Why I Deserve to be MOTY

No, not really.

I have this problem with remembering my son's birthday. Well, no that's not true. I remember it clearly. It's the party thing that I keep forgetting to do.

The main reason is that he was a turkey baby. I had him on Thanksgiving 7 years ago. Now the problem with this is that most kids would like to have a party, but being that people are out of town at that time, I don't want to throw a party for him on his birthday. It would really do wonders to his self-esteem to have the party and then have no one show up, don't you think?

If we are with family, we usually have an impromptu, last minute, oh-please-let-there-be-a-cake-mix-in-the-pantry-so-that-I-can-make-something-for-this-boy's-celebration kind of shindig. This year it was cupcakes from Wal-Mart - with autumn leaves on them. Yeah. Such a boy's idea of fun. But they were chocolate, so maybe he didn't notice the little leaves afterall. Oh, and the present was another story. I had a t-shirt and a Veggie Tales CD hidden away... for Christmas. So out they came in place of a birthday present. A T-SHIRT! Just what a 7 year old wants... Yeah, he looked at it and looked at me with an expression of huh: A t-shirt? Gah. (He did like the CD, though. And he kindly thanked us for both gifts, even though he probably forgot about the t-shirt in 2 seconds flat.)

Now I know I need to do a "real" party for him, but who has the time for that now?! I mean we're entering the holiday rush. Mr. Right has already said it should be this weekend, but Hello! I have to send out invitations with more than 2 days notice, don't you think?

So I'm shooting for the following weekend. Hopefully I can get my hiney out to find some Ben Ten invitations - you know my son is still all over that... Of course he has to pick something that will be practically impossible to locate. Don't worry; I've got a backup if I can't find it. It's called the Snow theme. As in white paper plates, white napkins, white styrofoam cups. I'll just say that it is my simple little prayer for him that he will get to sled this year.

Yeah, I don't think he'll buy it either. I'll find something to make him happy he has me as a mom.
On his actual birthday (last Saturday), I awoke early as usual. I read, folded laundry, drank some coffee and then about 2 minutes before my son woke up, I remembered that it was his birthday. Such a thoughtful mom, aren't I? I didn't make squat for his birthday breakfast in bed. I ran upstairs and had him crawl into my bed, where I woke up Mr. Right and we sang Happy Birthday to him and told him that he got to pick out the breakfast menu. (Fortunately I know my son well - Chocolate Chip Pancakes all around with bacon.)

Later we totally splurged and took him out to his choice of lunch. Well, that's not entirely true. He picked McDonald's, but Mr. Right is so sick of that place we made him pick somewhere else. He chose Culver's which was too expensive for our pocketbook, so then he picked Wendy's. We finally said yes to that choice. Also when we went to our friends' house for Mr. Right to play Xbox with his buddy, we let the boy play computer games the entire time he was there. That is a huge allowance in our eyes. And as the finally recognition that it was his birthday, I gave in to all of my son's requests for me to sleep with him for a night. Okay, it wasn't the whole night, but it's the thought that counts, right? I mean who can sleep with a 7 year old kicking you in the ribs all night?

Well all I know is that I'm better this year than I was 2 years ago. I had his 5th birthday celebration in March the following year, only 4 months late. See why I make such a great mom? Doesn't that just make you want to beg for me to be your mother? Yeah, I didn't think so.

I can be such a procrastinator.

So if anyone is looking for a nominee for the Mom of the Year award, I highly recommend that you go to another recipient. I'll be lucky just to be called Mom by my son the way I'm going.



And as further proof of my inability to be mom of the year, guess how old this picture is? It's been two years since I've had a picture with my son. This is just so sad. Never will my walls be adorned with that significant MOTY award. Sigh. That's okay. At least he loves me despite all of my faults... of which there are many. I have him at "Loaded Potato Soup"... for now.

Now Who Wouldn't Want To Work With Me?

Last night I attended a retirement party of one of our managers. It was a lovely honoring of her and all her years in the business. It was also great to get some free wine.

When Leisa, Linda and I were sitting at a table, munching on a some of the goodies,someone accidentally turned off the lights, leaving us momentarily in the dark. I immediately yelled in the most prim and proper voice, "Get your hands off me!" in the three seconds that the lights were off. The lights came up just in time for everyone, with their fits of giggles, to turn and to stare at Leisa. She, red faced, jumped up from her seat and ran away, which of course made everyone laugh even more.

So you may want to work with me, but you may also want to sit at another table.

WFMW - Protecting Your Purchases

Buyers Beware!

Well the crooks have found a way to rob us yet again.

This time it involves gift cards. If you purchase gcs from a display rack, you may become a victim of theft. Crooks are now jotting down the card numbers in the store and then wait a few days. Then they call to see how much of a balance THEY have on the card. Once they find that the card is activated, the go online and start shopping,

You may want to purchase your card from either the customer service employee or from the cashier, where they do not have the gcs viewable to the public.

As the holiday season approaches, remember to keep purchases, purses, backpacks and other bags out of view by locking them in your trunk. Criminals know to walk through shopping center parking lots to look for your newly purchased gifts. Also be sure to keep the receipts separate from the purchased items. Criminals often return the items for cash or a gift card before you ever know they are gone.

Isn’t it sad that even in this season of joy, laughter and love, we must still be on guard for those who would gleefully and readily take it from us?

As a matter of fact, to make sure that you all understand, why don't you go to a store right now, buy it using my method, and then send it to me. This dry run will make sure that you have it down pat for when you do you serious gift certificate purchasing. You should really try it out on stores like Wal-Mart, Target, Barnes & Noble, Baskin & Robbins, McDonald's, Panera's...

Ahem.

Bah humbug to the crooks!

But Merry Christmas to you.

Next Installment of "As the Computer Turns"

Yes, once again my computer foiled my plans to work. Since they put in a new hard drive, I'm finding a few things that needed to be added back onto my system.

One of which was Flash.

So I'll share with you my request for help, once again:

Subject: I need Flash!

And I'm not talkin' Gordon. In my attempts to connect with the (my company) Interactive Directory, I seem to have discovered an impediment to my proceeding. When trying to use it, I am hit with this message: "The Interactive Directory requires Macromedia Flash Player 7.0.14 or later. Click here if you wish to proceed and download the player then run the Interactive Directory. " But when I click there, nothing happens.

Can you Flash me, in the most business-like sense? Because if anyone shows up here in a
trenchcoat, I'm locking the door.

I received a call in about 30 minutes from one of the IT employees, who while laughing first stated that he loves getting submits from me and that all 20 people in the room usually fight to be the one to answer my calls.

Just what everyone woman longs to hear. Men (mostly) fighting over her. Ahhh, life is good.

I'm A Nooner

And in more ways than one... (wink, wink, nudge, nudge - Yes Holymama, that does mean what you think it means.)

You Are Noon

You are upbeat, ambitious, and never at loss for energy. You have a lot that drives you in life. The desire to be the best, and a secret hope of fame and power. And while you definitely have a Type A personality, you are still fun to be around. You have a ton of charisma and a genuine interest in others. You are adored by many.

What Time Of Day Are You?

Did you read that? I'm adored by many! Woo hoo! Wait. It didn't say what the many were though. Bugs? Cats? Viruses? It's sure not dollars because I'm not feeling the love as it hits me on the backside when it leaves my checking account before I've had a chance to sing, "Hello. Is it me your looking for?" (Lionel Ritchey - eat your heart out.)

And never at a loss for energy? Ummm... it's a good thing I didn't take this test right after eating Thanksgiving dinner. It probably would have said that I was dead.

Our Thanksgiving Break

It was fabulous.

We had Mr. Right’s family at our place where I made a wonderful meal where we made too much food and we watched football and the cousins played well and my SIL had to go to the ER for an abscess tooth so that she could get an antibotic shot and a prescription (which she should have had looked at on Wednesday when it started hurting) and we celebrated my son’s 7th birthday (kind of - I am so running for Mother of the year) and I realize way after the fact that nary a picture was taken this week and we went out to eat a few times thanks to the generosity of my PIL - where I was able to get my Chick-fil-A fix - and we went to some friends’ house so that Mr. Right and his friend could play Xbox all stinkin' day and the girls could watch some very unexciting football and later watch Pride and Prejudice (the newer one Jeana - sorry! But I will definitely give it kudos for being CLEAN...) and then we cut our Christmas tree and have left it sitting in the house undecorated because we don’t know if the cat will attack it or not and I made cookies for the boy's birthday treats for school whereas I ate way too much cookie dough and I stayed up too late watching the Colts whip the Eagles (woo hoo) and reading a book and now I want another 2 ½ day work week.

Whew.

Oh and I was thankful for every moment of it.

So... how did you spend your holiday? I'd love to hear that I'm not the only one who wishes she could do it all over again.

Back to Life

This morning, I sang "Back to life. Back to reality..." to my daughter as she was preparing for school.

She looked at me and said, "Mom. I hate reality."

Yeah. Sigh. That about sums up about how I feel about going back to work too.

Hope you all had a blessed time with your family. I'll write more when I get out from under my To-Do list from my boss.

I'd Like to Eat My Turkey in a Big Brown Shoe

The first time I heard this song was on the radio, after it came out on SNL. Now, I've never been a huge fan of SNL because although it can be hilarious, it is often off-colored or raunchy; I wasn't willing to sit through hours of it searching for the good stuff.

However, I laughed my head off when I heard it and quickly started singing parts of it. Fortunately, it is a song that if you don't know the words, you can just make them up. Or if you don't like the words that are sung (which there are a few lines that I would have not written), you could insert your own. Kind of like your own Turkey Karaoke.

That's probably part of the reasons why I like it so much.

I hope you will too. (But sing really loudly when he gets the brother line, especially if there are young ears in the room.)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Let the Festivities Begin!

Since the rule is that Christmas decorations can be sold in August, I don't think anyone will mind if I start with the Thanksgiving festivities a few days early.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

(click the link to have a little turkey fun!)

Oh, and let me be the first to wish you a very Happy Easter...

The Good Napkins

Now on a lighter note.

No, this wasn't a personal memory by me, but it's sounds like something I would have done... (Again, my mother is breathing a sigh of relief that my mind didn't go this way...)

My mother taught me to read when I was four years old (her first mistake).

One day, I was in the bathroom and noticed one of the cabinet doors as ajar. I read the box in the cabinet. I then asked my mother why she was keeping 'napkins' in the bathroom. Didn't they belong in the kitchen?

Not wanting to burden me with unnecessary facts, she told me that those were for "special occasions" (her second mistake).

Now fast forward a few months....

It's Thanksgiving Day, and my folks are leaving to pick up my uncle and his wife for dinner. Mom had assignments for all of us while they were gone. Mine was to set the table. When they returned, my uncle came in first and immediately burst into laughter. Next came his wife who gasped, then began giggling. Next came my father, who roared with laughter. Then came Mom, who almost died of embarrassment when she saw each place setting on the table with a "special occasion" Kotex napkin at each plate, with the fork carefully arranged on top. I had even tucked the little tail in so they didn't hang off the edge!!

My mother asked me why I used these and, of course, my response sent the other adults into further fits of laughter.

"But, Mom, you said they were for special occasions!!!"

Have a funny, non-embarrassing Friday!

Thank You

Thank you for all of your responses to my last post. I truly do appreciate the outpouring of views from everyone. I can honestly say that this is, indeed, the only post that has elicited long responses from everyone who commented. Thank you for taking the time to do write it all out.

I'm praying that God's will will be done, no matter the outcome. (We are a house divided on this subject, so prayers for Mr. Right and I would certainly be welcomed.)

Blessings to you all!

Shalee

A Conversation With A Soul

Shannon had a conversation with her sweet Joseph this week about the beauty of the Gospel.

I'm so glad she posted it because I had the same conversation my 6 (almost 7 by only a few days) year old this morning. We were talking about being a Christian and he said that he was one. I said that he is in a Christian family, but he would have to make some heart-felt decisions before becoming one because it is a choice that he needs to make on his own and not one to be made lightly.

When he asked about getting to heaven, what I told him was almost verbatim to what Shannon said. "You love Jesus, and you ask him to forgive you for your sins, and you invite Him to live in your heart." I also explained to him that with this decision, he should be baptized because it is something God asks us to do as a symbol of God's washing away our sins to make us clean.

He said that he wanted to be a Christian and I explained that he would need to believe that Jesus was the son of God; he brightened up and said, "I believe that!" Then I said that to be he would need to believe in his heart that Jesus died on the cross to forgive him of his sins. He jumped up and down and piped up excitedly, "I believe that too!" He explained the concept of sin as when you disobey God.

Then I asked him what being a Christian meant to him. He replied, "You obey God... and your parents."

What a joy that conversation brought to my heart! (especially that last little addition...) I told him that he was right. I also explained that being a Christian is the most important decision he will ever make, that once he decides to become a member of the family of God, it will affect every decision he makes for the rest of his life, that it won't always be easy, but it will be the most rewarding part of his life that will be filled with all the promises from God.

He nodded his head and smiled. "Like God's promise to never flood the entire earth again."

I nodded my head and also added that God made promises just for people who give their lives to him, i.e. God promises to give us strength to be his child; he promises us peace in our hearts if we will give all our struggles to him; he promised us eternal life with him; he promised us the gift of the Holy Spirit; he promised that he will take care of us if we seek him first; he promised that he will hear our prayers; he promised that when we mess up and don't follow him, we can ask for forgiveness and he will not only forgive us, but hold us close to him, etc.

His eyes, as well as his smile, were bright with the wonder of it all.



Here's my dilemma: I think he's too young to be making this decision. Seven seems just too green and a time in his life when he doesn't understand so much.

But isn't this what his dad and I been praying for?

It makes sense that he should understand the tip of salvation quicker than others who aren't raised in a Christian home; we talk about Jesus and pray for strength to make good decisions to reflect God's glory. And who understands everything? I'm still learning more and more after almost 25 years of being a member of God's family. Am I worrying over nothing? I keep coming back to "Let the little children come unto me" scripture, too.

What say you on this theological quandry? I would like your opinion on whether or not age should be a factor in salvation. My desire is that when he makes that decision, he goes into it with his eyes wide open and his heart willing to live for God. Is that expecting too much from a seven year old or should I not have that expectation, but rather let God work wonders through my son's heart.

I am not wanting to start any sort of war, so please comment nicely to me and to the others leaving comments. I'm just looking for your opinions on this wonderful predicament.

As If You Wanted To Know

In answer to Susanne's question about the cherry stem thing...

I didn't think it was such a hard trick. I thought for sure that there would be an outpouring of comments like "I can do that too!"... much like the grass thing.

I don’t know what made me try tying cherry stems, but I have an interesting story on it.

One night, soon after I met Mr. Right and really found that I was attracted to him, but not dating quite yet, I was at my club banquet with a friend – a friend I dated the year before, but found that we were better off friends. He was actually attending the banquet with me because the guy I did invite decided he wanted to date two girls at the same time (me and another girl) and I wanted nothing of it. I figured that if he didn’t know a good thing when he had it, then he didn’t deserve me. (Mr. Right was already going with my friend Janie who was IN LOVE with him so I couldn’t ask him.) Anyway, I asked my guy friend, with the full expectation of being turned down because there were a number of ladies in my club were mad over him and one of them had probably asked him already, but to my surprise and delight he said that he would go with me to the banquet.

We went to the banquet and as it turned out to my complete surprise and enjoyment, Mr. Right and I sat next to each other during the dinner. (God had a plan in it because neither of us were responsible for the seating chart which had been set up months before then.) It was one of those situations where we found ourselves talking to each other for a duration of time and, at the same moment - without saying a word, we realized that we had been ignoring our dates, so we quickly turned to talk to them. Desserts came around and there must have been cherries on it because I popped the stem in my mouth and quickly tied it in a knot. Mr. Right, seeing this stunt, popped his in and did the same thing. My date, not to be outdone, popped his in and worked and worked and worked on it. He left and came back a minute later with it tied. I totally called him on taking it out, tying it and coming back to the table with it done. He couldn’t repeat the tying in front of us. He sulked for a while since he was shown up by not just a girl, but by me.

I could live with being a superior user of my tongue - in wit and in use.

Dress for banquet - $40
Banquet tickets - $70
Showing up a former boyfriend and sitting next to my future husband who has the same tongue capabilities - Priceless

We are both happy people...

And yeah, it did belong on the Weird Meme, but that list could have one on and on and on if I didn’t stop somewhere.

WFMW - snack/present

Since everyone likes to snack and snack and snack over the holidays, our family carries on a family tradition to keep this little delight around the house. It's simple, easy and cheap - all of these being required for a place in my house.

You take this:

(Peanuts)

And this:

(Red Hots)

And mix them together. That's it.

You can set it out in a few nice bowls or serving dishes for people to walk by and grab a handful.

Or you can put it in jar or a tin and give it away as a really nice Christmas gift too. It's colorful and decorative and the sweet and salty mix is scrumptious.

Head over to Shannon's to get many other Christmas tips.

The Meme of Three (Mostly)

I've promised Susanne two weeks ago that I would get on this tag, and so I don't make myself out to a complete liar, I hearby bestow to you THE MEME OF THREE. (Meme of Three... Meme of Three... Meme of three) . In case you haven't deduced it yet, the answers are provided in threes. (I see the "three" as more of a guideline...)

1. Things that scare you:

~being alone, even though I am surrounded by people
~rejection
~losing my family in one fell swoop


2. People that make me laugh:

~Mr. Right
~Jeana
~Tina
~myself... all the time


3. Things I hate the most:

~the (incorrect) idea that being selfish/greedy is the only way to live
~the way I stray from God time and time again
~a big, fat, uncoverable pimple on the end of my nose


4. Things I don't understand:

~God's mercy
~why I keep straying from God
~Physics
~why I'm not in the top 50 for blogtopsites (really, I should be like 48 or something near there)


5. Things I'm doing right now:

~"working"
~revamping an org chart
~trying not to overhear a conference call in another room
~this meme


1. Things I want to do before I die:

~see my children put on the robe of Christ
~travel/stay in Italy or Ireland and eat some exquisite food
~celebrate my 50th anniversary with Mr. Right


1. Things I can do:

~cook some delicious foods
~make others laugh
~tie a cherry stem with my tongue


2. Ways to describe my personality:

~zany
~honest/real
~confusing (heck... I confuse myself so I have to be confusing to you.)


3. Things I cannot do:

~sew
~keep a house that would make it in the pages of Southern Living
~play the Gameboy


4. Things I think you should listen to:

~the Voice of Truth
~constructive criticism (given in love)
~me


5. Things you should not listen to:

~lies that the world tells, i.e. you're not good enough, you're not pretty enough, you're worthless, you'll never measure up to anything, etc.
~Elton John (music or blatherings)
~me


6. Things I'd like to learn:

~how to sew
~how to make cool jewelry like GiBee makes
~how to remain faithful to God's instructions
~how to make a fabulous martini


7. Favorite foods:

~foods that are hot
~foods that are cold
~foods that are fattening
(does that cover it all?)
~anything except Brussel sprouts


8. Beverages I drink regularly:

~coffee
~wine (but not regularly enough!)
~water


9. Three persons to tag:
   ~Jeana
   ~Antique Mommy
   ~GiBee
   ~Beck
   ~f-stop steve (to make sure that he is, in fact, not dead)
   ~Willson (so steve won't be the only guy and feel all weird)
   

Happy Birthday, Peach!

Peach,

I thank God when I remember you because he brought you into my blogging life. Your exuberance for his blessings, your love for his protection and your delightful, uplifting look on life fills many of us with wonder, awe and gratitude. You really are a joy to know.

I've got a special little something waiting for you here. I hope it really expresses the depth of my affection for you, my fellow sister, blogger and traveler in life.

Happy 40th Birthday, Peach!!!!

Thanks for letting us get to know you.

Learning God's Words By Hand

Ummm, and for the record, this has nothing to do with yesterday's post.



The boy has some memorization to learn. I figure he should get it straight from the Bible. I admit that it is paraphrased, but he's six. I want him to get the essense of what NOT to do. Let's see if this won't help him to remember some of God's commands.



AS IF!

A Year Ago Today

A mere 365 days ago, I began my blogging journey. I must admit that I hoped to meet others the way I had met a few bloggers already, but I had no idea where it would lead. All I can say is that God had led me to some wondrous places, and even if it were in my power, I would not alter a step. Who would have dreamed that blogging would lead to such encouraging wisdom, helpful advice, new coffee buddies and a multitude of friends, some with whom I've had the pleasure of hugging, talking and laughing when we mirled. I've even telephoned from Texas to Arizona to Canada to Georgia - and I liked it (see #2-4)! Never would I have dreamed that I would enjoy talking on the phone as much as I do when I'm tirling a new blogging friend.

Knowing that I've been at it for a year, I thought I would ask you to read my first entry. And please, go easy on me. I've come a long way, baby and for that, I have to thank you.

So thanks for coming into my life and making this "activity"(which it no longer is... now it's more of a lifeline) more enjoyable and more uplifting and more edifying than I could ever imagine. Thanks for letting God use you to make me a better Christian, a better wife, a better mother and a better friend.

But mostly, thanks for giving me a reason to have to clean off my monitor most everyday. You all must have known from the start how much I hate to dust. Now I have a daily reason - wiping up the coffee that I just spewed.


Shannon said that there was some kind of Mommy Bloggers' Constitution that required our posting some of our favorite posts. I must have missed the memo, but I've found a few that make me smile. Hopefully, they'll be enjoyable to you too.

Bloggers Anonymous

Subject Advisory: Girl Talk Ahead

Good Morning. You Are Our 101st Caller

Praying 101

Out of the Mouth of Babes

Do Overs

Am I A Prude?

Mom at Home, Mom at Work

Another Pickup Game of Calvinball

Call Me Nicodemus

Power of Prayer

A Sure Spring

Listen to My Heart

Falling With Style

Lunch of Bloggers

Soundtrack of My Life

For GiBee and Others in the Same Boat

Helping Others & Helping Myself

Bring Them On

I Can Do All Things Through Christ

The Day My World Turned (Mr.) Right

Because It's Too Funny NOT to Blog

Bedtime Story

So I was tucking my son into bed last night and I started to just sit on the bed to talk with him.

Boy: Mommy, will you lay down with me this time and sing?

Me: Of course I will. I love that you want me to be beside you!

I start to get in and the boy starts to scooch over.

Boy: I have to move over a lot because, you know... you're just a bit fat.

Just a bit fat? I stare at him, not knowing whether to bean him or to laugh. It was like a deer in the headlights moment. Then he decided to elaborate.

Boy: Not fat like this (and he holds his hand way out over his stomach), but fat like this (and he holds his hands out to his side).

Me: Oh, because I'm wider than you.

Boy: Yeah, you're just wider fat.

Sometimes, I just want to leave the nighttime routine to Mr. Right. And perhaps I should start that exercise routine again...

Peace out from the Wider Fat Mommy.

Head On Over To Both Spots

Jenny at Home is Where You Start From is celebrating her 100th post. In her celebrating, she has offered to share the presents with us too, so head on over to sign up for her contest. It's a great way to remember such a huge milestone!

Kpjara posted a most interesting opinion post today that is leading to some very interesting discussions. Come on over and join us if you'd like to read and/or participate. It is a bit controversial, so come at your own risk.

WFMW - Bacon

On Saturday, when we do our big breakfast, we like to rotate our artery clogging selections. One of the things that we love to eat, but I hate to clean up after, is bacon. So I got wise and realized that I can cook the bacon in the oven.

I use my large cookie sheet and lay out several pieces. I can usually fit 10 to 12 on the sheet. I put it in a preheated oven (400 degrees) and cook them for 8 to 12 minutes, depending on how thick the slices are. (We prefer the thinner sliced bacon, but since I buy it in a pack, I usually don't have a choice on that.)

Even if I have to cook a second batch, I've got the first ready in very little time and the second batch can sizzle while I'm slurping coffee and chomping on waffles, pancake, omlettes, etc.

In my cleanup time, I only have one pan to wash and no bacon grease to wipe off of everything.

And less time in the kitchen, definitely works for me.

Head to Shannon's for some tips to make your life so much easier.

Get In Line

I saw this in church last Sunday and I thought that everyone should have the opportunity to see it. It's that good.



Suddenly, I don't feel like such a lost cause.

Standing Among the Masses

Last night, my daughter asked why I was going to vote.

My response was this: "To not shame or make meaningless the deaths or efforts of the people who fought so hard to give me this right."

Yeah, she looked at me like I had just spewed greater laws of physics.

So I explained that hundreds of years ago, people believed in the right to be heard and to not be subjects under a king so fiercely, so strongly, so adamantly that they put their money where their mouths were, they laid their lives on the battle lines and they fought tooth and nail to become a democracy - a country where there was no king, but rather an elected leader who was to be accountable to the public, a society built on freedom rather than forced service. I explained that many people died just so we could have this right to vote.

She got that. Whew. Because I really didn't want to get out a history book to find a different way to define it.

Then I stated that the least I can do is to get into my car, stand in line for a while and push a few buttons to show where my beliefs lie.

One of the things I have begun to realize is that I need to talk more often about democracy with my children. It is my responsibility to explain to them what my beliefs are and why I hold them. I need to tell them about how there will never be a candidate who believes exactly as I do, but I do have the responsibility to find out who is most aligned with me and give that person my support. I need to tell them that without their participation, this democracy thing just won't work.

I have talked about the number of people who take this society for granted. How they have forgotten - or worse (!) never heard in their education or upbringing - how important this system is to our society. Many people think that their vote isn't heard or that they can't do anything to support/change a situation. They think it is just a waste of time. It isn't.

I've already discussed with my kids about how they need to make a decision based on what they know to be right, not based on what some actor/spokesperson says. I want them to investigate an issue and to stand firmly and to not be swayed by a good-looking/famous/wealthy person's opinion or by what the media says. If after investigations my kids happen to agree with the good-looking/famous/wealthy person's opinion, great. If they don't agree with the findings, then I want them to know that standing alone on their principles is always better than following an ignorant or naive crowd.

Lastly, I want to teach my children that whatever they decide, they should keep in line with the teachings of God. If something is on the ballot that disagrees with the Bible, then I want them to stand for God, not for popular opinion. I feel that I as a Christian have this responsibility, that it is one way I can serve him.

Is it a perfect system? No. But nothing ever will be on earth. But it is the system that God has given us, and I'm going to support it as best as I can.

So this morning, before work, I found myself standing at the polls, anxious to put cast my ballot. I talked with the others around me who had the same idea of voting early. After 30 minutes, I walked out of there happy with the thought that I had my say. And it felt good to be heard without saying a word.

Please, go vote today.

Nine Kinds of Weird

So I have no idea why HolyMama would tag me for this kind of meme. I'm sure I'm the most normal person you could ever meet. But I will scrounge to find the nine required listings.

1. When typing, if I am really close to where my error in typing is made, I must delete every letter to that error and start over - even if the other words were spelled correctly. (I've done it twice in typing this sentence.)
2. I know the words to way too many songs.
3. I must sing the aforesaid songs if they are playing. Ask Lauren. She had to sit next to me and endure my singing during the wedding luncheon.
4. When I am in a situation where a song fits perfectly, I will break out in song and share it with everyone else.
5. I do not like it when my kids try to tickle me. For some reason, it angers me. I really don't like this little tidbit about me.
6. I subconsciously want to be a bartender when I grow up. I like mixing drinks. Okay... I like drinking them too. I'm such a lush.
7. Often when I pray, I often find that my mind has wandered off to other areas that might be related to what I was just praying. A few minutes to an hour later, I will realize that I never finished my prayer... This drives me batty. I need some Ginkgo Biloba... I'll get some on my next trip to the store - IF I can remember to get it.
8. I get cold very quickly, so in the winter, I have a bath almost every night just to warm up. My favorite thing is when Mr. Right, a shower guy by birth, decides to join me. That helps to warm me alllllll over.
9. I don't always rarely never get my laundry finished in one day, so when I get up in the morning, I like to start the dryer so that if I get my act together to actually fold the clothes in the dryer, they are warm. (I do this no matter the time of year.

Okay, should it alarm me that I typed out the list without hesitation and was ready to continue on with that list until I realized that I was only supposed to do nine of them? Oh boy. I may have to do some self-evaluating here...

(evaluating... evaluating... evaluating...)

Okay, I'm weird.

Now let's here some more strangeness from blogland. I want to know what is weird about Shannon, Chilihead, Faith, CMommy, AggieJenn and Heather.

And Susanne, I know you tagged me for the Meme of Three... I'll get on it, I promise!

Say What?!

So I was talking with Jeana last week and she says, "Lauren and I both agree that your profile picture isn't you. It's not a good picture for you."

"What do you mean it's not a good picture? My daughter took that picture and I love it. I think I look good in it!" I belt out in my defense.

Jeana replied, "No, no, no. It's a great picture. But when when we look at it, we think you're going to be all sweet and nice and kind. But now that we've met you, the picture doesn't fit."

I'm starting to rethink this whole MIRL thing. With friends like that, who needs blogging?

(By the way, even though she had to convince me of it, Jeana meant that my picture was too calm and serene - not that I'm not sweet and kind and all that jazz. They just felt that after meeting me, they recommended that I post a picture that fits my character so much better. Well, alright Jeana and Lauren - I'll find something that fits me better, but let me state up front: I'm not posing in the nude.)

Aftershocks

When visiting Dallas, I left my coat at the airport security checkpoint. (This is why I am happy to have my head attached to body. I'm sure I would leave it too if I had the opportunity.) Anyway, I called Antique Mommy about retrieving it, and here is a message from her regarding our call.

I have been meaning to tell you that last week when I called you from my cell phone to ask about your coat, I was in the car and Sean was in the backseat listening, as always, to conversation. When I hung up, he piped up from the backseat, "Mom, turn this car around. We need to go to the airport to get Shalee's coat. She might be getting cold!"

Then this morning, at 5:30am, we are sitting at the breakfast table eating a piece of toast

Sean: When is that woman coming back?
Me: That woman? (long pause as I go through my mental roladex) You mean Ms. Shalee?
Sean: Yeah, Shalee
Me: Well, I don't know.
Sean: Let's call her right now and talk to her and tell her to come back!

Needed to pass that along before I forgot. Thought you'd get a kick out of that. You are a rock star to a 3-year-old.

If this is my 15 minutes of fame, I can't think of a better way to use them. It's great to be missed.

And Sean, I'll play with you anyday. I can't wait to come back to see you again too.

Computer Woes

Susanne did her normal "You're not dead, are you?" email to me since I didn't put a post up yesterday. I love that about her, about blogging. It's nice to be missed, even if it could not be helped. And for the record, I am not dead. Just wishing I were so with all the candy I've been inhaling lately.

Yesterday, in a last effort attempt to fix the whole hormonal scanner/snobbish printer/breakout fax complication at work, the IT department sent a man over to just install a new hard drive. Oh, for the love of all that is easy and already set to memory in that old computer! But (and I have a big one) it seems to have fixed the problem. I hope.

I now find that I need to recall all the passwords to EVERY. SINGLE. SITE. that I use. All my stored memory is gone. Kaput. Nada. Disappeared. There is just not enough free good coffee in this office to make up for the work I'm having to do in this task. And every time I leave a comment at a blog, I have to re-enter all my info there too. Sigh.

It's going to be a long day.

But at least it's Friday and my boss is gone. Hey, that's me... I'm always looking for an upside. Especially when I feel like my day is going to heck in a handbasket. But that's just me.

Click to read.

GAAA!

The Day After

Yesterday, my daughter woke up and came into the kitchen with a gleeful "It's Halloweeeeeeeeeeen!" as the first utterance of the morning. My son basically did the same thing 5 minutes later. I'm getting the feeling that they have been waiting for this day for a while.

I remember being so excited about this very day - a holiday where it was a treat to go to school to show off your costume and to spend the latter half of the day partying for the night to come. My parent always appreciated the fact that I was sent home hyped up on sugar on the day when I was going to go beg for candy. They loved how it always brought me out of my shy shell. I'm sure they were forever worrying about whether or not I would ever just say what I felt and if I would ever have enough energy to make it through the night.

It's amazing to me how much fun can be had just going around house to house demanding free stuff. I think I'm going to invent a clever little holiday for moms called "Halloclean" - a day where we get to go house to house with our buckets (and mine would be the hugest one you can find) and "trick or clean" for cleaning products. I could see me ooing and ahhing over the Cascade Action Pacs, Clorox Bleach and Bon Ami. Let's not forget vinegar - the universal cleaner - and all the new cleaning supplies that I need to purchase but keep forgetting to buy (like green scouring pads and a new toilet bowl brush). But I'm totally tossing the cheap stuff like the generic dishwashing soap that won't suds up no matter how much you pour into the sink. Come on people we want the good stuff. We could have our own "clean" fun. Who's with me?

But getting back to the real deal, I being the fabulous mother that I am only have one picture to show of my daughter, and to honest, it's from last year. She was a "Colonial girl", but she kept getting offended when everyone called her a "Prairie girl". What's wrong with people? You would think that they would know their eras. (I thought she looked more like a Prairie girl too, but please don't tell her that!)

I have none of my son because... well, I don't. But he was the cutest Ben 10 you could have ever seen. Yeah, I hadn't heard of him either. But my son can tell you AAAAAAAAALLLLL about him, every cotton-pickin' detail you could ever imagine... and some that you can't, in case you have an hour or two to spare. (This is what comes from sending your kids to Grandma's for the summer...)

I wanted to go trick or treating for one reason and one reason only. I heard that there was a street that catered to the adults. (Umm, no... not that kind of catering. Get your mind out of the gutter Jeana and Kelsey.) We tried to find it last year, but to no avail. We just weren't smart enough to MapQuest it last year, but this year we had our wits about us. And we found it! Woo hoo! We were given shots of a liquor of our choice (I chose Kahlua - coffee and liquor in one fine form), jello shots and witches brew. Let me just say that I'm so happy that we found this street at the end of our allotted time to collect candy. I'm also saying that I want to move to that street. Those are good neighbors. That's all I'm saying.

I slept well last night.

On the way home, our daughter asked, "When we get home, may I take a bath?" What sweet manners! What great grammar! What a great idea because it was nippy out there! She is so my child. The kids jumped into the bath while we checked out the candy.

And as a complete side note, I would like to ask why people buy the peanut butter taffy candy in the orange and black wrappers. I haven't found a single child (or adult) who likes them. I mean, you are wasting a perfect opportunity to give away some great candy. (Oh, please don't feel offended if that's what you gave out last night. I thought that I should point out that most of the time, that candy goes into the trash, so you might feel better if you handed out a candy that will actually be enjoyed. And if you like that candy, please let me know because honestly, I haven't found a single person who likes it. And I've asked.)

My son was allowed to pick out one thing to eat and do you know what he picked? An apple. An APPLE! Sheesh. If it weren't for the fact that he looks just like me, I'd say that he was switched at the hospital. To add insult to this candy loving injury, my daughter chose the same thing! I mean, come on kids, between the option of snickers or a piece of fruit, any other kids would take the candy and run! Oh, I see that we have some retraining to do in our house.

But only after I conveniently and mysteriously relieve them of all their Milk Duds, of course. Hey, I've got to do something to show them how it's done. Just setting a great example according to the Bible: "Train up a child in the way that he should go."

It's a hard task, but somebody's got to do it.

Glimpses of a Perfect Weekend

Pictures from the fabulous weekend(But I don't have many because I left my camera in Kelsey's car on Saturday.)



At the restaurant Friday night... I see I caught Shannon's best side. (Sorry Shannon. I did have a good picture of you and Chili, but you closed your eyes and Chili didn't have on her glasses.)

Where do we all sit? Aggiejen and Kelly make their choices.

Antique Mommy, Faith and Holymama talking... and talking... and talking. And I loved listening to Faith's drawl. It reminds me of home.

The far end of the table. We told them all that if they would take showers next time, we would sit with them. A good life lesson to learn. (Hey, I do have a picture of Sandy. She's the one standing and leaning into the picture.)

Ummm, a word to all restauranteers: Do not Kraft singles on a salad. It sets such a cheap tone. That's all I'm saying...

Aggie Jen with the perfect hair. She was entirely too quiet, but strong. I could not wrestle any Brownie Sundae away from her.

GiBee with her adorable Hunter. That baby boy is good. (I only had one shot of Sandy, GiBee's SIL who came for the sole purpose of tending to Hunter so that GiBee could enjoy us, but it didn't portray her in a flattering light. So Sandy, let me just describe you as beautiful from the inside out, and thank you for coming to GiBee's aid.)


See, I told you that Antique Mommy is beautiful. Here she is with her Sean and li'l old me.(I love this picture!) Well that's all I have because I talked more than I thought about the camera. Bummer, but the memories are great, even if I didn't capture them on film.