Nathan gave me the best Christmas present that I could ever get.
I got a call from his guidance counselor yesterday to let me know that he is all caught up. He has handed in all his assignments. He is doing great. He got a 100 on his last two math tests and a 99 on his Spanish test. He seems to have taken the step to get on track and work to his potential that I knew was in him.
I am so proud of him. Words can’t even explain my feeling. This is truly the best gift that I could get from him. I knew that he could do it.
Now I just need to find the Christmas Spirit. More about that tomorrow.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Monday, December 19, 2011
Family Pictures
I just wanted to share some of our family pictures that we took a couple of weeks ago.
Parenting
Being a parent is one of the hardest and selfless thing that I have ever had to do. I know that I take a lot of time to vent about how my children can really hit my last nerve…over and over again. Mainly it’s because this is where I vent so it’s easy to come here and speak my mind. But I sometimes forget to come here and talk about the good times. I mean we do have good times. You don’t all think that I spend each and every night yelling at my kids and punishing them, right?
Of course I am having a hard time with them this year in school and I hope to have taken the bull by the horns, so to speak ! They are good kids though. I have not had to deal with drugs, alcohol or pregnancy. Sure I wish they were more respectful in the house and didn’t fight with each other. Sure I wish they would clean more. But they are home each night. They do things when I ask them…I might have to ask them several times but they do it…eventually. They don’t ask for a lot. I feel like they ask for too much because I am their mother but in comparison to what I hear other kids asking for, they are a blessing. I wish they would take their education more seriously but maybe that will come with time. I can’t mold them into a robotic children.
They have good days and bad days. We have good times and bad times as a family. They still enjoy playing board games with mom. They still humor me when I want them to watch old holiday shows. They humor me with old traditions that I hold near and dear. I think that once they do grow up and are on their own, that they will be pretty good well rounded adults. I think that it might take them a little longer to move out and grow up and be on their own but that only means that I will get to enjoy them longer.
Of course I am having a hard time with them this year in school and I hope to have taken the bull by the horns, so to speak ! They are good kids though. I have not had to deal with drugs, alcohol or pregnancy. Sure I wish they were more respectful in the house and didn’t fight with each other. Sure I wish they would clean more. But they are home each night. They do things when I ask them…I might have to ask them several times but they do it…eventually. They don’t ask for a lot. I feel like they ask for too much because I am their mother but in comparison to what I hear other kids asking for, they are a blessing. I wish they would take their education more seriously but maybe that will come with time. I can’t mold them into a robotic children.
They have good days and bad days. We have good times and bad times as a family. They still enjoy playing board games with mom. They still humor me when I want them to watch old holiday shows. They humor me with old traditions that I hold near and dear. I think that once they do grow up and are on their own, that they will be pretty good well rounded adults. I think that it might take them a little longer to move out and grow up and be on their own but that only means that I will get to enjoy them longer.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
My Angel Turns 18 in Heaven
I want to wish my angel in heaven a happy 18th birthday today. I always imagine what you would be like. What your hair would look like. How close you and your siblings would be. What kind of relationship we would have.
I was so young when I got pregnant but losing you was the most devastating thing a 19 year could go through. The hope that I had that you would overcome all odds and make it was tremendous. My faith was and is very strong and that is what got me through that time. I know that God had something better for you and I try not to be jealous that he gets to see each day because I know that one day, I will get to see you each day too.
Being a parent is one of the hardest and selfless thing I have ever had to do. It brings me great joy to be a mother but with that joy also comes a fear. Fear that you get hurt. Fear that something will happen to you. Fear that you will leave. Fear that that I will lose you. It is obvious. With great love, there is great fear of losing that love.
I love you my dear Bianca. You will forever be my babygirl. You will forever be in my heart.
I was so young when I got pregnant but losing you was the most devastating thing a 19 year could go through. The hope that I had that you would overcome all odds and make it was tremendous. My faith was and is very strong and that is what got me through that time. I know that God had something better for you and I try not to be jealous that he gets to see each day because I know that one day, I will get to see you each day too.
Being a parent is one of the hardest and selfless thing I have ever had to do. It brings me great joy to be a mother but with that joy also comes a fear. Fear that you get hurt. Fear that something will happen to you. Fear that you will leave. Fear that that I will lose you. It is obvious. With great love, there is great fear of losing that love.
I love you my dear Bianca. You will forever be my babygirl. You will forever be in my heart.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
The Never-Ending Sickness
I just have to say that I have been sick since we moved back to RI. It started with a stomach bug and a headache and then into a small cold that just doesn’t go away. It gets worse and then it gets better and just when I think that it might be going away…BAM! It comes back strong. I am really tired of it already!
I haven’t decided if I want to believe that it’s the climate change that is doing this to me or if I have just had some really bad luck with this cold. I have to be thankful though that it hasn’t been too bad. I have been able to get up each and every morning and go about my business. There are days that are obviously worse than others but overall, they are bearable and that is all that I can ask for. Having started a new job in September, I was worried. I can’t really afford to take any time out with no sick time yet. Each day I manage to drag myself through the workday to go home and crash. It’s dinner, cleaning up quickly, homework and bed. Seriously, that has been it. I think that I have been in bed between 8-9pm each night since I started working. And some nights maybe even earlier. I feel like I have no energy for my family and that is not a feeling I want to have. I think that it might be time to get some much needed vitamins into my diet.
I haven’t decided if I want to believe that it’s the climate change that is doing this to me or if I have just had some really bad luck with this cold. I have to be thankful though that it hasn’t been too bad. I have been able to get up each and every morning and go about my business. There are days that are obviously worse than others but overall, they are bearable and that is all that I can ask for. Having started a new job in September, I was worried. I can’t really afford to take any time out with no sick time yet. Each day I manage to drag myself through the workday to go home and crash. It’s dinner, cleaning up quickly, homework and bed. Seriously, that has been it. I think that I have been in bed between 8-9pm each night since I started working. And some nights maybe even earlier. I feel like I have no energy for my family and that is not a feeling I want to have. I think that it might be time to get some much needed vitamins into my diet.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
The Gingerbread Train
We moved back to be closer to family and cherish each moment we have with them. It certainly hasn’t felt like that is what we are doing though. I have actually heard from some family and friends that it almost doesn’t seem like we are back because they never see us. Part of that is because we truly are home bodies. We love to be at home. But the other part of that is that we are just lazy and taking time, once again, for granted. We know that if we don’t go today that we can go tomorrow. And if we can’t go this week, we can always go next week. That is a bad frame of mind to be in and one that I need to snap out of.
So Sunday Jose and I decided to grab CJ and Nathan and go spend time at his mom’s. And I decided to add a special treat, I took the Gingerbread Train that I had bought for them to do together. It was nice, sweet, sentimental and just perfect. They both had a blast working on the train (Nathan helped too periodically). It was a moment that I will remember always. And of course I got some great pics to remember the moment too. I am sharing a few on here.
So Sunday Jose and I decided to grab CJ and Nathan and go spend time at his mom’s. And I decided to add a special treat, I took the Gingerbread Train that I had bought for them to do together. It was nice, sweet, sentimental and just perfect. They both had a blast working on the train (Nathan helped too periodically). It was a moment that I will remember always. And of course I got some great pics to remember the moment too. I am sharing a few on here.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Don't Underestimate a Home
I am jealous of the families that live in one house most of their lives. A house that they have turned from a dwelling to a home of their own. A house changed piece by piece until it is exactly what they wanted. A house filled with memories. A house that feels like home to all who enter, but mostly to those who live in it.
I am tired of moving. I have said it before and I will continue to say it until I have my home…again. I don’t necessarily want to be in the same home forever, or maybe that wouldn’t be so bad since I have moved around enough for my lifetime. I would like a home that I can settle into for a good 6 years at least though. That is tough for me to say because everyone knows that I love NC and I miss it terribly. The home that I am looking for now is here in RI. It’s official, I have said it out loud.
This is where our circumstances have brought us. I trust that God has led us here because this is where we are meant to be for now. Don’t feel bad for me, it’s not a bad thing. Granted this is not what we had planned and I would never have guessed that we would be back here but we are. I have never regretted a decision and I won’t start now. There are many upside to being in RI, family and friends being the main thing. We come back with a different understanding about things though and different expectations of things. We are in a much better situation than we were in when we left RI. We have put ourselves in this better situation because we know better. We have a tremendous amount of support from our family and friends. The school system the kids are in is amazing…much to my surprise. We have great jobs that both enjoy. The only thing really missing is a home. I am confident that we will find our home with our next move in June. Yes, the thought of packing up and moving again makes me cringe…more than anyone could ever know. But the thought of a home gives me a warm and cozy feeling that I can’t wait to have.
I long for a home that CJ can remember growing up in. A home that we can paint the walls. I home that we can pull up carpets. A home where we can lay down flooring. A home that we can put up curtains. A home that we can paint cabinets. A home that feels like home. A house that we turn into a home, not only by the things that we put into it but love and memories that house will hold through time. My memories are scattered throughout homes right now and CJ just thinks that it’s normal to move from house to house. It has become sort of a joke with us as a family…a joke that I don’t find very funny by the way…lol.
As far as NC, well…that is something that will just have to be left for the future. How far into the future you ask? Well, let me think about this logically instead with emotion. Nathan will be starting high school next year and I know for sure that we cannot move until he graduates. Unfortunately that means that CJ will going into 5th grade which is not a good time for him to move either. So ideally the best time for us venture to move again would be in 2017. Larissa will be 23 and on her own (I hope), Nathan will be out of high school and CJ will be moving onto middle school. Wow! I don’t want to really think that far ahead. I don’t want my babies to be so grown. It makes me sad to think that my babies won’t be babies anymore and won’t need me. But that is a different post for a different day all together. NC will always be waiting there and so will all of the great friends that became our family there. I am sure that we will make many trips to visit and will hate leaving each time. It is a great feeling though to know that we have such a great place to visit and get away from our everyday lives.
I also don’t know where life will lead us. Six years is a long time away and a lot can happen during that time. Who knows where we will want to go or not go after that time. Who knows where we will consider home at that time. Maybe we will get so comfortable that we will want to stay here. I have an open mind.
I am tired of moving. I have said it before and I will continue to say it until I have my home…again. I don’t necessarily want to be in the same home forever, or maybe that wouldn’t be so bad since I have moved around enough for my lifetime. I would like a home that I can settle into for a good 6 years at least though. That is tough for me to say because everyone knows that I love NC and I miss it terribly. The home that I am looking for now is here in RI. It’s official, I have said it out loud.
This is where our circumstances have brought us. I trust that God has led us here because this is where we are meant to be for now. Don’t feel bad for me, it’s not a bad thing. Granted this is not what we had planned and I would never have guessed that we would be back here but we are. I have never regretted a decision and I won’t start now. There are many upside to being in RI, family and friends being the main thing. We come back with a different understanding about things though and different expectations of things. We are in a much better situation than we were in when we left RI. We have put ourselves in this better situation because we know better. We have a tremendous amount of support from our family and friends. The school system the kids are in is amazing…much to my surprise. We have great jobs that both enjoy. The only thing really missing is a home. I am confident that we will find our home with our next move in June. Yes, the thought of packing up and moving again makes me cringe…more than anyone could ever know. But the thought of a home gives me a warm and cozy feeling that I can’t wait to have.
I long for a home that CJ can remember growing up in. A home that we can paint the walls. I home that we can pull up carpets. A home where we can lay down flooring. A home that we can put up curtains. A home that we can paint cabinets. A home that feels like home. A house that we turn into a home, not only by the things that we put into it but love and memories that house will hold through time. My memories are scattered throughout homes right now and CJ just thinks that it’s normal to move from house to house. It has become sort of a joke with us as a family…a joke that I don’t find very funny by the way…lol.
As far as NC, well…that is something that will just have to be left for the future. How far into the future you ask? Well, let me think about this logically instead with emotion. Nathan will be starting high school next year and I know for sure that we cannot move until he graduates. Unfortunately that means that CJ will going into 5th grade which is not a good time for him to move either. So ideally the best time for us venture to move again would be in 2017. Larissa will be 23 and on her own (I hope), Nathan will be out of high school and CJ will be moving onto middle school. Wow! I don’t want to really think that far ahead. I don’t want my babies to be so grown. It makes me sad to think that my babies won’t be babies anymore and won’t need me. But that is a different post for a different day all together. NC will always be waiting there and so will all of the great friends that became our family there. I am sure that we will make many trips to visit and will hate leaving each time. It is a great feeling though to know that we have such a great place to visit and get away from our everyday lives.
I also don’t know where life will lead us. Six years is a long time away and a lot can happen during that time. Who knows where we will want to go or not go after that time. Who knows where we will consider home at that time. Maybe we will get so comfortable that we will want to stay here. I have an open mind.
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