The Fun of LIving in the Granite State

Today is Primary day!  The day where the nation turns to NH to see who they think should be the republican front runner.  It is an exciting day, even for an independent like myself.  I love the energy that has been building and the fact that in NH we have the opportunity (and many of them) to get close and personal with each of the candidates.  I personally have not attended anything (hard to do with kids in tow) but I do know who I am going to vote for and can't wait to bring Z into the polls.

I am also excited that today is Primary day because that means the dozens and dozens of phone calls that we have been receiving over the last two weeks will STOP.  It got so crazy over the weekend that S started answering the phone in a different accent and telling each survey/caller that he would be voting for a different candidate ;)  Yes we may have upset some polls but it was so much fun to watch him.  I even handed the phone to Lil' C twice.  The first time she sang, "We are Santa's Elves" and the second she had a long conversation with her Mimi :)

So here is a video of my candidate :)  Enjoy!

Dear Family and Friends....We're Going on a Diet!

Dear Family and Friends,

I am writing this letter to let you know that the Raising Z and Lil 'C family is going on a diet.  Yes the entire family will be dieting and working to be a healthier family.  Now before you get your shorts in a bunch and think, "children on a diet??" (yes they are joining us too), this diet is not centered around food but rather finances.  We are tightening up our finances and following the advice of Dave Ramsey and participating in a Total Money Makeover. 

This book was taken out from the library...don't worry no resolutions have been broken yet!!

The reason I am writing this letter is to ask for your support on this journey. So often when people decide to do something for their health (emotional, physical, financial, spiritual) they are met with so much opposition and negativity.  "Why would you want to do that?" "That will never work?"  "You make good money...what's the problem?"  "You aren't fat."  "That exercise program is too extreme."   I am guessing that these negative comments come out of fear of looking in the mirror and seeing that they too need to make a change.

Time to get in Financial Shape

 I remember when my friends La and J decided to enter into their own Beach Body Business.  They had transformed their own bodies using the programs and wanted to help others.  The negative comments were astounding and they had to work so hard to overcome them.  Now they are trying a vegan diet for their health and once again the negative comments are flying.  My aunt, also a vegan, said she would never speak badly of what other people put into their body so why does being a vegan open her up to comments and negativity from everyone she meets.  People need to mind their own business and support those they love in these endeavors to be healthier human beings.

That is why I am writing this letter, to ask for your support in this long endeavor we are about to embark on.  Please don't make negative comments, don't give pity where it is not due, don't judge....just support.  No we are not in a bad place financially (yet) but it is in times of good when you should make the changes you need to make so that when bad things happen (and they will happen) you are more prepared.

We can still have fun :)

The kids and I have $20 a week for entertainment/food out.  That means dunkin donuts, trips to play places, eating out, movies, museums, sports teams...etc.  Their music classes are paid for and we have memberships to the major museums but other than that we have $20 to spend.  So if you want us to join you on a fun adventure, please give us as much notice as possible so we can save for it.  Please don't get angry with us when we can't sign up for every activity under the sun...this is what we are doing right now to be healthier people.  There are many inexpensive options for play dates and we would love to join you at a museum anytime.   We love you all and hope that you will understand this decision to be more financially responsible.

Thanks for your support!!

J,S,Z andC

The Special Gifts

Happy 3 Kings Day, Epiphany, Driekoningen...what ever you may call today.  For me it is not only the day that is recognized as the day the three wiseman approached baby Jesus with their gifts, it is also a day of reflection.  Three years ago on this day, we said "good-bye" to one of my favorite people, my Noni.  And in honor of her and all of the angels I love up in heaven, I'd like to share with you some of the very special gifts that were shared this holiday in our family.

I have had many special Christmas' and have received many special gifts but I cannot recall a Christmas quite like 2011.  It started off with S and I working so hard to make as many of our gifts by hand.  As you know we have a tradition of making one gift for each of our children and this year we made the doll cradle and super hero cape.  They were two of our favorite gifts to give and we loved the moment when we first saw each of the kids playing with their new toy that we created.

S's grandmother, who is 92 years young, worked with her daughter to create a small family cookbook.  As the mother of 9 children, she had to have recipes that were tried and true and now they are all together in a small collection.  This idea was Kiki's and I was so happy to see it come to fruition.  Kiki had always talked about taking all of the family recipes and getting them into one book.  We now have 1/2 of the project complete and S and I will treasure this gift from his grandmother forever.

The most special gifts for me were the gifts that came from the angels.  Lil' C's gift from her Uncle B was wrapped in Kiki's Santa bag.  She used this bag each year to bring her presents to the farm for Christmas.  This wrapping became a gift for Mimi and I know it means a lot for her to have it.  Mimi also worked with the angels and picked a few treasures for each of us, things that had once belonged to Kiki or Grandpa Lou.  It was an emotional Christmas with tears after each gift was opened but it means so much to all of us to have these pieces of the people we love and miss so very much. 

So today I think of my Noni and also Kiki, Grandpa Lou, Pops, Tante, Grandpa P, Grandpa M, Uncle Howie, Jack, Grandpa F, Di and all of the other angels I miss so very much.  It is the day of the epiphany, the day of gifts and each of you were a gift to me.

Makeover--Christmas Card Edition

Here are all the photo Christmas cards in this year's collage.  I LOVE it and it will hang until March in our kitchen.  

As for the rest of the holiday cards, I sent them off to St. Jude's Ranch for Children for their Recycled Card Program.  This program has been in existence for over 30 years and teaches the children there how to run a business by attaching new backs to the cards and selling them.  All you have to do is carefully rip off the backs of your cards and only send the in fronts (the fronts can have no writing on the back).  For the cost of a few stamps, you can do something good with all of your beautiful holiday cards.

Plans for 2012

Okay so now that I have reflected...it is time to think ahead to 2012.  I am always pretty ambitious when it comes to goal setting and resolutions and then beat myself up hard when I don't accomplish them all.  So I plan to keep it simple and a bit general.

I am happy to say that after a year my family notebook is still going strong (modified for my life) and I have made two additions to my weekly to do list starting this week.  The first is the addition of a weekly project following Tsh's book, One Bite at A Time, which I bought at the end of December.  The book cost $5 for my kindle and I plan to tackle one project a week.  The second addition was a new goal setting section to my weekly to do list and I like to call it "CHEWS".  C stands for Children, H stands for Home, E stands for Eat, W stands for Workout and S stands for self. The plan is to set a goal each week in each of these categories...some goals will over lap and others will take weeks to accomplish but I thought it would be a nice way to keep my self on track with my goals for the year.

These 10 overarching goals for the year all center around health.   I want to be healthy emotionally, physically, financially and spiritually.   Here they are:

1.  I will work hard to curb spending, stay on budget and build back up our nest egg

2.  I will work to have more patience with everyone in my life and finally finish reading 123 Magic and implement it 

3.  I will not buy another book for at least 6 months....I will use the library, kindle prime library and work to read the dozens of kindle and hard copy books I own that I have not yet read. 

4.  I will do my PT exercises regularly and work in more regular yoga/cardio

5.  I will tackle the basement (the last area of the house to be decluttered) and work to keep the rest of the house in order

6.  I will make sure that the people in my life know how much they mean to me and tell them I love them as much as I can

7.  I will try to take the kids on at least 1 adventure a month and I will try to go on at least one date night per month

8.  I will start my plan for the school I hope to open some day

9.  I will return to our whole foods eating regime and try a sugar detox

10.  I will try to be content and happy with what I have, love myself, look for the good in things, not beat myself up and work on making sure that I spend time on my own happiness.  Because as they say....if Mama ain't happy...nobody is!

Happy New Year!

Good Bye 2011

 our celebration....a toast and bubble wrap

It is hard to believe that 2011 has already passed and that it is time to make resolutions for 2012.  I love this time of year because of the new beginning.  I am the kind of person who loves to turn over the fresh page of the calendar, I love a fresh journal,  love to start a new book, love when all of the laundry is clean and put away...I love clean starts :)  So as we say good-bye to 2011....I want to first reflect upon the year before looking ahead and making my new resolutions.

A Look Back at 2011

In January we pulled Z out of his preschool and started an "Adventure School" at home and said good-bye to regular paychecks and health care as S started his own business.

In February we counted down to Valentine's Day and had our first power outage of the year.

In March I went crazy with Spring Cleaning and S and I started the sink standoff (it is still not fixed!!).

In April we launched Kiki's Garden in honor of my sister in-law and we had our big yard sale.

In May I started my Power 90 journey with Z as my coach, S's company got funding and I spent a special day volunteering for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer with my good friend Ro.

In June we had our mini family vacation to Boston and started getting a regular paycheck and Healthcare!!!.

In July we spent a memorable 4th of July on top of the Boston Museum of Science, had our first Kiki's Garden Event and had another family mini vacation to Maine.

In August we simplified life and spent time at the lake and had another power outage.

In September Z started at his new Montessori School, we said good-bye to our family dog Mika and we celebrated Z's 5th birthday at Story Land.

In October Lil' C turned 2, we finally laid my Tante to rest and we had a white Halloween with yet another power outage.

In November we said good-bye to our amazing Grandpa Lou and celebrated all that we were thankful for.

 In December we welcomed in the Holiday Season with a visit to see Santa (our power went out that day) and celebrated with family and friends.

Looking forward to 2012 and hope that there are not nearly as many power outages as there were in 2011 :)

A Quiet New Years

New Years has never been my favorite holiday.  I always feel like there is a big build and lots of expectations, which never become reality.  We've gone to crowded clubs in downtown Boston, took a disappointing Boston Harbor Cruise and I spent 1999 sick as a dog with a fever of 103 while people celebrated around me.  Don't get me wrong I have had some fun New Years Eves, I even spent one in Virginia Beach at a Dave Matthews Concert.  But thinking back, my favorite memories are of the quiet evenings with a few friends, family or just S and I. 

This year we were hoping for a quiet evening with friends but unfortunately our bodies have decided otherwise.  S's hectic schedule over the last year has finally caught up with him and he now needs to take some time to get healthy.  I have a stomach bug, Lil' C has had a fever the last two days and all four of us our coughing and have been for weeks.  So tonight, we are laying low.  We will eat a yummy dinner, fill out our New Years Family Interviews, pull out our New Years decorations, watch some home movies and ring in the new year at 7pm with bubble wrap and apple juice.  S and I will go to bed at our normal time and we will start 2012 off rested and hopefully feeling better. Tomorrow we will feast on the cinnamon rolls I was suppose to make for Christmas morning and make our New Years resolutions :) 

Whatever you are up to tonight, I hope that you are safe and that all your expectations come true! 

Happy New Year!!!

Things I Loved About Christmas

-Spending so much time with family and friends....so many laughs, stories and hugs

-Hosting family at our home this year and not having to travel

-The delicious food....oh the food....so much food

-Seeing Z so excited about Creating and GIVING gifts

-My children's excitement as they came downstairs to see what Santa had left

-LEGOs....I love that Z is into them now and love that Auntie A was here to help put them all together.

-Seeing my two little cherubs all dressed up on Christmas Eve

-The warm glow of our pellet stove as well all melted gathered in front of it

-Cuddling up and watching our new movies (Wall-E, Ice Age 2, Cars 2 and for the adults Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles..the live action one and the complete season of the BRADY BUNCH)

-The fact that my husband got me the Complete Season of the Brady Bunch so that I could have A Very Brady Christmas on DVD ;)  I LOVE HIM!!!

-Listening to Grandpa read Twas the Night Before Christmas to his grand kids

-Christmas lights....I am just not ready to take down my tree or lights.  I love the glow of this time of year

-giving all of our homemade gifts....Z's vanilla, our salsa, S's holiday beer, the kids gifts from us and the ornaments

-Lil' C's dollhouse...it is now completely furnished and the family has nicer furniture than we do ;)  I've always wanted a dollhouse...can you tell??

-Z and C's matching Christmas pj's....they look so darn cute in them

-The fact that our elves got to stay until the 26th...Thanks Santa, we owe you!

-The wild and Crazy Xmas Eve party at my mom's...this year we had to write a play and I am happy to say that my team (and script) won!!

-Uncle A throwing reindeer food at the window on Christmas Eve so that Lil' C could participate...it was too cold for her to go out with her cough.

-The little British Duck that my dear friend Ben brought back for me....he lives there now and we have a thing about ducks ;)

-Christmas Cards....love seeing all the photo cards on the board in my kitchen

-Gifts from our beloved angels...thanks to Mimi we were all blessed with gifts that use to belong to two very special angels.  It made for an emotional Christmas morning.

-The fact that we started the Christmas Pickle game with the kids this year at Mom's.  They each have their own to find at this point and each got an "extra" present but it was soooo much fun.

-The Magic that this time of year brings

-Tradition.....I LOVE Tradition

Christmas in Photos :)

Here is a photo montage of our holiday!

Christmas Eve at Mom's

Christmas Eve Morning Dance Party

She loves that hat!

Z's Kindermusik Glockenspiel!

Legos for Lil C

My nephew trying to throw everything away...including his presents

Playing with one of his two big wishes...dinosaurs!!!

My Niece in her new princess cape

Daddy got Snow Shoes from Neene and Chi Chi

New Toys!!

Playing with Uncle M

All ready for the party

Spreading Reindeer Food with Uncle A, Auntie A and Grandpa J

Grandpa reading Twas the Night before Christmas

Santa Came!!!

The kids got snowshoes from Santa!! Now we all have them :)

Z's big Santa Wish!!!

Auntie A painted that for Lil C

Good Guy Star Wars Jammies!!!

A Race car from Uncle B

George in the cradle

A PONY!!!  From Uncle B

Christmas Dinner Table

Auntie A got to spend a couple of extra days so we took her to the planetarium!!!

An Unforgettable Moment

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday, I know we did.  Ours was filled with family, friends, laughs, good food, smiles, warm fires, hugs and very special gifts.  It was an unforgettable holiday but the moment I am about to describe is by far my favorite.

Christmas Eve we had Mimi, Grandpa J, Auntie A and Uncle A sleeping over.  We pulled Z's mattress into our room to make room for our guests and so he slept in our room.  The adults went to bed on the later side and hoped and prayed that the kids would sleep in (past 6) so that we could get some much needed rest.  Lil' C was up once around 5:00 am but after a drink of water and a diaper change, she went back to sleep.  I was woken up at 7:18 by Z going to the bathroom...7:18....It was AMAZING!

I waited for Z to run out of the bathroom full of the excitement that Christmas morning brings.  Instead I watched my sleepy son, climb back into bed and fall back to sleep.  For the next 8 minutes I watched him come in and out of consciousness as he slowly woke up.  He'd open his eyes, look around and then fall back to sleep.  At 7:28 the child's eyes grew wide and a giant smile crept over his face.  Our twinkling eyes locked and he said in voice filled with glee, "It's Christmas!"

 

 I hope to never forget this moment.  This moment of innocence, joy, excitement and love.  My children helped to make this holiday so special for all that encountered them and for that I am truly grateful.