Wednesday, March 28, 2012

{reflection}

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When I was a little girl, I remember my Mom telling me, "You are a reflection of me." And, I have to be honest, at the time, I had no idea what she was talking about. I thought that maybe she might be saying that I looked like her.

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I could not have been more wrong. Of course, I look a little bit like my Mom. But that's not the reflection that she was talking about.

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She wanted me to be a kind, honest, patient, and forgiving person. Someone that people would meet and immediately think, "Wow, what a nice person." I hope I didn't disappoint her.

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And that EXACTLY what I want for my girls. Of course, good grades are important to me. But even more than that, good character is vital. When you are no longer around, people tend to not remember the fact that you got straight A's, or worked really hard at your job. They remember that you were nice. That you were considerate. That you were giving and thoughtful.

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That you smiled a lot. Laughed a lot.

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I want my girls to look at someone who is none of those things and think, "Geez, their Mom must be so embarrassed."

That's what I always think. Even now.

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In fact, if you ever see my girls doing something you know I would not approve of, please, feel free to remind them about their "reflection".

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They will know exactly what you are talking about. ;)

Monday, March 26, 2012

{39 things about Me}

1. i LOVE iced tea/lemonade. i drink it all day, everyday.
2. and while we're on the subject of drinks...my body can't tolerate alcohol. at all. it kinda sucks.
3. i am always in the middle of reading some book.
4. cake is my most favorite dessert.
5. i don't really like to pick favorites.
6. i can't stand piles, but somehow they appear all over my house.
7. i am a really good cook.
8. i am a really bad gardener.
9. i am shy.
10. my favorite color is: all of them. i told you, i don't like to pick favorites.
11. if i never had to do laundry again, i would be so happy.
12. i never thought that i would have two girls.
13. i would rather buy clothes for my kids than myself.
14. i have to create stuff to keep my sanity.
15. i can't stand it when someone doesn't say a word or phrase correctly, but it drives me nuts when someone corrects me.
16. i am not perfect.
17. i am addicted to sugar. the first step is admitting it, the second is eating an entire roll of Sweetarts.
18. i am a backseat driver.
19. i miss driving a car with a manual transmission.
20. i never thought i would say that - especially when i was learning to drive one.
21. i can't leave the house without first taking a shower.
22. and while we're on that note - i wash my hair everyday. apparently, it's some sort of sin.
23. i had a great childhood. and for those of you who told me that moving to Brazil would be an adventure, you were right. sorry it took me so long to tell you that.
24. i am turning into my Mom more and more everyday. and because i think she's one of the best people i know, i am good with that.
25. i am addicted to Angry Birds.
26. i would love to dress better, but i have a very boring sense of style.
27. i stink at geometry.
28. i still love roller coasters.
29. i still love Disneyworld.
30. i know this is crazy - but i am actually looking forward to turning 40.
31. i have never lied about my age. actually, that's not true. i once told a class i was teaching that i was 81. they believed me.
32. I almost typed 82 just now.
33. i would love to someday open up a cafe that serves soup, sandwiches, salads and slices of cake.
34. i would not turn one down, see #4 and #17, but cupcakes kind of annoy me.
35. i could tell the birth stories of my girls over and over again.
36. somedays, i think i am the worst mom.
37. somedays, i think i am the best mom.
38. i miss my Grandma Clara everyday.
39. i can't believe i finished.......

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

{Paige's Favorites}

Since it's my birthday month, I decided to do a couple - or maybe even a few - favorite things posts. Today's post is all about Paige's favorite things - her stuffed animals.

For the purpose of this post, I had to make her choose her favorite TEN stuffed animals. If I didn't - this would be one long post. BTW - she upped it to eleven. She tried for thirteen, but I had to draw the line somewhere. See above.

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Not to be outdone by her big sis, Paige also has much love her her stuffed toys. Although, Paige's loves include both cats and dogs. She has bunnies and bears that she loves as well - but...well....see above.


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From left to right - Ginger, Praline and Madeline. Ginger and Praline are both American girl cats. They are not exactly snuggly, but Paige does not care. I will even go as far to say that Praline looks kind of evil...but she has been loved so much her tail is practically falling off. Maybe that's why she looks so mad? Madeline was a gift from Eric. A promotion from Nikon. I would venture to say this is her most loved...she has had a few trips the washing machine because of this intense love.

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Next up is Marie and Amy. Marie is from the Disney store - one of the characters from the movie, "The Aristocats" - which Paige has always called, "The Rest of the Cats". Marie likes to dress up in doll cloths- of course, and have her hair in barrettes and bows. And Amy is Paige's birthday gift from Build-A-Bear. She has quite a few outfits for Amy, including PJ's which she insists on changing her into almost every night.

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Here we have Fudge - her first Webkin, Weenie and Mini-Weenie(on top of her head), her Pucci pups. I believe the Weenie belonged to Emily at some point, but she gave her to Paige because somehow Emily ended up with two Weenies. (that just sounds weird....) Those Pucci pups crack me up because you can't see their faces. Their eyes are buried under fur. But she LOVES them.
(I just re-read that whole paragraph, and between all the weenies, webkins and puccis...wow.)

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And finally, there's (L to R) Maria, Maya and Molly. Maria was her very first cat. The Easter Bunny brought it for Paige. I think EB thought that Paige should collect cats since Emily loved dogs so much. Amazingly, it kind of stuck. Maya was something I bought for Paige at her very first Tiger's game. I bought one for Emily too - she named her's Paws. And if you ever get them mixed up, don't worry, they can tell them apart. Molly was an impulse buy at Ikea. She's very soft, and if I was into stuffed animals, she would be my favorite. :)