Great Online Holiday Shopping Ideas

This time of year we are all are looking for some great unique shopping ideas for friends, family and all those gifts we need in between. I love to turn to the Internet. It is always open and everything I need is just a click away. My favorite sites this year are:

www.etsy.com a great site like ebay but only for people that make handmade gifts that are unique. You can find pretty much anything and at every price range imaginable. It’s like a virtual craftshow all year long.

www.amazon.com and www.overstock.com are both great sites if you are looking for cheaper prices than box stores and also want to save on gas. If you spend enough shipping is free or as low as $1. I know my shopping carts are full at one of these sites, especially for those hot or hard to find toys.

Last but not least I shop at www.shutterfly.com this time of year more than ever. They have such a great site with unique gift ideas for what special things you can do with your photos. This is great for people that you want to give something special and will enjoy a photo or two of your kids.

So shop til you can’t feel your fingers this holiday season.

Best Year of My Life?

I know that making whole hearted statments are not always wise but to say I have had one of my best years ever seems to be too understated. Not to forget about the amazing year when I got married and both of the years I was pregnant for each of my sons but for some reason 2008 had so many great things packed into one year that is really takes the cake for me as being the best year ever, not to steal VH1’s thunder. Although I am always open for an interview VHI?

So as we are winding down 2008 with less than 2 months to go I think a lot about how 2008 has been amazing for my family and I. Even with the poor Michigan economy and all the doom and gloom about the next president, stock market and gas prices I feel very rich in life. My favorite quote lately is: The best things in life aren’t things. Some great things have happened to us, for us but mostly everything that has happened has been for the better for all of in our 5 person family. (Still sounds strange to say or write family of 5. Wow!)

So I am just putting my thankfulness for my blessings in writing and sharing with the world how grateful I am this Thanksgiving. Most people who have been around me lately know I feel this way.

So as Thanksgiving nears I hope we all can put any bad baggage from 2008 behind us and count the blessings that life has offered no matter how big or small.

Proud of all Americans Today!

Wow, I went to bed last night at 9pm last night and did not wake up until morning. I did not know who was our president until I turned on the news this mornings and I was not disappointed. I actually teared up with joy! I am so proud of the history we made as a country and so excited for what to future means for all of us. I am so happy to have been alive to be a part of such a great movement that has begun. I hope theelection of our President Obama unites us as a nation and heals many wounds that are so in need healing. I have never in my life thought or prayed for any president, only for my family members put into danger by the president that put them there. But I pray for our newly elected president to be able to make the change and bring the hope we need as a nation. I also think I need to find some kind of Obama paraphernalia to keep as a memento of this historic occasion. I guess I will stop at that and not hang a framed 8×10 photo of him over our mantel next to the family photo

Awwe Shucks!

Thanks for everyone’s super nice comments about missing me and my blog. I am will use that energy to keep me coming back.

In the meantime I had to share the best thing said to me today.

While getting the kids ready for bed and doing our hug and kiss routine

Jake shouts down to me from his room…”Mom, Goodnight!”

Me,”Goodnight Jake.”

Jake, “You are pretty Mom.”

Me, “Oh hunny you are so sweet, thank you so much.”

Me inside, I have the best dang son in the whole world and I must being doing something right for him to be such a sweetie.

Ok, just had to share.

I missed you blog.

So this blog has been pretty negleted to put focus on other things going on in my life. I am going to try and give more writing time to it because it is such a great outlet but I can not promise there will be times of writing lapse. This years life theme was change.

As we start to near the end of 2008 it gets easier and easier to reflect on what happened over the last year and what it means for the future. So like I already wrote change is the current theme of our life. We have a new baby who has grown so quickly and in just 3 months she will be 1 year. It is so hard to even think of her aging those contexts but when I look at her I can see how fast she is learning and growing. She is my last little baby and some days I want to stop the clock but that feeling extends to all my children on days.

More change for us was being fortunate enough to sell our house in our bad market and then find one we really liked in a neighborhood that would be great for our children.

Then in the midst of all those things an amazing career opportunity came along for me and after a lot of soul searching I decided to take a leap of faith. I have been in my new position a week and already feel that this was a great move for me.

So change, you can embrace it or you can fight it. I think I have proved to myself this year that I can deal with change 10 fold as long as my family is with me.

Drum Roll Please…

Just being silly since it has been so long since I have written anything.  Here are a few reasons, some good, some bad…

We sold our house! In this market most people can not believe it. Since we are moving we needed to find some place to move too. After about a week and a half we found a place but now the waiting is the worst part.

On top of the selling and hunting for a home I have been a little under the weather. Not a cold or flu but actually in the ER kind of ill. I ended up with diverticulitis – doesn’t that sound like fun? Or some kind of horrible illness? Well come to find out you are not likely to get it until you are in your late 40’s or even 60’s. So aren’t I lucky? Basically it is an infection in my lower colon… I know, tmi.

So I am home from work on pain meds, because it hurts, and on anibitoics that make me throw up. Anyone want what I got??? Sounds fun right? Well I should be getting better soon, they say 4-5 days and tomorrow is day 5.

Alright there are my excuses although with the move impending I may not be around here too often, got to pack you know.

Hasta!

So much to write, so little time…

Lately I always seem to begin my blog with it has been awhile. I just can not find the time to blog like I used to. I can’t figure out why either. I mean between my hubby working in another state for 15 days at a time, working as a marketing director part time, raising 3 children, one of them nursing I just can’t figure out how I am spending my time My lack of sleep is making me to witty and sarcastic. I am wondering what my coworkers think of me now.

I do have so much to blog about but now that I have a moment but my brain is fried. I am thinking about blogging about topics starting with the letter A and ending in Z. We shall see if that comes to fruition and keep me more engaged in my blogging venture.

For now I will let everyone know the children are great, getting regular baths, wearing clean clothes, and eating good meals.  Some how I am managing to get everyone out for appointments, an occasional jont the parks and have even attempted grocery shopping solo with 3 kids. Now with that said the house is a disaster, we are living out of laundry baskets and I could probably do with a house keeper. I am sure there are other people out there that have a harder time but this is all new for me with three kids so I am still getting in a groove. I know it with come.

I am going to hit the hay and hope for more than 5 hours sleep.

Been Awhile…

I owe huge updates on the D family.  I have been a single mom for over a week now.  I am proud of myself because I actually changed the cat litter.  Hubby won’t believe it because as he puts it I have not done it since I found I was pregnant with J 7 years ago.  Ha!

Sothe reason for my single mom status is hubby is traveling for work in Cali and Texas working round the clock to come back home to us next week some time.  This is the world we live in now.  The economy in Michigan sucks and you have to do what you have to do to make a living.  Thank goodness I work too and at least it seems to be reliable.

So while I am playing single mom we have been hanging around Grandma and Grandpa quite a bit for support.  Thank goodness for them or my head might turn all the way around.

J’s last day of kindergarten is this Friday and he talks excitedly about being a 1st grader next year.  I am so glad he likes school.  I can’t believe next year I will have a child in school full time.  I told him it seems like yesterday when he was a baby.  Now our midweek runs to the park or shopping trips will be trumped by school.  Family vacations will be scheduled around school breaks and homework and studying will be come common place.  Cherish those first 5 years… they go by so quick.  Tears…

Little Z is still the middle child through and through.  Talk about terrible 3’s.  2’s have nothing on this age.  He went from a cat phase to a bird phase which is fine.  He seems to get fixated on something new every 6 months.  Some days I worry about his social skills because he just refuses to interact with other people his age and then other days he is just fine.  We shall see how preschool goes this fall.  He will either love it or hate it.  We are going to try some activities this summer to ease him into it.  Oh boy!!!

Little K… almost 4 months now and laughing, cooing, and keeping her head straight so she can see the world.  She adores her brothers and loves to smile at everyone.  She is just a beautiful little baby and people are drawn to her.  Z even made the comment with pride that everyone loves our baby.  She is grabbing at toys now and gaining more control of her movements. 

We are still trying to sell the house but no interest so far.  A few showings but that was awhile ago and nothing lately.  Oh well.  We can make this how work

We are planning a few family adventures for this summer but with the price of gas we won’t go far too often.  I decided to renew the zoo membership because with gas at least it was a quick fun trip in town that we could do for cheap.  I also figure we will try out Meijer Gardens a few times, Millennium Park, one trip to Michigan’s Adventure, a few movies here and there and of course Grandpa’s pool  

Wish us well as we embark on a summer with 3 kids and at times one parent.  If anyone has ideas on how to keep busy and sane I am all ears!

Film Is Dead

Today is a sad sad day for me. 6 years ago I purchased a semi professional Nikon SLT film camera when I started to really develop an interest in photography.  I took some classes and purchased an enlarger and started making my own black and white prints in my basement.  I really loved taking close ups of nature and interesting objects and turning them into art.  I still have the photos on my wall that remind me of my hobby.  But since having children I have not had the time or the ambition to even pick up the film camera and play around.  With the digital point and shoots so easy to use and the need for so much speed to capture those childhood moments I thought I might not get back in the darkroom when my kids went off to college anyway.  So today I finally decided to take my Nikon SLT film camera and two lens to the camera shop and see what it might be worth as trade. Before I went I looked on Ebay so I would not be so shocked but looking on ebay I was still surprised to find the film cameras are pretty much dead equipment.  My same camera was selling for around $10.  I tried to remain hopeful and try my local camera shop.  They might think there was value in my equipment right?  But I was sadly mistaken. I was offered not much over $50 for the whole lot and that was in trade towards some new gear.  Ouch…  I have been hanging onto all my darkroom equipment too and after talking with the camera guys I found out that you can’t buy Kodak developing solution for film anymore.  Pretty soon film won’t be easily found either.  WOW.  Digital came in an made film extinct, wish I had dusted off the camera a few years ago so I could get more on trade.  Oh well, Craig’s List here I come… 

Princess Buttercup

Today Miss K AKA Princess Buttercup was in rare form.  Now that she is past the 3 month hump she is starting to show off her little personality.  She sleeps pretty much through the night, she only cries when she really needs something, she is awake longer and really likes to be held and entertained.  It is so amazing how she follows her brothers with her eyes as they play around her.  But what is even more adorable was today when she was in her cooingand ahhing moment and her older brother started playing peek-a-boo and she just laughed and laughed.  Those baby laughs are just the cutest sounds ever created.