That's my girl!
......a husband who provides.
......a daughter who loves to clean.
......a car to drive my son to his first day of 2nd grade. 
.....a Dad who is always there for me. 
......a beautiful Mom and sister to share flowers with on Mother's Day. 
......a magic show put on by the cutest magician and his adorable assistant. 
......a home for shelter. 
My niece Shannon gave birth to her second baby on Saturday. Charles Lucas weighed 9 lbs. 4 oz.! WHOA BABY!! He is adorable and we can't wait to meet him. Congratulations Mommy Shannon, Daddy Charlie and Big Sister MacKenzie on the newest addition to your family.
This is our sweet little Sherman 17 years ago. He has followed me around as my little shadow from the first day we brought him home.
This was taken almost 8 years ago, right before Ben was born. I was totally rocking the Tweety Bird maternity shorty-short nightgown, don't ya think? The black ankle socks really topped off this stylish ensemble.
This is towards the beginning of the challenge, at approximately 200 licks. I think Ben is feeling pretty confident.
Pacing himself. 
The pressure seems to be setting in at this point......come on, Ben, you can do this! 
The finish line is within sight......
1,517 licks later, Ben finally got to the center of his Tootsie Roll Pop.
Challenged completed but looped up on sugar......sweet victory!
And yes, the Tooth Fairy visited Ali last night and left her $3 (but only after going to bed first and then suddenly remembering that she was on duty.)
Ali is working on the letter "F" this week. Today we learned a song about fishies and frogs and she loves it! She keeps singing it.
Over.
And over.
And over.
I'm already prepared to have a hard time falling asleep tonight because of this catchy little tune spinning around in my head.
Over.
And over.
And over.
So, without any further ado, I give you your next......AAAAMERICAN IDOLLLL!
I heart saying "ado." Even though I'm not really sure what it means.
(Oh, and I tried to make "American" sound all exciting and dramatic like when Ryan Seacreast says it because that's how I roll.)
I heart this girl......
Apparently, this teenager's mother (God bless her) cancelled his "World of Warcraft" video game account.....whatever that is.
The following madness ensued:
Really? Seriously? This is what is awaiting me in 7-10 years??
And just for the record, would someone please inform me as to what is going on at 1 minute and 11 seconds of his tantrum?
That dude is jank.
Yeah, I know words......I learned "jank" from a very memorable episode of iCarly, in which Carly's teacher is mad at the world because her boyfriend broke up with her and angrily tells her students that "life is jank!" Then proceeds to stalk Carly's older but much less mature brother Spencer......
Did I just do a synopsis of a Nickelodeon show? I probably shouldn't know an episode of a children's show so thoroughly, should I?
Sorry, my bad.
BTW, I learned "my bad" from That's So Raven on the Disney channel.
I should probably stop typing now......
Peace out.
(I don't know where I learned "peace out" but I'm 99.9% positive it was NOT from a children's show. However, I do believe the phrase "I know words" comes from Nickelodeon's Drake and Josh.)
I am Val. I need to grow up.
Good day. I SAID GOOD DAY, DADDY!
(Yes, that's from an episode of Hannah Montana.)
Help me.
This breaks my heart, I don't even know what to say. Noah Biorkman is an adorable 5 year old little boy who lives in Michigan. He has been battling cancer for a couple of years and his doctors now say he may only have a couple weeks to live. His family has asked him what he would like to do this weekend (November 6th-8th) and Noah said he wants to celebrate Christmas.
And the thing Noah wants more than anything in the world is to get lots of Christmas cards. Such a small thing that would mean the world to this brave little guy. And I'm sure to his parents and family, too.
Tomorrow, the kids and I are going to send cards. I think I might ask the kids if they would like to make cards for little Noah.
If you feel led and want to help make a beautiful child's dream come true, will you please send Noah a Christmas card? All it will cost is the price of a card (unless you make one) and a stamp.
Please go here if you would like to read a little more about Noah.
If you wish to send a card, Noah's address is:
Noah Biorkman - 1141 Fountain View Circle, South Lyon, Michigan, 48178
Please keep Noah and his family in your thoughts and prayers this weekend and over the next few weeks. What a heart-wrenching time this must be for this family. Wishing you a very Merry Christmas, Noah!
For the past two weeks, like so many other families, we have been sick. Currently, I'm the one who is down for the count. Besides driving Ben to and from school, I've mostly been home doing mostly nothing. I think I'm coming down with cabin fever, along with this hacking cough and chest congestion. Yes, I definitely have cabin fever.
Or the plague.
Anyway, since I haven't been out of the house much and haven't felt like doing much, my 29 Day Giving Challenge has taken a backseat to all the fun we're having being sick. That's right, fun. Yes, being sick can be fun with the right attitude.
The sick-fun possibilities are endless!
Here are just a few of the perks that await you: you get to stay in your pajamas ALL day (and not just until 3:00 pm like on healthy days); you get to eat whatever you have a taste for, which may or may not include large quantities of Halloween candy and caramel apples; you get to watch the Real Housewives of Atlanta marathon in anticipation of the season premiere of the Real Housewives of Orange County, which everyone knows is by far the superior of the Housewives series; you get to take a hot bath AS MANY TIMES AS YOU WANT because it eases your aches and pains AND you can stay in the tub in the bathroom with the door locked for AS LONG AS YOU WANT and nobody can complain because, after all, you are sick; you get to put your domestic responsibilities temporarily on hold because when you have the plague, a messy house and dirty dishes are the least of your worries; you get to nap, nap, nap your day away; and finally, when you're sick, you get to do......nothing!
I know, I know. As Moms, we don't ever really get to do "nothing." But when we're sick, it's as close to "doing nothing" as motherhood will allow.
Don't get me wrong, I don't prefer being sick. But it's pretty much inevitable, so I like to approach my unhealthyness (it could be a word) with a positive attitude and as much gratitude as my immune system will allow.
I'm a "the glass in half full" kind of girl. I'm upbeat like that. But you already knew that about me right?
Back to my giving challenge. I'm continuing to walk that road but in the comfort of my home wearing my pj's and with a big bowl of Kit Kats in front of me. Sitting on the couch playing Barbies with Ali and reading a book to Ben counts as giving, right?
This is obviously not me reading to Ben but it is Ben reading. Doesn't he look all serious in his 3-D reading glasses?
And now, back to my sick-fun!
I think I'll take a nap......or a bath......or both.
And here's our Kick-A-Poo now. At age 17, he can sleep whenever and where ever he wants......even if it's right under the kitchen table. 
