Tag Archives: gratitude

Theme Thursday: Dad

What is the meaning of this, Tracy? Two posts in one day? What in the sam heck is going on with you?!??! Clearly this time off with a rehabbing child who is limited in energy and prohibited from sun has us INDOORS and running short and brief errands which in turn leaves me plenty of “bon-bon time” as my Hubby calls it. Shoot, I’ve got blogs in stand-by, you’ll be sick of me by next week. Or hooked. Either way. When I actually blog, my stats go UP. Who knew??

So today…..I join in with Cari and fellow Themers at:

The Clan

Father’s day is coming. I’ve got a super cutie thingamajig planned for the Hubs by the kids (totally His love language, but I can’t tell you about it b/c he actually reads my blog from time to time…so tell you later!). And so perfect timing on the Father Theme.

Dads are crucial. Period. End.

Case in point: When my Hubs was “away” I knew, KNEW, KNEW….his relationship with our kids and vice versa was the key to our future as a family. We did everything we could to cultivate those relationships during this time apart, from frequent visits, phone calls, letters, date-visits, photos, etc, etc. There came a time close to him coming home during a heated exchange with our oldest at his tweeniest that he said to me “You wait until I tell Dad about this”. It was at that point, I knew all of our joint effort as husband and wife, mother and father that it was ALL. WORTH. IT. Further affirmation came when Hubs was finally home with our dark chapter behind us and re-entry into our FULL family life was essentially smooth as buttah. Life wasn’t and ISN’T perfect, however, our struggles are pretty much in line with any other family life with mucho kiddos. We are imperfect people. What can I say? We acknowledge it and move on.

The fact that Abba, Father has been the cornerstone of our family life may have had a little somethin’ somethin’ to do with it also. Just an observation.

Happy Father’s Day, Hubby! And to all those dads out there….keep workin’ it….it’s worth every second!!!

Birthday. Poor guy never gets a straight shot at the candles!

Father’s Day ’11

Father’s Day with Popop, MY step-dad who is the BOMB-Diggety. This is 2 years old and he is now dwarfed by the boys…

The boys off to mow lawns, a job obtained due to Dad’s teaching, patience and diligence. My wallet is forever grateful!

Memorial Day

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As we remember those who died serving our country, the sacrifices of those who currently serve and the veterans whose lives are forever changed by their service, we gain an extra day off in the process. In the wake of this week’s brutal slaying in the UK we are reminded of what these men and women face daily and how easily we can take that for granted. So this weekend, say a prayer of thanksgiving for our service men and women, buy a meal for a veteran or a soldier home on leave, encourage that ROTC cadet. It is a bittersweet occupation, but for those who answer the call and their families, let us pray for them and give thanks for their sacrifices.

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Mother’s Day Wrap-up

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Happy Mother’s Day to my mom, and all moms out there. We’re having a nice day here so far….I woke up with a headache/migraine-starter, 50% chance of rain expected for the afternoon BUUUUUUUUT……I have Excedrin on board, with coffee, Hubby is making breakfast, our youngest couldn’t wait to give me her present (which promptly made me cry) and she promised to smile this year for our picture. Here’s hoping for the best!

Today though, I realize that it hasn’t always been such a super day for me and it isn’t such a super day for everyone else. In fact, today can be a painful reminder for many women. Today I’ll remember my cousins who buried their mom a few weeks ago and other friends whose moms have passed away over the years. I’ll remember friends who are estranged from their mothers and struggle and doubt their own motherhood and parenting (which, BTW is phenomenal!!) . I’ll remember friends who’ve never had a chance to be a mother due to infertility. I’ll remember friends who have lost children. I’ll remember friends who care for special needs children. I’ll remember friends who are single mothers. I’ll remember friends who are struggling with prodigal children. I’ll remember friends who might be let down by the commercialism and in-your-face-ness of the perfect Mother’s Day.

This morning and this day I cried a few times, tears of joy and love, from a heart filled with gratitude toward my husband who is setting a beautiful example for our children through our marriage and his parenting, for children who test me, teach me, love me, forgive me, make me laugh and make each day better just by being part of our family.

Blast from the past!

Me, my Mom and my sister

Last year. Just keepin’ it real. Truly a favorite picture!!

Mom’s photo after Mass, my awesome necklace, cake and card.

And so the kid photo is a little blurry…Hubby is no fan of the iPhone camera and gave me full permission (demanded) I get my real camera fixed….beautiful necklace of which you can design your own HERE, the Publix cake and sweet girl’s card/letter to me. And just think, my birthday is only 4 days away and we can do this AGAIN!!!!

Friday…and all mixed up!

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With Christmas and New Year’s falling on Tuesdays it is really wrenching my brain on what day it is….Off 2 days, work one, off one, work 3, off 2, repeat…what?!?! It will take me until mid or end of January to get straight. Sheesh. Thank goodness I have the day/date feature on my watch to keep me straight…Gotta love the 20+year old Seiko, baby!

However…let’s cut to the chase. It’s Friday. Joining in with Jen and the humongous throng o’ bloggers doing the end of the week “7 Quick Takes” so jump on over and check ’em out…it’s always fun and interesting and good for hours of screen time…no joke!! Without further adieu…here I go:

Christmas was GOOD. You can refer to this post for the deets, but overall, somehow the chaos felt “manageable” this year, less rushed, time to enjoy each other. A win for us.
My mom is home from the hospital post surgery for her Christmas Eve fracture (see #1 insert for the dirty…), so now she just needs to manage the walker, the snow, the dogs, getting around, getting ready to host her daughter and 2 grand-daughters in a few weeks and potentially re-plan her trip back to the Sunshine State or learn to drive in a boot….tricky. Time will tell. Drink lots of milk, Mom!!!
Colds stink. Hubby has one. (far worse than mine…go figure). Hopefully, the kids are immune since they’ve all had their opportunities at being sick this past month. So cough, sniffle, blow, repeat….Chicken soup is on the menu.
In TV news January 6 is a BIG, BIG day….(and I’m really just NOT a big viewer of the tube, but…..) I have a couple of favorites and the best is that JANUARY 6, 2013 DOWNTON ABBEY RETURNS……I’m so excited. So is Hubby. (maybe not all CAPS excited, but excited) In anticipation, we’ve been rewatching some of Season 1.
Once Upon a Time ALSO returns January 6!!! What??? Our girls think Hulu is playing tricks on them and holding back…they are going to flip out when they find out they have ANOTHER week to wait!
Biggest Loser returns WITH Jillian (sailor mouth) Michaels on January 6!! ACK!!! The girls and I love this—Hubby and the boys can’t take all the tears and boo hooing….personally, it coincides with my annual giving up of food and another effort at losing the baby weight (the baby is now 9—you do the math). Exciting!
And that’s all I got folks….my stuffy head is ready for bed and hope this winter cold nonsense hits the flippin’ road. And I mean soon!

Blessings and don’t forget to visit Jen et al.

making the trek

Trekking through life: Faith, family, friends and a whole lot of coffee!