December 1st – the first day of the last month of the year. I can’t believe that another year is almost over. It’s cause for reflection and a time to remember all of the things that happened this year – good and bad.

My co-bloggers on adoptionblogs.com often have themes. I’ve never been able to come up with a theme that I felt was right for me, but I think I have one for December – Simple Gifts. You’ll understand where I’m coming from on this one if you read the post I wrote for my other blog. Link: Simple Gifts

The month... more

For all of you who celebrate Thanksgiving, Happy Thanksgiving. For those of you who don't, have a wonderful day doing whatever makes you happy.

We arrived at my parents' house last night, but I couldn't find enough energy to blog until this morning. I enjoy Thankgiving because we always celebrate with family and we always celebrate my sister's birthday. My history major makes it impossible for me to accept the Pilgrim and Indian scenerio. In fact, when I think about it, I get a little upset so I try not to go there. Instead, I believe that everyone should have a day to reflect on what we are thankful for.

My son has a little chant that he says at school. "We are thankful... more

Things have been very hectic around my house. We’re moving our office into the basement. The room that used to be the office is now going to be my son’s new big boy room. We’re buying him a new bed. We’ll make the move a little more gradual. Besides, we bought him a loft…so he’s probably going to be sleeping on the floor for awhile anyhow.

To top that off, my husband and I both have strep throat. The funny thing is that (other than the sore throat) I feel fine. I had no fever, no chills, no symptoms… I have a lot of energy and I have been using every ounce of it to chase my son. If my husband hadn’t gotten sick, I wouldn’t have known I had strep throat.

My husband,... more

Things in my household are rather hectic right now. I can’t seem to get myself together long enough to plan for the holidays. Yes, the holidays that are coming right up in just a couple of weeks. I have been much more concerned with the “right now” and somehow the “almost here” has crept up and knocked me flat.

Hectic hasn’t been bad. My son has decided that potty training is easy and we’ve been doing well for almost two weeks. It’s only during the day, but we already see the cost savings. We can go shopping without dragging five diapers and a package of wipes. Instead, I drag two pairs of clothes…but, I leave them in the car because we haven’t had to use them yet.

I’ve... more

If you live in the United States, please remember to vote tomorrow (11/07/06).

I took my son to vote with me in the primary elections here in Michigan. I remember going with my parents when I was little. We were driving home from daycare and he was getting fussy. I told him that we would stop really quickly so that I could vote and then we’d go home. He got really quiet and that was that.

We went in and there was no line so the process moved really quickly. “What you doing, Mommy?” He asked. “I’m voting,” I told him. His little eyebrows scrunched up as he contemplated my answer, but he stayed quiet. I finished and dropped my ballot into the scanner. The volunteer... more

Adrienne on the Hoping to Adopt blog wrote a post called Multicultural Cinderellas that reminded me of a movie that I hadn’t seen in ages. It was a Disney remake of Roger & Hammerstein’s Cinderella. I think I was in college when it came out and I remember being slightly awed by the movie because for once no one paid any attention to the way things “should be” and they just created it the way it “aught to be.”

In this story, the queen is Black and the king is White... more

I like to make people smile and for some reason people are smiling at me today. Perhaps, it’s because everyone is in such a good mood today. Today is Halloween. The day that spirits are supposed to walk the mortal world and witches fly through the air on magical broomsticks. It’s a day that encourages imagination and the belief in the impossible. Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. It always has been.

Okay, I’ll admit that most people are smiling at me because I’m wearing a cat-ear headband and I’ve drawn a black cat nose and whiskers on my face with eye liner. I look silly, but it’s allowed today.

Someone once said that, on Halloween, you can be anyone that you... more

Tonight, I’m a little worried that things are going a little too smoothly. My son went to bed without a whimper so I’ve had plenty of time to pack for our trip to Ohio. We’re packing tonight because we’re leaving right after work tomorrow. All we have time to do is throw all of our things into the car and run.

It still amazes me how much stuff we take with us on a trip to see my parents. No one warned me about this part of parenthood. My husband and I used to be able to stuff all of our things into a backpack and we were good for the week-end. Now, we... more

My life currently revolves around sports and I really don’t like sports. I am used to being bombarded by football this time of year. After thirteen years with my husband, how can I not be used to football. The funny thing is that, though I still complain like it’s brand new, I actually know a lot more about football than I’ll admit. I realize this when I’m sitting in a meeting full of men and I’m holding my own with the football talk. I still don’t like it.

I’ve yet to understand the reasoning behind watching every game that is being played. When I was in college at Eastern Michigan University, I was a huge Eagles fan. I went to all the games (rain, snow or shine) and screamed... more

We used this past weekend to celebrate our anniversary – married eight years and together for thirteen years. It wasn’t the most romantic of evenings since we used half of it to shop for a bed for our son, but we did try a restaurant that we haven’t been to (because it did not look kid friendly). It is a really nice Chinese bistro restaurant – complete with dim lights and (gasp) table cloths.

When we unrolled our napkins, I saw chopsticks. I love chopsticks. My father taught me to use chopsticks when I was little. He learned how to use them sometime during the Vietnam War. I’m pretty proficient with them and I’ve always viewed them as a fun addition to my meal – something to... more