Thanksgiving

Well, Thanksgiving weekend is over. I can't believe it is almost December! I finally got all the shopping done and I think I'm ready..but things always come up. Being that I have a busy life, I try to get as much done as possible prior to December. I am on a strict budget this year ( as I have been in years past) because my husband just got a job (after well over a year of unemployment) and we are getting back on our feet SLOWLY! My children are getting things that are on layaway and I spent some money on clothes, but that is it. Luckily they are still young and are fine with any gift they get. I can;t wait to get a job after all this ( we pray) and Christmas will get a little better year to year. Although... this year we are so very grateful for Grandpa Lamberts recovery, our healthy children and the job we prayed for, literally for months. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because there is not a lot of "hub-bub" around it, just being grateful for your loved ones and no gifts!

Green Bay Packers!

Wow! Can;t believe the season the Packers are having this year. I don't remember ever winning this much. I have to admit, the last couple years I haven't kept track of the Packers ( except Super Bowl) not because I am not a fan, but because I am so busy that I really don;t have time to tune in and pay attention. This year I have been trying to stay on track and have been enjoying the games and getting back into things! It's a great time to be a fan! Go Pack!

ELF!

Ok, one of the best parts about this time of year is the great Christmas movies on TV. Elf and Grinch we watched tonight. My kids already know the "heat mizer(sp)" song and is looking forward to those movies as well. I love all these movies but my favorite of all times is It's a Wonderful Life. I tear up every time. As I get older and have gone through some things you do realize that you have ( or I have) a pretty wonderful life. I enjoy this time of year with my kids especially. To see them light up when they see the gifts under the tree is pretty awesome! They are young enough that they just love gifts and Santa is way cool! Anyway, this time of year brings back great memories of Christmas past and I look forward to the Christmas of the future!

Snow

The first snow always brings a warm feeling to me, ironic how it makes me feel warm when it;s cold. I am not a big fan of snow, I like it over Christmas then I would be happy if it was lo70's and sunny all the time! However I have great memories of being a kid and snow. We had a fire place and as kids we would sit and roast marshmellows in the fire place. We would build fun snowmen and HUGE snow houses which the whole neighborhood was in on. We had so much fun! I try to do that with my kids as well, although not a fan of the snow, I do like sleding and building snowmen. This year I need to drive to UWO for classes at night ( this week my wed night class is cancelled). I am not looking forward to driving hwy 23 but if it's only for a year it;s ok! So I guess here it goes, the first snow fall and certanily not the last... I have a feeling it will be a long winter!

Halloween

Today we had trick or treat in Plymouth. The weather was not the best, it was rainy and cold but the kids had fun!My 5 year old was a witch and my three year old was a fairy princess. They LOVE to go trick or treating. They do not eat any of the candy they just like to go and say TRICK OR TREAT! we have a great neighborhood where I usually go through about three bags ( large bags of candy). This year I have one bag left, I need to donate it this week as quickly as possible or my 10 lb weight loss will be 8 lb! yikes! Love the whole trick or treat thing, even if it is cold and wet. I want the kids to enjoy memories and build memories and a part of that is trick or treating!

Weight loss!

IT's early in the morning so I am trying to get my creative juices flowing. I joined weight watchers september 10th and so far lost 10 lbs. I've lost on ww before but never got to my goal. I have never been a size 3, nor would that look good on me, but I need to be healthy. I don't care if it takes a year, I want it off!. After my first child I lost the weight pretty fast, lots of my weight was water weight and I had surgery so I did not eat for a good two weeks after I had her ( not the healthiest) but a good way to get it off. With my second child I was sick for 7 months straight. I was in and out of the hospital a couple times. She was fine, I was not so fine. I threw up all the time and became dehydrated. After I gave birth, it felt so good to keep food down that all I did was eat! Fast forward to today and here we are. I am to the point where I really don;t care too much about impressing others, however I need to keep up with my kids and want to stay healthy for them and me. Also being a teacher you need to keep up with the kids in your classroom. Weight watchers is normal to me. You don't cut out any foods you just eat less portions and if you want to "splurge" you do. I feel better already with the loss of those 10 lbs. Holidays are coming, but I am determined to continue to loose because I know that it is hard to take it off! So I am on my way to being healthy. I want my kids to know that eating healthy and walking and running is good for you, and I need to lead by example. So cheers to another journey! A weight loss journey!!

Grandpa Lambert

It's been kind of a rough week on our family. My father in law, who we loving call Grandpa Lambert is in the hospital. He is older 82 but in some ways is younger than my own parents. He stays in shape and is sharp as a tack. He eats healthy and has a "zest" for life. He went into the hospital for "routine" knee surgery and hasn;t been out since the begining of October. Come to find out his knee is secondary to other things going on. He was dehydrated because he couldn;t swallow or eat for many days. He had an IV and ended up doing much better. Then he started having blurred vision and speech problems, well he had a mini-stroke and went into surgery last night. The Dr's drilled a hole in his head to drain to releive pressure and are waiting to see the results. He lives in Mighigan with the rest of my in laws. I actually get along with my in-laws, in fact I love them all and miss them, but our life is in Wisconsin and our home is here. As of this morning Grandpa is making sense and kind of pissed off that he is still in the hospital ( which is great, totally his personality). We are hopeful that he is out soon and acting like himself again. I know this took lots out of him so I hope he can recover, truthfully I wonder if he will come back "fully"? Anyway we are grateful he made it through and hopefully we will hear more good news the rest of the week. The toughest part of getting married at an older age is then the parents are older and I want my kids to know their grandparents. We lost my mother in law when I was pregnant with my youngest ( who is three), and my older one was 2. I pray Grandpa is around for a while so my kids will know him better. I value Grandparents in my kids lives, they get to know a whole other generation and learn things I would probably not teach them. Grandpa your in our hearts and prayers! Get well soon!