WFMW - Slave Labor

With the up and coming move, we've involved our kids in the entire process. They've helped pray for the sale of our house. They trudged through more houses than they would care to admit. They've continued to pray that God would lead us to the house in which He wants us to live. Now they're praying that God will make friends readily available for them when we move to the new place.

In other words, they have an invested interest in this move.

So now that we're at the packing stage, guess what my kids want to do? Let me put it this way: There are four full boxes in The Boy's room and The Girl is cleaning out her desk so that she can pack her things away. And I've had no hand in any of it.

If you get your kids excited enough about anything, they quickly will offer their services to help. And having one less room to pack definitely works for me!

(By the way, it's working for teaching The Girl to cook and for teaching The Boy to help around the yard. You don't have to move to get your kids' help. You just have to encourage excitement in whatever you need to do.)

Head on over to Shannon's for some other great tips.

It's In The Bag...

It’s that time of year again – the time where you put all your hopes into the hands of others and pray that the Random Number Generator will be your best friend time and time again…

If this is the first time at Shalee’s Diner, then welcome! Coffee is on the house for you, and you’ve just got to try some of the strawberry pie… it’s that good. As the sign says, I’ll be serving the same slop as I always do. Now doesn’t that just make you feel special?

If you’re a regular, then welcome back. You’re seats have been awaiting your derriere and as usual, pour your own coffee. I’ll bring “your usual” when I get a moment. Oh, and I’m putting off the 1986 post until next Monday. I don’t think anyone except my Mom or Chris will be disappointed about that delay...

This time I’ve got a fun bag to give away and it just shouts “Spring!!!” And to model it, I once again enlisted the help of The Girl.

Notice the brightness of the bag and those cute, adorable dots?

Did you see how deep it goes?

Just think of all the goodies you could sneak into the pool this summer if only you had this amazing bag!

If you don't need a new bag, can I interest you in a new hat?

Or tiara?

How about an apron?

Hey, you shouldn’t use the bag as The Girl is using it right now… Oooo, she’d better watch it! The Boy is getting bigger and stronger every day and one day, he’s gonna let her know it. I’m just saying... (Oh, I hope I’m not the one around when that happens. That should totally happen on Mr. Right’s watch.)

Alrighty little blogging buddies, if you would like to win this sweet carry-all, leave me a tip telling me what kind of suntan lotion you love to use.

And just to sweeten the prize: for every comment that the winner (yet to be determined by the handy dandy number generator) leaves on the Tuesday through Friday posts, up to one comment a day, I’ll add a mini prize to the bag. (For example: If you’re the winner of this giveaway and you leave comments on Wednesday’s post and Thursday’s post, then you get two addition prizes that will fit in the bag. Make sense? And don’t ask me what they are because I only just thought of this little brainstorm, and now I’ve got to figure out what those prizes might be. Sometimes I'm too smart for my own good...)

So the more you actually talk to me, the more you can win! It's a win-win for everyone, especially me because I love chatting with y'all!

The drawing, open to ALL bloggers - no matter if you live in the tundra of Siberia or the tropics of South America or any place in between - will be left open until 12:00 CST Friday night (April 25th). I’ll draw the winner on Saturday, and please, for the love of trying to make things easier on poor old waitress, would you be kind enough to make sure that I can easily contact you? If you don’t have a blog, then please leave your email address so that I know where to leave the check tip.

Sakes Alive - I'm Ready for Monday

We had one of those weekends what was so busy that it's kind of a relief to get to Monday! I'm tired, I'm sore and I'm poorer than I was on Friday, but I'm glad to be breathing.

Friday night the kids and I watched Bee Movie. It was cute and I really do recommend it, but I didn't think it was as funny as all the actors did. (Well, Patrick Warburton's character really made me laugh, but that's because he's Patrick Warburton. I'd like to have that guy for a best friend because he could say "pea soup" and I'd find something about which to chuckle.) Mr. Right stayed downstairs to take in some more March Madness.

Saturday was a race from the get-go. We had a Pancake Breakfast at our church to meet the new Youth Minister and his family, who will be arriving from Stillwater, OK in June. They seem like really nice people. When wearing my Shantih jersey (from my college days), he stopped me and said, "Did you go to Harding?" As it turns out, he was at Harding the same year that Mr. Right was there. (He didn't stay, but really, I can't say much because I didn't either. I moved to be close to Mr. Right. But just for the record, I would have stayed if it weren't for that whole love thing we had going on.)

Next stop, I needed to pick up a gift for a friend's birthday party that night. She was turning 40, so I wanted to get her something I thought she would enjoy. We headed to a bookstore, of course. So naturally we spent an hour's time perusing the store. By the time I left, the quick $10 gift turned into $30. We got something for everyone, even if Mr. Right doesn't know what his something is yet. (tee hee)

We ran to grab some sales at the grocery store and eat lunch, but then it was off to Skate City for the LTC (Leadership Training in Christ) wrap-up party. I wasn't planning on skating, but what do you say when your girl looks at you with sweet eyes and begs you and her daddy to skate with her? So we went skating as a family. For two hours straight. With lots of other kids. And it was totally worth it. It was worth it for the shear joy of watching others fall on their tushes and for the rockin' music. (But I didn't. I was too smooth of a skater for that.) We laughed, had fun, exercised and did the Chicken Dance. What could be better? Oh and we found out that they do a Retro Skate Night. We'll be partaking of the skating to the 80's soon, I can assure you of that! I keep forgetting how much I enjoy going around and around in that rink, gliding along to all sorts of music. It's a great way to get the body moving and to hold hands with ever family member at some point!

Next up was the LTC Awards ceremony. It was wonderful to find out how all the kids did in their events. The Girl received gold metals in 5 events, silver in one and a bronze in another. (When she started to comment on the bronze, I just reminded her that she totally earned it because really, she just slapped something together. If I were judging that event, I would have given her a "Participant" level. the bronze started looking pretty good to her after that. Hey, maybe she'll try harder next year. (I don't fall into the "But my child is perfect and deserves a gold for breathing!" mothering category. She'll never try harder unless she accepts the consequences for her laziness is the way I see it. I did, however, give her a gold in Signing for the Deaf - yes, we judged her because we didn't teach her. She didn't do it perfectly, but she did really well. She forgot to do a small part of her introduction, but after that she aced the signing fluently. Oh and there were a total of three judges. One of the judges gave her a gold as well, but her father (!) gave her a silver. Hmph. who's the tough parent now.)

After all that, we grabbed a quick bite to eat and went to the birthday party. I was really glad we didn't bow out. For some reason, out of the 30 people who said they were coming, only about 10 showed up. I felt so badly for our friend, but she didn't care. She said that all she wanted was a small gathering of friends to celebrate with her and to play some games. So we did. And my team totally got our trash hauled out to the curb by the other team. That Laura. she totally wailed at Taboo. (Jenni, in case you didn't hear, your team won by a landslide!)

What did we do after the party and getting the kids to bed? More March Madness, of course! (Well, I read and then went to bed.)

Sunday, we woke to The Boy having a good cough. No fever or anything, just a good, nonstop cough. We medicated him, when to church and then found that the medicine didn't do a thing for him. One person came up to Mr. Right and suggested that we get him to a doctor right away. Y'all, it's a cough. I think it's allergies, really. We'll see how it goes before I shell out good money just to hear, "It's a cough. It will pass." We kept the boy home after church. He said he was tired, but he couldn't sleep. So he rested for the afternoon. We gave him some Children's Nyquil and that helped him sleep last night.

As a last minute date which started around 9 PM, Mr. Right and I watched Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. We loved it. I don't know what all the booing was about it when it came out. It was fluid with the other movies, and it was full of wit, action and had a great ending to each of the story lines. We've learned to forward to the end of the credits because often directors will slip in some additional closure that the audience will miss if they turn it off at the credits. We were glad we did this time as there was a sweet little nugget at the end.

So that's my weekend. That's why I was really glad to have Monday roll around. Maybe I'll actually get some rest now that I'm here. What about you? Were you sad to see the weekend end or were you like me - ready to get back on schedule?

Role Reversals

I don't know why, but I'm just so tired. Around 3 PM, it hit me like a ton of bricks. Unfortunately, I was at my desk at work, so no nap for the weary. I don't feel sick. I don't think I'm coming down with anything. I'm just tired, which is odd considering that I've had great, uninterrupted sleep for the last several days.

I think it's this crazy weather. It's a beautiful 74° one day; then a cold 50° the next. My body keeps thinking that winter may be back upon us soon and it's trying to thicken up my blood. Who knows. I just know that I'm cold and tired today.

Praise be to God that I made dinner yesterday morning. Ham and bean soup in the crockpot. Yum! It was delicious, not to mention perfect for the cooler day. Plus, it was a great way to use some of our leftover Easter ham. All but The Boy had seconds. That's a good sign in our house. (And as usual, The Girl stated for the record, "Mom, this is now my favorite soup!" If you haven't noticed, everything is her favorite. I love cooking for her. The Boy? Well, let's just say that he has lots of meals that he wouldn't always request to have again. But he's not suffering at all. He's still growing like Jack's beanstalk!)

Here's what the kids did with Mr. Right last night. They invited a new type of basketball. I have a feeling that if they play it often, Mr. Right will be back in shape in no time.


























































































(I love this picture! This totally captures the spirit of The Boy.)


They kids came inside and warmed their feet in a bath. Afterwards, we had our Bible reading time. Normally we read two chapters and move on to something else, but this time, they both uttered words that made my heart melt. "Just one more, Mom!" they pleaded in unison. What a delight to hear! So we read one more chapter as requested.

After the reading, Mr. Right came up with the most brilliant idea. He turned to the kids and said, "I think that you guys should tuck us into bed tonight!" The kids, struck speechless momentarily, quickly agreed to this change in plan. Mr. Right and I acted like their kids, with all the requests for water and the little things done to keep us up just a few minutes more. The kids laughed and then became quite strict with us. (It was amazing to hear how they think that we are on a nightly basis. I need to lighten up some!)

Finally the songs were sang, the prayer was said and we were kissed good night. They went off to their rooms to go to bed as well. Mr. Right and I stayed up to make sure that The Girl quit reading at a decent time. The Boy came into our room and ever so sweetly asked if he could turn off my side table lamp. I asked if it was bothering him and he said yes. Y'all, my lamp couldn't have bugged him at all seeing that he couldn't even see it from his room! But I let him turn it off and he went on his merry way back to bed. We all promptly fell asleep.

It was 8:30 PM for goodness' sake! I'm telling you, we were all tired!

So here I am, awake and full of life, having the pure joy of knowing that I had about 10 hours of uninterrupted sleep again. Today is going to be a great day. I can just feel it!

(Someone just sent flowers to the office for our move. I love that they get to sit on MY desk! Mmmm, smell that scent of spring!)

Reunited - Makes Me Feel So Good

Oh. My. Lands.

My ears are still ringing.  Between the The Girl and her friend Bailey laughing and singing and playing and then The Boy and Bailey having a few tickle wars, my senses were on overload, especially since it's been so calm around the house for the past week.

I knew I missed the little critters, but it's always amazing how much my heart leaps when I see them after a long visit.  It really makes me want to cry with sadness from the depth of realization that I've longed for their hugs and then tears of joys that I get to have that sadness immediately removed.  Last night was such a wonderful time to meet, greet and eat... and then pile into the various cars for a 2 hour drive home.

On the way home they kept saying how tired they were.  (They had been up late all week long and it was really catching up to them.)  But because we're mean, we made them stay awake the entire time.  Hey, I wanted them to go to bed when they got home!  But wouldn't you know it?   They perked right up when they saw the new addition in the garage!  They opened every door and crawled into the backseat as if they were ready for another trip.  We'll give them a ride in it sometime later.

Oh, it's good to have the family back together again!  As much as we longed for the couple time, it's always so nice to have the daily squirmishes in the background to seal our love.

Oh and with all the car stuff that we had been through on our "romantic break from the kids" (HA!), I've been meaning to share with you the news about our office.

Look at these... 

In addition to preparing a house and looking for new wheels, I've been packing up our office. Not just my stuff, but all the items in our copier space and just yesterday, I had the good news that I was also packing up my boss' office. Joy oh joy. This is the same man that doesn't want anyone to touch his stuff. I'm not kidding. He's a little OCD when it comes to fingerprints, natural body oils and just his stuff in general. Wanna mess with his mind? Go in and ever-so-slightly alter the position of a picture either on his desk or on the wall. It will drive him nuts until he gets everything back in order. (Not that I've done that, mind you... It's all just a hypothetical guess. Oh look, something shiny!)

Come Monday, they'll all be in a new office. Yeah, baby!!! This move has come so quickly (not really, but with the car thing, it seems really fast); I'm going to have new walls beginning next week. Oh, I can't wait! No more wall of uncovered windows. No more misdirected traffic. No more 14 steps to walk to the office door. (Hey, that's actually bad... I need that exercise. Well, having a large, shared parking lot will make up for it.) Hopefully I'll be able to post pictures of my new digs on Monday.

As it's almost Easter, I wish you all the joy of knowing our Savior who died on a day like today for all of our sins. Even if you don't believe it, it still happened just the same. You think this thought is amazing? Just wait two days from now when that same man came back to life and brought redemption to this world. Now that's amazing.

Things You Might Do When Your Kids Are Gone

1. Read a book or four.
2. Watch several episodes of Lost online to catch up with the world.
3. Spend time with your husband without locking the door. (*ahem*)
   
4. Take a long bath.
5. Eat cookie dough without fear of being caught.
6. Take a nap.
   
7. Watch some movies (Inside Man, iRobot, Invincible - so far)
8. Go out for coffee with your sweet man.
   
9. Get all traces of laundry done.
10. Read every post in Bloglines.
    
11. Eat out, thinking that the kids would have loved to eat at that place.
    
12. Sort out clothes to give away from your closet, wondering if The Girl would want any of them for herself.
13. Look for a car to buy, all the time asking if the kids will be comfortable in the back of it.
    
14. Bake a bunch of potatoes only to realize that you've made way too many for two people to eat.
15. Get a craving for snuggle time in the morning time.
16. Call them at Grandma's to make sure that they're behaving and having fun with their cousins. Really, you just want to hear their voices.
    
17. Realize that the house is really quiet when they're not here.
18. Count the days until you can get them back.
    

My 15 Minutes of Almost Fame

So I had another one of my dreams last night.

This dream was great because I went to spend some Girl Time with BooMama in Alabama.  And boy, did we have all sorts of excitement!

First off, Sophie had been remodeling her house.  She was just taking the crow bar side of a hammer and pulling up beautiful wood floors.  There were sections of her house where you could see way down (like 20 ft) to the next floor and on the lower level she had done the same thing in another area to where you could see in the basement.  But she was doing it in such a way that it looked like a modern art piece, really unique and inviting, despite the fact that you could fall to your death.

(Now before y'all start telling me that there are no basements in the South, let me remind you that I grew up in the South and already know this bit of housing information.  When I met Mr. Right, decided that I couldn't live without him and that I just had to get married to him because, gosh... I really did want to have his babies, I moved to Nebraska.  Where they have basements.  I had to ask him what that area was called and was it really safe to go down to a room below a house.  He gave me a strange look, took me by the hand and led me down there.  I think he was sweet because he wanted me to have his babies too...)

Anyway there was a basement.  But it's a dream and you can do weird/neat things in dreams as you will see.

So while Sophie is remodeling her floors, she looks up and decides to pull a few boards that lined her staircase... which was exactly where David, Alex and The Boy were relaxing.  Those kooky boys.   They were all calm, peaceful and still.  This is where I should have realized I was in a dream - no movement from The Boy is a rarity.  They all paid no mind to Soph because this was life with her, and what can you do?  (The Boy looked a little leery, but he's used to some sort of kookiness all his life.)  

We were all wondering if BooMama had gone a little wacky after her return from Africa;  stress was getting to her and we were just going to let her do what she needed to do to work her way through her emotions.  If she needed to take apart her house the way she's taking apart her life and put it back together where she could live in it, all the better.  Somehow we all knew that it would be a better place to live when she was finally done.

Sophie then decided to call it quits after that so we went into the kitchen and she started filling up her flour containers.  Yes, containers.  They were big, too.  I asked her why she had such big containers and she said it was because she bought her flour in bulk because she needed it for all her baking.  Who was I to challenge that kind of wisdom?  Plus, I'm sure I would get some cake or something if I kept my mouth shut.

We went to bed.

Next day, we woke up to David settling the boys back into the stairway, but he was being real thoughtful.  He had laid the area with a king-sized bed sheet and was holding it around the boys while they laid there so that they wouldn't fall through the holes in the wall.  Wasn't that sweet?

Sophie had invited a couple of friends to go with us on our adventure.  To be honest, I can't remember them except that one had long black hair and the other one was African American.  They were both really nice, but let's face it, even in my dream world it's all about me.

And our adventure?  Well, we all know how much of an outdoorsy person BooMama is, so we did one of her favorite things: we went for a long walk on some mountain trail which followed a nice big stream.  Big rocks, lots of sunshine and joy.  That's an adventure, I tell ya!

Coming back to the car, we realized that we had lost one of group.  It was the African American friend.  We split up looking for her.  As I was looking through the parking lot, I saw a young man who was singing and doing some sort of musical number with lots of dramatic hand movements and stage moves.  He was a cross between someone from Stomp and Corbin Bleu.  He was cute, young and energetic.  He looked at me and I did what I would have done in real life:  I joined in.  So while looking for my new friend, I was singing some song and holding my own in our two person scene.  It was cool and fun!

As I headed to the car, I saw that my new friend was learning to dance.  She was afraid to tell us that she couldn't dance, so she hired someone to teach and slipped away to have her lesson while we were on the trail.

Didn't she know that I'm as white as they come and I couldn't dance to save my life?  I'm pretty sure that I would have gotten an "Amen, sister!" from Sophie as further proof...  So I let her dance and headed back to the car to wait for her.

While waiting for the others to arrive, my musical partner came up to me, handed me a paper and pen and said, "I'm in lots of plays around here.  You need to write your name and info on here because when I get back, I'm going to tell my directors that they've got to hear you!"

As I looked down, the first line said "America's Model" and I looked up at him and laughed.  He had to be joking because I don't know of any 36 year old models with two kids, one of which is now taller than her.  I rolled my eyes at him and started to write my contact info (first name and phone number only guys... I'm not completely stupid and unconcerned for my safety!) when Sophie ran up to me and said, "Are you CRAZY?   You don't even live around here!"

I told her to hush up because this was my chance at doing something fun and ON STAGE and I wanted to see where it would go.  She started to poke me to get my attention.  I told her to knock it off because one can't write legibly when being poked.  Then I heard her say, "Mommy?"

And I woke to The Girl poking me and saying my name.

Sigh.  I was almost famous.  I just about had my chance to be somebody.  I coulda been a contenta.  Now I'm back to being a mom and short order cook.

Somehow this role fits me like a glove.  Waking up wasn't such a bad thing after all.  Well, if you don't count the fact that I didn't have a chance to get Sophie's favorite recipes for all things Southern and yummy, and we never get to her favorite Mexican restaurant.  Oh well, there's always tomorrow.  All I have to do is eat a couple more tacos with onions, and I'll just see where they take me. 

Where's My Membership to AARP?

This past weekend, God blessed us with fantastic weather - weather that would permit us to finally get some things done around the outside of the house.  Which was really good since we're aiming to get the house on the market this week.

So, taking advantage of the warmer days, I gathered the kids to bag the leaves that I would rake.  (What?  You don't wait until almost Spring to finish raking the leaves?  Oh, well, welcome to the upside down world of Shalee.  We raked all but half of the backyard last fall, then overnight the cold weather came to stay for several months.  This was our first opportunity to take care of it.)

Anyway, after raking a bit, my left foot developed a really painful cramp, one that started by my toes and worked it's way across the bottom of my foot.  It hurt so much that I gasped and my breathing became more labored.  After a couple of moments, the pain receded a bit, but only enough to travel to the other foot too.

"But I'm a mom, and I have to get things done while I can.  I can still do this!" I kept that encouragement running through my head.  Mercy!  It hurt... and I really wish that I had a recording of what I looked like.  I was contorting myself in all sorts of position to ease the pain while still raking.  I would have laughed at myself if I could have seen myself stretched to the max while still gathering leaves together.

My kids, not ones to miss much, inquired what I was doing.  I said, "I don't know what's going on but my foot really hurts!"

And my son, as sweet as could be and with profound wisdom, stated, "That's because you're getting old, Mom."

Man oh man...  if I was having those cramps because I'm getting old, then I don't dare tell him how I feel after shoveling and spreading mulch for 4 hours.  He'll tell me that death's knocking on my door.

It's Official...

We have a momentous day in our house.  

A day that has already been noted on the calendar.

A day that caused much celebration and smiles of glee.

A day that I knew would be here soon enough...

Today is the day that The Girl is taller than me.

I can't tell you how many time she has come up to me doing the hand measure test... or the back-to-back test... or the "Come stand by me in front of this mirror" test.  She's all smiles and happiness right now.

Yeah, well...  She may be taller, but I've still got 20 pounds on her.  Hah!  Beat that, The Girl.

At least I'm still a half a head taller than The Boy, though I know that won't last long either.  (But he too has me beat in one department... I also officially have the smallest feet around here.)

Please send condolences... and chocolate.  I could use both today.

Snippits

Yesterday we ran to H&R Block to have our taxes done.  The kids were so good as they sat in the waiting area; all the tax advisors there even commented on their surprisingly most excellent behavior.  (Evidently our kids'  behavior was the exception, not the norm.)  Our advisor suggested in a joking way that we should take them out for ice cream.

Since we found that we were actually getting money back, we decided that we would treat them to Cold Stone Creamery.  It was to be their first time ever to this heavenly place.  

On the way to the creamery, The Boy asked for a snack when we returned home.  We said he could have a snack, chuckling on the inside because they were about to have the best form of snack ever!  We went, they gasped, oooed and ahhhed over everything, took 5 years to make a decision because there were SO MANY CHOICES!, and then they smiled with realization that God made ice cream and it was good.

With full tummies we made our way home.  The Boy quickly quipped, "Do we still get to have a snack when we get home?"  and then he laughed gleefully.  

That Boy... he's such a kidder.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Girl is finding that though she is now a member of the body of Christ, The Boy annoys her just as much as he did before she became a Christian.

She's struggling to find the right reaction to him, but at least she's trying.  Oh girl, this is just the beginning...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was reminded again last night how incredibly blessed I am to be married to Mr. Right.  This realization came as we were watching the fourth hour of Pride and Prejudice, and he was enjoying it as much as I was.  But he likes chick flicks and always has.  We love to watch When Harry Met Sally, Return To Me, While You Were Sleeping, Notting Hill, Always and many more.

Sigh.  I just love that man.

Edited to add:  Mr. Right would also like it pointed out that he likes Enter The Dragon, LOTR series, The Dirty Dozen, Tora Tora Tora, The Matrix, the Die Hard series, Gladiator, Mission Impossible series and many more.   He's not a wuss.  (Lucky for him, I like all those movies too.)

Disappointment Derailed

Thursday night I really wanted "to get silly" with Mr. Right.  I happily went through the ordeal of shaving my legs, wearing something that he bought for me (that I don't really like but he really does) and I put on some fabulously scented body cream called Seduction.

I was turned down flat from that man.  He was just too tired to do "get silly."

Bummer.  Big fat bummer.  That is one strange man is all I can say.  He wasn't too tired to play a game for an hour and a half.  Hmph.  I would have been so much more exciting than Zelda.  I know that for a fact.

Friday morning, things were off between Mr. Right and me.  I wasn't mad at him, but I didn't really want to talk with him either.  I fought it well, but I know he felt it too.  I did give him a good kiss when I left, though.  There is that.

On the way to work, I realized that I forgot to blog that morning. I knew that I wouldn't be able to do anything about it because of the filter at work. (STUPID WORK FILTER!)

I discovered when I arrived at work that I didn't have my office keys.  (Yes, I thought of you, LW.)  I knew that someone would be along soon, so I wasn't too worried about it.  Half an hour later, my boss finally showed, and thanks be to God, he had his keys with him.  (He doesn't always.)

I found that I had several tasks to accomplish that involved getting other people to put in some effort for me.  Do you know what it takes to get five other people to cooperate so that you can get something done?  Let me just say that sometimes it's not pretty when I have to get all parental.

I found out that all I managed to bring for lunch was my mashed potatoes...  sans butter even.  Well, at least I had something.  

And no matter what I did,  I could not get warm at work.  Cold feet all day is not a pleasant experience.  I even had my illegal space heater going and I was like an iceberg that would not thaw!

I was really ready for a do-over day.  I wanted to just go home, curl up in bed and start again on Saturday.  But then I read this post that Mary wrote at Owlhaven.  What an eye-opener for me.   I decided immediately that I would make some changes so that I too could be 15 minutes better.

I stopped by Panera's to bring home some sourdough bread with our homemade vegetable beef soup that was simmering at home.  It's a luxury that we don't always get to indulge.  It made the meal seem more complete, more special.

Since The Girl was set to go to an all-girl's lock-in at a friend's church and Mr. Right was working late that night, I decided to have a date with The Boy.  We had such a good time.  We went and bought a special candy for us to enjoy during a movie.  Then I pulled out the new Charlotte's Web that I had checked out from the library, we set up the teepee that Aunt Lynnette had given to the kids for Christmas one year and we laughed (okay, I cried - I'm such a a softy!) our way through the movie.  I have to tell you, The Boy sure makes a great date, especially when he's all happy from a Fun Dip!  Some girl is going to have it easy with him later if he stays on the same course.  Just give The Boy some candy and he's like putty in your hands.

Mr. Right arrived home just in time to tuck The Boy into the teepee so that he could continue his night of fun.

After the big tuck-in, I had another date with Mr. Right and finally was able to enjoy was a bit of "silliness".  We were down-right silly, and it was totally worth the wait.

Two dates in one night?  I don't even think I did that in college...

Sometimes all it takes is a new way of looking at things in order to turn a dud of a day into a fun night to remember.

Lost

About a year ago, Mr. Right and I finally let some friends of ours talk us into watching Lost.  They've been working on us since the show began, but we just don't have the need to watch tv like most people.  After hearing all the glories of the show, we said okay and they let us borrow their Season One, and...

Oh. My. Lands!  was it good.  I think he and I watched the entire season in a few weeks, which is pretty good considering us.  The kids were too scared (as I knew they would be) to watch a show about a plane crash.  That's not really a bad thing.  I didn't want them watching it anyway.

At the beginning of summer and the kids were at Grandma and Grandpa's house, I finally got Season Two from the library.  The good side was that I waited on a very long list to get that season and finally it was in my hot little hands.  The down side:  I had a week before it was due for the next person fill their need.

Mr. Right quit at about the fourth episode, but I persevered.  That puppy was fully watched and returned on time.

Not to be too far behind, I have been watching Season Three online for a awhile now.  I watched one now and then when I awoke at the zero dark thirty hours.  I finally finished up the last episodes of that season a couple of weeks ago.   Whew. I am up to date like everyone else at the beginning of Season Four.  Woo hoo!

I actually thought I had missed the premier.  I thought it was on Wednesday, but when a friend called last night and mentioned that the two hour season opener was going to be on in 40 minutes, I quickly hustled everyone; baths, Bible reading and bedtime routines were accomplished in record time!

Oh, what a huge disappointment to find out that the first hour was just a recap.  We did other things until the "real" show began.  Which was really good because it would be bedtime for The Boy by then... or so I thought.

The Boy quickly ran to his room, only to return immediately with a "gift certificate" that I had given him for Christmas.  It was the one that said he could stay up an hour late.  He wanted to read with his daddy.  That sounded like a good reason to me, so we waited for Mr. Right to get home from work.  He got home just as Lost was about to begin.

The Boy sat with me while Mr. Right was taking a few minutes to get settled.  He saw the opening of Lost, the part where Jack looks at the dead girl while talking on the phone to be rescued and then after hanging up, Jack says, "Damn it" and then looks around like he's trying to figure out what to do. 

Before I have a chance to mute, to hustle him out or to talk about how that was bad language, The Boy innocently asks, "Mom, who's Damn it?"

And that's when it hit me that we've done such a thorough job of trying to keep only good things coming into the house that he doesn't even know what many curse words are.  He knows it's not pleasing to God when people say his name in vain and that we consider some name-calling words to be like curse words too, like stupid, idiot, moron.  And thanks to school and Ben 10, we've discussed how butt is to be used properly.  He is 8 after all.  I can't prevent him from hearing everything.

But when I heard him ask that innocent question, I realized that I was completely at fault.  We have a rule that we don't watch tv for a reason, and this was exactly why. In my excitement to watch the premier, I didn't think about what he could see or hear.  My bad.  Very much my bad.

I explained to him that Jack shouldn't have said those words because it was really a curse; then Mr. Right swooped in to save the day by taking him upstairs to read.

But I've decided one thing:  I'd rather lose Lost than to help my kids to get lost in this world.  

And I'm okay with that.  I can always watch the episodes online again if I feel the need to know, but right now, my need to know falls way short when compared to my need to be a great example to my kids.  

I find it amusing and fitting that these verses were among our reading last night.  I just didn't realize at the time that they would be appropriate in more ways than one...

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. "And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

"Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to sin! Such things must come, but woe to the man through whom they come! If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell. "See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. "What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost. Matt 18:1-14

March Of The Penguins

Look what came waltzing into our yard this weekend...





This one loves to eat fish... and pizza, loaded potato soup, chocolate chip cookies, asparagus, chili, fried chicken, kiwi, taco salad, roast and veggies, mandarin orange broccoli chicken, pickled beets, german cabbage, grapefruit, cornbread, homemade mac & cheese, cajun rice, espinaca and chips, roulade, lasagna, chicken enchiladas, cantaloupe, clam chowder, lima beans, hamburgers, tuna casserole, shrimp and noodles, hawaiian pork, chicken pot pie, stir fry, moo goo gai pan, steak, baked potatoes, strawberry chicken, quesadillas, grilled zucchini, watermelon, yogurt, guacamole, crab legs, yams, garlic string green beans, spicy thai chicken pasta, cinnamon rolls and, of course, sushi.

But not brussel sprouts.  Smart penguin, that one.

The penguin's brother? Not so much. Studies showed that if the food was green (except the kiwi) or if it has any look of being "different", it creates a sneering reflex before he ever sits at the table.

Yeah, he goes to bed hungry every now and then.

What Does Any Sane Person Do When Her Head Is As Full As A Balloon?

Why go on a field trip with 70 kids, of course.  Right?  Right?

Well, it's what I did, but only because it's been in the works for over a month now.  And The Boy was SO. EXCITED. THAT HIS MOM WAS GOING TO RIDE THE BUS WITH HIM TO A REALLY FUN PLACE!!  

Who can let a measly battle of the sinuses interfere with that kind of enthusiasm?  Not me.  I'm a mom and I can do anything - even if I have a broken leg, two broken arms, a bout of flu and migraine.  That just the way moms work; they get through anything.

Well there was that one time when I was a dorm mother, and I caught mono from someone in that building.  I desperately wanted to get to my mom's place so that I could give her my then 4 year old and seven-month-old and just curl up into a ball and die a slow painful death, but even then I made the solo 17 hour tip to Texas - straight through.  And trust me, I thanked God the entire way that my kids were amazingly good.  Then I thanked God that my folks took the kids and then let me sleep until I came out of that mono-induced fog.  Then I thanked him for letting me live rather than listening to my "curl up and die" nonsense.  I didn't thank him when I had to change the first "blowout" that my son saved for my return to wellness.

My point is, I think, that we moms are pretty tough and we do a lot of things that can't be done by a normal person because by being mom, we're given special super powers that helps us keep going.  God did that by design, I tell you; if he didn't, then the house would fall apart, kids would starve and husbands would be driven crazy with all the work that they would now have to do.  

I'm just telling it like it is.  Can I get an "Amen!"?

Anyway, I had this day off from work so that I could go on this field trip with The Boy.  I went.  We had fun.  See?

Fun.

Fun.

More fun!

We came back.  I got in the car and drove home, only to discover when I pulled into the driveway, I have a very flat tire.  Yeah, not so good.

So I sit here waiting for the tow truck to come change the flat to a spare so that I can spend my afternoon at a tire store getting a new tire and then going to a doctor's appointment.  So much for my intended blog-reading time, a nap and much needed trip to get my Chik-fil-A fix before the doctor's visit.

Sigh.  I'll just consider it an enjoyment that is just being deferred for the moment.  Hey, the tow guy just showed up...

So since I won't be catching up anytime today, will you share a bit of what's going on with you?  If you're a mom, I'd really love to hear how you're a Supermom too.

What Does Any Sane Person Do When Her Head Is As Full As A Balloon?

Why go on a field trip with 70 kids, of course.  Right?  Right?

Well, it's what I did, but only because it's been in the works for over a month now.  And The Boy was SO. EXCITED. THAT HIS MOM WAS GOING TO RIDE THE BUS WITH HIM TO A REALLY FUN PLACE!!  

Who can let a measly battle of the sinuses interfere with that kind of enthusiasm?  Not me.  I'm a mom and I can do anything - even if I have a broken leg, two broken arms, a bout of flu and migraine.  That just the way moms work; they get through anything.

Well there was that one time when I was a dorm mother, and I caught mono from someone in that building.  I desperately wanted to get to my mom's place so that I could give her my then 4 year old and seven-month-old and just curl up into a ball and die a slow painful death, but even then I made the solo 17 hour tip to Texas - straight through.  And trust me, I thanked God the entire way that my kids were amazingly good.  Then I thanked God that my folks took the kids and then let me sleep until I came out of that mono-induced fog.  Then I thanked him for letting me live rather than listening to my "curl up and die" nonsense.  I didn't thank him when I had to change the first "blowout" that my son saved for my return to wellness.

My point is, I think, that we moms are pretty tough and we do a lot of things that can't be done by a normal person because by being mom, we're given special super powers that helps us keep going.  God did that by design, I tell you; if he didn't, then the house would fall apart, kids would starve and husbands would be driven crazy with all the work that they would now have to do.  

I'm just telling it like it is.  Can I get an "Amen!"?

Anyway, I had this day off from work so that I could go on this field trip with The Boy.  I went.  We had fun.  See?

Fun.

Fun.

More fun!

We came back.  I got in the car and drove home, only to discover when I pulled into the driveway, I have a very flat tire.  Yeah, not so good.

So I sit here waiting for the tow truck to come change the flat to a spare so that I can spend my afternoon at a tire store getting a new tire and then going to a doctor's appointment.  So much for my intended blog-reading time, a nap and much needed trip to get my Chik-fil-A fix before the doctor's visit.

Sigh.  I'll just consider it an enjoyment that is just being deferred for the moment.

So since I won't be catching up anytime today, will you share a bit of what's going on with you?  If you're a mom, I'd really love to hear how you're a Supermom too.

Interwebs: The DSL Has Landed… In A Brain Cloud

We finally are connected to the web, all legal like and all. Of course the first thing we did was to make sure that no one can piggyback on us… because we’re giving like that.

And in honor of finally having internet all to ourselves, what did we do? We ignored it all weekend. Because it was so absolutely important to us to have it. Yeah, we’re really messed up around here, but hey! At least I’m in good company.

I’m suffering through the worst case of an elephant sitting on my sinuses; I’m just going to give you a quick rundown of the weekend and then crawl back under the coverage of my Benadryl-induced brain cloud. I just hope that I have enough of a break of clear-headedness to make it readable.

• The Girl spent the night at a friend’s house.
• Since The Boy earned all 2’s and 3’s on his report card (our school system works on levels of proficiencies rather than letter grades) in subject matter and behavior (this is a biggie because he had lots of 1’s – needs to improve in the social/classroom behavior area), I offered to take him out to eat as a reward for this excellent improvement. He requested to watch a couple of Ben 10 episodes rather than eat at Chik-fil-A. I don’t know whose child he is. I totally wanted Chik-fil-A, but I figure giving him a reward he wanted would have been a better option. So I let him watch the show and made Barb’s French Onion Soup instead. By the way, YUM! (But I’ll take the time to slice real onions next time, Barb.)
• Mr. Right and I watched The Thin Man, a favorite of ours. If you’ve not watched this classic movie or better yet, the entire collection, then I highly recommend it to you, but only if you love great bantering, a good mystery and character who will make you laugh out loud. If these qualities don’t appeal to you, then I have some Benadryl that you can take to go along with your sense of humor. Hey, everything seems better when you can’t think straight.
• After going to bed at 11 PM, I awoke wide awake to the bright, cheery time of 2 AM, which if I think about it is neither bright nor cheery. It was rather depressing actually. But, at least I found some much needed read time. Because you all know that I NEVER have a chance to read. I could have done some much needed house work, but who wants to work on the house when you can sit on the couch and read until your child gets up at 8 AM to ask for some breakfast. (Oh I kid. I did the dishes and started the dryer to de-wrinkle the clothes, only to forget about them again. I’m such a great housekeeper.  Plus, I prayed for Kelli who suffers with this nonsense every stinkin' day.)
• We piled in the car to get donuts only to find that our favorite donut shop closed down. If I wasn’t emotional before, I was now. What is this world coming too when you can’t get quality fried dough covered with chocolately sugar or the world’s finest specimen of apple fritters? This was turning out to be the worst day of my life and it was only 8:30 in the morning…
• By 10:30 AM, I was a grump barely on two feet, so I did something I never get a chance to do: I unplugged every phone in the house, told The Boy that to watch Ben 10 (again) and that if he wakes me up for anything other than death, he would soon experience it. Slept for a hard, solid 1 ½ hours and became a human being again. Whew – from everyone in the house.
• After running to the stores, I did a mighty fine impression of a couch potato as I watched the Packers wail on the Seahawks.
• We had our friends who are on furlough from their mission work in Africa come over for dinner that night. We’ve missed them so much! It was great to sit and talk, play games (Swap and Clue – the girls totally rule at that game!) and just enjoy being around them again. It was as if 2 years had not even passed. The funniest part that we noticed separately was that Emily and I sat and enjoyed the football game while Mr. Right and Jason sat in the kitchen talking about recipes and cooking. We’re so backwards, but it totally works with us.
• Sunday brought church and more football. I loved the preaching that Jason did for our congregation that morning – very open and God-led. The football? Not so good. My poor Colts are out of the playoffs. Sigh. I’ll still watch, even if it means that it may be the unbeaten Pats against one of the remaining teams. (By the way, I made a decision to quit dogging the Pats. It was a grudge that had settled in my heart that needed to be kicked out. I know it’s football and that in the whole scheme of things it’s unimportant, but when I found myself nursing it for all it was worth, I realized that I wasn’t letting God have all of my heart. So I officially declare that I am making a great effort in refraining from insulting the cheaterhead Patriots… oh man, do I have a lot of work to do. Y’all might want to offer a prayer or 20 on my behalf about this matter…
• To honor The Girl for her getting on Honor Roll (she had to ask what Honor Roll meant), we took her out for sundaes from B&R, by way of Chilihead. Thanks Melanie for the coupon! We were all happy with our Sunday afternoon treats.
• I found myself in bed at the unheard of hour of 8:15 PM. I couldn’t keep my eyes open or my head straight with the battle that was being fought in my head. Sinus pressure, groggy, blow, sinus pressure, groggy, blow… ugh.

So now I’m sitting at my desk, trying to get my fingers to type and my head to wrap around some work that I’m supposed to be doing.

Check please, from the table of pity party for one.

Why God Invented Blogs or Why I Have My Christmas Present Already

I couldn’t decide which title worked best…

Yesterday morning at the breakfast table, Mr. Right told The Girl and me some awful news about one of his coworkers. While his coworker was at work and everyone in her family of four was out of the house, someone broke into their apartment (which sits on a corner and backs up to trees). Not only did the thieves take the Christmas presents, they had all day to take everything else; they cleaned out their food, clothes, clocks, games, money that had been saved to fix their car - everything, even their last can of Who Hash and the crumb that was too small for a mouse.

His work rallied and they collected $600 for them the first day. Mr. Right was just telling us so that we could make a decision as a family to give something to them as well. We were silent for a moment; then I said, “Let’s give them some money, and I’ll go through the pantry and clean it out. We can always buy more food.”

Then I turned to The Girl and said, “The Girl, would you mind if I gave them one of your Christmas presents?”

She asked which one (which was an odd question because she doesn’t know what she’s getting – I wrapped them as soon as I bought them). Knowing that the family of four has two teenage boys – I’m pretty sure that they won’t want size 14 jeans, a cute sweater or pair of earrings, I said, “Well, your Grandma Cora and Grandpa Duck sent you some money for Christmas. Would you like to give some of that to them?”

She didn’t even bat an eye as she said, “Give all of it to them.”

I, on the other hand, choked on my sip of coffee and said, “Honey, you don’t have to give it all. You could give half and that would be just fine.”

Looking me straight in the eyes, she replied, “Mom, I am so spoiled.”   Then she continued to eat her cinnamon roll.

And then I started bawling. She definitely is not missing the give in Thanksgiving gene, just like her Daddy…

As an afterthought, she said, “And we don’t even have to tell Grandma Cora or Grandpa Duck because it’s my money and I can give it away and they won’t get their feelings hurt that I gave their present away.” That girl was worried about her grandparents’ feelings in this act of kindness!

“If you tell them, I guarantee that they will be more pleased with what you did with it than whatever you would have bought,” I assured her.

“Mom, I can’t tell them! Then it looks like I’m bragging, and I don’t want that at all.”

And that is why God invented blogs - so that I can do it for her, without her ever knowing… (Grandma Cora and Grandpa Duck – please don’t get your feelings hurt that The Girl knows more about being Christ-like than your girl ever knew.)

Later, when The Boy awoke and was eating his breakfast, he asked why I was packing up a whole bunch of food. Mr. Right explained the situation, and The Boy quickly said, “Can I give them some of my clothes or toys?”

I told him that he was so sweet, but then informed him that the boys were teenagers, that his clothes wouldn’t fit them and they probably play with different kinds of toys. I did tell him about the money that the grandparents sent for Christmas and asked if he would like to give any of it to the family.

He just stared at me like I had grown a second head. Give away money? His money? Was I nuts?

I told him that whatever he decided, whether it was all, half, or none of the money, that we love him no matter what and that God would rather have honesty and cheerfulness over a begrudging heart. Whatever he settled to do would be left up to him to decide.

A minute later as we’re hustling around the kitchen, The Boy says, “Half.”

I look at him and ask, “Are you sure? God wants you to give cheerfully, so make sure you’re heart is happy about it.” 

“My heart is happy about it. I’d like them to have half of it. Can I have a glass of water?”

And just like that I cried again. That is why I have my Christmas present already. I can’t imagine being any happier or more blessed by these two angels than I was at that moment.

Thanks God for this great gift that I want to re-gift time and time again.

The Christmas Lists - Uncut Version

Oh it’s that time again – the time when my kids make their lists for Santa.  If you remember anything from last year's lists, then this year's shouldn't be much of a surprise...

Can I just state again for the record that these cannot be my kids?!  I’m mean we’ve already determined that genetically speaking they should be asking for the world to revolve around them. But alas, no – they actually have a sense of decency when it comes to receiving gifts at Christmas. 

All I can say is that I’m so happy that they take after Mr. Right in so many ways…

The Boy’s list

• A Ben 10 Gameboy game
• A kiwi
• A toy dog
• A whiteboard
• Chocolate chip cookie dough
• Ben 10 and the Secret of the Omnitrix movie
• Dry erase markers
• Sonic gift card
• Ben 10 Race Against Time movie
• Meet the Robinsons

Did you see any kind of theme here? The Boy’s obsessed I tell you!

The Girl’s list

• Kiwi
• Pokemon Gameboy game
• Grapefruit
• Large roll of either Tollhouse or Pillsbury chocolate chip cookie dough
• Gymnastic or yoga lessons
• Fuzzy slippers
• Winter pjs
• Stuffed animal
• Sewing machine and table
• Whiteboard with markers and eraser
• Pop rocks
• Mighty Bites cereal from Kashi
• Pumpkin muffin from Panera
• Green alarm clock
• Party dress
• Jeans
• Gift certificate to Claire’s
• A certificate from Mom saying “The Girl doesn’t have to eat outside today” (We’re so mean. When the weather’s beautiful and there are no bugs, we MAKE her eat out on the back deck with us. Oh the tragedy… Next thing you know, we’ll actually go on a picnic and she’ll be expected to go – and HAVE FUN! I know. We’re maniacs around here!)
• Books
• Heely shoes

Now The Girl’s list is a bit longer than The Boy’s, but when you see that she wants Pop Rocks, cereal, a pumpkin muffin and a homemade gift certificate, I don’t really fault her for being a bit more lengthy in her list.   She won't get everything, but she'll get some things that I know she wants but forgot to put on the list.

Ahhh, once again I have lists that mostly are doable. Santa can make his visit yet again. And for that, I’m extremely grateful,  especially since I can finally release my Scrooge tendencies and let them eat exotic and exciting things - like fruit.

Eight

The Boy turned eight on Sunday. Where has the time gone? 

I remember holding him, thinking he looked just like a monkey with his long arms, lengthy legs and a head of hair that stood on end just like a baby monkey. And his eyes! They were always so wide and alert, taking in everything. His Grandmavon even took to calling “Mowgli” the boy from the Jungle Book – for his looks and for his knack at finding himself in one adventure after another.

But now this beautiful boy is growing up before our very eyes. Although he’s still known to cry, his laughter far outnumbers his tears. His stretched appendages are the same; he is still a full head above most of his classmates. He easily can give the Energizer Bunny a good run for his money, too. If I could bottle just an ounce of that liveliness, I’m sure I would have my retirement completely covered. 

But he’s still my little boy, the same one who asks to snuggle in the morning and wants his story time at bedtime.  The same one who tries to up "just one minute more."  The same one who will run and give an attack hug to those he loves so dearly.

There are some things I hope he'll never outgrow.

So in honor of the big eight boy in this house, I’ll tell you eight things about The Boy that you may or may not know.

1. The Boy LOVES anything Ben 10. He eats, sleeps and breathes Ben 10, and when he’s not doing that, he just pretends to be Ben 10 at any given moment. Yes, he’s asked for a Ben 10 room, but I said no. I know, I know… I’m such a mean mom.
2. Clue is quickly becoming The Boy’s favorite game.
3. The Boy can’t sit still through a prayer, but if you give him a puzzle, a logic problem or some sort of building block, he can sit for hours amusing himself.
4. He can make all sorts of sounds with his mouth – engines, crashes, aliens, voices from characters in movies.
5. The Boy loves to make everything fly – game pieces, donuts, Lego’s, himself. He even sings “I Believe I Can Fly” as each the things fly. It’s amazing that we haven’t been to the emergency room with him yet…
6. Ice cream is at the top of The Boy’s favorite desserts. (Of course, he never would turn down any other treats…)
7. The Boy loves to sing. He makes up songs all the time and he doesn’t care if anyone listens while he sings.
8. He has a heart that loves God, and he’s often thanking God for all the blessings that he’s been given. 

Happy Birthday, The Boy!

P.S. I love you more – from the earth to heaven and back again, forever and ever and ever, infinity plus one. And we both win.

For Sale

For Sale: One slightly used 7 (almost 8) years old boy with artistic skills

Act now, and marker will be included.