Isabella was STAR STUDENT OF THE WEEK!!

Sometimes, no matter how you feel, you have to GET UP, DRESS UP and SHOW UP!  Isabella was STAR STUDENT of the week and they asked me to be a Mystery Reader to the class last Friday.  How on earth was I going to make this happen?!!??  It had been one week after I had surgery on my ankle and had my metal plate and screws removed.  I was in a lot of pain and couldn’t walk AND it was really icy outside! 

Make it HAPPEN Sandy.  That was all I kept thinking!!  First, I called the library and asked them to set aside several books to read to 2^nd graders.  Then, I called Tom and asked if he could take me to the school and run a few errands.  He picked me up and our first stop was the Dollar Store, where I picked up 30 pairs of Mardi Gras sparkly sunglasses.  If I was going to read to Isabella’s class, we had to have PROPS!  Right?  Props make everything more fun and exciting.  Next stop was to pick up a bouquet of flowers for the teacher.  She works hard every day at her job and deserves to be appreciated.

Off to the school we went.  Isabella had no idea I was coming.  Before she left for school, she was in tears, telling me that she felt bad for me because I couldn’t come to her school because of my leg.  “Mommy, I am STAR student of the week!”  “I wish you could be there and am sad you can’t!”  “You know mommy, I won’t be a STAR again for another year when I am in 3^rd grade.”  It was breaking my heart to hear those words out of her mouth, however I did not want to ruin her surprise.

When Tom and I walked through that door, her eyes were as BRIGHT as the stars in the sky.  Her SMILE was priceless.  The first thing the teacher said to me was, “Isabella has been sad all day thinking that you were not coming.”  I looked at Isabella and said, HONEY, I WOULD NOT HAVE MISSED YOUR SPECIAL DAY FOR THE WORLD!!! 

Isabella passed out the sparkly sunglasses to all of her classmates and then Tom and I went on to each read a book to the class.  They were all so excited to have a mystery reader and wear special sunglasses!  Afterwards, she reviewed a poster with her class that she made that was packed with stuff about her!  She had so much fun making it.  Here are some of her favorites:

Places she likes to go:  Aruba and Florida

Things she likes to do in the community: Volunteer

Things she likes to do at school: Have fun with her best friend Brooke

Books she likes to read: Dr. Seuss, Frozen and Hello Kitty

Things she likes to do at home:  Sing, and play with her best sister, Giselle

Songs she likes: Frozen, Kids Bop, love me like you do

Favorite Movies: Frozen, Trolls, Inside Out, My Little Pony

Favorite Foods: Pizza, grilled cheese, corn, butter bread, strawberries, cantaloupe, blueberries, ice cream

Favorite subjects in school: Math and Art

That evening, my ankle was very swollen and I was miserable!  But I wouldn’t have missed her special day for the world………..

Happy 6th Birthday....Ms. Giselle Eloise

Happy 6^th Birthday Giselle Eloise!  When I look at you, I do not see the passage of time.  I see my little girl, playing dress up, running through the yard, playing on a swing.  I may not be able to carry you in my arms anymore, but I will ALWAYS carry you in my HEART.  KEEP SMILING BIG GIRL!! 

We asked you what you wanted for your birthday and your wishes were so innocent and sweet.  At first you said, “Whatever you wish to get me.”  Then, after further questioning, you asked for another teddy bear, so TEDDY could have a friend, a ball of yarn, an “Inside Out” cake, make-up and SHOPKINS!

Your day started at around 4:30 a.m. and you didn’t even know it.  Daddy went to the donut shop and got special sprinkle donuts for the birthday girl and wrote a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY sign for you to see when you woke up.  Then, at 7:00 a.m. you came with Teddy and crawled in bed with me.  You knew it was your birthday and you wanted to CUDDLE, as you ALWAYS do.  At 7:17 a.m., you said LET’S GO DOWNSTAIRS!  And the celebrations began, for your special day.  You and Isabella wanted to go to gymnastics, so we went! 

When I asked you what you wanted for dinner, you said “Let’s go for THAI food!”  And we went!  You ordered your favorite, edamame, egg rolls and chicken pad Thai!  One of my favorite things that I love about you is that I really believe you’re a KODITEK at HEART.  What does that mean?  One of your favorite THINGS in life is EATING and FOOD.  LOVE watching you dance your happy dance when you’re eating.  A day wouldn’t be a day without you asking at breakfast…WHATS FOR LUNCH?  And you powerhouse girl! YOU LOVE FOOD!! Betty would love to watch you eat!  Many nights, you eat 3 full dinners and I honestly don’t know where you put it….

We finished the day off with presents, cake and the INSIDE Out movie!  As I head to bed for the evening, I know you are dreaming about all of your teddy friends!  LOVE YOU BIG GIRL!  Keep Smiling……

And here is the Giselle fun fact for the day….  Did she eat the CAKE and/or the DONUTS today? 

Happy 2017!

Happy New Year!  What did everyone do to celebrate the New Year?  We made a yummy dinner of ahi tuna and oysters Rockefeller and then spent a QUIET evening together as a family on the couch.  Can you say BLISS?  I really enjoyed cuddling and snuggling and reflecting back on 2016.  And what a year it WAS……

One of my favorite quotes is “Collect Moments, Not Things.”  We had an adventurous year as a family and were fortunate enough to create everlasting MEMORIES traveling to Disney World, my mother and father’s house in Florida, Nashville (Giselle LOVED Nashville! OH BOY!!), Mackinaw Island (The Grand Hotel), Galena, Michigan, Palm Springs, Kentucky (Celebrating Bob’s ALUMNI weekend), Anguilla, St. Maartin, AND our annual tradition of a weekend at the Peninsula, Chicago before Christmas.

As for the girls, I enjoyed volunteering for a week in June for the Girl Scout Camp.  Loved spending a week with all of those little girls and their all so very different personalities!  Isabella and Giselle made new friends and explored the outdoors.  Both girls completed beginning gymnastics for 12 weeks.  Isabella struggled with balance while Giselle flipped around those bars like nobody’s business.  Both girls are in Girl Scouts and continue to be active within the community.  Last week, they finished up their chess program and continue to LOVE chess.  And just recently, Isabella has been rocking out her skills with her basketball team which goes until the end of March 2017.

They say Tomorrow is the FIRST blank page of a 365 PAGEBOOK.  Make it a good one!  I can’t WAIT to see what 2017 holds for ALL OF US!  I am NOT, (I WILL NOT) RUSH IT.  Not for one second.  I will say this…. My CUP RUNNETH OVER.  And what that means to me is this:  I am super thankful that all of my family and friends are HEALTHY.  I am one lucky girl.  Period.  I LOVE each and every one of you!  Happy New Year……. THIS IS YOUR YEAR TO SPARKLE!  Make it SHINE!   XOXOXOOXOXOXOXOXO

2 More Days Until Christmas

Two merry blue eyes
A very little nose
A long snowy beard
And cheeks like a rose
A round chubby man
A big bulging pack
Hurrah for Old Santa
I know two little girls, Isabella and Giselle who are glad he's coming back.

Look at them.  The innocence.  The sparkle in their eyes.  The excitement. What did they talk about with Santa?  Two more days……

Two Little Girls and Two Island Adventures

Last week we took our family vacation to St. Maarten/St. Martin.  Even though it is only 37 square miles, St. Maarten/St. Martin is packed with rich history and breathtaking beaches!!  We were blown away beyond belief at how beautiful the island was, how friendly the people were and how UNSPOILED this special place was!!  We spent the week relaxing, and trying to explore their 37 beaches!  The sand between our toes felt as soft as powder! 

Meet the NEIGHBORS?  Yes, please!  St. Maarten/St. Martin is located right in the middle of a five-island cluster!  It was the perfect jumping-off point to visit their jaw-droppingly beautiful neighbors, which were small hops away!  Saba, St. Barth, St. Eustatius and Anguilla.  After spending 6 days in SM, we headed to Marigot, where we caught a ferry over to beautiful Anguilla.  $20 and a 20-minute boat ride later, we were in a new paradise for the next 4 days.  How was the dining experience?  Anguilla has featured among the BEST culinary destinations in the Caribbean for decades.  The food on both islands was absolutely amazing….in fact, I think my mouth is still watering.

While we were away, Isabella was not feeling well.  We had the island doctor come and visit her where he diagnosed her with an upper respiratory infection so she was able to get a few prescriptions to make her feel better.  Although she was not feeling 100%, she sure did LOVE swimming in the ocean, finding sea shells and building sand castles with her sister Giselle.  Those two girls absolutely LOVE swimming.  If we would let them, they would stay in the water forever! 

Bob and I loved watching the girls enjoy the islands and even making new friends.  If we ever go back, it would be fun to explore the other islands with the girls.  They thought it was really neat to be able to take a short boat ride to a brand-new place.  I did too.  Until next time……….

The Pizza Hut BOOK IT! Program

I can remember when I was a little girl in grade school, I participated in the Pizza Hut BOOK IT! Program.  It was a cute little button that looked like the one pictured below.  After you read five books and filled up your pin, you got to go to Pizza Hut and get a PIZZA!  And I always looked forward to that PIZZA!  Who doesn't love pizza, right?!!

Fast forward 30 years, and wouldn't you know they still have that program in the schools for the children?  It is a little different from when I was growing up.  For example, the children no longer receive a button, instead, they receive a paper calendar and have to color in the days that they read.  It also differs by grade level.  Giselle is in kindergarten, so her monthly reading goal is to read for 20 days out of the month for 20 minutes.  Isabella is in 2nd grade, and she is required to read the entire month, each day for 20 minutes.  Once they turn in their monthly calendars, they receive a coupon for a free personal pan pizza! 

The girls really enjoy this program and why wouldn't they?  Statistically, the single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children.  Yesterday, I took them to redeem their certificate for reading for the month of October.  Their cheese pizzas were gone in about 5 minutes! 

Keep reading girls!!

Is it NOVEMBER? Already?

October FLEW by us like a G6!  Where should I start?  We had so many firsts in October!  For starters, Bob took us to Kentucky for a weekend, where he went to college and showed us around.  Isabella and Giselle got to see where daddy went to college, where he lived and even his favorite places to eat.  We spent Friday at Keeneland where the girls got to learn about 80 years of the action and excitement of thoroughbred racing – their first time at a track.  It was a beautiful SUNSHINY kind of day and we took it ALL IN!  Isabella and Giselle got to touch a few horses up close and they were very excited to cheer for their favorite horse during the races!

On Saturday, we woke up early and went to the store to get some apparel for the football game – GO KENTUCKY WILDCATS!!  After that, we met up with Kevin, whom Bob went to college with.  We tailgated in the parking lot before the game where we enjoyed playing bags and having snacks.  Another SUNSHINY day – the girls were cheering for the Wildcats, and THEY WON.  We had such a fun, relaxing weekend and the girls learned a lot about racing, horses, football, and where daddy went to college!

Isabella and Giselle also got to go to their very FIRST Chicago Blackhawks hockey game.  And guess where they got to sit for their first game?  In a SUITE, up high, where they could see all the action!  Bob received four tickets from a client at work, so I scooped up the girls from school and we met him downtown.  Isabella was glued to the hockey game the entire time and asking lots of questions.  What was Giselle doing?  Plugging her ears and smiling.  She doesn’t like loud noises so much and you know every time they score a goalie, the horns sound off. Woot Woot!!

Both girls wrapped up their 12 week gymnastics class in October as well.  They attended a 12-week program for one hour a week and it really helped them to develop hand-eye coordination, and enhanced their physical abilities.  Giselle REALLY enjoyed the program.  You should see her flipping over those bars like it’s nobody’s business.  Isabella liked gymnastics, however I think she would rather be playing chess.  Both girls received high scores on their progress note at the end of the sessions.  I asked them if they would like to continue with gymnastics and Giselle said YES and Isabella said NO.  We plan to sign up Giselle for gymnastics after the holidays.

BIG NEWS!!!  Isabella got her expander out of her mouth, as it has been in since April 23^rd.  You should see her MILLION-dollar SMILE and the confidence that came with getting that out of her mouth.  She does need to get more braces put in her mouth, however not until December.  I am unbelievably proud of her for being so BRAVE throughout this entire experience, as I know it has been painful and not easy for her.

Lastly, for Halloween, Isabella was a witch and Giselle was a mermaid princess.  It was probably the NICEST Halloween that I can remember having in the last five years!  It is ALWAYS raining or snowing or crazy cold for the kids and this year the sun was shining and it was almost 70 degrees!  Bob and I attended their parades at school and then afterwards we took them trick or treating for a few hours.  I love seeing their excitement as they RACE from door to door.  You should see all the candy we have!!

And that my friends, was October.  For now, both girls are actively involved in their Girl Scouts meetings and activities and are enrolled in a 12-week chess program (which they both love)!  They place chess together at home and it’s priceless. 

What will November bring?  We shall see!