Sidneyisms

Sidney just bought a book of animal facts from her school book fair. Apparently this was a good purchase.
Sidney: Did you know that horn toads shoot blood from their eyes? Did you know that flounder have eyes on the side of their heads? Did you know that flies lay up to 250 eggs per day? 
Ashton & I: horrified looks on our faces
...Sidney, the walking encyclopedia.

Sidney has started playing basketball and on game day before I knew what I was saying, I was cheering her on by her nickname. Boo-boo.
Me: Yes, I called you Boo-boo while you were playing basketball.
Sidney: Mom, don't do that again. You're embarrassing. 
...I knew this day would come, I just didn't think it would be this soon!

We were sitting at the dinner table and going through the pile of mail. I opened a card from my Dad that contained "Christmas cash." Sidney's eyes nearly popped out of her head.
Sidney: Mom, what are we going to buy with that money.
Me: We aren't going to buy anything with this money.
Sidney: Dad, you could take this money and buy Mom a real pair of UGGs instead  of the ones you bought her last year that were made in China.
...thank you for the laugh. For allocating my Christmas present to what you think I need. But, most importantly, thank you for the unedited conversation that you bring to the dinner table every night.

Deck the Halls

Deck the halls with boughs of holly...

"Black Friday Violence Worse Than Ever As American Consumers Fight Over Deals Like Crazed Animals"  (Hawaii News Daily)

Fa la la la la, la la la la. 

Black Friday violence included robberies, shootings, tramplings and pepper spray.

Tis the season to be jolly...

"One woman actually pulled out pepper spray and sprayed it at other customers that were gathered around her."

Fa la la la la, la la la la.

"Pepper spray was used at a Wal-Mart on the other side of the country as well.  Over in Kinston, North Carolina an off-duty police officer used pepper spray as an unruly shopper was being subdued."  

Follow me in merry measure...

A woman was nearly trampled to death over a memory card.

Fa la la la la, la la la la!

A beautiful picture of Christmas, isn't it?

The Season for Giving Thanks

The Pilgrims and the Indians sitting down at a table in the woods having the inaugural Thanksgiving dinner to celebrate the first harvest while a fantastic story does not resonate with me in my "real" everyday life. I have plenty to give thanks for - more than I will ever realize - but my experience tonight really brought it home for me.

This evening I was lucky enough to participate in a wish granting training for Wishes Can Happen. During this training session, we learned how to work through the process of granting a wish for a terminally ill child - start to finish. While it was highly administrative, there were undertones of details that are required to be gathered that made an unspoken impact.

Gathering information such as: whether or not the child requires oxygen in-flight or upon arrival; securing a number of medical releases provided by the child's physician; discussing disease types and prognosis really makes one think about the severity of stress and anguish that these families face. Knowing that some children may recover, but most will not gives you a greater understanding of how important these wishes are. This could quite possibly be the last enjoyable experience and memory that the family has. One that otherwise could not be possible.

I'm thankful for the health of my children. I am thankful for the privilege to serve on the board of Wishes Can Happen. I'm thankful for my fellow-board members who see the importance of providing such a service to these families and who are willing to give up their time in order to ensure these children and their families are given the opportunity to make new memories in the midst of sadness. I am thankful for all I have. For the ability to give what I can. For the way I am inspired by these kids and how they have impacted my view on life.

Jade - cancer fighter, 5 years old

Life Happens

My blogging has once again taken a nose-dive in the face of multi-tasking and life induced ADD. If there were more hours in the day. If I weren't running around so much. If the kids social lives weren't more social than my own. If I didn't over-commit. If I didn't succumb to the fall line up of TV. If I didn't discover pinterest. If I didn't love Zumba. ...I would certainly be blogging more about all of the fun and not-so-fun events of late.

I guess for now, I'll just live life, and catch you up on it later.

Halloween Spirit

I don't find myself tearing off links on a paper chain counting down to All Hallows' Evening.  I do, however, particularly enjoy watching my kids' faces light up as they prepare to embark on their journey to collect their loot. 

This year Sidney decided that she was old enough to trick-or-treat on her own with her friend Sydnie.  "Sydnie is more fun than you guys."  Okay, thanks!  It took me days to arrive at a decision that ultimately let her go to Sydnie's and claim this new found independence.  That was a milestone in our Halloween history!

Ashton and I stayed the course...grabbed his friend, Anuj, my friend Aarthi and hit the streets.  We had a good time together, but admittedly was a little strange that Sidney wasn't with us. 

I survived...  Sidney had a great time.  Came home with a gluttonous pile of candy.  A notch in her belt of self-proclaimed autonomy.  A joyous occasion for her...a view from a different lens for me.

Apple Mania

While the flavors of Fall are in the air, this blog isn't about trekking through apple orchards or making mulled cider.  I'm talking technology.

Let's face it, with the death of Steve Jobs and now the release of the iPhone 4s and iOS 5, Apple is buzzing. The world of technology has something new and exciting to talk about that doesn't stem from or around social media.  If you don't have a personal assistant (Siri) on your phone, you haven't truly experienced the full capability of a smart phone.  This I know...not from first hand experience, but because Siri crept into my house, right under my nose.  Aaron ordered this perfect companion which was delivered in a tiny package on the day that Apple released the 4s.  

Everybody loves her.  Siri and Sidney have regular conversations.  Sidney asks Siri about the weather in Sanibel, she gives her a week long forecast.  Aaron tells Siri to type and send an email...she does it.  You ask her if she likes a movie and she retorts with witty comments like, "We're talking about you, not me."  Perfect, right?  Sidney and Aaron seem to think so.

I'll buy in once Siri can clean my house.  Until then, I am double-fisting between my droid and my blackberry!

Thought Provoking Statements

....some statements that caught my attention over the past week.....

"Familiarity breeds contempt."  - Publilius Syrus

"If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right.  If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?  And whenever the answer has been 'No' for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.  Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."   - Steve Jobs