Month: February 2013

when are you happiest? (it might not be when you think it is!)

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When are you happiest? 

I am happy on a midwinter Sunday afternoon with the thought of a whole day of no commitments stretching out in front of me.  It doesn’t happen very often, but when it does I put on sweats, grab a book or magazine, and curl up on the couch under a blanket.  It’s such a luxury!

I am happy on a warm summer day when I have a few minutes to pull a lawn chair out into the middle of my yard and lay there, eyes closed, soaking up the sun.  (Yes, I know…skin cancer, but nothing feels as good as the sun shining down on you!)

Happy moments also come at a dinner with good friends, family parties, snuggling around a campfire with my kids, listening to what comes out of my 4 year old’s mouth, and racing in triathlons. Continue reading “when are you happiest? (it might not be when you think it is!)” →

an unlikely adventure

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If you have kids I’m sure you know how quickly you can reach that moment; that moment when things suddenly cross the line.

The other day I was home with my kids and things were going well.  The girls had dressed up and were having a tea party and the boys were building robots and swords.  I was curled up reading a book when I heard a sniff next to me.

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I looked up to see my son standing there crying because his brother had made him (made him??) eat a rubber ball and the girls were “being mean”.  I got up at went into the other room to find my youngest daughter holding our 17-year-old cat upside down while her sister had managed to find every single nail polish bottle we own.  My other son meanwhile had decided that the family room was a good place to eat chips.  The room was trashed!   I mean stuff was everywhere.

We had reached the line!

“That’s it” I yelled, “it’s time to get out of here.  It’s time for an adventure.” Continue reading “an unlikely adventure” →

forty days of water

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Today I started the day, as always, with a steaming cup of coffee.  There’s nothing better than that first sip of coffee early in the morning.  Clutching a hot cup of coffee just makes me happy!

Tomorrow I will not have my morning cup of coffee.  In fact, I will not have it again for 40 days!  That’s because tomorrow I am starting the Forty Days of Water.  It is a fundraiser during the Lenten season for blood:water mission, which will build clean water projects for communities in Uganda.  During this time I will drink only tap water and donate the money I save by not purchasing drinks to blood:water mission. Continue reading “forty days of water” →

how to make the winter pass quickly

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It’s cold in Northern New Jersey.  In fact, we are right in the middle of a snow storm as I write this!  This time of year can seemingly last forever.  Short days, snow and ice, dirty cars, steel grey skies, and fly away static-y hair (my own personal pet peeve) make it feel like winter will never end!  But there is a bright spot for our family.  It’s what makes the winter pass quickly…basketball!

Right now we are smack in the middle of basketball season.  Three of my four kids play it.  My 6th grade son plays for his school and my 4th grade daughter and Kindergartener son play for Upward, an excellent basketball program run by our church.  My husband coaches my daughter’s team.  I am also considered a coach but I basically hang out on the bench with the girls during the games.  We are often at basketball practices and games 4-5 times a week!  But, I love every minute of it!

So, in honor of our winter pastime, I created a Basketball Top Ten.  The top ten reasons why I like basketball… Continue reading “how to make the winter pass quickly” →