The Party's Over...

Well, Christmas has come and gone. It won't be long and we'll be saying, "I can't believe it's Christmas already!" Funny how it always sneaks up on us. And comes faster and faster every year.

We started our Christmas festivities on Christmas Eve Eve for my family's gathering. The kids got lots of stuff. Some really good stuff and some J-U-N-K. But don't tell anyone I said that. I wish I knew what to do with not one, but TWO dog puppets that bark to the tune of "Doggy in the Window" and "B-I-N-G-O" and "Its a Small World". However, in the same gift bags with those treasures was two bags of "The Original" Gummy Bears. YUMMY! Too bad the kids like them too. Almost everything else was something we asked for or something that I had pre-approved.

My favorite moment was when I gave a "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" DVD to my sister and wrapped it up from "Hermie". No one knew who Hermie was. Do you?

I'll give you a hint. He wanted to be a dentist. Maybe I should have wrapped it up from Dr. Hermie, DMD. Do you think that would have made it a little bit more obvious?

Our family Christmas on Christmas morning was all for the kids. My 4 year old woke up at 7 and hubs was not going to be home for about an hour, so I told him to get in bed with me and go back to sleep. He laid there for about 30 seconds and said, "I'm going to play on the computer." 30 seconds after that, he came running in telling me that there were presents under the Christmas Tree! He said, "And some of them aren't even wrapped!" I managed to hold him off until everyone was awake and home. Much fun was had by all. Mostly the kids.

Our next Christmas was at my MIL's. Her parents and my SIL and her family were all there. I don't understand how they open their Christmas presents. It's a big melee. They just give out presents as fast as they can and everybody digs into them. You don't get to see what anyone gets and you don't get a chance to take any photos, because you are so busy opening up all of the presents that you have to open. It's a speed race with no winner. There are always tons of gifts wrapped. This year, my MIL seemed unhappy for some reason. She seemed to be sitting and sulking for much of the day after opening her gifts. Maybe she didn't like the kitchen faucet. Or the GPS that we got for her. Or maybe it was my imagination. I don't think anyone else noticed. I might be paranoid. After all, she is my mother in law.

And finally, we had Christmas a couple of days later at my FIL's. That was the best Christmas present for me, because they kept my two little ones for a couple of days. In fact, they are still there as I write. YAY!

Silent night takes on a whole new meaning.

Yesterday, after getting up at 10am, (yes TEN O'CLOCK in the morning!) we went to "breakfast" at IHOP where we laughed at all of the people with their children and wondered if that is what we look like when we are out with ours. Then we went to Target and immediately went to the children's clothing and the toys. Everything we bought was for the kids. What were we thinking? And last night was the grand dinner out at a swanky Italian place here where I enjoyed myself beyond imagination. Just to eat dinner out without having to say, "Get out from under the table!" Ahh. Just savoring every delicious bite. Mmmmm.

We will get them back tomorrow. Today I am cleaning and throwing things out that would never get thrown out if they were here.

Thank Heaven for Grandparents!

So how was Christmas for you?

Not so bad

Well, I got out early yesterday morning and I got to Old Navy in time to get a $20 gift card. YAY! That means that I got a pair of jeans for ME! I also bought most everything there for people who were difficult to buy for. AND I spent LESS than $100! Everything was on sale and they had some really cute stuff in there.

Then I went to pick up the kids' pictures from Sears and to Target for the kids' stuff. I spent more at Target than I wanted to. Oh well. Then, later, I went to Freds. (Freds is one of those stores that my grandmother used to call a "5 and dime".) Anyway, they had some really good stuff for my 2 year old and it was cheap.

Maybe the strangest gift we are giving is a kitchen sink faucet to my MIL and my FIL and his wife. I got a new one a couple of years ago and I figured that they need one too.

So we only have one thing to pick up today. And then we're done.

How about you? What are you giving? Getting?

The Goose is Getting Fat

Remember that song, "Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat, please to put a penny in the old man's hat"? Well, the code for

youbetterhurryupandfinishshoppingandwrappingforChristmas

is "The Goose is Getting Fat". The kids don't know what it means and it makes me laugh. If I didn't laugh, I would cry.

I have done very little to no shopping and I haven't wrapped a single thing. I have never waited until the very last minute before and it is making me just a little bit crazy. But you see, I can't go when the kids are with me because they want one of everything and I can't buy them gifts when they are with me, so I have to wait until I can either find a sitter or my husband is home, which will be tomorrow and that is the Saturday before Christmas on Tuesday. (Can you sense my desperation?) Which I would imagine will be a hair raising experience.

So, wish me luck. Hopefully there will be many sales and much peace and goodwill toward men. and me.

I'm still here, sort of.

Where has the time gone?

I cant' believe that I haven't posted ANYTHING in over a month. Well, it isn't because I have been decorating for Christmas, or Christmas shopping or anything like that. (I have done some of that, but that isn't what takes up all of my blogging time.)

Well, you see, I have discovered Google Reader. Thanks, Comfy Denim, for that. (By the way, I tried to go with Bloglines, but I never received the confirmation email from them and so I could never access the site. What is that about?)

Now, it is so much easier to read all of the blogs I love. In fact, it is so much easier to read them that I find myself reading all of the blogs which leaves me little or no time to write anything. In comparison to all of the wonderful writers out there, it seems that anything I would have to say pales in comparison.

So, thanks ComfyDenim. She periodically checks in on me and leaves me a comment just to let me know that there is still someone out there.

Yes, I'm still here. Hopefully, I'll think of something to write about. At least more frequently than once a month.

Blogging issues

I think blogging is difficult. Difficult because most of the time I feel like I am writing to myself. I usually have lots of ideas to blog about, but it is usually hard to decide what is appropriate for my blog audience of, hmmm, well whoever might stumble upon my blog and ComfyDenim of Notes from the Laundry Pile.

In my "real life", I have seldom come across with a good first impression and a few people who I have become close to have confirmed that they really didn't like me when they first met me. I really wonder if that is why I don't feel comfortable even in the relative anonymity of blogging.

I am even hesitant to write comments on other blogs. I think it comes from feeling intimidated by the "popular" girls and their groups of friends and/or groupies.

I am nearly 40 years old (!) and am still struggling with adolescent issues like "cliques" and who is more popular than whom and whether I would be accepted in their circles. What is wrong with that picture? Does everybody struggle with acceptance or do I have some repressed (or even not repressed) memories that keep me from my true potential of having more abundant relationships with others?

Any amateur psychiatrists want to chime in on this one?

Grocery Budget Reductions

In one of my previous posts, I mentioned that we spend a boat load good bit of money on food. Well, I realized that this is a money pit huge burden on our family and so I have made some changes.

First, I started doing the grocery shopping. When I married my wonderful husband, I found that he was a better cook, house cleaner and grocery shopper than I was. He never needed to plan meals or make out a grocery list, he just always seemed to have everything he needed in his pantry. I still don't know exactly how he did that, because I plan, make lists and it never fails that I forget something.

When my husband went shopping, he refused to use any coupons. He always went to the same grocery store, no matter what might have been on sale anywhere else. He would have gone to this same grocery store even if all of the other stores were giving away free food. I know how easy it is to get stuck in a rut, but when I started doing the grocery shopping, I found out that the one store where he went every week, without any coupons, was the most expensive of all of the grocery stores in our area. (I do like their meat though, and many times, I will go there for meat and a few things they only sell there.)

The next thing I did was start clipping coupons in the Sunday paper. I only clip the coupons for the things we need and use. That way, I'm not tempted to buy anything that will go to waste. I noticed that the grocery receipt says how much money you save and I was very proud of myself for all of the money I saved with my coupons. It still didn't seem to really make much of a difference in our budget. Then I read a blog post somewhere (I can't remember where, or I would link to it here) about a mother of four who doesn't pay for toiletries anymore. She uses coupons and some other deals to get everything without paying for them out of pocket.

This is baffling to me. I have read stories and seen shows about people who buy $250 of groceries and pay $3.24. I always thought that these people were buying stuff just because it was on sale and they had a coupon. I would probably buy this stuff and it would go to waste because I would never use it, plus I would still have to buy the stuff I would actually use and it would cost twice as much to get stuff on sale.

Finally, I have been reading and learning how to do these really great deals. The best information, so far, has come from a little e-course called Supermarket Savings 101. It comes with an e-book, six audio lessons and six bonus books. There is more, but you should check it out for yourself. If you want to see some of the ongoing updates check out moneysavingmom.com.

I can't wait to write more of an update on our grocery budget and how all of this is working for us. I'll keep you posted. Let me know if you have any other ideas for reducing the grocery store budget.

Looking for answers about worms and butterflies

As I was reading the newspaper one morning, my 4 year old was coloring a picture. He came to me and asked, "Mommy, do worms have ears?"

"I don't know, why do you ask?", I said.

He was coloring a picture and needed to know if it would be correct to draw ears on the worm. I told him that I thought if they do have ears, that they probably wouldn't be the kind that you can see.

Today, he was coloring as I was cleaning up after lunch. "Mommy?", he called. "Do butterflies have toes?"

I'm sure I don't know the answer to these questions. Anyone else know?

Win a Wii? Pick Mii!! Pick Mii!!

I am already starting to panic a little about Christmas this year and it isn't even Halloween. I just don't know how we are going to stay out of debt and get all of the gifts for all of our friends and family this year, but it has been my goal not to use any credit for our Christmas gifts this year.

I have been trying to plan our gifts and do as much shopping online as possible. I think that by planning ahead I can get a better deal with some of the sales and deals online. For example, did you know you can save money by using coupon codes when you shop online? UltimateCoupons.com offers tons of great online coupons for hundreds of online merchants to help you get free shipping or dollars off your regular purchases.

One of the things I want my kids want for Christmas is a Wii, but they're a little bit expensive. How does a free one sound? You can Win a Nintendo Wii from the ultimatecoupons.com blog EverybodyLovesCoupons. Hurry though. The contest ends on October 31st.

Just nod if you can hear me

OK, if there is anyone out there to read this post, I need some help.

What is an RSS feeder or RSS reader? Here is why I ask. I have a list of blogs that I like to read daily or at least some days. I just hate to keep clicking on them all day if there is some way I can have an automatic notification that there is new content.

So, I realize that I have been less than regular lately with my own blogging even though I really, really want to participate in the Fall Reading Thing and in some contests and I have some really good stories to tell about things that have happened and blogs and websites I have found.

But that is all for a later time. Please tell me about RSS please. Anyone?

Wordless Wednesday: See ya later! First day

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Wordless Wednesday--My Protege

Tackle it Tuesday: Randomness

OK, this isn't going to seem like a Tackle post, but maybe I will get around to that.

I'll start by saying that I hate to go to bed. I don't know why, because I am tired and I know I won't want to get up in the morning, but I hate to go to bed. I didn't like it as a kid either. I don't know why, exactly. It's not like I am going to miss anything.

Next, I may have found evidence of a mouse (gasp) in our pantry! (gasp again!) So, my husband set a trap and I am too afraid to look at it before he does. In fact, I am too afraid to even open the pantry door.

I started a new book, Quaker Summer by Lisa Samson yesterday.

So for my Tackle this week, I am going to first, get up. Try not to think of me as an overachiever. Then, I am going to wait for my husband to tell me the news about the mouse and probably scrub the kitchen and pantry from top to bottom (Updated to add: There was no mouse this morning.) and finally, curl up later with my book and hope to make a big dent in it.

And if anyone wants to know about last week's tackle, we survived the doctor with 4 shots for my four year old and a shot and a finger stick for my two year old. I was the only one who cried.

The Best Contest Yet!

5 Minutes for Mom is giving away a 37 inch Flat-Panel LCD HDTV!!!

This is a TV valued at $799.99 and you can see all of the details about the TV by clicking here. The contest will be open until August 17 when they will announce the winner. Oh, I hope it's me! I can already see it hanging on my wall.

Thanks to Best Buy for sponsoring this great contest. Now go check it out and enter to win!

Wordless Wednesday: What Big Brothers Are For

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Also, feel free to read the rest of my blog and leave me some feedback! I love comments!

Tackle it Tuesday: Doctor Goodwill

Today, I am tackling going to the pediatrician with my two and four year olds for their annual check-ups. I really hope they don't need any shots. They change the immunization schedules so often that I really can't keep up.

Also, I am donating a bunch of clothes to the GoodWill that my mother in law gave me. There are over 30 pairs of pants in there. They are all too long for me, even though they all come up ABOVE my natural waist, and in case you're not familiar with the fashion trends of the last few years, that is just not in style now. See below:



It is my natural inclination to keep all of them just in case they ever come back in style, but our house just isn't big enough.

That's it. Have a fun Tuesday!

Last Friday, my husband cut the grass early in the morning. On one of his trips through the house from the front yard to the back yard, he passed by me and casually said, "Somebody stole the gargoyle."

I was left with my mouth gaping open in complete disbelief. I could not believe that anyone would come into our flower garden/bushes right under the window of my sleeping daughter and within 10 feet of our front door to take a 25 pound cement statue of a gargoyle. (Not that I am really that attached to it, but it was our gargoyle. My husband had it for years and actually used it for it's intended purpose in a fountain he had at one time.)

Anyway, I told our neighbors, my mother, I sent an email to our neighborhood association and basically anyone who would listen long enough to hear that SOMEBODY STOLE OUR GARGOYLE! RIGHT IN FRONT OF OUR HOUSE! If you've ever had anything stolen, you probably know the feeling I had. I couldn't get it off of my mind.

This morning, when my husband got home from work, he was getting in the bed and as casually as he told me that somebody stole it, he said, "Gargoyle's back."

Again, I was open mouthed saying, "REALLY!?!! YOU'RE KIDDING!?" I then told him that I had prayed about it just last night. He said, "You must have really wanted that gargoyle back."

I explained, "I didn't pray about the gargoyle. I prayed that God would convict the heart of whoever took it and God answered that prayer. That's UNBELIEVABLE!"

Then, he asked, "Well that's why you pray, isn't it?"

And I answered, "Well, yes, but usually you don't get something so concrete!" (Pun intended.)

Get it? So CONCRETE!

I'll wait for you to get it. And laugh.

OK, so in my Daily Devotional this morning, the first sentence reads, "It is the unbelievable, supernatural replenishment that awakens the world to see the mighty power of God." And I believe that even applies to stolen gargoyles. And I'm telling the world. Or anyone who will stop long enough to hear (or read).

Act Like It

Today I was riding in the car and for some reason, my son decided to turn on his whiny voice and cry and fuss. So, in my most unprofessional mommy thing to do, I said to my 2 year old daughter, "Do you hear the baby crying?"

This, of course, sent him off the edge and he protested, "I'M NOT A BABY! I'M FOUR YEARS OLD!"

I said to him, "Well, you wouldn't know it by the way you're acting! If you're such a BIG BOY, you should ACT LIKE IT!"

Things got quiet in the car after that, but during the quiet time, it reminded me that there is an example of the same thing in adult life. For example, if you have ever, or do proclaim to be a Christian you should act like it. And I don't just mean superficially running around singing "Praise the Lord" with a fake smile. I mean really. I mean a real live imperfect human being who is saved only by the grace of God and not by anything he or she ever has ever or could ever do for him or herself. I mean a person who knows that being a Christian is not walking down the aisle during the chorus of "Just As I Am" and getting baptized, but an ongoing relationship with God Almighty and striving daily to enhance his/her personal relationship with His perfect human son Jesus Christ. And I mean someone who knows why it is important to do that. Someone who knows what an awesome responsiblity and privilege it is to be a Christian; to build a Christian home, and that they need the support and fellowship of other Christians to do that.

It occurred to me that just like my son backslides into acting like a baby, Christians backslide into unchristian-like behavior. Sometimes we just need to be reminded to act like what we say we are. Are you a Christian? Are YOU acting like it?

Contest for a Scanalizer and I want one!

One of my favorite web sites, 5minutesfor mom, is giving away TEN NeatReceipts Scanalizers!

"What in the world is a Scanailzer?" You ask? Well, let me tell you that it is the coolest thing I've seen in a long time. You can see all about it here.

I think it is the answer to alot of my household paper clutter taming. I like to keep so many receipts, bills, insurance papers, pay stubs and other papers that would be so much easier to keep track of if they were in one nice neat file in my computer instead of in so many piles all over file drawers in my house.

Not to mention that it could be a way to track prices at grocery stores. I posted here about our rabid grocery spending and since then I have started keeping receipts and clipping coupons. The Scanalizer looks like a perfect way to keep up a computerized price book for sales and good deals.

Click here to see the NeatReceipts website and view the demo video. I think you'll like it too!

Wordless Wednesday: God Bless America

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Tackle it Tuesday: Accomplishments

1. I bought the circus tickets. Saved $18.80 for not just doing it on the phone.
2. Went to the furniture store. The stuff that was on sale was junk. Saved gobs of money for not buying anything. At all.
3. Started reading a book. I read 3 chapters. This book is HEAVY DUTY. Have to think about it. I'll review it when I finish. Hopefully soon.
4. Did a load of laundry. Hey, it's better than nothing.
5. Closet 6. Computer desk and 7. My desk will have to wait. Oh well.
8. Bought 10 pounds of potatoes. We'll fire up the fish cooker tomorrow and boil them. I also bought a new potato masher today. I was thinkin' ahead.
9. Web page will wait for another day.
10. Kids and I played outside for a little while this afternoon. We read some books. Sang songs. Listened to our Bible school song CD. You know, all of that fun stuff.

All in all, it was a pretty productive day.

Tackle it Tuesday: Top 10

This is my list of things to do. I wish I felt motivated to do even one of them.

1. Go to colleseum and buy circus tickets. (If you buy them online or on the phone it costs $18.80 more for 4 tickets. That's ridiculous.)
2. Go to furniture store. (They're having a sale.)
3. Read some of my to be read list. (See my posts on Spring Reading Thing. I was quite ambitious and not so successful, so I still have a bunch of books to be read. Not to mention that I've bought more books since then. I think it's an illness. I just love buying books.)
4. Get a handle on our laundry epidemic. (Nothing new or different.)
5. Clean out my son's closet. (He piles all kinds of things in there. There is no telling what I'll find.)
6. Clean off top of computer desk. (Its a real mess.)
7. Clean out my desk. (It's full of stuff from 3-K and other "important" stuff. If I need anything "important", I'll never find it.)
8. Fix mashed potatoes for 50 people. (We are supposed to bring the mashed potatoes to the July 4th festivities tomorrow. I don't have a clue how many pounds of potatoes to get.)
9. Learn how to make a web page. (Something I've been wanting to do ever since I started blogging. I really want to learn how to design without having to enroll in school for it. I wonder how you do that?)
10. Play with the kids, maybe go swimming this afternoon. (Find something engaging and/or educational for them to do.)

I'll post again if I get anything done.

The Reason for the Name of my Blog

The last time I went to church was on April 1st. (I feel very bad about this and I figure that confession is good for the soul so I am telling any/all one of you in the bloggy world.) But I'll tell you why.

On April 1st which so aptly is also April Fool's Day, I had nursery duty with the 2 year olds, which is a good thing since it is the room my daughter is in. What I didn't count on is that there would be about 15 or 650 OTHER 2 year olds in there too, one of which was carrying some vile nausea/vomiting and diarrhea virus and another of which was carrying a sinus infection, which we caught by Tuesday night/Wednesday of that week. And kept for the next, oh, month.

I swore that I would never take her back to church until she stops putting toys in her mouth. Or until I thought all of the children would be well and not carrying germs. Ha.

Anyway, every week after we got well, either I would get my son and myself ready to go and something would happen or my husband would not be home to keep my daughter. So of course today is no exception.

I got up and got myself in the shower before the kids woke up. Actually my daughter was awake, but she can usually entertain herself until I get in there. So, as I am rinsing the shampoo out of my hair, my son comes into the bathroom. I said, "Good Morning!"

Instead of hearing the "Good Morning Mommy" that I usually hear in response, he said, "MOM! You're never going to believe this!"

I thought he had a dream to tell me about.

He continues, "Sissy went POOPIE in her BED!"

Oh great.

So, I go in there and find a mess, but one that is manageable. (I had envisioned her with her diaper in her hand and poop everywhere.) Thankfully, it was just a little leakage. So, I get her all cleaned up and before long, I smelled it again.

I was still planning to go to church with my son, until after breakfast when he was supposed to be brushing his teeth. He ended up having some sort of crying jag for no reason discernible to anyone except for him. I still have no idea what happened to him. By the time all of the excitement died down, it was 15 minutes AFTER the beginning of Sunday School.

Next week it is my turn to be in the nursery again. I guess we'll see if any of the 2 year olds who are there have icky bugs to give to the rest of the kids, because if there is one present, we will get it and bring it home and have it for the next month.

At least I'll make it to church.

Wordless Wednesday: Summer picture story

The anticipation is half the fun.

OK, I know the number of flotation devices is a little overkill.
Nervous mother here.

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Spring Reading Thing Wrap-Up

I can't believe that Spring is already over. And I had such high hopes for my reading this spring. I found out that I don't have as much time to read as I would like.

Let's refresh everyone's memory of the books I read and reviewed:

When Joy Came to Stay by Karen Kingsbury
Be Intolerant: Because Some Things Are Just Stupid by Ryan Dobson
How to Lead Your Child to Christ Robert & Bobbie Wolgemuth

What was the best book you read this spring? None of the (three whole) books I read this spring would make it to my "best book" list. If I had to pick a best book, I think it would be Be Intolerant: Because Some Things Are Just Stupid by Ryan Dobson. In a nutshell, it is a straight-forward look at why it is not necessarily a christian virtue to tolerate everything.

Did you try out a new author this spring? If so, which one, and will you be reading that author again? All of the books I read were new (to me) authors. I would like to read some more of Karen Kingsbury.

If there were books you didn't finish, tell us why. Many of my books were books I had already started and not finished. I was hoping that this challenge would give me the motivation to finish more of them.

Did you come across a book or two on other participants' lists that you're planning to add to your own to-be-read pile? Which ones? The book Quaker Summer by Lisa Samson was one I had read about and bought. I read the first chapter, shortly after buying it but sadly, I haven't looked at it anymore. I am planning to get to it very soon.

What did you learn -- about anything -- through this challenge? I learned that I shouldn't pick so many books. It doesn't change the fact that I still have those books to read, but I shouldn't air my dirty (book) laundry for all of the bloggy world to see. I learned that having a two and a four year old keeps me too busy to read as much as I would like.

Would you be interested in participating in another reading challenge this fall? Absolutely!

Thanks to Callapidder Days for hosting the Spring Reading Thing!

Go Thank a Firefighter Today

Daddies and sons, brothers and friends. Heroes among us.

Vacation Planning

Recently, my son who is now 4 has been asking to go to the beach. Every single day he asks, "Are we going to the beach today?" Unfortunately, we live just out of the reach of going just for the day, so I have been trying to find a reasonable place to go for a reasonable price. This is not an easy task, my friends. I have tried some of the online travel agent services, but found that they were difficult to use and lacked much information. Sometimes you can go through a realtor for beach house rentals, but one of the problem I found with that was that you have to rent a house for an entire week when all I want is one or two nights. If you go to the hotel chain web sites, you get a very high rate when there might be a smaller non-chain place next door that is cheaper.

I found a site today that seems to be easier to use and has some really great deals. The site is all about Cheap Hotels.

You can find hotels, motels, resorts, and vacations rentals all over the United States and even all over the world. The prices I found for a vacation rental at the beach, (even at the last minute in the middle of the summer) are better than any of the other sites I have searched and they give information about the location of the beach and activities in relation to the hotel. There is a rating of each hotel listed and all of the amenities that the hotels offer. Special discounts on some of the packages bring the prices even lower. In fact, I found some beachfront vacation rentals that include a kitchen, separate bedrooms and a pool for less than $150/night and there is not a minimum 7 day stay.

And while I was searching, I looked at some vacation ideas for my husband and me to get away from the kids for a few days. You can browse major vacation cities with one click, get rental car and air rates and get rebates and special promotions like coupons for gas just for booking your vacation through this site. They even have a lowest rate guarantee!

I put this site in my favorites so that I can go back to them easily when I am ready to book vacations. It looks like it might be easier to go to the beach after all.

This post sponsored by hotelreservations.com.

All About Animals Day Camp

This is the week for my son's "camp". He goes from 9-12 this week and the theme is "All About Animals". When I picked him up, he had a bird house that he had painted and decorated. I asked him if he had a good time and if he learned about birds today. He looked at me as if I had asked him if they learned quantum physics and he said, "No. Why would we learn about birds?" So I then said, "Well, what did you learn?" and he answered, "We learned that all dogs need to go to the jap-a-narian."

I wonder what he'll learn tomorrow.

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A Tribute

Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints. Psalm 116:15

I learned this morning that Ruth Bell Graham went home to be with the LORD yesterday. This is a sad occasion for those who are left here a little longer without her. Her husband, the great Rev. Billy Graham released a beautiful statement following her death. Part of the statement said, "Ruth was my life partner, and we were called by God as a team. No one else could have borne the load that she carried. She was a vital and integral part of our ministry, and my work throught the years would have been impossible without her encouragement and support... I will miss her terribly, and look forward even more to the day I can join her in Heaven."

Isn't that a beautiful tribute from a husband? He really appreciated what she was for him and understood that they had a calling together. God did not just call him, but him with her by his side.

I can only pray that my own husband and I can be such a TEAM called to do our job from God, even if that job is only within our own home with our own children and not with the world, as the Grahams have done.

Go to this blog post on 5 minutes for mom for another beautiful tribute to this godly lady.

Wordless Wednesday: Fun in the Sun

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Tell Your Blogging Story

OK, so I'm a day late and a dollar short. It's the story of my life. I seem to be late or last minute all. the. time. Anyway, I see that the Mr Linky on Chilihead's blog is still active, so I'm going to post this anyway.

How did you start blogging?
Actually, I started blogging because I read on the internet that you can make money by blogging. It gave the directions on how to start a blog and I started reading blogs just to see what I wanted to do with mine, you know, if I ever started one. I found some really funny "Mommy" blogs and some money making blogs. Those weren't funny, though. They were mostly boring and so I found myself going back to the funny mommy blogs over and over to read just "a little bit more". I so want to be one of those funny mommy bloggers because sometimes things happen when you have a toddler and a pre-schooler that you just can't keep to yourself.

Did you intend to be a blog w/a following? If so, how did you go about it?
I guess I didn't really go about trying to get traffic to my mommy blog unless you consider entering contests, Mr Linkys for memes or carnivals or book reading or what have you. I have left just a few comments on other people's blogs, but I tend to be a serial lurker. (This shows in my blog's web stats and the number of comments I get, by the way. Almost NO ONE sees this blog and those who do find it by mistake. And stay on it for "0 seconds". However you do that.)

What do you hope to achieve or accomplish with your blog? Have you been successful? If not, do you have a plan to achieve those goals?
I hope to one day turn into a really hilarious blogger. Like so many of the people whose blogs I regularly visit. I have not been successful because I am not naturally a funny person. My plan to achieve this goal is to keep reading these blogs and hope that some of it rubs off on me.

Has the focus of your blog changed since you started blogging? How?
Some of my previous posts are very serious. That would be NOT what I am going after. However, I do keep my options open.

What do you know now that you wish you'd known when you started?
Good question. I am still on the learning curve and some of the things I still want to know are things like blog design, how to put things like video or other things in my posts and other of the blogging mysteries. Also, where do you find time to blog when there are so many great blogs out there to read? It seems like I am reading all of the blogs and then the whole day (or time to be on the computer) is gone.

Do you make money with your blog?
Despite it being the reason I started blogging, I have not made one red cent.

Does your immediate or extended family know about your blog? If so, do they read it? If not, why?
No one that I know knows about my blog. Why? Well, I don't really know. I guess I wanted to have a certain amount of anonymity. If they find it, that's OK, but I don't think they will, because none of them are "computer" people and they may not even know what a blog is.

What two pieces of advice would you give to a new blogger?
I have no advice. I'm too new at it myself. I guess you should look at your motives for blogging and just do it.

Happy Birthday Bub!

Happy Birthday to you!

It is so hard to believe that my baby is already 4. He told me a month or two ago that he didn't think he wanted to turn 4. I asked him why and he said because he likes being 3. Secretly, I was thinking that I don't want him to turn 4 either. That I want him to stay my cute little 3 year old forever.

Really, that's not true either. I do want him to grow into a fine man. I want so much to enjoy every moment of this time with him. I just wish it didn't go by so fast.

Book Review: How to Lead Your Child to Christ

I finally finished this book. It really is unbelievable how long it took me to read this, but I guess having a 2 and 3 year old is a little time consuming.

The book is How to Lead Your Child to Christ Robert & Bobbie Wolgemuth and I purchased it from Focus on the Family. It comes with a CD that has some favorite Hymns and the book is written with these songs as a basis for the chapters. It is really well written and has sections for parents to read and sections for parents to read to your child.

I have very young children, but I have been taking them to church and teach Bible verses from the time they could talk. For example, I taught my son "Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the LORD." When he is disobedient, I have him tell me the verse and explain that I didn't make that rule up, God did. Another good verse is "Do all things without complaining and disputing." When he learned that verse, he could barely say "disputing", but the point was that when he cried about having to pick up his toys, this was another rule that God made up. Not Mommy. (Some of the verses I taught him are even reminders for me when it is time to do the laundry or clean up the kitchen.)

This book has lots of ideas for parents of older (than my) children and a few even for toddlers and pre-schoolers. I think that it will be a valuable resource for my children as they grow older.

I think one point worth remembering (that you don't have to read the book for) is that the best way to lead your child to Christ is to follow Him yourself and be the example for your children. Consistently praying for and with your children and having daily talks about God and Jesus and telling and reading Bible stories together are a good habit to start early.

I'm just wondering, what other ways do you incorporate in your family to help your children find the path to Christ?

Wordless Wednesday: My future's so bright...

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Happy Norway Day!

Something you might not know about me is that I am half Norwegian. Apparently I am in good company as a descendant of Norway. Check out this list of other Norwegian Americans.

Today is syttende mai. It is the Norwegian Constitution Day!

That means everyone should:

1. eat your lutefisk and lefse
2. tell all of your Ole and Lena jokes (be sure to at least look at the Ole and Lena jokes, some of them are really funny)
3. wear your bunad or traditional Norwegian dress
4. have a parade while waving your Norwegian flags

At least that's what we're going to do. Except for the lutefisk and lefse. Yuck. Poached salmon for dinner sounds good though.


Happy Norway Day!

I can't resist telling this one joke my father used to tell. He wasn't much of a joke teller, as he usually told the punch line before the joke, so forgive me if it isn't funny, but it reminds me of him. Ole and Sven had been out in the woods looking for a Christmas tree all day long, and couldn't find one. They were getting really tired so Ole says to Sven, "We're chopping down the next one, even if it doesn't have lights."

Thank you! And Good Night!

Wordless Wednesday

This was my son's end of the year program for his two day 3-K. I was working and so my husband and his dad went. I got to see the video tape, but my son won't tell me the words to the songs (which are difficult to understand) because he says, "MOM. They're ONLY for PROGRAMS".

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Book Review: Be Intolerant

Be Intolerant: Because Some Things Are Just Stupid
by Ryan Dobson


While this book was not on my official SRT book list, I had been reading this book on and off for several months. It is only 120 pages, but I would always put it down when I felt uncomfortable with it (or myself).

Written by James Dobson's (of Focus on the Family) son, the book is about moral relativism and why it is unacceptable. He calls tolerance an "epidemic" and says that moral relativism is "a tumor on the American Soul". He then explains why moral relativism doesn't make sense and why biblical christianity does make sense. Finally, he writes about how to be intolerant, but not intolerable. He calls it "how to be intolerant in love" and how difficult that can be.

It isn't surprising that most of the reviews on amazon are either passionately for or adamantly opposed to the book. My overall opinion of the book is that it is very good. It is written on a level geared toward young adults. It is something we all need to think about, because just because you think it is "right for you" doesn't mean it's right.

Wordless Wednesday

"Here Little Girl," (he really calls her "little girl") "let me show you how."

"Now it's my turn."

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New Contests

There is a new contest at 5 Minutes for Mom and they are giving away Mother's Day Gifts.

The first one is a 4 gig ipod nano which is wrapped up with a box of chocolate. I don't know about you, but I cant think of anything better than listening to your favorite tunes and eating chocolate. Go on over and check it out.

See you there and at the next contest!

I can't believe that I am blogging this. And yet, I am.

I can not believe that I have watched A'merican I'dol this season. I used to think it was quite possibly the dumbest show. Ever. But boy, I have soooo enjoyed it. I feel like it's something I shouldn't be doing. Like eating chocolate before breakfast or something. And since I can't believe I have watched it, you can imagine my surprise that I am actually blogging to total internet strangers about it. I know all one of you care, too.

Well, let me tell you about my experience watching the show tonight.

"Why should I read your blog post about AI?", you are thinking. Well, it's because I was a teenager in the 80's, AND I used to think he was "so cute!" so I am completely qualified to critique Bon Jovi night. So there.

Phil came out. (Since this is really the first commentary I have written about AI, let me just preface this by saying I mean no disrespect to any of the contestants, but...) What is up with his lack of hair? Every single week, I think, maybe he will grow a little hair for the end of the season. Or does he have some sort of disorder that prevents him from having any hair? What was it that "Powder" had in that movie? But, I digress. He certainly gets my vote for most improved. I think he had several weeks of being in the bottom two or three and yet, he persevered. This week he came out and belted out that song like he was in the running to win the the prize.


Next up was the darling 17 year old Jordin. I love her, but she was way out of her comfort zone tonight. She summed it up herself when she said that this was her week [of pain?] She was off key (and for me to notice that it had to be bad, because I can't carry a tune in a bucket) and she seemed uncomfortable. But did you see her hair? Loved her hair.

Lakisha. She worked in a bank. She had no formal training, except for singing in church. She has a little girl. I would listen to her if she sang the phone book. However, she lacked the spark she had in the beginning of the season. Especially at the beginning of her song. I think she's tired. I know it must be difficult to do this week in and week out for so long. She managed to pull it out toward the end when she belted it out, pointed and sang "This ain't a love song".

Next was Blake. Now, I have to say that I thought he was sort of cheesy with the beat box thing earlier in the season, and that there is something up with his lips, or lack of them, but he has something about him that is, lets say, attractive. or dynamic. or appealing. or something. He was going to sing THE signature Bon Jovi song. "Shot through the heart, and you're to blame, darlin you give looove a bad name..." cue the music... (You know that song just sticks with you like "Ice Ice Baby" doodoodoo doodee doodoo) How could he be so bold? And yet, when he was finished, I watched it again, by the magic of Ti Vo. If you could buy that, I would get it tomorrow. It was even fun watching him. I think the drummer had fun too.

Chris. or Justin. I can't ever keep those boy band singers straight. (Just kidding.) I really like his personality that you can see on the limited amount of non-singing air time that they get. He just seems to have one sound. It can be country, rock, or whatever, he just has the same sound. No variation. While I thought he did OK tonight, I just don't know how he has lasted so long. Do you?

Melinda. Or should I say: the winner of the contest. Hands down. She has my vote. I particularly liked her pre-song interview. She said "Take it to church... I like church!" And she has that humility in her eyes, like she's not sure she can pull it off, and the next thing you know, sweet Melinda is saying "Rock on! Rock on? Rock on!" and she transforms into Tina Turner! Wow! Have a nice day to you too, girl! Rock on! She's awesome.

As an added bonus, we got to see George and Laura. And they tried to be funny. In a scripted kind of way that wasn't very funny.

Wordless Wednesday: My baby is 2 today!

Happy birthday my sweet baby girl!

One week later

Now, I don't live in a box without TV or news, but I find that when tragic events occur, as often do, that I do better not to watch all of the news about it. For instance, I heard about what happened at VA Tech and saw that the gunman sent a package to the media and all of that, but I didn't leave the news on constantly. I didn't want to dwell on that. It does something to me.

However, I think that for most of us, it brings up important questions. And it should. I found a post at Everyday Mommy that stirred up my fears and concerns and pretty much said what I wish I could say if I could say it so eloquently.

What bothers me is that some people (even Christians) choose to believe things that are not scripturally based. I know that when things like this happen, I have a special bookmark to a page written by Dr. David Reid. You can go to Devotions for Growing Christians to read about the ever looming questions that surround these tragedies from a biblically based standpoint.

Go now. I'll wait for you to read it and come back and comment.

See you then.

Movie Review: The Lake House

The Lake House (Widescreen Edition)

I know this isn't the most recently released movie, but I just noticed that it has been on HBO and I TiVo'ed it. My husband and I watched it last night.


I give it 4/5 stars. I really enjoyed the movie. You just don't get better chemistry than Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves. I even enjoyed them in Speed. I wonder what it's like to work with an actor years later in such a different role. But, I digress.


I think this movie might fall into the category of "Chick Flick", but my husband didn't mind watching. It is a love story between two people that takes place between them 2 years apart, but simultaneously. (Does that make sense?) The movie is a bit confusing at first and sometimes during the movie, but I felt that the story was, while far reaching, believable. I also felt like there was much left out that I wanted to know. Of course, this would have made the movie about 4 hours long, and nobody wants to know that much detail about anything.


Anyway, I recommend it if you haven't seen it. If you have seen it, I'd like to know your opinion.

Peace on Earth - In Color

Introducing my brand new niece. Isn't she beautiful?

I am always amazed by babies. For 9 months, you plan, anticipate, imagine, wonder, hope, and anxiously await this bundle of joy. And then, the big day comes. You get to see this brand new person, face to face. 10 fingers and 10 toes. Beautiful. Wondrous. Simply amazing.

I saw my sister-in-law and brother-in-law just before they went to the hospital. They were just two people. Little do they know what they are in for.

In my case, I went into labor at home 4 days before my due date. I was having some contractions when I woke up and when they were still coming after I got up and had a shower, I knew that it was the day. Instead of my husband doing what he had planned for the day and me going to my doctor's appointment by myself, I told him that I thought he should drive me. I finished packing and we left a little earlier than we would have for my appointment.

My husband thought we weren't in a hurry or anything, so he drove all over creation on the way. When the doctor said that I could go home and wait for the contractions to get a little closer, I said, "NO WAY!" It took forever for us to get there and I wasn't about to go through that again. So he sent us on our way to the hospital.

After getting settled in the room, my husband said that he was going to get something to eat. While he was gone, the nurse walked out of the room and my water broke. I couldn't find the call bell. I could not believe the amount of water that was all over the bed. All over my bed!

When the doctor put my epidural in, I was in mid-contraction, and I know I was a bit twisted, regardless of trying to stay straight. All of the medicine went down one leg and not as much the other. I dialated from 5cm to 10cm in 6 minutes. I got a little nauseated.

By this time, I was calling my husband on his cell phone. "Where are you?", I asked as if I was sitting around watching TV. You are not going to believe this, but he didn't go to the hospital cafeteria. He didn't go to a nearby restaurant. No, he went across town to eat sushi, of all things.

When he finally got back, I decided that I wouldn't kill him. Especially since I only had one partially good leg anyway and I thought he might be good to keep around for a little help taking the baby home.

I started pushing and 2 hours later, they handed me my son. Any memories of being completely miserable while pregnant or in labor completely vanished in that perfect little baby's face. I was in love instantly. It was a truly amazing, life transforming day.

The next day, I was a crying mess. All alone with my baby in my hospital room, I cried and thanked God for this incredible miracle. But that moment was cut short by the anesthesiologist who botched my epidural coming back and asking if I was doing alright and if I had any back pain. When she left, there was a constant parade of people from the hospital coming in and out. So many things to do. Birth certificate. Photos. Lactation consultant. Nurse. Sitz bath and that glorious light. Visitors. Family.

On the way home 48 hours later, I sobbed "We're a fahahammmiiillllyyyy!" My husband thought I had gone off the deep end. I wasn't sad. I was as happy as I have ever been in my entire life. And I couldn't stop crying. In fact, my emotions are still not back like they were before I had him.

It has been almost 4 years since that day. I have a whole other story for my baby girl. It's been almost 2 years since that day. My memories and day to day activities are priceless. I wouldn't trade any of it for anything in the whole world even on those days when I think I can't answer another question, or wipe another runny nose, or discipline ever again. I know I'm not alone in my feelings about that. That is one of the best thing about reading mommy blogs, and having friends to compare notes with. We all have some of the same frustrations and joys and challenges.

Sometimes, I think about Mary raising Jesus. Did He ask her 101 questions every 5 minutes when he was 3? Did she realize what an amazing responsibility and privilege she had been given? What about us? Do we realize what an amazing responsibility and privilege we have been given?

I can't wait to hear from my sister-in-law as her baby gets older. I know that she is going to be a great mom. She certainly has a beautiful baby. And she has so much to look forward to and enjoy.

Wordless Wednesday :Where are my pictures?

So, I haven't posted in a long time and it's Wordless Wednesday and I have such a great picture and story to go along with it, but I cant see any of my pictures on my blog. They are all a red "X" inside of a box. What's up with that? Can anyone else see my previous and current (above) pictures? Or is it red "X" day? How do I get my pictures back?

So, I'll tell you about the photo above, if anyone can see it. Last night we went to this little circus here in our little town. They had brown bears that did some tricks, a monkey that was probably as old as Methuselah, several snakes and some people who did some circus performances. One of the performances was a girl who balanced a long sword on the tip of a shorter sword that she was holding in her teeth. At some point, the long sword fell and hit her right in the cheek! She kept going like nothing had happened, except for the blood (!) that she kept wiping away from her cheek. She lit a torch on another sword, balanced it on her sword in her teeth and climbed up a ladder, posed for a moment and climbed down just in time to get a white towel from the "Ring-mistress" or "announcer-lady" and to rush off behind the curtain. Our friends who were sitting right in front of us never saw a thing.

I was worried about her. I wondered if they have a circus medic? Did she have to go to our local Emergency Room? Did she need stitches? A tetnus shot?

I told my husband, (who was busy trying to keep our nearly 2 year old from climbing down the bleachers at the time) "That sword just hit that girl in the face. Look at that! She keeps wiping blood off of her face! Do you see that?!!!?" My husband's compassionate paramedic response: "What do you want me to do about it?"

Well, just to keep you posted, I think we are just now beginning to get out of the sinus fog that we have been in. My teeth hurt, my head aches and today, one of the docs I work with suggested Mucinex. I have never really considered it. To be honest, I didn't know what it was. I will say though, that it seems to have made me feel a great deal better this afternoon. He also said that we probably have an infection, but that our bodies are taking care of it. Antibiotics might shorten it's course, but we probably don't need them.

I hate taking antibiotics. Mostly because I don't like to remember to take them, but also because there is always a risk of getting rid of the "good" bacteria in some places. You girls know what I'm talking about, yes? If you do, you probably don't like taking antibiotics either.

So, I know it's Wordless Wednesday, but its been so long since I wrote anything that I couldn't resist. Hope nobody minds too much.

I've missed (your name here)!

I have missed posting. Has anyone missed me?

Well, we have been sick sick sick sick sick.

First, it was the vomiting and diarrhea. Good thing I deep cleaned in the bathroom. My son and I had it at the same time. He didn't know he was going to throw up the first time. He didn't even know what it was. As he was getting dressed into clean pj's I threw up and he was standing at the doorway to the bathroom cheering me on, "Good job, Mommy!" My hubby was working and so I had to be the patient and the mommy. By the time he got home, (8 hours after I called to ask him to come home) most of the fun and games were over. I can honestly say that Sprite never tasted so good as it did that night.

As a bonus, my baby girl (almost 2 now) and I got some nasty cold or sinus infection. I'm not sure which one. Tomorrow, I am going to work at the hospital and will pick some unsuspecting doctor's brain about this and see if we should be on some antibiotics and call the pediatrician.

My baby is having some temper tantrums, but I think it's because she just doesn't feel good. I know the feeling. I have a headache that feels like someone took an axe and wedged it into my frontal lobe. I guess she does too. This is one of the worst things about being a parent. I feel so helpless.

Well, hopefully, by next week we'll all feel better. And hopefully, I'll be able to post more this week.

Wordless Wednesday: Siamese Flower.

Pretty cool, huh?

To Doctor or Not to Doctor: A response

I found a post while I was lurking on reading some blogs today. It was called "To Doctor Or Not To Doctor". It is amazing to me that I am a registered nurse (with almost 10 years in the ER) and my husband is a paramedic and we have over 30 years of experience between the two of us.

I have a little secret. We are total idiots when it comes to our children.

Very early one morning when my son was about 24 months, he spiked a fever and threw up some clear liquid. Since we happened to be near the doctor's office, I had my husband take him to the doctor. Guess what? They said that there was no treatment for that, except for (cue the dramatic music) Tylenol.

When my son was 6 months old, he had an allergic reaction to the first formula he ever had. He got a rash all over his head and had some very mild respiratory problems. While I was running all over the house yelling, "Call the doctor! Call 911! Call the ER!" my husband was on serious STOP mode. He was calling the ambulance station to find out what truck would be coming and where they were. Finally, my child vomited the tiny amount of formula he had ingested and his breathing cleared up. We talked to the doctor in the ER and he asked if we had given him any Benadryl. Benadryl? That would have been just too obvious.

My son got some junk in his eyes and I decided that it was pink eye. I even posted about it. They called in a prescription and we gave him some drops, but I'm afraid that what he had was just sinus congestion, not the dreaded "pink eye" that I had imagined.

How many more examples? Probably a bunch, but I can say that I know for sure that there are more to come.

Our pediatrician knows that and expects that. I'm sure they all do. I'll bet none of them are the doctor of their own children. After all, when they are home, they are Mommy or Daddy too, not Doctor Mommy or Doctor Daddy. I once knew a pediatrician who said that when her first baby developed diaper rash, she called one of her colleagues at 11 pm just to check to see if she was doing the right things.

So, in response to the question "to doctor, or not to doctor", I say the answer is YES to both. When in doubt, at least call.

Tackle it Tuesday: Good Intentions

Well, today I had planned to post my first "Tackle It Tuesday" and it was going to be complete with pictures of our flowers that we planted over the last couple of days. I was really excited to post my first Tackle, because it's such a good one.

Anyway, last night as I was getting some of the pictures ready to post, I hear my baby girl crying. My husband mutes the TV and says, "Do you hear that?" (Which means, "Go see what's wrong with her.")

S0, I discover that she has thrown up. It's green beans. She may never eat them again. I wouldn't either.

That's not all, though. This was not a one time activity. She threw up all. night. long. It was so pitiful.

By about 5 this morning, she had lasted about an hour without throwing up so I put her in her crib and tucked myself into the glider in her room.

At 6, I had a crick in my neck so bad that I thought I would never be able to turn my head again. She was sleeping pretty well, so I got in my bed.

At 8, my son came in and said, "Good morning, Mommy and Daddy!" He was fresh as a daisy. That makes one of us.

Anyway, it seems that she has that terrible vomiting/diarrhea bug. I called the pediatrician's office just to make sure that they couldn't give her something to make it go away. They can't. It may spread to the rest of us. Oh, goody.

So, for my first (unofficial) Tackle It Tuesday, I deep cleaned our bathrooms. Because if we know we're probably going to be seeing alot of the bathroom (and particularly the toilet) very close up, very soon, isn't it better to see it clean?

Family Easter Week Activities

As a Christian, this is a very important week, as it is called Holy Week in most Christian denominations. Even though I grew up in church, I don't remember any events or activities for this week as a child. I only remember knowing that it was Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday. I am establishing different traditions with my children and have been trying to incorporate daily scripture and lessons into our routines and story times.

One of my internet resources is Christianity Today. You can find an entire week's worth of family activities to do here.

We actually started talking about Palm Sunday last week when our Bible verse at AWANA was "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" Of course, yesterday at Sunday School, they reinforced the lesson. Hopefully, some seeds are being planted. We shall see.

As for the "Easter Bunny", I haven't really decided what to do about that. I am not a big fan of Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny or things like that. We did do the Easter Egg hunt at church, but really only because I thought it would be a fun day for all (which it was). Where did the Easter Bunny and Easter Eggs come from anyway?

Any ideas/thoughts/opinions?

I had alot of fun! Didn't you?

Today was the Easter egg hunt at our church. It is the third year we have gone and the first with two who are mobile. Last year, my baby girl was not walking yet so she was in a stroller and easy to keep up with. This year, it was a whole different story. Fortunately, my hubby was not working and was with us. I still felt like I was doing alot of chasing and catching and getting kicked in the thighs and getting my ear screamed in.

The church has a routine: first, you come in and they have the inflatables. This always a bit of a dilemma with my son. Do I want to take my shoes off in order to play in these things? or do I want to keep my shoes on and watch? Eventually he will take his shoes off, play for a few minutes and discover that he really just wants his shoes back. My baby girl wanted to jump in the "2 and under" inflatable, but she decided that the first time she fell was enough for her to stop. She didn't get hurt or anything, just had enough.

Next they have a puppet show. This year was actually pretty good, because the side show was my baby walking all around the stage and behind the puppeteer's stage. I would have died of embarrassment if she had taken one of the puppets from back there!

Anyway, they finally turned everyone loose and lined up and said, "On your mark...."

and they were off.....

and it was a success!

And we got to keep the eggs so that we can re-create all of the excitement at home for days and weeks and months to come!

A contest: PICK ME!! PICK ME!!

Those girls over at 5 minutes for mom have done it again! A new contest to win a Dyson Slim vacuum cleaner!

I don't know about you, but those vacuum cleaners have been on my list of things I want. I have an Oreck now, which is fine, except for the fact that the man on TV says that it loses suction after so long.

By the way, I hope that y'all don't think I am a contest blog. That seems to be my theme lately, but I promise to put up some more substantial stuff soon.

Anyway, if you want to get in on the Dyson contest, click on 5 minutes for mom.

Quirky twinges of regret. Or not.

So, this morning I woke up to a three year old asking for pan-a-cakes. I thought to myself, "did I really leave those crazy quotes on the quirky quote contest web site?" The answer is YES! So then I thought, "Why? Don't you think people are going to think you're crazy/warped/weird?" Probably. Either that, or I will find a kindred spirit who also thinks that those things are hilarious. So either way, I stand by my entries. Those are probably the quirkiest quotes I can think of. I should win if they are judging on quirkiness alone.

Now, if the contest had been for favorite bible verse, or favorite line from a song or motivational quote or something, I wouldn't have chosen those.

I have so many favorite Bible verses that it would be hard to think of only one. Maybe Proverbs 3:5-6. "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. Acknowledge Him in all thy ways and He will direct thy paths."

The song that is going through my head this morning as I wake up is "Who am I that you are mindful of me? How you love me? It's amazing! I am a friend of God. I am a friend of God. I am a friend of God He calls me friend!" Isn't that wonderful!! (I wish I knew how to post song clips and videos on here. I would certainly make that the song for the day since I can't stop singing it in my head. I like to share the joy and make you sing it in your head all day too.)

And maybe my favorite motivational quote is when Yoda said "There is only do or do not. There is no try." Or something very close to that.

So, on that note, the twinge of regret that I feel for posting a quote that contains the phrase "I fart in your general direction." is overshadowed by the fact that it is still hilarious and it is still the quirkiest thing I can think of.

So there.

Quirky Quote Qontest 2: And now for something completely different

One more entry, only because I don't think that any quirky quote contest can possibly end without something from Monty Python and I didn't see any on the list yet.

“I don't wanna talk to you no more, you empty headed animal food trough wiper! I fart in your general direction! Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!”

Now how's that for a quirky insult? The next time you get cut off in traffic you can repeat this (with a heavy british accent) to the person instead of getting road rage.

Did I mention I have a warped sense of humor?

Quirky Quote Qontest

I found this contest via a blog called "Notes from the Laundry Pile". One quote from the movie Little Miss Sunshine instantly came to mind. (If you didn't see the movie, you're missing out on most of the humor here.)

"Oh my God, I'm getting pulled over. Everyone, just... pretend to be normal."

My first book review!

Well, I finally jumped in and read one of the books on my list. When Joy Came to Stay by Karen Kingsbury. I read it in 2 days.

I have never read any of Karen Kingsbury's works, but I know people at work who read all of her series books and seem to enjoy them and I had heard glowing reviews about her online. I really didn't know what to expect when I picked up the book.

According to the back of the book, it is: "the heart-wrenching story of one woman's descent into the shadows of depression, her husband's search for understanding, and a precious child's unwavering faith."

I have to say, it delivered on it's promise to be heart-wrenching. By the end of the first evening, when I was half-way through the book, I was depressed myself. The next morning, I felt like I had to get to the happy ending which was apparently going to happen due to the title of the book. I literally could not put the book down, but at the same time, I didn't want to keep reading. Part of me wanted to skip to the end, but I persisted.

The fact that it is a christian book was also appealing to me as I have never read one before. I like the way she interjects the (presumed) voices of the holy spirit into the dialog of the character's thoughts. She uses scripture to pull out thematic elements.

Overall, the story is about the consequences of sin and trusting God with child-like faith throughout every trial.

So, if you want an easy, engaging, somewhat predictable read that is quite depressing for the first 3/4 of the book, pick up a copy from your library.

A long story with a question: what would you do?

Today I went to "Big Church" for the first time in a while. See, every week for a while, my 3 year old son didn't want to go to church. He would say that he didn't want to go and he would take his sweet time getting ready, but I didn't realize how much he really didn't want to go until one particular Sunday.

One Sunday that was pretty cold with an even colder breeze, we got to church, (just him and me) and he refused to get out of the car. He cried and fussed and he NEVER does that. The Sunday before, he didn't want me to leave him there, despite my saying that I wasn't really leaving him, but that I wanted to go to my own Sunday School class. He cried and whined that he didn't want to stay, "because they don't have any paint brushes." (?) The teacher found some pipe cleaners and paint and he painted a little bit which made him happier, but then the next Sunday came when he refused to get out. Anyway, he would never tell me why.

One weekend, he went to spend a night with his MeMe and I asked her to find out what was the matter at church and he opened up and told her about "a boy who hit him eleven times."

The next Sunday I told him that I would go to his Sunday School class with him. He was very excited and proud that I would be there with him. (I'm sure that I will cherish that memory when he gets older and doesn't want to admit he has a mother, much less in the same room with his Sunday School class.) I noticed that even though it is a large class of 3 year olds, it was very well organized. One big group game, and then breaking off into 3 small groups of about 5 children each doing different activities involving the lesson.

So, no problem.

That night, he wanted me to go to his class with him, so I did. During the coloring/bible verse reciting part of that class, I noticed a little boy swatting at him like a windmill. (It was apparently having something to do with a lollipop.) Now, if I had been the teacher and not known what I know, I wouldn't have given that a second thought. It really didn't look like it hurt or that he even made contact, but it was enough to prevent my child from wanting to come to Sunday School. I spoke to the little boy and said that we come to church to love God and each other and that hitting isn't very loving. I tried to get him to apologize, but he didn't. It just happened that the memory verse for that night was "...He said to him, Man, your sins are forgiven" Luke 5:20. (When my son said his verse, he said, "...your friends are forgiven". I thought that was appropriate.)

Anyway, I talked to the child's mother, who is in my SS class, and asked her if we could get them together sometime outside of church for a play-date. I was thinking that if they got to know each other better, maybe it would prevent that from happening later. She acted very open to the idea and said that they had been having some problems with him hitting other kids at church, but they thought they were making progress. I never heard from her, and honestly, I never made the first move.

To make an already long story a little bit shorter: while she and her family do come to SS, her child has not been back to the class on Sunday night. I have been volunteering for that class with the kids, (mostly because my son wants me there and it's kind of fun) and they do not come to church at all.

What would you do at this point?

Today's reminder

Sometimes we just need a reminder.
Shalee's Diner: A Personal Note From Jesus

Non-Wordless Wednesday

After a particularly difficult day with my 3 year old son, I was tucking him in and he said "Mommy, can we go to the zoo and the beet soon?"

"Yes, we will go very soon, now say your prayers." I answered.

"Well, when we go to the beet, we have to take a bucket and a shovel and some sun scream." He said.

"OK, we'll take all of that. Say your prayers, now." (Trying not to laugh.)

"We have to take all of the puzzle pieces out of the bucket in the playroom, and maybe we can get one of the shovels out of my sand box, and Mommy? Do we have any sun scream? You never know when you are going to get sun screamed."

"Mommy, why are you laughing? What is so funny?"

I know that it won't be as cute or funny reading it, but I guess all of the tension of the day was finally over. And I realized that I would miss him after he went to bed. And that is what being a mommy is all about.

Next topic, I am coming out of the American Idol closet. Yes, I too watch every week.

This is the first year that I have watched, so I don't know anything about any of the other seasons, but last nights show had a pre-teen young lady who was simply overcome with emotion. She was crying like she was at a Beatles concert.

They kept showing her during Sanjaya's perfomance and she was literally sobbing. I thought if he doesn't go out into the audience and give her a hug, I am going to scream!

Really, I thought she just liked Sanjaya, but they showed her during Blake's performance and she was still going. At the end of the show, they called her up to the stage to hug all of the contestants, where she continued to sob some more.

If you watched the show, did you notice that at the very end, when the credits roll, the camera man got a shot of another little girl who was in the audience? She was crying then, too.

Could you read her mind? I could. She was thinking, "How unfair! I actually sat through the show without shedding any tears, enjoying it and behaving myself the whole time and they call that blubbering baby up there on the stage and here I am. It's soooo unfayayayerrr!!!

At least, that's what I would have been thinking. I thought that was sort of hilarious.