Milestones

Egads.  Today, I am the mother of a teenager.  The handsome devil below is now THIRTEEN YEARS OLD!!!!  How in the heck does that happen?  He, of course, would be mortified to know I had posted this picture, but since he doesn't check in at the ole blog I think I am safe.  Not to mention the fact that he is now taller than me with brown locks, therefore unrecognizable today.  One part of my heart hates to see him grow up and away, but that's the deal.  I am proud of who he is becoming and enjoy how our relationship is different now that he's growing up.  And I am glad that he still wants his mom to make his favorite cake for his birthday. (Do we ever grow out of that?) So I am off to bake, Coca Cola cake anyone?

Yay, Monday Mingle Time!

This is my second week taking part in the Monday Mingle Vlog series with Jennifer of www.eightymphmom.com This has been a lot of fun and I have found some great new blogs to follow!  Right now, Jennifer has a "Leap into Spring" event going on at her website, be sure to check it out.  Jennifer hosts the Mingle every Monday and asks people 3 questions to answer on video.  My responses are below!

Monday Mingle 3/15/2010 from Amy Hodges on Vimeo.

Hooray, I think I got it to work on Vimeo, let me know if it's funky!!
I hope you are all having a great start to your week.  Tomorrow I am heading to Raleigh, NC for the Smart Mom Solutions Road Show.  I will be reporting all the goings on so be sure to check back! 

Sunday Funday

Ok, sort of funday.  I have been under the weather for a while now.  It seems like I just get rid of one thing when another one pounces.  I am finally starting to feel better, and it's spring, which makes me want to tackle a whole bunch of projects.  We have had a much longer run of cold weather here than usual.  The forsythia bushes in my yard have just started blooming and I think it's the latest they have ever bloomed.  I was seriously thinking I had seasonal affective disorder because I hadn't seen the sun in so long.  Now that the sun has come out I feel energized.  We were able to be outside today and walk and ride bikes.  I could have stayed outside all day because it's nicer outside than inside. 
All of this leads me to organization.  I blogged a long time ago about wanting to get my house in better order.  Has it happened? Nope.  It would be very easy to give up right now.  I could pretend I never wrote the first blog entry because it is waaayyy down the page.  It does feel like I am in a battle I just can't win.  BUT!  I am not going to let this defeat me.  I have to be able to do this, if not for myself then for my family.  I don't want my kids to grow up thinking the amount of clutter in our home is okay.  It isn't dangerously dirty, no one would be calling Child Services.  It's hygienic but cluttered.  This week I am going to try to do 30 minutes every day.  Hopefully I will do more, but at least 30 minutes.  I'll post again about this on Friday and let you know.  If you have any great ideas or suggestions about organizing please leave them in the comments!!

Wordless Wednesday

Top Ten Tuesday

I have been having a very hard time knowing what to write, which is why I am participating in so many round-ups right now. (well, that, and this is fun!)  A couple of weeks ago my day to day life changed again.  For the past three years I have been working part time for a local toy store.  It was a great part time job to have.  I was informed that I was being moved off the schedule and onto the on-call list.  There are a lot of things that I would love to say, but A.) that wouldn't be fair, and B.) that isn't what I want my blog to be about.  I firmly believe that I need to put as much good into the world as I can.  I'm not saying I'm not going to vent, but I don't think this is the place for that.  I've struggled about what to write because I want to choose good things to focus on.  This weekend while in bed with a cold and a fever(having a major pity party for myself), I was watching Bridget Jones Diary on television.   There is a pivotal moment when Bridget gives up on Hugh Grant and tries to break bad habits and lists what she chooses in life(one of the first things she chooses is vodka~shout out to vodka mom!)

So with thanks to Amanda of www.ohamanda.com who hosts Top Ten Tuesdays, here is my top ten of what I choose:

1. I choose God, my family, and then work.
2. I choose to put as much love into the world as I can
3. I choose to laugh so much that my sides ache
4. I choose to cry until there is nothing left
5. I choose to encourage my children to love who they are
6. I choose to be as healthy as I can, no matter what the scale says
7. I choose to play, even when it makes me thoroughly uncool
8. I choose television (I can't lie)
9. I choose music
10. I choose to dance. 

So that's my top ten for today.  If you want to play along, go to Amanda's site and link up!