Hanukkah Blessings

Hanukkah has been wonderful this year. Obviously, the first thing that I am thankful for is that I have a healthy husband to share it all with. Marc's heart and health is completely back to normal and it makes my own heart sing.

This is the first year that the kids "REALLY" get it! They are beginning to understand the basis of the holiday and what the meaning of the holiday is. Of course, the gift giving has not been lost on them either.

One of the highlights of the holiday would have to be the party that we held here at the house this past weekend for 14 of the DD's friends and their parents. We served delicious food, played fun games with the children, did crafts and had a gift exchange, which was a big hit!

Another big highlight was gift giving each evening with the DD. Tonight was night 6 and it was a very special night; one that memories are made of.

After the candles were lit and it was time to give a gift to each child, I realized that I had one extra gift for each, so we decided to give them two tonight....well, that set off waves of excitement!

The first gift for Katie was an American Girl "Asian Bitty Baby" with a layette. I have actually had this gift for about 18 months but held back from giving it to her for two reasons; I wanted her to be mature enough to take care of it and second, I thought that Ethan would end up wanting to play with it too because when he first came home from China he wanted every doll that Katie had. I actually held it so long that I second guessed myself and thought that she was now too old for it. Well, was I wrong about that! She absolutely adores it and I think it will be one of her fav toys for quite some time. She named it Hong Shan, which is her Chinese name and Hong Shan is now sleeping soundly with Katie Starr Hong Shan.

Ethan got a Huge Tonka Crane....boy oh boy, did he love that!! This is the third vehicle or piece of heavy machinery that he has received for Hanukkah and he is just loving all of them.

The other two gifts were equally well received; Katie got dress up princess shoes and Ethan got a fun pre-school game called Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes. We all played a few rounds of the game and had a lot of fun! I highly recommend it for this age group.

The icing on the cake came after those second gifts were given. Katie Starr turned to me with the most beautiful and sincere look and said "Mommy, thank you and Daddy for giving us all of these wonderful presents.

There is very little in life that is more gratifying than to have an appreciative child. That is a virtue that we model for them every day and I am very proud to say that we have not one but three appreciative children.

Here are a few cute photos from night 6 of Hanukkah...

and one last thing to add that we all are appreciative for and that is Nana. My mom and all of the grandparents adore our children; all of them. Here we are celebrating my mom's birthday yesterday. The whole motley crew was together but with all of the fun and frivolity, I just got a couple of shots of her and as well as my goofballs. Love them all!!

My mind cannot even go to that dark place

My friend Kira called me today, totally upset and beside herself with what she had just witnessed. After hearing the following scary tale, I decided that it was an important story to share.

Kira was at a local Wal M*rt and was standing in line waiting to return an item that she had purchased. All of the sudden, she saw a little girl that she estimated to be no older than 3 years old; lost and crying. An employee was called to the scene and began to make attempts to call the mom or guardian to the front of the store via the intercom system. This went on and on for some 15 to 20 minutes and of course the child was very scared and upset. At this point an older man walked up and claimed to be the little girl's grandfather. The child seemed to not know him and when he tried to call her to him, she did not want to go. The employee refused to let the man take the girl with him as she had no way to know that she was really her grandfather, as he was claiming. At this point the mother finally walked up and the child went running to her immediately. This woman did not seem the least bit frantic or upset that her daughter had been missing for all of that time. She just basically wanted to take her child with her and move on after confirming that there was no grandfather with them....not so fast! While this was happening the man slipped away. Other employees were sent to look for him and the police were called, both to try to locate this man and to determine the fitness of the mother.

How horrifying is that!! This man, if left to his own evil agenda, would have taken this little girl and I do not even want to think of the outcome!! The mother, in my opinion, was more than just negligent, she was complicit in the unknown outcome. I pray that their situation is carefully scrutinized!

All of the people that were standing by were horribly upset. Kira said it was a terrible scene that she will never forget.

Thank G-d that this innocent being was kept safe. This man was laying in wait for the right opportunity and he almost found it. If this child had been one that willingly went with people that she did not know......well, the thought of that is mind boggling and tears sting my eyes at the thought of it.

I know that you all understand why I am sharing this and will continue to take the steps necessary to protect your child(ren) as well as any precious and innocent child in your care that cannot protect themselves. Their well being and even their lives depend on it.

Are you trying to tell me something?

Katie was sitting on my lap this morning and blurts out the following....

"Mom, the freckles on your legs are sharp; they are poking me!" *SNORT*

I guess I should have shaved my legs this morning.

Promoting my new venture!

I am celebrating the grand opening of my online Avon Store with lots of promotional give-a-ways on my Facebook Avon Online Page

Check it out, as everyone that becomes a fan of my page is entered into the drawing and there are a few other ways to get more entries. You do not have to be a user of facebook to get involved. One way to do it is by adding a link to my online store on your blog and you will get two entries into the drawing. If you purchase product then you will get five entries for the gift. A Twitter shout out with a link will earn you two entries as well.

Here is the video of Katie drawing a winner from my first promotion.

Thank you all for helping me to pass the word about this new business and if you are kind enough to become a customer, you will never be sorry. Just as in my Real Estate business, I always make sure I give very personal and professional service.

Ding Dong...Guess who is calling!

Lori is and she is selling Avon! I have always loved the Avon Brand and I have decided to become a Avon Representative. I have an E-Store...of course :) Please visit my store for any of your Avon needs. I would be so happy to be able to assist you!

This company is longer your Mother's Avon! They still deal in Makeup and Skin Care but now there is so much more to choose from. From Jewelry to clothing to perfume to toys and dolls are just a few examples. Please check it out for yourself.

If you purchase 30.00 or more this holiday season, please use coupon code FS30REP for free shipping!

If you do not like to shop online, then please just drop me a line or leave me a comment and I will place your order and have it shipped for you.

Katie was practicing for her Hanuakkah show next Friday and she was so darn cute that I had to catch it for posterity.

So here it is, immortalized for all time......Introducing Miss Katie Starr singing............

Puff the Jewish Dragon

Tools of the Trade

I came home late today and laid down my weary bones for a few minutes. Katie came in to see me and wanted to make me feel better so she gave me her fav (and first) stuffed animal, "Snotty Baby" to make me "feel better." Then she put her Sesame Street Elmo Stethescope on my heart and followed it up with her big bird scope to look in my ears and throat. Katie's Diagnosis...... H1N1!! I swear it's true!! Unfortunately, I may have to take Snuffleupagus brand Tamiflu!! *SNORT*

There is nothing worse than watching your child struggle for breathe

About ten days ago, I blogged about the fact that Katie was in the throes of bronchial distress directly related to that foam pit that she played in while at a birthday party. Now, Katie has been diagnosed with asthma and the last 2+ weeks have been nothing short of horrifying; both for her and for us.

Initially, she was placed on Albuterol Syrup in order that her airways stay open, but it was not enough to stop the terrible bronchial spasms that were causing her to cough and struggle with her breathe until she vomited. The doctor even placed her on an antibiotic in the hope that this may be a bacteria that would be killed off. Finally, on Saturday evening my terror level reached new heights as her situation worsened and I got in touch with her pediatrician who was forced to place her on the nebulizer for breathing treatments and in addition prescribed oral steroids to reduce the inflammation. When she did this, it was with words of caution that things would deteriorate before they improved. Well, she was correct! Katie's symptoms were even worse than before and to compound the discomfort, was the fact that the steroid causes sleeplessness and irritability. Katie's emotions were off the chart and she was basically jumping out of her skin.

Last night it got so bad that she was inconsolable and we took her into our bed to comfort her. Thankfully, it did comfort her and she slept. Since she is a major bed hog, no one else did...but I digress.

She woke up and I could sense immediately that she seemed to be a bit better. She was not exploding into uncontrollable attacks of coughing. I called the Doctor to ask her if we could adjust the steroid a bit as it was really playing with her little body. After listening to what she was going through and hearing that we had a bit of improvement she told me to skip the nighttime dose and double dose her in the morning. I am bringing her back tomorrow so that she can be assessed and to see what our next step is. My understanding is that once they get it under control completely, then they place her on a maintenance medication. Tonight has been peaceful so far and she is sleeping....fingers crossed!

Katie made a statement last night that was actually a refrain that I have heard throughout this ordeal. It really has struck me; both in it's deep sadness and the insight it gave me into our four year old's amazing little mind. "Mommy, I want to be normal again, I just want all of this to go away so that I can be normal..."

I gave her the only answer that I could "Baby, you will be normal again; I promise you will..."

I always keep my promises!

My month of blogging is drawing to a close and now a new chapter is beginning!

This experiment and experience of daily blogging for a month is coming to a close and I am happy to be able to say that I met the challenge. It was not always easy but in the end it was always gratifying. I really did not explore any deep or controversial issues as I have in the past but this month has really been much more lighthearted than all of that and it was fun to share all of the happy things that have been happening lately in our lives.

There have been times on this blog that I have posted quite often and easily and other times when the writers block was as bad as it gets and I have basically abandoned my blog for a couple of weeks at a time. I really love writing, so when I am blocked like that it feels quite uncomfortable. Lately, I have been exploring the creative part of my brain both with photography and with my writing. My mom is always imploring me to write a book and every time she brings it up, I do what I seem to do best and I scoff at my own abilities. I immediately respond by saying to her that it is just because she is my mom that she likes my writing as much as she does. I am sure it helps that she is my mom but deep down inside, I must believe that I have something to say or I would not have been posting pretty consistently on this blog for 4 1/2 years. As I am typing this I can hardly believe it has been that long, but yes, it was way back in 2005, just before we sent our dossier to China for Katie that I began this online journal.

I have had lots of time for thinking lately, especially with all of the twists and turns that our lives have taken and I have come to the conclusion that I am going to stop sabotaging myself by finding ways to not pursue my gifts. It will not be an easy process as old habits die hard....very hard, but I am going to make a conscious effort daily to finally pursue the vocations in life that will bring me pleasure. Writing and photography will top that list. I will do my best to push the fear of failure aside and "just do it" as the commercial says. By me writing this, I am proclaiming this fact to the world or at least my little part of it.

2010 is going to be quite a year for me and I really hope that you will come along for the ride. I could really use the support and friendship as I navigate all of the barriers, both real and imagined, that are sure to come as I begin the next exciting chapter of my life as a woman who is no longer afraid to pursue my own success.

With love and gratitude,

Bridal weekend draws to a close on a very high note!

The much anticipated bridal weekend was a huge success and drew to a close today in a most wonderful fashion. Judy's parents hosted the bridal shower and they give new meaning to the phrase "Hosts with the most." They completely outdid themselves. The party was held in their backyard, which is truly an oasis by any standard. Judy's dad owns a landscaping company and he has truly created a showcase of his talents in their yard. The flora and fauna that he has cultivated is just breathtaking! It was the backdrop to a beautifully decorated patio and gazebo area. The brilliant blue skies and amazing weather just made it all that much more wonderful.

The day was highlighted with tasty food, great company, fun games and the feeling of love in the air.

It was a women's only shower but Justin was invited in for one (very fun) game and to open the gifts with Judy. I kept watching them and thinking that I just cannot believe how my baby boy has turned into such a great man and is embarking upon this new chapter with the beautiful woman, who he has loved for 6 years. It really made me quite misty in a very good way.

I also must say that Marc and I feel so blessed by the fact that this union has brought our two families together. Judy's family and our family just love each other so much and when we are together we are truly one family. We could not have wished for anything better than that.

Here are some pics from this wonderful day that this mama will always remember.

Beautiful atmosphere




Me with my son, the happy groom to be



Me and Judy, the happy bride to be



Enjoying ourselves



Judy and Joyce - Two beautiful sisters



One of the amazing floral centerpieces



The games and fun that was planned for us



Shannon and Pattie, dear family friends



Our table minus Kira who was away from the table



This was just before the game that was planned for Justin. Doesn't he look a bit nervous?? Well, he should be. He had to answer questions about Judy and if he got incorrect answers his penalty was to put on an article of lingerie. He did not know as much as he should of and..................



This was the end result. Believe me when I tell you that there were many more pictures but for the sake of family harmony, I will only show this one of his backside! Thank goodness that he is a good sport!!



Judy's dad looked pretty amused as were the rest of us.



sharing something private



My mom and another dear friend, Kira



Judy and her girls (bridesmaids and Holly on the left is her maid of honor) They did a fab job organizing the festivities.



Sharing some fun while opening gifts.



Next party will be the wedding reception. We cannot wait!!

Bridal Weekend Heats Up!

Justin and Judy's wedding is approaching at the speed of light and in anticipation of that event, we are in the midst of bridal weekend, with last night being the bachelorette party and tomorrow being the bridal shower.

Our plans were to go to a Drag Show/Dinner as a group, with the mother's in attendance and then the youngins would go off after to do what they do. A couple of my friends, who Judy has befriended, were invited as well which was really nice for me.

I got myself dolled up and then before it was time to leave Marc wanted to take some pictures of me. Since I get a lot of complaints that you all hardly see me on this blog, the next four pics from my photo shoot are for you.









We arrived at the club, got seated and waited for the fun to begin. These men/women were fabulous!! They were funny, campy, sexy and just over the top. We had a blast. The first pic is of one of the entertainers bending over me and me giving her a little love in the way of a tip (wink)



Then this lovely wo/man had all of the women at my table mesmerized with the fact that her legs reached her armpits...what a bod!



Our waitress was also an entertainer. She was outrageous!!



Here is my girl, Kira



Judy's lovely mom and sister, Elsa and Joyce



and my other girl, Shannon :)



Here is the beautiful bride to be, my soon to be daughter in law, Judy



Judy got pulled on stage and of course things heated up a notch but hey, what happens in the drag club needs to stay in the drag club.

My only complaint about the evening was that it was far too short. When I walked into the house my hubby was shocked that I was home so early. He knows me very well and this mama can still party like a rock star but alas, this night was for another star and it was her party so.......

I am sure that I can find something to celebrate soon so that we can partake in a little more fun!

A day for hanging around

Yes, it has been a day for hanging out. The kids did their hanging in the park with daddy and I am at home hanging out and doing a bit of online holiday shopping as well as organizing for next week's annual home purging...oops, I mean garage sale and getting ready for a weekend of fun.

This is Judy's bridal weekend. Tonight is the bachelorette party and then Sunday is the bridal shower. I will have lots of fresh material for blog posts! In the meantime, I am going to go back to my hanging out. I need to conserve my energy for the night ahead >;0)