Happy (early) Valentine's Day

Hubby and I don't celebrate Valentine's in a huge way. We already had our date (which was fabulously awesome by the way) and I'm sure there will be something small we give to each other tomorrow. I already got him something he has been wanting and was smart enough to put away. Valentine's isn't a huge deal to us but its always nice to be thought of/remembered. Who doesn't want to be thought of especially when romance and all that jazz is put into the back burner just a tad when you have two small kids running around? It is just nice to bring it up on the front burner every now and then.

I really do have a great husband. It sounds braggy and really I'm not trying to be a nah nah nah in your face about it because that isn't me. I just love him and thinks he's the cats meow. He really does do a lot for the kiddos and me that I'm so very appreciative of. He cooks, cleans, and fixes random things for us. He certainly keeps our house up to date with technology. Without him I think we'd be lost with old Nokia cell phones, analog televisions and I'd be dead in the water trying to figure out how to connect to the internet. I could probably figure it all out, but its just nice he does something he enjoys while I reap the benefits of him keeping us up with technology.

Hubby is freaking hilarious lately. He usually is. He's a quiet quiet quiet man but when he opens his mouth he's just freaking hilarious. Its like he saves it all day and when he has something to say its just genius sarcasm or hilariousness. I love it!

I love how he also continues to push me to be a better person. Not in the annoying way of what he thinks I should be. He just wants me to do more for myself because he knows I don't. Its just nice that he cares about my personal growth and wanting me to do more then just kid stuff. He made a comment once about how the kids will grow up one day and be long gone and then what will I do with myself? I jokingly said well maybe I'll just have a dry spell for a few years once they move out and get married and then I'll have grand kids. I just love my little world of kiddos even when it gets insanely annoying. I'm not perfect...obviously. There are days when I want to pull my hair out of my head (the hair my daughter hasn't pulled out yet) and run into another direction. We've all been there...don't deny it.

Hubby and I have talked a lot about how we met lately too which is always good to reminiscence. Its was a bitter sweet memory though with some parts. Mainly old memories were brought up by the anniversary of our friends death who took a role in how we got together. It put both of us in a funk for a day. It was just interesting hearing for the first time or even rehearing his perspective and him being surprised with part of my perspective. We were meant to be. I'm glad hubby fought for me. I would of been in a very different place right now. I don't discount who I was with but I'm where I wanted to be. I don't know if that would of happened had I stayed around or took another path. Everything just happened for a reason I suppose.

I am just thankful and feel so blessed to have such a wonderful man be my husband. He's thoughtful, kind, sincere, honest, loyal, hilarious, passionate, romantic, not too hairy, not balding, loveable, sweet, pride without vanity, silly, and cute husband and awesome father to my kids. I'm just glad he's also my best friend.

Love you babe! Happy Valentine's Day!

Adventure Guides and Princesses

Each quarter my company puts out a newsletter. I always read it cover to cover. Its great to keep up with whats going on in my company and especially the people in it. I was pleasantly surprised in one of the articles that an employee was active in the YMCA program called Adventure Guides and Princesses (formerly known as Indian Princesses). By the end of the article I was beaming and had mini flashbacks of my childhood. I was once an Indian Princess.

The program itself is really amazing. If you google it, Adventure Guides and Princess centers around forming a bond between father and son or daughter and just having fun. It isn't like the boy scouts or girl scouts where it focuses more on achievement with a lot less parent involvement. With Adventure Guides you have a monthly meeting where it begins with a beat of your tribe drum, a few meeting agenda items like what monthly activity will be next and then a talking stick goes around and a child or parent can talk about whatever they want. No one can talk except the person that has the stick. The talking stick helps build confidence and the ability to speak in front of a group. Usually each month there is a small activity that you can choose to go or not go to such as ice skating, hiking, miniature golf, etc., Each year there is two camp outs one with tents and another at YMCA camp with cabins where food is prepared for you by YMCA staff. These camp outs have all sorts of activities from horse back riding, archery, canoeing, swimming, basketball, etc., It also has derby races and other small events throughout the year that the Dads put together for their kids. There is also a YMCA lock in where you spend the night at the YMCA playing basketball, swimming, etc., It is 100% fun and I don't know any other program like it.

I joined Indian Princess (now Adventure Guides/Princesses) at a very young age. I loved being with my Dad one on one going to each adventure. It was something we had together that my Mom was not apart of. No offense to my Mom at all, as I was a complete Mama's girl, but Moms couldn't meddle with whatever we were doing. Usually I'd leave to a camp out with a french braid and come back with the same hair do (a lot more messy) because we just didn't stop to comb my hair. It wasn't a huge priority really. We just played hard the entire time with tetherball, hiking, canoeing, etc., I just had the time of my life with my Dad. I remember those camp outs so fondly and the only way I could describe it was complete childhood freedom. I got dirty, swam in lakes and cruised through woods. Baths? Peh yeah right! I was too busy having fun!

I know the YMCA program really helped established the great relationship I have with my Dad to this day. He loved it. I loved it. I just could not say enough about how awesome it was. I eventually aged out of the program and how I HATED that. I had to say goodbye after eight long years of loving this awesome experience and it was sad for me to move on.

What I did find out and what I am just over the moon is that there is a local co ed Adventure Guide (boys) and Princess group that my son can join with my husband this Fall. I approached my husband on it and while some of the activities like rock climbing may be a bit much for him to do at such a young age, its okay because not everyone is required to go to every single event. Its if you want to and if you can make it. You aren't looked down on or thrown out of the group. Its very relaxed environment.

I am just so pleased that another generation can enjoy something so unique and precious. A bond between a Dad and child is precious. This program helps solidifies their relationship and I'm all for that. Knowing the impact it has made in my life and still makes in my life is just awesome. I encourage everyone to join this program. It is cheap (I think YMCA membership for this is around $25) and all it requires is a Dads time with his young child(ren). You really can't beat something that promotes bonding like that. Its priceless.


"Friends Forever".

Mommy Craziness

Today while I was at the food store in line to check out, I heard a conversation between two Moms that literally made me want to gag. They were the OVER braggy Moms. I'm all for bragging about your kids. I do it. I love hearing my friends or family talk about their childrens milestones. We are all proud Moms and love nothing more about talking about our kids...but I hate when it goes to the extreme. Their conversation went something like this:

Mom 1: Jake got on the honor roll at school. Straight A's!

Good for Jake! Glad for him

Mom 2: Nathan got on the honor roll at school too. Second time he's gotten all A's

Awesome for Nathan!

Mom 1: Yeah Jake got a 100% in his Geometry class. He obviously has my math genes.

Mom 2: That is so great! Nathan got a 110 % in his Trigonometry class. I mean how do you get a 110%?

Nice for Nathan, but this is starting to be a competition or what?

Mom 1: Really? Well I'm just so proud of my Jake. He just takes school so seriously. He knows and we know he is going to get an ivy league education.

Mom 2: Oh yeah. I know exactly what you're saying. He's in tenth grade but we've already been on several college visits to Harvard, Yale and Princeton. I'm thinking Nathan should go to Oxford for graduate school. You know, so he can study abroad and get a real world experience.


Gag

Mom 1: Nothing is better then a real world experience. I think during the summer month between Jake's school, if he hasn't gotten an amazing internship at his Uncle's law firm then perhaps we'll send him back packing through Europe.

Mom 2: Oh certainly if you want to go there. I just know Nathan is going to medical school. We as a family knew from a very young age he was going to medical school.


Super puke

I found it funny once Mom 1 left that Mom 2 rolled her eyes at Mom 1 behind her back. Why is there so much competition? I mean these two were obviously trying to one up each other the entire time. If they were men I would wonder if they were trying to prove who had the bigger johnson. I'm all for being proud of your kids. I would be immensely proud if I knew one of my friends or family's kid was doing great at school, thinking about college, etc., However, I don't imagine ever having a pissing contest about what my kid does over another kid like this. All of our kids have strengths, weaknesses, etc., I just don't get Mommy wars like this. Our kids achievements should be their own, not for personal gratification of one up'ing another child. I doubt these parents will get over themselves.

Love of Dogs

I never told this story before to anyone. When I was little and living down south it was common for dogs to be kept outside on leashes. Dogs lived outside. Hell, dogs in my neighborhood didn't had leashes on most of the time and would roam the streets making dog friends and visiting neighbors. It wasn't a problem or anything. Wasn't even weird. Just the way things were. I often felt bad for the dogs that were kept on leashes outside. I would wonder why they couldn't roam free like the other dogs so often I'd try to befriend these chained animals.

I didn't have huge connections with all of them. One neighbor dog was very large and hyper. He often would jump on me so roughly when I approached him he would knock me over. Another dog....well he needed to be fixed because all he wanted to do was hump your leg if you got too close to him. It didn't matter when you saw him....morning, noon or night....he wanted to hump your leg.  Then there was Rug rat. That was the dogs name. That was the dogs name. Not sure why but that's what it was.

Now Rug rat used to be an inside dog. He got out shortly after the owners had a baby to the yard. He was a small dog, maybe 12lbs and I would sit with this dog as he was chained up next to his dog house and would pet him for the longest time. We were friends. He wagged his little tail every time I came over and  would always love a scratch behind his ear. I loved him and he loved me.

One day I was running around the neighborhood and this dog I never saw before started running after my friend and I. I never saw this dog before which was rare because I knew every dog in the neighborhood . This dog was mean and out to get us. His teeth were flaring and ready to bite. My friend and I ran as fast as we could. I knew we couldn't make it back to my house before this dog had us but thankfully in the distance we saw Rug Rats dog house and as always he was outside chained up. I yelled at my friend to follow me and we ran up and jumped on top of the dog house. The dog house wasn't very big. It would take nothing for this mean dog to get us. We were terrified. Rug Rat however knew what was happening and knew this mean dog was out to get us. He started barking and chasing this dog as best he could trying in vain to get him away. This dog was determined to get at my friend and I and kept circling Rug Rats dog house. I knew Rug Rat was little and no match for the mean dog. I didnt want him to get hurt so I started screaming. I saw my neighbors car pull up through the trees and started screaming for Neil. Neil came around the trees towards my frantic voice while my Mom who happen to hear us from inside my house also came through a line of trees to see what her daughter was screaming about. The two adults screamed at the dog and thankfully he ran away and was never seen again.

The adults got the dog away but really it was Rug Rat who saved us doing his best to ward off this mean dog. He was helping a friend. From that day forward I made a point to visit Rug Rat as much as I could. He knew and I knew what he did. He had saved us. I'm not sure why I thought about him after all these years but I did.  Even though his dog got betrayed by his owners being left outside like garbage, he still wanted to love and be loved. Thank you Rug Rat. I wish I could scratch behind your ears and sit with you for a while. Thanks for being a friend.