Today I finished the book "The Storyteller" by Jodi Picoult. It was a great story about forgiveness and honesty as well as an intense description of what life might have been like during the time of the Holocaust. I am in awe of the strength of people particularly in times of great suffering. So inspirational!
Monday, December 30, 2013
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Quick Fix When You Need a Dose of Love
Not much can top watching Ellen's generosity on her TV show. Watching one of these can shift me into a mood of gratitude in an instant! Here is one to get you started:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGWdmJer1E0
Saturday, December 28, 2013
Visiting My Aunt and Uncle
Today, Tony, the girls and I went to Washington, DC to visit my aunt and uncle. My Uncle Tom is in a retirement home for Christian Brothers (similar in nature to priests) in Prince Georges County. We picked him up and then traveled to visit my Aunt Barbara who is currently in a Washington DC rehabilitation hospital following hip surgery. They were both so grateful for the visit and my uncle, who doesn't drive anymore, was grateful for a chance to see his sister.
Friday, December 27, 2013
Family Time
I so, so, so love having time together as a family. This time between Christmas and New Year's is one of my favorite times of the year. Even if we don't do much, we have a wonderful time with the slower pace and short to-do list. Looking forward to a few more days like this.
Thursday, December 26, 2013
My Favorite Gifts of the Year
My homemade gifts from Maya....a story about a girl who starts a campaign to help children in Africa and a special note with a poem.
My favorite moments of Christmas this year
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Delivering Packages for Santa's Anonymous
Today we spent our morning delivering presents to three needy families as part of the Santa'a Anonymous program. We love being able to give back and are so very grateful for all we have!
Sunday, December 22, 2013
Saturday, December 21, 2013
Thoughtfulness
While we were in New York, Maya needed to use the bathroom. We were in the Chelsea Market and the line there was extremely long. As it was an emergency, we decided to take our chances at the Starbucks across the street instead. When we got there, we saw that the line had about 6 people in it with only one bathroom. Maya shot me a look like "I don't think I can make it Mom!". We waited as each person went in and by the time the person who was in front of her was next in line, Maya was really struggling. The young man in front of us heard our conversation and even though he had waited even longer than we had, he asked Maya if she would like to go in ahead of him. She responded right away "Yes, thank you!" It is always nice to be reminded of the thoughtfulness of others!
New York Trip
So happy to have been able to head to New York for our annual day trip before Christmas. It was a relatively warm day and we got to see some new neighborhoods this time....DUMBO (down under the Manhattan Bridge overpass) in Brooklyn and Chelsea in Manhattan.
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Heading to NYC |
Columbian and Thai food for lunch |
Yucca fries |
Looking at Manhattan from Brooklyn |
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DUMBO carousel |
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DUMBO carousel |
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Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge |
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Brooke checking out the street dancers |
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Inside Chelsea Market |
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Heading home with Combos, Orange Juice, and Harry Potter |
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A very tired Maya |
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Proud Mama!!
My girls did such a great job in their holiday program yesterday. They knew their lines and delivered them with great annunciation and attitude! I am so very proud of them (and my students too!)
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Crafty Lady
I decided to try two projects from Pinterest for my student gifts this year: a dry erase board and S'Mores. They turned out really well and I am so excited to give them out tomorrow.
Monday, December 16, 2013
Sunday, December 15, 2013
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