For Always my Valentines

I just love taking pictures! I love capturing moments. 

Freezing them in time, to enjoy and remember for always.

 I love our family pictures, all of them. 

As imperfect as they are, they are us.

I love my family, all of us. 

As imperfect as we are, we are a family.

For always you will be my Valentines.

Happy Valentine's Month!

I also love Texas winters! Just in case I never mentioned it before...

I enjoy them while they last! Soon the heat and humidity will be back!

Typos & Teases

As I write our family's happenings and all, I always make typos and mistakes in my writing.

Because 

#1 English IS my second language.

(Actually, I'm as bad or worst in writing French as I am English.)

#2 I am not a writer and do not aspire to be one.

(Well... I would love to be one of those funny, eloquent and interesting blog writers.
But I know, it's just a wish.)

So my kids, and husband, and some friends who read this blog, tease me and laugh at my expenses. 

I try to fix my mistakes most of the time... 

But some are and will be posted here forever...

So enjoy!

I've had quite the few laughs at my mistakes myself too!

Taste Buds and Picky Eaters!

We got a little snack to validate our Parking Ticket.

Amelie devoured those spicy wings! 

She has always been able to eat spicy stuff since she was a baby!

She would eat lemons without making faces!

I even thought she had no tasted buds cause she ate almost everything!

With the other 3 kids, I was not used to that! Especially with Emric the most picky of them all!

So, when she was around 2 or 3, I gave her a spoonful of salt telling her it was sugar.

Boy did she pull a face!!!! 

Kinda like the face she is pulling in the middle picture of the first collage below!

The test was conclusive: She had taste buds. And I, a happy Mom!

What a pleasure it was for one of my kids to eat such an abundant variety of foods!

It was a mother's dream...

No Camera Shyness...

Yep, She is never shy in front of a camera...

And she looks so cute!

The last five days...

It's not fun, not feeling good.

It just hit me last Wednesday night.

My head was suddenly congested.

No warning!

The only problelm, is I'm not sure if it's alergies or a cold?

So, I've been popping meds and vitamines.

And I've been taking it easy by necessity...

I must have watched 20 episodes of Parenthood!
Actually Mike and I watched 6 in a row for our date night Saturday night!
I've missed one day of Zumba! 

I made my Happiness Manifesto. 

And worked on some photos...

Saturday, I did feel better for a bit, and went with Mike and Amelie downtown the Woodlands.

It was such a beautiful day! Have I mentioned how much I LOVE the Texas Winters?

Amelie had something going on there. (More on that later. Maybe)

I took lots of pictures, I will post them in the next few days...

  

My Happiness Manifesto

I was inspired to make one of these from this blog I like a lot.

I will, for now, put it on my computer screen. 

Then print it out and place it where I will see it often.

Like the potty room or the kitchen.

 I made my own 21 keep joy and happiness inducers.

To use not all at once, but as needed... 

For when the 'D' words start to take over, like:

Doubt, discouragement, discord, downhearted, discontent, disillusioned, 

distrust, disgusted, depressed...

These are tried, lived and tested. They usually work for me.

They bring me joy and happiness.

(These are in no particular order.)

1. Rejoice and Live in the Now

Because that is all we have. The Now. Life is lived one moment at a time. Enjoy.

"Live in the moment and make it so beautiful that it will be worth remembering" 

Fanny Crosby

2. I can do hard things

With Christ all things are possible.

Hard things increase growth, faith, strength & stretches our soul.

3. Create Beauty

Make your environment beautiful.
Creativity enlarges the soul and mind. Make Beauty all around you!

4. Delight and feast upon the word
Seek, dig, ponder upon the words of Christ. They lighten up the soul. Give direction. Comfort.
Give Peace and Understanding.

5. Exercise the heart 
For longevity and well being. Find what you love. And do it. Move & stretch that body!
We only have one to carry us through our life journey.

6. Peace and harmony in the heart
Keep anger out of your life. When It comes, do not let it fester and linger. Forgive.
"For every minute you are angry, you lose sixty seconds of  happiness"
Ralf Aldo Emerson

7. Keep the Vision, This too shall pass.
Our life is but a moment. A Passing.
Everything will eventually pass, and change, and get better in the end.
'If it's not okay, it's not the end'

8. Look Up

Every day, look up towards heaven. Look at the clouds, the stars, the vast expanse...

How small am I? Insignificant. Yet, I am noticed and loved beyond measure. 
Feel the love of God!

9. Serve Someone

Nothing is quite like making someone smile, lifting an other's heart, giving a helping hand.

One cannot serve & love without feeling joy and increase happiness.

Find one in need every day. No matter how small or big the act of love is.

10. Rest

Rest your heart in the stillness of God
"Our hearts are restless until they rest in You."
Augustine.

A well rested body, makes for a clearer thinking head. 

Less grumpiness and impatience with those we love the most.

Sleep. Relax.

11. I am in charge of how I feel. Today I choose Happiness.

I have the power to choose how I feel. Things don't go my way? 

Rain. Clouds. Evil hearts. Wars. Unrest. Disasters.

Others may taunt, tease, disappoint, hurt, ignore...

I control my feelings! They do not control me. 

12. Count Gifts. Notice Tender Mercies

In All things give Thanks.

Gratitude turns everything we have into enough.

13. Listen. Smell. See. The World.

I believe there is beauty in Mother Nature everywhere. Look for it with all senses. Everyday.
A bird's song. A lady bug. Warm rain drops. Spring scents. Taste of a fruit.
It's all a gift to make our life more beautiful and enjoyable.

14. Clean space = Clear mind
De clutter, it invites sanity & clarity of the mind. Think better.
When we clean out things that don't matter, we make room for what does.
"Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful" ~William Morris

15. Read
A good book. To expand the mind.

16. Stop and Kneel
When I forgot my morning prayer and it's 3pm.
When challenges arise and I need help from above.
When gifts & joys are noticed.
When prayers are answered.
Thank and Praise.

17. Keep a tender Heart
Soft. Loving. Forgiving. Full of the love of God.
Do not chase the spirit away...

18. Plan my work. Work my plan.
Monday Downton Abbey day. Wed Laundry day. Friday Date with my Man day.
Having a plan helps me not to get lost and get things done.
Whether it is work or pleasure.
Schedule it. It's more likely it will happen.

19. Joyful Music. Soundtrack your work.
Fill your home with good music. Especially on rainy dreary days.
It lifts and encourages to work on that chore you can't get around to do.
It helps me focus on the task at hand. And who can't use more focus?
If I'm on the net being distracted from what I really need to get done,
 I put on my-clean-the-house-playlist and oh, miracle of all miracles,
I get up and do it!

20. Breath Deep. Slow down.
Enjoy the moment, the season you are in.
When things get too fast, too overwhelming.
Breath Deep and Stay Calm.
Life is not a race, but a journey needing to be enjoyed.

21. I am Enough because He is enough. 
In Christ, I am Complete.
Remember that! No matter how much I lack, He is all and everything.
He will complete me and make me whole and enough.

Cyber Bullying in 4th grade?

I got this email from Amelie's teacher today:

"We've had some issues arise in the classroom due to texting amongst classmates.
Thank you for continuing to monitor their cell phones.
Have a great week!!"

Amelie told me that most of her friends have cell phones. 

It's been one of her arguments, why she should get one. 

She does have a Kindle which I feel is plenty enough...

I asked her about what issues were going on in class?

 She said some girl was Cyber bullying at school.

And texting inappropriate stuff; bad words.

They are not 10 yet! Those kids...

What has this world come to?

This! In 4th grade?!?!?

Justine, 

in Junior High experienced a form of bullying, not Cyber though.

She did not let it last long. 

She went to the school principal and told on the boys.

They were disciplined and never bothered her again.

I know it was a hard thing for her to do at the time.

She could have pressed charges against them but didn't. 

The matter was totally resolved with the school and parents of the boys.

I was very proud of her! 

This is a great information web site about Bullying.

Love our Children USA

Saturday Happenings Backwards

 Late evening
I threatened some neighbor kids at Emric's friend's birthday party
that were being very loud, so obnoxious and rude,
 We came to pick him up but waited until the movie they were watching on the patio under a giant parachute adorned with strings of colorful lights, was over.
(So fun, creative and cute!)
I threatened to call the police, after Mike tried to talk to them with no success...
My man is too nice.
I asked for a parent to come out and talk to me.
All she did was peak her head out her back door and told the kids to leave the teens alone...
Really?
They calmed down after I was done with them, though.

Dinner time
 Love sushi. Good for the belly.

Late afternoon
Grocery Shopping in my flip-flops. Love Texas winters! 
Love my reusable shopping bags. Hate it when I forget them!
Why doesn't everyone use them? I hate flimsy plastic bags!

Afternoon
Siblings not fighting. Playing together for 2 hours. Love it. Heaven at home!
I might even sing "Love at home" ? hummmm, never mind. I'm not quite there yet.

Noon
Cutting and freezing French Raclette cheese, bought  in Cincinnati, for when Justine comes home.
I love, adore, cook, crave, and miss french food. 

Morning
Walk in the forest with my man and dog.
Nature. Good for the soul.
Life is good.

District Dive Meet

Emric is getting better and better...

5th Place in District! 

He qualifies for Regionals!

All his dives are on Google+

Way to go son!

Emric had such a good day!

He did well on a make up French test
Made regionals
And was so excited when he realised his school backpack,
which was sitting in a puddle of water, had a waterproof bottom!
It was so good to see him so happy and grateful for big and little things!
He is a great happy kid. Has always been.

Sorry the pictures are so bad! I don't know what happpend I think it was the really intence humidity...

Derby Race

So Mike and I thought we were never ever having to deal with Derby cars ever again.

After 2 boys in cub scouts, that was 8 years of making the darn cars.

We were wrong!

Amelie's activity day techers at church had the great idea to have their girls participate in a Derby race.

She did pretty good. 

Came in 3rd place.

Amelie and her iGroovy Derby car.

At the end of the race, Amelie asked

"Next time, can oncle Laurent come Visit?"

She heard how awesome he is at making these little cars fast

He was in town a few times Alexi and Emric had to make them.

He would spend hours on them making them perfect!

The winneres freindly race.

We're Thinking About The New Year

The best part of last year...

The best part of school last year was Round Robin
(Round Robin is the day they go to each classroom and have games each class created)

If I could do one thing again, it would be...

I would probably want to go to Ohio and play in the snow with my friends.

This year I can't wait to...

Do the Benchmark to get over it.

This year I want to...

be able to get a snowcone for never ever absent or tardy.

My goals for this year...

My goal is to reach level 10 in Gynmastics 

(the highest level)

Amelie

Up-Coming Life Changes

Remember when I thought Mike's bad news was that he was losing his job?

Well, he is.

He has until the end of February to find a new one.

I'm Okay

Because he is okay and very optimistic.

"I'm at the prime of my career"

He says.

I hate the economy right now! 

Taxes are going up for EVERYONE not just the rich like 'some' promised.

Companies are tightening their belts.
Oh, how I wish Mitt had been elected!

But I'm grateful.

This job was supposed to be over last June.

This is part of being a Contractor.

It was to be expected.

But the unknown can be so unraveling.

A lot of "what if's" quietened by some "It'll be okay"

Back and forth.

But forward in faith, faith in God and faith in my good man,
who has always provided for our family.

Thoughts About PMS

Regarding my previous post.
I should have known... The why to 'why I do that?'
I should have seen the signs. I usually do and give my man a little warning...
The sweet creme of chestnut craving. the 2 twix bars I ate. The sweet tooth.
The headaches, neck and shoulder stress... Extra sensitivity.
Teary. Impatience. And flying of the handle.

I should walk around with signs hanging around my neck.
This is what they would say.

"Handle with CAUTION!
 Can blow up anytime"

"Watch what you say! 
Everything you say will be blown out 
of proportion and held against you"

"Do not bring up touchy subjects, or past unpleasant memories.
I will relive them, suffer them all over again and make you suffer too."

"Do not blame me for anything.
And I mean NOTHING"

For the kiddos

"For the next 2 days. 
Do everything I say. How I say. When I say"

That should do. 

Most months, the symptoms are so insignificant,
I can control the PMS monster pretty well, we barely notice, no, really...

But there are the occasional months where you better stay clear. 

And no way of telling which ones!

After 22 years, our kids, our marriage and Mike have survived them all.

That's 264, 

+ the 4 pregnancies which are like 9 months each of most likely possibly worst PMS symptoms. 

Advice to my girls 

As you grow up and get married warn your husband,
discuss your 'possible' symptoms before they think 

you have been abducted and replaced by an alien or worst a monster!

Then again you might just be fine and have no symptoms.

Yeah, right. 

Don't count on it!

Advice to my Boys/Future Son-in-laws

When you get married 

Take an important-can't-get-out-of-sudden-work-church-related trip out of town for a couple of days.

Oh and do not tell the girlfriend, wife, sister, mother, friend she has PMS!

Just be kind, and caring, and helpful, and sweet, and take no offence,
if you can't do all the above, stay clear, or suffer (see previous post...)

Not My Best Day.

This morning I woke up so excited to spend the whole day with my man.

I had it all planned out.

Forest walk. Finish Amelie's Derby car. Lunch. Dive meet. Movie in bed to end the day.

With a couple of things on the guy's please-help-with-list.

Well it all went sour during our walk.

An issue from years ago resurfaced, brought back bad feelings from a disagreement

 and it ruined the rest of the day for me.

I even went berserk and lost it because the poor guy tracked sand all through the house
that I took time to clean yesterday to make our home nice for the week-end!

Berserk, like slamming doors and throwing the offensive shoes down the stairs. 

The real problem, is that I still don't feel understood and validated regarding this issue we had years ago...
 I had felt so hurt. 

Why do I do that?

I don't like who I become when I lose control!

It feels good when in the moment, you feel so justified. 

But then comes the feel crappy part.

And then I have to go through that whole process of repenting and eating humble pie, and 'I'm sorries'.

And having my poor kids look at me like... Wow!

Not fun. Really. Not fun.

But Hey. 

At least Mike made himself feel better by buying himself a new Chrome book 

(And I thought he was going to come home with flowers.)

Hey, at least he doesn't go out and drink!

He says he is not mad at me.
Oh, I feel so much better!

 And he wants me to erase all of this but I don't want to. 

Cause this is life. 

And at the end of it we forget all the bad stuff and think it was all a bliss... 

But it isn't. 

Life is hard sometimes. 

Marriage is hard. Family life is hard.
There are good days, bad days, boring days, exciting days, great days.
Good years and not so good years.
( the 3 worst years in our marriage were the 3 years we moved,  huge life stresses)
Relationships are hard.

They need constant nourishment, 

compromise, forgiveness, giving and taking,

selflessness, agreeing to disagree and so forth...

So here we are, in bed, after this not so great Saturday

Me venting on my blog. Him on his new toy.

Tomorrow will be a better day.

A good nights sleep does wonders for me when these kinda days happen.

I rarely stay upset after a good night's sleep.
To me it heals and calms mind and body. Gives perspective.

Just don't ask me to makeup anytime before that.

As for Mike, he doesn't need a good nights sleep to make things better, 

He kinda lives in LaLa land where everything is rosy and happy!

Where forgiving comes so fast and easily, where there is no offence,
where no one does wrong, and bad memories are fast forgotten...

I just don't live there yet!
I wish I did.
I wish I was more like him.

Goodnight.

(Amelie was awesome today)

Awesome dives Amelie!

We were at Amelie's dive meet all afternoon today.

She is now diving with the 10-12 year old.

She did awesome!

She took 1st place in both the 1 meter and the 3 meter events!

This was her third meet with her Lonestar diving team.

This is all very promising!

Little Kindness & Little Frost.

This morning at 7:30 when It was time to take Amelie to school,

for her morning school duties, her class is in charge of this month,.

I found a towel on my windshield.

It made me smile. 

It made me feel cared for. 

It made me feel loved.

Come to find out my Man put it there so I would not have frost on it!
So thoughtful...

I love thoughtfulness from my guy!

Yesterday, it took a long time to defrost it like 5 minutes, 

and that is long time when you are driving with hardly no clear vision, 

and the heat on full high, to get Amelie to Choir practice on time.
He must have telepathically heard me complain when it happened?
Because I never mentioned it to him.

We don't own scrapers anymore...

No need here in Houston Texas.  

A Place to Be at Peace

Yesterday was: 

A lovely morning

A lovely sunny morning

This is one place I love . 

Where I always feel good and at peace.

Where family ties past and future are remembered.

Where time has no bearing. 

A place where generations meet.

And loved ones are bonded.

A place to be at peace and contemplate never ending stories.
On this lovely sunny morning...

My Baby Hitting Puberty? NO!!!!!!

Last night, Amelie and I did a little shopping for her.

Her dive practice got canceled last minute...

One of the things we got her was some deodorant!

Yep, she is not 10 yet!

Earlier at school she told me her teacher told all 4th graders

that they stink and need to use deodorant!

"You guys are way to old to not be wearing deodorant.

Sorry 3rd graders I wasn't talking to you.

4th graders stink!!!!"

I agree on that one... for the boys! 

Have you ever come within a few feet of a boy who just played on the playground for 10mn!

PeeYuWee!

But Girls... not so much, in my opinion!

Unless it is really humid and hot and they run a lot!

So here we were smelling deodorants at Target.

Which ones does she like the best?

Well, as you have it, she has the same tastes in smell as her mommy!

(promise, I did not coax her into anything!)

The 2 favorite ones were Vanilla and Pear.

I love Fruit scents and Vanilla scents.

He sister Justine is more of a floral lover!

So we bought the Vanilla one since I have the Pear one and she can borrow mine occasionally.

Justine was much older when we started buying deodorant.

What is next for Amelie tampons?

Hopefully I've got a few more years before my baby girl starts using those...

But she did start shaving her legs this summer!!!

( I think I was 13 when I first did it)

So I stoped her and had her use my epilator (the best invention ever!)

If she sticks with that in 20 years she will have no hair left on her legs! 

It didn't even hurt her that bad when she did it! 

The first time I did it 6 or 7 years ago, it nearly killed me!

Sorry guys about all this girl talk!

"I have some very bad news"

Tonight, as my Man walked through our bedroom door after 

Chloe greeted him with her usual exited yelps and wines, 

and a few lickings on his face, 

Mike announced:

"I have some very bad news"

I brace myself for:

'I lost my job' kinda bad news.

But no, thankgoodness, this is what he said:

"I talked to a lot of people tonight, 

and those Marrons glaces were donated a few days ago to a church.

They were a Christmas special, were discounted and then donated!"

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! 

I'm a few days too late! 

He would have bought them all too, that's Mike, you know!

Zut alors!
Darn it!

Rewind about an hour before

I had texted him

"I'm really craving those Chestnuts Glaces from H&H" 

Mike is too sweet, he went out of his way tonight to stop by H&H to try and get them for me...

Now, that is a good caring Hubby for you, well for me, really!

Thank you lover... You still get the credit! :)

Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I posted my friends recipie for these cookies on my cooking blog here.

These are so yummy!

They literally vanish as soon as they come out the oven!

Jamie made some for us on Sunday night for Family home eavening with them...

They literaly vanished within a few minutes!