Happy Halloween!

I hope everyone had a fabulous Halloween! I love Halloween because they show cool stuff on the History Channel. Yes, I'm a nerd. Last night we watched The Haunted History of Halloween, which I've seen numerous times. But I really like how they trace the history of the holiday in a way the kiddos can follow. Tonight, I think I'll watch some show about the Wolfman in France. Ok, so enough about my nerdiness...

We have done our trick-or-treating and the kiddos have eaten some candy. They are actually pretty good at not eating the candy all at once. I have those kids who like to stretch the candy for as long as possible. They've been known to still have Halloween candy at Christmas. Anyhoo...thought I'd share a few pictures...

The 3 cutest trick-or-treaters on the block

And the award for creepiest mask goes to....

Isn't she just the cutest strawberry you've ever seen?!

The most excited trick-or-treater...




The most OCD trick-or-treater...

Enjoy the rest of the Halloween night and be safe!!

Please Pray for My Sister

I just got off the phone with my mom and my little sister. My little sister and her family came home tonight to find that their home had been broken into. While they are still evaluating what has been taken, it is obvious that all of their big ticket items are gone. I feel horrible for them and so helpless at the same time. No matter how old she gets, I still feel very protective over my sister. While she was putting on a strong front, I could hear in her voice that she was devastated. On my 10th birthday, our home was broken into. Luckily, my grandfather stopped by before the man was able to take anything more than my father's wedding ring and some small things that fit in his pocket. But I remember the feeling. It's an indescribable feeling of being violated. I hate that my sister and her family are having to feel that way tonight. I'm thankful that stuff can be replaced and no one was physically harmed. I don't do this often, but I tonight I am asking that you please say a prayer for my sister and her family. Pray that they can somehow feel safe in their own home again. Thank you so much!

I Feel So Loved!

One of my favorite blogging mamas over at 2 Toddlers and Me picked one of my posts from this week as her choice for Favorite Post Friday.




I'm so excited. Head on over and check her out!

It's Like You Know

We all have certain things that drive us crazy. One of those things for me is the use of what I call "crutch words". Crutch words are words such as like, um, uh, you know, etc. that people use when they are speaking. I tend to ignore them and not be bothered too much by them during informal conversations. However, when someone is making a presentation in front of a class, the use of crutch words drives me absolutely batty. Today, I was reminded of just how annoyed I am by these words. A guy was doing a presentation of the illustrations that were part of today's assigned reading. His presentation lasted for about 1/2 an hour. He used the phrase you know excessively. To calm myself, I started keeping track of how many times he uttered the phrase about half way through his presentation. Within a span of 15 minutes, this guy said "you know"...brace yourself...143 times!! I'm still recovering from the horror of it...

It's Like Riding a Bike

Recently I was having a discussion with someone about parenting. I'm not sure what exactly we were talking about, but somehow the topic of teaching a child to ride a bike came up. Since then, I've given it some more thought and realized that the metaphor of teaching a child to ride a bike is just like parenting. When our children are young, we act as their training wheels. We allow them to do as much as they can, but prop them up when they need it. With our support, they learn the basics without falling. As they get older and are able to ride along fairly well, maybe we take off one training wheel. They still have our support, but are able to do a little more without us. Eventually, both training wheels are removed. The first few rides without the training wheels we run along behind them holding them up so they don't fall. But at some point we, as parents, must let go. We know that our child is probably going to fall. They might scrape a knee or bruise something, but we will be there to help them up. Finally, we let them go. When we let them go, we know that sometimes our children are going to fall. But, we also know that we'll be there encouraging them to pick themselves up and get back on the bike. Not always are we going to fix their scrapes. Sometimes, we will show them the medicine cabinet and let them do it themselves. Some days letting go is harder than others.


Update:

I'm so excited to announce that this post was chosen for Favorite Post Friday by 2 Toddlers and Me!!

Quick Observation

It was raining this afternoon when it was time to get the boys off of their buses. I grabbed my umbrella and crossed the street to the bus stop. As I got each one off the bus and walked them to our house, they ended up with more of the umbrella than I did. Needless to say, by the time I had gotten them both home, I was a little damp. I didn't really mind because my boys were dry.

So here's my observation...

You know you're a mommy when you give your kids the umbrella because as long as your child is dry you don't even notice the rain.

Hip Hip Hooray for RTT

I love Random Tuesday Thoughts! Let's just get ride to it...

**Where does ABC find all those crazy families for Wife Swap? And exactly why do the families throw such a fit over the rules change? Don't they understand the concept of the show?!

**I turned in my essay on Blake today. I feel about a million pounds lighter.

**It's raining, yuck.

**Last night's dinner was a disaster. I tried a new recipe. It would've been good if it had been cooked for about half the time. We went to Wendy's.

**Speaking of Wendy's...I have been saying for years that some place should put chicken sandwiches in the kids meals. Finally, Wendy's is doing that! My kids were ecstatic!

**I cut my finger last night. I have no idea on what.

**I have a professor who drinks about a pot of coffee before class, then bounces around the whole class period. It kind of reminds me of my kids.

**There was this really pretty yellow envelop in my mailbox today. I got all excited that someone had sent me a card. Turns out that it's my neighbors mail. Dang mailman!

**I am totally unmotivated to do any housework lately. Thank goodness the hubby isn't opposed to picking up my slack.

**My mom bought my oldest kiddo 3 chapter books on Saturday. He finished all 3 of them by Sunday afternoon. I love my little bookworm.

**My middle kiddo has the smile of a future heartbreaker. I'm not looking forward to his teen years.

**My precious baby girl is pulling up and scooting around the couch. She'll be walking sooner than I care to admit.

Hope you have a fabulous Tuesday. If you want some more randomness, head on over to the originator of RTT, the unmom.

You Don't Have to Be Here

I'm so frustrated and I just have to vent, so please excuse my ranting in advance. I am a full-time college student. I went to college for one year right after high school, then quit for a few years to be married and have babies. When the boys were out of the baby stage and the hubby was preparing for a second deployment, I decided to return to college. As an older college student, I apparently have a whole different outlook on attending class than some of my younger counterparts. In order to pursue my education, I give up time with my children, time with my hubby and huge amounts of money. Therefore, I take going to class and paying attention very seriously. I do not have to be there. I choose to be there. Attending college is a choice. No one has to be there. I'm so sick and effing tired of dealing with people talking during class. I'm also sick of people coming and going as they please with no regard to others. When you register for class, you are making a commitment to attend said class with the goal of learning something about the subject. You aren't saying, "Yeah, I'll come if I don't have anything better to do" or "Yeah, I'll come but I'll have to leave early because my boyfriend wants to do it during his break". You're not there to chit chat with your sorority sisters about last night pre-gaming session and who charmed (term used loosely) her way out of a DUI arrest.

So, basically, the point of my little rant here is this: If you are in college, you should act like an adult by respecting those around you. If you are registered for a class and choose to attend, sit down, shut up and pay attention.

**I'm sure that this doesn't apply to any of you, my dear readers. Thanks for enduring my little rant, we'll now return to the regularly scheduled program :) On, a lighter note, I'm testing out a new recipe and will share details soon if it turns out well.

My Roots

I come from a very interesting combination of people. My grandfathers and great-grandfathers were all very strong, hard-working men. Each of them have had a very significant thing in common. They were all married to wonderfully strong and independent women. All of these women were very different from one another. Each had her own strengths and weaknesses. As I look at myself, both my appearance and my personality, I can pick out each of them in me. I feel like I've been blessed with a little piece of them all and hope that I make each of them proud. I want to tell you a little bit about each of these amazing women.

Granny Lynda is my mom's mother. She is a soft-spoken, tiny woman with beautiful eyes and an infectious smile. Many people often think that she is oblivious to the world around her. However, I know that she sees and understands the world around her, but she chooses to not let that get her down. She sees the best in everyone and never utters a bad word about a person without blessing their heart. From her, I have learned that the world is often beyond my control but I can control how I respond to it. I also smile like her.

Granny Shirley was my dad's mother. She had piercing blue eyes. She was brutally honest. Her opinions were never a mystery. Granny Shirley has some very rough relationships in her early life which made her a little hard. This was something that I didn't know about her until I was in high school and it shed a new light on so much. I know she loved me, I know she loved others. However, sometimes she struggled with expressing her love and sometimes she came across harshly. From her, I learned that honesty is the best policy. I also learned that we don't always know what a person has been though so we should not judge them too harshly. I also have eyes that are very much like hers.

My great-grandmothers were all interesting women, as well. Grandmother Eliott got a college degree in 1924. She worked with the state extension office and visited women on their farms. Part of her work with the extension office consisted of starting a rest camp for farm wives. Talk about progressive, right?! In the 50s, she founded an arts & crafts fair that continues to this day and is a major contributor to the local economy each year. Although I never met my Grandma Clardy, I'm told that she was fiesty and had a sense of humor quite similar to my own. My Grandma Elsie was a woman who chose to spend her life taking care of those around her. She was an excellent cook. When I was about 4 years old, she taught me how to make apple pie. She was a very patient woman, and I swear she was probably a saint. My Gran-Gran moved to a nursing home when I was very young. Every time we visited, she gave us candy bars. Turns out, she was excellent at Bingo and cards. Each week in the nursing home, she cleaned up at the games so that she would have enough candy bars for each of us great-grandkids. She was witty and thoughtful. From these 4 women, I learned that getting an education is possible even when the odds seem to be stacked against you and that achieving whatever you want takes a hard work. I also learned the importance of family.

The person that I am is a direct result of these 6 women. Each of them passed along unique traits to me. I am blessed to come from these women and I love them all very much. I only hope that I make them as proud of me as I am of them.

25 of My Quirks

I'm all out of bloggy ideas today, so I've decided to share 25 things about myself...Enjoy!

1. My favorite color is yellow.
2. I have an irrational fear of being attacked by squirrels, but I'm not actually afraid of squirrels.
3. I flew an airplane once.
4. I'm an English major. Even though my major falls into the liberal arts category, I am conservative in my thinking.
5. I am a fan of the Razorbacks, Cowboys and Braves through the good, the bad and the ugly.
6. I am the world's pickiest eater.
7. I love to cook, but rarely eat what I make (refer to number 6).
8. I have a split uvula. (That is not something dirty)
9. My favorite movie is Bull Durham.
10. I drive a Jeep Wrangler X and I love it.
11. The hubby and I don't own a vehicle that isn't a Jeep...this happened totally by coincidence.
12. I love moving as frequently as we do, but I sometimes worry about how it affects the kids.
13. Even though I plan to be an English teacher, I'm not a grammar nazi. However, it drives me crazy when people misuse it's, its, their and there.
14. I have a love-hate relationship with my Blackberry. I love all that it does, but I hate that it costs me so much every month.
15. I don't mind doing laundry, but I hate folding it.
16. I do not like Shakespeare's works. This isn't because I find it difficult to read. It's because I think it's crap. (Sorry, if you disagree.)
17. I'm going to vacation in Europe...don't know when, but someday.
18. My first major in college was Horticulture.
19. When I was in high school, I was on a state champion FFA horse judging team. We placed 3rd in the nation.
20. Bing commercials make my head hurt.
21. I've read the first 2 Twilight books and will read the last 2. I'm not infatuated with them like the rest of the world seems to be, but I feel like I should read them because my future students are reading them.
22. I'm distracted on a daily basis by Facebook.
23. I have a goal that all 3 of my kiddos will leave my house knowing how to cook one really good meal, how to do their own laundry, and how to change the oil and tires on their vehicles.
24. I love getting mail.
25. I can hook up my own washer and dryer.
    

Good Thing It's RTT

I'm feeling a bit random today, or maybe it's more that I can't stay focused on anything for very long today. Anyhoo, it's Tuesday!! That means I get to get my random on, YAY!

**The dogs are about to get their butts kicked out of here. This week, they have chewed up two books, a bra, a baby toy and the nipple off of a baby bottle while I was at school. Seriously, you stupid animals, what's wrong with the CHEW toys?

**I have a paper due in my course on William Blake next week. I need to edit it and re-write lots of it...but I'd rather run a few miles in heels.

**Why do Avent bottles have US ounces and UK ounces? I thought an ounce was an ounce. Apparently, I thought wrong.

**My non-school related reading for this week is Mechanically Inclined. It's about teaching grammar to middle & high school kids. I'm loving it.

**Yes, I'm a nerd.

**I had cereal for dinner last night. It was good.

**Monday Night Football is perhaps the most distracting thing on TV. I end up glued to it and stay up way too late.

**The hubby is a Vikings fan, so yay that they are 6-0...now if only the games would be shown in our area because I may throw large, heavy objects at the hubby if I have to listen to his whining for one more week.

**The number of catalogs I receive has greatly increased since I had a baby in April...I'm certain these two things are connected somehow.

**We don't have a house phone or a microwave.

**My mommy is coming to visit this weekend.

**Sometimes, while I'm on-campus I worry that one of the million squirrels is going to randomly attack me. They have really sharp claws, you know.

Now, I'm off to watch some TV before the boys get home from school and take over the remote control. Enjoy your Tuesday!!

Herding Cats Would Be Easier

Some nights, dinner time is the worst time in our house. Tonight is one of them. As I sit here writing this blog, my oldest kiddo is making excuses as to why he can't (more like won't) eat his meatloaf.

• He's full
• He ate all of his lunch and isnt' hungry
• He hates meatloaf
• His brother is making faces at him
• It's inedible

I'm about to pull my hair out. I hate nights like this. Honestly, this is why on a regular basis, I consider filling in the dinner menu with chicken nuggets and frozen pizza.

I know it's not just my kiddos. What are some of your family's favorite kid friendly meals?

Being a Hostess

Last night, we had some friends over for dinner. Other than the fact that I totally stress about my house being a mess, my kids acting like total hooligans and my cooking not being quite good enough, I love having company. As a good southern girl, how to be a good hostess is something that has been ingrained into my DNA. Seriously, being a bad hostess will get your pearls yanked. Every time that I have to play the hostess, I always recall the best hostess I've ever encountered and try my best to be like her.

Miss Molly was the wife of my mom's boss. Every Christmas, they hosted a fancy dinner at their beautiful home. My mom's boss had been a bigwig in a major corporation at one point in time, so they had more money than anyone I've ever known. Their home was beautiful, the meal was elaborate and I was (still am) the world's pickiest eater. There was no way in the world that I was going to be convinced to touch whatever it was that Miss Molly had presented to us for dinner. So, I did what I always did in those situations. I politely pretended I had eaten something by pushing my food creatively around my plate. Well, Miss Molly noticed. I believe my mother was mortified when Miss Molly quietly asked me if I would like a peanut butter sandwich and I accepted. This beautiful woman took me by the hand, and, in the middle of her huge sparkly kitchen with a smile on her face, made me a peanut butter sandwich. She didn't make a big deal out of it, she just did it.

You see, as a hostess, her goal was that everyone leave her house happy. If she had let me walk out of there without eating, I wouldn't have been happy. Granted, I was used to it. But thanks to her and her peanut butter sandwich, I learned a lesson that I carry with me to this day. When you are hosting people in your home, it is your job to make sure they are happy. If that means whipping out the peanut butter, then so be it.

Truth in Advertising

I'm a big believer in the notion of truth in advertising. If you put yourself out there as the best, then dang it be the best. This goes for large companies scrambling for my pennies, as well as 30-something soccer moms in their minivans.

On my way home from school today, I needed to pee (TMI? Sorry...). So, naturally, I got stuck behind someone who was in less of a hurry than me. As I was patiently driving behind this lovely minivan, I took notice of her window art. Plastered all over her back window were Twilight themed stickers. Now, I'm all for reading (duh) but I'm fairly certain that this particular soccer mom had never actually read the books.

Why? Well, because one of her stickers proclaimed "I drive like a Cullen". Now, if she had read the books, she would have been driving a lot faster than 10 miles an hour and I wouldn't have had to leap from a barely parked vehicle and sprint through my house to the potty.

I'm still a little bothered by the fact that 30-something soccer moms seem to have taken more interest in this series than the tweens it was meant for, but I'm sure that's a post for another time...

Beef Stew Recipe

It hit me last night that, as much time as I have spent talking about my crock pot, I've never shared my recipe for Beef Stew. I make tons of things in my crock pot (as you can tell by previous posts) but this is probably the one recipe I make the most. The kiddos love it, as does the hubby. It is super simple, and it is so basic that it is easy to tinker with if you are out of something or if you just want something a little different.

Beef Stew

2 tbsp flour
2 tsp seasoning**
1 lb beef stew meat
2 tbsp cooking oil
1 medium onion
3 cups cubed potatoes
2 (10 oz) pkg frozen mixed vegetables
2 (11.5 oz) cans vegetable juice
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tsp beef bouillon granules
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried marjoram
1 bay leaf

Place flour and seasoning in large plastic Ziploc bag. Add stew meat and shake to coat. Heat cooking oil over med-high heat. Add meat and brown (don't cook all the way through, just want to brown it). Place in crock pot. Layer onion, potatoes and vegetables on top of meat. In a bowl, mix remaining ingredients. Pour over layers in crock pot. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or 5-6 hours on high.

**The seasoning I use for this, my roast and so many other things is Paula Deen's House Seasoning. The recipe is easily found in her cookbooks and online. But since I'm nice, I'll share it with you here. In an airtight container, mix together 1 cup salt, 1/4 cup black pepper and 1/4 cup garlic powder. This awesome stuff can be stored in your airtight container for up to 6 months and used on pretty much anything.

Enjoy the stew!

I Almost Forgot Tuesday!

So, in case you are anything like me (forgetful), it is Tuesday! That means it is time for me to be totally random. Yay!

**2 days for fall break is a total rip off! The kiddos got a whole week. Not fair!

**My hubby hates the Target commercial with that moon song in the background. He always mentions it. The commercial does not bother me, but his constant mention of it does.

**I spent 5 minutes debating which bag of frozen veggies to buy at the commissary this morning. One bag was .69, the other was .79. It was a big decision, people!

**I quite possibly need more excitement in my life.

**Why does postage keep going up at such astronomical rates? Oh, because the government is in charge of it....And they want to be in charge of medical care?!

**I might have accidentally backed into the hubby's vehicle yesterday afternoon...

**You know how on TV funerals, there is always some kooky thing happening? Like someone gets drunk and throws himself on the casket? Or someone accidentally tips the casket over? Well, it always makes the funeral way more interesting...I hope mine is interesting...and a long time from now...

**That might have been morbid.

**I think I'll dye my hair tonight.

**I had something fabulously random to say and have now forgotten it...believe I might be suffering from CRS (Can't Remember $hit...it comes with age or in my case children)

**My parents are featured in a video on YouTube!! Crazy! You can check it out here if you'd like to.

And that's about all the random I have for today. I'm off to watch NCIS...

ID Card Not Required

I've been an Army wife for just over 8 years now. It is a pretty spectacular life, in my opinion. However, it is pretty much nothing like the show on Lifetime. Over the years, I have learned a lot of lessons about life in general from being an Army wife. So, today, I thought I'd treat you to a little list of my knowledge:

1. The greeter at Wal-Mart does not need to see your ID card.
2. A lot of people will complain about everything. Give them free medical care and it will be the most horrible thing they've ever witnessed. Give them a new rope to hang themselves with and they will find something wrong with it.
3. Attitude is EVERYTHING! Yes, somethings (like deployments) suck. However, if you walk into a situation with a bad attitude about it, you have very little chance of getting anything positive from it. (Like the medical care....walk in expecting bad care and that's what you're gonna get...I've never gotten bad care, in fact it has always been excellent.)
4. Being family doesn't necessarily mean you share blood.
5. Friends that will stand by you through thick and thin (or deployments) are more precious than diamonds.
6. AAFES really stands for "Always and Forever Extorting Soldiers", but they do donate their profits back to the post.
7. Every place has its own beauty. Some places, like Hawaii, the beauty is more easily found. Other places, like El Paso, you have to search a little harder but that just means you'll appreciate it more.
8. Home is wherever you have your curtains hung at the moment. It can be packed up and moved within one week, if necessary. Back home is wherever you visit on leave.
9. Letters rule your life. PCS, LES, ect.
10. This life isn't for everyone. But for those of us who survive it, it is the only life we can imagine.

Fall Break Rocks

I get a long weekend for Fall Break, but it is totally better than nothing. My goal on Friday evening was to finish at least one non-school related book during the break. Last night, I did it! Yay! I finally found time to finish The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton.

If you haven't read it, I would recommend it. Some people find themselves scared of books written before the last decade. There really is no need for that. The House of Mirth was published in 1905 and deals with a socialite in the late 19th century. Lily Bart is one of those characters that you identify with and find yourself pulling for. The messes she finds herself in could easily happen today. Of course, we would use different language to speak of them, but still it could happen. From the beginning, it was pretty obvious to me how this one was going to end up but I enjoyed the read anyways. It really is an easy read. It just took me forever to read because I didn't have enough time.

I'm so excited to have finished the novel. Now the hard question...What to read next?! Oh how I love Fall Break!!

Midterm Sucks

This past week has been draining. Midterm just sucks the life out of you. I wrote two papers and took two midterms this week. (I didn't sleep much.) Anyways, enough with my excuses. In order to make up for my extended absence this week, I am finally giving you that recipe that I promised here and here.

Creamy Mexican Chicken and Rice in the Crock Pot

3-4 chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds), cut in half or thirds (depending on the size)
1 can rotele
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 cup Minute rice

Place the chicken pieces in a gallon size bag and add the rotele. Marinate in the fridge overnight. (You can skip this, but you will lose out on a little flavor.)

Add the soups and rice to the crock pot. Then add the chicken and rotele. Give it a quick stir to cover the chicken and stir in the rotele. Cook on low for 5-6 hours.

Yep, it's that simple! Hope you and your family enjoy it!

This, That and The Other

I'm sorry, my dear followers, that I haven't been around much this week. I'm in the middle of midterms and two major papers. Plus the kiddos are on fall break. It has been quite a hectic week around our house. As soon as I get the chaos reigned back in, I've got a few posts up my sleeve. I'll catch up soon, I promise :)

On another note, I'm a bit sad this afternoon. My parents called me with the news that my 17 year old cat who has been living with them (because our frequent moves would just be too much for a cat that old) passed away this afternoon. I know he had a great long life and was a little bit spoiled, but I'm still bummed. We got him when I was in the 4th grade, so I was around 9 years old. It's always hard when something like that happens, but I am very thankful that in he didn't suffer.

Tough Guys Wear Pink

If you are a football fan like me (or just live with a football fanatic), you might have noticed during today's games that they guys are sporting some unusual colors. The NFL is taking part in Breast Cancer Awareness month by having players wear pink. They've gone all out with it too. The guys are wearing pink gloves, pink cleats, pink-billed hats and pink wristbands. Many of the team captains have pink patches. Additionally, many of the players have placed the traditional pink ribbon on their helmets. See, tough guys do wear pink!

I love that the NFL has embraced this cause. It makes me even more proud to be a football fan! (Now, if only I could convince the hubby that it's CowBOYS not the Cowgirls...dang Vikings fan!)


*I found the really awesome NFL logo at the official NFL website. Go visit them to learn more about the various teams' efforts in support of Breast Cancer Awareness month.

The Eternal Question

Every parent who has more than one child has asked it. To my knowledge it has never been answered. I'm not sure the most brilliant minds in the world could come together and answer this eternal question. It's a tough one! What is it, you ask? Well, are you ready for it? Here it is...

Why, why oh god, must my children fight constantly??

Seriously! They're best buddies one minute. Then suddenly, they are trying to rip each other's head off. It makes me crazy and explains why I'm partially bald (well, not really, but you know what I mean). I love them, but if the circus comes by and offers me money for them it'll be really tempting!

Busy Weekend Ahead

Wow, I have a super busy weekend ahead of me! Luckily, I do well when I have a lot to do. For some reason, when I only have one or two things to do, my tendency to procrastinate presents itself in full force. I think it's because the more I have to do, the less time I have to even think about procrastinating. Anyhoo, here's what I have to do this weekend:

• 5 page paper on the poetry of William Blake...I know, you are totally jealous...
• 7 page paper in which I have to apply one of about 4 schools of literary criticism to "Trifles" by Susan Glaspell...I'm kind of looking forward to this one because it is such an interesting little play. It is only one act and packed full of things that a literary critic can pick up on and run with. Glaspell actually wrote a short story called "A Jury of Her Peers" based on the play as well. Both texts are widely available in their entirety online. If you have a few minutes and are looking for something new to read, I'd recommend them.
• 2 midterms to study for...one in World History and one in my course on Blake...hate prepping for tests...
• Short presentation on the text of the last 6 poems of "Songs of Experience" by William Blake...yuck...
• Develop magical powers that allow me to clean my house with the wave of my hand.
• Keep up with 3 kids and the hubby...no telling what they'll get themselves into...
• Find time to go grocery shopping because for some reason the aforementioned children and hubby think they need to eat on a daily basis.
• Sleep...yeah, this one isn't seeming to likely at this point...

Well, that's what my weekend looks like...Hope your's is less hectic and more relaxing than mine!

Breast Cancer Awareness

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I could pelt you with a bunch of statistics about breast cancer, but the subject is so close to my heart that simply throwing a bunch of statistics out just doesn't cut it. Eighteen months ago, my grandmother passed away as a result of breast cancer. It was her second bout with the disease. She had been experiencing symptoms for about two months before she went into the hospital on Christmas night and was diagnosed. I firmly believe that she knew what she had and just feared the confirmation. Very early on Easter morning in 2008, she passed away. I was very close to her. The loss still hurts. My daughter is named after her. To this day, I still catch myself picking up the phone to call her. But, I can't; she is gone. My other grandmother has beaten breast cancer twice now. However, she had to have a mastectomy. My hubby's grandmother just beat breast cancer as well. As you can tell, my life has been greatly impacted by this horrible disease.

Early detection is one of the best measures you can take in fighting breast cancer. Get checked and do it often. Be vigilant about monthly self-exams and report any changes to your doctor immediately. I know that it can be scary. If you are in a position to make donations to organizations that support breast cancer research, that is wonderful. We make a small monthly donation which is deducted from the hubby's paycheck. However, I firmly believe that one of the best things you can do is encourage all the women in your life to always be watchful of their breast health. Don't put it off ladies!! Also, don't forget to practice what you preach!