In case you needed a smile

Naomi made a decision that Victor did not agree with. As she was hauling all of her bedding back to her bed Victor called to her, "I don't love you anymore!"

Without missing a beat she continued on her walk, calling over her shoulder, "You'll love me in the morning!"




While dining in our home the other night Naomi let out some seriously noisy gas. Everyone cracked up. Victor continued to giggle hysterically at everything all through the meal. Ethan asked him if he had gotten some laughing gas from Naomi.  More hysterical giggling. "I toot laughing gas!"


Caleb came charging out of the bathroom naked after having a bath. He had toilet paper streaming from between his bum cheeks.
Me; "Caleb get back in there and throw that toilet paper in the toilet!"
Caleb :" No mom! It's my horsie tail!"


I also love Lindt chocolate.

Mr. Dreamy

My husband is awesome. He really is. And right now he is sleeping. He never naps. NEVER. I love napping so when he is home and naps with me it is wonderful. A very occasional treat. He definitely earned today's nap.

He stayed up with the baby ALL night while she vomited. Phebe is taking an impressive nap herself.  I am so grateful that he was willing to take care of her. I am also really glad that he had today off from work.
He told me that is was about 4:30am by the time she really started to calm down. I heard her again by 6.

I am so blessed to have such a partner. It is wonderful to have him in my life. He needed an honorable mention.

Stuff I Made

These are pictures of things that I have made. I think they are cool and you should take the time to admire them. There is a lot of time between these projects so don't go thinking I'm all crafty-like.

These are miniatures that I painted. I think  they turned out really neat. The quality doesn't show up quite as well in these pictures as in reality. But I am still proud of them.  



This is a quilt that my husband and I made out of his old work shirts.

This is what I made from Sculpey. It is a cobra.

 And a heart I turned into a neclace. Yup, ribbon and a paper clip and suddenly it is jewelry. I am so amazing.

These things make me happy. I wanted to share.

Scuplie

Sculpie is an AMAZING product. It is like clay, but will only harden if you bake it.  I have decided one of our Christmas traditions will be each one of us making a new ornament out of it. This stuff is tough and you can do anything with it.

Here are some of the things that we did with it. Most of this is Ethan's since his are just vastly superior to mine.


Ok, well I don't have time right now, I'll give you some more later. Those two are both Ethan's. Yea. He is amazing.

Even Katara has Hair Loopies.

Every once in a while I come across something that I wish would never end. ( Things I don't enjoy seem to go on forever. )

My husband I used Netflix to watch Nickelodeon's "Avatar, the Last Air Bender". If you have not see that show I can not recommend it enough. Yes, it is designed for kids. Yes, I love it anyway. It is just so good.

I admit it. I will sit through nearly ANYTHING if you give me witty dialogue. Oh how I love good banter.

The best part is that Avatar has MORE than just great lines. Avatar has GREAT lines, good animation, fantastic story lines, fascinating concepts, respectable morals and interesting characters. I seriously wish that show would keep going. There are so many quote able lines.

I have not seen the movie. I can not vouch for its value. From what I have heard, I think I will spare myself the agony.

Seriously add it to your Netflix list. So good.

Can't Resist

Sorry, I just can't resist passing this on. It is just so good. PLEASE read this.

http://www.danoah.com/2010/11/worthless-men-and-women-who-make-them.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheAdventuresOfDanAndNoah+%28Single+Dad+Laughing%29

Planning for the Future

My daughter has officially turned 5 years old. It is kind of intense. How did we get here this fast?


Today at lunch she was pondering over the future.
She said to me "I don't know who I am going to marry mom."
Me-"Was there anyone you were thinking about?"
Naomi -" I was thinking about  'Scott Wheeler'"
(Scott happens to not the the real name of the adult she is referring to. He also happens to be about 32 years old.)
Me- "Oh yeah? Why do you think he would be good for marrying?"
Naomi- "Well, he has a dog. And if I married him, I could have a dog!"

She knows what is important to her. She's got a list she is checking guys against.

Nose issues

We had a very serious incident at the dinner table this evening.

Naomi stole her father's nose. It was a bit alarming. Ethan called out for my attention as our now 5 year old sat there with her fathers nose between her fingers.

We told her that he needed it back. He would look silly, couldn't smell anymore, would have to hold his glasses up with his hands.

 After all these pleas she took a very disturbing course of action.

She ate it. She sat there and chomped that nose right down, there at the dinner table.

She giggled hysterically as she chewed and swallowed that nose. When we asked what Dad was going to do without that nose, she finally consented to return it. But how? She had already eaten it.

She "choked" it back out for him. Finally she put it back in place.

Luckily she doesn't seem to chew her food very thoroughly, as the nose seems undamaged.






I had tears pouring down my face from laughing so hard.
Why would anyone NOT want to have children. Think of the things you are missing out on.
 

Such a Gift

I just wanted to tell you that I am grateful that skin is such a washable surface. Even if you dont' scrub it off, most things eventually wear off anyway.

I am so grateful for washable skin.

Airport Security Here! Put your clothes in this bin, please!

Ok. So now when you fly you get to be subjected to a full body scan, in which they look through you clothes and stare at you naked. The other option is a full body pat down. Neither sounds all that appealing to me. I personally think things have gone completely insane that you have to be felt up or stripped  ( by a machine, I know no one is removing your clothes) to board a plane.

Here are my thoughts on the subject.  (As always I am here to fulfill your need of my thoughts in your life.)

Let's start with the facts.-
There are evil people in this world.
They want to hurt us.
They have found airplanes to be a very effective tactic for inflicting terror.
There are people who think they are doing the right thing by "protecting" us with things like the scanners.

Here is a commonly forgotten fact.-
Where there is a will, there is a way.

I know we would all like to believe that now that you can see everything we will all be safe.

That is what we have thought through previous security level raises. At least what we were told anyway. Now that we have X-ray machines, nothing can get through. And metal detectors. And our quart sized baggies, and shoe removal procedures. The lack of cologne. We have done it! We can all fly safely now!

But then we weren't.

Where there is a will, there is a way.

There are people who seriously have a WILL to hurt innocent people. Sad, I know, but that doesn't stop it from being true.

They will eventually find a way. They always do. They will find some crazy, and creative way to get something through security and hopefully be foiled before there is a problem.

The point is though, they will simply find some way.

What is there left to do security-wise? You are already staring at us NAKED. There isn't much more left. There isn't ANYTHING left. Do we just fly nude after the next attempt? Is an INTERNAL exam requirement for flying to visit your mother for Thanksgiving soon? Colonoscopies free at the airport with the purchase of a ticket!

Just make sure you get there 9 hours early. It might take a while for them to help everyone. Then again, I don't know how many people will be flying by then.

The Screwtape Letters

Brilliance. Pure Brilliance. That is what I have to say about the Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. He was an inspired man I tell you.On an earlier post I put up a link to an article, which I hope you all read, about real woman. I immediately thought of this quote from Lewis.

In case you have not read, or know nothing about the Screwtape Letters, the idea is that it is a series of letters written by one devil to another. Here is the comment-

"We have engineered a great increase in the licence in which society allows to the representation of apparent nude (not the real nude) in art, and its exhibition on the stage of the bathing beach. It is all a fake of course: the real women in bathing suits or tights are actually pinched in and propped up to make them appear firmer and more slender and more boyish than nature allows a full- grown woman to be. Yet at the same time, the moder world is taught to believe that it is being "frank" and "healthy"and getting back to nature. As a result we are more and more directing the desires of men to something which does not exist-making the role of the eye in sexuality more and more important and at the same time making demands more and more impossible. What follows you can easily forecast!"

Here is the link again, I sincerely recommend you read it. And read the entire way to the end. It is worth your time honest.
http://www.danoah.com/2010/10/worthless-women-and-men-who-make-them.html

My Frustration

One of the things I find excruciatingly frustrating as a mother is that I clean up messes.

I know that is part of being a mom. I should get over it.

Messes do drive me crazy, some days more than others. Especially messes that don't need to happen. Such as putting your cup to close to the edge of the table and knocking it off. Didn't need to happen.

Today's infuriation happens to be.... (drum roll)....

Cleaning up the same thing, over and over and over and over.

We received a very cool card in the mail ( thank you Marie) that I put on the fridge. Every time I turn around it is on the floor. I have picked it up about 8 times now. How many times do you need to scale the fridge to look at it already? Can't you just admire it from ground level? And why can't you just out it back if you do knock it down?

I know this isn't that big of a deal. But for the moment it is driving me nuts.

It is along the lines of - why on earth are there so many toys on my kitchen floor? Why can't you play where the toys belong? And if you can't play there- why are you abandoning them in here? I don't need to trip on Hot Wheels, swords and teddy bears while I make dinner!

And you were admiring me for enjoying the stage they are in.....

Read this

Read this. It is awesome.

It is a single dad talking about "real" woman. Well worth your time.


http://www.danoah.com/2010/10/worthless-women-and-men-who-make-them.html

Random Memory

This happened a long time ago. I just have a fear of forgetting it. Plus I thought you might be amused.

I was sitting  on the couch reading. Naomi and Victor were at the table.

Suddenly there was a WHUMP and crying followed by " I told you it was a bad idea."

I then asked what had happened.

Victor answered "Naomi told me to hit her. So I hit her."

I just stood there and laughed.



A side note- Caleb kept putting additional shirts on today. He ended up with a hoodie underneath a shirt. Ethan called him "the Hunchback of our street." It made me laugh.

Money

When my husband and I were expecting our first baby, we had decided that I would stay home with the children. I frequently ran into people who would say things like "How are you going to afford that?" I told them we would find a way.

We did.

Without my income it was really hard for a while.

I have not been employed for the last 6 years. Mind you for the first portion of this my husband did not make a lot of money.

To allow me to stay home and take care of our family we:
Got rid of our car
Used clothe diapers (not the cool new ones, old ones you fold and use safety pins on.)
Went internetless
Cable and Satellite-less
Never ate out. My husband even packed lunches for work.
Had no cell phone.Cut the cost on the home phone.

Was it hard? Yes
Was it pleasant? No. It is horrible to walk across town in February with a baby and stuff in tow to catch a ride to church.
Was it worth it? Absolutely.

Because I stayed home we were able to:
Always have someone we trusted and knew taking care of our children ( ya know- me.)
Taking care of babies LATE at night wasn't as big of a deal.
Never had to pay for day care.
Never worried about sick days.
Allowed me the ability to focus on raising our children with out the outside stresses of employment.

There are so many wonderful blessings from being at home with my kids. I don't comprehend how working mothers handle things.

It breaks my heart when I hear a woman say "I have to work." I understand there are situations that require it. As I mentioned, we have been in tough financial straights before. There are times where it is an absolute necessity.

I just have a hard time when they say they HAVE to work, when really it is just to maintain the lifestyle. I understand how hard it is to live without somethings. Cable is such a wonderful thing to live WITHOUT. If you have never been without cable or satellite you do not understand how wonderful it is to be free of it.

A friend of mine is in a very hard financial situation. They called Dish and canceled. That is over $1,000 a year they are saving. Now they use Netflix for a grand total of $9 a month. How much does one really watch on TV to justify a cost of $1000 a year? Even $500? Go ahead add up your bill. Do you really watch that much TV? If you are - how much of life are you missing out on?

I know I am a judgemental person. I admit it. I am also working on it. I know I don't have the whole story every time. When I hear people complain about money, sometimes I want to have them hand over their bank statement and go over it with them. So many things aren't as important as you think they are.

You can always make more money, you can not make more time.

It's mine

Sometimes I am a really selfish mom. Such as when I want to eat the whole slice of pizza without sharing. Yes it is the last one. No there is no more. You should have grabbed it from the fridge before me if you wanted it.

My husband is so much nicer about that stuff. He actually shares.

Sometimes I feel guilty when I listen to other people talk about how much  mothers give up for their children. There are things I give up. But I don't give up everything every time. Sometimes it is mine.

This post would make my husband laugh because I mooch off of him. I am willing to share with him everything all the time though....

I have a good life.

Here are a few things that I really enjoy-

• The way a baby breathes when they get all excited.
• My toddler who wants to be taken seriously, even though he is wearing a chicken costume.
• My daughter who can make up a new language with amazing efficiency.
• The same daughter who told me she couldn't come help with the dishwasher because "the (stuffed) animals NEED me."
• How completely wound up my toddler gets right before bedtime. He cracks me up.
• I put up a paper to start making a list of things my family is grateful for. Before I had the opportunity to work with the family, my school age son just started writting his own personal list.
• My husband is enjoying the book on CD I got from the library. ( Now if I had a disc resurfacer to fix the scratched ones...)
• A clean kitchen.
• How hard it is to play hide-and-seek while holding a baby. Especially a baby who likes to grab the door you are hiding behind and swing it back and forth while squealing in anticipation of being found.
• When my kids accomplish what I asked them to, without me hunting them down to get it done.
• The comment my toddler said when I walked into the kitchen to find milk flowing off the table. When I looked down at the bowl full to the brim with milk and 4 total rice crispies he asked me "Is this too much mom?"
• My son loves going to school and is doing well.
• Th same son has such patience. He has had the same lose tooth for weeks now. He doesn't bother to wiggle it. He just leaves it alone. What child leaves a lose tooth alone?
• I can visit other people who have pets, but don't have to clean up after one myself.
• My menu that is all planned out.
• The trip to the temple and the things that I learned.
• My food storage.
• When I can help other people.
• When I can include my children in helping people.
• The 1lb package of Peanutbutter Cups my Brother-in-law gave us. Yes, each cup is 8 oz.

Yes, my life is good.

ADD/ ADHD

Here is some vocabulary words for this post. Yes I am sure you are familiar with them, but just to make sure we are on the same page. Here you go-

ADD- Attention Deficit disorder.
ADHD -Attention deficite Hyperactive Disorder.

The (brief bit of ) research that I did came up with this little tid bit-

•Diagnosis of ADHD increased an average of 3% per year from 1997 to 2006.

Nearly ever classroom of 30 students has 1-3 students diagnosed with one of these conditions. I can't even imagine how hard it must be to handle a child who has a serious case of ADD or ADHD. I do however wonder on occasion why it is on the rise.

 I have heard many theories on why it is on the rise. Better diagnosis. Nutrition. Too much TV, video games or computer time. Possibly poor prenatal care. I bet all of these can be contributing factors. I admit that sometimes I don't really believe every kid who gets labeled really needs medicated. Not that was EVERY kid. I am sure some really benefit. I just wonder if sometimes it is easier to drug than change methods to handle the situation. I imagine there is some of both.

That being said, I have my own personal theory on a contributing factor to this epidemic.

Church.

Yup. I think church is a big factor.

I bet you think I am crazy right about now. What on earth does church have to do with ADD? Possibly nothing. Follow my train of thought for a moment.

In the past church was a HUGE part of society. Nearly everything shut down on Sundays because everyone was at church. It was expected of you. Sunday meant church attendance and children were not given an out. They also didn't have their cell phones or hand held video games joining them if they were forced to attend.

(It is amazingly hard to find a graph of church attendance, so here is the best I could do.)

 
This is not worldwide church attendance or even all of the US.  I do like however that you can see the physical decline in picture form. ( Glad I do not have to turn this in for a grade.)
 
Here is one of the stats I came across-
The percentage of American adults who identify themselves as Christians dropped from 86% in 1990 to 77% in 2001. This is an unprecedented drop of almost 1 percentage point per year.
(if you wan to read more of those statistics here is the link- http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_tren.htm )
 
Ok, so moving on down the track on my train of thought, I theorize that part of the problem is lack of church attendance.
 
I don't know that my children really are any calmer or any rowdier than the average child.  They do however,  know how to sit and be quiet ( admittedly not as long as I would like the threshold to be. )
 
My point is that children are no longer being TAUGHT to sit still and listen. They are constantly being given entertainment and do not have to glean information from less stimulating sources IE - a sermon. 
 
I sincerely believe that if children were taken to church AND taught to sit quietly and listen that they would be better prepared to deal with school situations. 
 
Do I believe that this would completely take care of the problem? No, I am sure medication is a miracle for some who suffer from these conditions. I am simply saying that I think the problem could be lessened if we changed the expectations we have for our children and helped to teach them how to work within those guidelines. 
 
Thanks for taking my thought train.

Peronsalities

Thus far I have 4 children. Thus 4 I have 4 VERY different children. The fact that they are all so different from each other and pretty much all other children I have met amazes, amuses and astounds me. 

My eldest son:
He is old enough to go to school and loves it. He didn't really want to have much to do with learning letters and things of that nature before school and I didn't send him to preschool. He can read the bible with very little problem. I find that incredible. He loves detail. He loves Lego's and building highly intricate things. He loves cars and trucks, he honestly can identify most vehicle makes. ( I can't) He loves looking for the logos on things. He loves Star Wars and Bakugans ( which I think are actually pretty cool but you probably don't know what they are.) He loves reading and helping and hugging and tickling. He has a yellow knit blanket that was made for him as an infant that he still loves. It has been repaired several times. He is a rather calm child. He can sit and play or work on things for EXTREMELY long periods of time. Far longer than the average kid his age. He has a very impressive vocabulary which makes me very happy.Here are some examples:
At at 2 1/2 yr: "Thank you very much for your assistance."
(I can't remember all the ages.)
"My tent is too slack."
"My conversation with Grandma was very enjoyable."
"... for little minions like my brother...."
He told his teacher that the pieces they were using were "inedible" in kindergarten. I loved the expression she gave him. Priceless.

My eldest daughter:
Currently believes she is in charge. This evening I was trying to understand who her real parents are and if they are ready to take a turn with her. She can be hysterically funny. Ninja Turtles are a big thing right now. Don't get to close while she is showing you her ninja moves- you might get hurt. She is full of attitude. She is pretty far on the small side of average, but I don't think she realizes that. The #1 insult to her is being called "little". Don't ever mention that. A woman at church watched her walk by one time and turned to me commenting "That may not be a big body, but I swear she is about 6 ft tall." She doesn't put up with anything from anybody, which leaves me frequently physically "assisting"her with tasks that I have asked her to do. *She has NO problem approaching adults and has several times simply informed them that they are wrong. Generally, when she has done this they really were wrong, so I let it go. She also does not NEED people. She will deal with them and interact with them when she wants to. But she is perfectly content to play in the dirt without anyone else around. She is the destroyer of clothing, and more boyish then her elder brother. She looks like a princess and might fool someone who isn't paying attention. Yes, there she is in a beautiful dress with her hair in a lovely braid, suddenly down on all fours running down the hallway claiming she is a dog.

She went through a period of time that really helped my imagination. She would only answer to her alter ego. The problem was, that ego changed frequently. When wanting the dishes unloaded or the clothes put away you had to first figure out who you were addressing, some of our most common names were:
Puppy
Kitty
Duck
Superman
Spiderman
Batman
Superhero (yes some days her name was Superhero.)
Baby Godzilla
Raphael, still makes common appearances.

She is all attitude. I have no desire to "break" her of it. I have a feeling someday she will really need it. For now we are trying to work around it, and redirect it.

My second son,
He is like this wonderful secret that my family has. He is sweet and charming and so terribly funny. He tells the best jokes and stories. I have some of the best conversations with him and he is still very young. He has a brilliant mind and is very good at figuring things out. He worships his siblings. He can be very mischievous at times. The thing that amuses me about him is that he really is a secret. There are very few people who ever get to experience just how awesome he really is.

He has a "list". His list is what keeps his secret safe. If you are not on that list you do not exist to him. It is so funny to watch. His older siblings are rather outgoing so people try to treat him the same way. It doesn't work. In order to receive his acknowledgement you must take the time to build a relationship with him or you are not part of his world. I have watched several people who want to be on that list, but who won't take the time to get there. He will not be pestered into loving you, or tickled. You can't make an occasional comment or hand him a piece of candy. He requires your sincere attention doing something with him that he loves to do to get on that list. I have heard numerous people tell me that "He just doesn't say much to me", "He is awfully quiet", "I had no idea he was that smart", " I didn't know he could speak that well". Well if you aren't on that list, he doesn't speak that well and he isn't that smart. Sometimes I really wish the world could experience just how awesome he really is. But I guess he will be our secret.

My second daughter:
When my niece, who is approximately the same age, is happy she grins a sweet little grin at you. When my daughter is happy there is a full body joyous celebration. She is an all or nothing babe. She is angry, concentrating or EXCITED. Those are the moods. Take your pick. There are no other options.  If you want to see EXCITED just put your head close enough for her to get your hair. Oh the rapturous squeals! She is young enough yet that it will be exciting to see what other personality quirks she fits in.

I think they are so wonderful and I love to brag about them. I find it terribly sad that there are people in this world that would do horrible things to children and would and will do anything and everything in my power to protect them.

What gifts I have been given.


*As a side note. I have decided not to teach the whole "you don't talk to adults like that" thing. If I follow that logic out I am leaving myself open to speaking to siblings or friends unkindly or inappropriately also. I am opting for an "everyone deserves to be spoken to with respect." That is until they cross the line and overstep what is appropriate.

Kate Asked....

1. What is your creative outlet?
I honestly don't know that I really have one. I am not very good at being crafty. I have done some quilts in the past and I really do love them. Um... I paint minatures sometimes. If I had a picture of one of the minis I had painted I would share it with you. These are Easter eggs my kids and I dyed using onion skins to make the dye and then pressing flowers and other plants against them to leave the impressions. I think they are cool, and even neater when you can hold them and really see all the detail.

2. What is your favorite place to be? I am so moody. Sometimes my bed is by far the best place ever, especially on a cold night snuggling up to my husband. Nothing better.
I also really love being on an airplane or on a long car trip. Adventures. I don't really need a serious destination.


3. Do you now, or have you ever had a collection of anything? (mine was and is Pez dispensers)
I have a collection of minatures for a game called Confrontation that you have probably never heard of. I also tend to collect pillows in my bed. I have far more than my husband approves of. My biggest collection right now is probably kid art. I have to keep pictures of things like Naomi's rendition of "Aliens sledriding."


4. Share 3 things or objects you love most, and why. (people included.)
Christ, My family (ok that is 5 right there), and freedom. I love making my own choices and dealing with the consequences.


5. Why do you blog?
I started this blog so that I could make my own list of other people's blogs that I follow. I just needed a place where they were all together. Since I started and had a format all set up I occasionally write things that I found amusing or want to rant about. Often I hope I am able to present something gives you an alternate persepctive to look at, or laugh at sometimes.


6. What is your take on pets in the home/ as family members?
I LOVE a well trained dog. I enjoy an affectionate and entertaining cat. I do not like fish, or birds as pets. I think lizards are neat but you don't get much in return from them. I don't mind other people having pets, but I have enough organizims aka children to take care of I have no desire to have more things to train and clean up after. I can see how people get attached to them. Some pets are very endearing. I happen to be allergic to nearly all of them. There I don't want to clean up after them and I don't want to spend my life sneezing. That is why I have a pet free house.


7. What are your internet 'guilty pleasures'? (aka facebook, youtube, etc)
Facebook, my list of blogs, DM of the Rings-  http://www.shamusyoung.com/twentysidedtale/?p=612 - is hysterically funny if you have done any role playing. Order of the Stick found here-http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0001.html - is so very entertaining. I also enjoy Strongbad emails. Then add in a few random Youtube videos and those are what I enjoy about the internet.



8. I hate the dentist. OK, that's not a question, but it IS open for discussion amongst yourselves. :) I feel like Linda Richman, from coffee Talk , leaving you with a topic to discuss...
I don't mind going to the dentist. I have never had a realy bad experience.  I like the way my teeth feel afterward. I do admit I don't really like having other people floss my teeth, that generally hurts. Somethings you should do yourself, brush your own hair, put on your own clothes, floss your own teeth...  I even had my wisdom teeth out and ate a hamburger that evening. I don't know what the big deal about the dentist is. Hm... Maybe it is because I have not had a cavity in an adult tooth. Maybe I would hate them more if I had.


My questions for the taggees are:
1. What is your coolest scar and how did you get it?
2.What do you want to do before you die?
3. What is the best book you have ever read?
4. What is your all time favorite dessert?
5. The food you wish would be blown from the face of the earth?
6. Coolest person you have ever met?
7. Person you miss most?
8. Favorite childhood game?


And I tag....
Meggan Britton- My cousin who.
Miss Prism- My cousin
Margaret Fike- My sister
Rachael Anderson- My cousin

Yea.... Kate tagged everybody I know.... Thanks Kate...
So if you have been tagged please let me hear your answers. We are all dying to know...

Tears

I would think most of you would probably not be surprised if I said I don't cry very often. Well, OK I cry more than my husband but not on a frequent basis. When a movie or book starts to pull those kind of strings I step back remind myself it is fiction and get a grip. If I am feeling it at church I fight as hard as I can to keep those tears in their rightful place, on the inside of my head. I am way too tough to cry over an injury. Stressful day? I tend to just act angry instead of cry.

I do believe elevated hormone levels are just a world to themselves and do horrible things to me. I do admit to getting irrational and weepy when hormones are out of wack.

But back to normal Vanessa, I am just not a big crier. I don't like it.

I went to a funeral yesterday. I have been to many a funeral in my lifetime. My father used to be the bishop at our church and took us along to funerals and viewings for people I really didn't know all the time.

I did, however know this particular person. As I sat there fighting my tears, I was pondering in my heart what makes death so sad? I KNOW with all my heart what happens after. It isn't that big of a deal. This man was prepared. He and his family had been sealed together for time and all eternity.

Why do I not cry? Why do I feel the need to bury tears? Why do I feel uncomfortable with others seeing me emotional? What good does it do to suppress them?  What do I accomplish in hiding my real emotions? Does it help someone else if I don't cry? Do I make someone feel better by appearing emotionally unattached?- Even if deep down I am ripped apart? Why do I feel stupid for crying sometimes?Why am I concerned at all about the impression others get when I cry?

When I thought about the man who had moved on I wasn't really that sad, not for him. Tears were for-



The nephew singing " I am a child of God" and starting to cry.
My dear friend, the man's son, who had just came back from Afghanistan now burying his father 2 weeks later.
Listening to the letter of the missionary son who chose to remain on the mission he had started 3 weeks ago instead of return for the funeral.The missionary who would return to a fatherless home in 2 years.
The daughter holding her 3 week old infant.
The 2 children still young enough to be at home and need a father.
The woman who will now have to go on without his physical presence at her side.

So I let go. I cried. I cried that I wouldn't see him again or talk to him. There were tears for his family now having to fight through this world without his stability to watch. There were tears for death in general. But most of my tears for memories. Memories and missed opportunities, for holes that were left behind, for grieving survivors. Aunt Brenda, of Hiram, and Ben, my Grandpa, my father-in-law who I never got to build a relationship with. For the friend who was widowed at 4 months pregnant. My little sister Natalie. My own father who never got to meet his grandchildren in this world. I cried. I don't care if I made anyone uncomfortable. I needed to cry and I did. And I intend to do so more often.

Funerals are for the loved ones. For those left to pick up the pieces.I am learning that now, maybe my father was wise in taking us along. He helped me understand death wasn't a big deal for the dead, now we have to help the living.

It's election time!

In case you are unaware we are coming up on an election! That means that every 3 commercials will tell us all about what is wrong with our country and then tell us who is going to fix those problems. Just like they did 2 years ago, and the 2 years before that. I guess they forget what they are fixing once elected.... Anyway, today I wanted to discuss some of these commercials.

Here is my generic rendition:
"If he is elected this (insert random item or service) is going to cost more than ever! He is going to do this when we can least afford it!"( Then they say vote for this other person, or call him to tell him to vote against it.)

As you can see I have left a lot of other things they do out of my commercial. My focal point here is the "When we can least afford it" portion that is in nearly every ad I hear.

Let me see how clearly I can put this:
I am against the government raising, or changing things that are going to increase cost at ANY time. Whether I can afford it or not is irrelevant. I also don't care if someone else can afford it or not. Tax cuts and the likes are not some kind of favor or charity they give us.

I can accept there are things that they need to fund. Our national security being one. Much beyond that however is none of their business.

That is money not theirs to spend.

I find it infuriating how they use it to set us against each other. So whether I have just gotten a 20$ raise and can now afford things much more easily, it is still not a time for them to interfere and raise costs, or taxes.

Parent tactics and fails.

This evening I sent my children to go brush their teeth. I found Naomi and Caleb looking at books in a bedroom. Instead of yelling at them I reminded them that they were supposed to be brushing their teeth. I then turned off the light to give them incentive to get to the bathroom. While they were on their way to the bathroom I turned to my husband who was coming up the stairs to tell him about how I had avoided yelling and how please I was with how well it worked.

Then I walked into the bathroom.

Only to find those two sitting in the bathtub together looking at the same book.

Spoke too soon.

Toddler conversations.

Caleb:" I want the broken gun."
Me: " I don't know where it is."
C : "I want it."
Me: I don't know where it is."
C: " I want it."
Me : "Well go find it. I don't know where it is."
C, whispering : "I want it."

Anyone else feel like this conversation isn't getting very far?

This moment.

My 2 year old decided to paint the the big picture window with a strawberry.

Now I am going to eat Chinese food for lunch, while I try to watch squirrels in the backyard through my hazy window.

Church today

I am sure church today was very uplifting. I wouldn't really know since I missed most of it.

Caleb stuffed a dried blueberry up his nostril and I spent most of the meeting in the hall with some friends trying to remove it before it re hydrated and swelled larger.

I am sure it was a great meeting.

Time.

Here in this life we all get the same amount of time in the day, in the week, month and years. Everyone gets 24 hours each day, 60 minutes per hour. In this time we have things we must do.
We have things we want to do. Plus a few things that just seem to happen whether we want them to or not.
At the end of the day some of the most common sources of relaxation are watching TV and goofing off online. Both can be quite enjoyable. There are however other hobbies of pleasures that seem to have a bad rep. Obviously these are not exact quotes but you have most likely heard the same sentiments or felt them before.

• "Video games are such a waste of time."
• "What a bunch of geeks, playing role playing games."
• "Comic books are for nerds."
• "Wow, you have way too much time on your hands if you are spending it painting miniatures."

Here are some thoughts going through my head on the subject. ( I know you have been begging for me to weigh in on this for a while now... )

• When you play video games, you are actively participating.
• When a group of role players get together they are interacting with other human beings.
• Some comic books have really great stories and morals in them.
• Miniatures give you a real physical product you can handle when you are done.

Now there are people who take any of these things to extremes. We all know someone who does something to the point where they have lost balance.

I have a few questions about these past times.

• Why is TV watching considered a perfectly acceptable use of time? Please consider

1. There is no generally no human interaction
2. The morals are frequently questionable
3. There is no way to participate
4. You have absolutely nothing to show for the time you spend there

So... painting a miniature is a complete waste of time- but watching House is not? At least later on in life I could actually give it to someone. It is hard to pass on what I just sat back and absorbed.

Gratitude

In case you have never heard the story of the ten lepers from the bible let me give you a cliff notes version. Ahem, there were ten lepers who came to Jesus and asked him to heal them. He said go show yourselves to the priests. As they were following his instructions they were healed. One of the 10 turned back immediately and thanked Jesus. Jesus then asks about what happened to the other 9.

Then the Sunday school class talks about how terrible it is that 9 of them never even turned around to say thank you. What terrible people they must have been not even being thankful. We all need to say thank you is the lesson that we get, right?

As I have listened to, read and thought about this story the lesson that I get is not quite the same.

Let's put our selves in the lepers place. You are suffering from a terrible disease in which your body very literally is falling apart. Perhaps you are nose-less at this point with gaping wounds in your flesh, a complete outcast from society. You hear of a man who can perform miracles. You believe he really can. You come to him with such faith. He has compassion on you and gives you the directions to heal yourself.

Now, when Jesus gives you instructions what do you do? I would like to believe I would follow them. That is exactly what these 10 do. They head on down the road to complete the task they have been assigned.

One looks at himself and realises what is going on and IMMEDIATELY turns around. This is good. We should admire him.

I doubt however that the other 9 are running down the street laughing about what a sucker Jesus is for healing them. Though I can hardly prove it,I sincerely believe that at least several more, if not all would most likely return to him after they had completed their task. After all, it was Christ who sent them on this mission. They are doing exactly what they have been asked to do.

The lesson that I get from this story is that we need to not only feel gratitude we need to express it IMMEDIATELY. Who knows if you will have a chance later.


Please don't condemn the leper who was following directions.

Random Things

Last night when getting ready for bed Naomi put a piece of cloth around her waist and announced "This is what I wear when I fight in Portuguese."

Caleb wants you to understand that he is correct. If he thinks you are not listening or are paying less attention to him than he wants he says " I talking to you!" You'd better listen up.


I might possibly burn that Lego Star Wars Dictionary.

I was informed "People in Texas don't have cars. They all ride horses."

Today

Today:

• I ready my scriptures and wrote in my journal
• Helped my kids read scriptures personally
• We practiced the Articles of Faith
• We practiced writing and identifying letters
• Practiced addition
• Tried to keep the house clean
• Did laundry
• Had a very unsuccessful nap
• Made salt map clay
• Bathed my filthy children
• Did some more cleaning up
• Made dinner

For all these efforts we ended with:

• Playing in the ash in the fireplace while mom cooked dinner
• A filthy house even after all the cleaning we had done
• Filthy children who were put to bed with one slice of bread for dinner
• A lot of crying

Some days I am a very in attentive mother. I admit it. I should play with them more, I should read to them more, I should worry about the house less than I do. Today I put forth great effort to have fun with them, to teach them, to enjoy them. I don't see how this is a very fair trade.

Reading, ever reading.

Ok this is an interactive post. Within the last few years I suddenly realised I actually LIKE reading. Took my 25 year to figure it out- but I do in fact ENJOY it. My problem is I am really picky. I feel as though my time is short and I need to learn SO much. So I was hoping you could help me out by suggesting books that have influenced the way you look at things. I want books that uplift. Books that inform. Books that will help me be a better person. Or just books with really great dialogue ( I don't care how poor the story line is, you give me witty conversations I will follow where ever you lead.)

I am currently reading "The 5000 Year Leap." It is about the miracle that took place in putting together America's government, the 28 principles that the constitution was based on and how America has helped the world leap forward in many ways. So far I have learned A LOT. ( I bought it if you want to borrow it. )

I am asking you to take the time to suggest books you think I should have in my resume. Be they classics or instruction manuals please list them if you think I would benefit from reading them.

John Galt

I am currently reading Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. I would highly recommend it. Incredibly fascinating. There is however, a 60 page monologue near the end. As a mom with 4 children 6 and under, I don't have a tremendous amount of time to sit down and really study over this speech. Thus it was a wonderful blessing to be able to drive out to Ohio to my cousins graduation party with my mom and aunt. I took my 1200 page book along and we read a big chunk of the speech. I think I got more out of that than any of the portions I have read before. I am really greatful that I had that chance and for the opportunity that I had to sit and have intelligent discussions about the content.

Now I don't want you to think that I don't get stimulating conversation very often. So here is an bit of a conversation I had with Victor who is just turned 6 yrs old.

Victor: "Mom, how do those really big ships stay on top of the water? Why don't they just sink?"
Me : "Um.. I believe it has something to do with water displacement possibly."
Victor: " Well I think it is that they go so fast over the top of the water that they can't sink."
Me: " Huh, that is an interesting idea. What happens when the boat stops at the dock."
Stunned silence. Victor :"Well, um. Maybe.... "
Me: "It's ok if you don't know."
Victor:" Yea, I just don't know."

Caleb poked me between the legs while we were standing in the hall during church and asked "That your penis?", approximately 10 times. Of course while there is a man sitting in a chair right beside us. Glad that man has children....

Watermelon dangers

Last Sunday we had a serious crisis occur. Luckily it was short lived and the victim recovered quickly.

Our kitchen has brown and cream striped linoleum. Oh yes, VERY classy. While making lunch after church Naomi (4 yr now.) was jumping over the dark brown strips and announced-" Those are the watermelon lines."

Me: "What happens if you step on a watermelon line?"
Naomi :" You turn into a watermelon." Suddenly looks at Dad- "OH NO! Dad you are standing on a watermelon line! Poof! You're a watermelon."
Ethan had been standing there amused started losing it and tried to ask her a question while laughing: "But Naomi..."
Naomi: "NO! You're a watermelon, you don't have eyes or a mouth or a body, you can't talk."
Ethan then started sinking to the floor laughing hysterically in his watermelon form.
Me :" Naomi, how do we get Daddy back?"
Naomi, nonchalantly :"He'll regenerate in an hour or so."

Luckily Naomi doesn't last that long and allowed him to regenerate with in 2 minutes. It was nice to have my husband back. Though he was rather fun to have curled up in a ball laughing as a watermelon.

It was very humorous.

Dogs.

I love dogs. Ok, I love a well trained dog. The kind that is happy if you pet it and goes away when you don't want to. The kind that doesn't jump in my face or lick every bit of my skin it can find. If I had a dog training would be a serious priority at my house and then I would enjoy having it around.

Reasons I dont have a dog-
I am allergic to them.
I would have to clean up after it.
I would have to pay for it.


Those are my top 3 reasons for being dogless.


There is a dog in my neighborhood that is pooping on my front lawn. I am ready to beat the next dog that comes down the sidewalk. I am so angry. Clean up after your own dog. It isnt' my dog! You knew they pooped when you got one! If you don't want to clean up after it then let it poop in your own yard and leave it there! I have CHILDREN who play there! Even if I didn't have kids who play there it is still MY yard- a no poop zone.

Here is where things seem to get sticky. I have a suspicion it is a little girl who is walking the dog. A little girl who's parents send her out with a great big puppy who drags her down the sidewalk. Angry as I am, the more I think about it the less I can envision her being capable of cleaning up while having the dog at the end of a leash dragging her around. So I guess the next step is to have a discussion.

What exactly is your goal of having your daughter walk the dog? Is it so it can go to the bathroom? Is your intention the dog to do it's business while it is out? Do you mean for the little girl to clean it up? If you do mean to, you might want to teach her that- cause she sure has no idea how to do so. Even if it means sending her back out after the dog has been taken inside I would greatly appreciate it.

Granted- I have no proof it is that dog. I live in an area where there are lots of dogs. I do not appreciate them adopting my yard. Not at all.

Sleep, Beautiful Sleep

It is 10:15 p.m. They kids went to bed wonderfully around 8:30. Enjoying a wonderful bowl of ice cream and the company of my husband. Then it starts. The scream, then the thud, then the whimpering of my 6 year old running around the house- asleep.

What's wrong? What happened?

-He stares at you with no recognition at all. Continuing to cry and look disoriented.

Well... here's your glass of water, we love you, see you in the morning.

This has been going on for about 2 1/2 years now. Not every night. 3-4 times a week every 2 weeks or so. Usually those nights are consecutive. We have just kind of learned to put him back to bed.

Now the 4 year old has started. Lame. Are all of my children doomed to this?

My brother-in-law used to have awful night terrors. I guess my kids just want to be like him.

Today I have spent a fair amount of time researching night terrors. It was kind of neat to see I wasn't hallucinating that these were terrors not nightmares. They are completely different. Most of what I read pointed me to the triggers being anxiety, stress or sleep deprivation. I am a firm believer in sleep. I highly recommend it and require it from my children. I really don't think that is it. Maybe I am misguided but I really don't think my 6 year old is that stressed out. At least he doesn't act like he is stressed. I think it is more related to diet. However, I can not find much information linking the two. But the more I witness and the more people I talk to there seems to be a "mom knows more than research" understanding that they are related.

One of Victor's triggers seems to be dehydration. If he didn't drink enough water during the day he will probably be up at night. Though that is not a guarantee. My brother-in-laws trigger apparently was artificial food colorings. Particularly Red #40. Victor happened to have a red smoothie the other night- guess who was wondering around in the middle of the night crying.....
Now that is very anecdotal. Maybe the skating party had stressed him out. Maybe he had been kept up too late. Maybe it is all of them together.

The more momming I do the more I see a lot of solve this problem by making the doctor medicate the kid than actually figuring out what is wrong. I firmly believe that most problems have a reason behind them.

I am going to try to figure out what is wrong.

Toddler speak

Handing Caleb the box of mini wheats- " Little Meats! Little Meats!"

Naomi's origins

Victor: "Naomi came to live with us because her family got blown up."



Oh.

Thoughts about Kids

I think sometimes kids get a bad reputation that isn't always earned. Sometimes it is- but not always. They do do things that are aggravating, frustrating, infuriating and just plain obnoxious.

Here is an example of the frustrating: Puking toddler. Won't puke into the bowl you are holding, or the garbage can or the toilet, no no. He must shove all of that away and puke directly on his beloved blanket which will bring hysterics on when you remove from his little paws to wash.

I have been thinking lately of the things that I do love so much about my kids. In case you didn't know-my kids are awesome. This is just a sampling of things I really enjoy about them.

• Caleb calls "Honey Bunches of Oats" - "Honey Boats".
• They ask questions that make you stop and think.
• They care more about if you play with them than how clean the house is.
• They are amazed by little things like plants growing or squirrels on the power lines.
• The black and white of the world they live in. Be on God's side- that's the only place to be.
• You don't have to be a professional comedian to get them squealing.
• You don't even have to be a good cook, peanut butter is good enough for nearly any meal.
• They are awesome snugglers.
• Dancing is a serious hobby that all need to participate in. No matter skill level.
• Baby frowns can only be beaten by one thing in cuteness-
• Baby giggles-
• Followed closely by those cute baby legs constantly curled up.
• When else could you justify putting food coloring in just about anything?
• That look of sheer concentration when they are trying to understand.
• The fact that I NEVER get any of the raspberries from the backyard since they eat them all before I get them.
• I can more easily enjoy children's books. There are some really good ones out there.
• Sometimes they are in "child mode" sometimes in "Godzilla mode". The options are limitless.
• The socks were wet yesterday when my husband was folding them. Naomi had been a puppy digging for the socks and putting them in the basket.
• They forgive easily and immediately.
• Baby's toothless smiles with that tongue poking out.
• They are impulsive.
• They like to experience.
• They are happy.
• They tell the best stories.

They love me. That means so much to me.

One last thought. I think I have figured out why so often kids think adults don't have a sense of humor. Let's turn to last night when Phebe was sucking on a cracker and accidentally flung it on my lap. It was really funny. I laughed really hard. Then Caleb decided to start throwing crackers.

That is why they don't laugh as much as they could. Once is funny. More than that needs to end. That is why we can't laugh at Naomi's world class belching. She is quite impressive. But if she got any praise it would never end. There were probably many times adults wanted to laugh-but couldn't.

A Day in the Life of 2 year old.

Thus far today ( it is nearly 4 o'clock) my 2 year old has-

• Peeled and then refused to eat a banana resorting to putting it in a bowl of dirt.
• Fed his little sister incredible amounts of oatmeal. Well ok put lots on a spoon that went in her direction.
• Taken a bath and still managed to be dirty 10 minutes later.
• Tried to put strawberries in my pocket.
• Took a q-tip that had been dipped in gentian violet ( one of the most incredibly staining substances I have ever encountered) and rubbed it all over the toilet seat.
• Put 2 rolls of toilet paper in the toilet.
• That was followed by putting my curling iron in the toilet.
• Threw graham crackers on the carpet I had just vacuumed.

As I type this there are giant globs of strawberry juice dried to the wall behind me where he had thrown half eaten strawberries. He is lucky he is charming when you talk to him. He might not survive until tomorrow.

He has voluntarily started potty training. I just am afraid of leaving him the bathroom alone for earlier stated reasons.

The mind

I have never been one for horror, gore or just plain creepiness. That stuff sticks with me. I see it over again as soon as the lights go out.

I also happen to have a baby who requires me to get up during random hours of the night.

Watching a TV show with grotesque images shortly before bedtime is not a brilliant idea for me. I wound up doing that anyway last night. Even though we then watched something humorous immediately following the image was still burned brightly into my brain and was haunting me when I needed to fall asleep. Phebe however did not think we should go to sleep.

I learned an interesting lesson last night about my mind, as I was up over and over again taking care of an infant at 1 am trying to rid myself of a terrifying scene.

I realized I can not fence off a bad image in my mind.

I can't simply tell myself that we aren't going to think of that any more and hope my thoughts will find something else to do.

We have all been told not to think of something and suddenly that is all we can think of. The same concept applies here. I do not want to think of it so what do I do? I obsess.

When left to wander my mind always came back. However, if led in a very purposeful distinct direction the results were significantly better. I have to give a talk soon in Sacrament meeting at church. Once I decided to think about how I was going to present my material I no longer had any problems of drifting back. My mind had a direction to go and was doing a great job in accomplishing its task.

You must replace not just try to avoid.




Sorry if you already knew all that. It was a pretty profound moment for me.

Naomi's dream

Naomi had a dream lastnight that Raphael the Ninja Turtle came to visit her. He asked her to watch a movie with him. What did they watch you might ask? Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles I. Raphael really likes that movie .

Hugs

Me: (pulling Caleb in for a hug.) "I need a hug."
Caleb: " I need a hot dog."

Alter egos

Caleb can't say Naomi. It comes out similar to "wo-i". The other day I came down stairs to him struggling to get her attention calling "Wo-i, Wo-i"!

Naomi turned around and said "No! That isn't my name! My name is Squirrel. Call me Squirrel!'

Mother's Day

Last night my elder daughter woke up at 3:30 am crying and wheezing and coughing and choking out,"Somebody please help me breathe." It was truly terrifying. I am so glad that prayers work and the Holy Ghost is actually there to help. We finally all went back to bed around 5; after baths and Vicks Vapo Rub and goofing off.

Dr say it is probably croup. Bleh. Also claims croup is an illness that nearly disappears during the day and shows back up full force at night. 3 days long. 2 more nights to go.


Today I was honored to attend a "Mother's Day Tea Party" in my son's kindergarten class. It was wonderful. A room full of kindergartners singing about how they love you is a touching thing. There were many highlights of the morning. I will share some:

When asked what your mother would do if she had 5 minutes of peace a little girl told us her mom "would bake cookies for her sisters and me." Her mom commented " Well isn't that nice of me."Every child was asked what food their mom makes best. I am pleased to report that my son said I cook the best shrimp fried rice. Out of a class of 20 kids there were:

• cookies- 4 votes
• brownies-2
• pizza -3
• cake-7

They then drew a picture of their mom cooking and wrote the recipe on the back. All of the recipes were compiled in a book for us to take home. I bet you thought you knew how to make cookies. Well wait till you hear some of their tips.

• "Put in bowl for 20 or 6 minutes a little bit hot and a little bit cold."
• "Put into the oven (warm for a minute). Take out and put a doll in.
• "Put it in the oven for 10 mins at 2 degrees"
• "Put them in the oven at 1 degree. Bake them for a while... one minute."
• "Put in microwave at 50 degrees for 10 minutes. Put mayonnaise on the sandwich ( a little... actually a lot.) Heat up the whole sandwich in the microwave for 50 mins. Eat and watch some television.
• "Put in the oven for 43 seconds at 700 degrees."

And you thought you knew how to cook.....

Amazing updates.

This is just a list of random things going on. I'm not very good with consistent thoughtful updates.

• I hurt my ankle 3 weeks ago. It still isn't healed. At least not as well as I want it to be. My husband is getting concerned. I really don't do very well with "take it easy for a while." If I "take it easy" I tend to just think of more things to do since I wasn't doing something else. Plus I do have various sized children expecting me to actively participate in their lives. Trying... but oh how planting blueberry bushes and doing laundry seemed important.
• I invited the Muslim man at the bus stop to see one of our church general authorities ( Richard G. Scott ) who is coming to speak to us on Sunday. Very excited! Sadly he is moving away and won't be able to make it. We have had many religious discussions in the last few days and I am impressed at how many similarities there actually are between our beliefs. There are still plenty of things we don't agree on but I thought Islam was much farther away then it actually is. ( At least according to what this man told me anyway.)
• We figured out how to wire our TV to the computer. Awesomeness. Sound and everything.
• Today is a movie day. All day. Movies and naps.

Quote of the moment.

Naomi: "Next time I am going to go to hockey so I can see where they crashed into the comedian!"

Recent happenings.

Here are some things that have happened recently-

• My husband ordered 6 pounds of passion fruit from Brazil. Then he made passion fruit mousse and sherbet. Fabulously delicious. If you haven't ever had passion fruit it is kind of like eating a lot of sweet tarts at one time. I had never seen one before there were a bunch of them in my kitchen. The inside is kind of like a pocket of orange tadpoles. I am in no way kidding.
• Ethan's boss invited the two of us to go with he and his girlfriend on a business trip to Tulsa. I enjoyed myself. They really take care of those business travelers. His boss has some seriously hysterical stories. But then again he claims he has lived 3 life times in his short life. He honestly has. I was also informed I was invited to travel with him all the time since I pack cheese sticks with me.
• My daughter found a dead sparrow. She loved him. He was put inside Miracle Whip bottle. She carried him around most of the day. Everybody that saw it reminded me that " They carry disease, that is so gross." Sometimes I wonder if I am the only adult that went through childhood before I became an adult. When you are a kid disease is not something that you worry about until adults pound it into your brain that the world is going to kill you unless you sit in your living room constantly sanitizing your hands. How often do you really get a close look at the coloring and markings on a sparrow? Enjoy- not obsess....
• I was informed that "Hot dogs YUMMY!" about 12 times while I tried to read scriptures tonight.
• Victor said "thank you Caleb" Caleb said:" thank you me".
• I found a rubber shark on top of the fan blade.
• I found Phebe's pants on top of the planet mobile. I think we have a throwing problem going on.
• Naomi put an earth worm in her hair on purpose.
• I have gained a serious respect/fear of spearmint. Just because I can see its boundaries does not mean the plant accepts them.

I love my house.

God loves a generous heart.

I am posting to tell you that God loves a generous heart. I know this probably more than I know much else. Why occasionally I question that I don't know.

We are trying to save money. My mom stopped by this afternoon and said she was off to pick a friend up from work. This friend is a VERY hardworking woman. She could have filed for bankruptcy thanks to her ex husband. Instead she has worked hard for 3 years to pay off nearly 30,000$ in credit card debt. One of her methods of doing so is by living on things like instant breakfast. That isn't actually a method I recommend. So when I found out my mom was going to see her I ran downstairs and started grabbing some food from my storage. As I was doing this all I could think of was "why do I insist on filling this box up? We are supposed to be saving money. Yes, saving money- but God loves a generous heart. It'll be fine."

So I sent a box loaded with milk and juice and pastas and tuna fish and corn and hamburger and lots of other foods.

20 minutes later I got a phone call. My friend is going on vacation and forgot she was leaving soon when she had gone grocery shopping, thus she had lots of perishable foods she needed to get rid of.

So within 2 hours I will be getting my own little load of groceries.

You'll never out give God. He will always send you more.

Interesting....

A few days ago Ethan asked his boss ( who happens to be a very successful business man) where he got the money to start his first business. What followed next was startling:

"I live with in my means."

All I could think of was the years and years of counseling from leaders of my church telling us over and over "stay out of debt, live with in your means. "etc....

This man is one of the most worldly human beings I have ever encountered. He is constantly telling people not to get married, wine is a HUGE passion, and his goal is simply to make more money. He doesn't even really do anything with what he has. He would be a charities dream come true.

He is also incredibly successful. I don't know if I have ever met a more generous soul in my life. We went to dinner one night and he tipped the waiter 1,000$!

I find it incredibly fascinating that his tip for success is live within your means.

We were already planning on doing it, but now we are working harder to put more money away for emergencies,investing, retirement, missions etc. (and as far as I am concerned for traveling)

If you have any suggestions for things I can do to cut costs at my house and or make money with minimal effort around here. Please leave them for me. Thanks!

Serves me right.

I was on the phone the other day for a long time.
My middle two children who generally spend the day harassing each other played nicely while I was busy.
I wrote in my journal that day that I was grateful for the lack of battles.
I wrote in my journal before I took a nap.


When I awoke from my nap I heard Victor passively saying "no, don't do that. Stop."

I then came downstairs. Caleb had escaped from his room and had slipped past me unnoticed. He and Naomi worked really hard together..... dumping pitcher after pitcher of water on my living room carpet. The room is approx 12 ft by 12 ft. They soaked nearly every inch that was not already covered by furniture. I was really mad.

Then I realised they had added dish soap.

I handed them towels. I don't know if I have ever witnessed a bigger exercise in futility in my life.

When we took the towels to the laundry I noticed there was water on the floor in the basement. It had not rained recently. That seems odd. Oh... That is because it is coming from the living room. Dripping through the floor. Filling up the empty sand box. Landing on cans of beans and boxes of spaghetti.

I sent her to bed. I sent the boys outside. I called my husband to bring home the carpet shampooer from work. Then I turned on the fan.

It sucked up a balloon.

While trying to remove the string I heard ear splitting screaming from the backyard. My younger son hit his older brother with a stick and now there is blood involved. We got out the band aids and then went to sit on the front stairs until my mom came to save me from my children and my house.

It was really amusing to read my journal the next day.

Ahhh the days of kindergarten.....

Here we are in the world of kindergarten. We pour dry beans in containers and weigh them. We learn the beginnings of reading. We get to play with the parachute and scooters. We eat snack and are thrilled to be picked as a helper. We devote great amounts of art time to dinosaurs and monsters. Our friends tell us about inappropriate acts they are doing with little girls. Wait! That isn't supposed to happen in kindergarten, or first grade, or sixth, or eleventh....

So why on earth did my kindergartner come tell me about this? This isn't supposed to happen.
I always had an idea in my head that my kid wouldn't deal with this kind of stuff. This was the kind of thing that happened to trashy families. The kind that don't really pay attention to who is with their kids or what they are doing. I am here to tell you. I happens to anybody.

I can be at home.
I can be at the bus stop.
I can go to the library.
I can go to church.
I can be at the store.

I can not ride the bus. I can not control or divert what is said there. Even if I am the best mom in the entire world I can not be everywhere. Nor would that be healthy for my children if I was to do so.

Parent of said child was less than thrilled when I informed them. Understandably. I am very proud of my son. When they came to interrogate him about what he said he stuck to his story and didn't back down or change it. This is because he was telling the truth. a

I don't want you to think I am angry at this other child. I'm not. My heart goes out to he and his parents. Someone is stealing his innocence. Children should have a time when they don't worry or think about this kind of stuff. They should have time to be innocent.


Sometimes I just don't want my kids to leave my side. They have to. I have to let them go, but that doesn't mean I am not going to try to undo damage or change situations later.

Ice cream

We had a grand adventure tonight. Ethan came home "early", as in before 7. He had done a bit of shopping on the way home. Ice cream making stuffs. Graham cracker ice cream is an Eberle family tradition. Tradition meaning any time there is a gathering that is at Peg/my house we make it. A few weeks ago we were discussing what we are going to do with the blueberries we are going to get this year. In the past we have made blueberry ice cream. It was quite good. You could almost pretend it is healthy. Just think of all the antioxidants! So tonight we combined the two. Yup homemade graham cracker blueberry ice cream. If you aren't jealous you certainly should be. He is a genius. It was SO good.

Another cool point is- we didn't have to buy ice. We made it on the front porch and just grabbed cups full of snow. Bet you haven't made ice cream with snow, have ya? It was a very cool experience.

Poor wording choice.

"Don't take candy from strangers."

I have heard this many times. I have said this many times. I have had my kids watch movies about "stranger danger". I do admit that personally I am fairly lax when it comes to strangers. I live in a little world where no one would actually seek to do harm to my children. However I do try to teach my kids to be wary of those they do not know or are uncomfortable with.

Today we went to the Dr's office. I lost my glove. I told Naomi and Caleb to wait right there beside Phebe while I went to ask if anyone had found it. I came back to each of them holding a piece of chocolate. I had seen the man that gave it to them. He had been telling the receptionist, "I'm 91 this year, now that is old. You're not old. 91. That is seriously old. Married a good wife. Good wife means a good life....... " on and on.

I really do not think this man is out to poison children. I had just watched him give the receptionist a piece of the same candy. This is where my short coming comes in. I don't see why they can't have it. I did take the opportunity to remind them they are "not supposed to take candy from strangers."

Then the moment of epiphany came.

Naomi: " I didn't take candy from a stranger mom. He gave it to me."

.....

She's right. She didn't "take" it. It was given to her.

From now on we will be having discussions about accepting candy from strangers. Accepting and taking are not the same thing.

Colic

While researching colic I came across this tidbit that I found amusing. I think you should know:

"Historically, and until recently colic was often treated with paregoric, a camphorated tincture of opium, but this practice has largely discontinued."

Haha. Just drug the kid to get them to quit crying. Thought you should know.

Today's thoughts.

Lately these are some of the thoughts that have been floating around in my head.

I have found some insanely wonderful music that I would love for you to love with me. Maybe enough of us love him he will come to the US. His name is Maksim Mrvica. He is a Croatian pianist. He makes me wish I had practiced more when I was learning how to play piano.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DKBKZ8Cxeo

As I have come across what is some really good classical music lately, I sometimes stop and think about why I don't like so much of it. I wonder if it is just me or if other share my opinion. Frequently when I listen, a lot of pieces sound to me like exercises for violinists or harpsichordists. Not real music. Just seeing how many random notes can be put together to challenge the musician. There is lots of beautiful classical. Those happen to be the ones with a real melody.

Another thing on my mind is how incredibly awesome some children's books are. There are some really amazing authors out there. Next time you are in a library or book store look for the Little Critter book by Mercer Mayer entitled "I was just so Mad." He is so good at capturing children. There is also a relatively new author named Judith Byron Schachner, her books are called "Skippyjon Jones." They are hysterical. Her charactor is a siamese kitten who is convinced he is a chihuahua. He has a fabulous imagination. Her books are littered with Spanish vocabulary words. I HATE Dora. This however makes it so fun to learn a Spanish word here or there. http://www.skippyjonjones.com/ Such fun books.

This is the less exciting thought that keeps going through my head. When we are raising children we teach them to say sorry when they do something wrong. Saying sorry is a good thing to do; however it seems hypocritical, to me, to force them to say sorry when they are obviously not. I have told Naomi to quit doing something for the 500,000th time and she looks at me and nonchalantly goes, "Sorry mom" . She has said sorry ever other 499,999 times. Obiviously it isn't something she is sorry for doing. I feel as though having them say sorry when they don't mean it seems to take away from the meaning of the word and thus they use it flipantly. Maybe it is just my kids. It just seems wrong when they are standing there grinning at thier accomplishment to tell them to apologize. I will take them aside and discuss why it was wrong and try to figure out how to fix it. Don't get me wrong my kids do get disciplin. I just want Sorry to mean something.

I also want you to know that I made pizza dough with two little helpers. That meant that food coloring was needed. Yup, we had green crust pizza for dinner tonight. I bet your jealous.

Preying on the Elderly.

My husband manages two car rental franchises. He has been doing so for quite a while. The other day he got the best phone call he has ever received at work. I thought it was quite an interesting story and am quite proud of him. I am also grateful for the little old lady that called him. I thought you might enjoy this story.

In order to rent a car you must have a credit card. You can not decide nothing bad will happen while you have the car, things just happen sometimes. They need security to pay for any thing that goes wrong. If you don't have a credit card you MAY be able to rent on a debit card, though that is much much harder and MUST be tied to a bank account.

He receives a phone call a little over a week ago with a woman who tells him this, " I know I don't have good credit. I don't have a credit card or a debit card."She does claim to have a prepaid debit card.

If you haven't thought it through previously- you can NOT rent a car with a gift card. It is not a good idea to let someone drive off with $16,000 vehicle and only have a $200 gift card for collateral. Some people just don't come back.

So she informs him that she desperately needs to get to Wheeling W.V. (if you are unaware it is a going to a gambling town. Someone with admitedly bad credit should not be headed there.) She must get to a fancy restaurant. Ethan tells her if she wants to have the car she must get someone else to rent the car for her. She immediately responds that she will go call her mother-in-law. She is then informed that her mother-in-law MUST call Ethan first and then he will explain everything to her. Ethan has done enough of these rentals. They always go wrong. He doesn't want to deal with this woman. Advice for life- do not rent cars on anyone else's behalf. You will be held responsible. It never ends well.

So this elderly woman calls him. Ethan is doing everything he possibly can, with out actually telling her that he won't do the rental, to convince her it is a bad idea. Mom says "That's not how she explained it." So she goes to go talk to the daughter-in-law. Mother-in-law calls back because daughter-in-law is telling her contrary to what Ethan has told her. Finally Ethan says to her,"Ma'am, I have been in this business for nearly 10 years. I have seen a lot of these kinds of rentals and they always end badly. This does not feel right. " She says thank you and hangs up. Daughter calls back rather ticked off because mom has decided not to help her out. She is frantically trying to convince Ethan to call her mother-in-law back and sugar coat it so she will help her out. Ethan says, "I have told her what she needs to know and I will not call her." That is the end of the conversation.

A week goes by. He gets a phone call from a little old lady. It turns out to be the mother-in-law. She says, "I just wanted to thank you for not allowing me to rent that car." Her daughter-in-law is now in jail. They think she wanted to rent a car for a get away vehicle after she broke into someone's house. Her parting comment was, "If there were more people like you in this world, it would be much safer for us senior citizens."

I was so proud. He is such a good man. I am glad I have him and that he will stand up when he thinks something is wrong.