11/14/11 - "My Friends"

Today, my "30 Days of Thankful" item is, my friends. As a follow up to the last 2 days, today I am thankful for my friends, in general. Some have come, and gone over the years. While at the time, it's sad, and difficult to digest, you eventually come to realize, it is always for the best. The bad "friends", the selfish "friends" always seem to ware out their welcome with time. True colors always show, and there comes a time where you need to just put your foot down and put an end to one-way friendships. On the other hand, sad as it may be, sometimes you just simply grow apart. Your lives travel different paths, your interests take new form. While it may be hard to lose friends, in the end, when the smoke clears, you are left with the people that really deserve to be called friend. The people that care about you, the people that actually want to be a part of your life. I am blessed to have a great circle of real friends. Friends that I can lean on, count on, cry with, vent to an more often than not, laugh the night away with. It's an amazing feeling to finally feel like I am surrounded by real friends.

"Truly great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave and impossible to forget". Very true words.

Today was a pretty standard Monday. Catching up after the holiday, getting back into the swing of things. Just another day in the neighborhood really. Although, it is getting to be the time of year where all you hear, ALL day long is people hacking up lungs, sniffling non-stop and spreading their illness all over the office. Usually because they like to waste their leave time away all year long, leaving them with none when they actually need it. Sometimes just because they are just plain rude. Oh, the joys of office life :)

Like usual, it was pretty low key after work. Same old, same old! Here is a picture of my sweet baby. The girls love to stand on the couch and sing to themselves in the mirror. Apparently, it's hilarious. Whatever keeps them happy, I guess.

11/13/11 - "My Online Mama's"

Today, my "30 Days of Thankful" item is, my online mom's groups. I first joined the Babycenter community boards when I was pregnant with Olivia. I was a lurker for a while, just reading the various questions and responses. Eventually I became more and more active, the more comfortable I got. Over the years I have 3 main groups I devoted most of my time to...my January '09 spin-off group, the "Snowbabies", which was specifically for people due the same week Olivia was due. My January '09 Working Mom's group, which I enjoyed because a large majority of the online community world is stay at home mother's...while there is nothing wrong with that, it's no big surprise that the two worlds have pretty significant differences - it's nice to connect with people that are truly in the same boat as you. Finally, my July '10 spin-off board, the "Little Rubies". This is the group I definitely connected with the most. It is a very small group, and we all just had an amazing connection and great level of comfort right from the start. In the end, these women help me in so many ways. They cheer me up when I need it, they don't judge me for my choices, they let me be me - no questions asked. They have such an amazing level of tolerance and open-mindedness. There is no question that I would have gone CRAZY, long ago, without them.

Today was a pretty good Sunday. It started off fairly lazy...at least on Christian's part. Of course he ended up staying out way too late last night, so had no interest in getting up this morning. The girls and I ate some breakfast and goofed around for a while, and I managed to get some laundry done. While the girls napped, I started tearing apart the office....going through paperwork, cleaning out the closet and all that fun stuff. Now that we don't have our desktop computer, we're clearing out the room, and turning it into a playroom. We're going to get the carpet cleaned, do some painting and decorating and move all of their toys into the room. It's our next project, and I'm pretty excited about it. It will take us a while to actually get it done...we can't even get the carpet cleaners in until January, but I'm happy to have started anyway!

After naps, Christian started putting plastic on the widows. While he did that, the girls and I watched some old Disney movies...I found my box of old VHS's...seriously, how did we survive through "rewind" and 20 minutes of forced previews?!? LOL.

Finally, it was time for baths and bed. The weekend came to an end, as quickly as it usually does. At least it was another fun filled, weekend, and we got quite a bit done. Always a plus!

Here is another cute sister lovin' picture to share!

11/12/11 - "My Best Friend"

Today, my "30 Days of Thankful" item is, my best friend. I talk about her so often, but I don't think I could ever really explain how much she means to me. She's been by my side for so many years, ups and downs, good times and bad. We had our share of "fights" back in the day, but nothing more than your typical high school drama. Our friendship works so well, because we've always balanced each other out. I don't know where I would be without her, and I sure hope that I NEVER had to find out!

Today was a great Saturday. We got so much stuff done around the house, it felt great. I got some dishes and cleaning done around the house. The weather was actually beautiful today - and is supposed to take a turn for the worse next week, so we all spent some time outside. We put up the last of the Christmas lights. Put away the last of the yard decorations. Cleaned up the garage one last time. With that, we are officially ready for snow and winter (well, as ready as you can be I guess).

While the girls napped, Christian and I just relaxed and watched some TV together. Once the girls were up, and fed, Christian was off to hang out with a friend for the night. They were off to watch the big boxing match, while the girls and I hung out at home. Luckily they weren't too crazy. I did discover that Amelia can now climb up onto our bar-height dining room table now. That is NOT a very fun skill...

All in all, it was a great day, filled with a lot of randomness. Just the way I like it! Here are a couple pics of the girls enjoying our time outside. Terrorizing the neighbors tree, and "helping" hang the lights. LOL

11/11/11 - "My Mom"

Today, my "30 Days of Thankful" item is, my mom! Of course, for many countless reasons, I am very thankful for my mom. She is always there for us, and I know that she would do anything she could to help us out. We have had many rough patches over the years, and we don't always see eye to eye, but in the end none of that matters. We all grow, and we learn from our mistakes. And, our past doesn't have to rule our present. I'm grateful that we have been able to develop a closer relationship, specifically since I became a mother myself. I don't know what we would do without her, and all of her help.

Today was a pretty low key day. I had the day of for Veteran's Day. The girls were up bright and early. We played for a bit, ate some breakfast and I got them dressed....my mom is also off today, and agreed to take the girls for a while so I could get some stuff done around the house. She took them to the mall for a while, and back to her place, so I was able to get some cleaning done around the house. A little peace and quiet sure goes a long way!

She ended up bringing the girls back right around the time Christian got home from work. We had a pretty low key night (as if we party down most other nights...), and basically went to bed right after the girls. We have a busy weekend of chores coming up, so I'm sure the weekend is going to fly right by.

Here is my all time favorite picture of my mom and me. I have this one hanging up at my work, and everyone that sees it thinks that it is me and Olivia. :)

11/10/11 - "Service Men & Women"

Today, my "30 Days of Thankful" item is, our Service Men and Women. In preparation for Veteran's Day tomorrow, I thought it was only fitting to get into the spirit. So, today I am thankful for the men and women, past, present and future, who risk their lives to make a better life for the rest of us. They are brave, they are strong, they are courageous, they are truly amazing for the sacrifice. So many pay the ultimate price, all to make a better world for the rest of that. They deserve our eternal gratitude, and thank you does not even begin to provide the reward they deserve.

Today was actually a pretty great day. First, we had our first (very minor) snowfall of the year! I was really excited to look out the window and see HUGE, fluffy snowflakes falling from the sky. I thought for sure we'd be pulling out the snow gear for some fun this weekend...but, alas, it stopped snowing soon after, and that was that. Boo. Things were D-E-A-D at work, and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it that way. By lunch time, there were only 4 of us left in the office, and it was great. It was quiet and automatically less stressful just by the lack of persons. Seriously, it would be perfect if work was just like today, every day!

After work, I picked up the girls while Christian helped a friend check out some possible re-wiring work he's going to need in the house he's buying. Of course, the girls decided to take a REALLY late nap today, so they were still passed out when I got there. So, I chatted with my mother in law about Christmas and Olivia's birthday for a bit. I need to get on gift lists...time is going too fast!

Finally, we all met up back home, ate some dinner, tore about the hard and acted like a pack of crazies. Just another night in the Duran household! Of course, as a government employee, I have tomorrow off, and I've very much looking forward to it. My mom is taking the girls for a bit so I can get some stuff done around the house...exciting stuff!

Here is a picture of Olivia that I just LOVE! I could get lost in those big browns!

11/9/11 - "Seasons"

Today, my "30 Days of Thankful" item is, Seasons. And, I mean REAL, Minnesota style seasons.

• A Winter, filled with cold, crisp, breath-stealing air and glittery, snow-covered surroundings. Comfort food, hot chocolate, Christmas joy. Twinkling lights and snowmen. Such wonder, in every unique little snowflake that falls.
• A Spring, that swoops in to clean the Earth as only Mother Nature could. Fresh, clean air. Fresh, growing flowers and trees full of budding leaves. You look around, and it's as if the world is being reborn, right in front of you.
• A Summer, full of sunny, family-fun-filled days. Trips to the zoo, the parks, the lake. Days spent "poolside", no matter how kiddie that pool may be. Thunderstorms and a never ending list of things to do.
• A Fall, filled with amazing, vibrant colors and comforting scents. Trips to apple orchards, corn mazes and pumpkin patches. Halloween and Thanksgiving amazingness.

We are blessed with so many amazing things, on a daily basis, just by taking a minute to step outside, and look around.

Today was a pretty decent day. I've been enjoying myself much more at work lately, now that I finally have a normal work load going on, and consistently at that. I finally have the chance to step out of my cubicle and even chat with co-workers every once in a while...I've been so secluded for so long, unable to escape my piles, upon piles, upon piles. I can just feel the stress leaving my body. Now, the trick is to actually stay on top of things for a change!

I did leave work a tad early. I had to pick up Olivia and bring her in for her flu vaccination. She got the flu mist for the first time this year. I was a little nervous about it...to be honest, I could never bring myself to spray something up my nose. I debated doing it for Olivia. She actually does great with shots...she never cries, she watches the whole thing from start to finish. But, the thing I like about the mist is that it's active immediately, which is nice. I feel more secure knowing that she's instantly protected, versus waiting 2 weeks. She did better with it than expected. She wouldn't "sniff" for the nurse, but once we were heading to the car, on our own, I got her to do it. Then, all was done.

We picked up Amelia, and were on our way home. I whipped up a quick dinner, and then got back into my wall art projects. We borrowed a blow dryer from my mother in law...one that actually works...and I was finally able to get the vinyl from Monday to stick. And, I got the remaining two up as well. YAY! Now, I just have to finish the picture displays that go along with them, and I can finally check another "design" task off my list! Next up, the playroom!

Here are some pictures of our new wall art.

11/8/11 - "Me" and the 20 Controversy

Today, my "30 Days of Thankful" item is....me! Yes, I know how strange that may sound, but, hear me out.

I know who I am, I've always been me, and I have not wavered in that. My opinions, views and morals, whether personal, political, religious or world view, have not changed with time, surroundings or convenience. I do not alter myself for anybody around me, I do not try to be, or portray, something I am not. I am me, and I am proud of that.

I have nothing in my past to be embarrassed or ashamed of. There is nothing in it that I would not be happy to share with my children. There will be no hypocrisy on my part as I try to guide my children down the right path in life. I am proud of my past, not only because it made me who I am, but because I've always made smart decisions with my life and the choices I make. Whether relationship wise, drugs, alcohol, sex, general behavior. I can truly say, I am comfortable with my past, and I don't think a ton of people can really say that.

I am secure with my present. I have a husband that loves me, regardless of the arguments and the downs of our relationship. I have amazing children, that brighten my every day. I have a job that I love. I have a home full of love, happiness and laughter. I surround myself with good people. I work hard for my family and I would do anything for the people I care about. For these same reasons, I am I am excited to see what the future holds.

I may be stubborn, but with that comes strength. I may be opinionated, but I would NEVER try to push my opinions onto somebody else, or begrudge somebody for having a different opinion than me. I may be not trust easy, and I may hold a grudge, but only when I'm pushed beyond a pretty thick line.

So, yes, today, I am thankful for me, and the person that I am!

Today was a fairly boring day, other than events that kind of led up to my realization of the above declaration. Today, it was announced that the "Duggar Family" is expecting their 20th child. This is a story/family that I've followed for years. And, I do not agree with their choice to continue having children, for many reasons. I have many opinions on this matter...

• The main reason I do not agree with their choice to continue having children...the risk, not only to mom Duggar, but to the unborn child, and really, the family as a whole. Michelle is 45 years old. While a women's body IS meant to bare and birth children, it's not meant to go through 19 pregnancies, including multiple c-sections. She is not only risking her own life, in turn taking the very legitimate risk of leaving her 19/20 kids motherless, but she is risking the life of her unborn child. The last child was not just premature, but extremely premature, and barely survived. It's just scary to think of the risks she's taking.
• People say "well, at least they can support their family". Well, of course they can. They make who knows how much money off of their TV show. The only reason they can support their family, is by exploiting them for the world to see.
• As much as a lot of people hate to hear it, the world is extremely overpopulated. Now, obviously this is not solely to blame on the Duggar's or anything like that, but no one family should carry such a burden on the environment. The resources it takes for each individual person to survive...the water, the energy and overall footprint we leave behind. I mean, if half of the couples in the world were doing what this family is doing, everyone in the other half would think it was a problem...so why is it that just because it's a fairly rare occurrence, it's OK?
• People say, "well, at least the kids seem smart and well behaved". First of all, why should that matter? I mean, yeah it's great that they aren't just a family of juvenile delinquents, but I still don't know why that matters? And, half of them haven't even reached their teenage years yet. I think it's a little early to grant them all sainthood.
• Finally, I hate our cultures latest fad of "who are we to judge". We are human beings, that is what gives us the right to judge. EVERYBODY judges, almost on a daily basis. Furthermore, in my experience, the people who declare that nobody has the right to judge, are usually the ones that judge the harshest! You see somebody walking in an outfit that you don't care for and you comment on it to a spouse or friend...you are judging...you are judging the designer for designing such an ugly garment, or the wearer for purchasing the monstrosity. Somebody doesn't follow your religion, or a religion at all for that matter, you judge them. Whether silently, or by "praying the lord provides them guidance". Who are you to decide what god somebody should pray to, or even if they should? You judge people's parenting skills when they aren't in line with your own choices. You judge people for being working parents, or you judge them for being stay at home parents. You judge somebody for not being charitable, not going to church, for not having children, for not liking pets. The list goes on and on. A lot of times, just by forming an opinion, you are judging. It is part of life, and it is a right of life. In the end, it is what you do with those judgements that shows the true person you are. How you treat others, even if they make decisions or have opinions you don't agree with. How well you hold your tongue and realize that your opinion is not the be all end all and you don't need to force your choices down other peoples throats. And, knowing that sometimes, it may be best to just keep your opinions and judgements to yourself.

Today was a frustrating day for me. I posted the Duggar story on my facebook page, because, as I said, it's a family I've followed for a long time, and something i am interested in. And, yes, I have an opinion on it. I ended up getting "attacked" by some for my opinions, and found myself having to defend myself. Which is fine, but it's frustrating. I mean, it's not like I was sitting face to face with the Duggar's telling them my every opinion. I would never do that, because in the end, their family is their family. It's not my place to tell them how to live it. But, yes, in the "privacy" of my facebook page, I am in fact allowed to say whatever I want. More than that, I didn't say anything malicious, mean or degrading towards any of the family, I spoke my concerns, and my honest shock in the whole situation. Then, when people pull out the "who are we to judge card" it gets me all riled up. Yes, like it or not, I have an opinion and I am in fact allowed to express it, even if you don't agree with it. And, in the end, this family CHOSE to put their lives on TV, week after week, season after season, for the world to see. They have chosen to let the world develop and have an opinion on them and their choices. It is basically like celebrities who complain about being in the public eye. Nobody forced you into the world of celebrity, and, it comes with the territory.

So, that was basically the start of my day. Everybody is entitled to their own opinions, and I fully respect that. As long as everybody else does as well....

Other than that, it was a pretty low key day. Once we were all home, we pretty much just hung out, ate dinner, watched our nightly installment of Tangled and just enjoyed a typical day together. And, that was that.

Here is a shot of Amelia, officially entering the technology world. I think battles over the iPod will be here in no time...

11/7/11 - "My Chuy"

Todays "30 Days of Thankful" item is, our Furbaby, Chuy! As much as he drives me crazy, Chuy is definitely a part of the family, and we would not be complete without him. No matter how much I may ignore him, or how many times he hears "no", "stop it", "go away"...he still loves me, unconditionally. He greets me, tail wagging at top speed, barely containing his cries of joy, as if I'm the most amazing person in the world. He provides ample entertainment for the family as a whole, and, Olivia is just over the moon in love with him. We jokingly ask her all the time if we should get rid of Chuy...she says "oh no, I love my Chuy". So, yes, Chuy the Chihuahua, we are truly thankful for you!

Today was a pretty good day. I found out our bank is offering discounted tickets to Disney on Ice next month, so my mom, Olivia and I, along with Kelly and Meeka will be going, and we're all super excited about it, I can't wait to see the girls' reaction! So fun. I was feeling a little under the water today, just kind of run down more than anything I think, and being that I don't have anything too pressing sitting in my box right now, I took the afternoon off. I took right to the couch and relaxed for a while, which was much needed. Once I had some energy back, I took to my newest decorating project...our wall vinyls. I had a BIG, BIG problem with it though. I think the mixture of our cold basement, a textured wall, and a blow dryer that really doesn't work made it a very difficult task. In the end, I got it up, but had to do it letter by letter, and it's not perfect yet. I'll need to touch it up when I get access to a better heat source. At least I've finally started on a task I've been wanting to do for a long, LONG time.

Once Christian and the girls were home, I started dinner, did some dishes and hung out with the girls while Christian replaced a drippy laundry room faucet. Seriously, there is always something that needs replacing! We didn't get much down time today...it was bed time before we knew it! Thankfully, the girls seem to have adapted to the time change with no issue. They went to bed last night at a decent time, woke up on our way to "daycare" this morning, took their naps at a normal time this afternoon and were off to bed tonight with no issue. YAY, take that time change!

Here's a picture of my sweet Amelia Bedelia. I just love this face!

11/6/11 - "Luck"

Today's "30 Days of Thankful" item is, the fact that my girls "get" daylight savings time, so, as a parent, that would mean....luck! To most kids, time change means nothing. They are still up, at the same time, regardless. Not my girls though! They usually get up around 8:00...today, they still slept until 8:00, which was really 9:00, so they took full advantage of that extra hour. Knock on wood, we've never had an issue with either of the girls when it comes to time changes...YAY! Hopefully that continues over the next few days.

Today was a great day, filled with a lot of random stuff. I got most of our laundry done. Christmas got most of the Christmas lights hung up outside. We took a family trip to Target for groceries and necessities (and some not so necessary necessities). We did a little picking up around the house, and just enjoyed some rare down time together. A weekend of no plans, and the ability to just really do what we want, and need, to do all weekend long has come to an end. I think we need to make a conscious effort to make it happen more often.

Christian passed out on the couch last night. The girls were more than happy to wake him this morning...

11/5/11 - "Excedrin"

Yes, that's right. Today's "30 Days of Thankful" item is, Excedrin. Today, like so many days, I woke up with a pounding, toeing the line of migraine, headache. I don't know if I've ever stated it or not....but, I started getting childhood migraines when I was maybe 9 or 10. I mean throw up, room spinning, knock me out headaches. I was put on prescription ibuprofen at a pretty young age. Well, most kids who have childhood migraines grow out of them...but, not me. I still get them on occasion. They were the worst when I was pregnant with Olivia, HORRIBLE. So, today, I am thankful for modern medicine to make me able to perform at full strength!

I thought for sure we would be able to sleep in today...Olivia staying the night at my mom's, Amelia being up fairly late last night. But, nope. The neighbors are putting on a new roof, right outside our and Amelia's rooms, at 7:30AM. So, up and at em we were! In the end, it was a good thing. It forced us to get going on all of the stuff we want to do. We cleaned the basement, scrubbed the carpets and cleaned the couches. Did some general picking up around the basement. Much needed cleansing of the house.

Christian started putting up Christmas lights outside (head start, rather than freezing to death in a few weeks when he did it last year!). Olivia was home after nap time and we all just took it easy the rest of the night. Of course, after a night apart, the girls would not leave each other alone...and, this is NOT a good thing. They just followed each other everywhere, kept fighting over everything and were just driving us up the wall. I don't think they can ever be separated again! LOL

Rico and Chuy have actually started tolerating each other lately. I got this picture of them basking in the sun together today.