28 things i love: day 4

jordan and basketball
here is a picture of jordan and the entire school basketball team.  one of the dads plays for the denver nuggets.  any guesses who it might be?  he's the tall guy in the back.  he is sponsored by nike so all of the players got nike basketball shoes for FREE!  well, technically jord didn't get his but he will have them next week, long story.  jordan loves basketball.  i have even admitted to myself that he loves it more than swimming, and i'm ok with that.  he always has fun when he plays, win or lose.  he smiles on the court and runs back and forth.  he is even trying to get a little more aggressive.  it's great watching him play and enjoy himself.  (although sometimes i think the reason he loves to play is because he gets to drink a whole bottle of gatorade.)  i just wish the season was a little longer.  but today was another cool memory in his academic career.

28 things i love: day 3

being snack mom
actually today was a tough one because there was a lot to love.  but being snack mom topped the list.  sofia is very active in planning the menu for her classmates.  this morning it was bagels and cream cheese, turkey sausage, cantelope and melon and orange juice.  i always want to plan something interesting but find that the kids really like simple; cheese and crackers.  it turns out that this group of kids are good eaters.  so next time i may be more adventurous and bring in something fun.  as snack girl sofia helps with the calendar for the day, she sets the table and gets to sit down first.  she loves that.  after snack the kids and teachers thank the snack person and their parent for bringing snack.  i laugh because when they ask sofia (or andrew and jordan when they were in preschool) what my name is she always says betty.  the school knows me as gioconda.  so i have to explain the reason behind the two names.  it always gets a laugh.  i love watching sofia interact with her friends.  she has a lot of friends who are boys.  two in particular whose mom told me that they love her because she doesn't just play girl stuff.  that's right, she can hang with the boys and dress up with the girls.  i love that!

a few other things to love: jordan's teacher emailing us because she thought there was an error in his grade point average.  he received second honors and she was surprised.  she went over his report card and found that he missed first honors by .07.  that's it.  so close.  so she wanted us to know that he had done an amazing job the first semester and that she would work with him to make little improvements that will give him what we know he is capable of.  what a special place to go to school.

andrew will be playing for the trojans this year.  he has moved up to farm baseball and his coach sounds really motivated and ready to go.  i am so thankful and hopeful that this will be a better year.  i can't wait to see him in his uniform.  sorry uncle bill.

going out to the movies tonight with some moms from school.  we will see extraordinary measures.  really looking forward to it.

happy wednesday

what's not to love?

28 things i love: day 2

hearts

i love hearts.  big, small, glittery, plain,  pink, red, blush, rose.  they all mean the same to me.  i especially love the hearts that the kids draw and the occasional one i get from b, wink, wink.  i know it's everywhere this month; on cookies, cakes, balloons,  but it makes me happy.  and what is wrong with being happy about love?  if that doesn't get you wait until you see the valentine cards that sofia is making with hand drawn hearts and pink glitter!

in other news:  sofia had her assessment today to see if she is ready for kindergarten in the fall.  the cut off at CHA is September first but they do take each child individually and see what is best for them.  we are now seriously considering waiting one more year and putting her in the pre-k program.  i'm evaluating all of the information.  we have a few months to think about it and there will be a reassessment in june.  the director did tell me that her auditory recall was phenomenal.  she can remember numbers and names better than any of us.  great skill to have.  either way she will be a great student.

jord had a basketball game today.  they are really struggling against some teams that have better players.  the score today was 30-11.  but it was our highest scoring game.  but he is having a great time.  he also got a medal today for academic honors in the first semester of school.  he is doing amazing.

i went to pick up andrew in his class to head out to jordan's game and i got to hear him read his i love poem to the class.  among his favorites were: i love my family, i love kit kats, i love blue and i love corn dogs.  he does.

that's it for today.

hello february

wow that one snuck up on me.  february is my second favorite month of the year, the first being october.  i don't know if it's valentine's day and seeing all the red and pink around but there is something about this month that makes me go ahhhhh.

or maybe it's because it is the short month before my birthday.  as of today there are 37 days until the big 4-0.  yikes!  not stressing at all.  thinking of ways to celebrate, but alas none of the options involves going to new york for a week to eat, shop and see plays.  maybe next year.

i wanted to do something different this month and focus on the things i love.  life has been a little challenging lately so this will help put me in the right spirit.  i will post everyday for this month with something i love.  don't think i'll make it?  you'll have to check in and see, got that mike?!  and yes i will be making some kind of scrapbook to document.  hoping to work on that tomorrow.  but for today, here is what i love:

28 things i love: day 1

 

Lovey Gummy Tummies from Trader Joes

i am definitely a gummy lover.  any fruity, gummy, chewy candy wins me over, not so much chocolate ,.  so when i found these at my beloved tj i knew i had to try them.   they have a little burst of cherry flavor in the middle that is a sweet surprise.  and of course i love the lovey hand holding the gummy.  she's pretty sweet too!

in other news:  went to the doc today and he gave me a shot in my wrist to help relieve the pain and numbness.  wow, that was not fun.  painful, uncomfortable and it made my fingers go completely numb.  but now they feel better.  thankfully he only did one wrist, he said it can have overall affect.  i hope so because i don't want to have to do that again.  now i'm not sure what else will happen.  i will have physical therapy again, with a new pt because my insurance no longer covers the first pt place.  and i think i see a deep tissue massage in my future.

check in tomorrow for day 2 of 28 things i love.

ten on tuesday

trying to find some inspiration these days for my posts.  so i am borrowing this one today. here goes:

1. got back yesterday from a trip to 'the heights'.  snow, wine making, skiing, food and fun.  is there a better way to spend a three day weekend?  watching andrew, bobby and jeff ski/snowboard together was touching.

2.  my brother and his family joined us on sunday.  their kids have never been to the snow and i think they liked it.  and the best part is that it snowed, it rained too, but the snowing was awesome.

3.  wondering how bad this storm is going to get this week.  i love rain, but wish my family was home safe and sound.

4.  excited about attending the Craft and Hobby Association Super Show this weekend.  i am signed up for a class taught by her and this one should be productive.  plus i have a ticket to roam the convention and buy, i mean see, all of the product out there. 

5.  excited that glee won on sunday.  although i am a HUGE fan of the office.

6.  the kids got haircuts on friday.  sofia needed some help with her stringy hair.  it got evened out and is just to her shoulders.  getting used to her new look but she loves it.

7.  thankful that my hands felt better all weekend.  i have 2 more pt sessions this week.  i am starting to love that place.  it feels like family.

8.  thinking i might try online grocery shopping today.  i've done it once before and liked it.  not sure i want to head out if it's pouring rain.

9.  bachelor anyone?  love it or hate it?

10.  going to a bunko party on thursday with some moms from school.  not sure how i will do, they can be a crazy bunch.  but it will be fun to do something with the ladies on a school night no less.  wow, my life is boring!

have a happy tuesday.

january updates

i wish i had something exciting to share with everyone, but i don't.  it's kind of quiet around here and i have been spending some TIME trying to create a new routine that includes exercise, peace and organization in our lives.  let me tell you it's a challenge.
 
i am still dealing with my hand issue.  it's been tough and a little frustrating for me.  i started physical therapy last week and it helped.  the pt thinks that it's coming from a nerve issue in my shoulders, kind of what i thought too, not carpal tunnel.  yesterday she put pressure on my shoulders to try and loosen them, i wanted to cry.  everyone tells me how tight they are and i don't know what to do.  it's where my stress lives, and i guess i have a lot of it.  anyway we have been doing some stretching and band exercises.  but the best part is when they hook me up to the wires, pack ice on my shoulders and let me relax for 15 minutes.  nothing feels better.

one of the funnest things i've been doing is playing with my new iphone.  dare i say i love it.  i have set up alerts to remind me to pick up andrew early from school, that jordan has a basketball game, that library books are due.  i love that i can surf the web while i'm sitting at carpool.  i love that i can send an email or text message at any time, except while i'm driving of course.  but i really love the camera.  always with me, always ready and not bad quality. (both photos in this post were taken with the camera)  now i just have to remember to keep the phone with me and keep it charged.  thanks again santa.

what else?  jord is enjoying basketball.  he had his first game, 2 games actually, on tuesday.  a double header.  but we only have one team and they had 2.  so the kids were tired.  and it was not pretty.  the scores were 24 to 16 and 35 to 4.  and let's just say that was not in our favor.  but honestly, there was a kid on their team that was as tall as i am.  we have a kid that is as tall as andrew, so you can imagine the match up, brutal.  but jord is having fun and loves it.  what more could we ask for?

he's also getting ready for the spelling bee at the end of the month.  lots of pressure being the returning champion.  he has a friendly battle with his close friend rebecca.  they are mentally psyching each other out.  it's really cute.  he also signed up for the academic decathalon, the math bee and will be in the school's production of grease in march.  he is so busy.

andrew and bobby just got back from a weekend in big bear with the ymca group.  always a lot of fun.  baseball will be starting for andrew with tryouts next month. 

sofia has been growing.  she seems taller everyday.  and her personality is growing just as quickly.  we have been getting together with my friend and her daughter over the last few weeks enjoying yogurt shops around the valley.  it's been yummy. 

the kids are off tomorrow and monday.  we are heading to the snow for the weekend with my nephews who have never seen snow in their lives.  excited about experiencing that with them.  and it looks like it might snow while we are there.

wish we had more exciting things to share.  have a good weekend.

favorite moments

since too much has happened and tomorrow the kids start school i thought i would just share my favorite moments/pics from the last 3 weeks.

Here goes:

Favorite pic of kids sledding  from CHA's snow day.

sofia went down more times than the boys did.

Favorite cookie recipe:

cream cheese cookies with raspberry and apricot jam.  they were not only yummy but pretty too.

favorite pancake breakfast:

from the original pancake house in temecula.  i like kenzi's apple pancake puff and these pumpkin spice pancakes.  it was fun hanging out with mike and becky and jeff and kenzi.

favorite christmas shopping snack:

the tower of onion rings from red robin.  (is it any wonder we all gained weight over the last 3 weeks?)

favorite hannaumas celebration:

dinner with the baron's to celebrate hannaukah and christmas.  we love the kugel.

favorite wii moment:

andrew beating everyone at swordplay on christmas eve.  we are so proud.

favorite new board game:

last word.  bobby i still think that hippopotamuses don't make people happy.  well except for the kid in that christmas song.  and i hate that song.

favorite snow moment for bobby:

skiing and snowboarding with his sons at alta sierra.  and they enjoyed it as much as he did.

favorite non-traditional snowman:

kind of scary huh? the snowman not sofia.

favorite snow kids:

favorite snow moment for me:

 sledding on fresh snow.  cold but fun.

favorite new year's eve photos:

she's drinking sparkling apple juice.

first photo of us in 2010!

favorite 11 year old:

 

love this kid!

favorite moment today:

seeing the princess and the frog with sofia while the boys saw avatar.  everyone loved their movies.

favorite christmas present:

my iPhone.  thanks santa.

and the beautiful book that bobby made me of my food pictures.

favorite thing of all:

 

having the five of us together for 2 weeks.  even though it got stressful right before christmas, it was fun hanging out together, staying in our pj's, playing in the snow, playing games, celebrating a birthday, hugging and kissing, and just being a family.  i love you and will miss you as we all get back to life/school/work.

 and that brings us up to date.

 focusing on my word for 2010: TIME.  i will blog about it soon.

hope everyone had a great holiday.  love to all.