"Busted"

My 4 year old has a great word to describe how she's feeling after a tough day or a long road trip-- busted. "I'm feeling busted, Mom."

And tonight I'm stealing her word. I'm feeling busted. Exhausted. Sick. Achy. And the typical post-holiday blues.

But at the same time I feel GREAT! I'm hanging w/ my immediate family and my parents and siblings. Post-holiday game playing and left-over eating. Lots of smiles and cute kids.

Merry Christmas, and happy new year (I'll be sleeping as 2008 hits the west coast.). May it be a year of not having to feel "busted".

REAL Life

My husband and I watched "Dan in Real Life" starring Steve Carell last night. The guy cracks me up. And this movie was good.

It was good because it reminds parents that your kids grow up on you whether you like it or not. And it happens in a blink of an eye. Soon the tactics you used on your toddlers don't sit so well with your grade-middle-high-schoolers.

So thanks to the producers of this film. It reminded me to put FAMILY FIRST. And now I'm on a mommy-mission to somehow connect with each of my little people every single day... I can't afford to lose that all-important bond as they grow up.

LOVE this Video-- Do you?

(pause my playlist at the bottom of my blog before watching this video...)

Brown Paper Packages Tied Up With String...

These are a few of my FAVORITE things!

If you're a mom, you know the boundless love that can explode from the specially prepared handmade gifts that come to you in a decorated brown paper bag.

I noticed this morning, sitting under our christmas tree, a carefully placed package. The wrapping is simple-- a brown paper lunch sack. But it's special-- there is a carefully drawn picture on the front, it is stapled shut at the top, and the important message written in first-grade handwriting:

To: Mom
From: Sadie

I often refer to a book I've read called "The Five Love Languages" by Gary Chapman and know that one of the love languages that speaks the most to me is gifts. I love the element of surprise, the thoughtfulness from the giver, and the love they impart via a treasure for me... big or small.

So I can hardly wait. Yet I love the anticipation. But I am counting the days to Christmas (with help from my kids) until I get to open the precious brown paper package from my sweet first grader that's carefully placed beneath our tree.

Addicted

Okay. So I've "officially" gone over the deep end. I'm addicted to blogging. I constantly find myself wanting to write about the little things in my day to day life that I don't want to forget. And there are a few creative projects that I do and like to share. So I blog.

And instead of bogging down my family blog w/ my thoughts and creations (since family who visit it really only want to see the cute photos of my kids), I've decided to start my own personal blog.

I hope you can find encouragement and joy from the posts that I'll put here.

Sincerely,
Angela