Two really good reasons...

I have two really good reasons to make my humble attempt back into the blogging world.
Reason#1:
My sweet daughter competed at the National Rope Skipping Competition in Moncton, NB and brought home a gold and silver medal, along with a handful of various ribbons. I am very proud of her, needless to say.

Reason #2:
My sweet 14 year old son gave me a hug today...on the sidewalk!...out in the open!!...in front of his school!!...with his friends around!!!! Put on a smile on my face that I couldn't wipe off.  I am also very proud of him, needless to say.
 

FYI

Some FYI for Cooper and Hudson.

When you spend too much time on your iPod, I will tell you to shut them off.

When it's not raining and sun is out, I will send you outside.

When you think that I think you are playing hockey but you sit right outside the front window on your iPods again , I will see you.

Little things...

....meeting a friend while dropping of our kids at a birthday party.

...deciding to go have an impromptu coffee instead of going back home to potentially just do laundry or some other mundane task.

...being served our coffees in Valentines cups and having a friend be just as excited about it as I was.

...the sun streaming in my windows at 4:00 on a February afternoon.

Sometimes it only takes a few little things to make my day.

Sick day

Today is the third day that Tag has been home from school with a bad cold and cough.
 We have played a few games.

Watched a lot of TV and movies.

Had a special lunch.



We even played a little mini hockey when he had little bursts of energy.

And last week on the heels of my "parenting is hard" phase I put up these two little frames our kitchen.
Positive Reinforcement.

As you can see, Reagan and Hudson are ahead of the other two on the caring front. When you get 10   I will have a little treat for them.
Last night Tag filled this in for Hudson. Hudson was seriously touched. Hudson always has love for Taggart, but Taggart rarely shows it in return. Apparently, being a little under the weather brought out a little nore of his caring side.
 
In case you can't read it:
Husbun (Hudson),
I love you because you are always so nice to me.
                                         {heart} Taggart
Hudson thought it was especially cute that his name was spelled funny and that his heart looked like a big red dot.

Parenting is hard

I am not under the impression that I am sharing anything new here, but I just have to say that this parenting stuff really bites sometimes. I go through times when I feel like whatever I try backfires on me. And the fear is that my kids know that I have no idea what I am doing. Which is true some of the time, but it is probably bad if they think it...right?
So I have intentions of teaching myself a few things. Seeing what some of the experts have to say when your 7 year old acts like his 13-year old brother. This is not a positive, by the way. So I buy books and sometimes I even read some of them.
But honestly, at the end of the day when I finally have some time to read...I don't want to read about kids and all the grief they can cause. I would much rather read a great fiction novel that takes me to another place or time and lets me escape that I am a parenting wreck to 4 kids. Okay, okay, I am not a parenting wreck...just an occasional minor fender-bender.
But I do like to talk about parenting hardships and challenges because the great thing about them is that we all have them. I don't believe the parent that says they have not, even for a nano-second, wanted to check out of their role at times. Hearing about other peoples kids is a great way to put our own into perspective. Encouraging words from others give us a well-deserved and needed pat on the back. It's hard, really hard. But of course, there is nothing that gives you more pride or joy either.
So one day maybe I will finish all these parenting books and by then my kids will be grown, so I will have to save all that knowledge to pass on to them when they are raising their own kids. They will totally want to hear it right?! ;o)

FYI - if you are a reader and looking for a good one...don't choose this one on top of the pile. It almost made me want to pick up one of the other books in the pile. :)

Snow Day

One of the best things about winter for kids is waking up to find out it's a snow day.
We are in the middle of our second one this week.
It started snowing last weekend and we have had quite a bit for our part of the world.

Snowfall 2012 Tally(since last Saturday):

Times I have shoveled the driveway - 4
Mugs of hot chocolate consumed - 30+
Times Taggart snow gear has come off and on - 28
Number of gloves dried over the heat vents - 50
Number of snowballs thrown in the face - nobody likes a tattletale
Number of tears from snowballs thrown in the face - too many to count


 
Our little neighborhood of girls + Taggart.


This is the closest I have to a picture of Cooper and Hudson. The hill at the school behind our place is where they go to sled and meet up with their friends. They come back only for another mug of hot chocolate and for me to dry their gloves




 
This little pansy is staying strong and holding out for spring. I'm with the flower. 

Looking forward

I sit here at my computer, early Saturday morning. The house is dead quiet as all who are in it are still fast asleep. I should be at hockey with Taggart right now, but we woke up to a winter wonderland. Our first snowfall of 2012. Since I was not too sure about driving early this morning in all that snow, I hesitantly woke up Tony and asked if he would go. He worked a very long day yesterday and I knew he needed the sleep, but what are husbands for if not to drive in the snow for you. :)

So as Tag and Tony head to the rink I will finally get in a blog post. But what to post, is the question.
Since I last posted, many things have happened. We celebrated a lovely Christmas and had a great break from work and school. I think it has been one of our nicest and most relaxing Christmas holidays. We spent many days just hanging about the house, playing board games, watching movies and snacking.
We celebrated my Mom's 87th birthday here at our place with family, pizza and cake.
We rang in the New Year with more board games, a movie and of course, more snacks.
Taggart was in a 4 day hockey tournament that got us out of the house for a little while each day.
Tuesday, January 3rd came far too quickly and I was so sad to see everyone go back to work and school. I would have liked to see the holidays last just a little longer.
So I could post all the details of those events with photos and such, but honestly I don't want to. As lovely as it was, it is now the past and we are in a new year and I am looking forward. I feel like I am constantly playing catch-up. Housework, blogging, business stuff, all of it seems to be behind. Who wants to feel behind all the time?
So here's to 2012 and looking forward...to what is to come, to not looking back.

But of course, you know I can't post without a photo, so here are three of my favorites.



Mom's birthday at our place. She was feeling quite good and sat at the table with the kids to chat. I want to remember the giggles from all of them, including Mom, when the kids had to constantly remind her that it was her birthday. They thought it was so funny that every time they talked about birthdays, Mom would have again forgotten that we were all here to celebrate hers.
So, okay, I guess that was looking back. But I am a picture-taker and a memory-maker, it's in my nature to look back, to remember.
Is it possible to look back and look forward at the same time? I think so.