Traditions-Folk Magazine's Community Journal Challenge

It seems that due to an upcoming birthday, I have been thinking a lot about how much my life has changed over the last ten years.  A decade ago, my work was my top priority and took up the majority of my time. I slept in, rarely had to do laundry, and wouldn't be caught dead staying in on a Saturday night. I was engaged at the time and looked forward to the big changes ahead.  I couldn't wait to start a family and create new traditions of our own.

Via Martha Stewart

Some of our favorite traditions are during the holidays. My mother-in-law always invites the kids over on Good Friday to dye Easter eggs. The cousins gather around the kitchen table and "ooh and aah" over the beautiful eggs. These past ten years have been good to our family and we were blessed with fourteen more children around the table.  A few kids always manage to dye their hands blue or green and it is still noticeable on Easter Sunday. A massive Easter egg hunt takes place after everyone has changed out of their church clothes. The kids are armed with their buckets and reminded of the rules. The "bigs" help the "littles" without being asked. The egg hunt usually ends in the hayloft of the barn where a swing hangs from the beams.  Everyone takes turns jumping off the swing and into the piles of hay.

Via Tumblr

I don't know what life will be like in another ten years, but I am sure our traditions will change a little bit over time. Maybe someday I will be lucky enough to invite my grandchildren over to dye eggs. If so, I will make sure to send at least one of them home with blue or green hands!

* If you would like to participate in Folk Magazine's Community Journal Challenge, you can check it out here.

Luck-Folk Magazine's Community Journal Challenge

I don't know how much I believe in luck. I know I believe in hard work, passion and perseverance. I guess I don't believe in luck enough to rely on it to get something I really wanted. However, I do think that sometimes the little things in life are due to luck. I feel lucky when:

• Both kids sleep through the night
• I crack open one of my hard-boiled eggs and it is actually hard-boiled
• I get into the fast-moving lane at the grocery store
• My husband calls to ask if he should bring home dinner (YES, the answer is YES)

What are the little things in your life that make you feel lucky?

*If you would like to take part in Folk Magazine's Community Journal Challenge, you can check it out here.

The Importance of Time-Folk Magazine's Community Journal Challenge

The importance of time took on a whole new meaning for me in November of 2010. It was an ordinary evening when I got a call from the local hospital. My mom had been in a car accident and I needed to get to the hospital as quickly as possible. At first time seemed to slow to a crawl as I went through the motions of making phone calls, talking to the police, and kissing my mom goodbye before they flew her to a bigger hospital. Then time seemed to come to a complete halt. How could life be going on around me when someone I loved was losing theirs?

Via Tumblr

The next few days seemed like a bad dream as my mom came in and out of consciousness.  We were slowly finding out the details of the accident and were angered to hear that the other driver never even hit his brakes as he sped through the stop sign. He had no license, no insurance, and no remorse. My anger only grew as the days went by and we noticed that something was wrong with my mom's memory. It was like a stab in the heart. How cruel to take away someone's memories! We tried showing her pictures and giving detailed descriptions, but it didn't matter. It was like she was never there. All that time was just erased.

Via Tumblr

While we mourned the time lost, we were also rejoicing over the time she was given. After all, it was a miracle that she survived. We have all been given the gift of time and should celebrate that every day. I try hard not to dwell on the past or worry about the future. My time is precious and I want to spend it doing things that I enjoy or influences others in a positive way. Memories of our time are important, but I now feel that the happiness we feel during those moments are far more important. I hope you enjoy your gift of time today, I know I will.

*If you would like to take part in Folk Magazine's Community Journal Challenge, you can check it out here.

10 Things You Should Know Before Buying an Old House

1. If your house was built when electricity was considered a luxury, be thankful for your one outlet.

2. An old fireplace adds ambiance until a bat flies out of it.

3. Push button light switches are way more fun than the typical toggle switch.

4. Those almost to the floor windows may be expensive to replace but the natural light is priceless.

5. There may be hidden treasures in your walls. We found a 1920's medicine bottle, but decided against trying the medicine.

6. There was a time when garbage trucks didn't exist.  Now remember that when you are digging in the yard.

7. Kids will have endless fun rolling balls on the not so level floors.

8. They don't make stuff like they used to.

9. The bucket of extra doorknob parts you bought at the flea market will be your favorite purchase of the year.

10. Soaking in the clawfoot tub will make you remember why you fell in love with the house in the first place.

Twenty-three in 2013

Happy New Year!  Have you given up on your resolutions yet?  I just completed writing my new list of goals for this year.  I actually did pretty good on last year's list, but a few items reappeared this year.  I'm not sweating it, though.  Honestly, I am pretty darn proud of myself for not losing my list and quitting all together.  Here's to 2013!

Twenty-three in 2013

1. Donate blood
2. See a concert
3. Watch all the Harry Potter films in a row
4. Learn Photoshop
5. Participate in a 5K
6. Attend more social events with Oliver
7. Take a cooking or sewing class
8. Organize our photos/videos
9. Read 10 books
10. Start a new hobby
11. Help Riley find a new hobby
12. Plan and complete one family outing a month- 1 Done
13. Plan and complete 8 dates with hubby- 2 Done
14. Watch less TV
15. Attend church more often
16. Always wear nice pj's
17. Be more healthy
18. Complete 5 sewing projects
19. Plan and complete 1 family getaway- Done
20. Give Oliver a big boy room- Done
21. Follow a less stressful morning routine
22. Have a family photo taken
23. Cross two things off my life list

Things To Teach Your Teen

I know so many parents who are taking their kids to college this week and they all seem to have the same concern.  Are their kids prepared for this next step in life?  Here is a list of some life skills I plan on teaching my teens someday. 

-How to cook the basics
-Grocery Shop
-Sew on a button
-Use a fire extinguisher and how to put out a kitchen fire
-Do laundry
-Perform CPR and basic first aid
-Balance a checkbook
-Use an ATM
-How to create a budget and stick to it
-Self defense
-How to save money
-Basics about circuit breakers and water shut off valves
-Internet and social media safety
-How to fix a running toilet
-How to navigate public transportation
-How to change a tire
-How to pump gas
-How to check the oil and washer fluid
-How to check the air in tires
-What to do if they are in a car accident

366 Days in a Year

I am a procrastinator by nature.  I am constantly putting stuff off for another day.  Leap year is like someone saying "Kristin, Here's an extra day.  Don't blow it!"  I am going to use my extra day to work on things I am always putting off.  I am going to work on finishing my will, printing off the 200 pictures on my camera and I'm going to workout.  What are you going to do with your extra day?

Twenty-five ways to show your child love

Is it just me or are the days flying by?  Life seems to move at such a fast pace that the things that are most important to us often get pushed to the side.  I wonder how many times a day I tell my children to hurry up.  Or how often do I say "Just a minute" and never get back to them.  I'm guilty of passing on bedtime stories because there is laundry to fold.  I am a great multi-tasker.  In fact, sometimes too great.  So that is why I am going to hang this list up as a reminder of what is really important.  And then I am going to give a few much deserved hugs and kisses to my baby.

 1. Let them help you make dinner
 2. Color with them
 3. Admit when you are wrong
 4. Give your baby a massage
 5. Make chicken noodle soup when they're sick
 6. Give them honest compliments
 7. Display their artwork
 8. Sit down and eat dinner together (no phones or T.V.)
 9. Give them Eskimo kisses
10. Always give them a hug when they ask for one
11. Decorate their bedroom door for their birthday (or a big game/recital)
12. Stick a note and chocolate kisses in their lunch
13. Stop being in such a hurry all the time
14. Cut their sandwich into a heart shape
15. Watch Saturday morning cartoons together in your pajamas
16. Give yourself breaks when you need them
17. Warm up their towel during bath time
18. Always make time for bedtime stories
19. Send them a birthday card in the mail
20. Have just baked cookies for them after school
21. Make up a song or secret handshake that only the two of you know
22. Surprise them with a picnic at the park or an afternoon at the movies
23. Embrace the unique things about them, don't try to change them
24. Let them teach you something (a game, names of dinosaurs, etc.)
25. Don't do everything for them

My Life List

A few weeks ago I posted a list of things I want to accomplish/experience this year.  I am a "list" kinda person if you hadn't already noticed and find that I accomplish more when I write it down   Here's hoping my life list will keep me focused on what matters to me and maybe inspire you along the way.

A New Chapter

Resolutions are not my friends.  I am lucky if I stick to them for a week.  So no resolutions this year.  Instead I made a list of things I would like to learn/experience this year.  I tend to get more done if I can experience the rush of crossing something off a list.  Here's to 2012!