family skate night = fun exercise

family skate night is my favorite school activity, no question. We get free admission and skate rental are only $1, the kids absolutely love it and are on their best behavior so they don't lose their privilege of attending :)I thought it would be hard with Charlotte, that she would want to walk all over the roller rink but thankfully she sat in the stroller the entire time while I skated her in circles. I loved the roller skating rink when I was young, I'm glad these are still around for my kids to enjoy.



Cloe and her friend





Charlie trying to wear my skates








my view of Charlotte, love it



never caught Brody.

do you have the disease?

It's not really a disease but we (Ryan and I) call it a disease. How do you get the disease? Is it contagious? It is the tipping disease. You usually catch it if you have worked as a server at a restaurant and "know how it feels". So from then on, you always have to leave a good tip. I think it's only contagious when you're with someone else and feel the pressure to tip well so you don't look like a jerk.
Why do we tip? Why is it part of our culture? There is always the argument of a server at a restaurant that says they get paid hardly anything so they depend on the tips. Well they chose that job knowing what it would pay or lack there of. If I'm going to eat and I pay for a meal, why am I then responsible for paying the employees wage? If I were to go to fast food, the food is cheaper and the employer pays the workers more.
So then what about people that provide services that are paid a good wage but still have come to expect a tip? taxi driver, sky cap at the airport, hair dresser, pizza delivery, the bell hop and the list could go on. What about the people that provide a real service? Of course teachers are at the top of that list, and i want to make sure the police, firemen, nurses, doctors and my kids teachers know how much I appreciate them and want the best possible services from them but we don't tip them. I remember when Ryan delivered furniture and earned minimum wage for hard labor and he never got tipped but the pizza guy does. When I was in college, I cleaned hotel rooms and I can count on one hand how many times someone left a tip. I didn't expect it at all and had no clue people tipped the cleaning lady but I did clean their room more thoroughly when they tipped me and I was disappointed when I didn't get tips :) That is one of the many things I loved about Italy, you don't tip. We should all just stop tipping, isn't a "thank you" good enough anymore?
What do you think about tipping?

just read the goodreads.com newsletter.

there are so many books I want to read right now and I find myself lying in bed at night anxious for a good book. If only I could remember to go pay my library fine. Or I'll just go to the kids school and check one out there again. Shoot that reminds me, my redbox movie is late AGAIN! Every time i rent one of those, I swear I will never rent one again for this reason. Apparently I forgot. I will write a note on my hand and put a post it on the door.

Have you ever started a book club? Is it pretty simple? Our church had one but has since kind of done away with it. Which is good because there were way too many restrictions but I did read a lot of good young Adult books that I would have normally never read. I'd like to start another one or at least join one that someone else starts.

The other day I was reading one of those blogs where the author is super talented and I go there to look at her ideas, knowing I will never end up making anything, and her post had a link to another blog that was just the same. Anyways, after reading the new blogs "about me", with the usual "clever" SAHM, 3 fill in the blank kids, I enjoy fill in the blank, blank, blank and home schooling my kids.
I have NOTHING against home schooling but doesn't it seem like so many bloggers these days home school? Is it the new trend? Or have the numbers always been this high and I've just never had a way of finding them? Just wondering if I was the only one who seems to notice that home schooling and starting a photography business was the new SAHM/blogging trend?

*because you can read something using any tone you want, nothing in this post is said in a negative tone!!! nor sassy!!

**props to those that can home school their kids, I know it's something I could never do.



On a completely unrelated note, I love the smell of her feet! She giggles when I smell them and tries to stick her toes in my nostrils.

is it funny because I was there?

*watch the bottom one first

barely able to move but staying warm and dry
hilarious! I was playing with Charlotte at the bottom of the hill then I heard my kids arguing back and forth as they were coming down. I even pulled out my video camera and caught the last few seconds of their name calling. Cloe wanted to go fast and Brody and Abbey did not so Brody kept dragging his feet and it was making Cloe upset. Hil-arious. But, I think you had to be there to find it funny.
My little sis with her daughter and Cloe.

The hill was just a long road on my sisters friends ranch. The kids would've only lasted 2 runs had they needed to walk up the hill each time so thankfully we had this. Charlotte loved riding it and sat in that exact spot most of the time.
Persayes
taking a break for a snowman and the never ending snow ball fight.


"make an angel Charlotte. I mean whine. Such a good listener."

last day of Christmas break and I was hurting for ideas to entertain the kids. We went to the grocery store and got ice cream cones. Charlotte got a baby size cone, her first ice cream cone, and she had a kung fu grip on that thing

This was her reaction when I tried to take the paper off of her cone. I love my flip video. It's so small and was ever so conveniently in my purse. .

little miss independent

She loves to walk around in the snow. I found out that these slipper pajama's do pretty well in the snow. They kept her warm and they don't absorb water from the snow. Cloe and Brody are in love with her so they were more than happy to follow her up and down our street to make sure she didn't fall. She lasted about 15 minutes, I think that's how long it took her until her hands were burning from touching the snow.

another blog

I've had friends do the picture a day blog and I've always enjoyed taking a peek into their day but then it only lasts about 3 months. I've been debating about starting one this year for fun but I'm not so thrilled about the commitment. But with a very microscopic twist of the arm from another friend that is doing it, I've created my picture a day blog. No promises that it will continue to be daily because life gets busy, but I will do my best. Enjoy.