PAY IT FORWARD

A fun pay it forward activity, who doesn't like free gifts, especially during Mr. Recession?

Here's how it works-
the first 5 people to leave a comment on this post will receive, at some point during the year, a handmade or homemade gift from me. What it will be and when it will arrive is a total surprise!

The catch is that you must participate as well-before you leave your comment here, write up a pay it forward post on your blog to keep the fun going. Then come back, let me know you're going to play, and sit back and anticipate the arrival of your gift!

Remember that only the first 5 comments will receive a gift from me, so be quick! This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:
1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2. It'll be done this year
3. You will have no clue what it is going to be.

Love is in the Air

I usually try to do something special for those boys in my life on Valentines day. I had not even thought of what I was going to do this year until Brayden asked me about a week before. He also reminded me that last year they all received treasure maps when they got home from school and they had to search the house until they found their loot. Those maps took a long time to do plus I even burned the edges to make it look old. So not only did it take a lot of time but it also made my house stink. This year I decided to do another treasure hunt. But all of their loot was together and they had puzzle pieces with clues on them. Once they found all the pieces of the puzzle they had to put it together and find where the treasure chest was hiding. I thought it would be a lot of fun and they would have to work together to solve this mystery. Leave it up to my boys to turn it into a competition and start arguing with one another. I quickly reminded them was this whole adventure was about. They started organizing the puzzle pieces together and before no time they had found their treasure. A lot of holidays anymore are about the gifts and how big they are. I want to create memories for my kids where money was not the issue. I don't believe in creating some of these holidays like Christmas and I don't want my kids to either. They loved their adventure and finding their bag of valentines candy. Even Brayden came up and thanked me for everything afterwards, a rare moment I know. But one that I will treasure for many years to come.

Happy Birthday Dad

Today is my Dad's Birthday! He is on a mission for his church so we were not able to celebrate with him. My Dad is one of my hero's. He has always been able to fix or make anything I can think of. I love him more than words can say. He is such an example to me and my family. I remember when I was younger he was really upset with his boss and the worst name he could come up with for his boss was jerk. I could not ask for a better Dad. I have been told that I am a lot like him. Of course I take that as a compliment. He is never afraid to try new things and when he does he is usually successful. We miss him dearly and can't wait till October when they return home. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD & GRANDPA!! We Love You!

So if any of you know Brayden you know that when he sets his mind to something he usually accomplishes it. Our conversation went something like this:

B: Mom I want a baby sister.

Me: You know that there is no guarantee we would have a girl.

B: I know I just want a baby.

Me: You don't help out enough around the house for me to even consider it. I've already got enough on my hands.

B: Just wait till Tyler leaves the house and then have a baby.

Me: You would almost be out of the house then. That wouldn't be very fair to the baby to be all by themselves.

B: OK then wait 2 years.

Kaleb joined the conversation saying he also wants a baby sister. Rylee then came to the rescue and said he doesn't want any baby. Then Brayden proceeding in trying to convince Rylee he does. The rest of the evening Brayden spent cleaning up the house. I like that. Maybe I won't dash his hopes yet so I can get my whole house cleaned. I do love his determination though. They all make me laugh especially with some of our conversations! Never a dull moment.

SUPER BOWL

As a family we decided we would have a Super Bowl party. I have never really been into the Super Bowl besides the commercials but I heard someone say that as a family you should have parties for many different reasons. So, I decided to start. With the coffee table filled with many fattening snacks and treats we started. Not too soon after most of us had left the room and were not watching the show until halftime. Then again most scattered. For some strange reason the last 5 minutes of the game we all came back to watch. It was a lot of fun to spend those few moments cheering for whatever team you wanted and spending the time together. I used to love the commercials but I was very disappointed to sit there with my husband and 4 boys to see some of the filth. Now I am questioning how can I teach my kids to live in the world but not of the world. I also do not want to put a bubble around them so when they do go out in the real world they have no concept of real life. I know I have a big challenge ahead of me, Bring it on!

I am Normal Again

After having my blood drawn 4 times, bruises, CT Scan plus dye & months of confusion and wonder I finally got back my last test results. They now say my liver levels are down and we will test in another year. I'm happy at these latest results but still a little confused why they were ever high and I had to go through all of that. My doctor seemed a little baffled through the whole ordeal. Maybe someday I will discover why I had to go through all of that. In the meantime I am delighted that my arms will look normal for awhile.