Today...I turn 40...and it was awesome!

Today was amazing...I turned 40.  You know what else?  My co-workers, friends, and family made me feel awesome about it.  Here is the other thing:  I have been looking forward to this milestone for quite some time. After all, we are all getting older - you can do it with style, but you are going to do it.  It is up to you how.

Here is what I have decided about turning 40...it is the year of me.  That sounds selfish, right?  But I need to spend a year taking care of me.  I need to get in the doctors' appointments, hair cuts, workouts, and purchase some new clothing items, do my nails, and just make me a priority.  I love my kids, my husband, and my job, but I need to prioritize me.

Happy 40th!  Time for me!

Elf on the Shelf - Day 3

December 2 was my husband's birthday, so my daughter counted out 45 M & Ms, chocolate covered berries, pistachios…you get the picture. These were sitting on our kitchen table when he walked in, so he would see it all at once. Very sweet - and somewhat random in the choices, but cool nonetheless.

Well, the reason I mention that is because on Day 3, "S" decided to get into all that random stuff. My daughter thought it was hilarious, and my son just tried to eat as much candy as possible after discovering it was still there!

Elf on the Shelf - Day 2

Today Stella was excited to go find "S" when she jumped out of bed. She wrote him a note last night asking several questions. In his reply she learn that his brother will join us next year as Bosley's elf, he wishes she would follow directions the first time, and he answered her request for a Christmas countdown calendar. When Stella found "S," he was at the top of the tree and under the tree were 25 ornaments. Each ornament is filled with chocolate and numbered one to twenty-five so they can be used as she counts down to Christmas. She hung them on the tree, so tomorrow we will look for number one and have a chocolate treat to start the day!

Elf on the Shelf - Day 1

The day after Thanksgiving is officially when our Elf on the Shelf returns. However, we were at my parents' house in Central Illinois, so he showed up, but nothing out of the ordinary. He just made an appearance. That was enough for our six year old.

Let's start at the beginning. Three years ago we adopted our first elf and our daughter, Stella was three. She didn't completely understand naming the elf, so we ended up with the name "S." When she was three this seemed brilliant to her, so we went with it. Asking for clarification several times before making it official! She was adamant - which we now know is the nicest way we can say she is stubborn, and she has called him "S" ever since!

This will be year three "S" has joined our holiday traditions. Next year his "brother" will join us to become our son's Elf. Should be interesting to see what name we get from him!

So today…you can see "S" appeared and ate a bowl of chocolate Rice Krispies before making quite a mess with winter themed foam stickers.

September to Remember...

Every time I turn around there is someone, somewhere, using this slogan. So on the first of the month, I just thought…let's put it out there. After all, each year, each month, each day should be one to remember. It is up to us to make that happen.

Frequently, I pledge to do a better job of blogging. Then I wonder who I am pledging to. I don't know. What I do know is that I like putting out my message when I have the time. It seems like there are so many things out there keeping me busy…taking up my time…it is hard to know what to focus on.

So…whether you hear from me or not…let's hope this is a September to remember. Have a good one!

Pizza Cupcakes

We are going to try this for dinner...what could go wrong? I will let you know later!

Recipe

Proud...

Summertime is not only a time to get a bit nostalgic for days gone by, but also a time to remember - I really like being fit and in shape. Running in nice weather, going to the pool, walking with the kids, and just being active in general.

So, I started running again. Five days in a row. I know…some of you are training for marathons, but I haven't run five times in a row in seven or eight years. So…I am proud that I am deciding to be active and show my daughter that our goal is to be strong.

In fact, I am proud of that. My husband and I talk about eating and working out in terms of being strong. She loves it and believes that many of the things we eat and do are because we want to be strong. This is true, but to be completely honest, we also want to look good. I just hope to keep that from my daughter for as long as possible because she is beautiful the way she is! So…right now I am proud of how we are handling that!

Hmmm…seems like a short little list right now. Certainly more to come! I would love to hear about your summer proud moments!