Wow,  what a great time with my mom, sister, cousin and aunt and uncle.  Roma was great to walk……walk ….and walk more.  We found a great place to eat.  Every one should visit the Il Ragno Doro translation is the Golden Spider. Senora Anna is a wonderful chef.  This was like sitting in her living room and spending time with her family.  Paulo our waiter was like the lovablecousin who is always happy.  The father (I am sorry I can’t remember his name) sat in the back and played cards with the boys.  He would get up and cook a little.  He brought us warm out of the oven home made almond cookies.  Molto Bella!!!  If you are ever near the Vatican you must visit Senora Anna!!

Boy, has it been busy around here!  I think we have so much pressure trying to fit in school around the holidays that it makes everything more difficult.  At least we’ll be able to stop most subjects pretty soon and focus on the wonders of Christmas!

I’m one of those weird people that LOVE to Christmas shop.  I LOVE trying to find the special item that I KNOW my friends and family will love.  I think that’s why I don’t mind the lines, crowds, packed parking lots, etc!  I have to admit though, that I do get annoyed when someone says “Happy Holidays”.  I always reply with “Thank you.  Merry Christmas to you too!”.  This time IS all about Jesus, isn’t it?  I guess not for everyone.

It’s been a difficult week.  Well, maybe a week and a half?  We got back from Disney and Luke comes down with bronchitus and Lauren has such bad stomach pains that she was crying herself to sleep!  I ended up taking her into the ER just to be safe, but of course, they have no clue what it is.  I am trying to wean her away from dairy to see if that helps.  She actually is already feeling better after starving her for a morning and giving her only the activated charcoal. (Thanks Joan for the suggestion.)  Now I’ll give her the probiotics to see if that helps.

Other than sick kids, this week has been tough because my neighbors (who also attend our small group Bible study) just lost their 5 year old daughter to cancer two days ago.  All I can say is “I’m praying for you.”  I end up with such a loss of words.  I know God has his reasons for her early death, but it is tough to comprehend while here on earth!  May God be glorified through this difficult situation with their family.  Death does make you look at everything and to view your priorities differently.  I am so blessed to have three great kids.  Thank God for His blessings.  The Lord giveth the Lord taketh away, blessed be the Name of the Lord.

Ok so I am trying to feed my kids healthy food.  What is a natural way to battle the gas that they have.  It is driving me crazy!!!  I wish my car could run on it.  Right now we just run from it!!!!!! I saw at the pharmacy they had some charcoal pills.  That just doesn’t sound right to give them that.  Maybe coal at Christmas……I just crack myself up!!!!!  So If anyone knows what to do about our natural gas problem let me know!!

Antoinette

Ok my kids love pizza.  So what can I do to help make a healthy pizza that is quick?

I know that when I was a teen I was invincible.  I could eat anything and everything.  I knew more than my parents.  The older I get the more I see how clueless I was.  So how do you prove to your teens that what you eat does matter?  It does have a lasting affect on their body.  If anyone knows what to do with a teen please give me a clue.

Slow to speak….quick to listen applies to our kids too?  One of my kids made a very poor choice this weekend.  For the first time in a long time I was slow to speak.  What a big step for me!  It seems to have helped our relationship.  There will still be some punishment for these poor choices.  I think there is some hope at raising good kids.  It is kind of funny how following instructions (The Bible) can work for me.

Antoinette

Yeah, Antoinette, you think you’ve got a great vacation planned… Just because you’re going without your kids and husband and will have a complete break, don’t think it’ll be better than MY vacation!

I get to go to Disney tomorrow!  I will be entering into a wonderful time of amazing family vacationing.  In other words, while chasing behind my husband and holding my youngest’s hand as I drag him along, we will Conquer the Parks!  Yes, we conquer them.  We run from one ride to another, grabbing fast passes before we get in line of course so that when we get out of one, we are all set to head on to the next ride.  Of course the kids and I are consistently several steps behind my husband.  Periodically we complain, “Can we stop for lunch?  It’s 2:30 and we haven’t eaten since breakfast.”  To which he replies, “Let’s do this next ride and then we’ll leave and have a relaxing lunch outside the park.”  Of course, the ride along with the wait takes us to well past 3:00.  By now the kids are really hungry (not to mention their mother).  (This is why I try to bring a stash of nuts, fruit leathers, ANYTHING to keep us going!)  By the time we get out of the parks, it’s almost four o’clock and he’s thinking we can just wait until dinner to eat!

So, yes, Antoinette, be jealous.  Just because you will probably be sitting at nice cafes drinking cappuccinos every day having wonderful, deep conversations with your mom, don’t think that I, too, can’t have deep exchanges of thoughts with my family.  It might be about Mickey or Goofy or how a ride works, but at least we’ll enjoy being together… maybe?

I am going to Italy with my mom and sister!!!  No kids! No husband!  I still can’t believe it.  They are going to be alone for 12 days.  Scary to think of what Daddy is going to feed them.  Sooooo I decided to make big dinners between now and when I leave.  I am freezing half of each dinner.  That way they can take a bag out of the freezer in the morning.  Then they can have a healthy home made dinner.  If there are any other ideas to help me not worry about them.  Please let me know.

If anyone wants to check in on them and make sure they are brushing thier teeth feel free!!

Bonjoirno……I need to practice my Italian!!!!

Anyone ever go apple picking when they were young?  I remember going into the barn after picking the apples.  The smell of hot apple cider!!!!!!!!!!  So good!!! They would always have freshly dipped carmel apple also.  It was called Moo Ma’s Farm where I grew up and went apple picking.  I wish there was a place like that in south florida.  I guess I will have to go orange picking. 

Antoinette