The Toy Box Years: My Week According To Facebook....

The Creators of the Toy Box Years

The creators of the Toy Box Years are my two beautiful daughters and wonderful, handsome soldier husband.

"Nani" (our oldest) is a 11 year old 6th grader who loves Taylor Swift, ballet, books, fashion designing and sewing. Ask her what she wants to be when she grows up and it changes daily to anything from "an artist" to "a teacher" to "a singer/dancer". Nani is also currently fighting a battle against brain cancer -- recently diagnosed in June 2016.

"Nudgie" (our youngest) is a very smiley, very happy, very giggly, very spirited 8 year old 3rd Grader who's favorite toys are anything that gives mommy an anxiety attack - ladders, stepstools, the climbing wall at the playground. Like her sister, she has a love of reading and coloring, loves gymnastics and still provides mommy lots of snuggle time!

"My Marine" is my high school sweetheart. We've been married over 20 years and met when we were 17. (You do the math....) His favorite toys are Blackhawk helicopters, the lawnmower, our steam cleaner, and microbrew beer bottles. My husband is also my hero in that he proudly serves his country as a Blackhawk crew chief (hence his favorite toy!). And need I say that there is nothing hotter than my man in uniform!

All About Me......

Once upon a time I had a career and worked in the corporate world. Once upon a time, I dreamed about leaving that all behind to follow my true calling -- being a wife and mommy.

The first part of my calling was fulfilled in 1995 when I married my Marine (now soldier) and my love. Little did I know that being a military wife would change me in so many ways and that because of that, I would have an extended family all over the world from Japan, to California, to North Carolina.

The second part of my calling took a little doing, but I finally achieved that dream in 2004 with the birth of our first child, followed 4 years later by her baby sister.

So now, when someone asks me what I do for a living - I simply smile and say proudly that I'm following my calling - I'm a mommy and a wife -- and I couldn't be HAPPIER -- I'm living in the Toy Box Years!!

How sad that in this wonderful techological age that we live in, our face-to-face social interactions have been reduced to just a few words in a little white box on a computer screen? Yeah, yeah....spare me. That little white box has been a ~~life-saver~~ sanity saver for me many, many times. I've found prayer, humor, support, encouragement, a good recipe or two, and crafts to keep my ~~spawn~~ daughters busy.

I love reading my friends' posts. I've reconnected with college pals and even a few friends from high school (one who I most recently discovered lives only 10 FREAKIN' MINUTES AWAY FROM ME!!!) Never would have know that without Facebook!

For those of you who don't follow me - I thought I'd share some of my most recent highlights from the past week.

June 13 at 8:38am
Got an email from my daddy this morning!! He's coming to visit!!! He'll be here for two weeks at the end of July! So excited!!!

June 13 at 9:06pm
Oh am I a proud momma tonight!!! Nani read a whole Step 3 Level book all by herself! It took us almost an hour - but she did it! When I tried to help her, she'd say, "No mommy....I can sound it out all by myself!" So proud of her!!!

June 15 at 1:46pm
So my dishwasher is leaking and I haven't been using it. Nani caught me handwashing dishes and says - "Mommy, you're washing dishes just like on Little House on the Prairie." Yes dear -- and next, I'm going to seal the doors of the bathroom and build an outhouse.....

June 15 at 5:32pm
And my youngest daughter just tried to use a glue stick for chapstick......

June 16 at 7:33pm
Kids are in bed. Time for a glass of wine and Plants vs. Zombies!

June 17 at 10:00pm
Sooooo thanking God tonight that my girls behaved at my FRG meeting tonight and that I didn't have to resort to using the duct tape on them like I threatened to do before we left the car. At least it was hot pink duct tape........

June 18 at 8:20am
Time to take a stand against the laundry. This family room ain't big enough for all the laundry baskets scattered about -- and the girls are now using them to play "island hopping....." "No, no Nudgie....use the baskets to jump on so the sharks on the floor don't eat you!" (The shark being Zoja who just wants a nap....)

So what's on YOUR Facebook status?