By Nicole

WHAT IS THE "BEHIND THE SCENES" LINK UP?  "Behind the Scenes" is a fun link up where we show those photos - but tell the real story behind them.  The sneak peek behind the scenes, a look past the edges of the photo to the real life behind it.   Read more   here ! Want to  link up ?  Click on over and join the fun.  This is my first link up with Crystal, and I am really excited about it! My youngest (and only) girl at just over two years old.  Cute huh? That day, we were running errands in town and I had promised the kids that I would take them to the "castle" park.  Of course, it happened to be a day when there were too many kids around, and I was alone with all three of my own.   This park is my dreaded nightmare park.   One, there are too many places to lose sight of your kid.  I like parks with swings, maybe a slide, maybe some monkey bars.  I don't like parks with houses and towers and ...

When we were young, my mom had a notebook that she used to record all of the cute and funny things we said.  Of course, she was a single mom of four kids under the age of 6, so there were very few things that actually got recorded.  We cherished that book... each of us had a few written memories, and we would read and reread them to one another.  So, when my kids were born, I got each of them a book.  My intentions were just as good as my mother's... but their books are mostly empty.  I've ended up using Facebook and blog posts more often than pen and paper.  I even got desperate in the car one day and voice recorded a few priceless events.  Here are a few that happened over the last month: We all rush in to the awards night for our Olympic Weight Loss Challenge.  The room is packed, auditorium style.  I have Leilee on my lap.  Jason has the boys on his.  They call up each contestant, say the percentage of weight they los...

Saturday night, after about 3 hours of online shopping and listmaking and checking off and checking out, Jason and I called it a night.  Before the shopping marathon, we also decorated the tree with the kids and set out the rest of the Christmas stuff.  Our house has lights and a tree and Christmas decorations. We drank coffee and hot chocolate from Christmas coffee cups!  As I write this, I feel like I should be filled with joy and cinnamon and a happy "light"ness that comes with the Christmas season. There should be peace and a bubbling anticipation of Christmas Day and time with family and celebrating the birth of Christ. Yet, instead, I have knots in my stomach and a little bit of dread mixed with guilt churning into anxiety.  Saturday night, I stayed awake in bed for what felt like hours with my heart pounding and my mind swirling... all the things I need to get done and haven't.  The traditions we have started and expectations we have set and...

On the way home from work today, I changed the CD in the stereo.  The kids and I have had the same one in for a few weeks now, and they have the numbers of the songs that they love memorized.  Every once in a while, I throw them off and change it up.  Jason goes bonkers driving in the car with us because we change CDs so rarely.  If you saw the inside of my car you would understand why I don't want to add a bulky CD case to the chaos.  So, something got me thinking about how songs are linked to so many of our memories.  Music has a way of sticking itself to the most memorable of moments in our lives.  Sometimes sad, sometimes happy, sometimes a just plain, weird memory that you can't figure out why your brain hasn't emptied that part of the recycle bin yet.  It takes up space for no apparent reason, and there is usually a song stuck to it.  I have certain artists or genres of music that bring back memories, like Nelly ...