Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day has always been one of my favorite holidays because I love to wear red and pink, and, of course, to eat lots of chocolate! :) But to be quite honest, I was kind of dreading the big day this year. This "Hallmark Holiday" doesn't have the same appeal when you are a single lady (AGAIN!). However, when I woke up this morning and started getting myself and the girls all dressed in our red and pink, I found myself getting into the spirit. All holidays no matter how big or small are fun when you have kids to enjoy them with. My students made me even happier by showering me in candy, cards, and carnations this morning! What a great way to make you feel loved! I guess it just goes to show that I don't need a man in my life to help me enjoy this day of love. There are enough other important people to show me that I am appreciated! :)



Wow! It's been a while!

So, as you can tell, it has taken me a while to get back on track since the holidays! I have neglected my blog, and for that I am deeply sorry. I will try to stick to at least weekly (if not more) posts.

Life has been business as usual in our household with a few new changes. Emma still ADORES dance and gymnastics and is pretty darn cute doing it! :) She has started at a new Montessori preschool, which she loves! She was never thrilled with her other school... she liked her teachers, but I think she was sort of overwhelmed with the large class size. Her new school is very small and she seems much more comfortable there. I have been intrigued by the Montessori method for several years, but am even more so now. I will definitely be exploring alternatives to our traditional education system for my children. Having an "insiders" perspective on public school makes me less than thrilled about our future generations... Just my 2 cents. ;)

This is a picture of some learning manipulatives used in the Montessori classroom.

Sophia will be ONE on February 24!!! Where has the time gone??? If seems like only yesterday she was a tiny infant. She is still as adorable as ever and her personality is really starting to develop. She took 4 steps on Wednesday afternoon, but hasn't walked since. I know it is only a matter of time before she is running around the house with Emma. As many of you know, the tear ducts in Sophia's eyes did not develop properly, which has caused problems since birth. We were finally able to get in with a pediatric opthamologist, and she will be having surgery to open her tear ducts on February 23 at VCU medical center in Richmond.

Last weekend mom and I re-did my basement making an even larger craft room! I now have a seperate sewing area and a more organized scrapbook area. I can't wait until I have some kid-free time to actually get down there and "play." :) I took a beginner sewing class a few weeks ago and hope to be able to create some basic projects in the near future.

My new craft room!

The Black Binky Hole

It occured to me last night that there must be a giant black hole somewhere that sucks in pacifiers! I will have a basket full of them on my counter one day, and the next day they are all gone. Some people might think this is insignificant, but at approximately $3 a pop they get expensive! We have those cute little clips that attach the paci to an outfit or bib when we are out of the house, but now that Sophia is crawling they don't work so well because the pacifier ends up dragging on the ground - ICK! Also, those don't work at night because I am afraid that they are a choking hazard. I bought a pack of pacifiers that glow in the dark so that you can find them at night, but that turned out to be a waste of money because for 1) they only "glow" for about 15 minutes before losing their charge (I guess they are solar powered?!?), and 2) the fact that they glow doesn't help much when they have completely vanished!!! So, back to my theory that there is a black hole full of all of the pacifiers that babies have lost. Maybe I will become super-rich one day when I discover this hole and start saving parents hundreds of dollar. :)

***Inspired by my "Black Hole Theory," I did a Google search and found this picture. I guarantee that some of Sophia's binkies are in that pile somewhere! ;)

Takes One to Know One!

I'm sure everyone has heard their mom say "I hope you get a kid just like you one day!" when you were misbehaving as a child. Well, I have to say that MY MOM'S WISH CAME TRUE!!! Don't get me wrong, I was actually a really well behaved kid. I was pretty introverted and could spend hours on end playing quietly in my room with my baby dolls or Barbies. However, I ALWAYS had to get the last word in! 99% of my punishments as a child were due to me talking back to my mom (which she couldn't stand!).

Flash forward about 20 years and I am now the mother of a little girl who is the queen of talking back! She is the polar opposite from me in most respects: she is very outgoing, attention seeking, adventurous, and wild. BUT... when it comes to her smart mouth, I can tell that she is definitely my child! ;)

Sometimes she exasperates me, infuriates me, and makes me want to pull my hair out, but at the end of the day all she has to do is flash me that beautiful smile of hers and all of the frustration is replaced by an overwhelming feeling of love and admiration for my little mini-me.

Wordless Wednesday (well... mostly)

We all know it's hard for me to be COMPLETELY wordless, but I'll give it my best shot! Basically, I just thought these pics were appropriate for this time of year.

Tuesday Tidbits

Here are my thoughts for today:
~ I hate cloudy/rainy days.
~ My hands are so cold that I think I need to wear gloves while I work!
~ I am extremely unmotivated to do anything productive today.
~ Only 19 more days until Christmas! (YAY!)
~ Only 19 more days unitl Christmas! (YIKES!)
~ I miss my baby girls while I am at work.
~ I'm dressed like a cowgirl today for school spirit week (see pic.).
~ I haven't a clue what to make for dinner tonight...
~ I really need to finish decorating for Christmas.
~ I love Quaker Chewy Dips Granola Bars! In fact, I'm eating one now. :)
~ I still have lots of Christmas shopping to do.
~ I'm praying for my Grandmother's mind to hold out a bit longer... :(
~ I'm sure I'll add more tidbits later...

What is this all about?!?

Why, you might ask, am I starting a blog? Well, I have been thinking of starting one for some time now, but I didn't really feel like I had enough to say (at least enough that other people might be intersted in hearing). However, lately I have been thinking about my life and all that I have accomplished in the last year, and I figured why not? If I can share just one small bit of inspiration (or even a laugh or two) with someone else, then it will all be worth it.

I chose the name "It Takes A Village" because I am a huge believer that we need one another for survival. Without my "village" (family, friends, co-workers, neighbors) I would have never been able to survive the loss of my marriage and single-motherhood. I lean on those in my village on a daily basis, both physically and emotionally. Many times people (women especially) think that in order to show our strength we must go it alone. That simply isn't true. We all need people in our lives to share the joys and pains that we encounter. Afterall, what fun is life if we have no one to share it with?