Keep Calm and Love Brooke

As you all know, Leslie is involved in what's called a PACE program at school. Its for kids whose intelligence score at the above average mark. In Leslie's case she was in the 150's mark so its hard to keep her challenged in school. Well this years theme was FORENSIC SCIENCE..which I love!! I can't get enough of all the CSI type shows..which I'm sure my family can attest to. (side note: I'm really sad that CSI Vegas is ending this year)  With their theme being forensics they were able to do some really neat stuff. Go to the Museum when it was Forensic Science Have a local CSI from IFPD come in and lecture/show how to take finger prints Take Fingerprints Learn about DNA Replicate DNA molecules It was amazing! Leslie was so excited that she'd come home and try to take our fingerprints..she said that she wanted to dust for prints but we don't have the magnetic powder to do so. After a year of fun learning they put it to the test and hold a Fo...

So my loves last time I talked about how I was so excited to get my big present!! And I went this past weekend and I loved it!!! It was amazing!! Leslie wanted to go with me...and I was worried about that because I didn't want her to get bored cuz it was all about me! And I didn't bring anything for her to do. We had just come from a birthday party so I had Ken drop us off. When we first arrived we were offered Italian Sodas. I was blown away!!  But I said yes! I got huckleberry and she got pomegranate. Both were fabulous. I have NEVER had a pedicure so I wasn't really sure what to expect. IT was totally relaxing!!! I was able to sit in a massaging chair and had the knots in the lower back worked on, all the while Amanda was working on my feet. HEAVEN!!! I'll be honest I was in the spa for 2.5 hours and it seemed a little long to me...but I enjoyed every minute. After she was done putting the last star on my toe, she came back with these purple slippers......

So this past month was a doozie between getting all the kids to come off of the Christmas sugar high and to getting them back to their regularly scheduled program..was tough enough.. Just when I thought I couldn't handle anything else..... LETS ADD A TEENAGER into the mix!!! That's right....you are looking at the proud owner(parent) of a brand new teenage daughter.  Yup....I can hardly believe it myself!! So Kylie turned 13 this past Thursday..and I was excited for her!! But on the other hand I felt sad because she leaves for school at 8:00am to catch the bus then she doesn't even get home until 4pm. She's gone all day!! And I didn't even have the car so I could sneak her a birthday lunch. Oh well....maybe next year. But we did have one awesome party that night. And she wanted cheesecake for her birthday cake. (She's a woman after my own heart!) I love cheesecake its so good! I even got Sam to like it!!  See it turned out pretty good!! S...

Have I told you lately that I am so Thankful for my regular schedule??? I mean I am great full to have my kids home for 2 weeks....but during that two week time that they have off...it seems like all I hear are fighting among Leslie (who is 8) and Sam (who just turned 6). And it gets to the point that I am ready to pull my hair out, because they are snapping at each other, and I feel that that is more my fault. Well...because before I found out I had hypothyroidism..I was irritable..pissy...and sometimes just down right mean. Now that I have my "happy pills", I am more me. Things don't really annoy me as often. I really just kind of am relaxed about things. Moving on, like any good mom...I love my kids. But I am so glad that they went back to school this week...and I am on my normal schedule. So for Christmas this year one of the main big presents that I bought for Ken was Body Beast. It is a weight lifting program and I was so excited to see his face on Christmas ...

T'was the week before Christmas when all through district #91 some choir teachers thought it would be amusing to have 2 concerts in 2 separate schools on the same night.  The parents not so much! How exactly was I suppose to show support to both daughters?!! We did what any normal parents would do in this situation...  We split up, JUST FOR THE CONCERTS!! Talk about divide and conquer baby!! It was great! Ken and Sam went to Leslie's concert...which was themed The Polar Express. And it was cute. Ken was able to get a couple of cute pictures and a video. When I watched it when we met back home...I couldn't help it...I started to cry because I don't want to miss these precious moments of her life. I don't want her to look out into the audience of anything she performs in and be that one parent who doesn't show, I can't handle that look of disappointment in my children's faces.  So that left me...and my mom to go to Kylie's concert....

One of the most important things in life, to me, will always be my family. That being said please bare with me..because this blog is the hardest one for me to write. My Grandma (my dad's mom), turned 91 in June. She was spunky and lively, she loved crocheting and was the best at it. When Kylie was about 4 she crocheted her a dress.Its purple and white..I loved it..I had one kinda like it when I was little.She made tons of things from a stuffed Lassie dog to baby blankets, hoodies, booties, and doll clothes. Whenever I had a baby I would get a "pack" from her which had a blanket, a hat, booties, and a dress.  Maybe that is why I loved the dress so much...it brought back so many memories of simpler times...worry free times. So in June, we celebrated her turning 91, right? Well...In July at her Dr. appointment she was diagnosed with early onset Dementia, or Alzheimer disease.  When my mom told me this I thought that surely the Dr. had read the results wrong..its just a m...

Okay, so this blog is totally gonna get serious and it might make you cry... I am sorry in advanced if it does...this is kinda hard for me to talk about but I will try my best..M'k..? So for about a year Ken and I thought that we needed to complete our family and add baby #4 to our CRAZY life.. I mean with 3 kids, 2 dogs, and the craziness of life in general why not, right?!! So I kept track of my regular cycle and my ovulation cycle and and AND NOTHING!!  I would get my period like CLOCKWORK!   So when Obama-care hit..to be quit honest I really was freaking out about it...I mean I was all " I think everyone should have healthcare, but o the other hand I don't think that people should be punished or fined because they can't afford it".It's crazy expensive...like here let me hand over to you my arm and leg...or my first born child as payment. Anywho, everyone in my house had insurance but me, Ken had his provided through work, the kids had theirs. ...