Good morning Monday

Remember all those posts about having such manic Mondays? Well I think those days are over at least for a little while. Here it is just about ten in the morning and I'm drinking my second cup of coffee, browsing the internet and lounging in my Pj's ahhh life is wonderful. Mondays from now on will be my free day, I don't teach or attend any other classes on Mondays it's so nice. Part of me feels like I should fill the day with errands, or cooking, or cleaning, or totally exhausting the kids with playtime and outings and then the rational sane part of me loves sitting here listening to my kids play and lounge around in their pj's too. I think I will for once listen to the rational sane part of my brain and just let the day happen instead of having each hour planned out in my daily planner, imagine just one day with no rushing around well that's what today is, a beautifully boring, no to do list kind of day and I couldn't be happier about it.

Today was the day

So it's finally the moment I've been dreading since May, today is the day I finally turned on the AC. I was hoping to make it until at least July before we had to turn on that money stealing cool air blowing machine, but I just couldn't do it. Today is also the day I've been saying would come for a while now, our spring was unusually cold and the wind still hasn't stopped, I've been waiting for eternity to put on my flip flops and shorts or slather on some SPF 1000 and hit the pool but it just hasn't happened, until today. Today is the day where for the next few months I question our decision to live in AZ, I hate the heat, I despise rattle snakes that scare me to death, I have horrifying nightmares of scorpions, so why oh why did we chose such a place to call home...well in a few months when we dip back into the 70's and stay that way for much of fall and have a winter of only enough snow that it's fun I will remember why AZ is our home, but until then I will continue to complain about the heat and spend my days at the pool trying with all my might to avoid a sunburn. So with that I should run or rather drive because it's just to hot to walk to the pool. Happy Saturday!

Shiri Briseno's Zumba Profile

Shiri Briseno's Zumba Profile

Santa Fe

So we've been in Santa Fe, NM the last couple of days and it's been so relaxing and wonderful. I don't know what it is about this city that just makes the busyness of the day slow down. The kids have spent their days either visiting with my Grandma (who feeds us all the most wonderful food, I wonder how many weight watchers points are in skin it chicken?!?!) or playing outside in the lush green beautiful backyard at my parent's house here. And then there is just something wonderful about still being able to visit the house I grew up in, and watching my boys climb the same trees I did, play basketball on the same court my brother and I played on. This morning I enjoyed my coffee outside, had some computer time and watched my kids play I am feeling so blessed this week, I have such amazing family ( I got to meet the newest member yesterday) and friends here. Missing my hubby this week but enjoying our trip to land of enchantment. Happy Wednesday everyone, I hope you are able to slow down and enjoy the day.

Santa Fe bound...see y'all soon!!

fear and letting go

As a mother I am protective sometimes almost over protective, I care way too much about trimmed clean nails, high fructose corn syrup, flossing, fish oil I could go on and on. The bottom line is I want my kids to be safe, healthy and happy. I pray every day a prayer I heard years ago I pray that God will bless and protect them and keep his hedge of holy protection around each and every one of them. To be honest mostly I started praying this when we lost our health insurance, that kinda freaked me out, with three boys in the house I know it's when and not if one of them will get hurt or sick. I am learning however in the last few months a very simple but very hard faith building lesson. I'm learning to let go a little more of my kids, to let them venture out a little more. I let my oldest go on a four day road trip with my dad last week, that's something that scared me so bad. I think it's because I feel that if my children aren't with me they aren't as safe, mostly I think it's a control thing. And that is what I think this fear with my children is all about, I can't control everything and them ( mean to a certain point I can, we all have to be cautious with children but things are going to happen) and the older they get the less control I have over them and situations. I really want to find that balance of being cautious but also letting them be free. I really really don't want to be the mother that is the root of 25 years of therapy for them down the road. It's so simple it reminds me of something I hear on finding Nemo....If you don't let anything happen to them nothing will happen to them. Wise words out of that fish face, if I'm constantly trying to control their world, protect them from everything...I'm really hurting them, they won't learn important lessons, or have amazing experiences, or more importantly realize that mom is right, ok ok maybe not so much that one but I will be hurting them and keeping them from experiences that might be some of their most precious memories or from incidents that will teach them priceless lessons they will remember all their lives. So I will continue each and every day to pray for them but in that prayer I also pray that God will help me let go of my fear because with faith there can't be fear.

My first ever Zumba chartity event

So last weekend I conquered one of my biggest fears, I went up on stage and taught Zumba to a crowd of people. It was a charity event that Costco was sponsoring May is for Miracles, for Children's Miracle Network. I was very nervous about it but as soon as I was on stage and the music started all my nerves went away and I had a blast I could have stayed on that stage all day, I LOVED it!! The woman on stage with me is one of my fabulous students and she has lost over 100 pounds by doing Zumba and eating healthy. She is also head of T.O.P.S (taking off pounds sensibly) in our area, she is such a wonderful and inspirational woman I was very thankful to have her up there with me. That's one of the wonderful things about my job, I absolutely love it and I get to share it with others and see significant changes in their lives too. Well it's time to get going the boys have a VBS party to go to and then we may go enjoy the pool and jacuzzi for a little while. It sure feels weird having only two kiddos this week, I'm missing my Nicolas terribly but I know he is having a wonderful time with his Pa.

bad bad blogger, but for good reason

So it's been almost a month since my last post, I know bad bad blogger. In my own defense it's been kinda crazy around here. Since my last post my sweet Nick turned eleven, we celebrated that milestone with a party at home and a huge sleepover with all his friends. The boys also finished up their school year and Nicolas was awarded two very prestigious awards at school one came directly from the oval office signed by the president himself. This award was given to Nicolas because of his academic excellence, he has made the honor roll every quarter k-5, he was very excited about this award and the two pins that came with it, we are all very excited about it. The other award was Outstanding citizenship award he was voted by all the kids at school to receive this award, he was awarded this because he is a model citizen, has outstanding academics (he was on honor roll every quarter throughout his k-5), he is a leader among his peers, he is friendly and outgoing and teachers and kids alike love him. Needless to say we are very very proud of him!! Isaac finished up preschool, and we are still undecided as to whether or not he will start kindergarten in the fall. Academically he is ready but socially and emotionally he may still need some time before school especially all day Kindergarten. So we will wait and see, and I'm not stressing about it anymore, he's registered for five day preschool and also for kindergarten so we have all our bases covered and I know that God will put Isaac exactly where he is supposed to be so my worrying about a decision is no more.
Nathan also finished up the school year on a wonderful note. I shared many many months ago that Nathan has always struggled with reading he has been seeing a reading specialist several times a week for the past two years and she just informed me that Nathan is reading at a fourth grade level and he will be in third grade next year, that makes me so happy and brings much relief. I am a reader always have been and I see how important it is to have a solid foundation at a young age with reading, I've seen so many children and young adults struggle later on because of their reading skills.
We are all just taking a few moments to catch our breath, relax and unwind after a very busy month. Nicolas is on a road trip (first ever!!) with my dad at the moment and the two younger boys have been at Vacation Bibles school this week, so it's been a nice quiet week. We have play dates and sleepovers starting next week and we will slowly go back into the world and start enjoying summer, well that is if this darn wind would stop. And speaking of wind, if you wouldn't mind please pray that our state (AZ) gets some rain our state is battling several very big fires right now and many people have had to leave their homes. So please pray for rain, for the people that have been evacuated and for all the wonderful firefighters that are working so hard to put the fires out. Thanks!! Happy Happy Thursday, Happy June, and happy Summer!!