Pondering

“Follow your dreams and transform your life“
~ Paulo Coelho

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing you all a happy and full bellied holiday...

Movie

We took the whole family to see the new release: Bolt! What a great movie and afterwards the boys came up with their top ten for the year [who cares about what comes in December] and in no particular order:
Bolt,
Wall E,
Kung Fu Panda,
Journey to the Center of the Earth,
Star Wars: The Clone War [not as good as the Cartoon Network version by creator Genndy Tartakovsky from Samurai Jack],
Horton Hears a Who [Cyrus is such a HUGE Dr. Suess fan],
VeggieTales: The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything,
Narnia: Prince Caspian,
Nim's Island [we didn't see it in the theatre but bears mentioning here],
Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium [which was released in 2007 but we didn't see it until 2008].

I have to mention that I loved Penelope and the kids liked it enough but it wouldn't make their list but I would recommend it to my readers.

Quote

Criticism, like rain, should be gentle enough to nourish a man's growth without destroying his roots.


-- Frank A. Clark

What are you doing for Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving is less than a week away, Solomon is done with school for Thanksgiving break, and I am not cooking this year. We'll be travelling Thanksgiving day [with many stops at Starbucks along the way as Starbucks is giving out free Signature Hot Chocolate on Thanksgiving Day!] to the Seattle area to break bread at Dan's friend, C and his wife E's new house. C's birthday is the day before Thanksgiving so Happy Birthday! Dan is working the Wednesday which is why we're travelling on Thanksgiving but we should be there around 2pm- just in time. We'll head back home after, what I am sure to be a wonderful visit, on Saturday. Back to our regular programming.

Update on house hunting

The first offer didn't go through so we expanded our search to include the other side of the river in Portland. We found the absolute perfect house. We'll be putting in a second offer on a foreclosed home so hopefully the bank will accept us. The house is so perfect- we'll never have to move again and even Dan loves the house which has never happened before...

Food

I was thinking about blogging and how my devotion to food really should have its own blog so I have started a food blog: Fluttering In the Kitchen which is where I'll be posting my weekly menus, favorite recipes and cookbooks, food blogs that I follow, and anything else related to food/eating. It also gives me an opportunity to do a blog with Wordpress which I love.
Hope to see some of my readers over there especially as I continue to add entries to my food blog.

House hunting

Dan got pre-approved and we started house hunting. Went to a couple of houses yesterday and we all really liked the last one. We're making an offer. So if you could send your prayers, rub the rabbit foot, wish us well- we would appreciate it.
I'll keep you all updated as we find out anything. Picture above is not the actual house.

The fellow that owns his own home is always just coming out of a hardware store. ~Frank McKinney Hubbard

Veteran's Day

"We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night
to visit violence on those who would do us harm." ~ Orwell

Veterans Day
by Roger W Hancock


We honor you, who fought for us,
for country’s sake of freedom’s plight.
You kept the greatest country great,
by sacrifice of you who served.


Honor to military, soldiers served.
There seems no risk in peace to serve.
When war breaks the silent peace,
no peace when security cease.


Sacrifice of civilian life,
careers succumb to enlist, or draft.
Families wait in fear, in prayer,
for loved ones return alive, not dead.


Returned Heroes and those deceased,
we honor, thank, though insufficient.
Parades, programs, our pride convey,
we honor you on Veterans Day.

© 12-28-2001 Roger W Hancock www.PoetPatriot.com

Respect Owed
by Roger W Hancock

This liberty that I enjoy,
granted not be taken.
The liberty that I enjoy,
I owe to those who paid.

The privilege that I enjoy,
its cost was paid by blood,
Those who fought for free,
now lost, will never see.

Their loss is my gain,
respect is surely owed.
Liberty of rights,
are sealed within their death.

I will not burn the flag,
the veteran I will not spat.
I owe to those who paid the cost,
and respect the waving flag.

I am not a veteran,
I have never served.
I owe to those who gave their lives,
that I be free this day.

(c) copyright April 28, 2005 Roger W Hancock www.PoetPatriot.com

Thank you.

Election Day

I voted 3 weeks ago with an absentee ballot but today marks the end of those mail box stuffers full of political ads and the political television ads should go away as I need to be reminded about the other products/service that I don't need or want.

Dan will be trying for his Free "I Voted" coffee from Starbucks while working tonight. [He already voted 2 days after me.]

Won't be watching the news, I'll wait until I see the newspaper headlines.

This was pretty much my first time voting absentee as I always went to a polling place before and I have to admit that I like it. It was extremely helpful to check out information/people on the internet to be a little bit more informed about the issues and people as I was voting.

Wishing the very best for our country and its communities!

Love must be learned again and again... Hate needs no instruction, but waits only to be provoked.


-- Katherine Anne Porter

TV because it is that important

Anyone finding this fall season of television shows well, a little lacking?... Even shows that I enjoyed before like Heroes, Unit, and Boston Legal fell flat... After the departure of Gilmore Girls- I was really rooting for Kath and Kim and well not one I can watch week after week.


I am in LOVE with Life on NBC! The first season is out on dvd if you want to catch up on this great gem on television. The show started after Heroes [until that new My Own Worst Enemy started- which isn't very good btw] and Fridays at 10pm but this little momma doesn't always have the ability to stay up that late [very different from the night creature that I was for years...] and wasn't able to catch it as often as I would like until some very good news came my way. Life has been moved to Wednesdays at 9pm which rocks because I can stay up for it and catch it every week! Check it out if you find this season a little lacking...

2. NCIS is on Tuesdays at 8pm on CBS and WAYYYY better [much cleaner and funnier than other CIS shows]. Although it was on Friday at 9pm last week and this week which contradicts with #3 but my loyalty is listed top favorite to least favorite...
3. Supernanny on 9pm on Fridays on ABC because I feel so much better about how I am doing as a mom...

So Dan and I are thinking of getting cable to expand our horizons and have many options available for our viewing pleasure. But our budget is limited so our home phone will be disconnected November 4th to free up $25 for cable [our priorities] and also giving up our Netflix membership as our library system has an incredible collection of dvds to rent.

Answer questions about scheduling

Monday- Solomon is in school all day; I have my babysitting gig with a 2.5 year old boy; and Dan goes to work in the afternoon. Cyrus gets to hang out with me.

Tuesday- The boys and I eat breakfast at school [they serve their favorite breakfast item- the ham or sasuage with cheese in a biscuit] then Solomon has school until 2:15pm; 9-11:30am I work in the Nursery and Cyrus is with me; and Dan goes to work in the afternoon.

Wednesday- Solomon in school; Cryus has his baseball skills class; both boys go to work with me 5:30-7:30pm and sometimes I have a MOPS meeting at the church 6:45-8:30pm; and Dan goes to work in the afternoon.

Thursday- Solomon goes to school and I volunteer in the classroom while Cyrus is home with Dad; I'll be doing the cleaning at the nursery while Dan picks up Solomon and hangs out with both boys as it is his day off. Unless Dan has drill that weekend then I move the nursery cleaning to Saturday.

Friday- Solomon is in school; every other Friday morning Cyrus and I have MOPS; and Dan has the day off unless he has drill.

Saturday- We do whatever we like and Dan has the day off unless he has drill.

Sunday- I work in the nursery and the boys go to Sunday school; we have a family lunch and then Dan goes to work.

I am considering adding fencing lessons for Solomon Tuesdays 5:30-6:30pm and Wednesdays 4-5pm.

New schedule...

Happy November!

We have a couple of changes in our family with regards to scheduling and I thought I would share them with you.
Dan is working a new schedule that we are liking so far. Sun-Wed 3pm to 1am- the lucky dog doesn't have to put boys to bed just to wind down. I will be able to volunteer in Solomon's classroom as younger [even well behaved] siblings are not allowed in the classroom. Even though the schedule looks pretty bad at first glance- we're seeing more of him around and that makes us a happier family.
Cyrus is no longer attending preschool. The kid is genius and genuinely interested in learning that he doesn't really need the Pre-K program to get ready for Kindergarten in the way that Solomon needed that extra help. We're also starting our search to buy a home [yes even in the economic crisis that is around us all] and any extra money will help our family acheive that dream. I get to acheive my own dream of homeschooling for a little while and I am quite giddy about that. I get a better schedule as I am not dropping off, lunch, dropping off, try to accomplish something in a tiny space of time, picking up, one on one time and then try to accomplish something else before time to pick up again... Day in and day out. Cyrus's last day was Halloween and he is feeling good about it so far and is very excited about going to the same school as Solomon next year. Oh the schedule has my sleepier kid [Cyrus always wanted/needed more sleep than Solomon] going back to two naps a week which I am so sure he'll enjoy.
Solomon has adjusted pretty well to Kindergarten by now. He just finished soccer [he got better as the weeks went on and even scored a goal in the last two games!] and is considering what extra curricular activity to do next. He enjoyed soccer enough to want to be on a team for the Spring Season which I am relieved because kid soccer shoes are expensive so might as well try to get the most usage for your money's worth.
Me? I'll tell you in the next post what has happened with my schedule other than I revolve happily around my family's schedule and gain a little more hours at work...

My promotion!

I have been working in a church's nursery caring for young children for almost two years now when I applied and got a promotion. With a little pay raise which is always nice especially when I really like my job, I got an awesome new job title:
Assistant Director of the Nursery!
Doesn't that look pretty on my resume?!

Makes me happy.

Come back...

I am so sorry my dear readers that I have NOT been posting. Much has happened and while I have been under with a cold that isn't horrible as in snot streaming out of my nose kind of way but occasionally difficult to breath, throat is kind of scratchy, and so very tired, tired, tired!
Out went my cleaning goals, most of scheduled events, and survival became the name of the game. My blog was the first to go... Sorry but maybe you feel some pity and forgive me?! *bats my eyes* "Pretty please, forgive me for not posting horribly mundane things about my family!"

So as I come back to posting- dear readers, please come back to read... I have missed you all...