Reflections

Happy New Years Eve!

This is a time of year when we all try to reflect on the year we are leaving behind, and begin to focus on the year ahead and what we want to accomplish. We lost many good people in 2011, probably one of the most notable was Steve Jobs, as I sit and type away on my Apple Computer I cannot help but think about the technology he left us with. 

Elizabeth Taylor, Lou Gorman, Randy "Macho Man" Savage,  Jeff "Kenickie" Conway, Clarence Clemons and the 463 military men and women are few others that I've been thinking of. (Don't ask why I was thinking of the "Macho Man" I must have been thinking about when I watched Saturday morning wrestling with my big brother when we were younger.)

I think I should also include our local firefighting heroes that we tragically lost in the line of duty this year: Tim Oliveira (Salisbury), Jon Davies (Worcester), and James Rice (Peabody).

But nearest and dearest to my heart would have to be my Uncle Brunello.

 I hadn't visited Italy for quite a while and was able to visit twice between October 2010 and April 2011. That October my uncle was not feeling well and shortly after we left he was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig's disease. What I didn't know about ALS is that it can progress slowly or in my uncle's case very rapidly. That prompted our visit to Italy in April. Brunello passed away in May. I was so blessed to have had the opportunity to visit with him once more, and for my husband and children to meet him. I was amazed to see how quickly the disease had progressed, it is a horrible disease and I pray for a cure in 2012.

If you are going o do anything in 2012 donate to a charity that is near and dear to you, I know I will be!

Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal- unknown.

I am looking forward to a fantastic 2012, lots of things on my mind for this new year. I hope to entertain you with my blog...or bore you to death, but you'll want to keep reading, because you'll never know when I'll talk about how to make shaving cream self portraits with your kids.  

                                Here's to a very happy, healthy, and prosperous 2012!

I know this...time goes by so fast, people go in and out of your life, In My Life I will cherish every moment, and take the time to tell you how important you are to me.

Friday Fun Day

Ok day 1 was easy...tell you a little bit about myself

Day 2 hmmm... and it's Friday to boot, and to most people that signifies the weekend, to me just another day, for those of you who don't know I work for the Electric Company and that means I work crazy hours, rotating shifts, and most days I have no idea what day it is, thankfully my boys keep me on track.

I think I shall deem Fridays as food/beverage/adventure day. I will either post a recipe for a favorite food and or drink, review a local restaurant (not that I ever go out) or talk about a fun adventure. Maybe all 3!!

I think I will start with the adventure.
I booked a sleigh ride a few weeks back for the day after Christmas at Cornerstone Ranch in Princeton. The only reason I did this was because of the deal on Groupon (one of my favorite sites www.Groupon.com ) if you are not familiar with Groupon, you get daily deals sent to your inbox,  great way to save money. We had a good time except that it was a wagon ride instead of sleigh ride, because of the lack of snow (and for the record I am good with no snow). I have to say I probably would not have paid the money they were asking for the tour, but with the discount it was worth it. The gentleman guiding the horses, did nothing but guide them, we didn't get any history of the town of even the horses, which was disappointing. Would we go again, yes, but not without a Groupon discount.

On to food. After the wagon ride, we ended up in Shrewsbury, at Buca De Beppo, it is right on route 9 on the lake. Ok let me say this, I am wicked (yes I said wicked...I am a Bostonian can't help it) picky when it comes to Italian food. Olive Garden is not Italian food, no matter what they tell you, it's not bad, but it's not Italian. Buca De Beppo was excellent! The food is served family style, the portions are big, you can order a small size feeding 2-3 or a large that feeds 4-6 and the food is really good. The kids got Pizza and Fettuccine Alfredo. We started out with cheesy garlic bread, (you can't really mess that up), and fried calamari which was excellent. For the main coarse, Brian really wanted to try the Chicken Carbonara, and then we ordered Chicken Saltimbocca, both were excellent, and like I said the portions were big so we brought some home. So the next time you are in the area of Shrewsbury, head over to Buca De Beppo.

I know this....In My Life,  good food and fun adventures are never guaranteed but spending time with the ones you love makes it worth it!

A little Bit About Me

  If you asked me 25 years ago what I would be doing with my life, I would have told you I am going to be a mom, have everything and be able to do anything I wanted, just like they do on tv. After all that is real life right?

   Well before I tell you how my life came out, let me tell you where I began. I came from an affluent town in Massachusetts. My parents immigrated there from Italy. My parents did an amazing job, moving to a foreign country, not being able to speak the language and learning and adapting well. There were 3 of us, myself and 2 older brothers. Then in 1977 my dad passed away, I  was only 6 when it happened, so memories of my dad are sparse.

   My mom was an amazing woman and despite everything she dealt with she survived. Fast forward to 1986, it was the middle of October and I was supposed to go away for the weekend. My mom never showed up to work. When I got the phone call I immediately ran to her room, where I found her lying on the floor, she had suffered a stroke. She never fully recovered from the stroke and passed away in November after suffering a fatal heart attack.

   So there I was 15 and no mom or dad. My world had come crashing down on me. My fantastic brothers and amazing friends got me through this time of my life, and I turned out pretty good. So at 15 and thinking my life would turn out just like a tv family was the best outlook for me at the time.

   So here we are at the end of 2011...  I am married to my soul mate, which incidentally I met on a blind date, and have 3 boys. Holy cow how did that happen? I work a full time job, and life is not always as easy as I though it would be 25 years ago.

   One of the first things people say to me when we first meet and they learn I have 3 boys is "God bless you". Not really sure why everyone says that, but I have an idea. I always thought it was easier to raise boys than girls, but maybe it's the fact that I have 3 of them?? One thing I know, I am definitely out numbered.

   Why start a blog? When do you have time to do this? Well starting this blog is giving me some "ME" time, and time, well I don't have any but I am giving it a go and we will see. I want to share good times and bad, and also share fun things we do with the kids that may help you with your kids. Now don't get me wrong most of my ideas are related to dealing with boys, can't say I know a thing about raising girls but maybe you'll get an idea of your own.

   So come with me on my journey, share stories, exchange a foolproof recipe, and hopefully get some good laughs as I raise 3 boys!

I know one thing In My Life...I wouldn't change a thing!