NaBloPoMo

it happens when you least expect it

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family rules

Please read this sign, we have one just like it hung on the wall in our kitchen.  It is this sign that we see every day but maybe we don’t read every day or so I thought.

Yesterday was a school holiday and both of our girls were off from school. On top of that my husband was home sick so the four of us had a day together.

It was while having lunch together that it came up, my eight year old daughter asked to try my lunch.  A little back story is that she is somewhat of a picky eater. She eats well, but only the things she knows and likes.  So here she was asking to try my lunch and I asked her what brought about that idea and she pointed to the sign and said “It says try new things.”

So there it was she did read and want to follow what the Family Rules say.  So my lunch was Vegetable Pad Thai a meal I pick up at Trader Joe’s for myself from time to time and have never had to share.  I gave her a forkful to try, and she liked it! Not to be outdone, her younger sister told us it was her duty to try new things too! and she wanted to try my lunch as well! and she liked it too!  Although I didn’t ever think I would be sharing a meal like this, I am happy that they each took a chance and tried something new and by trying it they found another food they like and will continue to eat!

It was just an ordinary Tuesday when it happened and we least expected it!  Hoping this is part of a new trend and that each of our girls will continue to read and understand the many different statements in the sign in our home of Family Rules!

Day 12 of National Blog Posting Month.  To see and read what other bloggers have to say click #NaBloPoMo and enjoy!

a family’s best friend

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What is our family’s best friend you ask? A dog of course, two of them!

I grew up with dogs and wanted to get a dog after I owned a home which came after I was married.  Our first home had a great yard that screamed for the love of a dog.  There was no saying no to me once we were moved in.  Our first dog, Cody, joined our family in August 2001. He was just 9 months old.  We found him in our search of rescue dogs through Golden Gate Lab Rescue.  Our Cody is now almost 14 years old.  Hard to believe!

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It was in 2010 that we accidentally added a second dog to our family. Accidentally you ask? Well it was not that we were looking when Molly a 5-year old Weimaraner joined our family through the Northern California Weimaraner Rescue group.  She had been posted on a flyer that our boarders had and I could not let her go!  Cody had the final say when her foster family brought her to our home and for him, and our girls it was love at first sight!

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It’s hard to believe that almost a year ago, our Princess Molly was diagnosed with canine cancer. We chose a holistic approach for her care for quality of life.  She did enjoy her last months but we did lose her in mid-January.

After being a dog family of two Cody, myself, my husband and our girls were lost without our Molly and just a month after her passing we found our Pepper who was 9 months old through the Rescue Me group.  She and our younger daughter enjoy a very close relationship!

jess and pepper

So here we are back to a family of two dogs.  Cody loved Pepper right away just like us.  It’s great to have these two furry family members greet us when we come home, snuggle us when we need love and just be.  For us it’s having our best friends.

What makes a Real Family?

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the definition of real From the Free Dictionary:
re·al 1 (rē′əl, rēl)
adj.

a. Being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verifiable existence: real objects; a real illness.
b. True and actual; not imaginary, alleged, or ideal: real people, not ghosts; a film based on real life.

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The question what makes a REAL family? seems to infer that we are not actually REAL in our children’s lives.  Our daughter’s each have two REAL families that are part of their lives and love them.

Why do people ask REAL? I’ve been approached and asked in conversation when it is known our family was built through adoption if our girls know their REAL mom? My first thought is that I am as REAL as it gets and then I reply yes in fact they do know and have a relationship with their birth moms and their families. Another question that comes up often is asking if they are REAL sisters? Yes they are, not by blood but through our family they are sisters.

This is when you can decide to educate or walk away. I usually take the effort to educate. I’m not offended when asked this question, it is not asked with malice but more of ignorance on how a family lives in an open adoption. Not everyone is experienced in this. They don’t necessarily know the terminology or quite frankly how it all works. As common as I think our family is in our world, not everyone knows a family like ours.

We are a REAL family ALL of us, we are as REAL as it gets and I am thankful that we are all intertwined as family together with our girls. From our girls’ great grandparents through their siblings from their birth family through to each of our families and each other. The love that surrounds our girls is REAL too and that’s how we like it!

Ask our girls, we, my husband and I, are REAL REAL too!

This my 10th post for National Blog Posting Month, please click #NaBloPoMo to read posts from the many other bloggers participating, Enjoy!

For the thrill of celebrating

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In case you thought I only count down birthdays for my girls … I say “where do you think they learned it from?” ♥  They catch my excitement for me as much as we have for their own birthday countdown!

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Why yes I will be turning 51 in this many days.  Why yes I still countdown to my birthday and look forward to celebrating.  Why should my age stop me?

This year’s birthday is not a significant milestone like last year’s half century mark.  This year’s birthday will be more celebratory as last year we were nursing a sick dog who was just diagnosed with canine cancer and had surgery to remove her spleen and other tumors that were found to be there.

Like every year for as long as I can remember I will enjoy the attention my birthday brings to me! This year my birthday falls on a Sunday of the week both of our girls have off from school for the Thanksgiving break.  So we must come up with a plan.  Having a weekend birthday also means lots more days to celebrate!  Dinner out? Drinks with friends? A trip to Napa/Sonoma?  A day in San Francisco?  So much to plan and think about!

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How do you celebrate your birthday?

This is my post for day 9 of National Blog Posting Month.  Please read the many other bloggers participating in NaBloPoMo and Enjoy!