So This is What it Feels Like...

To live in the North Pole! Snowing again today, snow day again today. Repeat, repeat, repeat...that must be the theme of our winter so far. I don't mind the snow, but now the kids have used up all their snow days. Starting tomorrow, with yet another snow day and Friday snow day predicted due to windchill temps, they will have to make up these days at the end of the school year. YUCK!! I hate having them get out later in June, June is bad enough! We have been so used to getting out the end of May, June seems way too long to be going to school.

But what can one do? The snow is pretty, but it's not fun driving in it. Now we brace for the winds to start up to create blizzard conditions. That makes for non-stop drifting and non-stop shoveling. Oh the joys...

I Have to Admit...

As my kids get older, I don't mind such long breaks from school. Right now, I am sitting and watching a few of them play the Wii with friends and it's pretty funny to watch them. I guess as my kids get older, they don't annoy me as much. NOT that my kids annoy me, it's when they were little, as all little kids(and sometimes big kids)say they are bored. With so many things to do around the house and such, the word 'bored' is not allowed to be spoken in my house. I do not tolerate it, really, ask my kids. They know that ticks me off.

So with the impending end to their break tomorrow, I'm actually hoping, as they are, that there will be a snow day tomorrow. I don't think there will be a snow day tomorrow, but the next day for sure with blowing snow and very frigid temps.

Some people are 'made' to be parental material for all stages in life, I'm just able to admit that there are times in my life when my kids annoy me. I'm not ashamed to admit that, I'm just realistic, there's only just so much I can handle. Now if they have two snow days in a row, will I still feel they don't annoy me? Will have to wait and see...

I Try Really Hard...

To be a good wife and mother. But there is one role that I am not good at and I can admit it. I am a horrible nurse to my family when they are sick. I don't handle sickness well at all. Oh, I can go thru the motions of taking care of the sick one, but I am not all warm and fuzzy. Maybe it's because I feel like I will get sick being around them and I hate being sick myself.

The ickiest part of someone being sick is when they throw up, that is just gross! What grossed me out the most is when I had to take care of other people's kids when they are sick. Just yuck. I found out I wasn't cut out to be a daycare provider...diapers AND sickness...ughhhh!

So I may not be a good nurse, but at least I know I will 'do' it because I can.

What Really is the Reason for the Season?

This time of year, it gets very hectic; shopping, planning, hosting, more shopping, cooking, baking, decorating. We all experience this and it can be very overwhelming.

I do truly love this time of the year. I love shopping, planning, hosting, doing more shopping, cooking and decorating(with the help of my mom and sister).

But then when I hear of such sad news, like this morning, of a very close friend, it brings me back to what the reason of the season is really about...family. I have focused on family all my life, whether it was me as an orphan dreaming of a family of my own; knowing how my first family was treating me was not right; the blessing of having yet another family; and then the ultimate, my very own family.

I try to live life being grateful for all that I have been blessed with. I thank God daily for giving me the life I am living and I'm talking about actually living, not what I have.

I know the circle of life happens daily, but when it hits close to home, it breaks my heart and especially this time of year. So hug your kids, hug your parents, hug your family.

On a Whim

I sent my family's Christmas card and letter to my first adoptive parents this year. I wonder what their reaction will be. I didn't write anything personal to them, just the letter and card like we do for everyone else on our Christmas card list. They are ages 84 and 86? Have they 'softened' in their later years? Will I hear from them? I doubt it. I think they, especially the mother, want to forget about me, even though she stated she still had pictures of me. I haven't sent anything to them since 2007 and never heard anything back from them.

What would I do if I were in their shoes? I hope I would have asked for forgiveness from God, then respond back to my child and ask for forgiveness and actually say sorry for the abuse. I hope I would be that type of person.

Snow

More like LOTS of snow! Usually I am the first one to step up to the plate and go out to shovel the driveway and front porch, but not this time. Our first BIG snow in our new house and wow, did we get snow! Over ten inches, but with the wind, came the huge snow drifts.

Looking out my front door, yes, I could see the drifts, but looking from the outside, the drifts were way taller. The plow came thru and right in front of our driveway, the snow drift grew even taller. And the drift in front of our door, was about three feet tall.

So I sent my two kids outside to shovel the front porch. Of course, my hubby says that is the reason why we had kids...he's kidding! But really, they are 11 and 15 years old, they can do it, it builds character. They did a nice job and I know they felt like I usually do after I shovel, they felt a sense of accomplishment for all the hard work. You can see the result from my facebook badge to the right.

We decided to hire a plowing company to plow our driveway for us. It's a good thing we did! It took him 50 minutes to clear out the end of our driveway with the huge snow drift! Our neighbor across the street is doing his by hand, lotta work since the drift covered his entire entrance to his driveway. We at least had the other end not covered by a drift to enter or exit.

And that brings me to my hubby. He decided to go into work yesterday morning. I woke up to find the garage empty. I texted him to see if he was at work. His text back a few minutes later said, 'Trying to'...what did that mean? All I could imagine was him being stuck in the ditch. A text later said he was helping a neighbor dig out...from where? The entrance to our street. The entrance hadn't been plowed, no kidding!!

The neighbor had a smaller car, my hubby has an Enclave. And he was prepared, he had a shovel with him and wore his non work clothes. His car got stuck so he would dig part of his car out, sit in the car for five minutes to warm up, I didn't mention that it was blizzard conditions in the morning...then he'd go out again and dig some more. The neighbor gave up and walked home.

My hubby continued his quest to dig out. Once he accomplished digging his car out, he still had to manage getting out of our entrance so he knew he had to gun it and go for it...I'm so glad I wasn't in the car with him! He said he gunned it and poof! White all over the place and when the snow settled, he gunned it again and making sure to note where the light pole was-all I could do was text, 'Crazy' to him...he made it out and into work. Needless to say, everyone that works for my hubby was disappointed that he made it into work, they thought for sure since we live further out that he wouldn't make it into work. They should know him better by now! And it's not because they don't like working for him, it's because they like to make bets on everything!

So now my kids are home with me again today, third snow day in a row. No more snow today, just very cold temperatures, -18 degrees windchill. The regular temp started off in the negatives!

The snow is beautiful tho, it truly is a Winter Wonderland here, I love it!

Today is My Gotcha Day

And this is the jacket I wore when I came to my current family. I look at this jacket and it speaks volumes to me. It shows how small I was at the age of 5 1/2yrs old. It shows the time of year, winter. Inside, I wrote my name on it, as if I was claiming it forever, three simple letters, K-i-m, written in the oh so familiar writing of a kindergartner. This jacket was all I had from my past, but look at it closely, it shows style, it shows warmth, it shows hope.

Hope is what I take from this little jacket. I knew leaving my first family is what I wanted, I knew it was right. I was shown a picture of my current family and asked if I wanted to live with them, I didn't hesitate, I nodded my head 'yes'.

Granted, I didn't remember my Gotcha Day every year, but as I am getting older and wiser and more grateful, I cherish this day more and more. This day marks the third time in my life at living the life God intended for me.

I was the typical child, the typical teenager, the typical young adult. Life is great when you get a chance to live a typical life. Now I live a typical life with my own family. But typical is far from how we live. We live a BLESSED life and without my Gotcha Day, I wouldn't have this BLESSED life!