have more then an hour to do whatever I want. I must remember not to rush things so much. Take my time and enjoy my hour run with my daughter.

"Not Me Monday" @ 90 degrees

Not me Monday on a Tuesday: Really this is okay. First of all ,this is my blog and if I get to a "Not me Monday" on a Friday then, so what? I will not, however, get to Not Me Monday on a Sunday ~ I am never that far ahead............I'm always days behind. Second and best of all, this is a "Not Margaret Monday" and was just too funny not to post.

Sorry Sis! But, I had to! Here goes: Margaret did NOT see me walking Sunday afternoon with Kathryn and Elizabeth in a back pack. She did NOT try to stop to see if we were okay..........(Yes! We were having a very happy time.) But, she couldn't stop because a car was coming our way. She did NOT travel down the road out of site and didn't come back. I waited, gave her a call.............She did NOT answer saying "Oh! Sorry! Oh Gee! I'll call you back. Every thing is okay." I then see her Night in Shinning Armor drive past with a wave and a look of distress. I continued walking, not knowing; as she turned around to check on me, just like a good Samaritan would, she did NOT roll off the road and did NOT roll right into a ditch. Yes, Everything was fine and dandy! She was NOT at a 90 degree angle and did not notice right away something was a miss. She did NOT have to have 3 grown men sit on the back of her trunk to hold the car down at ground level while she tried to back the car out! It was just luck a neighbor had a tractor for the job. Her son was NOT very shaken and he did NOT tell me later, "My mom is a good driver. But, she is a better crasher." He did NOT decide to drive home safely with his dad.

To our amazement the car did not have a scratch on it and the people where fine.......Well, Alex might not be. But...........there is time and therapy he will get over it. AND! Margaret did NOT film this video. She would have held the camera straight rather then at a 90 degree angel. When we tried to fix the video we could not........It has come to our attention a video cannot be flipped like a picture.

This is a video of my brother,George, pushing a boat across a field into a pit of fire. He bought the boat a few years ago. He wanted to fix it up and then take it sailing. He could not work on the boat to make it sea worthy because he broke his leg badly shortly after his purchase.

The leg healed. The boat, however, did not!

Is this what happens when your "Ship comes in and your at the Airport?"

Really, if you hold your head at a 90 degree angel you can't even tell.

Prayers for Stallen

I put this new button on my blog and I am quite proud of myself. I am getting the hang of this "Layout" and "blog" thing. Now it is time for serious talk: The button comes from the "Not me Monday" button or pin. I am not really sure what they call it in the blog world. For those that don't know, click on the button. That will take you to the site this story is on. There you can read the full story about this child and put this special button on your own blog. I put the "Not me Monday" button on weeks ago. I have had lots of fun playing with the "NMM" and have not looked back until the other day; Now, I find this family in under more stress I can ever imagine. They have a 5 month old child that has a heart condition and is not doing well. It really makes me think of how truly blessed we are to just have the "little troubles" we have in our lives. Let me tell you we have been through some rough times with my father's illness, Mark's father's death, lay off after lay off, under employment and that is just the fun stuff. But, This.........This is huge. If you pray, pray for this family and this child. If you don't pray but do other things then do them. (I can't even imagine what it could be)......but...Do it....Do it for this family....... This baby is only 5 months.

It was for the kids

A few Saturdays ago, I got to take Elizabeth to a Character Breakfast. A good friend invited me to go with her and her children. We had a great time..............and....... I think the kids did too.

The girls were not really sure of what to think about it all.

But, they loved the pancakes and balloons that decorated the Hall.

We saw lots of characters like Dorothy and the Tin Man AND

This guy.............Who ever he is.

The best part was the party on wheels.

AND just hanging out with my friend.....

I mean for Elizabeth to hang out with her friends........

Yeah, the best part for the kids,

was to hang out with their friends....

That's right........

it was for the kids.

Remember that Melissa.........It was for the "Kids."

Oprah Said

Oprah Said, "Throw out your scale"..............I did this after I had my fourth child. Yes, I threw out my scale................Oprah told me the scale was not my friend and people do better with their weight when they go by the feel of their clothes and not the numbers on a scale. WELL! I think Oprah is wrong! 2 years later I bought a new scale and WOW!! are those numbers high! Okay! I will admit it...........It was not just Oprah that told me to get rid of the scale. I told a friend of mine that I was weighing my clothes before I put them on, then I would then put them on and then weigh myself again. AND......then every time I went by the scale.............I would get on it again and again and look. Maybe I dropped a pound by not eating that cake............ Hey, it could happen. Okay, I know....... You don't have to tell me..........My son already did....... It is all a "little" Obsessive Compulsive............I know...... When I told a friend of mine all this........ She said, "Lisa, throw out your scale." "It is making you crazy." then I heard Oprah say it and I thought well this must be right. Oprah knows about weight, being a woman and who better to listen too.............and my friend said it too. BUT! Once again, I should have listen to my dad.............When I told him I threw out my scale...........he said "WHAT!! Throw out your scale..............How will you know how much you weigh?" "That is a terrible idea."......I told him what I was doing with it and he really didn't see much wrong with that type of behavior............Thinking he didn't know much about being an expectant mother, having a baby, or being a woman.............I threw it out. 2 years later......I feel fatter then I have ever felt in my life! (Excluding pregnancies of course. ) My clothes fit me fine...........they are a size larger then I am use too.......... but, hey they fit me fine..... Then again............ I can't stand the way I feel in them............ So, I went out and bought a scale. The good news is ~ THE VERY LARGE NUMBERS DID NOT THROW ME OFF! I kind of knew what I weighed. To my surprise, I was off 5 pounds...........in my favor. YAY! So now, I am back to reality...............and weighing myself 4 - 5 - okay 6 times a day. I know it is a little Obsessive Compulsive.........but, I really did have to know! I still have my smaller clothes waiting for me............calling me...........saying....."Lisa, we miss you!" 'Come back" I miss them too! When I told another friend about all this the other day, she laughed and said "Your nuts, I love you anyway AND Oprah needs to buy a scale too!" She is a good friend. AND I don't listen to Oprah anymore. I think I am going to move the scale into the kitchen by the chocolate chips. They call me too.

Kathryn's 12th Birthday Week

This is Kathryn's Birthday Week:

Kathryn at Grandma's.... Day 1

One year many years ago, Mark started a tradition in our house; We have "Birthday Weeks" instead of just the one day of birthday cake and presents. It all started with me one year when Mark gave me a birthday present. This present happened to be the exact same present he gave me the year before, a beautiful pair of earrings. When Kathryn , who was 7 years old at the time, saw that the earrings in the new box where the exact same earrings I had on, cried. Like a good daughter, she was very worried about me not getting a proper birthday gift. At the time, we thought it was all very cute and funny. We calmed Kathryn down and let her know it would all be okay. I handed the gift back to my embarrassed husband and told Kathryn she would have to go with her dad to the store and help him out. She then started to cry again. She was not only worried about me not getting a proper birthday present, she was worried about me not getting one on time. Like any mother would, I told her it was okay because "I would be accepting presents all week" and as she could see, her dad really needed her help. That was the year it started...................everyday for a week Mark brought something special home for my "birthday week".

It really was all very wonderful! Now that years have pasted and things have changed this is one tradition we try very hard to keep.

March 23, started off with a"Birthday Breakfast" of muffins and a candle.

Sam came by with presents!

"M" gave a beautiful picture for Kathryn's room we are redecorating.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In the afternoon, we had a cookie cake with Nana, Grandpa and Nana and Grandpa's neighbors......the boys next door........... Sadly I forgot my camera and I do not have any pictures of that.

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There was also the lunch and dinner with a very tired Daddy.....

More presents! and a Home Made Cake

Do you think it looks anything like my cousin Ann's in simplysweeter.blogspot.com

check it out and let me know..........I think it does.......well.........maybe a little. The home made part at least........

I think Kathryn had a nice couple of days...............for the rest of the week we will be repainting her room and getting it ready for the up and coming "Teen years".

Should be exciting! I hope!