Bright-Side Thursday Night

My bright side Friday occurred on Thursday night.  I was watching a show on TV in my bedroom.  There were only a few minutes left and one of my boys climbed up on the bed.  I told him he could sit with me only if he didn’t talk so I could hear the end of the show.  It was just before bedtime for the boys.  Moments later, my other son climbed up, and then my husband joined us.  It turned into a tickling, giggling, hugging, kissing time. It was great.  The thought crossed my mind that this is one of those moments that I will look back on again and again as long as I live.  Having my family all together, healthy, happy, laughing, and just enjoying being together is an amazing blessing and a wonderful memory to carry with me.
S -)

Monday Vent - Snarky Friends

 

It's Monday, and right now, I'm laughing because on Friday, my Bright Spot was about how great my friends are. Now it's Monday, and my vent is about how snarky my friends are. OK, so admittedly, MOST of my friends are great MOST of the time. However, every now and then the snarky side sneaks out. I honestly don't have time for snarky friends. Rather, I don't have time for my friends when they are snarky. I usually set them straight and move on, or give them an eye roll and walk away. I can count on an apology within 24 hours. Which, unless they were down right mean, is OK with me.  What really annoys me is the drama. I don't DO drama. Like me or hate me. Pick one.

Now it's your turn. Vent, scream, get it off of your chest, and move on!

=J

p.s. This is a photo from the 4th of July fireworks. We set up blankets way ahead of time to mark our space. Notice how ugly this one is? No one else would dare claim it! This is a photo of my niece enjoying the fireworks with me and my friends (snarky and otherwise).

Bright Side Friday!

It's Friday, and we have managed to not post anything since last Friday... oops! Things have been a bit crazy to say the least. The 4th of July weekend was wonderful and fun, but it seems like it has taken all week to recover and catch up from it.


I will be honest and let you know that I am having a difficult time coming up with my Bright Side today. It's not that I'm not thankful for all of the things I have, like a roof over my head and a loving family. I just like to find a Bright Side that is something other than that, otherwise that is ALL you will hear from me every week! =) Some days it's easier for me to come up with SEVERAL Monday Vents. This is one of them.

So, after much thought, here is my Bright Side:
Reflecting on the 4th of July weekend, I am glad that we live in such a great community of wonderful people that have become our friends. Everywhere we went, we ran into people that we knew AND liked (lol)! The kids all had fun and so did the adults.

Now it's your turn! Share your Bright Side!

=J

p.s. This photo is from our 4th. If you look over to the left the the fireworks, you can see the crescent moon. I don't ever remember seeing the moon in our fireworks before. It turned really orange that night!

Bright Side Friday! Happy 4th of July!

It's Friday AND it's a LONG weekend for us in the U.S.A.!


So THIS one is EASY!!!!!
My Bright Side: I am looking forward to a fun and relaxing 3 day weekend with family and friends, watching the parade go by, and sitting under the stars to watch the fireworks. BONUS: I don't have to work on Monday! OK, so Tuesday is going to be a bit painful, but it is ALL worth it!

Happy 4th of July to you. Hope it is safe and fun for all.

Now it's YOUR turn! What is your Bright Side?

=J

Bright Side Friday!

I know that I usually start out by commenting, that the fact that it IS Friday, could be a bright side on it's own. I'm still standing by that. This has been one of those weeks that I have felt like I was just trying to survive each day. I didn't even realize I had made it to Friday until I got on Twitter and saw all of the "#FF" and "Happy Friday" postings. I'm still trying to shake off the sleepy from a terrible night's sleep, but knowing that it is Friday has given me strength and a renewed drive. Or, it could be this second cup of coffee that I added chocolate milk to...

Anyways, here is my Bright Side Friday. Please post yours. It makes us all feel better hearing about happy things.

We had terrible storms hit a few days ago. Most people in our area lost their power. We did not. This is a switch as we used to be the ones who ALWAYS lost our power and everyone around us was on. I can't even remember how much food we have had to throw away over the years. This time we were spared. I almost felt a bit guilty. Some were out for 36 hours and others more than 48. To top it off, trees were down all over, including in our back yard. Someone was watching out for us, because it fell parallel to the power lines. Absolutely unbelievable. Thankful. Truly thankful.

=J

P.S. This is a photo of the tree that broke off about 30 feet up. The trunk is on the left between the lines, and the top 60 feet of the tree is on the ground going off towards the right. Weirdest thing about this, is that ALL of the trees in the neighborhood that went down, are pointing in the SAME direction!

Bright Side Friday!

Friday is here! The weekend is upon us. I just got my son back from a 5 day trip he took to visit with a buddy (that moved away before they both turned 4). Those two get together and laugh it up as if they were never apart. It is amazing to both me and the other boy's mom. I'm glad to have him back home, and happy to know I raised such a sweet and confident boy. It was also nice to have some 1 on 1 time with my other son for a few days. I hope that both of my boys keep at least some of their kind ways into their teenage years.

So now for my bright side: It's days like these that make me reflect upon the job I have done so far, as a mother, and realize that perhaps I haven't screwed things up too badly, because I have 2 really great kids. =)

Now it's your turn. Share your Bright Side. I'd love to add to this positive energy!

=J

p.s. This is a photo of them several years ago. In my heart, I always picture them this big. =)

Bright Side Friday!

Hello Everyone! Happy Friday!

Yes, it is back! A great place to share your Bright Side and kick off the weekend right! I know there might be things bothering you right now, but you can come back Monday if you want to vent. Today is for looking at the Bright Side of things.

Here is mine:
I have finally made myself take some time for ME! I committed to doing some sort of exercise every day in May, even if it is only 15 minutes. I am actually following through with it having done so 17 of the 20 days! Not perfect, but AMAZING for me. I have even started to notice a change in my body and how my clothes fit. I still refuse to get on the scale though! =)

Now it's YOUR TURN! Let us all share in your Bright Side and cheer you on!

=J

P.S. This is a photo of my second born when he was just a little guy. I love this photo. It captures his personality perfectly!

Bright Side Friday

Hi Everyone!

I'm starting a new thing, and I need your help to do it! Every Friday Venti With The Girls is going to have a "Bright Side" blog. The purpose is to kick off the weekend thinking about something positive and cheering on the positive things in the lives of others.

So, I will start:
"I have become involved in an upcoming web magazine. It could potentially bring me some really great new opportunities and a little steady income!"

Your turn!


=J

p.s. I L.O.V.E. this photo of my first born from when he was just a little guy!

Proud Mom

As a mom, I try to do my best at that role for my kids. I give them tools to make good decisions, knowing that I won't always be there to tell them what to do. I give them hugs and tell them that I love them, knowing that I won't always be there to make them feel loved when others try to make them feel unlovable. I give them encouragement and support, knowing that I won't always be there to give them confidence when they are in a challenging situation. I give them guidelines for life, because I know that I won't always be there to make them follow the rules when others tempt them not to.

My heart feels happy when I think of my kids. They are kind, smart, hardworking, courteous, loving, and more. As much as I know this, it is really nice when others notice it too. Good behavior is almost never recognized, and I love when someone other than “mom” reinforces how important it is to be a good person. The other day we were invited to a ceremony honoring STAR kids at school. STAR stands for Students Taking Active Responsibility (Displaying traits of Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring, Honesty, and Good Decision Making). Kids are nominated by teachers and only a handful of kids are selected each year. I was honored to have BOTH of my kids selected for the award! At the ceremony, the principal said something that really resonated with me. He said “You don't have to be the star of the sports team, you don't have to be the star of the play, but just by being you, you are a star every day.” I am proud of the job I've done so far as a mom, and I am proud of my stars.

=J