Bunco Babes!

So you know you're officially a suburban mom when you are part of a Bunco group.  It is actually more of a sign than driving a mini van or wearing holiday themed sweaters.  How the heck did I end up here?! When I was younger I thought that kind of thing was so weird.  It probably is.  But hey, once a month Drunko, I mean Bunco, gives me an excuse to get together with some girlfriends and be silly and have a great time.  We always have a blast and end up staying up until 2 in the morning.  Not quite as much fun the next morning when we actually have to BE moms but it's always worth it!  Love ya, girlfriends!  :)

I love Tax Day

April 15th aka "Tax Day" is probably the most hated day in America.  For me, it's a special day because it is the day that Michael and I went on our very first date.  We met two days before on a Saturday night at a party.  I had just turned 19 and was a freshmen in college.  My best friend and I walked into the party and I noticed him right away.  I looked at my friend and said, "Who is the guy in the pink shirt?  I LOVE him"!  That is one of my favorite stories of all time.  It truly was love at first sight.  :)  Just because I was seeing him through Pina Colada schnapps goggles does not mean anything.  ;)  I chatted his head off the entire night, then I wrote my phone number on a piece of paper with a smiley face and gave it to him before he even asked me for it!  Two days later, he called me for the first time.  It was late in the evening and I had been out shopping all day.  He asked me to go out with him and some friends to Second City.  I almost said no because I was going to have no time at all to get ready.  I decided to go for it anyway and thank goodness I did because Michael said that if I had said no he probably wouldn't have called me again.  We had a great time that ended with a hug and a kiss on the cheek (he was such a gentleman).  The next night we went out again and were pretty much inseparable after that.  That was 22 years ago... more than half my life!  The rest is history...

Attitude

I admit it... I have had a bit of a bad attitude since I've been home from vacation. I think a lot of it has to do with the weather, which has been pretty lousy since we got back.  But that's Spring in Chicago, it could be 80 tomorrow and then back to 40 the next day.  I need to get over it... I need an attitude adjustment!  So I pulled out one of my favorite quotes and put it on my desk today.  I can't change the weather but I can certainly change my attitude!

Attitude

by Charles Swindoll

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.

Attitude, to me, is more important than facts, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think, or say or do.

It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill.

It will make or break a company, a church, a home.

The remarkable thing is, we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.  

We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way.  We cannot change the inevitable.

The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude... 

I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.

And so it is with you... we are in charge of our attitudes.

Happy Easter!

Another Happy Easter here in the Higgins' house! The Easter Bunny brought Tech Deck stuff, baseball cards, kites, cartoon drawing books and plenty of candy for the boys.  Mikaela got some makeup brushes, lip gloss and a cool tote bag with her goodies.  Grandma Sherry helped us dye eggs in the morning.  I'm pretty sure Connor ruined his shirt and both of the boys went to school with green fingers today.  Guess that's why they call it dye!  Of all the fancy egg dyeing kits we bought, the kids still like the classic wax crayon the best!  As always, we had the traditional egg hunt in the backyard.  It was a bit cold but at least it was sunny and of course the kids never get cold.  Last year we started a new tradition of filling some of the eggs with "coupons".  The kids were getting older and filling the eggs by cleaning out our spare change collection didn't seem to excite them anymore.  So now we make these coupons good for things like:  a massage, you choose the restaurant, activity alone with mom or dad, get out of chores free, stay up half hour later, extra treat, taxi service to store of your choice, etc.  Then we fill a few other eggs with some candy, dollar bills and one $2o for each of them.  The kids each get their own color of eggs so that they all get to collect the same coupons and money... it has to be fair!  So we hid 88 eggs and found 87.  Last year the same thing happened and that egg didn't show up until summer time when the landscapers found it.  My nephew, Ben, even found the egg hidden in the tailpipe of my parents car (see photo below).  Of course, everyone managed to find their $20 or they wouldn't have given up!  

     We had all the grandparents, Aunt Cheryl, Aunt Toni and cousin Ben here.  Both of the grandmas made their most famous dishes... lasagna from Grandma Evey and cheesecake from Grandma Sherry.  So amazingly delicious!  Toni put in a request for my famous dish... Onion Souffle (recipe credit goes to my friend Kelley) so we had that too.  My mom also showed up with lots of homemade cookies and brownies and Princess buckets filled with candy (thanks, Mom)!  I need to workout for like five hours today to make up for yesterday but it was so yummy!

Hippity Hoppity Easter's on it's way...

There's a Teenager in Da House!!!

Mikaela may have turned 13 a few months ago but today she is officially a teenager.  She wanted to go with a group of girlfriends to the see the new Hannah Montana movie that came out today.  Right before her friends arrived at our house she asked me, " Mom, you not like going to go IN to the movie with us, are you"?  I was a bit taken aback but not completely surprised.  Before I could answer she said, "Cuz that would be like really weird"!  Hmm... Okay, I guess I'm not going then. So I told her fine, I will just be the taxi service this time but I reserve the right to go IN to any movies starring Zack Efron.  Period.  Not up for discussion so be forewarned.  Yes, I do realize that he is twenty years younger than me and that makes me a sick and twisted Cougar but I'm still going to his movies... even if it is "like really weird"!  ;) 

Cool Videos

These two great videos were posted by Facebook Friends of mine.  The first one is really interesting and the second one is hilarious!

Did You Know

Fascinating!

Nail Salon  

Glad to know the "Nail" salon experience is the same everywhere.  hee hee!  I need this laugh today!

Back to Life, Back to Reality...

So I keep hearing that song "Back to Life, Back to Reality" playing in my head.  It's soooo hard to get back into the groove of everyday life after being away and having so much fun.  I am definitely suffering from Post-Vacation-Depression.  It certainly doesn't help that it happens to be SNOWING in Chicago today.  Yes, I said snowing.  It's like a bad dream.  Two days ago I was barefoot in the hot sand and now I am wearing a ski jacket.  There is something really sick and wrong about snow in April.  Seriously depressing.  Too top it all off, Michael and Mikaela are sick with some kind of stomach ache and chills bug, Connor has a double ear infection and I have a sinus infection.  Welcome back to life, back to reality, back to Chicago weather!  ugh.  I need a stiff margarita!

Mexico Memories

We had another amazing vacation in Mexico!!!  Three years in a row and it just keeps getting better.  We had four other families there with us this year and we had a blast!  The Grand Velas is so fabulous (see other post).  We were a bit concerned that it would go downhill in the last two years since it was brand new when we went there last time.  It was just as wonderful as it was the first time.  They don't miss a beat!  It's so nice now that the kids are older and we can sit back and relax a bit.  They had a ball playing in the pool with all their friends (11 kids in all), playing soccer, volleyball, building sandcastles, collecting shells, drinking smoothies in the swim-up bar, ordering lunch and ice cream (homemade!) on the pool chairs, boogey boarding, and of course, playing with their DS Lites and PSP's when they needed a break in the shade.  The adults had their own fun doing many of the same things except instead of video games we play with iPhones, Blackberrys, laptops and Kindles (have you seen that cool thing?).  Instead of smoothies we have cervezas and margaritas.  I am so grateful we were able to go on anotherincredible vacation.  So many terrific memories!

Tomorrow...

Tomorrow is my 16th wedding anniversary and we will be celebrating in Mexico, a few miles from where we got engaged!  How awesome is that?!  In 1992 Michael and I were on a trip with about 10 friends in Puerto Vallarta. I was only 2 years out of college and we were still in "Spring Break mode".  We had an amazing suite on the top floor of the resort with an enormous balcony that had a jacuzzi on it (we were working now so we could afford nicer digs than the real Spring Break days). We were having a blast!  The last night of the trip was my birthday so we went out for a really nice dinner at a beautiful restaurant in the cliffs overlooking the ocean.  Afterwards, everyone was ready to party at Carlos & Charlie's.  Except Michael.  He wanted to go home to the hotel and he wanted me to go with him.  I was so bummed because it was my birthday and our last night of vacation, plus like I said we were still in that Spring Break state of mind... I was ready to party and dance!  So I told my best friend, Rochelle, that Michael wanted me to go back to the hotel with him and asked her what she thought I should do.  I was surprised when she said she thought I should go with him because I really thought she would tell me to come out with the group and send him to bed!  So reluctantly I went back to the resort with Michael.  We had a long cab ride back and he barely even talked to me the whole way.  I was thinking why in the world didn't I go out and have some fun since he is just going to fall asleep when we get back anyway?! He told me later that he didn't talk in the cab because he was so nervous.  So we get back to the hotel and Michael says he wants to go for a walk on the beach.  We walked for a while and then we sat down on some lounge chairs.  Next thing I know, Michael is on one knee between the chairs saying all these amazing things to me about our relationship, his love for me and our future...THEN HE POPPED THE QUESTION!  I couldn't believe it!!!  Let me tell you, surprised doesn't even begin to describe it.  I had no idea that he was planning to ask me.  We had been together for 5 years already and I certainly wanted very much to marry him, I just wasn't expecting it that night.  Apparently, he wasn't either since he proposed to me with an opal ring he bought at the market that day!  He said he asked his friend, Tony, that day if he thought he should marry me and Tony told him he would be a fool not to (thanks, Tony!) so he decided to go for it that night since it was the perfect setting.  So back to the proposal... I was so stunned I guess I wasn't answering him because Michael loves to tell people he had to ask me a few times before I finally answered!  I was so happy and crying and everything that I guess I didn't officially say yes right away.  Needless to say I was pretty glad that I decided to return to the hotel with Michael instead of heading to the bar with everyone else.  Turns out Rochelle was in on the plan so that explains why she told me to go home instead of going out!  Talk about a great birthday!  

So tomorrow is our anniversary and we will be back in Puerto Vallarta... three kids, three houses, one dog and 17 years after that wonderful night.  Even more in love now than we were then, although at that time I wouldn't have believed it was possible to love him more than I did at that moment... I couldn't have imagined how becoming a family could deepen that love.  I have been so blessed!  Two years ago was our first time back to Puerto Vallarta since our engagement night.  We were there on our wedding anniversary then too so we went back to the beach where he proposed (see photo below).  As luck would have it, there was a guy selling rings on the beach.  So he bought me another ring since the original had long since turned green.  I think this one

 turned green before we even got home.  Michael loves to tell the story of how when he proposed with that Mexican market ring he told me that we would go together to pick out my "real" ring when we got back home and I said that the ring didn't matter, all that mattered was that we were getting married... but then once we got home I kept asking him everyday when we were going to get my ring!  The way I remember it we waited two weeks which was like an eternity because every time I told someone we got engaged they asked to see the ring and I didn't have it!  He said, she said.  :)  I am so excited to be going back to Puerto Vallarta tomorrow with my family celebrating another year of being happily married to the love of my life!

2 days...

Can I just say that I think it is cruel and unusual punishment on the part of the airlines to restrict passengers to just one bag each?!  I've only started to pack and there is just no way this one bag thing is going to work.  I need one bag just for pool toys, sunscreen and beach bags.  I thought the boys could share a bag but clothing for 9 days is a lot!  Plus, as John just informed me, "we are getting bigger now, so our clothes are bigger too".  No kidding.  They are growing up way too fast.  That is one of the reasons I am so looking forward to a nice, long vacation filled with good quality family time.  I can't wait to take walks on the beach holding hands and looking for shells, waking up in the morning and all piling into one bed for snuggles with no rush to get up because we don't have anywhere we have to be, watching the kids swim and judging their cannonballs and handstands, having every meal together (with no cooking or cleaning for me!), playing games and just being together.  I am looking forward to the break and the warm weather but most of all I am looking forward to the time spent making special memories with family and friends! 

3 days...

In three days I will be looking at this lovely view. I am beyond excited! We are going back to the resort we stayed at two years ago, Grand Velas, in Nueva Vallarta, Mexico. It is an all-inclusive resort but it's 5 star so it's really nice. The rooms are all suites, the food is incredible, the property is beautiful and the service is amazing. All-inclusive works well for us since we are going with 4 other families. Traveling with friends makes it so much fun for everyone. It's like a 9 day party on vacation! The kids have buddies to play with, the moms like to workout, read and chat while the guys check their computers or Blackberrys and debate business and world issues. Everyone's happy!

Women's-History Month

In honor of Women's-History Month here are some cool things that were invented by women:

-Windshield Wipers, Mary Anderson (1903)

-Dishwasher, Josephine Cochrane (1866) 

-Scotchgard, Patsy Sherman (1955)

-Curling Iron, Jessie Pope (1946)

-Liquid Paper, Bette Nesmith (1956)

-Car Heater, Margaret Wilcox (1893)

-Snugli Baby Carrier, Ann Moore (1965)

-Disposable Diaper, Marion Donovan (1946)

-Medical Syringe, Letitia Geer (1899)

-Fire Escape, Anna Connelly (1877)

-Electric Water Heater, Ida Forbes (1917)

-Refrigerator, Florence Parpart (1914)

-Globe, Ellen Fitz (1875)

-Elevated Railway, Mary Walton (1881)

Can't imagine life without all these things.  Thanks to all these amazing women. You GO girls!

Happy Spring!

Okay, so it might not feel like it here in Chicago, but today is the official first day of Spring!  Yeah!  Bring on the warm weather and sunshine... I'm ready!  I'm always ready for warm weather since I am cold unless it's over 80 degrees.  One week from today I will definitely be warm because it's the first day of Spring Break and I will be headed down to Nueva Vallarta, Mexico for nine days of fun in the sun.  :)  Can't wait!  I think that part of the fun of going on vacation is the anticipation and excitement leading up to it.  It's so great to have something really special to look forward to.  So I like to make a big deal about it around our house.  In my bathroom I have a countdown calendar posted next to our shower so that we see it every morning. Everyday I mark off another day that we are getting closer to leaving. This also keeps me motivated to work out really hard because I know that I will be putting on a bikini soon!  In our mud room, by the back door where we always come in the house, we have a big chalk board where we like to write messages about things are excited about.  Mikaela drew a picture of the beach, hung it on the chalkboard and started a countdown there as well.  Everyday one of the kids changes the number of days left until we leave.  In honor of the "one week to go" status today, I taped up a bunch of photos on the fridge from our last trip so that the kids better remember all the fun things we did last time we were there.  7 days and counting...