Facebook...

I realize it's been almost a month since I've "blogged". It's not because I've been too busy or a lack of material (after all, how can that possibly happen in a busy household such as ours?), but more likely because I've joined Facebook and I'm ADDICTED!!!

I must admit, these sites frightened me a little bit in the beginning. I had visions of "my space" stalkers hacking into every aspect of my personal life, but Facebook seems to be a little milder with all their privacy settings. I'm having the time of life catching up with old friends, new friends, neighbors I haven't seen all winter long. Yes, there is email, but this seems more intimate with all the 'status updates' and pictures posted.

So, other than the fact that everything around me is falling apart because I can't peel myself away from the computer, life is going good. We have managed to remain healthy even though germs are running rampant right now.

Oh yeah and we got a new camera, so look for photos updates on my Facebook page soon!

Rock Band

Santa brought Rock Band for Logan this year. We truly thought the game would be a fun activity for Logan and his friends. Little did we know that it would overtake our life!!! Brad gets up early on Saturday and Sunday mornings (long before the rest of us rise) to play "tours" to earn things like managers, money, and 1975 Econovans. Logan is begging me to let him dye his hair red and black so he can look like the rocker he created, and London is currently trying to find her "talent" between drums and microphone.

At this point, I'm pretty certain Logan is destined for smoky night clubs and London will be some kind of groupie in a cheap Karaoke bar.

The Middle Place

Many of you know how much I love reading. I'm rarely seen without a book in hand. So, when a good friend introduced me to "The Middle Place" I quickly went to Target and bought the book. I finished it in one weekend. It was SUCH a good book. Full of tears and laughs. It was just the perfect combination of emotion. And as a woman, mother, daughter, and friend, I could completely relate. I urge you to go pick up "The Middle Place" and curl up with a good book!

Book Club updates

I'm so thrilled to announce that our book club is in full swing. We have a date, a blog, book considerations for next month. This is something I've always wanted to do. I'm so excited to finally turn my passion into something really productive and fun.

Please check out our book club blog at www.turnthenextpage.blogspot.com

Happy New Years....

I know we're probably the minority here, but we totally LOVE staying in for New Year's. Even as young singletons, we preferred a night in to the chaos of going out. We'd order a shrimp tray, rent movies, nestle in and ring the New Year in quietly. Ok that was then, now we don't even make it to midnight.

Sixteen years and two kids later, we pop some popcorn, pour some sparkling grape juice and watch movies. This is the one night per year where we let Logan stay up to kiss one year goodbye as another rings in. He thinks we're the coolest parents on the block because we let him stay up and "party" until midnight. Little does he know how deprived he probably truly is...!!! However, the saddest part is how Brad and I are sawing logs while our 8-year-old watches the movie, eats the popcorn, and steadily watches the clock turn over. Usually, he wakes US up to let us know the new year has begun. Pathetic, I know.

To us, it's a totally over-rated night. We enjoy the holiday and day-off, but seriously, the next day doesn't look any different.

The one useful thing I like about a new year is a new beginning. It's a good time to reflect on the things I wish I would have done differently and vow to make changes for the New Year.

I truly do vow to try to understand Logan a little better and to remind myself he's only 8 and he's going to do silly, inappropriate things at times. He's not mature, he's not done being raised by us. There is still time to figure things out and come together and hope for the love of GOD that we've instilled some of our core values in him. He's the most compassionate and loving child. He's an "old soul" and so impressionable and easily influenced. He's the child that can take one look at me and tell something is wrong, even if I'm trying to hide it (and no, it has nothing to do with how transparent I am). He's so intuitive and sensitive and loving. I want to nurture these qualities in him.

I vow to remind myself I'm not perfect and I'm going to make parenting mistakes, along with a million other mistakes. I'm not always going to choose the right path or solution and that's OK. I vow to try to lighten up on myself a bit.

I vow to appreciate my husband more. I think this was also last year's resolution (refer to the above resolution--I won't be so hard on myself). He's such an amazing father and spouse and I love him from the very depths of my soul. He completes me. There is not a single person out there that would put up with such a high-maintenance person like me and he does it so well--It seems so effortless. There isn't another person on this planet that reads me like him, that can pull me back into reality like him, that can calm me down like him, that can simply extend his arms and let me fall into them like him. He's my soft place to fall, my true North, my best friend.

I vow to be a good role model for London. She's just one of those girls who just knows what she wants out of life and she's not afraid to seek it. She has so much wherewithal--So much confidence and grace. I'm proud to be her mother. You might be thinking, "Stacey, she's two--How can you possibly have gathered that much from her already?" I just KNOW...It's mother's instinct. I can see so much of her Aunt Angie and Grandma Nancy in her. She's just one who will leave a lasting impression. I also know that I'll be calling that Aunt Angie someday asking for all her secrets when she was a teenager because I'll need all the help I can get with her. It's pretty apparent she's all about having a good time. She comes with her own set of challenges, but I love to see her zest for life. I just want to bottle her enthusiasm and drink it.

Happy New Year...!!!

Brrr...

That tile about sums it up. It's freezing outside. I'm not a huge fan of winter. While I love seasons to change and I don't think I could possibly live somewhere else, I tend to hibernate during Winter. I admire parents who bundle up themselves and their kids (that alone should be considered some kind of work-out) to take them outside during the brutal winter days to wear them out. I'm NOT one of them. However, Brad does an awesome job of taking the kids outside. In fact, just this past weekend, he endured a snow ball fight with all the neighborhood boys while London jumped on a sled head-first and tumbled down our slight hill (giggling the whole way, I might add!).

I'm better during the summer months. I prefer the pool to sledding hills and swim suits to snow pants. I'd rather get some actual color than a red nose and cheeks. It's just not for me, but I really do wish I had more of a prerogative to get my kids outside. They really do benefit from it. I guess it's good I married the man I did. Watching him entertain the neighbor boys (and our own son and daughter) does warm my heart.

Then there's the puppy....
She absolutely HATES this weather. Cold is one thing--wind on top of it is another. She'd much rather use my dining room as her puppy pad for the time being. So, to make going outside more appealing, I had to find a coat small enough for her. Then, I tried to find Bailey's old boots, but to no avail. So, I stopped at a local pet store to purchase new ones. Well, her boots were going to cost more than my kids' boots, so I decided to search more at home until I found them. I'm grumbling under my breath how much I wish Nancy was still alive to see me struggling to buy boots for my dog. She would have already made some for roughly $5 (instead of $21) and sent them my way by now. I'm sure she's laughing at me regardless....

Growing on me . . .

I have now been in Vegas for almost 60 hours, and I must admit, the town has started to grow on me. I see how the town can actually be very enjoyable under the right circumstances. After my last post, you could probably guess it was easy for me to have a negative first impression just based on my trip here.

There are definitely a few things I still don't enjoy, but the presentation of everything is just so over the top you have to experience it to believe it. Everything is larger than life, beyond belief, and out of control, but that's precisely what makes it so hard to ignore. I'm here on business so any exploring and sightseeing has felt extremely rushed, but I managed to walk up and down the strip on Monday night in an attempt to find a plain sandwich (success!) and chocolate milk (no success).

During this exploration, I noticed that Vegas is not really a town to experience alone. I really wish Stac would have been able to tag along. The whole town is really a violent attack on your senses, particularly your sight and hearing. I witnessed the first official eruption of the volcano at one of the casinos – maybe the Mirage? The water show at the Bellagio was very interesting. Again, there's no real purpose to these things other than to get your attention and potentially lure you in to spend some money.

I am shocked and amazed at the amount of money flowing through this city. Apparently the people visiting Vegas this week are either trying to forget the ever gloomy economic situation or they have somehow managed to thrive while the rest of the world is suffering. The two biggest events taking place this week are the baseball winter meetings and the annual rodeo, which would explain all of the cowboy hats on the trip down. I've seen a few baseball players and their entourage of supporters, but nobody all that famous.

I've wondered how many frozen drinks Stacey would have consumed by now. I've wondered why I can buy a bottle of beer in the convenience store but not a chocolate milk. I've determined that everything costs at least twice as much as it probably should. I've determined that I'm still a kid at heart because the FAO Schwartz store was one of my favorite places to visit. I've decided that if we're able to somehow find the right deal, Stac and I are returning together for her annual birthday get-away. Typically we just go somewhere in the Cities, but I think we'd have a lot of fun spending a few days together in Vegas.