Cancer And Profound Memories from 1977

It is 1977, I am 11 years old and my mother is diagnosed with lung cancer. My parents tell me that my mother has something called tumors on her lungs and they show me the X-ray of where they are. An X-ray. A picture of what looks like nothing is about to change my families life forever.

My mother is told that she has 3 months. I am not sure if I am told of the timeline. She lasts 8 months. 8 LOOOOONG months of coughing, comas, cancer, courage, clots, and caring.

I am there when my mother’s hair falls out from chemo. I am lying on my belly watching an old Montgomery Ward black and white TV at the foot of her bed. She is sitting up by the pillows. I see her out of the corner of my eye as she pulls hair out of her head. She is holding a few bunches in her hand. She asks me to go downstairs and get her a garbage bag. I head down annoyed that I have to leave the TV. I am not sure what I am watching. Grabbing a paper bag from Grand Union from under the sink I head back upstairs and hand it to her. We don’t say anything. I see her crying in my peripheral vision as she takes hair from head and places it in the bag. I am very aware of what she is doing and I think I sort of know in a way but I am 11 and confused.

It is one of the most profound moments of my life and yet I was like a fly on the wall just watching it, not reacting, not speaking just trying to avoid.

Some Questions Answered 5 Years Apart

Blue is my answers from 2008 and Red are my current answers.  Feel free to answer them on your own blog or Facebook account and link back to me so I can read yours.

 

1. What is your job and do you like it? My job is so broad, I do freelance work, billing for my husband’s company, my 3 blogs and most importantly take care of my 2 babies which is the hardest but most rewarding job I have ever had. I love my work! 

My primary job is as a Mother. I also run Maria's Space and an online newspaper for my town.  Also, I work in the school as a substitute aide whenever they need me. Wish it were more often. I LOVE ALL MY JOBS

2. What to you do to unwind after work? Unwind? What’s that? I usually blog, talk to a friend, or read a book.

I don't even know what that means. A few months ago I sat down to play some Facebook games but I got tired of it. Now, I read or watch mindless TV.
 

3. Who have you known the longest of your friends? That would be Peggy. We met in the 2nd grade and talk 2 times a year. After her would be Teresa who I met in 1987 or 1988 we don’t remember. Before the summer we spoke at least once a day but this summer it has only been weekly. We both have busy lives and live 1.5 hours away from each other.

My answer is still the same.

4. Who do you go to for advice? It sounds like a crock but I go to my husband depending on the advice. Actually I go to different people for different things.

Me, myself and I. Honestly, I no longer feel the need for outside advice but if I want to ask someone something of substance, I ask my niece who is very level headed and smart. She knows how to listen and weigh the options.

5. Not counting your current relationship, how many times have you been in love? In love? That is very different from loving someone. I have been In Love one time.

My answer is the same

6. What is you favorite snack food? Before this week I would say, that I don’t have a favorite snack food really. I love salty so it would possibly be chips of some kind.

Probably something sweet to go with my tea. A granola bar or banana.

7. What is the best meal you ate this week? That would be on Wednesday when my husband and I had grilled chicken and steamed broccoli and brussel sprouts.

Umm...it was on Tuesday when I had sauteed broccoli, spinach and noodles with some garlic. Delish!

8. What to you is the most important factor in romantic attraction? Attraction? I think butterflies. If you get butterflies in your belly than it is worth pursuing.

If he makes your heart sing, your belly flutter and seduces your mind go for it.

9. What do you think is your worst habit? Biting my nails.

Probably not saying what I mean often enough

Some Questions To Ponder

Top 5 albums in your music collection right now

Wow this is hard because picking favorites when it comes to music is very complicated, I guess my all time favorites are.
1-Pearl Jam – Ten
2-Bruce Springsteen – Darkness on the Edge of Town
3-Melissa Etheridge – Brave and Crazy
4- Metallica – The Black Album
5 – Stevie Nicks – The Enchanted Works of Stevie Nicks

1. If you were to die today, what would your last words be? Please, remember me
2. What would you want your epitaph to say? She was an awesome mom, wife, friend, daughter, sister, grand-daughter. She saw the good in everyone and noticed the little things. We will miss her.
3. What song would you want played at your funeral? She’s The Spirit In Me by Mother Station. Or Angel by Stevie Nicks
4. In lieu of flowers, what should loved ones do in your honor? Oh hell no, I want flowers. I didn’t get many while alive so bring on the blooms!
5. What unfinished business would you wrap up? I would make sure that my kids, husband, family and friends knew how much I needed them in my life and what they have meant to me. I have no unfinished business.



Who lets you have your way more than you should? Not a single person!!! Wahhh..

According to the cliche, the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, but what’s the way to yours? Spending time with my kids. The moment my husband gives the kids his attention for more than 10 minutes I am unbelievably in love all over again.

What’s something that should have been put away but hasn’t been? Probably stuff that I want to post on Ebay. It takes up wayyyyy too much space in my bedroom and it will probably never get on there
 
What do the cops in the donut shop say? oh ay oh, ay ohhhhhh.

Fill Ins - Mine in Bold

 I enjoy just being with my husband and my kids.
2. What kind of adults my kids will be is something I wonder about often lately.
3. In your heart, you knew there is good in every one.
4. Take love, add a little one and you end up with a family.
5. Life has gifted me with friends, children and love.
6. Taking a shower with the door closed is an instant vacation.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to spending time with the hubby, tomorrow my plans include taking the kids to the park and Sunday, I want to fly a kite.

Posted by mgagliano

Way Back In 2008 - The Goddess’s 2nd Day Of Pre-School

Tuesday was the Goddess’ very first day at pre-school and she did fab! Mom on the other hand was a bit of a mess.  I can’t say I was worried, just a little melancholy that my baby was going to leave me for 2.5 hours, two days a week.

Her dad and I were sure that she would have fun, we also were sure that she wouldn’t miss us, her brother is in the same place so they would have each other.

From the moment she woke up at 7:00 she was ready for school. She wanted to get dressed right away and we had to keep reminder her that school wasn’t open yet. She asked about 15 times before 9:00 “can we please go to school now.”

Unfortunately it rained so I was unable to get any good pictures of her going in. I took some but I am not happy with any. My husband was with us and I always feel silly whipping out the camera every second.

Bad Mommy moment – I had promised her that she would be getting a balloon. We had brought one on Monday for her brother’s first day and she asked for one the whole day. I promised her that I would get her one on HER first day. Since it was her first day, I refused to leave town. Honestly, I doubt I will be leaving for the next 2 months).  I walked into the class and both my kids ran over to hug my legs and say hello. My son was first, followed by the Goddess. Her first words….”Hi mommy, where’s my balloon?” We did go out to get one right after but how awesome would it have been if I had walked in with it???!!!

Here are the few I did manage to get.

Heading to school in the pouring rain.

Dropped off, took pictures and she sat right down to play

Finally, getting a balloon.

Posted by mgagliano 9-14-2008

My Handsome's First Diploma

With Handsome getting ready to move to the Middle School next year (oh my God did I just write that?), I have been looking at some of his older photos trying to remember by little guy! He has come soooo far. Here is what I was thinking when he receive his very first diploma at his very first school. June 29, 2008

Walking into his class room with his father who has only been to school once I thought for sure he would bolt from his seat and give his teacher a hard time when she asked him to sit.

He was one of the 85% who were able to contain themselves. They sat looking at us (the families) while we stared at them for about 15 minutes before the festivities began. There was a time when he stood up to walk over 10 minutes in but his teacher asked him to sit and he did.

Last year he would not sit and I was unable to get any pictures of him and his class. This year, he stood with the class and posed for 100 pictures as all the families snapped away.

I was so proud that he went up for his diploma with a big smile on his face(last year his teacher had to ssssstretch and hand it to him). Proud that he posed with his therapist and his teacher for pictures and proud that he sang all the songs, the national anthem and counted in Spanish 1-10 and then backwards. Love it!

So cute to see all their little faces as they leave the school and high five each other.

No Kindergarten For Us Was The Best Move!

Handsome has come a very long way . We had his IEP (Individualized Education Plan) Meeting yesterday and he is doing awesome. His overall level of achievement is High Average, his standard score in written expression is superior and academic skills are advanced. WOW, this kid has come a long way. When I started him in early intervention at 3, I was unsure if I was doing the right thing. When I held him back a year before putting him in Kindergarten I met a lot of resistance from the school and from friends and family. I know it now as I knew it then that it was the best move for HIM! After days of rain this mommy's heart is still bursting with pride

I wrote this July 15, 2008 but since I had my son's IEP meeting yesterday I thought I would share this again. It was originally on my blog In the Blink Of An Eye.

 I have decided that my son will NOT be going to kindergarten this year. Back in April I discussed his IEP meeting and how I was confident that another year in Pre-K would be beneficial to him.

The school for some reason seems to be against his staying in Pre-K. They believe that I should put him in Kindergarten and if he needs more time, he can repeat Kindergarten. This just makes no sense to me.

What is the most frustrating, is that my son who has been in Early Intervention since he was 21 months for a speech delay would be fine in Kindergarten but it is not Kindergarten that I am worried about. It is every grade after that. He is academically ready for 1st grade but his academics have never been the issue. My kid was telling me B-L-U-E spells blue and H-O-U-S-E spells house when he was 22 months old.

My decision has been based on his IEP as well as my daily interactions and concerns with him. I have been telling his therapists that I recently made a call to the school to let them know that I have made my final decision, he will not be coming in September.

There was a bit of an attitude on the phone from someone who I thought was my ally. Maybe they were having a bad day or maybe there is some red tape they will need to go through now that he is 5 (above Pre-K age), but still in services.

I have no idea.
What I do know is this…
My son had a speech delay which contributed to a social, emotional and mental delay. This along with the personality of a pre-schooler (testing the waters, talking back) and the inability to remain focused, along with a self esteem problem because for the past 3 years he has been corrected every time he tried to say something and a classification of a preschooler with a disability = a definite reason to delay the start of school.

While he has been making great progress since starting services, I see no reason why this is meeting with such resistance.

There are mainstream children who have no classification or present any of the above mentioned reasons for delaying Kindergarten, yet because of their birthday or immaturity wait a year to begin. So, why are we rushing my son?

He is enrolled in a preschool that I have been talking with for over 4 months now and I am excited to see what September hold for him.

Supposedly he will also get speech and OT at the Elementary school 4 times a week but if this does not fit into my schedule (I do have another child and we will be waiting in town for close to 2.5 hour a day, 4 times a week), I have no problem cutting off therapies, giving him a year off and resuming again when he starts kindergarten.

I have a call into the Special Education Department to discuss more what will happen in September. Hopefully all goes well and they and I can continue to work together for my son’s benefit. If not, I will have to confront them on their attitude and demeanor on our last call and ask that they refrain from further discussions of my son with me unless we are in a Board of Education Meeting.

School Issues in July?
I thought we were all getting along.

The Car Wash Can Be Scary When You Are 3 Years Old

This is a way back post from August 31, 2008

I took the two of them into a car wash the other day. My son was amazed, this was the 2nd time and he couldn’t wait. The Goddess on the other hand was very nervous. She kept hiding behind her juice to peek out.

In this one she is saying, “no, no pictures”.
Handsome loved the sudsy water that cascaded over the vehicle. He just kept saying, “the sun’s going down. Look it’s night time.”

My How Things Have Changed Over Time

Stretching My Food Dollars With A Disc Of Noodles

My family is part of a backpack program through our school district. It is for families who need extra help with snacks and lunch. Every Thursday the kids come home with a backpack filled with various items, apples, juice, oatmeal, snack crackers, fruit snacks, soup, and microwavable pasta.

The kids take turns carrying the extra heavy bag home and love putting the items away once they get home but neither of them will eat the soup. I have been stocking it in my pantry trying to think of a way to use it. They are very good to us and I refuse to not use the items they send home for my family.

Last week I opened two of them, I know they have a lot of salt, 1190 mg to be exact. So I soak them for about 8 hours draining them every so often.

I strained them two times allowing the water to just rinse off any seasonings and salt.

Next I added a tablespoon of olive oil to a pan.

And added mushrooms, broccoli and spinach and pepper.

After that, I tossed the noodles in giving

 Giving it a little stir before dumping it in the plate. It was delicious!!

These noodles are not one of the best options for dinner but many college students and folks just starting out use them all the time because they are really inexpensive. So far I have used them with tomato sauce and a homemade peanut sauce, if you have a healthier option, I would love to hear it.

The Oranges Is Truly Juicy

The 411 by Maria:

I watched this last week and again this week with a friend and I must say, I can't wait to watch it again. 

Two families, the Ostroffs and the Wallings who are best friends and neighbors.  One has a daughter named Nina who is away at college and way too busy to come home. The other family has a daughter named Vanessa who has always been jealous of free spirited Nina.  After a 5 year absence Nina finally comes home after she spots her boyfriend cheating on her.  

Both families are experiencing growing pains of different kind, so when Nina becomes involved with David Walling instead of the Walling Boy (which is the wish of her mom) two families find themselves at odds.

OK...boring synopsis by me and everyone else.  I found the movie to be quite interesting. While I thought the relationship seemed weird, rushed and a bit flighty, that is probably because we don't see how they spent time together as Nina was growing up. Which would probably have made it that more strange but I digress. They just seem to fall into a kiss and I am unsure if that is because there was an extreme closeness, sexual tension (I saw none) or two totally pathetic people who would have simply made out with whomever had sat on the couch with them.  OK..while I don't get the relationship I enjoyed the dysfunctional family's ways of dealing with it. Nina's mom follows her to a hotel. Her dad is interested in how renewed his old friend David is now that he has a hot, new, young girlfriend (hello, his daughter)

The storyline was interesting, the cast excellent, the movie loses something because it tries very hard to tie up this relationship without it being twisted, dark and unappealing. Hello, he is 50 and having an affair with his best friend's 24 year old daughter. That is twisted. BUT....I liked it but I think that has to do with Hugh Laurie, Leighton Meester, Catherine Keener, Oliver Platt, Allison Janney and Alia Shawkat who were all excellent.

It's All In The Pink

The kids and I went to the Botanical Gardens two weeks ago and took some beautiful photos of all the flora coming into bloom! Wish there was more of this color around my house.

 

Oh My Gosh I Am Beyond Thrilled

 

Here is my official badge as a Fox Home Entertainment Insider! I am very proud to display this button and love working with Fox. Look for more information on what this means for me and for you soon!

Planning For My First Community Yard Sale

My town has an awesome community Facebook page started by a mom in town who heard a friend of hers had one going in her town and it was pretty successful. It is called a Mom Tagsale Site where woman from the community all join the Facebook page, list their item, a description, and price. After that others members who are interested ask more questions, haggle a price, or say I'll Take It. The seller and buyer arrange a meeting place, we meet at our town Redbox and exchange product for a couple of bucks. It has been around for about a year and is used by many in the community. We laugh about it as we all meet in the same place sometimes meeting more than one person. I have meet a lot of woman I never knew in my town and have become friends with them. It is a great way to weed out the house, make some pocket cash and extend your friend base.

My kids are really getting in on it as well because every time Goddess or Handsome sell something I give them the money. They love making some money for their piggy banks and I love that I am not raising hoarders.

The Tagsale site is great but some of us with a LOT of items have decided to do a community yard sale which will benefit the church in town as our table rental fee is going toward them.

I have spent the past few weeks organizing bins of things and trying to price items. As a child this was something my mom did at least once a year but everything was used and priced really, really low. This sale will be a bit different. Some items are brand new, never used, relevant items and nothing is ratty.  I will be getting rid of clothing, CDs, DVDs, VHS tapes, Video Games, Toys, jewelry, shoes, and more.

After researching I found out:

• I should use painters tape so that it doesn't adhere to the item.
• Price the items to sell. I hope to not have to take too many items home. Hopefully at least 75% go!
• Price everything. People will not consider an item if there is no price on it.
• Expect people to haggle. Don't get mad if people ask you to accept a lower price.
• Advertise! Advertise! Advertise!

My plan is to tag all the bigger items and than have baskets of items that are worth $1.00, $2.00, $3.00. I have a ton of those things.


So far I have 4 bins and a bunch of stuff I have no bins for. I am also sorting out things that will get a better price at some other online sites where you can sell your stuff and make some money.

Wish Me Luck! I hope to at least make $150.00

PonyTail Pals Made Two Girls Very Happy

Awww we love our Ponytail Pals....they are adorable animals that are attached to a hair band and stay with you all day. 

We were surprised by the Tiffany blue box and even more surprised when we opened it and found two. How did they know we were babysitting that day for our friend Morgan?  The girls ooohhh'd and ahhhh'd over how cute stinking cute they were and t took no time for Goddess and her friend Morgan to decide which one they wanted. 

Goddess wanted the dog and Morgan asked for the Monkey.
 

 Look how cute they look with their PonyTail Pals.

Here is a closer view of the puppy in Goddess' hair. 

 

The 411 by Maria:

The girls love how cute they were. They both want the entire collection and think their friends would love them too. They said to quote, "all girls love animals duh" when I asked if they liked them.

Morgan says, she thinks they are cute because they are different.

Goddess says, they are cute because they are like little tiny stuffed animals that you get to keep with you all day long.

I think they are cute because they make me feel like my child has a friendly, lovey with them all day especially while in school when they are away from their comfortable, nest and loving family. They are not alone. They have a friend. 

We all love that you can also wear them on your wrist like a bracelet, showing off your adorable friend.

Also, I have to just mention that the packaging is adorable. We fell in love with the whole thing from the box, to the business cards, and of course the product.

Safe Haven Is A Beautiful Love Story

 

 
The 411 by Maria:

I just finished wiping my tears and the tightness in my throat has finally subsided. While I have never read Safe Haven, I find myself longing to dive into the book now that I have seen this beautiful movie.

Julianne is great as Katie/Erin a woman who is running from something. She finds herself in sun filled, North Caroline and she decides this is the place for a fresh new start. 

Alex played by Josh is a widower of two, a boy and girl who runs a convenience store down on the docks.

As fate would have it these two beautiful people gravitate toward each other and make nice before Katie/Erin's past threatens to end what they have before it has even begun.

This sweet story has so many loveable characters Julianne definitely holds her own as a female lead and who doesn't love Josh? But there were other great characters too, especially the two young actors playing Josh's family. Mimi Kirkland as Lexie Wheatley in her acting debut is simply adorable and Noah Lomax as Josh Wheatley are very sweet. I also love Roger, Red West who has an acting bio a mile long and absolutely loved Katie's only friend Jo played by Cobie Smulders.

Ohhhhh yeah and I absolutely was in loving with the coloring of the movie. Very poetic, thought provoking and muted. A perfect palate.

The surprise ending was definitely an eye opening moment for me and I don't know how I didn't see it coming.

Truly a lovely movie with a little mystery, a little drama, a tiny bit of comedy, romance, and a whole lot of heart.

SEE IT!

Zim's Max Freeze Eases My Pain And Keeps My Cool!

Zim's Max-Freeze Muscle and Joint Pain Relief actually does work.

I have always had pain in my neck and back. Most of it comes from sitting all day while typing but when I was 12 I ended up playing a stupid game of chicken with my cousins and dove into a 3 foot pool hitting the top of my head on the bottom of the pool. I know, really stupid. I remember just trying to get myself out of the pool and praying that no one would try to throw me in again. I didn't tell anyone at the time what had happened but headed for the nearest bed to lie down. I ended up falling asleep and when I woke 3 hours later, told my grandma that I couldn't move my neck. Well, after many tests, xrays and more I can tell you my life was never the same. I know I am lucky, very lucky. What I was left with after this stupid move was chronic muscles spasms and some messed up bones. In fact the bone in my neck stand pin straight. Most people have a natural slight forward curve to theirs but my C3 and C4 were compressed and my bone is perfectly straight which means my neck is always stiff and I need to constantly rotate it or I get pain from stiffness which also leads to muscle headaches. UGH...BUT...I have been living with this for a while. My lower back pain is from muscle spasms from compressing my bones with that stupid dive, bad posture, heavy lifting, and sitting too long. All of this adds up to a very moody Maria at times.  What I love most about Zim's Max Freeze is that with the roll on, I can apply it myself instead of waiting for my husband to come home. Usually at that point he is asking me to rub his back and I do with my very stiff, sore neck and back. It sucks.

Scanimalz Review

Last week I showed you Goddess and her Scanimalz. This week week had a chance to play and want to tell you all about it.

Well, let's start like this.

Here is the QR Code you will receive from with your Scanimalz. We removed it from the bottom where it was sewed to the animal.

As you can see it is in a protective covering

After you scan your Scanimalz, your animal shows up in your app

It is easy and fun. The kids love the games and they were a great distraction during our mini vacation drive. It was a few hours in the car and the kids passed it back and forth and got sample all the games. They hope to get more and at the cost of only around $9.99, they will probably get a few.

We love that the plush is combined with a virtual world. We were big players of another game like this for young kids way before smart phones and we loved the idea of our plush inside a virtual home.

You should scan your animal daily even if you aren't playing because there are points gained with each scan/spin.

The reason I like this as a player is because the games are fun. The reason I like this as a parent is that I see more and more kids moving away from traditional play and getting connected younger and younger. At least with this game, the kids are still encouraged to play. They can take their plush with them anywhere, play with friends and play in the virtual world. Best of both worlds for today's kid.

Mother’s Day Gifts That Would Rock My World

1. A night with hello…one of my favorite celebrity male Josh Holloway. God damn, that would be the last gift I would ever need thank you very much.  He is just yummy and hey I know he’s married and all but so am I. My husband totally wouldn’t mind, would you hunny?

 

 

 

Since I am discussing exercise equipment, I would really LOOOOVE an elliptical trainer.

I need a bigger vehicle but right now with gas prices this would actually be my last choice. My choice would be a Toyota Sienna. Nice, big, roomy and the kids would be far away from each other. I want it in red or Metallic Blue. Nice!

 

It would be awesome to have a pool in my backyard. We have a lake near us but honestly, I am hardly a lake person. I love seeing the bottom and knowing there are no fish or weird things in the water that I cannot see.

 

A golf cart to get to the beach would be awesome though. A nice 4 seater that would take us there and back would be fun.

 

A Huge TV that would hang above our fire place and give us so much more room in our living room.

A night at a hotel with my husband and my kids. I would love to enjoy the pool during the day and then get room service at night. We can’t go on a vacation right now, which is what we really need, but this would be great too.

Mother's Day 2008 Was Extra Special

1. Mother’s Day is much better since becoming a mom. I used to hate everything about it. Losing my mom at 12 and having to have this dedicated day to celebrate her was very hard growing up. I don’t know why I haven’t thought about this before but I really should have celebrated it anyway. She is still my mom. I should have just gone to church or remembered her in a quiet way but I was so busy hating walking by Hallmark or seeing all the Mother’s Day ads to notice. My mother’s day card from my husband and my kids was extra special this year because my son wrote in his and his sister’s name. My husband always picks a great card (I am not sure if he really reads them but the sentiment always means a lot to me).

 

2. We got to play Wii this year. My son got it for his birthday and my husband and I played on Mother’s Day. We boxed and we played golf. I am happy to say I was able to knock him out in both fights.

 

3. It was just relaxing. Usually we head out to the in-laws for dinner but this Mother’s Day we stayed close to home because hubby was doing an all nighter at work.

 

4. I camped out in the living room with my kids and let them fall asleep whenever they did. No pressure no problem as they say in the islands.

 

5. More than all the others, this year and every 5 years I will share this day with my son’s birthday. He was born on Mother’s Day 2003. The best gift ever.

When My Handsome Turned 5 in 2008

I really wanted to write this yesterday but with it being my son’s 5th birthday, Mother’s Day and the fact that my husband wouldn’t be home after 4:30 p.m. I really wanted to spend the day just enjoying time with my family.

 

5 Years ago on Mother’s Day was one of the happiest days of my life.

 

I have written about this in the past but to sum it up, my son was breech and was scheduled to be born on May 13th by Cesarean. However, on the morning of May 11th at 3:30 a.m. my water broke, we rushed to the hospital and I became a mom for the first time.

 

5 years ago, where did the time go?

 

5 years ago, I held you and wished the moment would never end. 5 years ago, I was handed a beautiful baby, wrapped in a blue blanket. 5 years ago, I kissed your forehead and said, “Hi, I’m, your mommy.”

 

5 years ago we, your father and I, became a family. We were married 8 years before you came, but you made US a FAMILY.

 

5 years ago, you gave me the name “Mommy,” a name I longed to hear myself referred to after not being able to use the word for more than 25 years.

 

5 years ago, you I loved your father with every cell in my body. Giving birth to you and seeing him in a totally different way, sealed my love for him forever. I was IN LOVE and knew he was the best thing that had ever happened to me.

 

5 years ago, I never loved anyone so hard in all my life.

 

5 years ago, you saved me.

 

Baby boy, (I will call you this until the day I die) I love you so much. Our relationship is one of the most beautiful things in the world. You are loving and sweet. You tell me you love me at least 25 times a day (No doubt where you learned that from – I have done it to you since you were born).

You kiss me and hug me at least 30 times a day. Again, I am not surprised, I told everyone that you would end up with a permanent kiss mark on your forehead because I could not stop kissing you.

 

You are challenging and assuring, strong and sensitive, caring and nurturing and shy and boisterous, loving and kind.

 

You love me to hold your hand or touch your head when you sleep, something I have done since your first days.

 

You love me to sing to you and still enjoy hearing the songs I put you to sleep to.

 

You are beginning to read and love hearing how things are spelled.

 

You know right from left and use directions every moment you can.

 

You like taking care of your sister but like most siblings, fight like the cats and dogs.

 

You enjoy watching movies, being read to, playing games on XBox or the computer, coloring, 

playing games like Bingo, going to the park and going on play dates.

 

5 Things I love About You:

 

1. You love hugs and kisses.

2. You are extremely sensitive and like being held and rocked still.

3. You take care of your sister. When she calls you, you run to see if she is ok. You help her turn on lights she can’t reach, open doors she can’t open, take her shoes off or get her something she can’t get.

4. You enjoy laughing and have the best laugh.

5. You tell me you love me every single day. You thank me for taking you places and apologize

when you do something you shouldn’t.

 

I love you with all my heart baby boy. You are my heart on legs and I pray that you always want to spend time with me.

 

Love, Mommy.

Teach Your Kids to Cook with Time For Kids - Video Review

The 411 by Maria:

Great photos. Easy, yummy recipes! My kids want to make one of these recipes everyday. Plan on doing a lot of cooking with them over the summer since it is something they have recently got into. So hopefully some recipe photos coming soon.

Here is a little video of the book. Happy Cooking!

From Ashes by Molly McAdams

The 411 by Maria:

From Ashes is about a young girl named Cassidy who after losing her beloved father is being raised by her drunk mom and mom's current. Things at home are not easy for Cassidy. She is often at the fist end of her mom's anger but thankfully her best friend Tyler lives next door and is always there to wipe her tears, provide an ice pack, and bandage her wounds. Without him, she would be dead.

Tyler is leaving for school in Texas after graduation and will be living with his cousin Gage. It doesn't take much for Cassidy to leave with him. He is her world, her savior, her best friend and there is nothing keeping her home except more fear, anger and bruises.

Tyler's cousin Gage, is a gentlemen, hard worker, all around nice guy who Cassidy avoids best she can (thanks to Tyler's suggestive hints) although her feelings for him are strong. 

When Tyler screws up Gage is there for Cassidy. What's a girl to do when the guy who was her savior is now someone she can't trust? Well..I won't ruin it for you...read the book...you just might like it.

Like Taking Chances, by Molly McAdams, I enjoyed the book and thought the storyline was worth reading. This, like Taking Chances was also read in two days. Like Taking Chances, From Ashes   has some problem but since I am the amateur reviewer, I can get past them. Yes, I rolled my eyes a few times but since the book is written for young adults, I guess the wordy, lovey dovey, over use of the word love is fine!  

My problem with Molly's writing is she starts out strong.  I LOVE the beginning of her books but the wordiness, lovey dovey talk borders on cheesy and the characters come off as either way to mature or down right juvenile.

I also loved how she gave us Cassidy's voice and Gage's voice. I didn't have to wonder what Gage was thinking and wish more authors would do this.

My issues with Cassidy. She is doing nothing with her life. She is finally out from under her mom's thumb. Not being abused but has no goals for making a better life for herself. She could go to school. She is only 19. She could try to make a great life for herself. I would have loved to see her go back to school. Get a degree, use the gift of freedom and make something of herself that she could really be proud of.

Never in my life would I tell a writer how to weave their story but since I am reviewing this book I will say, I couldn't help falling in love with our hero Gage.  In From Ashes her hero is amazing but her heroine is often weak, catty, obnoxious or juvenile. Unfortunately in order for our heroine to make her choice our secondary hero needs to make massively huge mistakes or be a total tool!  He is manipulative, a liar, a con and a hater. All the things he supposedly protected his "best friend" from for years. 

I will not say the book is terrible. You should read it for the sake of reading. We all enjoy different things and sometimes I love books my friends didn't and vice versa. Give it a shot!

Introducing Dunkin Donuts Spring Flavors

I love my coffee as do many of my friends and Dunkin Donuts is a must do stop on our way to the park, the mall, the baseball field. There are some days it is the only thing we look forward to which is why we are so excited about Dunkin's new great flavors of the season Coconut, Triple Berry, and Strawberry Shortcake.

Dunkin Donuts sent me one gift bag containing three new flavors for my friends to try, a hot/cold cup, recipe for ice coffee and a coupon along with gift bags for 8 friends. It is always hard to select friends for these home parties because I want to invite everyone I know to hang for the day. This is a small town and you tend to know everyone so I asked my bestie who said, "what do you think about doing it at my house?" Sounded great, we could do it on her beautiful deck and set it up really nice for some girlfriends. Together we organized the group and planned it in 2 days. Tell woman they are getting coffee, donuts and free gifts and they WILL come. I sent a Facebook invite asking them to come to an America's Favorite Coffee party and had no problem getting it booked.

Everyone invited said they would come. I made three pots of coffee, threw each flavor in a carafe with a tag with the name on it and headed to Dunkin Donuts while she grabbed the creamer and milk. 

We set the bags up

 
Each bag had a hot/cold cup but we didn't want to wash theirs so we put out some pretty cups.

Set it all up and waited. We are both early birds so the hardest part of the party was trying not to dig in before our guests arrived.

I had told my local Dunkin Donuts what I was planning and they created a splendid assortment of two dozen donuts and munchkins.  I could go for one right now!

 The ladies started arriving and we would fill up their glass with ice and let them choose the flavor they wanted to try first.

 The moms started with Coconut ice coffee. Five of the 8 of us loved it calling it a favorite of the three at the end.

Thankfully one of my mom friends asked to take a photo which was really nice because when do you ever see me in a review post? Honestly, I think it is because she really wants to use my camera.

This is my bestie who was the host with the mostest, offering up her home to my friends.

Sonia was the last one to arrive and we quickly got her accumulated to all three coffees. She started with the Coconut because that was the one most of us raved about.  She preferred the Strawberry Shortcake which was the second favorite of the day.

 All in all, we all tried all three coffee and I can tell everyone had a good time. The Triple Berry came in dead last. None of use loved it but I don't know if that was because we all loved the other two so much. Everyone said it tasted a little bitter. Maybe it was my measurements. However, the Strawberry Shortcake smelled the best. It truly made my car smell amazing.

Everyone stated they would be using their coupon to purchase one of the Dunkin Donuts limited time coffees. My husband and I often buy Dunkin Donut coffee from the supermarket or Dunkin Donuts to treat ourselves.  These flavors will be available in your supermarket for a limited time, so check to see if your store is carrying them, and give them a try.

Friends, coffee, donuts, beautiful weather, what more could you ask for? If you enjoy ice coffee, you will love these fresh flavors from Dunkin Donuts