Mom 2 My Cute Kids

Guests

2011-01-31T05:15:00.000-08:00

Ice and snow are on the way to our house. These are 2 very rude guests, coming when uninvited. As a matter of fact, they are coming to a very non welcoming home. They don't seem to know when to leave, they make my house very messy, especially the floor. They disrupt our schedule, causing the kids to miss school. I really HOPE they don't stay long this time, they are exhausting! Didn't their mom's teach them any better manners?!?!?!?!

Melinda

2011-01-23T04:56:00.000-08:00

Don't even know how to start this off. My heart is burdened. There are a lot of people in the world, in this country and all around me that are suffering. I see my fair share of it now. I used to live in my little bubble, I knew that there were people who were suffering somewhere, and that I should really pray for them or something, I was happily ignorant. Praise the Lord, He didn't leave me ignorant. I have many opportunities now to share Jesus with hurting people around me, not because all of a sudden God opened some doors for me, but because those opportunities are always there and I have just finally opened my eyes and seen them!

This week was a difficult one, gonna share a little bit of one girls story with you. She has just recently gotten out of rehab, her mom has custody of her 3 little girls. She really wants to do better. She told her boyfriend, who abuses alcohol and drugs, and who she also lived with, that she couldn't be around him anymore, so now she has no place to live. She is staying with anyone she can, trying to stay away from the stuff that got her in trouble to begin with. The day I met her, and this part is kind of personal and gross, just a warning. She was on her period and she owned no tampons/pads and no panties. She had wadded toilet paper up and put it in her pants. Ok ladies, have you ever not owned panties? Or not been able to buy just the basic hygiene care items? Almost takes away your humanity, doesn't it.

Yes, I and others were able to help her with those basic needs. But she needs sooooo much more, and lots of love and prayer. Will you please pray for her that she will be able to stay strong and stay away from drugs and alcohol? And more important, please pray for me for wisdom and courage to be able to help her with not only her physical needs but that I can share with her the One who can fill that hole that she used to fill with drugs and alcohol. There wasn't much of an opportunity for me to do that this week, but I want to be ready when the Holy Spirit says go:) She said she will be at church this morning, I can't wait to see her!

Tattoos

2011-01-20T15:16:00.000-08:00

I kind of want one! I was reared in the no-tattoos-they-are-bad kind of belief, and have pretty much held firm to that, until recently. For some reason in the last year or so I have taken an interest in tattoos. AND most recently I have thought about getting one. I am not a fan of so many tattoos that you can't see your skin, just my personal preference, but one or two tattoos are kind of cool.

More specifically I like tattoos that have a meaning, not just getting one "to get one". I have a few ideas in mind in case I decide to take the plunge. It would have something to do with my faith. I like the idea that one would be a conversation starter, and could lead me into talking to people about Jesus, and not make them feel like I am "imposing" on them, if that makes sense. That is pretty much the main reason I want to get one. There are other reasons as well, and maybe I will write about them in another post.

Anyway, I know tattoos can be quite a sensitive issue in some Christian circles, and it does not offend me if anyone does not agree with my choice:) I have no intention of telling my loving, wonderful parents that I want one, at 37 years old that's about the only thing I can think of that I am scared to tell them, ha! I realize I would have to tell them when they saw it, but I will cross that bridge when I come to it.

Anyway, there ya go, this mostly conservative, 37 year old mom of 3 wants a tattoo!

Sundays

2011-01-16T19:37:00.000-08:00

Love them. I have the amazing privilege of heading up the bus ministry at our church. I can't wait to get to see the faces of all the precious people we get to pick up every Sunday morning. The pure innocence and sweetness of these kids mixed with some of the details of their lives makes me want to take them home with me to live forever! I love these kids!!!! Sometimes my heart bursts with love and pain for them, and other times they fill me with amazing joy and laughter! Go and talk to kids riding their bikes on your street or some "hooligan" you see misbehaving in a parking lot, chances are they just need someone to love them, and trust me, you will never regret it. I know it would make Jesus happy too:)

Back again!

2011-01-15T07:45:00.000-08:00

So, here I am once again, with a resolution to write on this more, mostly for my own benefit, so I can come back and read someday about what was going on in my life. I just can't seem to stay consistent with it though, but here goes!

I AM A RUNNER! Yes, you read correctly, I who never could run more than 30 seconds without feeling like I was taking my last breath have become a runner! I run as often as possible on my treadmill every week, at least 3 times a week. I am consistently running 2 miles a stretch and have done as much as 3 a couple of times. My goal is a 10k, which is 6.2 miles, by April. I think I can do it!

Other than that, God is great, kids are great, family is great, life is great! I cannot complain. Well, I guess I could, but considering 25,000 people a day die from starvation, I won't! Not today anyway:)

Disappointment

2010-08-12T09:48:00.000-07:00

Is a part of life, and I know it is good for children to have disappointments. I know if they are never disappointed growing up they won't be able to handle life as an adult, because I think we all know that life is FULL of disappointment. But it just hurts so bad to see your child's heart broken. Not life altering disappointment, just being sick and missing a much anticipated sleepover, but heart breaking disappointment just the same when you are a 10 year old girl! I cried, she cried, we cried some more. ~sigh~ The first of many heart aches, Lord help me through the next 8 years!

I'm Slacking!

2010-02-28T05:24:00.000-08:00

Yikes, I'm already dropping the ball, geesh. Probably because, as usual, there is nothing exciting going on here, lol.

I did walk into the kitchen a few days ago and got hit in the face by the smell of fingernail polish! NEVER a good thing. This happened once before, about a year ago, in the bathroom. Only I was having a total brain "fart" that day. I kept smelling, what I thought, was nail polish remover as I would go upstairs to the bedrooms and was like, what is that smell? Not thinking, HELLO!, you have an ornery 2 year old you might wanna check it out!!!! Finally it hit me like a ton of bricks that I had left my nail polish on the counter in the bathroom. Walked in and, yep, there sat the little culprit, with a nice paint job on herself, the floor and my best blouse! It did come off the floor and herself, the shirt is now a very expensive dust cloth:( Sooooooooooo I instantly start to panic, luckily she hadn't gotten it on anything, YET! I usually keep that stuff put waaaay up high, but got it down so I wouldn't forget to take it with me, and yep, I'm a moron, I left it in her sight.

Prayer request for all my praying friends. I have a friend who had to deliver her 4-5 months along in her pregnancy, baby yesterday :( They had a miscarriage last year and were super excited for this baby. Just very sad. Thanks.

Love

2010-02-21T14:00:00.000-08:00

That's what we talked about in Bible study today. I Corinthians 13 is a really tough chapter to live by!!! Especially the part that says....."love does not take into account a wrong suffered"....wow! So no holding grudges, no getting even, no telling everyone!! Hard to swallow.

Then we read Matthew 5:48, "Be perfect, even as your Father in Heaven is perfect", hmmmm, I've got a lot of work to do, lol!

Hmmmmm

2010-02-16T13:42:00.000-08:00

I don't really have anything exciting, cute or thought provoking to share. So here are some VERY random things.

I got every single piece of clothing in our house washed yesterday, towels too, can I get a witness!!!!

I'm tired of Gabes pullup leaking pee every night.

I LOVE my new flat iron, and will try to post some pics soon, I have a few, but they aren't very flattering ones of me, so I'm gonna do a "photshoot" again soon.

I am loving the Olympics, even the obscure evenst like Curling.

I am sick of the snow!!!! We have a lot and it's not going anywhere anytime soon.

We paid off a bill this week, can I get another witness!!!!

We plan to have all bills but our mortgage paid off by January of next year, woo to the hoo!!!

Every single person in our house got a hair cut last week. Gwen's little bob is so cute, I'll try to post some pics of that too.

I don't want to cook.

I have become addicted to getting my nails done. Keeps me from picking at my cuticles, a very bad habit of mine, but it is kind of pricey, so I really need to give it up.

I wish I could do something that would make me useful in Haiti, I would love to go there right now.

Have a great week, and God bless us everyone!!!!

Jillian Michaels

2010-02-11T10:06:00.001-08:00

is mean! I started her 30 day shred video today, and boy do I feel shredded! It's a 20 minute a day workout, and every minute is packed with intense stuff! My thinking is, instead of leaving the house, which entails getting dressed, getting my 2 year old dressed, making sure I have my pedometer, mp3 player, etc., having a snack and drink for her, a bag with stuff for her to do, then driving to my walking track, an inside one, then walking for at least 30 minutes then finally getting home, which by then the 30 minutes has turned into an hour or more, that I would do a simple 20 minutes a day at home.

Pffftttt. It is only 20 minutes, but it ain't simple! My legs were shaking so bad not even halfway through it I didn't think I could walk, and this is level 1!! There are 2 more levels above it! Well if you're only gonna do 20 minutes and see results you gotta hit it hard. I'm gonna stick with it, even though I know by tomorrow I won't be able to squat to pee without groaning in pain! I only want to lose about 6 more lbs, 6 more!!! And with Jillian barking at me I think I can do it!

Tim Tebow.....

2010-02-08T10:48:00.001-08:00

is so refreshing! And too darn good looking!

Cleanup, cleanup

2010-02-06T06:18:00.000-08:00

everybody, everywhere! That is what I am doing today! But I'm not dreading it, and that's weird! Havin' our super bowl party tomorrow night, and need clean floors and bathrooms. Dusted earlier this week, so I don't have to worry about that, yay! Then I need to make a few of the foodies, luckily I told everyone to bring a dessert/appetizer, so that I don't have to do ALL the work, and it does take a lot of stress off a body! Everyone have a great day, I know I will!

Well....

2010-02-05T06:08:00.000-08:00

not much going on in my life right at this moment, but I'm working on consistency! Trying to shake this stinking allergy/sinus stuff that is hanging on for it's life, ugh. But I'll be ok, it won't last forever!

Anyone else out there ever have a problem with judging besides me? Funny thing is, I have a lot of grace for people I don't know, haha. Like a drug addict, prostitute or teen mom, because but by the grace of God I could be them, and still could! Ok, maybe not the teen mom, but you know what I mean :) But I just wanna love on them and tell them about Jesus and help them turn their life around.

But there are a few people that I am very close to, who don't have any outward serious issues, such as drugs, alcohol, etc., but my goodness they irritate me so much with their issues that sometimes I wanna give them a good thrashing! I can pick out every single thing that is wrong in their life and I want to tell them exactly what they need to do! Hmmm, I think there is a verse in the Bible 'bout that, something about a beam in my eye and a tiny speck in my brothers, ha!

So why is it that the people closest to me I have no grace for and the people I don't know, I can give them all kinds of grace. I guess because I have no expectations for someone I don't know and those closest to us we can place a lot of expectations on? Or could it be that I'm simply a sinful human being? I'd wager it's both!! ~sigh~ I just need to get my eyes off people, who will always let us down, and on Jesus, who will NEVER disappoint me!

Tax refund time!

2010-02-04T08:27:00.000-08:00

LOVE IT! Ours comes in next week. And while the bulk of it goes to practical things like paying off bills and savings, we do get to have a tiny bit of fun with it. I am buying the kids matching Easter outfits, myself a very expensive flat iron, and a few spring/summer items for myself, since, thankfully I am too skinny for my old ones, yipeeeeee!

Why would I waste money on an expensive flat iron you might ask? When you can get pretty decent ones for under $50. Because I have tried all kinds of products/flat irons and they just do not work on my hair! I don't have really curly hair, but it is one step below that level, and all I end up with is mostly straight, but puffy (frizzy) hair. I wear it natural, but dream of stick straight beautiful shiny hair! And I had given up that dream, until my hair dresser said she got a new flat iron that made her hair look like Jesus had styled it!! Now who can pass up Jesus styling your hair, lol?

Oh, and Donny will get to splurge a little bit too. He is waffling between a new gun or tv? I'm rooting for the tv!

Consistency

2010-02-03T06:03:00.001-08:00

So I'm gonna give this consistency thing a try. I have said this many times and never followed through, so we'll see! This is just another day for me!

Send kids to school, pick them up, laundry, dishes meals, baths, bed. Somedays I LOVE the routine, but occasionally I'll feel mom burnout. Today I'm good, lol.

I am feeling overwhelmed with the amount of commitments I've made. I was just thinking I need to sit down and write out everything I need to be doing, but I don't wanna!

I am in charge of my high school reunion, which is this September, but that, thankfully, is running smoothly, I have delegated alot!

I am heading up the candy bar sales for my daughter's school, there are only 40 students in the school, phew. But I'm feeling the pressure!

We all need dental checkups. I need to make sure Gabe has all the physicals/shots that he needs to start kindergarten and that Gwen has all that so she can start preschool.

We are having a super bowl party at our house on Sunday night, yay! But I'll be glad when all the preparing is done and the fun has begun!

I teach a Bible study class at church, which I LOVE, but really do feel the weight of the responsibility sometimes.

I am in charge of scheduling childcare workers during church on Sunday mornings, and surely everyone knows how easy it is to get volunteers for things, AND keep them, insert sarcasm.

Now I have somehow gotten to head one of our outreach activities at church, it's not a time consumming hard one, but I'm kinda freaking out!

Once candy bar sales and reunion is over, I will not be so overwhelmed and I am making NO MORE commitments right now, lol. Only if God lays them on my heart!! Most of those things don't take alot of time, but right some of the "work" has kind of fallen at the same time and I'm panicking! I guess I probably need to get off here and do something, huh!

Jack of all trades....

2010-02-02T09:31:00.000-08:00

and master of none. Yep, that's me. Do you ever feel that way? There are so many moms, and other types of humans, lol, out there that have some amazing abilities and sometimes it makes me feel very mediocre. Here are some examples:

There are some amazing, inspiring, witty, intelligent, consistent bloggers here in bloggy land. I am none of the above, not even consistent which just takes some time!

I am not creative, not.one.little.bit! Not a creative cell in my body, and I'm talkin' all forms of creativity. I can't draw, seriously, still drawing stick people at the age of 36! I can't do interior decorating. I mean I have my likes and dislikes, and can TRY to duplicate anything I see, as long as it doesn't involve painting or some such creativeness, but to just look at something and say this would look great with such and such, no way! I can't take a piece of junk at a flea market and turn into a beautiful antique! I have several wall hangings that have been in my room for about a year, I'm waiting for one of my not so creatively challenged friends to come hang them for me. I can barely scrapbook, and I only do the most basics!

I'm not good with just coming up with cool, educational, crafty things for my kids to do. Coloring pages and flash cards have been my only tools, lol!

I can sew, but just barely. But I really don't like to, lol! I can't make hair bows. I can't take glitter glue and make t shirts to die for. I can't whip up a wreath for my door or a flower arrangement, unless you like things that look like they were made by your 3rd grader.

I have become a much more accomplished cook, but no better than any of my other friends. And who can't follow a recipe? But I have a lot of trouble feeding my kids variety and am not always creative with my meal choices.

I can clean really good, but don't keep a sparkling house, I mean I do keep the bugs away, but wouldn't want to run a white glove over the furniture:)

I can't sing, and this is one thing I just dream about! I would love to be able to get up in front of everyone at church and just let it fly and belt out "In Christ Alone"! I can't imagine how much fun that would be! That's one thing I'm gonna do in Heaven, sing LOUD!!!

I took 2 years of piano as a kid, but that just means I can read music and peck out Step 2 songs from Kayleigh's lesson books.

I'm no photographer, I mean I can take a picture at a recital, but it certainly isn't going to look professional!

I am good at sports, especially volleyball, but after high school there really isn't much use for that!

This isn't a pity party! I could do most of the things I listed, except sing, haha, at least halfway decent if I put my mind to it, but none of it comes naturally, like it seems to for some, thus the "jack of all trades and master of none".

I do have other qualities, I can organize like nobodies business, I can whip a closet or garage into shape in no time flat and am really good at throwing stuff out, ha! I'm competetive, which can be a detriment, but most of the time is good because it keeps me on my toes and keeps me motivated! And I have a lot of energy. I'm very easy going. Oh, and I can find a bargain like a fly can find a dead body, haha! I DO know how to save money.

But these things aren't very, how would you say it, glamorous!!! That's it isn't it? These things don't get the respect and awe of the creative, talented gifts! So those of us who suffer from mediocrity aren't really mediocre, our gifts are just in the more practical realm! After all I am made in the image of God, and we all know he doesn't make mediocrity, He only makes things that have the potential for greatness! And the Bible says we are all given gifts and talents! So I can't embroider my kids names on shirts or make cute wooden plaques for their doors, I can play baseball with them or help my girls learn how to stretch their dollar and still look great, and that is just as important!

My Favorite Song

2009-11-16T10:36:00.000-08:00

We had one of those church services yesterday morning where you never want to leave!! Our pastor preached for an hour and it seemed like 10 minutes. And at altar call, I would say 95% of the people there were at the altar!! God was all over that place, it was all about HIM, and it was amazing! We sang my most fave song too and there were hands everywhere raised in worship, it was a little tiny slice of what Heaven will be like, I can't wait!

My fave song is "In Christ Alone", so I thought I would share the lyrics. Reading them doesn't even begin to do them justice, although there are some mighty powerful statements in them. But I urge you to download the song, if your tech savvy, or buy a cd, just somehow get your hands on this song, it is anointed!!!!

My favorite part of the song is in the second verse where it says, "Till on that cross where Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied, For every sin on Him was laid, Here in the death of Christ I live". WOW, gives me goose bumps just reading it. Hallelujah!

In Christ Alone

In Christ alone my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live

There in the ground His body lay.
Light of the world by darkness slain,
Then bursting forth in glorious Day,
Up from the grave He rose again,
And as He stands in victory,
Sin's curse has lost it's grip on me,
For I am His and He is mine,
Brought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the power of Christ in me,
From life's first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand'
Till He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand

It's too early.

2009-10-27T04:13:00.000-07:00

I am watching a little girl for a co worker of my husband's this morning. Her daycare providers had a funeral and were closed today. Her dad dropped her off at 5:55 this morning! I think I might have gotten up that early twice in the last year and one of those times was to go "Black Friday" shopping, I'll do anything for a bargain. Anyway, this sweet 2 year old girl had to get up before 5:30 this morning to get to my house, that's early! She took up with me right away, didn't cry or anything, and is sitting in the recliner watching Blue's Clue's.

The point to all of this is, I am so thankful to God and grateful to my husband that I and my children get to sleep in to the last possible minute! And during the summer we can sleep in til we're up! And I am here when the kids get home. There are so many wonderful sets of parents where both of them work and have to get themselves and their kids up at the crack of dawn every morning and God bless them! Those working mom's are nothing short of miraculous! And their children will learn a whole different set of life skills that mine have! We haven't had to do that, yet! I may some day and then I will learn what it is like. For now I am so blessed to be a stay at home mom and I don't take want to take that for granted.

Kuddos to all you working moms, and dads, out there, hang in there! Kuddos to all you stay at home moms, and dads, out there, it's not like we are eating bon bons and taking bubble baths, huh?! Neither job is easy, but both are rewarding!

Pleasantly Surprised

2009-10-22T09:51:00.001-07:00

To find out that I had lost another few pounds! I mentioned that I have been working out again, well I kicked it up a notch this week, just trying to build up my endurance and strength, and whadya know I've lost another 3 lbs, just in the past week! So excited. Who would've thought it, the old fashioned way of losing weight really does work! If I can lose another 8 lbs. I will be the smallest I have been since before getting married! I'm working fast and furious toward my "Hot Mom" status, HA!

I'm addicted.....

2009-10-20T08:19:00.000-07:00

to Nutella! This choclatey hazelnut goodness is so yummy, if you haven't had any you MUST try some. I like it on toast and biscuits, but my fave way to eat it is on croissants, mmmmmmmm! Just thought I would share. And if anyone has any other yummy ways to eat it please let me know!

Happy Fall Ya'll.

2009-10-19T06:28:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe it is fall already! And Christmas is a mere 2 months away! I'm freaking out right now!! I have bought nothing and money will be in somewhat of a short supply this season. However, kids are easy to please, even with little money! Note to self, start shopping in MAY next year! We try to focus on the "Christ" in Christmas, not the commercial part anyway, so not much money probably isn't a bad thing!

My life is a monotonous flow of identical days that seem that they will never end!!! Wake up, get breakfast, take 2 kids to school, work out, shower, pick up 4 year old from preschool, make beds, do laundry, clean up kitchen, make lunch, clean up kitchen again, break up fights, put 4 year old in "time out" 5 million times for being mean to his sister, vacuum, laundry, laundry, laundry, pick up 3rd grader from school, break up 10,000 fights, start preparing supper, eat supper, clean up kitchen, over see homework, bathe 3 children, break up 15,000 fights between the 9 and 4 year old, finally put fighting children to bed, read for a bit (maybe), then fall into an exhausted, like the dead sleep! Sometimes throwing errands into the day. I KNOW I need to be enjoying these days, but sometimes I feel like I am barely making it through the days without turning into the "Joan Crawford" mother. The bickering is sucking the life out of me!!!!!!!!

I really do love my children and my life, just feeling very overwhelmed right now. Trust me, I know I only have three, and lots of moms do it with many more than that, and God Bless 'em, they are saints! But right now my 3 feel like 6!

Weighing In and a Giveaway

2009-10-17T08:16:00.000-07:00

I was reading back through some of my old posts and realized I never did post my weight loss to date. If anyone remembers I started a weight loss regime waaaaaay back in March, my starting weight was 181. By May I had lost.....drum roll please........30lbs!!!!!!! I reached my first goal! I am very excited about it. I took the summer off, didn't work out or do any special eating, BUT monitored my weight closely to make sure I didn't start creeping back up. There is NO WAY I am putting that weight back on, losing weight bites and I am not letting myself, barring anything out of my control, get back in that position again.

So now I have 10 more to go to reach my ultimate goal. So two weeks ago, now that school has started again and we have a routine going, I started walking/running on the treadmill again. Even if I don't lose any more weight, as long as I can keep the weight off I just lost and get in great shape I will be happy.

I have never been a runner. Even in high school when I weighed 120 lbs soaking wet and could play intense volleyball for 8 hours straight, I never was a runner. I have always admired runners, envied them really, they always seem to be such athletes! So I have decided at the ripe old age of 35, almost 36, to give running a go. My goal is to be able to run a 5 or 10k in the spring. Hopefully it will be a 10k, but I also want to set a realistic goal, so we'll see. Are there 7k's out there? Anyway I'm giving it a go.

If anyone remembers waaaaay back in the spring I promised a giveaway when I reached my goal of 160 lbs, well I reached it! So I am going to do a giveaway sometime real soon. So my one reader should have a pretty good chance of winning, ha! So stay tuned!

Puberty, yuck.

2009-09-04T09:41:00.000-07:00

So my oldest just turned 9 on Tuesday and she has started puberty! Yes I am talking about a sensitive subject, so read with caution. I realize this might mortify her if she knew I was posting this, but she will never know. I just feel the need to share, and since I am pretty sure only women read this blog, and we've all been through this, I think we will all understand. About a year ago she started getting breasts, not much, but alot for an 8 year old. We had her checked out and they do an xray to check for what is called "bone age" in children and if that is the same as their biological age they are fine, and she was. Well in a year she has gotten quite larger breasts and started showing other signs as well. Took her back to the dr. and her bone age is now 11, which means she has entered puberty, and it looks like she is running toward it full boar. ~sigh~

She is only 9! Now granted she may not actually start menstreuating (sp?), for a few years, but then again it could be not that long either. Regardless, kids that young shouldn't have to deal with this. She is getting an MRI done in October to make sure there is nothing abnormal there causing her to start puberty at this age, just as a precaution. But that is going to be a real fun day. She probably is just an early bloomer, so we aren't real concerned right now. I know there are lots of women who started their periods at 11, even some 10, but I have always thought that was soooo young. I was 14, quite the late bloomer, and I loved it.

I was really hoping she would be a late bloomer too. But Kayleigh never does anything like a "normal" child, lol. She has had her share of struggles in her life and it just seems that when it rains it pours. I know she will be fine and that this is a part of life and cannot be avoided, and it's natural, blah, blah, blah. But she's 9 and she's my baby and I don't want her to have to deal with this until the last possible moment, I'm asking alot, I know.

I am not going to tell anyone about this right now, I don't even want to tell my mom or mil. I just really don't feel like having to tell people something else our daughter is having "issues" with. I also don't want to hear anyone tell me this is just a fact of life and I need to deal with it, as one of my friends, actually a good one, said in so many words. Because I might punch them, seriously. I needed to share though, and thought this would be a safe place. My family does not visit this blog so I'm good, lol. And you guys are not in physical reach of a "punch" at the moment, haha.

I know there are so many worse things out there that could be wrong with my daughter, trust me. And my heart goes out to those parents whose kids face things much tougher than this, and I apologize to any of them if this seems trivial. I count my blessings daily! But it doesn't make the struggles she has faced hurt any less.

Thanks for "listening".

Old Spice lip gloss

2009-09-04T07:19:00.000-07:00

So I found Gwen yesterday coating her lips with Donny's deodorant. ~sigh~ She is such a plunderer! My other two weren't at all. Not that Gabe doesn't misbehave in other ways, just getting into everything wasn't one of them, lol. She wasn't poisoned, I know this because the one time Gabe did plunder he also ate some deodorant, and wasn't using it as lip gloss, it was a snack. I called poison control then, and they told me that you have to consume alot of it for it to hurt you, so all was well.

We have decided we must put locks up high on the bathroom door and the front door to keep our explorer safe. Her name is now "Hurricane Gwen", and that sums it all up. If she lives to be 10, it'll be a miracle. If I live to her 10th birthday without every single hair on my head turning gray that will be a miracle. Although no one will ever know if it all turns gray because my hair is a beautiful shade of mahogany brown with some red tones, Medium Spice, to be exact, and will stay that color for a loooooooong time, lol. No growing old gracefully here, fighting it tooth and nail!

This n That

2009-08-30T06:50:00.000-07:00

Don't get to go to church this morning, ugh, I HATE missing. I enjoy being with my Christian family so much! Gabe has a slight fever this morning, and the stomach flu has been going around, but no puking yet! Usually Donny stays home since I teach a class, but he is working today, so I'm home :(

Been reading some really, really great books lately. Under the Overpass by is an eye opening account of two mens journey to choose to live homeless for 6 months, to better be able to understand and minister to people's needs. And WOW, you really get a look at people's misconceptions and attitudes toward homeless people that are absolutely sickening and frightening.

The other book I'm reading is Interrupted by Jen Hatmaker. This book gets at the very heart of our Christianity. Of how so many of us have been "playing" church, living passionless and selfishly. It has really hit my heart in a serious way. God has been burdening my heart for a long time now, and this book just kind of put into words what I have been feeling. It's as if she wrote down my very thoughts! Both of these are some serious reading, and once read we have a responsibility to act, so read with caution, lol.

On a lighter note, my kids have made my life so much more fulfilled, but I swear sometimes it feels like they will be the death of me, lol. The past few weeks have just been FULL of mommy moments. Gwen disasters, like pulling dressers down, twice. 2 of the kids being sick, all of us having a dr. appointment on Friday, with the youngest 2 getting shots. And just regular everyday bickering and whining. Some days my goal is just to stay sane, sometimes I do, sometimes I feel I'm on the brink, lol.

Gabe started preschool on Thursday and Kayleigh starts 3rd grade in a week. Hoping a routine will help with the craziness.

Oh and it was 54 degrees last night, in August in the Midwest, crazy! Kayleigh's birthday is Tuesday, and the day she was born I think the temperature was 105, go figure.

Have a great Sunday ya'll!

This n that

2009-08-24T13:45:00.000-07:00

I kind of took a break from blogging, in case anyone noticed :) I'm back, in case anyone cares, lol. Just been a busy summer, and about to be a busier fall. But isn't everyone "busy". My busyness isn't any more important than another's busyness I would say, so that is no excuse.

Please pray for my husband's cousin, Shelly. She lost her husband about a month ago, he died of cancer, at the age of 42, after about a 2 year very painful battle. Very sad. Then an aunt died a few days ago, and today 4 hours before that funeral, Shelly's dog, Sabre, who she has had for 12 years got hit by a car and died. She has no children, he's her baby. She, understandably, isn't doing well today. Her grief plate is full right now. She could use some help bearing it.

Donny, my husband, is down at his folks, about 2 hours from here, for the funeral of the aunt. So I'm a single mom for a few days. I'm a single mom most days, his work schedule is crazy, add any family trips and there ya go. Gwen has been quite, um, curious today. She rubbed nail glue all over her bare belly, you know the kind that dries in 1 second flat and is so strong it can suspend a two hundred pound man with a hard hat on to a steel pole. Thankfully she got it on no other body parts to stick them together, sheesh that could have been bad. And for anyone who says to me, well don't leave it out where she can get it. I say, I was glueing some broken toys together, turned my back for 5 seconds and hurricane Gwen struck. Seriously, she is faster than Edward Cullen. Then she pulls over her and her sisters bookshelf/cubby thingy in their room. Toys and books everywhere. Put her down for her nap and wouldn't ya know it she didn't sleep a wink. ~sigh~ I'm at my Gwenny disaster/whining limit for the day and it's a looooooong time til bedtime, pray for me.

Long time no write

2009-05-11T06:42:00.000-07:00

Just really haven't felt like blogging lately. My weight loss has stalled out big time. I am down to 161-162 and holding fast. We are not doing the low carb anymore, just got burnt out on the time and energy it took to plan and prepare every meal. I am still working out faithfully, which is keeping me where I am and I think I am losing a tiny bit of weight that way as well, so we will see. I am going to do something eating wise again soon to get another 10 pounds off, just taking a small break. Never did get below 160 for a giveway, but still trying!

Hope everyone's Mother's Days were great, mine was. I got 2 dozen golf balls from my kids and after church and lunch at our fave Chinese buffet I got to go play golf with a friend all afternoon, it was great. AND I had a birdie, my first one ever. For anyone not familiar with golf that is when you get the ball in the hole one under par. For instance if a hole is par 4, which means if your good you should be able to hit the ball in the hole with 4 shots, and you hit it in with 3, that is a birdie. Very exciting!

Haven't been keeping up with everyone's blog's very well either, will try to do that today. Miss you all!

Gotta love Easter

2009-04-14T04:57:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone's Easter was amazing. Mine always is. Easter is my favorite "holiday". I hate calling it a holiday, I don't know why, it just sounds weird to me to call it that. But I guess it is a holiday, it's a day of celebration and remembrance, and that is after all what a holiday is. I am so unworthy and overwhelmed with what Jesus did for me on the cross, that I tear up on a normal day. Having a whole day set aside just to remember his death and his victorious resurrection makes me happy! Of course Christians should live everyday like it's Easter, but life sometimes gets in the way of that unfortunately. Thank you God....."in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us"....., He died for me, He loves me, a horrible, wretched unworthy sinner! But praise God, the blood of Jesus covers those sins! Gives me goose bumps thinking about it, phew!

My weight loss is ok this week. I was down to 162.6 yesterday, but I am up a pound or two from that today. I let myself have a "free" day on Easter, gotta let myself endulge sometime or I'll quit, and that caught up with me today. I got right back on track yesterday, so hopefully after a few days of eating right again, my weight will start falling again. I don't regret that free day though, totally worth it! Gotta love chocolate marshmallow bunnies! So my weight is somewhere around the 163-164 mark. Have a great Tuesday everyone!

Easter pics

2009-04-12T19:19:00.000-07:00

Had a great Easter, here are a few pics.

Gwen had a major meltdown when we took her easter basket candy away from her to get her ready for church, so here were the best pics we could get with her in them.

She and I.

All the kids.

Pretty!

Having a chocolate bunny for breakfast. It's easter, it's tradition.

Thanks for looking.

2.4 Pounds

2009-04-06T18:43:00.000-07:00

That's what I lost this week, yay me! 5 would have been better, but hey, I'll take 2.4. Only 4.4 pounds away from a giveaway. I'll get there sometime in the next month, I hope!

Easter is Sunday, yay Jesus! Love, love, love Easter! And the girls easter dresses, are super d-duper cute, can't wait to post pics!

Have a great week!

Cravings, ahhhh!

2009-04-03T05:20:00.001-07:00

This week has been the toughest week I've had with having bad cravings. I am wanting to eat all the time! The thing is on the eating plan I am on I eat alot, so much that sometimes I am amazed that I lose weight because of the amount of food I am allowed to eat! It is very healthy food, but still, it just doesn't seem right.

Anyway, I am craving ALL things that are bad for me, I haven't given in, thank God, but wow has it been tough. I think that pms is doing this to me, I was reading on a weight loss support group and they said pms can be the culprit. So hopefully, next week will be much better, at least the cravings might be gone, lol. And I have been soooo tired, moreso than normal, I will be glad when those two things are gone.

I believe I have lost a pound or two this week so that is good. Just keep chugging along on this journey. It is going to take a little longer than I thought it would to get the next 20 pounds off, which is a bummer, but I hope then that it will be a lifestyle change for me, and not just a weight loss solution. It will hopefully form new good habits and I will be able to keep the weight off. Cause I sure don't want to have to do this again, it ain't fun people! But worth it!

My New Number and My "Strange" Status

2009-03-30T08:13:00.000-07:00

I have lost 4 lbs since last Monday! Bringing my grand total to 14.2 pounds lost! Yay! So my weight is now 166.8, only 6.8 pounds to go until I do a giveaway. My goal for today was 165, and honestly after my weigh in last week I didn't think I would even be down this low today. So I'm excited!

Yesterday in Bible study we were talking about "strange" things that God might ask us to do, well things that may seem strange to us anyway. You know like when he asked Gideon to fight thousands with only 300 men and they totally kicked butt, and didn't lose one single soldier! Or when Joshua and the children of Israel just walked around the walls and they fell down flat to the ground. Or when he asked Noah to build a GIANT boat on dry land, in a time when it had probably never ever rained!

Strange requests from God usually always mean something great is going to happen. If you think about it all the "heroes" of the Bible were asked to do "strange" things. And I got to thinking about that, and ya know if God isn't asking us to do "strange" things, it's either that we aren't listening, or He doesn't ask us because He knows we wouldn't do them and we aren't "hero" material. I want to be "strange" for Him. I don't want to live an ordinary life, I want to do those things that people will ask each other what in the world is she doing now! We are called to be a "strange" people, so let's do it, let's be strange together!

Good News

2009-03-28T12:17:00.001-07:00

is coming on Monday! I couldn't help it and weighed myself today and the number is good! I'm so pumped to now lose the rest of this weight. Maybe I will even lose another pound by Monday! The giveaway number is getting closer so stay tuned!

TGIF!

2009-03-27T11:19:00.000-07:00

Actually it hasn't been a bad week, but Friday's are just, well Friday's! I *think* I will have a good number to report on Monday. I weighed yesterday, Thursday's are my days with my workout buddy when we weigh and do a workout. And I had lost some, again finally! I think I figured out what I was doing wrong, so hopefully back on the right track!

Our church is showing the move "Fireproof" tonight at church, very exciting! I am in childcare, I've already seen it so I volunteered to keep the kiddos, but will still be fun cause I will be doing it with friends! Everything is better with friends.

So if I don't get back here before Monday, I've been kinda busy this week, I will be here for the big weigh in! I'm actually looking forward to it this time! (I think!)

Week 4, day 2

2009-03-24T05:04:00.000-07:00

I didn't get a post done yesterday, the day got quite busy and just sort of got away from me. So my weight loss was nothing to get excited about, but here goes. I lost .4 lbs, woopee! At least I didn't gain, but still that's depressing. So I took yesterday and went over my plan and found some ways that I needed to tweak it a little. I had been doing good on my low carb, but after the first two weeks I had let my guard down a little and was eating too many things with artificial sweeteners in them, which that is never good for you, not drinking enough water and not eating enough veggies. So I am ready for another week, and hopefully will have better results next Monday. I'm recharged and ready to go!

Me and a couple friends of mine are going to take a group golf lesson here soon, which will be so fun. I like to golf, but am just not very good at it, so maybe now I will be able to actually compete when I play, I do like to win ya know.

Easter will be here soon, one of my most favorite days of the year. What a victorious day for the world, Jesus defeat of death and sin. Of course everyday should be a celebration of that as a Christian, something I need to work on! And of course the day to break out new pretty spring dresses and clothes. I got the girls matching dresses from Children's place, and they are going to look super adorable, can't wait to take their pics. Gabe will of course look super cute too, but let's face it boys clothes just aren't that exciting, lol! I will have three more weeks of weight loss under my belt, if I can lose 5-10 more pounds I would like to get a new pair of shoes and a nice shirt, so we will see.

Happy Tuesday all!

One big ~sigh~

2009-03-22T10:44:00.001-07:00

Nothing much to write about today. As I am typing I am listening to my 2 year old and 4 year old scream, scratch and hiss at each other, ugh! Oh somebody please tell me the bickering goes away as they get older. Somebody? PLEASE?! Don't tell me that it gets worse like it did when I was a kid and bickered with my younger sister 24 hours a day, please don't tell me that. Because I don't think my paper thin nerves can handle that kind of overwhelming information right now. If I remember one thing my parents told me when I was a kid it was to stop fighting with my sister ~sigh~ Paybacks a, well you know what it is, right?

I am not feeling very confident about my weigh in tomorrow. I just might be throwing myself a pity party instead of a happy dance. Why is it anything worth having is hard work? Can't something worth having, just once, be easy? Having a twinkie sure isn't hard work, and it's worth having, imo, but the pounds it packs on sure aren't worth a darn nickel! ~sigh~ I'm done sighing, I'm going to put said bickering children down for a nap and then I am going to have myself a good old fashioned Sunday afternoon nap as well I think! Be back tomorrow.

She's a super dooper pooper!

2009-03-21T06:59:00.000-07:00

So not sure if my weigh in on Monday will be very exciting or not. I feel like I haven't lost any weight :( I had to weigh on Thursday, I weigh mid week with a friend, and I had lost maybe 1/2 a pound. ~sigh~ I have been hovering around the 170/171 mark all week, I was at 170.2 on Thursday, and man I want to break that 170 mark so bad. I really guzzled the water yesterday and watched my eating really closely to make sure I was doing everything just right. Tomorrow is my day of rest from working out. Sunday is my only day off, from working out, not from monitoring my carbs. So hopefully by Monday I will be below 170, if I'm not, I am really going to be discouraged.

So here's another Gwenny story. She was napping, so I thought. I heard her, and went to check on her and walked in and she said "poop". And oh the smell. She had pooped, then taken her diaper off and little poop balls were laying in her bed, and she had also pee'd on her sheets. First time that has happened to me, hard to believe with three kids, but true. Oh the child, she just leaves us speechless. She is such a well of surprises. Lucky me!

She's a Plundering Fool

2009-03-20T11:32:00.001-07:00

Since I last blogged Gwenny has taken the opportunity to get into the drawer in the bathroom where I keep my maxi pads and panti liners and open all of them up and leave them on the bathroom floor, and get out the blank dvd's Donny uses to copy things to and scatter them all over the dining room floor. The girl is a mess waiting to happen. My other two children were not like this. Kayleigh was an angel in every way, and Gabe was no angel, he leaned a little toward the devilish side alot, a fact which worried me, but he never plundered! So she drives me crazy with her exploration. We do in fact lock most drawers and cabinets to keep her out, she just happens to know which ones we have not gotten to yet, wise little girl!

I have now been walking everyday for three weeks so I decided to start trying to gradually work some running in to the routine. Holy Cramp! I am no runner that is for sure. I ran for a total of maybe 8 minutes today, and I split that into two chunks amidst my walking. I am going to forge ahead though because I can just feel the fat melting off when I run! I just have to literally get through the running with sheer will power 'cause it ain't easy. I am now walking at 3.7 miles an hour for 45 minutes to an hour a day and that is quite a brisk pace let me tell ya!

I have decided that my goal for a giveaway is 160 lbs., so I hope it happens quickly. As of this past Monday I was 11 away from that, so keep tuning in to find out when the I hit that magic number. My ultimate goal is 145, so I might do another one when I reach that goal, and I should really make it a doosy 'cause I am going to have to work super hard to get there! Happy Friday everyone!

Thursday

2009-03-19T08:37:00.000-07:00

I had the first experience of someone asking me what I had been doing to lose weight because I looked great! That makes me feel better than any number on the scale can. Don't get me wrong, that number still matters to me, ALOT!

Van got fixed, cost $750, puke! But I am thankful that we have a fan to fix! Gotta look at the bright side.

I realized yesterday that I don't write about the kids much. It's not because I don't love 'em like crazy. To be honest I'm really not sure why I don't. I guess I should write more about how Gwen cannot be left unattended in a room that has anything at all in it that she isn't supposed to have, because I swear the girl is a hound dog. She can sniff out a highlighter or my makeup, even if it were in a concrete vault! I sure hope highlighter ink is non toxic 'cause that's what she had for a snack this morning :( Ever see those commercials where the mom says about her son that it'll be a miracle if he lives to be ___, and puts a certain age in the blank. That is what we say about Gwen all the time, I swear the girl would eat poop if I let her, ugh!

Wow, I really have been blogging much more lately, and it is very therapeutic gotta say. Might be boring for everyone else, but feels good for me.

Speaking of anyone else, if there is possibly anyone who reads this blog besides my best friend and a few "cyber" friends, please say "hi" so that I can check out your blogs too! Love making friends!

Week 3 day 3

2009-03-18T05:13:00.000-07:00

So we have been excercising and eating right for about 2 1/2 weeks now, and it really has flown by! I am so happy that we have started and stuck with it! I have pretty much gotten past the point of craving things I shouldn't have. Occasionally I will have one, but nothing I can't handle. I am not going to weigh myself again until Monday, I am determined to stay off that scale. Usually I will weigh myself first thing in the morning and I didn't do that today, so off to a good start.

On another note, we have to take the van to the shop today. It has been leaking a tiny bit of oil. UGH, I hate vehicle maintenance, it is so expensive! And when you aren't made of money, like us, it is so stressful! I am always nervous when we get the call and they tell us how much it's gonna be. Praying it is something minor, but Donny says oil leaks are never good ~sigh~.

Gonna walk in the park today instead of the treadmill, Donny is off work today so I get a "break". I jumped on the trampoline with the kids yesterday evening, for fun and to burn a few extra calories, and man is that a workout! I would do it for like one minute, then have to rest, then do another minute, then rest. But it was fun and something I can do with the kiddos.

I have decided that I am going to set a goal weight and when I reach that goal, I am going to reward myself and the 2 people that read my blog, ha, by doing a give away. I've never done one before, but wanted to. So I will figure that out and let ya know soon.

Stupid scale

2009-03-17T05:37:00.000-07:00

Ok, I know you are not supposed to weigh everyday when you are trying to lose weight. But I never was one to always do what I'm told, so I have been weighing much too often. And I pay for it too. Because we all know that weight fluctuates a couple of pounds at any given time of the day, and it is so dang depressing for the scale to show more on it today than it did yesterday morning! I know it's not unusual and doesn't mean I have gained any weight, it is frustrating none the less. I have to stop doing that!

Now my "official" weight that I use when writing down my weight loss, I do at the same time of day, so hopefully it's pretty accurate. Off to do the torture I call the treadmill!

Drum roll please....

2009-03-16T06:08:00.000-07:00

I have lost 10 pounds! I am so serious when I say this, that nothing I can eat can make me feel this good! I am on cloud 9! I worked so hard the last couple of weeks, and to see these great results is more than I could have hoped for! I have at least 20 more to go, and then I would like to work on 10 more after that, but the next 20 are the priority. Lots of work still ahead, and I know even though today is a euphoric day, I will have bad days ahead, so I have to stay focused and plow ahead! Let's roll!

Sundays

2009-03-15T12:33:00.001-07:00

are great! They are my most favorite day of the week I think. I love getting to go to church, yes I said "getting to go" not "having to go", it's a privilege to get to go to our wonderful church and worship with fellow church goers whom I love dearly! Then it's out to eat and home to rest. Which most of the time means a nap, but sometimes just a sit in the recliner for an hour. This day has been the same for me my whole entire life, it's something that has never changed, the routine, not the location, which has changed many times, and I love that! Right now the kids are playing outside in the wonderful 60 degree sunshiny weather, while Donny enjoys our new cushiony patio set, doesn't get any better than that! God is good, all the time! And I mean that through the bad times too!

I am super excited to weigh in the morning and post my weight loss! Even if no one reads this, it will feel so good to type it out. And I am so excited to keep going, results are a fabulous motivator. If I keep losing like this I will reach my goal in way less time than I gave myself! And THAT is something worth blogging aboout!

Week 2 day 6

2009-03-14T11:46:00.000-07:00

I walked in the park this morning, even though it was FREEZING! Just trying to keep from getting bored of walking on the treadmill everyday. I weighed myself today, but not going to blog what I've lost until Monday, hoping that maybe I'll lose some more between now and then. I am starting to notice the weight loss in inches, cannot wait until I walk into a room and someone says, WOW you've lost weight haven't you, that will be so worth all this!

Thoughts

2009-03-12T08:21:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure why, but the beginning of the week is so easy to get through as far as eating right, excercise and weight loss is concerned. Then for some weird reason come about Thursday/Friday and I start feeling discouraged, disheartened, depressed and feeling like I am not making any progress. Why is that? I really don't have a clue.

Of course if I stepped on the scale today and saw that I had lost another 5 lbs, I would be ecstatic. But we all know that isn't going to happen. I gotta say on days like this, doing any kind of lifestyle change/excercese regime really bites. I feel like the thought of it consumes me, and I can think of nothing else all day. It's a drudgery and I am just muscling my way through the day. I don't have the compulsion to cheat, but my heart just isn't in it.

On good days I am excited, and happy to be doing it. I have lots of energy and a positive outlook. ~sigh~ I think one thing that gets me down, sometimes even on good days, is knowing it is going to take months to get the body I want. My goal is three months. Which I know isn't that long compared to the two years I have been putting on the weight! The road ahead just seems so long. One day at a time, one day at a time, that is what I keep telling myself!

Even on the bad days I have no desire to quit. That thought hasn't even crossed my mind. I am NOT going to let food and laziness get in the way of feeling good about myself and having enough energy to be a great mom to my kids and to be the temple God intended my body to be for Him! It is shameful and a sin that I have not taken better care of it! No more though, only victory for me from now on. With the help of my Saviour!

More pics

2009-03-12T05:28:00.000-07:00

Some more pics of the house.

This is the dining room, looking into it from the living room. As you will notice I took some of these pictures in the fall and some in December, notice the stockings :)

This is the living room, looking in from the front door to your left.

Standing in front of the tv looking at the door.

View from the dining room into living room.

Our small kitchen.

And Gabes room. Excuse the mess on his top bunk. I use it to throw anything that I am going to put in a garage sale onto his bed until I have time to tote it and mark it.

I found this dresser at a rummage sale for $20 and repainted it myself!

A few more rooms left, will try to get those up tomorrow.

Some pics of the house

2009-03-11T12:18:00.000-07:00

Finally, if anyone is interested, here are the pics from our "new" house. Well it was new (to us) when we moved in 7 months ago!

These are of mine and Donny's room and the upstairs bathroom.

These are of the girls room.

Will post more (hopefully) tomorrow.

Tuesday

2009-03-10T05:35:00.000-07:00

Not a very catchy blog title, I know, but don't have anything catchy to say really. My life is so normal right now, and I don't feel that I am one of these creative writers who can make funny stuff out of nothing, and my kids haven't done anything really "blog" worthy lately, so I don't really have much to say. Back in the summer when my life was total chaos I could have written books, but I am GLAD that time is over!

Eating right and excercising still going well. Yesterday I did my cardio in the morning then played volleyball last night, so I technically got 2 workouts yesterday, which is awesome! Not going to weight myself today, although it is sooo hard to resist that temptation. I want immediate results, but that also makes me discouraged when I don't lose any weight from the day before. Unrealistic expectations I know, but I can't help it, I'm a perfectionist.

Today it is going to be in the 70's again, so I am going to walk in the part instead of on the treadmill since Donny is home. Gotta take advantage of that!

Gotta get through another day of laundry, the thorn in my flesh, cooking and cleaning up 3 meals and any other housework I can fit in between wiping butts and noses and breaking up fights and reading Barney and spiderman books. Sounds like a great Tuesday to me, how about you?

Week 2, Day 1

2009-03-09T10:06:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how much difference 12 hours makes. Last night I was feeling defeated and today I feel pretty good. Knowing that I lost 5 lbs. the first week might have something to do with that. I need to "trust the process", if you have watched "The Biggest Loser" you know what I mean. I am still really tired, but did my workout already, despite this also being day 1 of "the curse". So I say that's a successful day so far.

I have decided to try to write my thoughts out on here, hopefully every day, and track my progress, so I can look back and remember how hard this is, so that I don't let myself go in the future so I don't have to freakin' do this again!

I am going to weigh myself every Monday and Friday, I just cannot go a whole week without peeking, would drive me nuts.

I cannot wait for this pooch and my "love handles" to be gone. I really wish they wouldn't call them that, they don't make me feel "love"ly or "love"able or "love"ing. Anyway, off to eat a healthy lunch!

Weighing in

2009-03-08T22:10:00.000-07:00

I know it's been forever since I last blogged. If everyone has forgotten about me I totally understand. I am posting now for me, so if no one reads, not a big deal.

Donny and I started Atkins last Monday. I am now 180 lbs. OH, I am so ashamed to admit that. I am 5' 8", so 180 on me isn't as bad as 180 on someone who is 5'3", but I am overweight for the first time in my life, and it makes me sick. When we got married, 12 years ago, I think I weighed around 130. Now that technically is below what is recommended for someone my height to weigh, and I admit I was too skinny. But, believe me or not, that was my natural weight. I ate like a horse all the time, no dieting for me. Got married, gained 20 pounds, was at probably my ideal weight. Had 2 kids, still skinny. Had Gwennie at age 33, and my body wasn't able to bounce back naturally this time. Eating whole boxes of fudge rounds doesn't help either.

We bought a treadmill, got it in on Saturday, and started eating right and working out on Monday. Donny has gained alot of weight as well since we got married, so he said he would do it too. I was soooo excited after the first three days, I had lost 3 pounds and had lots of energy, I had gotten over cravings and was feeling great. Now I feel lousy. I am exhausted, which can happen when you cut back on carbs, and craving EVERYTHING I can't have, and am freaking out because I haven't lost any more weight. Ok, I know you aren't supposed to weigh yourself very often when you are dieting, but I can't help myself! And I know if I just lose 3 pounds a week, it will only take me 10 weeks to get down to 150, which isn't bad. I haven't cheated on my eating YET, and I haven't skipped out or cut back on my cardio. I'm gonna lose this weight come hell or high water. It just sucks!

I am so mad at myself for letting my body get this out of control. And mad that I can let food control my life. I'm scared that my body won't respond as quickly as it did in the past when I have worked to get the last 10 pounds of baby weight off. I am tired of eating the same things everyday. Did I mention that I am mad! But also mad in a good way, it is fueling my determination to hang in there. The song "The voice of truth" don't know if that is the title, or who sings it, keeps going through my head. It has become my theme song in my battle.

So, it's been one week tomorrow. I have to just get through another day. One day at a time! That has been my mantra through the baby stages of no sleep, and got me through that, surely it can get me through this too. Self, hang in there. It will be sooo worth it in 3 months, when I am (hopefully) 30 pounds lighter. ~sigh~

A Giveaway.

2009-02-11T20:24:00.000-08:00

Kristen, from "The way it is", is having an awesome giveaway. Go check it out. Her blog is pretty awesome too!

http://www.nunez-thewayitis.blogspot.com

Fireproof

2009-01-30T21:28:00.000-08:00

Is an AWESOME movie. I couldn't wait to see it. When I was in the eighth grade Kirk Cameron was my McDreamy, lol. He was on the show "Growing Pains" then and I was "in love" with him. I had a poster of him on my wall. As an adult he isn't all that to me anymore, still cute, but definitely not my McDreamy. But I enjoy seeing him in movies since he is pretty much out of the hollywood scene, except for doing some christian films. And I enjoy seeing movies that are inspirational, meaning christian, in nature.

The movie is just so moving. I have seen it twice now and cried like a baby at the end of it both times. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. Even if you aren't a christian, there are principles and lessons in it for anyone. And it's just a really good movie. Ok, the acting isn't as good as say a Brad Pitt movie, but the content is a million times better! At least I think so.

Kayleigh, part two

2009-01-22T06:10:00.000-08:00

The scheduled our appointment for the next day. I went home and called Donny to fill him in, and it's a miracle I was able to talk coherently. I honestly do not remember much about the rest of that day or the next morning, I think I just walked around in a fog. We headed to St. Louis the next morning, Donny's parent's met us there. I remember being just a great big bundle of nerves. We finally get to see the doctor, after what felt like forever. He looked at her eyes for a long time. Then he sat back and with a chart, very calmly explained what had happened to our baby. She was born with a birth defect in both eyes. In laymans terms her eye simply stopped developing at some point in utero, both eyes at different stages. Her right eye's cornea is severely misshapen, her eye looks very cloudy and muddled and there is only a tiny speck of black in the middle for a pupil, and it is very noticeable. She can see nothing out that eye, it is light sensitive, but that is all. Her left eye has the same condition, only not as severe. She has a pupil and an iris and it looks fairly normal, but if you look closely her pupil is not a perfect circle like most peoples, it is larger and is misshapen, and it does not dilate. She can see out of that eye, she is near sighted, but with glasses she has 20/20 vision, in that eye.

I cannot even tell you the emotions that roll through you when the word birth defect and your baby are used in the same sentence. Kicked in the gut, air sucked out of you, room spinning, those are just a few phrases that might capture a hint of what you go through. Only a parent who has experienced this can even imagine. I just sat and stared at him with a look of dumbfoundedness on my face. I didn't say anything, because I knew if I said anything that the dam of emotions that I was barely keeping in check would break and I would have a breakdown. We went back out into the waiting room to wait to see the doctor again and talk about where to go from there. I just sat in the waiting room like a zombie, staring straight ahead, like I was in a trance. I couldn't put a coherent thought together, I was simply trying to digest this news.

We went back in and spoke to the doctor. The next step was to see a cornea specialist. If she was a good candidate a cornea transplant was a possiblity. We left that day with our world changed forever. My heart became much more fragile, and has never fully recovered. I could not call our family and friends to tell them what was going on, the minute I started talking about her I would melt into a puddle of tears. When Donny told my mom I could hear her start crying on the phone and hang up with him quickly. It was a hard day.

We saw the cornea specialist the next week. The plan was to bring her back to look at her eye in depth, through ultrasound and then to admit her to the hospital to put her under anesthesia so they could make a thorough exam of her eye with high powered instruments. They needed to make sure that the rest of her eye was formed properly, to make an accuarate assesment. We got through all that. We found out that the rest of her eyes was, thankfully, normal.

The doctor told us this, we could do a cornea transplant, it might work, might not. There were lots of risks doing transplants on babies so young. And if we were going to do the transplant and have any chance of it working it had to be done now. The thing with the eye is, the muscles and things behind the eye, don't just automatically work at birth. They "learn" how to work, thus why a newborn doesn't see well. If those muscles and such go too long without being used, they will never learn to work. So the transplant would need to be done asap so that those muscles would still have time to get off their lazy butts so to speak. Doing the transplant any time after the early months/few years of life, even if successful wouldn't work because the eye wouldn't know what to do. His recommendation was that since she had vision in her other eye, it was very risky to put her through the surgery, when it might not even be successful. Had she been blind in both eyes he would have recommended the surgery. We opted with the doctor.
I still always wonder if we made the right decision. Even if we had done the surgery I would probably still second guess myself.

We took our baby home that day and got on with our lives, and really have rarely looked back. Because of Kayleigh's limited vision she did not reach the milestones a baby is supposed to reach. She did great at her 6 month appointment, but at her 12 month she was way behind. This is where she began therapy, and also when she got her glasses. Therapy was such a blessing. The therapists were so sweet, they definitley eased the mind and fears of parents who had no clue what to do with their precious baby. She transitioned to wearing her glasses just fine. Within a week of having them she was wearing them from morning to night.

At one time she was seeing 4 different therapists at once, between the ages of 1 and 2. This time is where she struggled the most. She didn't walk until she was 21 months old. She certainly didn't jump, run, hop, climb or do those things like all the kids her age were doing. She was a sweet little girl. So good and obedient and so tender hearted. She was so easy to parent, aside from her developmental struggles, she was a breeze. After age 2 she really took off and we were down to 2 therapists. She was very smart. She learned all the academic things with ease. After age three she went from having therapy once a week to once a month, and at age six went to not needing therapy at all. She has thrived.

Life was/is mostly normal for her, and us. She goes once a year to see her pediatric opthamologist. She does all the things kids her age do. From an outsiders perspective, unless you saw her eye, you wouldn't know she had any issues. She has a few minor things that she might deal with here and there, but nothing she hasn't been able to handle with ease. Her birth defect is very visible, and for that we can do cosmetic contact lenses. We tried them a few years ago. They definitely worked, but the trauma of trying to get her to wear them was too much at the time. And a weird thing happened that day when those contacts were put into her eyes, and they looked normal.

I started crying, not out of happiness, but because with those contacts in, covering her birth defect that has caused us so much pain, it seemed like my daughter wasn't there any more. The defect, which I hate, is such a part of her that now without it, it's like she isn't herself. I kow that sounds weird and doesn't make any sense, it didn't to me either. But it has shaped the beautiful person she has become, that now when we try to change it, it seems like we are trying to change her, and I don't want to change her, she is perfect just like she is. I don't want her to feel like she needs to be changed or conformed to what we think is pretty in order to feel accepted or beautiful, and I think that is what made me cry the most. I know that those feelings of insecurity, awkwardness, and alienation are going to creep into her life soon with the coming of teenage years, and that breaks my heart for her.

I know the next 10 years of her life will probably be much harder than the first 8. I pray that with God she will gain the strength and peace to know that she is beautiful and doesn't need man's approval to feel worthy. I pray that we as her parents are able to mold and make her into the poised young lady who feels confident in who she is and is able to handle any challenges that come her way. I pray that God fills her with His love and she knows that those things, such as outward beauty, don't matter as much as we think they do and that she will gain an eternal Heavenly perspective on life and live each day to be beautiful for God.

I really don't mean to make everything sound trite or that everything is all hunky dory all the time. 99% of the time I have come to terms with it. Then sometimes those raw emotions of bitterness, resentfulness, helplessness and hopelessness pour over me and I weep for my daughter and what I feel can be a hard road. But I also know that I am so blessed, I have my daughter with me, she doesn't have leukemia, a tumor, isn't on a ventilator, some things that parents have had to deal with that are far greater challenges than anything we have to face. And I know that we are just fine.

There is a possiblity that what happened to her eyes can be degenerative, meaning it could get worse in her eye that has sight, with the possibility that it could progress so far that she could be blind in that eye as well. To be honest that possibility cripples me with fear. I have learned to put my trust in God and take it one day at a time. At the beginning it was one hour at at time. But you know what, we got through it! And I know that the person she is today and will become has been shaped by how fearfully and wonderfully made she is and for that I wouldn't change her for anything. Does that mean If I could would I miraculously make her better, of course I would. With that though is a two edged sword. I would never want to change her sweet spirit. So would changing what God has allowed in her life change her emtionally, I'm sure it would. But obviously that isn't what God's plan is for her. Whatever His plan is for her, I am so grateful that I am getting to be a part of it. And I just pray that I don't screw it up!

Sorry for the novel. To be honest here this is the first time I have talked in depth about what we went through, and I really could have written for hours more. I wrote this as much for me as anyone, and it felt good. I hope her story can bless someone or if it could bring someone to know Christ that would be the ultimate in a happy ending, because that is really what life is all about.

Kayleigh, part one

2009-01-21T21:11:00.000-08:00

In a previous post someone mentioned to me about not knowing about the challenges our oldest daughter faces. So I decided to write about it and here is her story.

I remember the day I found out I was pregnant, I had been at my parents house for Christmas, Donny had to work and couldn't make it. I was a couple of days late, but was trying to not get anxious or get my hopes up because we had been, not really trying, but not preventing for a year and nothing had happened. We had also miscarried 13 months prior, so I was nervous. My parents lived a couple hours away from where we lived at the time, and on the drive home I could stand the suspense no more, so I stopped at Wal Mart and bought a pregnancy test. Then I headed straight to the women's bathroom and took it right then! It was positive (duh), and I was so excited and naturally couldn't wait to get home to tell Donny. When I got home he was next door at his brother's house, yes we lived next to his brother for a while and are actually still speaking to them, lol. And they had a brand new 3 week old baby, their fourth, which didn't help my baby fever. So I walk in the door and say, in front of his brother and his brother's wife, "there's going to be a new addition to the family", with a big stupid grin on my face. My smart as a whip husband says with a puzzled look on his face, "Courtney (my sister) is having a baby?". I say, no dummy we are! It was a neat day.

Everyone was super excited. This would be my parent's first grandchild, and although my inlaws already had 4 grandchildren, they were very excited because my brother and sister in law had officially closed that chapter of their lives. Oh the time drug by, I could not wait to have this baby. I didn't really enjoy being pregnant that much, because I was just so anxious to meet our child. Of course the first 4 months went by at snail pace, with morning sickness and not really a baby belly, but just enough of a pooch to look fat. I wanted to wear a shirt that said, "I'm pregnant, not fat". Then we got to find out the sex of the baby about half way through and I was overjoyed that it was a girl. I had the biggest smile on my face when they said those words!

Then we had to move. It was either move and my husband keep his great job with awesome benefits, or stay there and HOPE that he could find something that paid halfway decent. We opted to move, it really was the only way I would be able to stay home when our kids came along. So off we go 100 miles from Donny's family and about 200 miles from mine. But we were young and naive and sooo excited to get a fresh start!

Pregnancy was smooth as butter. By week 36 I was OVER being pregnant and I wanted this baby out of me NOW! It was August and 120 degrees in the shade and I was 45 pounds heavier than I had been 8 months earlier. My ankles looke like elephant legs. I was done. Unfortunately, Kayleigh wasn't. She stayed in there for 40 weeks, like a good girl. At my 40 week appointment my blood pressure had risen considerably. Um, I was hot, tired and had been having debilitating back and leg pain for four weeks, I was lucky I hadn't had a stroke, lol! So my doc decided to go ahead and get his girl outta me.

I went in on a Thursday morning for induction, did pitocin for two days. Doctor broke my water morning of day 2, had an epidural a few hours later, and she was born that afternoon. I know labour is not supposed to be fun, but I had such a wonderful experience. I was in no pain, and I was surrounded by a ton of people who were at my beck and call, hehe. I remember when she was crowning and they said, this baby has red hair, and we were all like, really? Sure enough she came out with, not much, but the reddest peach fuzz, we were all so excited. And surprised, gotta say I didn't see that coming! She had a bowel movement in the womb so they took her to make sure she was breathing ok. She was, and they brought her back to me shortly to nurse.

Everything was great! In an I just had a baby way. I was tired and sore and Kayleigh was precious and kept me up all night. The next night after her birth, I was in my room alone, everyone had left, she was in the nursery, and a wave of emotions just swept over me. I just started crying and couldn't stop. It wasn't just being scared or overwhelmed, it was plain out of my control, my hormones had taken over! The nurses were really nice and told me to talk to them if I needed anyone. Just a short time later that evening, I was holding Kayleigh, alone, and I noticed that when her right eye would open it looked really light colored. Not just the pupil, the whole eye. It just didn't look right to me. But newborns do not open their eyes very much at all, and when they do it is pretty much just a squint, so I couldn't get a real good look at it. But it definitely to me did not look like her other eye, which looked normal.

I freaked out. Tears started flowing and I remember thinking, "Oh God no, please there can't be anything wrong with my baby", and I started to panic, really that is too tame of a word for what I felt. I jumped (as well as a woman who has just pushed a baby out of her vagina can) out of the bed and walked to the nurses station and asked them about her eye. They told me that it was really common for babies to have one eye be alot lighter than the other, and everything was ok. So I felt better.

The next day when the pediatrician came in to do her exam before we left, we asked her to look at Kayleigh's eye. She did and assured us that it was fine. Ok, so now I could relax. We took her home that day. What a day that was. I cried all day, for no reason whatsoever. Any mama's can relate. It's like someone is pouring water into your head and it must come out of your body or you will die, and it's only way out is your tear ducts, really annoying by the way.

So the first night we are home is horrible. She wasn't nursing as well as they wanted her to before we left the hospital and they had me convinced she was going to die. They seriously had me so worried I thought she was going to starve to death. No pressure! We got through that first night, and miraculous thing happened the next day. Kayleigh decided she was hungry and that she would eat. Hmmm, who would've thunk it, babies eat when they get hungry, good to know!

The nursing started going much better and I could actually breathe again. The crying was increasing at an alarming rate, mine, not hers! I had completely lost control of my body, seriously. Donny had gone back to work the day after we came home and I had no family or friends in the brand new town we had just moved to 4 months earlier. Can you read, recipe for disaster? So a few days later I take Kayleigh in for her first checkup, everything is great. Then right before the doctor walks out she asks if I have any questions. I then remember that I want her to take a look at her eyes, just as a precaution. The other doctors and nurses had told me after all that she was fine, and I had almost forgotten about it.....almost. There was always still a nagging thought in my head that something was wrong, but being told that everything is ok and wanting to believe it so badly, made me feel comfortable.

She looked at the eye and I immediatly knew something was wrong. She told me she wasn't sure what was wrong, that it could possibly be glaucoma, but she wasn't sure and that we needed to get her seen by a pediatric opthamologist right away. She left the room, and I tried to hold it together, and miraculously did a pretty good job. They took me to an office where a very nice nurse was making the phone calls to get Kayleigh in. They wanted me to take her that day, and the nurse asked me if I had anyone that could go with me right then, and I dissolved into tears. Donny was at work, and I knew not another soul here. Knowing then what I know now I would have just called Donny and said leave now we're going, but I was an emotional wreck and could hardly speak much less think. I felt very alone............to be continued

Sorry to break it off right here, but I have so much more to write and I don't want this post to be 30 minutes long. And right here is where our lives changed forever, so I will continue tomorrow.

Football

2009-01-19T06:41:00.000-08:00

I am not a big football fan, never have been. Before I married my husband I knew absolutely nothing about the game except the shape of the ball and the general idea of getting the ball from one end of the field to the other. Now I know more than I really want to know, lol! Did you know that there are approximately 1, 423, 628 rules in professional football! My husband isn't a huge football fan, but he does keep up during the season and watches his fair share.

We are St. Louis Rams fans generally. I say generally because right now they bite, bad! So we all have to have a back up team to cheer for, right. Mine is any team that Kurt Warner is playing on, that man is awesome! And right now that is the Arizona Cardinals. For anyone who doesn't know, he became a superstar quarterback with the Rams back in the late 90's and early 2000's. It isn't how great a football player he is that makes him so awesome though. Or how good looking he is, cause ladies he is VERY easy on the eyes. Hey, I know I'm married, and my husband is a wonderful man who I love very much and think is very attractive, but I do have eyes in my head and can actually see other men and it would be ridiculous to not notice the attractiveness of other people on a basic level, lol! Or how just so dang nice he is that makes him so awesome.

It's his decision to live his life for Christ and to give Him all the glory for everything in his life. The man has some kind of testimony! And he doesn't just talk the talk he walks the walk. How refreshing it is to see a highly succesful superstar athlete praise God on national tv, it gives me goose bumps. I don't mean to put him on a pedestal, he is no better than any other Christian living their life for Jesus, it's just so great that with all the crap that usually comes from professional athletes who young people look up to, it's nice to have one that is actually worthy of looking up to.

Oh and in case you don't know the Cardinals have made it to the Super Bowl, go Cards!

What's with all Drama, Mama's?

2009-01-13T09:06:00.000-08:00

I am in a women's church volleyball league. I LOVE it, because I love, love, love to play volleyball. I don't care who I have to play with, what time I have to be there or where it is, I just love to have the opportunity to play. The other women, not so much.

Some are griping because they have to drive 12 minutes instead of 5 minutes to get there this year, others are griping because we go by the more current rules of rally scoring, net serves count, etc., still others say that if we go back to the "old" rules, they don't want to play. Some are griping because the games go faster this year, because of the new rules, others griped last year because we couldn't start on time because the games took longer. One person gripes about people that aren't dependable in other things, yet herself is always late for lots of things and seems to think that doesn't matter. I am so TIRED of the stinkin' whining! Show up and shut up or go home, is what I want to tell them. Everyone thinks they can run it better!

What is it with women that makes us be so dramatic? We bicker, whine, complain, talk behind other's backs. I am not lumping all women into this category, but I know most of us have done this sometime in our lives. And I am not saying we are horrible people because of it either, we're only human. I am usually mostly drama free, but even I get sucked into it once in a while. I am by no means perfect! I am just tired of the constant murmur of discontent. The Bible says in Exodus ..."the people complained and the Lord was displeased..", I am paraphrasing here, so forgive me if that is not 100% correct. Whining is not lady like, nor is it Christ like.

So, I have resoluted (I really don't think that's a real word) to not be so dramatic. I need to cut the whining, the gossiping, the bickering, the listening to gossip, the griping, anything that can fuel drama, I need to STOP! I don't want to hear it anymore! And ladies, this is probably going to be the hardest resolution to keep that I have ever made. I am a talker, and you know that when women talk there is bound to be some drama happening in someone's life.

Along with that resolution is that when I am part of someting that I might think could be done differently, I need to show up and shut up and do my job!

So please pray for me, this human being that I am, will falter. But with God's help I can be a better reflection of his compassion and mercy, and discretion. Oh boy, do I have my work cut out for me!

Running

2009-01-05T09:18:00.000-08:00

I don't like to, only if it involves my children bleeding to death do I attempt it. I am new to facebook and have recently discovered that several of my old friends are now running, and I mean serious running, like 5k's and half marathons and such. Makes me jealous. The thing is I never was a runner. I was quite an athlete in high school, volleyball was my favorite, and I played it all through junior high and high school. I was pretty darn good at softball and tennis as well, and I was up to trying any sport at least once. I could do 100 push ups and 50 sit ups in 10 minutes flat, I had the stamina of a horse, but running just never was my strong suit. Runners just seem to be the ultimate athletes, they are (usually) thin, and very dedicated and focused and have lots of energy. I would LOVE to be a runner, but HATE running, I could hit a ball against a wall all day and love it, but running one lap in the gym was detestable. Is there a point to this post, not really, just that I feel like a total slacker and want to magically enjoy running. A girl can always wish, can't I?

Wii Fit

2009-01-03T18:53:00.000-08:00

We just got one today. The hubby has been wanting to get one, and has been on the lookout for the past month. But they have been as hard to find as a husband who does laundry, voluntarily. So today at Wal Mart, to hear Donny tell it, God was looking out for him and we got one of the three that had just been delivered and never even made it to the shelves because they were all purchased within about 2 minutes of being there.

Anyway I digress, I did the wii fitness test and I am officially classified as overweight. Overweight! I have never in my life been overweight. I was always a few pounds under bean pole as a teenager, and have been at my ideal weight for most of my adult life, minus during pregnancy, when you could say I was a few pounds over heifer. But after my third angel was born, when I was at the ripe old age of 33, I haven't been able to get rid of these last 25 pounds of baby fat. Funny thing, eating whole bags of baked BBQ lays with homemade ranch dip and whole bags of chocolate covered peanuts in one sitting, don't exactly jump start weight loss. Who knew? So if I ever want to see single digit sizes again I am going to have to excercise, ugh! I HATE to excercise! I used to never have to excercise. Did I mention I was a size bean pole? And I maintained that ideal weight by eating 4 hamburgers and 2 bowls of cereal for supper every day.

I guess that third child and my advancing age have really knocked my metabolism on it's butt, and it isn't going to get up. I think I have just worked it too dang hard for the 33 years previous an it is on strike. My goal: 10 pounds in one month, and then hopefully 25 pounds as quickly as possible after that. Pray for me. Did I mention that I hate excercise and love chocolate covered peanuts? Yeah, I'm in trouble!

A massage.

2009-01-02T08:21:00.000-08:00

I am getting one in about an hour, compliments of my husband, it was one of my Christmas presents. He has gotten me 3 or 4 over the years, and they are by far my favorite present! If you have never had one, please treat yourself at least once. Or when someone asks what you want for Christmas and you can't think of anything, tell them this. It so so stinkin' relaxing there aren't even words to describe it. If every person could have one a week, there would be no road rage, I'm tellin' ya, it works the stress right out of your body. The kids are at grandma's, Donny is asleep because he worked all last night and I have the day to myself to get a massage, that truly is a gift from Heaven, haha! Then tonight we are going to eat and go bowling with our pastor and his wife and another couple from our church, it's a good day!

Random

2008-12-31T08:46:00.000-08:00

Can't really think of anything of much importance to post about. We have settled back into a semi normal routine now that Christmas is over. Once Kayleigh goes back to school, we will (hopefully) be completely back to normal. I really love normal. Last December 14 we had a house fire and lost everything, and our lives were chaotic for the first 6 months of this year, then all of July was CRAZY, and I have come to appreciate normal alot!

Here is a peak at what July looked like. We had closed on our new house, but were still living in the rent house because the air in our new house wasn't working. And we were fighting with our homeowners insurance about who should pay for it, and they were being really big pains. I think I wrote about all that in my posts back then. So we had bought one house, were living in another and still had a garage full of stuff at our house that burnt, because the garage was detached and at the back of the yard and everything in there was fine. We had people in the process of buying that lot, and it was moving ridiculously slow. It was 110 degrees in the shade and I had a ton of moving, painting and cleaning to do, and I was losing my mind! On top of that, our content portion of our settlement from insurance was in process, had been since March when we were told that would take about a month, mmm hmmm! So even if we wanted to move in to our house, we had no furniture, or the money to buy a whole house full! Finally at the very end of July, the air was fixed, the money came in and we were in moved in by August 1. So we were finally back to "normal". Have I mentioned how much I love normal, lol!

Any one have any big plans for tonight. Donny is working, so it's just me and the kiddos home alone. I foresee early bedtimes, for the kids, and me eating way too much junk and watching tv or movies early into the morning. Oh the exciting life of a mother and wife! But quite normal, hehe.

Any resolutions? It's the oldest one on record, but mine should be to lose weight. Right now though I feel no motivatin to lose anything. I really love me some chocolate and greasy foods. I'll jump on the weight loss wagon some time soon. The thing with me is, I'm all in or all out. Once I start excercising and losing weight I am very consistent and motivated and I lose a ton of weight. But until I am completely on board and ready to do it, I will fail if I try halfheartedly.

So there is my random post. Everyone have a wonderful New Years Eve!

I am alive

2008-12-28T16:57:00.000-08:00

Yes, I am still alive, I survived Christmas. Unfortunately I just got a facebook page and now I have been spending my internet time consumed with catching up with old friends!

We had a wonderful Christmas, as we always have. And then here comes the "new" year, which really isn't a celebration to me, it's just another way to "celebrate" the fact that I am a year older and probably have the start of another fine line on my face. (I am obsessed with not getting wrinkles). Then there is the oh so dreary month of January, ugh! I have the after Christmas doldrums, can you tell?

I really promise this time I will try to blog more often, when the inmates will give me five minutes to myself that is, lol!

Christmas Chaos

2008-12-15T07:04:00.000-08:00

Even though I had pretty much gotten all my Christmas shopping done early this year, an earmark of a truly worry free Christmas, this Christmas is the busiest one I have ever had. I won't bore you with all the sordid details, I just have a butt load of things to do, and judging by the size of my butt, that's a lot!

We are having a family get together at our house at Christmas for the first time ever, that and a bunch of misc. odd things have come up and I am swamped, therefore the reason for not much posting going on. I like having plenty to do so I am not bored, I bore easily, but I hate being so busy I feel stressed, and I am annoyed that that is where I am right now and I can't enjoy the holiday season like I want to. So I thought I would post some pics, for no reason whatsoever.

Here is Kayleigh posing nicely.
And miraculously Gabe is posing nicely.

And our angelic children who took a great picture in one take!

And that was a big fat lie! Here is what the night looked like really.

And then we have Gwendolyn posing nicely. After I finally wiped the boogar hanging from her nose that daddy left there for all her close up shots, gotta love men.

Sad

2008-12-10T06:18:00.000-08:00

So this morning I was looking at the "show off your trees" day at Sara's blog, http://www.butterville.blogspot.com/ and wow, there are some amazing trees and decorations on there. I am sad because we lost our tree and decorations last year in our fire. We had, like most people, been collecting ornaments over the years, and it makes me incredibly sad that they are gone. All of the "baby's first Christmas ones", Kayleigh's princess, Barbie, Barney, Elmo and all that reflected her obsession for that year. The very few we had bought for Gabe. The ones I had gotten on vacation. Our veggie tales manger scene is gone. Her hand print reindeer ornament. Everyday another sentimental Christmas item will come to my mind and make me sad. We will start all over and collect more from this day on, but I will always feel sad about them.

Sorry this is short and sad, just needed to share.

Want to add that, don't get me wrong, I am so very thankful for all that we do have, and my beautiful healthy family and everything that is important is right here with me. Just have moments of nostalgia over those things.

My Black Friday Shopping

2008-12-02T13:26:00.000-08:00

I know this is a little late, but better late than never right! I know alot of people cringe at the thought of shopping on that day, but I love it. My friend and I embrace the day. We go knowing there will be crowds, traffic and long check out lines, but we got expecting to have a good time and are patient and enjoy each other's company!

Donny and I left the house at 3 am that morning and went to Wal Mart. He got in line for a blue ray player and I got in line for the portable dvd players, and my friend got in line for a computer. Holy cow is all I can say. I got pushed and shoved like nobody's business for a $50 dvd player that may have been worth $75 max! I was at the front of the group, and when the clock struck 5 it was every man for himself, I was being pushed from both sides and shoved from the back and it scared me pretty bad. I did get the dvd player, but my legs were shaking so bad after that, and I just wanted to get out of that store! We got quite a few good deals from Wal Mart when it was all said and done, but geesh, I have been to lots of Black Friday sales and that has never happened to me before.

So Donny took all our loot and went home then my friend and I took off for our day of shopping. It was great. I got tons of stuff, most on sale, a few things that weren't, but I got most of my shopping done, which is a relief. We hit Target, Kmart, ToysRUs, Gordmans, Once Upon a Child (a used kids clothes store), Archivers (a scrapbook store), Big Lots, Hobby Lobby, Best Buy, Goodwill, Lowes and Sam's Club. My favorite bargains were at Archivers. I am a beginning scrapbooker, and I really like it, but I am too frugal to want to pay high dollar for any of the supplies. I spent $30 and got I think $60-$70 worth of supplies, so that was exciting.

We got home that night after 9, and I was beat! But more fun than the shopping was just getting to spend the day with a good friend. To be able to eat at a grown up restaurant, Olive Garden (yum), and have adult conversation all day. Don't get me wrong I LOVE hunting for a bargain, but everything is more fun with a friend. I can't wait to get to do it again next year!

I need help

2008-12-02T06:16:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I am very electronically challenged, but if you will notice I actually have my blog decorated for Christmas, no small feat let me tell ya. Of course I need my title juiced up too, but hey baby steps. Anyway, I have looked everywhere and I can't figure out how to get those dang screwdriver/wrench thingies from appearing at the bottom right of all my elements. It really didn't matter on my generic background, but now that I'm all fancy, I want them gone! Can anyone give a girl some info.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T04:59:00.000-08:00

I think Thanksgiving is my favorite family holiday. I LOVE Christmas, I love everything about it, the songs, the shopping, the decorations, the cookies, the parties, the church services, of course most of all our true celebration of Christmas. But to me, Thanksgiving, is a simple time that focuses solely on family and blessings, and it gives me warm fuzzies!

As I get a few years under my belt it also is bitter sweet. Because, as we all know, things change. My grandparents, who we always spent the day with, along with all my aunts, uncles and cousins, have both died in the past 6 years, and it makes me so incredibly sad at times. And now of course, so has our tradition of getting together with that side of the family every Thanksgiving. It happens you know, all the aunts and uncles get their own grandkids, and everyone has scattered to the wind, and it is near impossible to get us all together.

Anyway, I digress. I want to say how today how thankful I am for my grandpa, what a man! He was a Southern Baptist preacher, he was warm, caring, loving, and didn't ever have anything bad to say about anyone. In my entire life, I had never heard him say an ill thing about a single person, ever! That is quite an accomplishment. He made sure that we all knew that he loved us. Every time we saw him, we got hugs and I love you's, every time. He was a true example of what it meant to try to be Christ like.

I guess though what makes him even more special to me is that, he wasn't even my biological grandfather. My mom and dad, even though he is not my biological dad he is my dad, always has been, in every sense of the word, got married when I was 2. I have no memory of that so my life as it is now, is simply to me how it always was. But if I didn't know the facts about my birth, I would never have known I wasn't an "official" member of that family. There was never ever a difference made, I was his granddaughter and that was that! I don't think people can really know how special that is unless you have experienced it, it touches me more than my words can express. My dad is the same, but this post is about my grandpa, so he will have to wait for his own post, lol. My grandpa married my husband and I, and that gift is so precious to me. I will see him again in Heaven someday, and wow, what a gift God has given us to say that!

Sorry about the rambling post, I was just reminiscing a little.

So anyone Black Friday shopping! I am! My friend and I are leaving sometime around 3 am, with no kids and no husbands, and will be back sometime with the next 24 hours. Honestly that is the bestsest Christmas present I could get, I am so excited about that, I do feel like I felt as a kid the night before Christmas.

I will let you all know if I survived.

Have a wonderful day with your families, and take a picture in your mind of these times, they certainly are fleeting!

Counting my Blessings.

2008-11-26T05:57:00.000-08:00

Hello to any left of my friends out there who might have checked in on my blog. I am going to try to get back into my blogging life again. I've missed everyone, but I still know what you did last week, lol!

Of course this is a "corny" counting my blessings blog. I say corny because at this time of the year the word thankful just becomes so reduntant. I of course , like anyone living in the good ole' USA, have more to be thankful for than I deserve. So I am listing two things today.

#1 I am thankful to my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. First, He died a horrific, painful death on a cross, so that I could spend eternity in Heaven, not hell. Second, I am thankful because I accepted that gift of salvation, for without acceptance that death means nothing. And last because He has been/is more to me than just a fire escape. He has been my best friend, my confidante, my dad, my Saviour, my "bank" when I was in need, He has held me when no one on this earth could comfort me. He has loved me unconditionally through all my imperfections, and although we think people on earth do to, He is the only one who can see what we are like on the "inside", and I know for me that can be pretty ugly at times.

#2 I am thankful that my children have plenty of food. I know this one sounds trite and overused, but I am going to link a picture here that has changed my life. WARNING, it is quite graphic and very sad, and is a downer right now, so if you are on a holiday high, and want to stay there, you might want to view it later. www.snopes.com/photos/people/kevincarter.asp This picture says it all about how much we have to be thankful for, and I have never viewed my life the same since seeing it, I actually printed off the picture, so I can never ever forget how blessed I am.

I hope you all have a blessed Thanksgiving, and I will post a much more light hearted post next time, I promise!

Hiatus

2008-11-02T12:38:00.000-08:00

In case you haven't noticed, I have been taking a bit of a break from posting. Well the trend is going to continue. I know that is a faux pas in blogger land, that you are supposed to post often to keep your followers and gain new ones, but it can't be helped. I am going through some things personally and I just need a "break" from feeling the need to post every other day. I really love blogging, so this is stinky for me.

Don't worry, nothing major is going on, my marriage and children are fine and no one has a fatal disease or anything. It's just a "me" thing. So pray for me, and I will be back soon, I promise.

Mean time I will lurk alot on your blogs, but may not comment, just want you to know that I will still be around in "spirit".

Love ya all!

Long time no write

2008-10-27T12:39:00.000-07:00

I know I have been away for a while, I just had some things going on and didn't make any time to do this, sorry! I will do extra blogs now to make up for it, how about that? Saturday we went to our towns trick or treat for businesses, it was lots of fun, and nice that the kids get to wear the costumes more than once. We did a Star Wars theme this year, so if you aren't familiar with the movies, you may not who these people are, lol. May I present:

Princess Leia.

Darth Vader (quite fitting, I might add)

And Padme Amidala

This is getting ridiculous!

2008-10-18T20:14:00.000-07:00

Gwen has 7 jackets and 5 coats that she can wear now, and 8 that she can grow into! Holy cow, that is 20! Now before you think I am a shop a holic, let me set you straight. I am one! J/K, only at rummage sales. I get 85% of the kids clothes at consignment or rummage sales, or if I am really lucky someone gives us hand me downs. Point is I didn't buy any of the coats that Gwen can currently wear, unless they were Kayleighs when she was that age. Most of them came from my friend Angie. We have a system, I give her all Kayleigh's clothes that she outgrows for her little girl, then when she is done she gives me all her little girls clothes. But geez louise, 12 jackets/coats for this winter, that isn't getting ridiculous, it is! All my kids have pretty much a whole fall/winter wardrobe though, thanks to buying at garage sales this summer.

My rummage sale was a smashing success, and we can now park in our garage, hooray! For cold, yucky weather is just around the corner.

Sorry to all my bloggy friends, my rummage sale took up so much of my time, that and the clean up afterwards, that I haven't had the chance to be online much and check everyone's blogs out. I will get back to normal soon!

I gotta go over my lesson for Bible study tomorrow morning at church. I guess it's a good idea for the teacher to know what she is talking about! Have a great night!

Worst Mom of the Year Nominee

2008-10-15T20:57:00.000-07:00

That would be me. Here's what happened. Went to church tonight, just me and the two oldest ones. Dropped both kids off at their class, I go into church. Church is over, I go to choir practice. I look at the clock at 7:35, immediately bolt out of my seat right in the middle of the song because I forgot to get my 3 year old from his class and it was over at 7:00. I am not too freaked out because his teacher is a good friend, and would have brought him into the sanctuary if I happened to not go get him when they were done, theoretically of course. No biggie, they had taken him downstairs to class with big sis cause they knew I was in choir practice. Talk about feeling like an idiot! I forgot about my kid, duh!

Tomorrow is a rummage sale at my house. So hopefully my pocketbook will be little bit fuller and our garage a little bit emptier, well hopefully alot on both of those!

And finally got all of our furniture in, so pics are coming soon! I have taken pics of a few of the rooms, because they were the ones that were clean. Now I just need to get the other ones clean to take their picture too! So maybe by this time next year, lol!

2008-10-14T06:48:00.000-07:00

We went to a pumpkin patch on Saturday. Gotta say it wasn't the best day ever. First it was hot, 85 degrees. There is just something not right about it being that warm while you are out celebrating fall. Gwen was't feeling that great, translate, screamed, whined, pretty much made me miserable too. Kayleigh and Gabe were really whiney too when we first got there. But after lunch and a drink, everyone perked up and had a really good time. Here are some pics. Now I am not the best picture taker, and totally forget to take pictures of like the sign and such to remember where we were, but here are my feeble attempts at pictures.

Here is everyone when we first got there.

I wish you could see what this picture is really about. There was a "scary" barn, very tame, that had a man holding his head talking to us. But not scary at all, even though it sounds very age inappropriate for a 1 and 3 year old, lol! Anyway, that thing held Gwen in a trance, it was soo funny, everyone was laughing at her.

Of course here they are with the pumpkins.

I think the kids did have some fun, it's a memory anyway, lol.

I found out yesterday that I have tendenitis in my right foot. Pretty much my big toe will not bend, really funky. I hurt it back in the winter playing volleyball and it never has been the same, then Friday I was walking up the stairs and did something weird to it and now it is not good. It is fairly swollen and it hurts. The doc gave me some anti inflammatory, and if that doesn't work it might need surgery. I have had surgery on both my feet before, I had some major boney bunion issues that I was born with, and had the bunions removed as an adult, and foot surgery is not fun! Not to mention that volleyball season begins again in January, and I have to be healthy for that!

Also found out that Gabe and Gwen have hand, foot and mouth disease. Which makes sense now, cause Gwen has been super grouchy and not eating or drinking much for the last week. I think though that we are probably at the tail end of it now, so hopefully by the end of the week we will be through that sickness.

Have a great day!

Darn Wal-Mart

2008-10-10T15:41:00.000-07:00

I went to Wal Mart to get garbage bags and milk and spent $115, argh. Happens all the time, I think the technical term for it is Wal Mart shoppers amnesia. You come out of the store with $100 over what you intended to spend and have no idea how you did it. What happened to me is, I realized that we also needed diapers and pullups - $37, the milk was $11, toilet paper - $4, trash bags -$7, and so on and so forth, and before you know it, a cart full. But I thank God that we have the $115 to spend there, so many people now are struggling, and my heart and prayers go out to them!

Donny is at Disaster Relief Training tonight, so the next time there is a disaster, such as tornado, hurricane, etc., he will be qualified to go help! Me and the kids are on our own, so in just a bit it is bath time, a little bit of play time then blessed bed time and alone time for mommy, woo hoo! Have a great night!

Scary things

2008-10-09T05:02:00.000-07:00

Ok, it's that time of year again. When every channel except LMN starts showing all the scary movies ever made, and every other commercial is a preview for a scary movie. Have I ever mentioned I don't like scary movies. Not that I don't like them, just that whenever I watch one I become an 8 year old kid again and want to sleep with my mom for a month! So I just don't watch them, sometimes the previews scare me so bad that I get freaked out.

Let me tell you what started my scary movie phobia. When I was like 5 my parents were going to see the movie Amityville Horror, anyone remember that one. Well I didn't want to stay with my aunt and uncle and whined to go with my parents, and they let me! Ok, let me say my parents were relatively smart people, and I have no idea what they were smokin' that day, but what the heck, I was stinkin' 5 years old, I should have never been allowed to see that movie! I didn't sleep by myself for years, and that is not exaggerating! Finally when I had gotten over that, when I was in the 4th grade the movie Excorcist was playing on tv. Uh huh, I know all of you cringed when I said that, yep, my mom had another brain fart and let me see that movie. I did not sleep the rest of the night, and didn't want to sleep alone for months after that. I'm pretty sure I need therapy.

Right after Donny and I got married we watched the movie Scream, and that night after we were in bed I made him get up and go to the bathroom with me, that is how bad it is. Even suspense/thriller movies are hard for me to watch if they are gory and gross. So this "season" is very hard on me. Donny works swing shift, so 2 out of every 5 weeks he is on nights, so if I happen to see a really freaky preview on one of those nights, I might lose some sleep. I'm a big chicken and I am proud of it! Besides, some of those movies are just evilness to me, and I don't need to see any more of that cause there is enough of that on the news already.

Anyway, not much point to this post, except to share a part of myself. Oh and I did not repeat my parent's mistake and let my kids watch adult movies. The scariest thing they have seen is, I guess The Wizard of Oz, I am definitely not going to let them be "crippled" by my fears, lol!

Another Random Post

2008-10-07T09:49:00.001-07:00

I just can't think of anything very relevant to write about lately. I guess life is just like that though isn't it, kind of random? Never know what a day will bring.

I love the Duggars. For anyone who doesn't know who they are, they are the family in Arkansas who has 17 kids, with one on the way. I know there are people out there who don't like them, so if that is you, by all means you can disagree with me, but please don't post anything nasty about them, thank you. I think the thing I like the most about them, is that their children when old enough to make their own decisions, still rely on the wisdom of their parents to greatly influence their choices. That even though they could do what they wanted in the situation, they trust that their parents want only what is best for them, and follow their lead. That truly is the test of a good parent, isn't it. If my children have that attitude when they are adults I will feel like I did my job the way God intended. Trust me, I am a far cry from a Michelle Duggar, never have I seen a more patient woman, but it is inspiring to watch them parent and see the results of that parenting. Loving, compasionate, wise children.

Gabe likes to eat egg noodles raw and crunchy, I think that's gross.

Kayleigh has learned so much after just 3 piano lessons and I am so excited about that. I can barely play the piano. And if you would like to hear a song from me, give me the very easy music and about a month of practice for an hour a day, and then I will play for you! I want her to be able to play whatever her heart desires, cause I wish I could sooo badly.

I read an amazing story on this blog today, Sara at www.butterville.blogspot.com. I encourage anyone who wants to read an uplifting story to head over there.

Wow

2008-10-06T16:42:00.000-07:00

Someone I don't know, left me my first hateful comment today on here. I have already deleted it of course, but it was pretty bad. If the point of the comment is to make me angry, it didn't. It just seems odd to me. I mean, being hateful to someone who has no clue who you are, kind of loses it's punch doesn't it? I guess the point is to annoy and irritate people, but it wasn't even annoying. Maybe I should feel flattered that they stopped by to read my blog? I think someone has a little too much time on their hands. I have a few floors that need to be scrubbed..........anyone?

A Random Post

2008-10-02T14:40:00.000-07:00

Ok, so you know how I said I wanted a bread recipe cause I am trying to be more healthy. I also am trying to gradually get us into mostly, as much as possible, eating organically. Today at the store I had to get some flour, and naturally I wanted to buy organic. Wow, it is expensive! It is $3 more a bag than regular flour. I bit the bullet and bought it, as things come up that we need, especially staple items like flour I am going to buy organic, so hopefully it won't hurt the pocketbook as bad. But it's worth it. I am also going to make some zuccini bread, yum. And the zuccini is from a friends garden, so it is really good!

Tomorrow me and some girlfriends are going to a scrapbook store, they are going to shop, I am going to try to actually finish my 8 year olds baby scrapbook. Yep, you heard right, I am about 8 years behind in my scrapbooking. ~sigh~ Maybe some day I will get caught up! Then we are going to Kohl's and finally to the movies to Nights in Rodanthe. It's going to be lots of fun!

And finally here are some pics of my kids, cause their so stinkin' cute!

Once again, here is Captain underpants, this time wearing the complete outfit!

This is what Gwen spends alot of her days doing, screaming because she doesn't get her way.

Kayleigh doing her homework, what a big kid she is now.

And these two just cause their cute.

Calling all cooks.

2008-10-01T13:56:00.000-07:00

I am on the hunt for a great and easy homemade bread recipe. And I stress easy! I am trying to be healthier and more frugal, and I want to see if it will be cheaper, and not too much extra work to make my own bread. So if you have one, please leave it for me, thanks.

Scary Times

2008-09-29T20:42:00.000-07:00

Let me first say that I am not staying awake at night worried about what is going on in the financial world......yet. Things are scary right now, but it isn't the first time tough times have come and certainly won't be the last. I do know though that things can get much worse, and that is scary. As a christian I do trust in God to take care of us, and the Bible tells us not to worry, but I am human and I do.

I worry about my parents. My dad lost his job a year and a half ago, due to his company moving to India, nice, huh?! And he is def. a good ways away from being old enough to retire. Which, with this economy, who knows if/when that will happen. He has another job, but it doesn't pay near what he did make, my mom works too, but they are barely making it right now. I still have a younger brother and sister that live with them, so I know that makes it hard. His story is one of millions across the country, I know.

Anyone ever seen the boxing movie The Cinderella Man, it is set during the depression. I know those times could happen again, and it wasn't pretty.

So here is my plan to get us ready. We have to cut out most unnecessary spending, I say most, not all. We can still afford some frivolous things. I consider my self inherently frugal, and I am, but I do my fair share of wasteful spending. So our belts are going to get tighter. Not as much McDonalds or a new purse here, or a new shirt there, or getting highlights. I can go back to just one color. We need to quit eating junk anyway, so that could definitely go. Maybe with all this cutting away of junk, I will cut away some of this fat I have been holding on to as well!

My point is, we need to be better prepared for whatever comes, good or bad. So here I go. Hmmmm, I think this might call for some spread sheets and lists. I LOVE to organize, oh goody!

It's my party......

2008-09-27T08:25:00.000-07:00

and I'll cry if I want to! I am going to whine a little bit here. I have not gotten over my head stuff and now I feel super lousy. I feel very light headed and just generally yucky and tired. It has been over a week since all this started, so I am wondering if it has turned into a sinus infection or something. I have never had one, but with my symptoms continuing to get worse I think it's more than just a cold or allergies.

Also today is our town wide rummage sales and here I sit at home sick with three kids. I love, love, love, love rummage sales. I am a rummage sale freak! So it is breaking my heart to not get to go:(

Ok, pity party is over, gotta go to stinky Wal Mart to get milk and bread or my kids might starve, yuk! Hope everyone else is having a much better day!

I'm In Love!

2008-09-26T08:55:00.000-07:00

Ok, you can totally tell I am a mom of three if I am blogging about my washer and dryer, lol! Only a mom would do that. But I love these guys. We got them about 2 months ago and they are fabulous. I did not have a front loading washer before, and man was I missing out! These were on clearance at Sears for like $700 a piece, which is not much much more than the top loaders, and were worth every penny. They would have been worth the $1000 that they were originally priced at! Why do I love them so much you ask?

Well before if I did all the laundry in one day it would take at least 15 loads, in the tiny washer we had. Now 7-9, depending on how many towels there are. And one load a day keeps me caught up, where before I had to do at least 2 loads a day to keep caught up. Bottom line, less time doing laundry! Hallelujah! And like every woman I know, I loathe laundry, so any less laundry time is great. If you ever need a new washer, front loaders are the only way to go, if you ask me, unless of course you enjoy doing laundry! Here are a few pics. Aren't they pretty?

Of course Gabe had to get in on the picture taking action.

In case you are wondering, this is his usual attire, he is Captain underpants, lol!

Pics

2008-09-24T19:54:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics just because:)

I think she has inherited her mom's shoe fettish!

Riding brother's bike, this time wearing sissy's shoes.

I don't think you can see in this picture and truly appreciate how really filthy his face and hands are, obviously it makes him very happy!

Daddy cut his hair, but Gabe likes to think he does it as well.

She always does this when Daddy is watching her. Makes me wonder what he is actually doing while I am gone, lol!

I'm It!

2008-09-24T06:19:00.000-07:00

I have been tagged by Charisse at www.charissejournal.blogspot.com.

Here are the rules:
Link the person who tagged you
Mention the rules on your blog
Tell about 6 quirks of yours
Tag 6 fellow bloggers of yours to do the same
Leave a comment to let them know

#1 Not sure if this is quirky or not, but spit grosses me out. Any kind of spit. And what really grosses me out is when kids chew up some food and then spit it back out, blak!

#2 I don't like cats. Not that I want harm to come to them, but I can't stand touching them. And I absolutely hate it when they try to rub up against my legs. Yes, for you cat lovers, I think kittens are adorable, but they do grow up!

#3 When/if I get the stomach flu I never throw up. I just lay around in misery all day feeling super nauseated. So I always gag myself so I can vomit to get some relief. I know that is gross, but hey this is a quirky list.

#4 Ok this is another kind of gross one. If my husband has a pimple on his back I cannot rest until it is popped. I like get obsessed with it or something.

#5 I can eat sour cream on almost anything. I am a huge condiment lover, and when we were on Atkins sour cream was one of the few condiments you could have so I learned to eat it with everything. Eggs, steak, fries, if it was dippable or sauce worthy it got sour cream and I came to really like it on everything.

#6 I don't like to write with blue ink, black only please.

There ya go, not too quirky, but who knows everybody might think I'm super wierd!

Typical Mom Day

2008-09-23T06:48:00.000-07:00

All high school students should have to live for one full week with all the responsibilities of a mom with at least 2 kids, preferably more. Cause I'm telling you even those of us who were "old" when we had our kids and were in a good marriage would have thought good and hard before having kids if we truly knew how hard it was when they are little.

I am soooo sleepy this morning, Gabe did not fall asleep until about midnight last night, so I did not get to sleep til after he did. Today is my day to take snack to Kayleigh's brownie meeting tonight, so I am working on homemade cookies right now. I know, I know, I could have just bought something today since I am so tired, but I was determined not to. I am really bad about having the plans to make something homemade and then caving and buying store made, so I purposed to not do that this time, and thankfully they are almost all done! Gwen is cutting God only knows how many teeth right now and is super fussy. I have neither showered nor brushed my teeth yet. And this definitely is not one of the "bad" days, it's just a typical day.

I want to clarify that I love being a stay at home mom, but being a mom, either stay home or work outside the home, is not for the faint of heart. There is lots of vomit, poop, sleepless nights, baby fat (mine, not theirs), stress, snot, slobber, did I mention vomit and puke? But there is also, big beautiful innocent eyes, soft baby curls, laughs, love, hugs, kisses and smiles of pure joy. I guess the payoff is worth it, but the journey can be kind of rough!

It Should Be A Law That Moms Can't Get Sick

2008-09-22T13:43:00.000-07:00

I feel pretty lousy today, it's sinus stuff. Let me first say that before I had kids it was a rare occasion for me to even have a cold. So not only have my lovely children wrecked my looks, they have wrecked my health as well, lol! Every single time the stomach flu or regular flu bug enters my house I get it. Last winter alone I had the stomach flu, regular flu and strep throat, ugh. I am already dreading this winter and all the germy's it brings with it. I need to get on some really potent vitamins. I also used to never, ever have allergy/sinus problems, now every spring and fall I battle it. Oh, I guess it is worth it to look at three beautiful, mostly smiling, faces everyday, and to get the hugs and kisses from said children. Some day, preferably soon, I will have my pre baby body back, and maybe someday I will have my pre baby health back too? Eh, here's to hoping!

My Favorite Day of the Week

2008-09-21T05:23:00.000-07:00

is Sunday. Since I was a little bitty kid Sunday morning has meant getting up (relatively) early, putting on your pretty dress and going to church. After church was eating lunch and resting, then going to church that night. To some people that might sound like the most boring day ever, but I have never thought church was boring. I guess cause I always went to exciting churches that really love the Lord. There is something very comforting to me to have this routine/tradition. And it has never just been a routine for me, that I just did it because I was supposed to, and it shouldn't for anyone, I have always thoroughly enjoyed church. We should worship God and talk with Him all the time every day, but to have a day set aside especially for that to me is special.

And now I am able to share this with my own children, and it is the greatest lesson in faithfulness that I believe I can teach them, as my own parents taught me. Our tradition is to go out to eat after church, no cooking goes on in this house on Sunday, lol! I still like to "rest" in the afternoons. But I honestly cannot wait for Sundays to roll around. On Sunday nights I think oh I can't wait until it is Sunday again. And I hope that my children feel the same way when they are adults.

Every day should be Sunday for a Christian, and I really do strive to live that every day, I do not want to be a "Sunday" Christian. That is what I want my children to see in me the most, not only do I love going to church on Sunday, but that my christianity doesn't end when I walk out those church doors. That truly is my desire.

I hope every one enjoys their Sunday as much as I will enjoy mine!

A binky addict

2008-09-17T19:22:00.000-07:00

I was looking back over the pics I just posted and noticed that in every single one of them Gwen has her binky in her mouth. Her binky is her most favoritest thing on earth. But I guess I need to snap more pics of her without it, lol! She really doesn't have it 24/7, just 23/7! Honestly I am not even going to think of breaking her from it until she is two. We might cut back on it and keep it only for sleepy times, or when she is sick or I have to leave her somewhere at about 18 months.

But when we broke Gabe from his binky at 18 months he went from sleeping through the night to waking about 4 times a night and that lasted until just recently and I am NOT doing that again. And if anybody (my mil, oops did I type that out loud!) might hint around that she is too old to have a binky and that I should break her from it, they can feel free to come to my house and spend the night and get up with her when she wakes in the middle of the night, every night, for the next 2 years until she learns to sleep soundly without it, and I am most certainly NOT joking, lol!

Taking a binky from a toddler that sleeps soundly is like waking a bear from hibernation, you just don't do it!

More pics

2008-09-17T13:10:00.000-07:00

Here are some more pics I thought I would share.

Here are the kiddos with dad outside on the swing on a gorgeous fall day.

I was finally able to get what little hair Gwen has in a little ponytail. She looked sooo cute, of course it lasted only a couple of hours, but it's the first time she has ever left anything in her hair.

This is how Gwen wakes up every morning, in a chair with her cup, doll and her blankey.

After I took this picture of Gabe I realized how fitting it really was. He can be a sweet, loving, stick up for his sisters great boy. And then can be as ornery as a snake the next minute, punching his sisters in the back. I guess that is the typical struggle of good vs. evil that we all face. As a Christian the Holy Spirit is prompting us to do what is right and what God wants us to do and our flesh is pulling us in the other direction. Sometimes the Spirit gets the victory and sometimes our flesh does. Luckily we don't wear our colors on the outside to show which one is winning from day to day! And boy am I thankful for that, lol!

Nuttin' Honey

2008-09-16T04:46:00.000-07:00

Nothing much going on right now, and that feels soooo good! I am having a pampered chef party tonight. Looking forward to that. I am not one who goes to a lot of these kind of parties and I never have them, so it should be a fun rare treat. But I gotta do some cleaning first, yuk!

Parent/teacher conference was last night for Kayleigh. The first one of the year is not a one on one meeting, just a group meeting to go over rules, expectations, etc. Kayleigh does very well in school so far. But in the next 2-3 years the work and the tests will get much harder and way more complicated and I worry about her alot. She is very smart, so it's not that I dont' think she can learn it, but she distracts very easily, daydreams alot, doesn't listen close enough and doesn't follow directions well. Sometimes it also seems like concepts that take steps to figure out are very difficult for her, such as math, all these together can be a bad combination. We will cross that bridge when we come to it, and maybe by then she will have disciplined herself, along with our help, to be a better listener.

Kayleigh's bed still has not come in yet, I am getting very impatient! When it does I will take pictures of our house and finally post them. I just know everyone is waiting with baited breath, right?!

I am having a giant garage sale in a couple of weeks, can't wait to get it cleaned out so we can actually park in it. Especially on days when it is raining sheets, like on Sunday when I was trying to get in the van to go to church and got dumped on, thanks Ike!

Have a great day!

Bloggy Friends

2008-09-12T21:02:00.000-07:00

I have really gotten into blogging lately, and love that I am making all these new online friends. I am reading alot of blogs and adding new ones to my list quite often. I love it! Of course eventually I would probably run out of room for all the ones I read, but until then my list will just continue to grow. You can never have too many friends!

So, I have a question - Why do you think blogging is so much fun for so many people. Why are we so interested in other peoples lives? Are we nosy, bored, curious, etc.? For me it's a lot of all of those. Mostly curiosity. And I like to read stories that make me feel good about life and are refreshing and uplifting and are about real people. That and I am just plain nosy, lol!

Why do you read?

Do You Remember?

2008-09-11T12:43:00.000-07:00

What you were doing when you heard the news. I know none of us will ever forget what we were doing 7 years ago today. Any time I see the video of the airplane hitting the towers it brings back all the emotions and thoughts from that day. There just aren't words for how we all felt. What a scary world we live in. But as a Christian I hold fast in my belief that God is in control and I can trust in Him, that no matter what happens He allows it, and when the bad things do happen He is there to hold us up and carry us through it. I don't understand His plan or why these things happen, but I do as a parent understand a tiny bit of His love for us, His children. And that is what I rest in.

Whence cometh my help, my help comes from the Lord. Psalms

Some random pics.

2008-09-10T05:39:00.001-07:00

I thought I would post a few pics today, haven't done any before and will try to do some more often. I also realized I need to step up the picture taking, don't have very many recent ones:( Anyway here ya go.

Gwen at our old house being silly.

Our first night in the new house, it's a little blurry, sorry.

Gwen with crazy morning hair.

Kayleigh's first day of school with her teacher.

"Fall"ing into a routine

2008-09-09T12:09:00.000-07:00

Today is the beginning of the end of summer, it was pretty chilly this morning and is nice and cool today. But that's ok, autumn is awesome as well! The air is off the windows are open and it is a great day weather wise.

We have "fall"en into a pretty good routine now that school has started, which is really nice, cause my life was feeling very chaotic this summer! Glad that's all over.

I spent too much money today, yuk! This morning when I put Gabe's cold weather shoes on they were really tight so we headed out to do some shopping. We went to JCPenneys, and they had their infant shoes bogo, so he and Gwen both got a pair of New Balance gym shoes that are velcro, the best invention ever for a 3 year old! They are both super cute, and these are Gwen's first pair of gym shoes cause she has only worn the soft Robeez type shoes til now. Then Kayleigh needed leotards, tights and shoes for dance class so we went to Wal Mart and Payless for those things and all together they were about $60, but the leotards I bought her should last a couple of years, hopefully. And we had lunch at Cracker Barrel, yummy!

On a political note, I absolutely, positively cannot wait for this election to be over. I am soooo tired of the mudslinging, negative ads on both sides and the slew of misinformation that abounds about all of the candidates. It makes me sick, every 4 years I get really disgusted! Don't get me wrong I love our country, usually genuinely like who I vote for and feel very blessed to be able to vote and wouldn't want it any other way, but campaigning today is just way out of control in my humble opinion. And I don't necessarily think it is always the candidates doing, but it is their campaign and I think the buck ultimately stops with them and to me none of them do a very good job of keeping that in check. Just wanted to vent a little about that, I won't blog about it again, but needed to get that off my chest. Whew, I feel better already, lol!

My Hubby's gonna be a deacon! Updated at bottom

2008-09-04T13:13:00.000-07:00

I realized I hadn't written about this, so here it is! Our church recently asked 7 or 8 men to consider being considered (lol) to be a deacon and Donny was one of them.

For those who may not know, our faith, we are Baptist, have men in the church who under the pastor/preacher are leaders/servants in the church.

They are leaders in the sense that they help guide the church in spiritual decisions and are there to give any counseling or prayer for people in the church when the pastor has a lot on his plate and are to be good examples of what a christian should be.

They are servants in the sense that they are there to assist the pastor, and the church, in anything that they need.

It is a huge honor to be asked to be one, but also a great responsiblity, not only for Donny but for me and the kids as well. I am very proud of him, and pray that God gives us the strength and grace to be Godly, loving, supportive Christians, in our church and in our community. Please pray for us!

I updated to add that he passed the "test", realized that I left that out of the post. They ask candidates questions to see if they qualify, or are a fit for the position and now they all are being ordained this Sunday evening. He even bought a suit for the event, which is quite remarkable for Donny. Anyway just thought I would add that in case anyone was wondering.

A good mommy day.

2008-09-04T11:27:00.000-07:00

Before I had kids, and I think we all do, I dreamt about what the days will be like at home with them. Of course before you have them you have NO idea that all those ideas are hysterical cause we all know parenthood isn't anything what we thought it would be, it's better of course, but definitely different, and much harder, than we thought. But today I had one of those almost perfect mommy days, for me anyway!

I got up early, which for me is a major deal, I'm not an early, early morning person. But I have been getting up at 6 am since our oldest started back to school and my days are much more productive. Anyway, got up early, got her to school and got all the morning chores done that I like to do, making the beds, doing and putting away a few loads of laundry, general picking up. Gwen went down for a nap at 11:00, and Gabe and I had an hour of preschool.

My poor middle child, he has been so left out of the educational loop, lol! When Kayleigh was his age, she knew her alphabet, could identify all of them, knew all her shapes, even the weird ones like trapezoid, all her colors could count to at least 10, etc. Because I worked with her all the time! Since Gabe and Gwen were born closer together, and we had the fire he has learned pretty much nothing, and I am very embarrassed and ashamed of that. For the past month I have been working on colors with him and vowed that when Kayleigh went back to school I would work with him alot. So today was our first day of that.

He did very well, we did playdough to work on colors and cut out shapes, we sang the alphabet song together quite a few times, he doesn't know it yet, but I know it won't take him long. Then when he gets all of that down I want to start letter recognition and spelling his name. We had such a good time and he is so lovable and calm when he has me or dad all to himself, it was just really nice.

Then we all had lunch, as Gwen had awaken, and after lunch I made homemade no bake cookies. I felt very much the homemaker/sahm stereotype today and it felt nice cause I don't feel that way very often! I usually don't have enough energy or patience! I know everyday will not be this productive or calm, and I won't always feel very energetic or patient, but I will take those days when I can get them and enjoy every minute of them, and will file these days away in my memory for when my kids are adults and playing play dough with their own children, cause as we all know those days are just around the corner!

My oldest baby turns 8!

2008-09-01T06:34:00.000-07:00

I know people have been saying this for the past 2000 years, but where has the time gone! I cannot believe it has been 8 years since she was born. The first few years of her life were so tough because of all the hurdles we faced and seemed to just go by, one lazy day after another, with no end in sight to her being a lovable sweet innocent toddler. And then she started kindergarten and, bam, her life is flying by like an airplane.

She has come such a long way. For a little girl who didn't walk until she was almost 2, or say any words until she was over 2. Couldn't jump, run, hop, skip, or do any of the things her friends were doing when they were 2 or 3, didn't feed herself until she was like 19 months, and we had no idea if she would ever be completely "normal", she is amazing! She not only walks, she plays kick ball with all her friends at school, she won't shut up most of the time, lol, jumps on the trampoline, and does all the things a normal 8 year old does. I look back at those first few weeks of her life and I am so thankful for where she is today. It was a devastating time in our lives and we didn't know where life would take us with this beautiful red headed baby that we loved so much and hurt so much for. It has been the best ride of our lives and we are so blessed and so thankful to God for her everyday.

She is still a lovable sweet innocent little girl, who is sooo smart and compassionate, of which I am the most proud of her. I hope the next 8 years are just as sweet as the first 8, although I think we might be in for a bumpy ride, lol! Thank you God for my children.

A great blog for busy moms!

2008-08-30T21:10:00.001-07:00

I am now a contributor to a blog, www.busymommyproductreview.blogspot.com, it's in my blog list. The blog is great, there are giveaways you can enter ALL the time. And then a few moms, like me, will review products, like books or perhaps baby products, etc., and also websites and other blogs, then rate them and talk about them on this blog. And maybe also give you some tips on ways to not be so "busy"! So pretty much the purpose of the blog is to make the lives of busy moms, as we all are, a little bit easier and a lot more fun! Check it out!

Surgery went well

2008-08-27T16:53:00.000-07:00

Everything went well today. We had to wait almost an hour in pre op and that was a bummer cause Gwen was a little cranky from no food or liquids since the night before. The procedure only took about 5 minutes, and went well, the doctor told me that she had puss in her left ear and to expect some yucky drainage today. So poor Gwen was probably in some pain and I didn't even know it, so really glad we got the tubes done.

When she started waking up from the anesthesia she was really wild eyed and disoriented and that is always scary. She slugged back a cup of diluted juice really fast and that along with the anesthesia made her sick and she vomited, but after an hour and vomiting again she was back to normal. She ate a normal lunch and had a cup of milk with it and did just fine. She isn't acting like she is any pain at all, so all is well. Really glad it's over!

Tubes Tomorrow

2008-08-26T13:55:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow morning is tubes day for Gwen, woo hoo! Hope it goes smooth and quick, will post after it's done to update her progress. Appreciate any prayers to head our way.

Correction to last post

2008-08-20T21:22:00.000-07:00

Ok, I will blame this on mom brain or lack of sleep, but I bought the New Testament on cd not dvd! Oye, I even proofread that post and didn't notice that I had written dvd like 10 times! So hopefully the post makes more sense now, lol!