My gosh- time passes so quickly. I can’t believe it’s Monday (already) again!

I literally sat on my rocker the entire weekend watching Lifetime and A&E while I vegetated…and attempted to stay off my feet. I wasn’t alone though because I had my girls to enjoy it with. What surprised me most is seeing that the girls were actually enjoying the “vegetating” right along with me. It was unbelievable- especially for girls that can’t stay still. Oh, they hung out with me all weekend, except when Kid’s Choice Awards aired on Nickelodeon- that’s the only time they were upstairs and away from me.

I (and the girls) watched it all. The premier of Kristie Alley’s Big Life, the marathon of Gene Simmons Family Jewels (leading up to season 5), the Natalee Holloway story, Amish Grace (sad, sad, harrowing story), The Pregnancy Pact. You name it, we watched it.

These type of shows simply grab me, and it’s not that I “enjoy” these stories, per say. I mean, I do enjoy them but not in the way that you’d think. I love that every one of these shows (stories, movies, features) capture every bit of emotions from me. I laugh, cry, hurt, and, and then some. I like that they make me appreciate what I have a little more, that it reminds me about the beautiful things in my life (kids, husband, health, a house, etc.). Shows like the ones on lifetime make me want to hold my kids just a little tighter (and boy do they make me cry). The shows on A&E are reality at it’s finest, and I’m not talking the fighting, bickering and stupid nonsense that normally airs on the other shows. I’m talking true to life reality shows that you want to sit and watch. I love them…

Anyways. So as I was watching all of these shows; I began to ponder a few things and even question myself (never aloud, just a basic in-my-head sort of thing). I thought about things like: my life, where I am, where I came from, what I’m doing, my fears, my joys, my hurts. I asked myself questions and even watched my kids with much gratitude. It was almost an eye opening weekend. I guess sitting on my butt all weekend did me some good. I didn’t intend to sit around the house, but because of my foot, I had no choice. I really would have much rather been out shopping, going to the park, walking down the beach or something like that, but I really am glad the weekend worked out the way that it did. It gave me time to think and enjoy my surroundings – guilt free.

Okay, there’s a reason for this post. Because my Monday Moment posts are based on “Moments”; they don’t necessarily have to be associated with “Mondays”. So here’s what I’m going to do. I am going to share a few very special pictures of the people in my life that I am very grateful for.

This is a picture of my beautiful parents. Unfortunately, these are the only pictures I have of my father

My girls when they were much younger (and got a long much better)

My mom and all her grand babies…

My beautiful son and I…

There are hundreds and hundreds more (pictures of my kids and I, my husband and I, friends, family), but for now- that’s what I’ll share…I also wanted to say that there are so many wonderful people in my life that I couldn’t live without. There’s my dear friend C Rider and her entire family. My dear friend A and her entire family and so many more. But, then there is also you guys. Yes you.

I am so grateful for all the people that I have ever crossed paths. I think that far too often, without even realizing it, we take our daily lives for granted. There are so many moments we miss, with our kids and our families, because we let life take us on that fast rollercoaster and we loose sight of what really matters. Life is just too short and I realized just how important it is to stop, listen and share the many joys of parenthood, life and love. Thank you all for reading this extra long post today. I guess these shows really made me “think”…

Now it’s your turn (please read part 1 and part 2 for details on this 4 week giveaway event as well as the prize; and this post for a picture of the bag).

PRIZE:

• $10.00 GC to Starbucks
• (1) 4-PK of the new Starbucks Frappuccino light
• Timbuck2 Messenger bag (picture can be seen here) Value: $110.00

Details:

• Giveaway consists of 4 weeks of participation- there will be one winner
• Giveaway will end on April 9th, 2010 at which point I will choose 1 winner from all posts and comments combined
• winner will have 48hours to reply to my notification
• This giveaway is opened to US Residents only

 To get an entry into this 4 week campaign:  you must: comments below by, sharing a moment (an epiphany if you will) where you realized something extraordinary. Maybe a life changing experience, birth of a child. Anything you’d like. I want to hear about your thoughts on a deeper level.

Be sure to read part 1 and part 2 so that you can learn how to gain extra entries and make sure you leave a comment on those postings as well.

Disclosure: this is a 4 week campaign. I received the same prize pack (pictures provided in previous posts) that one winner will receive (via random.org) from all qualifying entries. Every post is written by me and about random things I choose to write about. Thank you.