Sharing a Bed

Well I am getting ready for that vacation I was telling you about.  Since I will be leaving in a few days I may not get to post as often on my blog.  So I wanted to leave you with two things.

1.  Take a minute and read this post about second chances and going through divorce and share some thoughts in the comments section.  You know I love your feedback, and any advice is welcome here.

2.  Check out this photo we found when I attended a recent family reunion on my dad's side of the family.  There were lots of photos we went through that belonged to my aunt who passed away last year.  Here you see my sister and I at about the age of 2 and 3 when we used to share a bed together.  Not only did we share a room for all of our growing up years... but for a while we had to sleep in the same bed.  Let me just say, we get along much better now that we don't have to share a bed or a bedroom!

Find yourself... keeping it real.

Technorati Tags: photography,old photos,growing up years

Fruit2day - Nutrition on the GO

Just recently I was able to try... Fruit2day and what a convenient and nutritious little snack... plus tasty too.  My fav is definitely the Mango Peach. 

If you follow my blog, you know I like to eat healthy.  It can be annoying to the kiddos sometimes, but yes, I do buy wheat burger buns and all-grain cheese crackers.  Remember though, I think our bodies will thank us when we get older!

So that takes care of the grain intake, but what about the other food groups like fruit?  Do you get enough fruit in your diet each day? With our busy lives it can be tough to get it all  consumed daily like we need it.  And now I have found this great way to take care of that problem without the messy, sloppy fruit in plastic containers that I try to buy and put in storage containers for a week at a time.  Not only are these fruit snacks convenient in their on-the-go packaging - but they are indeed very tasty.  And my kids like them too!  So we are batting a thousand with these little Fruit2day drinks.  First of all they are 100% natural, full of vitamins and made of 100% juice with no added sugar.  Second, they are not just another fruit drink, these actually have bite size chunks of fruit inside the juice!  They remind me of those cup-of-soup drinks where you get the goodness of a bowl of soup but consume it as a drink.... same concept here with Fruit2day.  These fruit drinks are more like a snack - a healthy snack all-in-one. 

You have to try them!  And if you leave me a comment with your reason for wanting to try these tasty fruit snack drinks, I will place your name and contact info in my little drawing for a coupon from the manufacturer for a FREE 2-pack of Fruit2day. 

Find yourself... keeping it real.

Technorati Tags: fruit,nutrition,healthy,single,onthego lifestyle,reviews

The Weekend was Full, Harmonious, and Peaceful?

Friday night, the kiddos came home.... and right off the bat, Kass asked if she could have one of her best friends stay the night.  E came over and the rest of the night we made a "dance video" that turned out a little too dark to post, a makeover by both of them on me (no you won't be seeing those pictures), and we ended up walking down to a "cruizin" they held on the main strip near our house with the girls and my son Jas.  To say the least it was a full night.

This was Jason's fav car that night that I attempted to catch on camera.

Saturday I slept in and then had to quickly shower and get ready because Mr. M. and I had made plans to have the kiddos all eat at my house for lunch and then we were taking everyone to see the new "Transformer's" movie for the 1:30 PM show time.  Even though I didn't get up till 10:30 AM I was somehow able to be ready and grilling the hamburgers by 11:30 AM that morning.  Kudos to me!

After the movie we ended up at Mr. M.'s house for an afternoon of bocce ball and table tennis.  We had a great time and the kiddos (all four of them) played great together... I loved seeing the whole gang having such a good time, just hanging out and it didn't even include Television or Video games!

Sunday afternoon, we ended up with more of the same but this time we had a couple of my kiddos' buddies from the neighborhood to join us and we went to a nearby park.  There after we all played more bocce ball, all the 'guys' played basketball and the girls ended up in the creek for most of the afternoon.  Here are a few shots:

A little action on the court... between Jas and Mr. M.'s oldest son.

 

Block it Mr. M.!   I loved catching them in the air.....

Below I caught them lined up.... for a cool photo.

 

Jas.... could you try that move one more time?  Did you learn that from another sport or dance class?  Just kidding.

The girls in the creek... along with Mr. M.'s youngest son... he would go back and forth from the ball game to the creek.  He wasn't sure which activity he wanted to do more.

At one point I wanted to capture a peaceful moment listening to the stream running on the rocks, so I took this video.  Can you hear the kiddos in the background?  So much for some peace and quiet, eh?

Find yourself... keeping it real.

Technorati Tags: parks,games,children,family fun,photography,videos

Sometimes Goodbye is a Second Chance

I have this friend....

Don't you love stories that start out that way?

But seriously, I do have a friend that is going through the initial proceedings of....divorce.  She has been separated for at least a year now, and she has not seen a "true" change on the part of her husband, so she decided to "turn the page" and "start the next chapter in her life," (if I may pull quotes from the recent Jon and Kate announcement).  My friend came to that same place in her life as Kate and wants to "move forward." 

So what's new about her situation?  You hear about this all the time, right? 

Well unique to my friend's case - but not so unique to me, is the fact that she is getting a divorce in a family who was raised to not BELIEVE in divorce.  So she has been dealing with all the ramifications of what her closest loved ones "think she should do" and how disappointed they are with her decision... instead of open arms of understanding and empathy for her having to take this course - this journey that she hadn't planned on when she walked down the aisle just a few short years ago.  Even though more than ever right now, whether you agree with her or not, she needs support and encouragement, not a sense of reprimand and disapproval.

So what can she do? 

My advice was take time out to consider her families thoughts, digest them, and then confront them.  I think they need to sit down and discuss it as a family giving them an opportunity to own up to their own feelings but then require they listen to her side of the story.  (Her family is defined as her mom, dad, sister and brother-in-law.  She has no children in this marriage.)  But she also has to give herself a chance to be emotional and share her heart, and not think of that as a sign of weakness.  I am hoping she will make an opportunity for this conversation to happen.  It will be a rough one, but I believe a necessary one in the cathartic process that needs to take place.

Any advice for this friend of mine as she deals with her family's disappointment in her big D?

Now I know I am keeping the details of how she came to this conclusion for her decision as well as the reasons behind their separation vague, but it is with reason.  She would want to remain anonymous... and right now the reasons aren't as relevant as the fact that she has taken a year to weigh out her options and consider the actions of her husband and this is the decision "she" made based upon what she has been through.  Only she knows what went on behind closed doors and what came to light in her situation as things were revealed in her marriage. So for that we have to trust her and her decision.  At least that is my opinion.

Just like the song says, "...sometimes goodbye IS a second chance," a second chance at living for her; and a second chance to prove "true change," for him.

Share your comments....

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Find yourself... keeping it real.

Photo Credit:  http://craigmod.com/print/madame_butterfly/

Technorati Tags: divorce,separation,relationships,families,suppport,encouragement