Stellan is very sick

Pin It UPDATED: He's doing much better! WOOHOO!!

Original post:

If you follow MckMama's blog or if you don't, her baby Stellan is very sick and and in need of prayers. Please pray for this little one!

My Charming Kids

Thank you.

The Christmas Not Me List

Pin It Ah, Christmas. I love Christmas. I'll say it again, I love Christmas. I love the real Christmas story, I love the very idea that the Lord of all creation came to earth as a baby. I love to think about Mary and Joseph, and I love to just sit and wonder what it was all really like. I love the magic of Christmas, I love the excitement, I love the cooler weather (well, when it happens around here!), I love the shopping, the planning, the ability to give gifts to tell my family and friends that I love them. I love that my kids become little saints at about 3 pm on Christmas Eve. Never are they as close as they are that night. I love that they try to sleep all in one bed, and I love hearing them giggle and giggle. I love the opening of the presents, and I love the cooking, and I love the eating. (ahem ... see previous post for more about that ...) I love the Christmas Eve service, and the Christmas lights. I love the old traditions and the new ones (new this year - watching "The Nativity Story" - OH MY what a beautiful movie!!)

I love every bit of it ... until about noon on Christmas day. And then I'm ready for life to get back to normal. And then it's time for the "Not Me's" to kick in.



(Yes, whether or not MckMama posts her not me's, these are just DYING to get out!)

I did not begin disassembling the Christmas tree while the children were still opening presents. I love having my house in disarray while the Christmas tree is in the place of the loveseat, and I love having the loveseat crammed into the family room. After all, more places to drape kids ... and stuff ... is all good, right? Not only did I not begin taking the tree down immediately, I didn't insist that the kids help, either. The words "hey, while you grab that present, put that ornament back in the box" never came out of my mouth. Not once, and not about thirty times either.

Speaking of the number thirty ... my tree did not start with one hundred and thirty ornaments on December 1st and end up with thirty unbroken ornaments left on December 25th. My kids ... and cats ... and dog ... aren't THAT destructive. I'm sure I will not be finding ornaments in my son's room for the next six months either. I didn't save all of the broken ornaments that are somewhat repairable and add them to the ornaments that were broken but somewhat repairable from last year, and several years before that. That would be like two thousand ornaments at this point, and the fact that I haven't repaired them from ten years ago really means that I should just accept the fact that I'm NOT going to repair them, and get rid of them. I'm also not so cheap that I've stuck broken ornaments on the tree, if they aren't broken past the point of all recognition. AND, while we're talking about the tree, I didn't just completely let it go this year, have a BADLY decorated tree, and blame it completely on the kids, primarily the three year old. Oh, the cat got her share of blame too. OH! She's also three. Notice a theme here?

I understand that children get tired and overly emotional and overly excited, and I extend them grace on Christmas day when they're just needing a release. I am a good mom and understand that sometimes they just need to work their emotions out. That would be why I didn't send one of my children to her room for the rest of her life on Christmas day. I'd never do that to a child who just needed a hug and a mom to understand her disappointment that a game she got didn't work. I'd never get my feelings hurt when said child storms up and declares it to be "the worst Christmas ever." And I would never send said child to her room, very loudly ... for the rest of her life. I'm not that kind of mom. (I would, however, hug that child and forgive her instantly when she comes up to me all teary and says she's sorry and she loves all of her presents, even the game that doesn't work. I'd also promise to do whatever I can to either fix the game or replace it.)

I did not gain an insane amount of weight in the month of December. Nope, not me. Not only that, but I am disciplined enough that I'm doing well now, and didn't continue to eat junk all day. I didn't plan a meal around junk food on New Year's Eve, and claim that it's all for the children. I am not going to have to work (HARD) all of January just to undo the damage of December, before even moving forward. I'm also not really angry with myself for this! I have not turned the sentence "The holidays only come once a year!" into a personal mantra either. SIGH.

And speaking of getting healthy, I did not have my feelings hurt by the Wii fit. Nope, it's a COMPUTER GAME and not capable of hurting my feelings. I was not tempted to LIE to the darn thing so that it would not hurt my feelings so much. I mean, I really AM 6 feet tall, right? Not 5'4" like I typed in there. Or maybe it's that I'm wearing really heavy clothes. You know, knit cotton shirts weigh like 25 pounds, right? I'm not sitting here scowling at the Wii fit as I type, just in case you thought I might be.

Okay, I think those are sufficient for the day. It's Monday, the start of a new week. :) My Christmas decorations are gone, the house is back in its normal state of disarray (as opposed to the Christmas version of disarray), the sweets are all eaten, the toys are all played with. It's time to get back to normal, and life is good!

I'm dreaming of ...

Pin It (sing along with me, all you December diet dropouts!!)

I'm dreaming of some white chocolate
and maybe some chips and apple pie
lots of icing sprinkles
and sugary twinkles
of course dip and snacks to fry ...

(nope, twinkles aren't a new snack food; I just couldn't come up with another rhyming word.)

Seriously, what in the world is wrong with me? We even have no snacks here so I'm improvising with crazy things. So crazy that I'm not even going to tell you what they are!!

SIGH.

Trying to prepare myself for the post-Christmas fast that I'm going to have to do.

For whomever said "nothing tastes as good as thin feels" ... well ...
a) it's been so long I don't even remember what it feels like
and
b) you've CLEARLY never had peppermint fudge

Nope, Not Me

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Ah ... Monday again!

I am NOT enjoying a ton of laziness that comes from Christmas break. Yeah, it will be a different sort of busy this week, but I certainly did not sleep late this morning and I am definitely not walking around a bit ... um ... hygenically challenged today.

I have not threatened to have children open and then give away Christmas presents as an attempt to bribe good behavior out of them. I'd never do that. After all, these are presents that I picked out especially for the little angels, and my children would never misbehave anyway. Must be some other mom I heard about doing that.

I have not thrown the diet to the wind the past few days, and I certainly do not plan to follow that same pattern this week. What foolishness that would be! To work so hard and then throw it away for some yummy peppermint fudge. And I don't even like peppermint fudge anyway. Nope, I'd never do that.

I did not gleefully pass my children off to my husband last night and go to dinner with my parents all by myself. I did not cleverly plan this excursion way back in November, by having certain Christmas presents shipped to them rather than me, so that there would have to be some kind of trip made to pick up the presents. I did not enjoy the quiet time in the car, and I certainly did not eat too much. (See the paragraph above, I would never do that!!)

And one more ... I have not been searching google for how to handle three year old temper tantrums today. This is CHILD NUMBER THREE for heaven's sake, and I'm a professional mom by now! *IF* I had a child who had seventeen tantrums per day, I would know how to handle it and would not be tempted to resort to banging my head against the wall, and what does Dr. Google know anyway? sigh ...

The Christmas Letter

Pin It I love to read Christmas letters. I really do. I admire the way people have of wrapping up a year into a few paragraphs and you can feel like you're caught up on their lives after reading it. I love the way people can spin questionable circumstances into a happy story. People are never as optimistic in life as they are in their Christmas letters!

I've attempted several times to write a Christmas letter. I just can't do it. I can't manage to turn "my three year old has seventeen temper tantrums per day" into anything other than what it is. I can be creative and all, but really, who wants to read "my three year old has perfected the skill of expressing his desires in a manner which produces excellent and quick results"? Well, I guess that's one way to put a positive spin on things.

This year I really want to try. I don't want to gloss over our imperfections (for they are many!) but do want to share some of what the kids are into, and how the Lord has blessed us this year. I'm not clever or particularly creative, just so, you know, you don't get your expectations up or anything like that.

So, without further ado, our Christmas letter. It is what it is.

Dear friends and family,

Wow, another year is almost over. How time flies! Here's a 2008 update on our family.

I would guess the biggest change we've had is Jim's new employment. For the love of all things military, Jim has rejoined the National Guard. I think it's mainly for the cool uniforms. He's still at the prison too, the NG is just bonus income, plus he absolutely loves it, so it's good for him.

Gabbi is now in the 5th grade and is in a rush to grow up too fast. Sometimes I look at her and see the lady she will be in the future. Sometimes I look at her and see a small child who just wants to fight with her sister though. Ah, the tween years. Such fun. She is Brendan's hero most of the time; the Lord really has put a special bond between those two. She is going to be a fabulous mom one day.

Madelyn is now in the 2nd grade and is my surprise super genius child. I feel bad that we didn't have very high expectations for her intelligence. Her job was to be the cute one. She's a bright kid though! Her other accomplishments for the year include a fabulous Alvin and the Chipmunks impersonation. Except it's not really an impersonation. It's her real voice. It really is the absolute sweetest little voice on the phone. Don't believe me? Give me a call and I'll let her answer.

Then there is Brendan, aka Buzz-Man. He loves to jump off the furniture and has perfected the art of the temper tantrum. These tantrums tend to occur with regular frequency every. single. time. we leave the house. I've gotten more dirty looks from random strangers for being the mom who can't control her fit-throwing kid than I can handle. He's also a really sweet boy though. He loves to help out around the house, even when his method of helping out isn't really all that helpful.

And me? I just continue trying to keep all of the plates spinning. :) Being mommy to three and wife to one is tough some days, but I wouldn't change it for the world!

So there you have it ... I hope you have had a fabulous 2008, and I wish for you the happiest blessings for 2009.

An Interview With My Children

Pin It I saw this on someone else's blog and thought it would be fun to hear my children's answers. Maybe fun wasn't quite the right word ... interesting might be a better choice.

1. What does mom always say to you?
G - No, you can't have a friend over today. And I love you.
The I love you was an afterthought, probably hoping to butter me up so she can invite a friend over today.
M - Don't fight.
B - Boy.

2. What makes mom happy?
G - A clean room
M - If we clean up our room and don't fight.
B - he just giggled. Guess he knows that his giggles make me happy.

3. What makes mom sad?
G - Ungodly behavior. Just have to giggle at her choice of words.
M - If we fight. Notice a running theme here?
B - yes. he really wasn't so much an active participant in this interview process.

4. How do I make you laugh?
G - by tickling Brendan I suspect that her true answer would have been "by asking me silly questions" if she had thought of it.
M - by tickling me
B - he just kind of ran away when I asked.

5. How old am I?
G - aren't you 38? brownie points to her for shaving off a year
M - 39
B - 6 I guess 6 is way up there, if you're 3

6. How tall am I?
G - 6'7" hm ... maybe she thought I asked how tall Mr. Bob was?
M - 42" um, no dear. That's how tall YOU are.
B - big well, he's 3. LOL

7. What do I like to do?
G - Computer work and blockfeeds
M - Make videos and watch House
B - paint
The girls have observed that their blockfeeds for school take up an ENORMOUS amount of time. Count down with me ... FIVE MONTHS LEFT!

8. What is my job?
G - To do tax stuff and be our mom
M - Watch us while Dad is at work okkkaaay, I'm a babysitter
B - I want Oswald please. He's really just not that into these questions.

9. What do I like to eat?
G - salads
M - shrimp
B - chicken
hey, they're all right! I'm just shocked that nobody said cookies and fudge.

10. How do you know I love you?
G - I haven't run away from home yet and discipline. LOL ... I think she inherited a sarcasm gene from someone.
M - You tell me you love me to pieces. aww~!!
B - I DON'T WANT LITTLE BILL. I WANT OSWALD. He can know I love him because I'm turning the TV off and putting him down for a nap. And if you drive by my house in the next few minutes, you will hear him screaming out just how much he loves me.

Cantata Pictures and my son is so weird

Pin It The girls looked so beautiful all dressed up in their Christmas clothes for our church's cantata. The AWANA kids got to sing one of the songs with the choir, and it was so sweet! Ah, the sisterly love ...



And then there's the boy. Clearly, he needs some slippers. Yes, those are what you think they are, and yes, he did this all on his own.

A Year in Review

Pin It Totally stolen from April's blog. Please feel free to take it and do your own list. I love stuff like this!

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?
Still thinking on this one ... I'll edit if I think of something

2. Did you keep your New Years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I kind of kept them. I will very likely make more for 2009. Maybe I'll do a better job with them this year!

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Several friends did. :) And one good friend JUST found out that she's pregnant and several other friends are pregnant, so there will be lots of new babies in 2009.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Yes, my uncle.

5. What countries did you visit?
Louisiana. What do you mean that's not another country???

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
More self-discipline

7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory?
September 13, 2008 - Hurricane Ike

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
potty training

9. What was your biggest failure?
I'm not debt free, and expected to be. It's okay though, we're close. I guess if that's the biggest failure, the year has been a success!

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
eh, just strep

11. What was the best thing you bought?
It's a toss up between the car and the camera. LOL Yep, I love my camera THAT much.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Gabbi, who learned that it's easier to just sit down and get the schoolwork done without arguing than to argue and get in trouble and still have to do the schoolwork. It doesn't *always* work, but most days school is easier with her than it's ever been before. And maybe my own behavior as well ... since I'm 45 lbs lighter than this time a year ago. :)

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
My mama always said that if you didn't have anything nice to say, then to stay quiet, so I'm going to stay quiet on this one.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Bills and the car.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
potty training

16. What song/album will always remind you of 2008?
Any of the High School Musical stuff

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: happier/sadder,thinner/heavier,richer/poorer?
happier I think, thinner (but still not thin ... sigh ...), richer probably, at least less in debt

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
laughed with the little ones

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
wasted time

20. How will you be spending Christmas?
Having a fun family Christmas at home, and going to spend a day at my parents' house.

21. Who did you spend the most time on the phone with?
I'm not a big phone conversation person. I'd guess my mom, Micah, and Valerie

22. Did you fall in love in 2008?
nope, other than falling more deeply in love with every member of my family

23. How many one night stands in this last year?
six :-P

24. What was your favorite TV program?
my vice ... House. Also a fair amount of Blues Clues, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and Hannah Montana thrown in.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
hate is such a strong word! I don't think I hate anyone.

26. What was the best book(s) you read?
book/Bible study - Daniel by Beth Moore

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
the local Christian radio station

28. What did you want and get?
my camera :)

29. What did you want and not get?
instant knowledge of how to use that camera

30. What were your favorite films of this year?
I think Fireproof may have been the only non-kid movie I saw this year! I loved it though!

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Jim and I probably went out to dinner? (Hm, maybe we saw Fireproof! LOL) I was 39.

32. What's one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
being able to end 2008 debt free. Really though, I'm satisfied with my life. :)

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
clothing that fits LOL

34. What kept you sane?
Jim

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I'm finding that most celebs are quite a bit younger than I am. This really hurts my feelings. I'm rejecting them all.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
ugh, the P word.

37. Who did you miss?
my grandmothers. Hearing a little girl call her grandmother "Dedo" caused me to just lose it at church a couple of weeks ago. I really miss both of my grandmothers. :(

38. Who was the best new person you met?
hm ... I think really the only "new person" I met in 2008 would be Michael, who I just love to pieces. I've gotten to know a lot of people a lot better in 2008, mainly MOPS moms, and I have been so blessed by that! (Even though they're quite a bit younger than I am ... which hurts my feelings. LOL!!)

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.
Don't trust anything the National Guard tells you The Lord really can direct two people who love Him in different directions, and it doesn't mean one is right and one is wrong, or that one is a real Christian and one is not.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year?
It’s hard to be cool when you’re behind the wheel
Of an eight passenger automobile
In a big bubble, cruisin’ down the street
With Barney blarin’ and a baby seat
Hey it can be done, but I’m tellin’ you man
It’s hard to be cool in a minivan.

Brendan's Snow Pictures

Pin It I did NOT wish to wake Brendan up at 6 so he could play in the snow! Unfortunately that meant it was melting when he did wake up. He really enjoyed it though!




And, I had to snap a pic of the most pitiful little snowman.

Oh Beautiful!

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And of course the obligatory "It SNOWED?!? HERE?!?" pictures!

Random Thoughts While the Oven Preheats

Pin It First of all, I have to send out a HUGE THANK YOU to Micah and Tammy, both of whom went WAY above and beyond the call of duty in keeping my kids yesterday. (And who probably both went to bed with prayers of thanks that each of their kids were not twins, after having doubles all day long!) Thank you so much girls! All three of my kids had a fabulous time yesterday. One so much that *he* didn't want to come home! I hope I can return the favor for each of you! :)

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This is it. The busiest week of the year. There is always a week in May and a week in December that are just too busy to deal with. Between going to Houston yesterday (and winding up being there all day ... I mean seriously, just how much time CAN a person spend at Ikea?) and then MOPS and choir today, and Whimsical and Children's Chorus tomorrow, and choir on Friday, and the Chorus concert on Saturday, and the AWANA hayride on Sunday, and the co-op Christmas party on Monday ... Oh my, I need a nap just reading the list. Somewhere in there I need to get my Christmas cards finished and printed and sent out too. And the annual pull out the gifts and make sure they're at least CLOSE to even, and the poor middle child doesn't have half the gifts that the other two do. (Oh my, how I love that middle child. I totally get what my middle child brother complained about all those years though!)

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

So, I mentioned going to Ikea yesterday. Like, seriously we spent HOURS at Ikea yesterday. We dropped my car off thinking it was going to be done at 2:30 and they called us and said, nope, think more like 5:00. Okkkkaaay. We took both vehicles so that we could go seriously shop at Ikea. We bought a table! And chairs! WOOHOO. Our current table was bought shortly after we got married and discovered that the table I had been using was too big for the small space we had. We bought the absolute cheapest little table and chairs we could find, and they have all served us well for twelve years. It was time to replace them, and I'm delighted with what we found. Jim and I had a good time hanging out without kids for the day too. That's so rare! (Not that we had a good time, just being without kids!)

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

Okay, my oven is preheated, off to make cookies before the little helpers awake!

Not me Monday

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I have NOT been a victim of procrastination again (you like how I'm a VICTIM? This just HAPPENED to me; I certainly didn't do anything to cause it myself!) I did not put off some work I needed to do until the very last minute, only to discover that I didn't have enough forms to get it all done. I am not going to have to skip out on co-op this morning to run to Office Depot to grab some more forms and then zip home and get these finished. I have not had this work sitting here to be done for over three weeks now. (insert blushing face here.)

I have been sick this week. (Really, I have.) I have not used this as an excuse to really do absolutely nothing all week long. I have not spent way too many hours in bed, and I have not passed off as much of the parenting as humanly possible to my husband. I am not totally rebelling at the thought of rejoining my life, decided that I have really enjoyed doing nothing.

I have not lost all of the exercising I had built up. I was doing Couch to 5K and had finished week 2. Then being sick, and being lazy, I haven't done it in over a week now. I am NOT happy about having to start over.

I am not sitting here avoiding taking a shower and getting ready for the day because I'm writing this post. I am not going to have to rush this morning because of this. My kids are not still in bed and my clothes are not still in the washer.

And with all of that said ... I'm off to the shower!

Rebel FOR a Cause!

Pin It

As some of y'all know, I LOVE my Canon Rebel camera! Well, it's been something of a love/hate relationship as I'm learning to use it, and learning that it's smarter than I am. LOL

You have a FABULOUS opportunity to WIN a Canon Rebel XSi and a SLEW of other fabulous prizes! Go to MckMama's blog and read all about it!

The best part - all proceeds from this raffle benefit some fabulous causes.

String of Pearls
No Hands But Ours
The Elison Project

So GO!

Under construction again

Pin It UPDATE:

Okay, all Christmas-y. Still a work in progress, I want to sparkle up the header and tags, but I'm thinking it will have to wait until I'm feeling better because my brain is just too fuzzy to remember what scrapbook kits I have and where they are!

ORIGINAL POST:
Does your house look like this? Some Christmas stuff out, while a lot of fall stuff is still out too? Mine could look like that for WEEKS.

I am working on putting away the fall stuff today, at least on my blog. Hopefully by this afternoon, I'll have pretty new Christmas banners made and up.

In the meantime, you'll just have to enjoy the mix of fall and Christmas. Hey, cut me some slack. I've been sick!

A sure sign

Pin It A sure sign that you've eaten too much fast food lately:

When your child is able to build an entire space station out of Chick Fil A kid's meal toys.

SIGH.

Okay, fasting from fast food. Even Chick Fil A.

Starting NOW.

Y'all keep me accountable, okay?

This is the funniest thing I've ever read!

Pin It Because We're a Happy Family Dangit!

And do you want to know why this is so funny to me?

BEEN THERE AND DONE THAT.

Allow me to share some outtakes from last year's Perfect Family Christmas Picture.






Just touches the heart, doesn't it. I know *I* shed a few tears over it all.

And today was going to be the day. We decided to get REALLY brave and allow the mama and the daddy in the pic too. My poor children are going to grow up and look through pictures and wonder if mama was just a figment of their imaginations. It may just hurt me, but I'm gonna try to allow myself to be in some more pics.

Well, it rained today. All of the planning and stressing ... and rain ...

So, TOMORROW may be the day, weather dependent. (Because for some arbitrary reason, I've decided that the perfect family Christmas picture must be taken outdoors this year.)

We did finally get something worthwhile last year. A big huge thank you to the makers of photoshop, without which I would surely be babbling incoherently in a padded room right about now.

Sheepish grins and Not Me

Pin It First things first ... remember THIS post from a couple of weeks ago? Well, see me blush through the computer screen. Is your monitor turning a lovely shade of red? It should be.

You know how sometimes you think things are supposed to work out one way and then they don't? A lot of people take things in stride, thinking that it means the Lord has something else planned for them. I am, evidently, not one of those people. Other people get mad, stamp their feet, cry, and have temper tantrums, including biting the heads off of family members. You guessed it friends. I am one of THOSE people. And, if you're reading this thinking "no way!" it just means I have you snowed and you don't know me as well as you think you do. Just please don't ask one of my family members for clarification. I'd prefer you just think the best of me, even if it's inaccurate!

Anyway ... I hope to be able to post tomorrow or Wednesday about how the Lord worked all of this out. He already has worked it out, but I'd prefer to be able to share the details. :) In the meantime, I'm going to work on becoming one of the "take things in stride" people. I'll let you know how it goes.

And now ...

hm ... it's been a pretty perfect week around here, so I don't have a ton of things to share ... (pardon me while I pick myself up off the floor from laughing so hard!)

I DID (finally) sort through the little one's clothes. I pulled out the super summery stuff, and replaced it with our TX loosely defined wintery stuff. I DID NOT leave the summery stuff out, where it has been knocked over, trampled, and put on various dolls. Some of this stuff DID NOT get put back in the drawer. I DID NOT have a fit when the kids would get into it, and I certainly DID NOT admit that it was my fault for leaving it out in the first place.

Remember the math DVD that I DID NOT make my oldest spend her birthday money to replace after she lost it? We DID NOT just find it last night behind the couch. I mean, I MOVE the couch to vacuum, so how on earth could we not have seen that DVD back there? Okay, it really HAS NOT been almost an entire year since that couch has been moved. Anyone want a Math U See Delta DVD and teacher's book? I DID tell the oldest that if the other set was found, we'd sell the new set and she could have the proceeds from the sale.

And now I need to pick on the middle one ... I DID NOT make her wear shoes that are too small to church last night because she couldn't find the ones that DO fit. I DID NOT decide to not care that her little toes were scrunched up. I WAS NOT unsympathetic at all and I certainly did not threaten to remove every toy from her room and put her shoes neatly where her toys were until she could start keeping up with them. I'd never do that.

And one more ... remember THIS post? I HAVE NOT already blown that to bits. SIGH.

Every now and then ...

Pin It Every now and then an amazing thing happens.



I get a fabulous picture of one of my kids. It's a rare thing. Just when I decide to give up trying to get good pics, this happens:




We had a fire fighter come visit at MOPS today. She let the kids put her uniform on and climb all over the truck. For a three year old boy, this is just the greatest thing ever!

Another Not Me Monday!

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I am not sitting here at this moment wanting nothing but peace and quiet. I do not suffer from noise overload every Monday afternoon. I do not give my children busy work that requires no supervision on Mondays so I can have a teeny bit of quiet. I am not currently planning to leave the house and take the VERY scenic route to church just because it will be quiet and peaceful in my car. I am not passing off a discipline problem that is going on right now to my husband because I just don't want to deal with it.

I am not a horrible mother. And my oldest daughter doesn't think I am either. I am not making her write her spelling words TWO TIMES EACH ... oh the horrors ... pardon me while I ROLL MY EYES. No, really, I would never roll my eyes at my kids. I am not mean for *not* making her do her spelling words. If I were to make her do her spelling words, it would not be just because I want her to be able to spell without having to rely on spellcheck.

I am not about to make every single word on said spelling list be looked up in the dictionary and have every definition written down if I receive any more grief about telling her to write the words twice.

I have not observed that it would have taken less time for her to write the darn words than to complain about having to write the words.

I would never write a "Not Me Monday" while frustrated with one of my kids. That frustration might come through in my typing, and I just wouldn't want to do that.

And, since I'm *NOT* picking on my oldest kid, I have a few to share with the other two.

My middle daughter's voice does not cause my ears to bleed. I love listening to her high-pitched squeaky voice as she tells on her brother and sister approximately 372,954 times every day. I relish hearing that sweet sing-song "Moooooooooooooooooommmmm!! She did this or he did that~!!!!" Really, I live for these wonderful mommy moments.

My son has not had temper tantrums all week long. The doctor's office, the x-ray place, church, co-op, grocery store, pharmacy, the bank, and every single person who has come to my house have not been treated to these tantrums. I did not hear that he pinched a teacher and kicked a baby at church last night. My children are little angels and never have attitude problems.

And, right at this moment, I am NOT tempted to drown my frustrations at Starbucks. Oh wait, maybe I am. ;)

I love my kids. :) Even when they have attitudes, squeaky voices, and temper tantrums. Thank you Lord for these sweet blessings!

My friend's update

Pin It Oh goodness, so sorry I didn't post this sooner!

Praising for Glenna and continuing in prayer for her family.

Thank you for joining me in prayer!

(click on her name to go to her blog to read her update!)

My friend needs prayers

Pin It Hey girls,

You local girls already know this and I know are already praying, but for the CMF'ers and various others who read here, I have a prayer request. My friend Glenna is in need of prayers for a custody hearing she's having tomorrow morning at 8:30 central time.

You can read her blog for the full story. She made a mistake and could potentially lose her kids over it. She's a GOOD mom. We had a similar mistake made around here a couple of years ago, and it was scary in and of itself. The very idea that because of that mistake, custody could be lost is just scary to think about.

This is a sweet mama who needs prayers for comfort, and prayers that her children will be returned to her at this hearing tomorrow.

Thanks, girls.

Not Me Monday!

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I'm ready for some not me's today, aren't you?

I did not cry a river over some very minor and temporary news this morning. Neither did I have a temper tantrum, stamp my feet, or be rude to the bearer of the news. I am not sitting here still embarrassed by my behavior. (SIGH)

I did not storm off in a bad mood most of the day due to the very minor and temporary news. I did not wish to inhale large amounts of chocolate to help me deal with the news. I did not skip lunch so that I could justify Starbucks to help me deal with the news.

(And let me repeat ... this news that I did NOT receive really is a minor thing that will cause a very temporary delay in my life, if I'm looking at it from the right perspective. Most people would probably call it an inconvenience. Not me, evidently.)

And while I'm here, I'll just let you all know that I never ever overreact to anything. Never. Not me. Nor do I ever exaggerate. I will tell you a million times, I do NOT exaggerate.

I did not bask in mommy pride that, while on a field trip, my daughter took notes. I did not ask another mama to take pics of my kid being studious. Nor did I forget my camera on a field trip!

I am not currently trying to think of an excuse to go to bed early.

Hm ... this is kind of written on the fly, and I'm sure I have some more. Maybe I'll come back and edit later.

Beth Moore in the morning

Pin It I'm doing the Bible study "Stepping Up" by Beth Moore. Oh my, girls, it is fabulous. It's a six week study of the Psalms of Ascent (Psalms 121 - 135.) Well, it's SUPPOSED to be a six weeks study. heehee. I think we're the remedial class, I'm sure it will take us closer to three or four months to complete it. The Lord is speaking to me L O U D L Y through this study!

Today I finished up Psalm 124.

Psalm 124

A song of ascents. Of David.

1 If the LORD had not been on our side—
let Israel say-
2 if the LORD had not been on our side
when men attacked us,

3 when their anger flared against us,
they would have swallowed us alive;

4 the flood would have engulfed us,
the torrent would have swept over us,

5 the raging waters
would have swept us away.

6 Praise be to the LORD,
who has not let us be torn by their teeth.

7 We have escaped like a bird
out of the fowler's snare;
the snare has been broken,
and we have escaped.

8 Our help is in the name of the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

(The following are my interpretations of Beth Moore's words, no credit goes to me for these thoughts!)

If the Lord had not been on our side ... in other words, if the Lord had not been FOR US ...

Give that some thought! What would your life had been like without the Lord being FOR YOU? Those things that happened that were so painful at the time, but now looking back, you can see that the Lord used them for your good.

For me, this brings to mind a couple of failed relationships ... PRAISE GOD that they failed! My oh my, it hurt at the time though! I remember praying, "Lord, please, I'll do anything, just let me have THIS (relationship)." I know the Lord must have been saying "Child, trust me. I have something better for you, and though this is going to hurt right now, I am on your side and I am for you, and I know that THIS is not really what you want, even though you think it is. Trust me."

Wow.

I know I spend a lot of time kind of feeling like the Lord tolerates me rather than is for me. Like He puts up with me because He said He would. This is so not true. He chooses to be for me. He chooses to be on my side. I get so bogged down when my circumstances don't match up to what I think they should and feel like God is mad at me, or God is for someone else when I see their circumstances look better than mine. This isn't to say that God isn't for them, just that no matter the circumstances, GOD IS FOR US. FOR YOU! Grab ahold of that this morning. I did.

One more thing ... Read Romans 8:28-39:

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:
"For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Read all the things God has told you He would do for you in this passage. Today's homework had us make a list as an "I will" statement from God to me. Here's what mine looked like:

My child, Melanie

I will make sure all things work together for your good.

I will conform you to the likeness of my Son.

I will be for you, so who can be against you?

I will graciously give you all things.

I will choose you and justify you.

I will not let you be separated from me.

Love, God

I challenge you to make a list.

What a fabulous way to start the day!

Praise the Lord!!

Thinking about Christmas

Pin It Something they want
Something they need
Something to wear
Something to read

Four presents. HM!!

I wonder if I could make myself do it?

Three down, two to go!

Pin It Wow, for THREE DAYS now, I've had no disrespect from my oldest! It was touch and go for a few minutes today, and I thought we might have to start over, but a gentle reminder of that fact stopped the pre-attitude in its tracks. Has it actually happened? Have I found something that works?

Stay tuned ...

(I know, you're all holding your breath in anticipation!)

Parenting 101

Pin It Alternate title: One down, four to go

Ten year olds and disrespect. What a lovely combination for a mom.

Friday night G had her twice postponed birthday sleepover. Somehow this small party ended up to be a much bigger deal than we had anticipated. More people ended up invited, more money was spent - just all around a bigger deal than we had originally planned. That's fine; you only turn 10 once, and in my house, you only get a sleepover party once, so I wanted it to be a blessing to her. And it was. Everyone had a good time, even with my declaration that I am NOT the cool mom, and when the movie ended, lights were out and it was time to go to sleep. This was between 1:30 and 2:00 am, so maybe I am a little bit cool. LOL

Okay, so she has a great party, has a fabulous time with her friends. Saturday rolls around, and we had attitude. I excused it thinking that she was tired and could use some grace.

Sunday rolls around and we have attitude. Not only attitude -- we have EYEROLLING. Oh no. My 10 year old will NOT be rolling her eyes at me.

I've been trying to figure out what motivates each of my children, to learn effective deterrents for bad behavior. This one is actually the easiest of the three. She is very social, loves to have a friend over or be at a friend's house.

So ... the deterrent ... FIVE DAYS in a row with NO disrespect. None. No eyerolling, no muttering under her breath, no nuthin'. If during one of those five days, there IS disrespect, we start over. During those five days, there will be no friends invited over, and she will not be going to any friends' house. None of that until five days in a row have passed.

Oh, and this goes for dad too, although she's typically not disrespectful to him. (warning - mommy giving guilt trip ahead) Why is it that she's disrespectful to ME? I carried her for nine months, I had my body cut in two to deliver her, I nursed her until I bled, I got up every night with her (seriously - the one night I pumped, told Jim to take care of her, I was sleeping, was the first night she slept through the night. I, of course, had to get up because I was overfull ... LOL ... that should have been a sign that this girl has a bit of obstinance in her!) ... oh well ... girls and moms ... I guess she comes by it honestly. I remember being so mad at my mom when I was about her age that I wouldn't wear a stitch of clothes she had given me. My dad DID buy me clothes every now and then, but it was usually of the outerwear variety. Um yeah ... let's just say I wasn't dressed appropriately that day.

So back to G. We made it thorough yesterday without any disrespect from her. Let's see how today goes, shall we?

Woohoo ... it's Monday!

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After a couple of weeks off, I have a few "not me's" for you. MckMama may or may not be taking this Monday off ... she had a HEALTHY BABY btw! Praising God for that!! Anyway ... I needed a little not me today.

I did not only buy a fall festival costume for my youngest child and leave my other two on their own. That would be an obvious show of favoritism, and I wouldn't do that. But then again, what's a mom to do when her son's best friend has a Woody costume? In that instance, there HAS to be a Buzz. I mean, who can resist this:

That's right, NOT ME.

I did not spend entirely too much energy being worried about my daughter's twice postponed birthday sleepover. That would just be silly. They're all Christian young ladies and I would never worry that they might not mix well when they're overtired and sugared up. BTW, it was a fabulous party, and everyone got along just perfectly. :) I also did not take so many pictures during this party that I'm overwhelmed at the very thought of going through them.

Back to the fall festival ... other than Buzz Lightyear, I had a "smartie pants" and a "spa girl." Spa girl started shedding her costume almost immediately. Shortly after walking into the building, her costume consisted of a bathrobe and slippers. I did not tell her that if anyone asked her what she was and she said "Mother" that I would ground her. There would be no reason for her to do that. I would never spend the day in a bathrobe and slippers. PJ's and socks maybe, but not a bathrobe and slippers.

I did not celebrate the 12th anniversary of my marriage Sunday by being lazy all day. And if I had spent the day being lazy, it wouldn't have mattered too much because the hubby was at work, and we had already planned to have a date on Tuesday. (btw - I am LOVING having a free night - no activities, no work, no nothin' ... yay TUESDAY!)

I DID join Weight Watchers again ... 35th time is a charm right? I DID NOT lie on my food journal and leave some things off. My food journal that no one sees but me. My food journal that is simply a listing to help me keep track. What would be the point in lying on that thing? (Seriously - I want to know.) I also did not consume every point for the day plus every single flex point for the week before supper one day this week. That would be like 7000 calories and I would never eat that much in one day.

Okay, so that's all I've got today. I'm feeling thankful for the time change because it's just 7:00 am and I have time to get my co-op stuff ready. Not that I procrastinated or anything like that. I don't do that sort of thing.

It's the third one that gets ya.

Pin It I am that mom.

Those of you with just one child know who that mom is. Those of you with more than one know too, but you don't have the time or energy to put into it.

Let me tell you how I discovered that I was that mom.

Picture mom and three kids getting out of the car at Target.

Oldest kid pops out, she matches and looks fine. This has nothing to do with the mom though, this child is ten and is starting to care about such things.

Middle kid pops out of the car. (Yes, if you're wondering, there WAS a fight over who could open the car door. Oldest child won.) Mom looks at middle child ... almost in horror. "Um, please tell me that you brushed your hair today. Please please please, even if it's a lie, tell me that you brushed your hair today. And your teeth." In my defense - this child's hair looks like it hasn't been brushed immediately after brushing it. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. My blog, my story. Okay, so we excuse middle child's state of disarray.

Then the youngest. Oh my. Have I even looked at this child today? His face is dirty. His shirt is big. He's wearing black pants and blue crocks. ahem ... with a purple shirt. SIGH.

And then to make matters even worse, I start to ask myself if *I* have brushed my teeth and hair. Makeup ... well that's laughable, I know the answer to that. Oh dear Lord, please tell me that I AT LEAST brushed my teeth.

This would never have happened when I just had one. If we had left the house, she would have been dressed well, down to the hairbow. With two children, well, they were both girls and it was fun to match them up, so they were always dressed sweetly too.

Then came kid #3.

Another thing I've noticed. I've gone downhill as well. Kid #1, I giggled at "that mom" because *I* was together. I wouldn't leave the house without makeup and I would NEVER be sitting in the Target parking lot trying to remember if I had brushed my teeth! Kid #2, I probably wouldn't have makeup on, and my hair might be in a pony tail, but I would never need to question if I had accidentally forgotten to brush my teeth or to make sure I had matching socks on. Kid #3 ... and I've fallen apart. AND HE IS AN EASY KID. Seriously - it's not the kid at all. Even my difficult kid is easy now.

I think there is something that comes out of a woman's body with each successive pregnancy, and after kid #3, it's gone and normal, together moms become THAT mom.

So now you know. Those of you with one child, your turn is coming. You too will be that mom. And don't say you won't. I used to be a together mom too.

No 'not me'?

Pin It Nope, no not me this week.

This would be because I've had a perfect week. Nothing went wrong, nothing silly happened, I didn't make a fool out of myself even one time. The kids behaved like angels, didn't fight over the car door at all, and the girls did their school work with happy hearts every day this week. We all ate healthy food all week and were the ideal loving family all week long.

Okay, I'm sure those of you who know me well are rolling on the floor laughing right about now.

I really was just too busy to keep track.

One of those days ...

Pin It I'm tired of being emotional. I honestly feel like I'm being led around completely by emotions. I want to get to a place in my life where I'm not "under the circumstances" any longer. I just don't know how to get there!

There are several stressful things going on in my life right now - I'm stressing because we're behind in our schoolwork. I'm stressing because Jim hasn't been paid, and well, we need it. I'm stressing because a responsibility I have at church. I'm stressing because of some changes that have gone on at home. I'm stressing because it's entirely possible that a strong wind will leave a big tree limb in my kitchen. I'm stressing because I'm tired of letting Brendan play in the backyard and kind of forgetting that the fence is gone. I'm stressing because there are a lot of things for which I have no control, and I WANT TO BE IN CONTROL!!

That's what it ALL boils down to -- control. I think we all have this illusion that we have control over our lives. Newsflash -- we don't. Of course there are areas over which we have control, but ultimately, we are not in control. It doesn't matter how much money is in the bank, how much food is in the fridge, or how much insurance you have on your house. These things all give us the illusion of control, but banks can fail, power can go out, and all that insurance may come with a $3000 deductible.

Wow, this is depressing.

There is good news though - there is a God, and He knows our names, and He loves us. He IS in control, and if He is leading us through something, somehow or other, whether we ever even see it, it WILL benefit us in some way. Maybe teaching us to trust Him, or maybe reminding us that we need to ease up on those reigns a little, or maybe to bring us some obvious blessing that we'll realize later. Or maybe we'll have to wait until we're face to face with Him. (At which time, honestly, we probably won't even care, as the awesomeness of being in the presence of God will likely wipe out everything else.)

After typing all of this, I realize there really wasn't a huge point to this post, except that I want to get from the first paragraph to the one just before this one in my heart rather than just in my head. I want to live above my circumstances ... all the time, no matter what the circumstances are. Father God, that is my prayer for today; that You would give me the wisdom to look beyond what's here and now to see that the various circumstances in my life are shaping me into the person You want me to be, and to focus on that rather than the circumstance.

Not Me Monday

Pin It

Yep, it's Monday again ... well almost. I cheated a little and posted this early.

Y'all should go to mckmama's blog and read through the "not me's". HILARIOUS reading! Plus it's just a good feeling to know that I'm not the only one who ... um ... DOESN'T do some really silly things!

1. I did not read in Consumer Reports that a bowl of Sugar Smacks has as much sugar as a donut. I did not use this to justify in my mind that since we do occasionally eat sugar smacks, it would be perfectly acceptable to feed my children donuts for breakfast. I'm way more concerned about nutrition than that.

2. I did not, on my productive Sunday morning, take the trash out just after Jim left for work and lock myself out of the house. I did not have to a) try to break into my house, b) realize that I would make a lousy burglar, give up on breaking in, and try to wake up my son, and c) give up on that idea after realizing I'd have to stand in the middle of my plants in the front and scare him to death pounding on his window, and d) decide to go wake up the heaviest sleeper in the house, only to realize that the back door had been unlocked the whole time. I did not go through all of this while wearing leopard print pajama pants.

3. I did not double the dose on Brendan's cough medicine, thinking that if the regular dose knocks him out in 30 minutes, a double dose would knock him out in 15. You don't need to call CPS, I *REALLY* didn't. And I didn't think about either. Not for one second. Or 37. (Seriously - I really did not overdose my baby!)

4. I did not go see the movie Fireproof with my husband and end up so distracted by Kirk Cameron that I missed some of the movie. I'm way too mature for things like that. I did totally remember being a kid and watching Growing Pains every chance I got just so I could drool over him and his total blazer with the sleeves rolled up coolness though. (Fireproof is a FABULOUS movie, btw! GO SEE IT with your husband!!)

5. Finally, once again, I did not procrastinate this week. My co-op stuff was all done in plenty of time, my list was made for the insurance guy way before this morning, the girls practiced their AWANA stuff long before Sunday afternoon, and my school plans for the week were all written up before the week began. I'm just on top of things that way. And I would never ever procrastinate. :-P

What is this strange feeling?

Pin It I've had a strange feeling the past couple of days. It's foreign to me, or maybe foreign isn't the right word. It's been a while since I've had this feeling, so I didn't even recognize it at first!

It's GOOD.

I've been feeling well lately. (Sorry, the grammar police that's inside me would not allow me to say I've been feeling GOOD lately. But I digress.)

Friday night I had energy, I think I laughed out loud several times, I enjoyed my family, I didn't just collapse into a puddle towards the end of the day. Weird for me. Saturday I had a great day and learned a ton at a fabulous parenting conference. Even my computer monitor going out was okay. I was bummed and walked sadly by the computer about 30 times, but no tears, so life was good. LOL Saturday evening we went to buy a new monitor and on a whim, I let the kids drag me through Petco and was thoroughly amused at Brendan's complete joy in every. single. animal. there.

This morning I woke up early worried that my air conditioner was broken. When I realized that it was a user error rather than an expensive problem, I've just been feeling joyful. I spent my morning productively - cleaned the fridge, supper is in the crockpot, I'm ready for Bible study, dishes are done, kids are ready for church.

Life is good.

I hope this feeling sticks around for a while. It's nice to feel like this!

Just feeling thankful today

Pin It Do you ever wake up and just feel thankful? There hasn't been a whole lot of that going on here lately, so I thought I'd share.

I am thankful for the big things - a God who loves me even when I sit around and whine about the blessings He has given me, a husband who puts up with my whims and moods, children who really are sweet and fun and funny and cute, for a fabulous and supportive extended family, and for the privilege of being close to these people. Also for the reminder to not take any of these people for granted.

I'm also thankful for smaller things - that our Homesat teacher, Mrs. Overly, lets me pop her into my dvd player every day to teach English to my 2nd grader. I'm afraid that without her, our English lessons would not be pretty. They're a bit of a struggle even with her, so the very thought of her not being here makes me shudder. Likewise, Mr. Demme in math. How much easier you have made our lives! Mrs. Walker ... oh my, I can't come up with enough good things to say about Mrs. Walker. If I ever had any desire to become a reading teacher, please let me be just like her. I am thankful for the ability to homeschool my kids, even on the days when I feel like grabbing them up and chasing down the nearest schoolbus.

I am thankful for friends!! I went so long without friends between the time I got married and the time I moved here. After praying and praying during that time, it is such a humongous blessing to have friends! hm, this should probably be moved up on the list before the homesat teachers. My friends do way more to keep me sane than the homesat teachers! LOL

Okay, I have way more to add here, but the little darlings I referred to above are about to kill each other ... so ... this post is to be continued later. (Way to go kids ... fighting with each other as I type how thankful I am for you! LOL)

It's another installment of "Not Me Monday!"

Pin It

Okay, what am I going to confess to not doing today?

I did not hide a bag of GOOD chocolate and not share a single piece with any member of my family. Nor did I eat half of that bag in two days. I would not do that because it's important to lead by example in teaching my children to share. Except for the really good stuff. Like yummy chocolate.

I did not spend about three days folding clothes for a church project and yet ignore all of the laundry at my own house. I do not currently have a mountain of laundry here that needs to be dealt with. I will also not send my kids to dig through the mountain when they would like to put on clean clothes. And while we're on this topic ... I would just like to say that I would not encourage my children to wear sandals in October simply because I'm just not ready to deal with socks yet. (In my defense - this is Texas, and I think it was 88 degrees today. Perfectly appropriate to wear sandals, even in October. Not that they did ... I'm just sayin'.)

And, knowing that co-op is resuming today, I did not put off getting my supplies out until last night. Late last night. I am always prepared, so I'd never do anything at the last minute. Really, I wouldn't. I'm just like that. :-P

My children are well behaved little angels. The girls did not fight EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. over who would open and who would shut the door of the van. Of all things. Who on earth would seriously fight over who would open and close a door? And I did not, on a day when we had several errands to run, threaten to leave them at various places if I heard one more argument about who was going to get out of the car first. I did not commend the older one for being concerned with her sister's safety when she told her she had to wait until I had taken the keys out of the car before unbuckling her car seat. It did not dawn on me until later that the purpose of that commendation was so that the older one could OPEN the car door, which evidently is better than having to CLOSE the car door. If MY children HAD done such crazy and annoying things, I would have handled it appropriately rather than just getting angry with them and saying things like "No one is ever allowed to go anywhere out of the house again!!!" Good thing my kids didn't do that.

And now I need to get this posted so that I can go over my co-op stuff. Again. Not for the first time or anything like that. Just a refresher.

Red Light Green Light Kitty

Pin It My kids think this is the most hilarious thing they've ever seen. When the two older kids send the 3 year old in to tell me to put it on my blog after them telling me themselves 37 times, I must give in.

Enjoy.

Not Me Monday

Pin It

Just thought I'd share what I absolutely, positively did NOT do this week.

I never, not even once, spent the entire day in my jammies because I didn't want to add to the laundry pile. I keep my laundry totally up to date, so there would really be no pile to add to. So I didn't do it.

I absolutely did not throw away a sippy cup because it had milk in it. Old milk. Even if it was gross, it would still be wasteful to just throw it away, so I just wouldn't do that.

I also didn't spend several hours playing with my cell phone while things like dishes and laundry went undone. Read above, I don't have a laundry problem, so I really have plenty of free time to spend with my phone. Not that I did though. I also didn't leave the kids doing math on their own so I could play with the phone. I'd never do that. Nor would I send them outside to check on the puppy 37 times so I could read the manual of my phone in peace.

You're totally right, MckMama, everybody needs a little Not Me Monday in their life!

The New Addition

Pin It

Meet Pepper Puppy.

I am SO not a dog person. I'm actually getting attached to the little darling though. LOL

She just showed up in my parents' yard after Hurricane Ike went through. The kids immediately became attached to her while I fervently prayed for owners to show up. Jim seemed to become attached to her before he ever even saw her. The Lord seemed to answer my prayer with a reminder that He has a sense of humor, convincing me that her owners did indeed show up.

A funny thing - we took the cats with us when we evacuated but left the fish here. Evidently fish don't really care for houses that get really hot when without power for a week, and fishie didn't make it. Okay, that's not the funny thing. The funny thing is that in their campaign to keep the dog, my children tried telling me that we had been a three pet family and that one of our pets didn't survive the storm, and therefore needed to be replaced by the puppy. Um yeah ... let's trade a fish for a dog. riiiiiiiight ... that's an even trade.

Since our fence went the way of the fish during the storm, Pepper is currently on a chain. I don't really like to keep dogs on a chain, but she seems very good natured about it. She's just a good natured dog all the way around I think. Brendan has spent hours alternately playing with, loving, and torturing her. She actually seems excited to see him every time he goes outside. Brave little puppy. Or maybe she knows that she's going to be bigger than he is really soon.

Anyway ... that's life at our house.

Blog under construction

Pin It Not that it isn't readily apparent, but thought I'd post that yes, I am aware that my spring elements and my fall background don't flow so well. I like to make my own header and elements, so that might take a while. I wanted to go ahead and make a new background before I lost the one that I liked.

And yeah, I'll post a hurricane update soon.

The greatest blessing

Pin It The greatest blessing - having your 10 year old take off to clean her room without being blessed or bribed, and while doing it, singing this:



I just love that child. Thank you Lord for the work You are doing in her and for choosing me to be her mother!

Voting

Pin It Since I can't come up with anything interesting to say for myself, I'm just copying surveys and memes I find elsewhere.

This came from Mrs. P's blog.

Your Issue Profile: 24% Obama, 76% McCain

When it gets down to it, you tend to best match John McCain. But he's not the perfect candidate for you, and you may not be sold on him yet. Obama shares a good number of your views too, so you might want to give him a second look. It all comes down to which issues matter to you the most.

Should You Vote for Obama or McCain?

The Labor Day Meme

Pin It Totally copied from Mama J, who got it from Rocks in my Dryer.

Feel free to steal it yourself, I love reading birth stories. Just leave me a comment if you steal it so I'll know to go to your blog and read it.

How long were your labors?
#1 - no labor, scheduled c/s
#2 - no labor, scheduled c/s
#3 - about 17 hours, mostly pretty light, until he was born by c/s

How did you know you were in labor?
#1 - no labor
#2 - no labor
#3 - These weird pains kept coming at regular intervals. LOL Let me tell ya - go to a hospital, tell them this is baby #3 and that you have no idea what labor is and be prepared for REALLY funny looks.

Where did you deliver?
#1 - St. Joseph in Bryan
#2 - St. Joseph in Bryan
#3 - St. Elizabeth in Beaumont

Drugs?
Um, yeah. I don't think they do c-sections without them.
#1 - spinal block, was a reasonably pleasant experience
#2 - spinal block after about 12 tries and bruises all over my back
#3 - general anesthesia after a panic attack after four spinal block attempts

C-section?
3 times yes

Who delivered?
#1 - my most fabulous doctor, Dr. Benson
#2 - again, my most fabulous doctor, Dr. Benson
#3 - my primary doctor after moving here, Dr. Smith. He was also a great doctor, but I do have to admit I took a teeny bit of pleasure at messing up his schedule and having him come in late at night to do my c-section. Eh, that's why he gets the big bucks, right?

The cake of denial

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I'm choosing for him to stay two.

Watercolor Ponies

Pin It My baby is 3 today.

We're thinking that birthday plans might need to be changed, depending on the weather, so Micah brought him a cake today. We got it out, realized we didn't have candles, then I found tealights and put them on there. We sang and Landon blew out the candles. LOL We lit them again so I could get a pic of Brendan trying to blow them out. Finally the candles were done and I took them off of the cake and got ready to cut it. I was walking from the table to the kitchen with the candles. Guess how many I had put on the cake.

TWO! Is that denial or what? I didn't even realize it when they were on the cake. Silly mommy.

Walk down Memory Lane with me ...

My sweet little newborn:


Brendan at a year old:

At two:

And today ... three ...

Don't blink. They grow up way too fast.



And look for a similar post next week, when my oldest turns 10. Yikes.

Last day of 2 and first day of school

Pin It We finally started school today. Here's the newest 2nd grader hard at work:

And then the 5th grader. Wow, 5th grade!

And then ... 3 tomorrow?? How did THAT happen? Wasn't it just yesterday that he was a tiny little bundle coming home from the hospital? (And yes, after a 9 lb then a 9 lb 11 oz, 7 lb 6 oz qualifies as a tiny bundle. He looked like half a baby to me!)

Hilarious blog

Pin It Rated PG; a few things need censorship around kids.

http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/

An absolutely fabulous post

Pin It I have a bunch of blogs that I read regularly. Where lots of people read or watch the morning news, I get up and hit the blogs. A new one I've been reading is this one: http://rocksinmydryer.typepad.com. Check it out, it's fabulous. I'm new to this blog, but in the time I spent looking it over yesterday, I laughed, I cried; it's just fabulous.

Then I read it today. Oh. My. This just screamed out to me. I love it.
http://rocksinmydryer.typepad.com/shannon/2008/08/why-i-believe.html

And when you finish that one, read this one too.
http://rocksinmydryer.typepad.com/shannon/2008/08/a-letter-to-mys.html
I graduated from high school in 1987, so this one had me laughing and crying too.

I love blogs.

Well, my toes are smashed!

Pin It Ever had one of those days? Getting up, rushing through the morning routine, dragging the kids out of bed, bribing them with doughnuts if they will JUST stop fighting and get dressed, rushing to church, and being certain that your heart isn't in it is written all over your face? Not being prepared for worship whatsoever, instead thinking of the relief it will be to drop the kids off, and how nice it will be to visit with friends, and thinking about what to do for lunch in the back of your mind?

Then, TRUTH steps in. Or, more likely, steps all over your toes.

This describes my morning. Why is it that I rush through my day, going from one task to the next, mechanically doing what needs to be done, and totally missing out on an encounter with the Living God? And how is it that when I do have an encounter with God, that I can walk away unchanged? Let's take it even further - why is it that I struggle with the same sins over and over, and feel like I'm leading a life of defeat rather than a life of victory? Why do I feel like I'm just missing the point, or at least missing something big from the point?

Well, that would be because I am. Oh - I love the Bible. I love the parts that say "prosper and not harm" and "rejoice" and "His grace is sufficient" and "present your requests." We all love those parts.

Then there are the less popular parts, which for me, can be summed up in one word. The ugly word that if I were writing the Bible, I'd probably just leave out. Of course I would, I usually manage to leave it out of my life. It's a little word, couldn't possibly be that important. Of course, a person cannot live a victorious Christian life without it. It is absolutely imperative to seeing God move in our lives. The word?

submit

1 Peter 2:13-23 - Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king. Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth." When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.

You can continue reading in 2 Peter for more along the same theme, all the way to the end of the book.

How often do you insist on your rights? "I have a right to be happy!" "I'm not going to stand for this treatment!" "I'm well within my rights!" "You've got to stand up for yourself - show some backbone!" One or two of these statements slips out of my mouth, or at the very least goes through my mind, on a daily basis. This is how we're brought up, and the very idea of submitting to a boss, or a husband, or anyone really, is totally foreign to us.

How would God have us live? Could it be that the reason my life is defeated more than it is victorious is my unwillingness to submit? To give up my will totally? To entrust myself to the One who judges justly? Because not only does He judge me justly, He judges everyone else justly too. I love the verse that says "Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you." (1 Peter 5:7) but I never noticed that just before this are the verses about humbling ourselves, and submitting. Could it be that He knows that submitting and humbling ourselves will actually cause anxiety for us? Of course it will. For me, to do this will mean making major changes in my life, and I am actually anxious about it. I have a choice though - I can learn to submit - to God, to my husband, to everyone - I can learn to have a gentle and quiet spirit, and I can see God move in my life, and be taken to a deeper knowledge of Him (His Word says His glory revealed in us!!) or, I can continue in my usual stubborn pride and wonder what it is that I'm missing, why my life feels defeated and powerless.

Men stumble over the truth from time to time, but most pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing happened. -Winston Churchill.

I stumbled over truth today. What comes next?

To Build or Not to Build

Pin It That is the question.

Or is it?

Sitting in a church business meeting last night, this was essentially the question at hand. Somehow this became a battle. It seemed that most everyone agreed that building should be done, but of the 101 people in the room, there seemed to be about 112 opinions of how this should be done. This was not a pleasant hour and a half of my life, especially after the unpleasant hour and a half of my life I spent listening to the exact same back and forth last week. Some of the responses were heartfelt and emotional, some were "just the facts", and some were downright mean.

It seems that a big hindrance for a lot of people is the debt that will be required for the church to build this building. I get that. Totally get that. The thing is though, Romans 13:8 says "Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellow man has fulfilled the law." From what I heard, the same people that are not happy about the idea of going into debt to build this building were the people whose comments came across as less than nice, and even hostile in a couple of instances. I don't get that. To me, going into debt to build a building is not nearly on the same plane as loving your fellow man.

During this meeting, the topic was "tabled" which basically means that it stops until it's brought up again in a business meeting. I'm not terribly familiar with Robert's Rule of Order, so one of y'all correct me if I'm wrong. I think this was an awful decision. 51 voted to table it, 50 to not table it. (As an aside, I didn't let my kids vote. I had two kids there; both are church members and eligible to vote. hm) To me, this decision means that we really did waste these business meetings and will have to go through it all again. Opinions aren't likely to change, but all of the numbers are. I think I would rather have seen a NO vote on the building rather than a tabled discussion.

I asked my husband in the car on the way home, through tears, "now what?" I don't know. We need an outpouring of the Holy Spirit to work in all of us. Priority one will have to be forgiveness. I know there are people I need to forgive, and attitudes in me that need forgiveness. Prayerfully, this will happen to us all.

Lord, bring us unity. Bring us forgiveness, bring us peace, bring us unity.

I am committing myself to praying fervently for this, and praying for my pastor. I'm praying for his encouragement for the rest of this week, and for restored relationships. I'll be praying that for our whole church. If we can't love one another, the whole "to build or not to build" doesn't even matter.

Ephesians 4:31-32 - Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you.