Hope you had a.....

Happy Thanksgiving! We spent our time with family and it was nice. I'm struggling to get better from whatever illness I've had for a month now. My son is coming down with a bad cough and fever. At least we made it through the first holiday though!

My daughter's parent/teacher conference was great! We found out that she is reading at a late 2nd grade, early 3rd grade level; in Kindergarten. She can actually read beyond that level, but her comprehension starts to fade of what she is reading. She might be able to an advanced reading class with the first grade kids and the school would like to see her maybe tested for giftedness. We were so pleased!

It's definitely my favorite time of year. I went shopping yesterday and left my house at 4:40 a.m. It was a blast! I'm already playing Christmas music and wearing my holiday shirts. I always try to soak up as much as I can for the next month or so. I hope you're all enjoying this special season as well!

Busy, Busy

I haven't posted in a while because I've been so busy! My parents own a children's boutique and my dad bought the building that it's in, so we're getting ready to open a racing gift and collectables store as well!
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I'm still having moments of not feeling the best. This has been a monster virus to recover from. I just have high hopes of feeling good through the holiday season. We have Thanksgiving this Sunday as well as next Thursday. Then, if I can get a baby sitter, I will be shopping on the Friday after Thanksgiving! I absolutely love to get up at 5:00 a.m. and hit the stores with a little Christmas music playing and the kids still cozy in bed. Shopping on the day after Thanksgiving is the only thing that willingly gets me out of bed that early. :)
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Tonight I have my parent-teacher conference at my daughter's school. I'm really curious to see what she will say about my daughter's reading ability.
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I believe it's just 20 days until my oldest turns 6! Where did the last 6 years go? She's planning a sleepover with her cousin who turned 6 in June. We're excited and I'm trying to plan some fun sleepover activities for two. I think we might paint pillowcases with fabric paint! Any great ideas out there? There are a lot online, but mostly for sleepovers with whole groups of girls.

Friday Favorite

My Friday Favorite this week is a new, easy recipe that I got from a cousin of mine. She is on the Weight Watchers diet and she told me about this fabulous Pumpkin Spice Muffin recipe. You mix a box of spice cake mix with 1 small can of pumpkin, then you bake them according to the package directions. What you get is a very moist and tasty Pumpkin Spice Muffin. They are great for breakfast or just a snack. If you're watching your weight it's supposed to be good as well. If you're not watching your weight, they would be great with some Cool Whip mixed with spice flavoring! Anyway, these were the first thing I baked when I started feeling better and they hit the spot. I thought I would share the recipe because it would be perfect to make at the Holidays.

Less Stress

I've decided that I'm going to try and have less stress this holiday season. A big part of my holiday stress every year is self induced. I always worry that my kids will be sick and we'll miss out on family festivities. This year I'm not going to worry myself about it. The most important thing in life is my kids and even if they are sick I'll be with them on the holiday. Last year my daughter was sick for Thanksgiving, my son was sick for two Christmas parties and my husband was sick on Christmas day. You know what? Life went on and we still had nice holidays overall. I think I worry myself sick over it all! I'm going to try my hardest this year to focus on what is most important and take things as they come.

November?!

Can you believe that it's November already? I just don't know where this past year has gone. I need to get on the ball with my Christmas shopping. I've just barely started. I am happy to say that I did a Christmas club through my bank this year, so I have a little shopping money tucked away. I truly enjoy this time of year when the holiday season is approaching and you see a little bit more of the people you love.

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We had our first ever "grown up" Halloween party this year. We had a great turn out and if I had felt better it would have been a great time!

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My daughter has a birthday coming up in just a little over a month. It's hard to believe that she'll be 6 years old! I think she wants to do a kitty birthday party. I'll need to start planning that very soon.

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November?! Who can believe that it's here already?