Thankful Thursday - Good Doctors

I am joining along with a few of my Real Life friends and fellow bloggers for Thankful Thursday.  You can head on over to Cj's blog to read what she is thankful for today.

Today I am so thankful for good doctors.  Nothing is seriously wrong with me {or at least I hope so after the blood draw tomorrow} but I have not had a good thorough checkup since before babies.

With my mother and two aunts all having cancer {my Mom is the only one that did not survive her cancer} I worry about the big "C".  I also have PCOS {polycystic ovarian syndrome} and it just causes a whole bunch of problems with insulin and such.

I am also creeping up to that age where Menopause will hit me sooner than later so I want to be prepared.

Needless to say I went in to the appointment with guns blazing.....I wanted a full blood workup and all the exams I could get. 

And without any kind of argument I got what I wanted because my Doctor felt it was time to get it all done as well.  I am also now enrolled in a mammogram program where they automatically call you every 2 years for a checkup.  Yay me! {note sarcasm}

I have always liked this Doctor. We have been with him for the past 5 years but yesterday he really took the time to talk to me about my condition and how we can handle it in the future to avoid the diseases like Diabetes and Cancer.

I am very thankful for Doctor's that do there job with care and diligence.

Wordless Wednesday - My Other Set of Twins

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Quotable Monday's

Just a warning today's "quote" is a long one but much needed for me right now.

Ecclesiastes 3-There's a Right Time for Everything

1 There's an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth:

2-8 A right time for birth and another for death,

A right time to plant and another to reap,

A right time to kill and another to heal,

A right time to destroy and another to construct,

A right time to cry and another to laugh,

A right time to lament and another to cheer,

A right time to make love and another to abstain,

A right time to embrace and another to part,

A right time to search and another to count your losses,

A right time to hold on and another to let go,

A right time to rip out and another to mend,

A right time to shut up and another to speak up,

A right time to love and another to hate,

A right time to wage war and another to make peace.

9-13 But in the end, does it really make a difference what anyone does? I've had a good look at what God has given us to do—busywork, mostly. True, God made everything beautiful in itself and in its time—but he's left us in the dark, so we can never know what God is up to, whether he's coming or going. I've decided that there's nothing better to do than go ahead and have a good time and get the most we can out of life. That's it—eat, drink, and make the most of your job. It's God's gift.

14 I've also concluded that whatever God does, that's the way it's going to be, always. No addition, no subtraction. God's done it and that's it. That's so we'll quit asking questions and simply worship in holy fear.

15 Whatever was, is.

Whatever will be, is.

That's how it always is with God.

-The Message taken from Biblegateway.com .

For Today

For Today will you hug your Mom? 

Hug her in memory of my Mom who I lost 8 years ago today.

I miss her.

And for today will you cherish your Mom even though I know sometimes a Mother & Daughter relationship is hard.

For Today will you call your Mom if you can't hug her and tell her you love her and so happy she is here to share your life.

And for Today will you tell your Mom how thankful you are for all that she has done for you.

Just for Today in memory of Yvonne, my Mom.

Thanks

Wordless Wednesday - My Cranes

I know this is usually Wordless but I have to explain that these are Sandhill Cranes {at least that is what we identified them as} and not Canadian Geese even though I live by the river and could show you pictures of geese till your eyes popped out of your head. 

I love my cranes, the past two years I have had Bob & Susie {yes I named them} living in the field behind me.  They have a beautiful call.  They fascinate me!

I was quite sad when I did not hear Bob & Susie this year, nor see them.  But then the other day I emerged from my basement to a very loud disturbance outside.  I thought it was geese, again,  but was pleasantly surprised to see Cranes.  Probably a hundred of them flying over my house.  Pictures were taken from my deck.

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Tackle It Tuesday - Pumpkin Picking

We finally had a frost warning.  My husband has been MIA around here due to elk hunting season so I had no choice but to get out in the crazy wind and cold with the four children who did not care what the weather was to pick our pumpkins.

This is totally Daddy's thing.  He makes it a big deal every year.  So I don't think they had as much fun with Mommy who just wanted to go back inside where it was warm.  I used my van to bring them to the garage and left them inside the van overnight. 

What can I say it's tiring mothering children by yourself!

What are you tackling today?

  Head on over to 5 Minutes For Mom and be inspired.

Quotable Monday's

I still miss those I loved who are no longer with me

but I find I am grateful for having loved them.

The gratitude has finally conquered the loss.

-Rita Mae Brown

Like No Other

Sammy picked me some flowers......

.....roots and all.....

BUT...he sure was proud of himself!

And best of all he said he picked me a Four Leaf Clover to give me good luck....

With great expression he told me "This is a four leaf clover Mommy, it will give you lots of luck...it's true I saw it on Little Bear!"

Looking at the size of that "four leaf clover" I should win the lottery if the size of the clover matters!!!!

And like any Mother I proudly displayed the pickin's....

Everytime I look at my "bouquet" I smile.

Then I went to the freezer and found this.....

And today he tried planting them....

Wordless Wednesday

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Family Management - Food

With a family of six to feed I was interested in what this next chapter would have for hints and tips to keep my Food Department running smoothly.  I guess I was doing a good job because I did not find much new for tips but I sure did find a different attitude regarding preparing meals for my family.

See right now {and I know my husband will agree} our family has very CHAOTIC meal times.  We went from calm, everyone eating meals to chaos.  The twins are ALWAYS talking, the toddler wants out of the highchair and our oldest eats so fast he wants to be excused before the parents have had time to even have a bite of the meal.

SIGH..........

This was what I was looking for, tips on controlling my children...wrong book I guess!

That being said I know I have to make changes to my own families mealtimes like purchasing a booster seat for the toddler so he can sit with us at the table.  Maybe forcing some rules during the meal instead of feeling so overwhelmed I loose my appetite.  I now know why some families choose to feed the kids then have the parents eat.

Okay, enough about my crazy household.  Back to the book.

Some great points Kathy Peel makes in this chapter are:

1.  Have 5 goto meals at the ready.  Meals you can make in 30 minutes and have those staples on hand at all times.

2.  Menu plan...I can't say enough about how planning my week of meals helps with spending and anxiety.

3.  Develop a three week menu plan and recycle it through the year, or seasons.

4.  Double or triple some recipes, fry up a big batch of ground beef and freeze, do the same with chicken breasts. 

5.  Know that alot of our days revolve around food and when we have younger children we need to realize that food can affect their moods.  Be aware of the snacking and keep your pantry and fresh foods stocked for this reason.

6.  Good food keeps kids at home.

To further #6, I have heard many people who have teenagers speak on this topic.  I too want to be the kind of family that have my kids and their friends gather at our home and know they are always welcome and have enough food to share with all.  An example used in the book was after football games or parties the author's house became the gathering place for their kids and friends.  The parents would make pancakes at midnight etc. for all that gathered.  Seems like a great idea to me instead of having my child who knows where doing who knows what!

7.  Know you do not have to be a great chef to feed your family healthy meals.

8.  Get the whole family involved in meal planning. 

For #8 I have only one child that can answer this question but I can observe what the others are eating.  I have one picky eater in my house that refuses to eat what the others do.  But she loves meat, any kind of meat, vegetables (uncooked) and plain noodles.  Lastnight it was chicken stirfry so I picked out the meat and left the noodles plain and not mixed with the sauce.  I may give her cucumbers instead of forcing the stir fry veggies on her.

Sometimes it's more of an effort to please just the one child but in the end you won't have the whining and fussing that would arrive if you had not made that effort.

There is much more in this chapter regarding food co-ops and party planning.  If you have questions feel free to ask.

You can visit Kathy Peel's Family Manager website here.

Quotable Monday's

You are the only person

 on earth who can use your ability.

-Zig Ziglar

Thinking....

Thinking of the

Mothers,

Fathers,

Sisters,

Brothers,

Grandparents,

Uncles,

Aunts,

Cousins,

Friends,

Bestfriends,

and

HEROES

who passed 9 years ago today in NYC and Pennsylvania in the 9/11 Terroist Attacks.

Thinking of and praying for those that you left behind and miss you.

Why Not?

It is Friday, can someone tell me when that happened?

We are back in the groove of things as of today.  The twins head to preschool this afternoon.  On Monday they will start the three days a week.  I decided to only clean one house this year for some extra spending cash. That means two out of the three days can be my get-things-done hours and save one for coffee/playdate or time-for-Mommy if Daddy is around to watch Gage. 

We just need to add hockey into this equation and you can find me in my van a whole lot.  I truly do not mind...do you know how many podcasts you can listen to when you have been driving your children around? 

Our Mom's Morning Out Group starts next week.  I am always excited to get back to the group.  It is so fun and interesting to meet the new Moms.  I enjoyed planning the events this year with my fellow moderator and can't wait for some of the talks.

There is much on my mind lately regarding people.  Fellow Moms especially.  With school starting up and other activites on the go you run into other parents quite frequently.  Some are polite and say "Hello" at each greeting, some become your friends, and some don't have the time of day for you.

I am okay with that.  But some people are not.  I do not know what people are thinking when they cannot offer a smile, nod or hello in a greeting of a fellow parent.  I do know first hand what it feels like to be the parent that feels somewhat shunned.  It does not bother me like it once did because I know who I am.  Someone willing to say Hi or not willing to say Hi does not ruin my day.

But there are other people that it will hurt.  I heard from such a Mom recently and it made me sad but also made me realize that I should not feel ridiculous to smile a greeting or nod or say Hello.  After hearing how she felt I do not even care if I get a hello in return back....it's going to come from me no matter what. 

I feel like I am not finding the right words to express how I am feeling.  I just remember the first time I walked into the Mom's Morning Out group.  I was in total shock that I left my child with a stranger and then to be faced with 40 some women chatting away and not seeing one familiar face.  I almost ran out.  That was until I glanced over at the Mom next to me who also just dropped her baby off at the nursery and I said to her "Want to find someplace to sit?" and she nodded.

My son comes by friendliness naturally...or so I think.  He is the child that waltzes from the school not needing to be with a friend.  He is the child that does not need to be in the midst of the latest thing at school.  At one time it made me think he was a little strange but now I know that this self confidence from him makes him truly special.  He just doesn't care what the "in" things are he just wants to be your friend and hang out.  He has never asked me why our doctor has different colored skin or why some people do not sound like us and have accents.  He has never asked about Aborginal peoples or for that matter even noticed they make up alot of our homeless people trying to keep warm where we go get our mail.  He just doesn't notice.

We all need to be more like him.

Wordless Wednesday - An Edit

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Quotable Monday's

You're not 40,

you're eighteen with 22 years experience.

~Author Unknown

Because time itself is like a spiral, something special happens on your birthday each year:

The same energy that God invested in you at birth is present once again.

~Menachem Mendel Schneerson

A birthday is just the first day of another 365-day journey around the sun.

Enjoy the trip.

 ~Author Unknown

After all, 

tomorrow is another day.

-Margaret Mitchell

Happy Birthday Rachel!!!!!!!!!!!!

If You Were Here

Due to exhaustion dealing with a soon to be 2 year old I have no brain cells left.

Therefore intelligent posts just might not happen for awhile.

Just when I was getting back into the groove.

This will be my last 2 year old phase ever so even though it can be challenging on a daily basis I intend to soak it all in.

This came to me after watching videos lastnight of the twins early years, heck even Gage's.  I have no memory sometimes and can't even remember videoing some of them.  But that is why I did so I can watch them over and over and over and then cry.  Not sure why I am crying.

But the almost 2 year old is in the bathroom trying to put toothpaste on every toothbrush and put them all in his mouth.  I just heard him spit..oh and now the toilet is flushing.

Laugh all you want dear readers but your not here..I'll laugh later.....

Wordless Wednesday - The Old Creek

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