I am warning you. Never offer to help four children create Valentine’s using your Cuttlebug and your stamps. Actually the stamps weren’t so bad. The cuttlebug - which I absolutely adore btw, was a nightmare. Do you know how many pieces of paper and how many little dies I had to shove through that thing to make these cards?

<—– 81 Valentine’s Day Cards

I didn’t want them to ruin the cuttlebug, and remember which plates went where, so I volunteered. One wanted a horse, one wanted a monkey, one wanted a frog and one wanted a pig. I’ll be honest, the monkey was the hardest. I wasn’t prepared for that. It is one of the cuddlekids dies and I had never used it. It is in TONS of pieces (separate ears, separate head, separate body, separate stomach, separate feet and then the shadow piece for the back) - ugh! The rest all had three.

Here is a close up of each kids cards, and while they look almost identical, they just liked the way they looked and wanted them that way (they absolutely love learning new techniques and how to make cards, etc…. they all loved how easy and perfect this one was.)

<—– Created by Brielle (24 of these)

<—— Created by Vanessa (13 of these)

<——– Created by Melissa (20 of these)
<——– Created by Jessica (24 of these)

They might be cute but they were ALOT of work! (probably should have just bought some!) hehehe

The holidays were busy and while not completely stressful, I am still recovering.

It has been quiet since they all went back to school which has given me a bit more time for myself, and I hardly remember what that is like. Anyway, more articles coming VERY soon!

You guys, I seriously never thought I’d call myself that.

The ex-husband, totally not a sports fan. Ex-boyfriends, don’t recall ever dating anyone into sports. My brother did play football for two years and wrestle for one, but he is totally not a sit and watch sports guy. Plus, I think he just did it for the girls.

So today, I am stuck with Mike who’s eyes are glued to the television as if at any moments time a million dollars might come pouring out, and me, well …. I’m reading, playing games and trying to get some scrapbooking done.

I am just not a football girl. I never will be.
What are you guys up to today?

Today is my baby brother’s birthday. Of course - he isn’t such a baby and well, he’s taller than I am. In fact, I might be five years older than him, but he might as well be five years wiser than I.

He is celebrating his 29th birthday today. Enjoy it while you can Stephen, because in only one more short year you will be 30 years old. Remember how you joked about my being 30? Remember when we actually thought 30 was OLD? Well dear little brother, you are only 365 days away!

I love you and am so incredibly blessed that you are my brother! I admire your strength and courage and I hope that you will continue to see the blessings in your life and allow them to surround you with love.

Happy 29th Stephen!
Love, Your big sis!

Joyeux Noel. Seasons Greetings. Happy Holidays. Feliz Navidad. Merry Christmas. Fröhliche Weihnachten. Mele Kalikimaka. Buone Feste Natalizie.

However you say it, I hope your holiday is beautiful, merry and bright. Cling tight to your children, watch the wonder in their eyes and love them as much as you can.

Hope your day is magical.

I love this blog. It’s my place to vent, my place to be proud, my emotional padding if you will.

However, it needs to take a tiny break because this month (as of November 1) is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and I am participating this year. If you want to learn more about it, go to NaNoWriMo.com. But I will be writing like a mad woman, and will return when November is done. Or when I finally hit 50,000 words (the goal).

The best part? My step daughter (who will turn 11 on November 22) is participating too. She has a much smaller word goal than I do, but I am so proud of her for at least trying. I know she will do well and I am really excited to have a “friend” do it with me.

We’ll let you know how we did at the end of the month. In the meantime, you can visit me at Musings of a Manic Mom for some updates.

Tomorrow is a big day for me.

I haven’t mentioned it before, because I wanted to make sure it was set in stone first. Tomorrow is my first horseback riding lesson. Yup. I am following my daughter Brielle in her love of horses. Actually, they started a mom’s lesson group, and I get to ride with one other gal. Sounds nice and cozy to me!

I haven’t been on a horse in YEARS! Like a really long time. I have missed it, but I never had formal training, so it was about hanging out at a friends ranch and riding her horses. Yes, well tomorrow I will be learning things like “heels down” and “posting trot”. I think I might have gone insane, but I am so excited I can hardly wait. Oh, and good news, Brielle will help me tack up because I might actually need it!

The best part is that I get to ride the trainer’s horse. Her name is Ali and she is gorgeous and sweet and I cannot wait.

Oh, the other best part is that my three younger girls are on cycle break so they get to see mom ride and make a fool of herself. They are equally as excited.