Hi There!  I haven't been around JU in a really long time.  Thought I'd stop by and see how things are going.  Seems like the only time I'm on the computer anymore is for email or Facebook.   I now have 3 kids in 3 different schools so that has kept life interesting....and busy.  High School boy is all about girls and games.  Middle School boy is playing basketball and gaming with his dad and big brother (Star Wars right now) and the little girlie is ...

Have you seen the crazy produce at the markets these days?  I was recently told about Orange cauliflower so I went to my local market to check it out.  It tastes the same as regular cauliflower but has added beta carotene and is a prettty orange color.  The purple variety has added vitamin C. My kids, especially my 7yr old, are picky about veggies but love the colored cauliflower.  They also like carrots that still have the greens attached because they look like bugs ...

Our ten yr old son often cracks me up and makes me think.  We were talking about The Deathly Hollows the other day when he came up with this gem: "Mom, Voldemort is a lot like Michael Jackson...they both have no real nose, they are both seriously creepy and they are both obsessed with a little boy." Clever boy.

I have been sick for a while with a kidney infection and was pleasantly surprised when I checked out JU today and saw that my blog is back in the top 10!  I'm very flattered.  I hope to have more time to write and post pictures soon. We are going on vacation to set up our cottage for the next week but maybe some time this summer I'll find some time to talk about all of the craziness that my silly, normal little life generates.  I'm even considering writing a book some day in th...

Perhaps sleep apnea is the SIDS of the adult world.  Anyone else ever hear of someone as young as 31 passing away in their sleep?  It just happened to the little brother of my oldest and dearest friend. Yesterday morning I was putting my little girl down for her morning nap when the phone rang.  When I got downstairs after getting her settled, I listened to the voice mail that was left.  It was my dear friend and I could tell by her voice it was bad news.  All she sai...

I was having a discussion with my 10yr old about people we know and people that we have come in contact with via the internet.  He asked me if someone on JU was a "good" person.  The question got me thinking.  How do we discern good people from bad people? What's your definition of a "good" person? I guess I consider it good to be a truthful, responsible, genuine person.  Good people are moral, kind and don't do things to intentionally hurt others.  Good people car...

As those of you who know me or have been reading my blog,  I am by default, a happy, content person.  I enjoy being at home, watching my baby play or listening to my kids talk to each other.  Happiness to me is sitting down to dinner as a family and tucking everyone safely in at night. The down side of being a content person is you don't tend to be driven.  There isn't a lot that compels me to go out and strive to tackle new challenges.  I have no chip on my shoulder ...

Today turned out to be a bit more stressful than I had hoped.  I simply planned to take my baby for a picture with Santa at the mall and then mail a Christmas package at the post office.  So I had the baby all dressed up and ready to go and got a call to pick my son up from school because he wasn't feeling well...here we go. At least I got an appointment with the pediatrician right away but they didn't have anything informative to tell.  They said he is probably coming down wit...

I think we are all guilty at one time or another of claiming we don't have time for something.  Sometimes there literally is no time if it is a task that has a deadline.  But in general, there are things in life that we always claim we don't have time for that, let's face it, we just haven't made a priority.  Now I'm not saying these things that we don't prioritize aren't things that we would like to do.  I'm sure we would all like to exercise, call our friends, scrapboo...

After school today I had to take my son to the store to get a birthday present for a friend's party he will attend this weekend.  When we pulled into the parking lot we saw a bunch of tents set up by the entrance of the Target store and we wondered what it was all about.  When we approached the store we were able to read a sign that read "PS3 on sale tomorrow.  Line starts here". Apparently each store only gets 12 game machines and people have been camping out since Wednesday m...

I grew up just South of the U.P. of MI.  I saw a lot of snow and crazy ice storms growing up.  Last weekend I experienced something that not only I but my parents had never seen in all their years, Thunder Snow. We were right by Lake Michigan and kept hearing forecasts of 5-9 inches of snow for that evening.  That really wasn't a surprise since we were used to getting snow storms at any time especially this time of year.  That night got really weird though. I was at the...

Even though the small town rumor mill says so, my friend fighting cancer has not been given a death sentence.  The talk about town is that she was told to "get her affairs in order".  I do, however, know many people who have been given that time frame for life. So my question is, would you want to know?  If so, what would you do with that knowledge? I wouldn't want to know.  I have always lived my life in a way that those I love know it.  I don't strive to jump out...

I am interested in others' views on replacing one's wedding ring.  I am personally very old fashioned and sentimental.  I can't imagine "upgrading" my wedding set.  Sure, my husband could now afford to pretty much get me any kind of ring I would want.  I still want the one he gave me when he asked me to marry him. To me it is a reminder of where we started.  It reminds me of the dreams we had then and how far we have come together.  I thought it was beautiful the...

I know everyone has opinions about this stuff so please share them. How old is too old... to have babies to have long hair to wear a bikini to go to night clubs to wear a pony tail to wear low ride jeans to play paint ball to play with Legos to be considered young?

My sister and I look a lot alike but have very different personalities.  The same can be said about my sons.  I find it fascinating that individuals from the same gene pool and upbringing can be so very different. At our older son's baseball game last night, my husband was noting how timid our older one is and how that is soooo not so about the younger one.  Alex, the 9yr old, is a worrier.  He is also extremely gentle and patient.  He has always been empathetic ...