The Hall Way

Summer Fun?

2011-06-13T07:28:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, I found myself typing these words into my Google search bar: "How to survive summer with kids." I am sure that I will look back one day at laugh at this post. But right now, there is nothing comical about it. I was actually beginning to feel dread at the thought of summer vacation. I like my kids, I promise. But there are some things I don't like about summer vacation:

*not having a moment to myself all day

*my 3 kids bickering with each other

*having a messy house

*hearing, "What can I have to eat?" all day long

Please don't hear what I'm not saying. I know that I am so fortunate to be a stay-at-home mom and able to spend time (a lot of time) with my kids. I really do want to enjoy our summer together so I decided to come up with a game plan to do just that.

I read somewhere that our kids live by a schedule 9 months out of the year so it wouldn't be a bad idea to add a schedule to our summer days. I jumped on this idea after remembering how much fun my kids had when I created a schedule for them during Easter Vacation a couple of years ago. They really enjoyed knowing what was coming each day. And as a former teacher, it was fun for me to write out our plans on a big dry erase board.

I thought about those things (listed above) that really drive me crazy about summer and then instead of whining about them, I decided to try to change our fate.....not to sound overly dramatic. :)

Last week with summer vacation only 4 days away, I sat down with my good friend over at http://wilkinstory.blogspot.com/ and we made some plans to keep our sanity this summer!

I wish I was more creative and could make these schedules and lists look pretty but I can't! So, as my kids like to say, "You get what you get and you don't throw a fit!"

Summer Schedule

7:30 Breakfast, make bed/clean room

8 Get ready for the day

*brush teeth

*wash face

*brush hair

*get dressed

8:30 Morning Jobs

*clean up living room

*clear table/put away breakfast items

*unload dishwasher

*clean bathroom

*water plants

*food/water for Charlie

9 Morning Exercise

(bikes, scooters, play ball, walk, run)

9:30 Pack lunches and clean out car

10 Snack and Fun!

12 Lunch

12:15 15 minute clean up

12:30 Rest and Reading

(kids who stay in their rooms will get a popsicle at 2:30)

2:30 Snack and Free Time

(tv/wii/ipod/toys/games/art)

3:30 15 minute clean up

4 Water play (swimming, sprinklers)

5 Dinner Prep

5:30 Dinner

6 Fun for kids who were kind to their brother and sister and obedient to mom and dad (offenders will get ready for an early bedtime)

7 Bath/shower

7:30 15 minute clean up

7:45 Prep for tomorrow

*set out breakfast stuff

*pick out clothes

8 Bedtime

I will replace our morning schedule with the following one during the weeks (yes, there are multiple weeks!) my kids go to Vacation Bible School:

Summer Schedule

VBS

7:00 Breakfast, make bed/clean room

7:30 Get ready for the day

*brush teeth

*wash face

*brush hair

*get dressed

8 Morning Jobs

*clean up living room

*clear table/put away breakfast items

*unload dishwasher

*clean bathroom

*water plants

*food/water for Charlie

I am trying not to buy a lot of our typical snack foods (pretzels, crackers, etc.) during the summer. I feel like they are a bit of a necessity during the school year when they need snacks at school. I think my kids are going to go through withdrawals for a while but this is our list (with some help from my friends on Facebook):

Snacks

Fruit

Strawberries, peaches, grapes, nectarines

Veggies & dip

carrots, celery, broccoli, peppers, cucumbers

Cheese slices or string cheese

Yogurt

Bananas or apples with peanut butter

Granola

Hard boiled egg

Peanut butter balls

Peanuts

Almonds

Lunch

Peanut butter & jelly sandwich

Peanut butter & honey sandwich

Quesadilla

Turkey & cheese sandwich

Crackers & cheese

Peanut butter & crackers

Weekly Dinner Menu

Monday: Tacos/Burritos

Tuesday: Sandwiches

Wednesday: Salad

Thursday: Beef

tri-tip, steak, hamburger, ribs

Friday: __________

Saturday: __________

Sunday: Breakfast for dinner

Summer fun? Yes! I even made a list!

Summer Fun

Go to the park

Swimming

Movie theater

Playdough

Baking treats

Bike ride

Board games

Water balloons

Dress up clothes/make movie

Chalk

Bubbles

Dance party

Sprinklers

Slip n slide

Library

Snow cones

Zoo

Storyland & Playland

Farmer’s Market

Skating

Go out for ice cream or frozen yogurt

Picnic

Go for a walk

Go for a bike ride

Train to Hanford

I am hopeful that we are going to have a great summer-if we follow the schedule. Just kidding!

If you have any great summer plans to save your sanity, please share them!

On The Eve of Christmas Eve

2010-12-23T20:45:00.000-08:00

On this eve of Christmas eve, I am starting to feel a little bit sad about not sending out our annual family Christmas letter. Well, not about not sending it out but about not writing one. Since, I am no good at scrapbooking and a failure at keeping up on this blog - it is nice to have our memories of the year written down somewhere.

I am giving myself thirty minutes or less to write this letter and there will be no one proof reading it. You have been warned.

As usual, I planned to slow down and enjoy the month leading up to Christmas. And as usual, life got in the way. Between the kids' Christmas performances, my annual gift wrapping party, our family trip to Disneyland, in addition to daily life - there was not enough time to slow down! But life is good and we found quite a bit to enjoy.

Last year at this time, I was praying, praying and praying some more that Matt's company would be awarded the job to rebuild highway 41 into Yosemite. Matt bid the job and he was hoping to run it. When we found out that he would be the project manager on the job, we were so excited. Little did we know, that it would turn our lives upside down. Well, that might be an exaggeration. Not quite upside down but our lives were pretty crazy there, for a while.

In May, Matt and four of his co-workers moved into a house in Fish Camp (just south of Yosemite) to live and work for the next 6 months. Matt came home on weekends and usually one other night during the week. The job was quite stressful, to say the least, and the kids and I really missed having Matt at home. (Well, to be honest, I did like holding the remote control for the tv.)

For the last month, Matt has been working full time out of Granite's Fresno office and bidding new work. He helped coach Zachary's soccer team and will soon be coaching his basketball team. Matt has started playing basketball one night a week again and has resumed control of the tv remote.

Zachary is 7 and in the second grade. He is seriously a genius when it comes to math (hey, I said this letter was for myself so I'm allowed to brag a little). He is also slower than a turtle when it comes to getting ready in the morning....the most time being spent on tying his shoes. Zachary had a great time playing soccer this fall. His team was undefeated (which I'm sure added to his enjoyment of the game). Oh, and I should mention that he played in one t-ball game last spring before falling off of his bike and breaking his arm. Zachary's favorite things to do are: play games on my ipod touch, play outside with the neighborhood kids, listen to music and lately he has been wanting to help out in the kitchen.

Emilie just turned 6 and is in Kindergarten. I tell all of the parents that if they would like a running report on how their child's day went, to just ask Emilie. She is always happy to share all of the details. Since there is another child named "Emily" in her class, at the beginning of the year Emilie decided to be called, "Emme." She also decided on that spelling. I had been spelling it differently for the last 5 years but on the first day of school, Emilie had another idea. Emilie loves school and she continues to "play school" long after the official school day has ended. Her favorite things to do (besides boss everyone around) are: listening to books on cd, looking at and reading books, drawing, drawing and more drawing. I cannot believe how much paper that girl goes through!

Luke is 4 and is attending preschool three mornings a week. The activity he enjoys most at school is swinging on the swings. He LOVES to swing. Sometimes at home, he'll walk into the backyard all alone to swing. Luke also likes to play with his friends and watch "Special Agent Oso" on tv. I am sitting here trying to think of another way to say this but I just don't have time so here it is: Luke is naughty. Yes, he is. I have to tell his teachers, other parents, and strangers on the side walk, "Our first two kids didn't do stuff like this...." I love, love, love that kid. I mean, I can't get enough of his guttural laugh, his sweet affection, and his crazy antics. But I strive for honesty and that kid is honestly a stinker!

I am pretty much doing the same stuff I was doing last year and the year before that. (Uh oh, my 30 minutes just ended.)

My life is pretty full with raising these 3 kiddos and loving my husband. I wish I didn't yell so much and I wish I had dinner ready when Matt walked in the door at night....I would love to have a clean house but no matter how much I clean....it just will not stay that way. I should be going to the gym but I don't. I should correct my kids every time they make a rude remark or are unkind in some way but some days I just want to ignore these things because I am tired!

In spite of all my failures and unfulfilled expectations, life is good. Really, really good. I am thankful for so many things. I have some great friends. Really, really great. I am still in love with the boy who winked at me across the classroom in high school. Our church is awesome. Our God is amazing. I seriously cannot fathom God's goodness and blessings. Most of all, I am thankful that God is with us.

The following words from Matthew 1:21-23 are floating around in the background of my life these days:

"She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 'The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him 'Immanuel' - which means, 'God with us.' "

Merry Christmas, friends!

Love,

Heather

Mother-Guilt

2010-08-26T21:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Zachary came in the door after school and burst into tears. He said that he saw me pick up his sister from Kindergarten and drive past his school. He just happened to be walking to the bathroom at the same time and apparently he waved to us and we didn't see him. Forget about the fact that I was driving and therefore focused on the road in front of me, my heart twisted with mother-guilt. Seriously kid, I was driving! How was I supposed to know that you'd be out of your classroom at 10:52 in the morning? Nonetheless, I am a loser.

Early this morning, Zachary's teacher left a message on my cell phone letting me know that around 11am yesterday Zachary seemed sad and was maybe feeling a bit homesick. She gave him a cracker and a hug. (OK, it's official: I LOVE her!) Once again, felt the pang of mother-guilt reminding me of how I failed my sweet boy.

I decided that I needed to rectify the situation and alleviate my guilt. So, today I picked Emilie up from Kindergarten at 11:30 which is the exact time that Zachary lines up outside his classroom to walk to the cafeteria for lunch. I told Emilie (or "Emme" as she is now known at school) that we were going to say hi to her brother. She said sweetly, "No, I don't want to.....let's go out to lunch again." (Sarcasm intended.)

As we rounded the corner to the hallway where Zachary's classroom is located, I spotted him immediately. And he spotted us. His eyes lit up and he said, "Hi Mommy! Are you here to take me out to lunch?" Ummm.....no I was not. (Insert mother-guilt pang here.) But I said, "Sure I am. Where do you want to go?"

Oh, what a sweet hour we had. We ate our Happy Meals. Zachary and Emilie played in the germy, stinky play area. Zachary took off his socks and shoes. There was a TV on playing a cartoon that 'we don't watch in our house.' I seriously could cry right now thinking back to the smile on his face. He looked more than happy....he looked rejuvenated.

I didn't want to burst his bubble but I did have to inform him that this was a special treat and would not be happening all that often. But I secretly want it to happen maybe just a tad more than I let on.

I wish I could say that when Zachary came home from school today, all was right with the world. But I'll save that story for another day.

Imaginary Letters

2010-08-25T19:48:00.000-07:00

I love to read. Have I mentioned that before? The more I read, the more I want to write. Whenever I sit at my computer to write, I just want to read. It is a game of avoidance. When my kids are all in bed (and they have stopped asking for various items and repeatedly getting up to tell me something or to show me something), I think, "This is it. This is my time. I can write and get my thoughts out of my head and out there." Wherever "there" is. So that is my plan but then I manage to find a new blog and it is usually so interesting that by the time I finally force myself to stop reading, I think, "I gotta get off of this computer; I need to relax." Like I've been working!

I've been reading this great book and the author actually has a chapter that discusses the fact that writing is work. It involves making the choice to sit down and focus and write. And saying "no" to other more pressing things like laundry, planning next week's meals and checking Facebook. I never thought of it that way before. I thought of writing as a release, like taking a deep breath and letting it all out. And it does feel that way when I am done but the process of putting my feelings into words and the time it takes to do that - adds up to work.

Just about every other chapter that I read from this author, makes me want to write a response to her. I have a letter written in my head after each one of her stories and then I read another chapter and a new letter begins to form. Nothing ever gets written down on paper. I thought tonight (after reading another chapter) that I should start putting post-it notes on the pages that touched me enough to evoke an imaginary letter in my head. And that maybe one day, I could go back and write a real letter to this author.

But that would never work. My feelings are so fresh and all of the thoughts swirling in my head would not be there if I went back to reread a chapter so that I could write a response. And really, who am I kidding - thinking that one day, I will make the time to write to this author.

I only know of one other person who has read this book and we love retelling the stories and sharing how the author's words have affected us, made us think, changed and challenged us.

But one day, I would really like to let the author know all of that, too. Maybe some day.

Our Week in Pictures

2010-08-21T14:14:00.001-07:00

Sunday, August 15

We love having Nana and Papa stay at our house!

Monday, August 16

Luke is so happy to have his best buddy, Zach, home after 7 weeks apart.

Tuesday, August 17

Zachary is always 'working' using any scraps he can find.

Wednesday, August 18

Luke's first day of school.

Thursday, August 18

Zachary called me into his room and I was looking in his closet, on his bed.....I couldn't find him anywhere!

Friday, August 19

We were in a hurry this morning so I asked Zachary to get Luke dressed. This is what the two of them came up with. Being my third child, I thought it would be just fine for Luke to wear this outfit to school.

Saturday, August 20

Grandma and Grandpa are here to visit! We spent the morning at The Farmers' Market and the park.

Perspective

2010-08-16T23:33:00.000-07:00

It's 11:30 at night. This is late for me. My friends make fun of me because I like to go to bed before 10. Anyway, I locked all of the doors, turned off all of the lights and just checked on my kids.....the things I do every night.

After covering each of them up, turning off their lamps, kissing their cheeks, whispering soothing words and smelling their hair, I realized something.....

The later I stay awake, the more I love my kids.

Can this be true? This is a crazy thought. I mean, of course I always love them and I already love them all the way. But two things have given me perspective:

*I have just spent 3 hours alone. (I guess not truly "alone" but completely uninterrupted.)

*Sleeping children (especially when they are your own sleeping children) are absolutely the most precious sight.

Man, I love those kids!

I almost want to wake them up and tell them how much I adore them!

But I am going to put myself to bed right now before I do something I will regret!

Our Week in Pictures

2010-08-14T19:49:00.000-07:00

Sunday, August 8

Emma (our next door neighbor) and Emilie play with their dolls.

Monday, August 9

Luke is an aspiring Window Washer (he would not leave the man alone!)

Tuesday, August 10

Matt reads, "The Very Hungry Caterpillar," to the kids before bed.

Wednesday, August 11

Zachary took it upon himself (with the help of his handy assistants) to replace light bulbs throughout the house.

Thursday, August 12

Luke borrowed this "Jesse" hat from his friend, Audrey. He played with it all day.....while wearing jeans and cowboy boots and riding his stick horse, of course.

Friday, August 13

The kids had so much fun playing at this new park. Emilie enjoyed hanging out inside "the bubble."

Saturday, August 14

The kids love when Nana and Papa come for a visit. We all had a great time swimming in our neighbor's pool.

For some crazy reason, I can't type below this picture and I refuse to waste one more second trying to figure it out!

14 Years Ago

2010-08-10T20:37:00.000-07:00

I am so thankful that 14 years ago today, I married the man of my dreams.

I love this man more than he will ever know.

I am so proud of the man he is and the man he strives to become.

He is the hardest worker I know.

He is a wonderful dad to our kids.

He is truly an amazing husband.

He is my best friend.

Our Week in Pictures

2010-08-07T08:02:00.000-07:00

Monday, August 2

Dirt Cups!

Tuesday, August 3

Emilie's friend Abbie comes over to spend the night.

Wednesday, August 4

Exciting morning: Operation Clean Up comes to our neighborhood.

Thursday, August 5

Zachary wants a dog really bad! This is Scout and it is as close as he is going to get (for a while, anyway).

Friday, August 6

At 8 o'clock in the morning, the kids start transporting toys outside to play in the driveway.

Saturday, August 7

Happy (early) Anniversary, Matt!

Story Time

2010-08-02T20:47:00.000-07:00

I love books! I think I wrote about this in a previous post but it's true - I really do love books! Of course, I love to read them but I also love to just be around them. Bookstores and libraries are two of my favorite places; places that I rarely visit because I have 3 children who don't know how to sit still or be quiet. For a more vivid description of my last experience taking my children to the library you can read this post.

So when I had three hours of free babysitting this afternoon, the first place I went was the library. I had so much fun wandering the aisles all by myself! I wasn't really looking for anything specific. I just picked out random books that looked interesting. I ended up checking out eleven books which is a bit ironic since I just returned a book (after renewing it twice) without reading it because I just don't have time to sit down and read for hours. Did I mention that I have three kids?

As I set my books down on the magical pad that knows just which books you are checking out, I scanned my library card to discover that I owed a fine of ten dollars. See, this is why I don't go to the library! Besides having children who misbehave, I always turn in our books late. So, the computer screen informed me that I was no longer eligible for self-checkout and I must ask an employee for assistance.

As I held out my library card along with my debit card to the librarian, she proceeded to show me how many times I have turned in an overdue book since obtaining my library card in 2004!

Are you kidding me?! Just take my debit card!

She informed me that she would waive the fee. What?! I was so relieved! (One of the reasons I chose to go to the library was because it is free.) As I expressed my appreciation, she said, "Don't thank me. I see people like you in here everyday. You turn in your books late continually. I am not doing you any favors here. You will continue to do this." What?! Excuse me, I am willing to pay your stupid fine and you are lecturing me?! Why don't you save your lecture for all of the people who are going to argue with you and refuse to hand over the money that is rightfully yours?!

Then she says, "Do you understand that you can renew your books online? You can even call and if a librarian is not busy, you can renew over the phone. Do you understand?" I nodded. She goes on to say, "I am going to make a note on your account that I explained the renewal process to you." I am completely in shock. This crazy lady is on some sort of power trip! As I hung my head in shame, she points to the computer monitor where she typed, 'EXPLAINED RENEWAL PROCEEDURE. -PAT'

Well, Pat, thank you very much. See you next year.

Project Life

2010-08-01T20:58:00.000-07:00

(Zachary and Emilie playing "Hospital." Emilie was pushing her "patient" to the exam room.)

I'm sure that I am infringing on some copyright laws but I just love this idea called, Project Life. I don't really know much about it. But the part that really captured my attention was to take a "Picture of the Day" EVERY DAY. My sister pointed me to this blog post http://christine-lifeorsomethinglikeit.blogspot.com/2010/07/project-life-711-718.html and I was immediately intrigued.

Blogging has completely taken a back seat to the rest of my life. I loved blogging for all those months. Getting my feelings and experiences out for everyone to see made me feel connected to my family and friends and even a few strangers. I felt affirmed and validated. I loved that I would be able to look back one day and truly remember what my life was like.

I am not exactly sure why I stopped writing. I love writing. It just began to feel like a chore. Why would I want to sit down and relive my child's temper tantrum at the grocery store? I would rather zone out in front of the TV. For a while life seemed to not be funny or fun....it seemed to be tiresome and draining.

And who wants to read about those things? No thank you.

So I have decided to try something new. I think the original idea came from here http://www.beckyhiggins.com/ but since I'm not going to buy this kit and I don't want to download the digital version either, I am just going to do my own version of Project Life. I am a Scrapbooking Failure and I have absolutely no idea how to use any of the features on my amazing camera so this is going to be boring and unattractive to anyone looking for something beautiful. If you are looking for some great photography as well as scrapbooking ideas, you're not going to find it here!

So the plan is to upload the POTD (Picture of the Day) either each day or once a week...I'm not sure yet. I just really want to have something to look back on (since we very rarely develop any pictures).

This will also be a test for my perfectionist-self. Will I really want to record, let alone DISPLAY our everyday (messy) life to all of you?

Here we go!

Un-busy

2010-02-17T19:41:00.000-08:00

Is unbusy a word? I am trying to think of the opposite of busy. Free? Like when someone asks, "Are you busy tomorrow?" You might answer, "No, I'm free." Or maybe you would say, "I am available." Well, that is how I am feeling these days - unbusy, free, available.

We have dropped out of a few things in the last few years. Two of those things are Awana and Life Group. For about 5 years, we met with a small group on Tuesday evenings. It was great! We loved the people and we enjoyed studying the Bible together and sharing our lives with one another. We were involved with Awana for 2 years. The meetings were held every Wednesday and it was a beautiful thing to see my kids memorizing scripture.

What started out so good began to turn into guilt and stress and chaos. The crazy cleaning before everyone arrived for small group.....the rushing to put the kids to bed before they saw that company had arrived. The arguing about who was going to take the kids to Awana (Matt who had just arrived home after working all day or me who had been with the kids every second since waking that morning)....the kids staying up an hour and a half past their regular bedtime.

First we decided to cut out small group. This was a difficult decision. When we began hosting Life Group at our house, we were the only couple that did not have access to free childcare (ie. family that lived in town). We knew that by stepping away from this commitment, if we ever wanted to get involved again, it would most likely be at someone else's house and we would have to pay for childcare. We do miss the sweet fellowship of that group. But we don't miss all the other stuff that came along with it.

Awana is a great program. Giving it up felt like I was turning my back on the people in my church who love my kids. These volunteers give their time and energy and knowledge to help my kids know Jesus. I am so grateful for them. But at this time in our lives, the cost is too great. I don't want to argue with my husband. I don't want my kids to be up late. I don't want our family to be in two separate places.

Maybe one day, we will join a Life Group again. My kids may be involved in Awana in the future. Just not right now.

For now, all five of us are usually in our pajamas by 7 pm. The kids play and act silly. Matt and I clean the kitchen together. Matt plays on the computer. I check facebook. There are nights that we play games, read stories, make something yummy to eat....and other times that we just do our own thing. It feels good to just be together....at home.

Merry Christmas 2009

2009-12-25T16:27:00.000-08:00

Dear Family and Friends,

It feels a bit strange to write our Christmas letter this year because so many of you read about our daily lives on Facebook. Now that you already know what we eat for dinner, how often (or not) we get to the gym, which of our children are tired, cranky or disobedient…it seems like I am taking a step backward. So, even though I feel like Facebook and our family blog have used up all my words – I will try to muster up a few more for the sake of tradition!

We have been living in Fresno for 8 years. Did you know that we were just “passing through” so Matt could get his degree in Construction Management from Fresno State? After buying a house, having three kids, finding a great church and being surrounded by so many wonderful friends – I think we are going to be here for a while! Matt is in his seventh year of working for Granite Construction. For the last two years he has been driving about 30 minutes into the foothills north of Fresno to complete the sight work for a new high school in Coarsegold. In his down time, Matt enjoys playing basketball on Sunday evenings with friends. He just finished coaching Zachary’s soccer team and will enjoy about a month off before coaching Zachary’s basketball team.

Zachary is really enjoying first grade. He wasn’t too sure about the long 7 hour days in the beginning but his sweet teacher and fun friends help to pass the time. He is a great reader but loves math. His favorite thing to do at recess is play tetherball and at home it is all about Pokemon. Zachary is kind, sensitive and quick to help…..and a teeny bit tempermental (if you want the whole truth!).

Emilie is in her final year of preschool and if allowed, she would run the place! She loves school so much - the singing, drawing, role playing, completing her daily ‘job’ – all of it! At home, Emilie spends time ‘teaching’ her stuffed animals and mothering her baby dolls. Her absolute favorite activity is to play her cds at a very high volume and sing and dance in her room. Emilie is caring, giving and helpful……and a little bit bossy.

Luke is in his first year of preschool and attends three days a week with Emilie. I think he loves his teacher as much as or more than me! He comes home singing the songs he has learned and talking about all of his friends. He loves playing with all of the toys there and eagerly checks to see if he is the Line Leader each day. At home, he is quite speedy on his scooter and is obsessed with all things Diego, Dora, Lightning McQueen and Spiderman. He is getting much better at wearing his glasses and we will find out in the next few weeks if he will have another surgery to correct his strabismus. Luke is funny, silly and affectionate….and can be more than a tiny bit obnoxious.

I am becoming more of a “in-the-car-mom” than a “stay-at-home-mom” just because of the kids’ school schedules. I do have 3 hours, 3 mornings a week that all three kids are in school and I have found plenty to fill up the time! I treasure the time I spend with the Moms In Touch group from Zachary’s school and I am glad to be available to help out in the classroom. But what I really love is cleaning the house in silence! I am the coordinator for the MOPS group at our church for the third year in a row. Spending time with other moms brings so much joy into my life! Dinners out once a month with a group of close friends is something I always look forward to. Matt and I still manage to get out for date nights and it is always a treat to spend time with my man!

As I look around my house, this is not how I envisioned celebrating Advent. It is messy everywhere! The counters are full of groceries needing to be unpacked, the floor is littered with messes to be cleaned up. The Christmas tree is shedding, the candy canes are being eaten off by the day and the ornaments are constantly being rearranged. There is no fire in the fireplace or candles flickering. Four out of the five of us are recovering from the stomach flu. We are running and busy yet we do take time to stop and remember what it is that we are waiting for. We are preparing to celebrate the birth of our Savior! So we pause in the middle of the craziness and savor these words:

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." I John 4:9-10

May you also enjoy the waiting in the middle of the mess! Merry Christmas sweet friends!

Love,
The Hall Family
Come see us at www.thehall-way.blogspot.com

A Quarter to Eight

2009-11-30T20:14:00.000-08:00

7:45am is never a good time at our house. If we were crazy enough to televise our lives, my number one rule (I learned from Kate Gosslin that you can have rules.) would be that the cameras would have to be turned off from 7:45 to 8 0'clock in the morning.....every morning. This is the time of day that I am trying to get myself and three kids out of the house and into the car. I know, two simple steps......sounds so easy.

Today was especially bad and I will get back to it.....but generally, it is just a crazy time. This is what needs to happen during that time: last minute potty trips, jackets on, backpacks in car, lunches in car, kids in car, buckle up three year old, break up a few fights, unbuckle three year old to take off jacket, unlock four year old's seat belt, wait for 6 year old to run back in to go potty......I could go on.

A typical day in the Hall house starts at about 6am. Matt is usually up and getting ready for work by then and I try to get ready before all three kids join us in the bathroom at about 6:45. (From 6:45-7:45 things are relatively calm. We do all the normal stuff: breakfast, get dressed, wash faces, brush teeth, fix hair, make beds, etc.) It is not until 7:45 that everything begins to unravel.

Back to today: Today started at 3 o'clock in the morning. Emilie came into my room and said she was scared. I put her back to bed with a few comforting words. A minute later, I hear her crying. I go in to her room and turn on her lamp. Just as I get back into bed, she is crying again. I go back and am feeling quite annoyed when she tells me that she thinks she might throw up. After hanging out with her in the bathroom for a few minutes with no result, I put her in bed with me and tell Matt to go sleep in her bed. Just as I get set up with a large bowl and a box of baby wipes....the barf fest begins.....and continues every 30 minutes for the next four hours.

I slept in a little this morning and I was just getting out of bed as Luke and Zachary were waking up. This was not good.

Trying to get Luke and Zachary ready for school this morning was tough. I was tired and cranky and trying to comfort Emilie while simultaneously keeping the contents of her stomach contained.

I considered keeping Zachary and Luke home from school for a brief moment. I couldn't figure out how I was going to get everyone from the house to the car to school with my sanity in tact. But then I thought about poor Emilie being harassed all morning by her brothers and I figured it would be worth it to have a few hours without them. If only I could get them to where they needed to be.

7:45 rolls around and this is how it goes: I am helping Luke get dressed while reprimanding Zachary for his rude behavior towards his poor sick sister. I hear Emilie start crying from somewhere in the house. I know this means that she is about to throw up. I try to hurry Luke's legs into the appropriate openings in his pants and I'm yelling, "EMILIE, GO TO THE BATHROOM. THROW UP IN THE TOILET!" I see her run past me and pass the bathroom. Where the heck is she going? I run after her and see her heading towards her 'bowl' on the couch. She doesn't make it. Throw up on the carpet. "WHY DIDN'T YOU GO TO THE BATHROOM?" She wanted her 'bowl.' Wonderful.

As I begin to clean the carpet, I tell Emilie to go get in the shower and Zachary to start gathering supplies to make his lunch. This typically would be a day to buy hot lunch but since the menu said, 'Supervisor's Choice,' I understood why Zachary didn't want to chance it. I hear "Uh-oh!" And go into the kitchen to find the Strawberry Syrup spilled on the kitchen floor. A juice box was more of what I had in mind for lunch but since I had put Zachary in charge, Strawberry Milk was on the menu.

According to the clock, this is the point that we should all be heading to the car......except for there is throw up in the living room, syrup on the kitchen floor, lunch is not made and Emilie is in the shower.

I clean up the messes on the floors as quickly as I can, warm up the car, tell Zachary to get in, buckle Luke in and then go get Emilie. I wrap her dripping wet self up with my bathrobe and buckle her in the car. And we drive Zachary to school. He is 7 minutes late.

PFAPA

2009-11-13T14:14:00.000-08:00

I took Zachary to the Doctor today. He goes to Valley Children's Hospital (Children's Hospital Central California) every 6 months for a check up because 2 years ago he was diagnosed with PFAPA Syndrome. I started noticing right after his 3rd birthday that he was getting a fever every month with no other symptoms (that I could tell) so I started keeping track of them and after a year and a half, he was officially diagnosed by his pediatrician. His pediatrician had only recently heard of this syndrome and referred us to a doctor who specializes in Immunology and Rheumatology.
Dr. Wright (http://www.childrenscentralcal.org/OurDoctors/Pages/dwright.aspx) is quite familiar with PFAPA and has five other patients with this syndrome.

Now that Zachary is in school and sports, I have had to try to explain this 'illness' more and more. I usually tell his teachers/coaches/school nurse that Zachary will seem very tired and complain of being cold. He will either have a fever or one will be coming on when these symptoms occur. His fevers occur about every 8-12 weeks and he is NOT contagious.

Before we found something to relieve his fever and the symptoms that accompany it, the fevers would last 3-5 days. Now that we give him a single dose of Prednisolone, the fever is gone within 2 hours.

Today I spent some time searching the Internet for a good description of PFAPA and the following is what I found:

Periodic fever, Aphthous-stomatitis, Pharyngitis, Adenitis (PFAPA) Syndrome

This syndrome includes recurrent episodes of fever with aphthous-stomatitis (mouth sores), pharyngitis (sore throat with redness and sometimes a throat that has a white covering – exudate - like that seen in a throat with streptococcal infection.

PFAPA affects children in early childhood, usually starting at age two to four years. Episodes usually decrease in frequency and resolve after the age of 10 years. This disease was recognized for the first time in 1987 and was called Marshall’s.

How common is it?
The frequency of PFAPA is not known, but the disease appears to be more common than generally appreciated.

What causes PFAPA?
The answer to this question is not yet known. No gene defect has yet to be found in PFAPA, although in some cases more than one family member has the disease. No infectious cause has been found in PFAPA, thus it is not a contagious disease. It is clear that the inflammatory process is activated during episodes but it is not clear why it is triggered.

What are the main symptoms?
The main symptoms are episodic fevers, accompanied by a sore throat, mouth ulcers, or enlarged cervical lymph nodes (glands in the neck, an important part of the immune system).

The episodes of fever start abruptly and last for three to seven days.

During episodes, the child looks very ill and complains about at least one of the three symptoms mentioned above.

The episodes of fever recur every few weeks and often families know the exact day when an attack will start. On the day the fever starts the child will feel a little ill before the attack and the family knows an attack is about to start.

Not all children have all symptoms, especially mouth sores. Some children have other symptoms like joint pain, abdominal pain, headache, vomiting or diarrhea.

How is PFAPA diagnosed?
There are no laboratory tests, or imaging procedures, specific for diagnosing PFAPA. The disease will be diagnosed based on the results of a physical examination and other symptoms. Inflammatory blood tests like the white blood cell count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and the C-reactive protein are increased during attacks. Before the diagnosis is confirmed, it is important to exclude all other diseases that may present with similar symptoms (especially a streptococcal throat). The dramatic response to treatment (see below) also helps diagnose PFAPA.

How is PFAPA treated?
There is no specific treatment to cure PFAPA. The aim of treatment is to control symptoms during the episodes of fever, to shorten the duration of episodes, and in some children to prevent attacks from occurring.

In most children, the disease will resolve by itself without treatment, usually after the age of 10 years.

The fever does not usually respond well to Tylenol or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

A single dose of steroids (usually prednisone), given when symptoms first appear, has been shown to shorten an episode and sometimes even end the episode. However, the interval between episodes may also be shortened with this treatment, and the next episode may occur earlier than expected.

In some patients using cimetidine (a medicine that is used to treat stomach ulcers) may prevents attacks from occurring. In patients with very frequent attacks, a tonsillectomy (removing the tonsils by surgery) may be considered.

What is the outcome and course of PFAPA?
The disease may last for several years. Over time, the intervals between the episodes will increase and usually after the age of 10 years resolve by itself. Children with PFAPA continue to grow and develop normally.

http://my.clevelandclinic.org/disorders/periodic_fever_syndrome/rheumatology_overview.aspx The Cleveland Clinic © 1995-2009. All Rights Reserved. 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44195 800.223.2273 TTY 216.444.0261

Fear

2009-11-10T19:03:00.000-08:00

I never would have thought of myself as a fearful person. Well of course I am scared of normal things like heights, small spaces, the dark.... But I wouldn't say that I "live in fear." When I think of being fearful, the picture that comes to mind is someone who is shaky, nervous....you know - those people in horror movies.

This morning I attended Bible Study at church. We are studying the book of Esther. Beth Moore is the author of the study and every other week, we watch her teach us on dvd. I always look forward to these days. Today when she shared that the topic was "fear," I thought, "Well, I am just going to tune out a bit since this doesn't really relate to me." If you have ever seen Beth Moore teach, you will know that she is very animated and very intense.....which makes it almost impossible to tune her out.

She shared with us a struggle that God had helped her through over the last year and a half. She said that around the time of her birthday that year, she started to fear that her husband wouldn't find her attractive anymore. She began to fear that he would be attracted to someone else and even worse.....fall in love with that person. She shared with us how painful just thinking about this was and how God worked in her life to bring her through this. (Mind you, her husband gave her no indication that any of this would occur.....but nonetheless, Beth was paralyzed with fear.)

As she shared this story, I immediately recognized my own fear. I realized that I DO live in fear.....on a daily basis.

I am absolutely terrified that some harm will come to my children. Those words don't even come close to describing my feelings. I don't even want to write the words but I will: I live in fear every day that one (or more) of my children WILL DIE.

It is not that I think about this all day long but little thoughts pop into my head a lot!

For instance, I asked my kids to take a dish back to a neighbor who lives across the street. As I stood in the garage and watched the three of them hold hands and cross the street, I thought: What if a car comes speeding down the street and hits them and then THEY DIE?!

Last week I watched a tv show where a young boy died and I thought: What would I do if one of my children had a terminal illness and DIED?!

Often, I pray a quick prayer: God, protect my children. When I pray this, it is for no other reason than the fact that I am feeling afraid.

What would I do if harm did come to my children......if they got sick.....if they were in an accident.....if they died?
That's the point I would stop the thoughts. I would move on to something else. I would push down the fear.

Beth Moore really made me think about my biggest fear.....and how it was affecting me.....in my everyday life.
Here are some of her points that really stuck with me:
*The most frequent command in the Bible: "Do not be afraid....Fear not."
*Nobody is born brave but we can become courageous.
*I am my biggest obstacle.
*God has no intention of leaving me this way.
*Conditional faith: "God is good if He does what I say."
*It's tough being a woman in the tight fist of fear.
*We will not know abundant life if we live in this fear.

Instead of cutting the thoughts off as they enter my head, Beth encouraged me to imagine the worst case scenario:
What if my children died?

I would be beyond sad....full of pain and sorrow. I would scream and cry and feel like the hurt would never stop. I would feel lost and lonely and weak. I would get in bed and want to stay there. I would cry out to God. I would search His Word for comfort. I would recognize that God knows my pain....has experienced it. I would remember that God is faithful and good and loving. And then I would get up. Because my God will take care of me.

I don't mean to make this sound simple. It is so not simple. But with the courage of God's presence, I will choose to be brave.

I will choose faith over fear.

I will choose to live.

to be continued......

excerpts from: Esther: It's Tough Being a Woman by Beth Moore

For Jill

2009-10-01T09:08:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time since I have cried for someone else.....well, until yesterday.

I can remember crying for Zachary when he was a day old and the nurses came into our room every few hours to jab his foot with a needle to draw blood. (The worst part being that they would warm his foot first with a heating pad and then WHAM!) I remember crying for my Granny when the love of her life - my Papa - died. I remember crying on each anniversary of September 11 for all the loved ones left behind.

I cry for myself plenty but how often do I really cry and pray and hurt for someone else?

I reconnected with a friend through Facebook about a year ago. We met on a mission trip when I was 17 years old. We spent the summer in Israel helping with projects at a school there. When we found each other on Facebook, I noticed that her kids were similar ages to mine. As most of you reading this know: when you find a mom whose kids are the sames ages as your own - there is a connection.

So, even though I have not seen my friend in 15 years, I do feel a connection. The summer that we spent together was life-changing for me. And she was a part of it. That, combined with our parallel lives, keeps us connected.

She is in a terrible amount of physical pain. You can read her story at http://www.jillrees.blogspot.com/ . I won't go into detail but because of her pain and weakness she has not been able to be the wife and mommy that she very much wants to. She had brain surgery a few months ago. The doctors thought this would fix the problem. It didn't. She had another surgery last week. It didn't work. The doctors don't know what to do any more. All she can do is lay flat on her back.....in pain. And watch other people take care of her children.

I just ache for her. For a while, I have been avoiding reading her husband's updates on her health. As if not knowing makes it less real. Yesterday, I let myself really FEEL for her. And it brought me to a place I have not been to in a long time. I cried out to God and begged for her healing. I just plain cried. The tears just kept coming.

In the last year, two women (friends of friends) who were my age, who had kids - babies, toddlers and preschoolers - like me - have died. I just cannot even comprehend this. Their kids will now grow up without their mamas. And now my friend is in a place that only God can get her out of.

I know that God is sovereign. I know that He has a reason and purpose for everything. I will never know the mind of God. I will never understand why bad things happen to good people. But I will trust in what I do know.

I know that God is good and loving and all-knowing and that nothing happens without Him allowing it. I know that God knows pain. I know that the troubles that we experience in THIS world do not even compare to the sweet glory that He is preparing for us in Heaven.

I love how The Message paraphrases Matthew 15:

"After Jesus returned, he walked along Lake Galilee and then climbed a mountain and took his place, ready to receive visitors. They came, tons of them, bringing along the paraplegic, the blind, the maimed, the mute - all sorts of people in need - and more or less threw them down at Jesus' feet to see what he would do with them. He healed them. When the people saw the mutes speaking, the blind looking around, they were astonished and let everyone know that God was blazingly alive among them."

I love that! I am so thankful that I serve a God who is still "blazingly alive!" I know that my God heals.

It hurts when we let ourselves really care for other people. To feel another persons pain is painful. But I know that this is what God wants me to do. It is His command.

Jesus said, "Love others as well as you love yourself." (The Message Matthew 22:39)

As I cried for my friend yesterday, I was "loving her as well as I love myself." To look outside myself is something I need to do much more often. A tiny part of me was changed yesterday.

Tips for surviving (and thriving!) in the baby/toddler phase

2009-06-18T10:03:00.000-07:00

Here is a great practical and inspirational post that I came across today.

Click on the link below and ENJOY!

Conversion Diary: Tips for surviving (and thriving!) in the baby/toddler phase - The diary of a former atheist

The Things I Can Accomplish (when someone else cleans my house)

2009-05-29T21:33:00.000-07:00

Because someone else cleaned my house one day last week.....I was able to clean out our "Coat Closet."

In the winter there really are coats that hang on the right side of the closet. In the spring and summer, the coats get moved to their respective homes (ie. Emilie's coat lives in Emilie's closet). In the cold and rainy months (when we are reaching for coats, sweatshirts and umbrellas repeatedly) it seems silly to continually put them away in four different bedrooms.

Anyway, this is one of two closets in our home that is not in a bedroom. The other closet is called the "Linen Closet." But it actually stores our toiletries, first aid, medicine, and cleaning supplies....as well as our linens. These two closets must store everything that does not belong (or will not fit) in a bedroom closet. Stuff is constantly getting shoved in them.....especially when people are coming over! So, I try to clean them out a few times a year.

The picture above is what our "Coat Closet" looks like after I have taken an hour to organize it. It should probably be called the "Game Closet" or the "Gift Wrap Supply Closet" or the "Kids' Stuff That Makes a Big Mess Closet."

But I digress.

I have been wanting to clean out this closet for at least 6 months. I never wanted to begin that project when there were other more pressing things to do. By "more pressing," I mean the things that can be seen when I open my front door. There is always the kitchen to clean or the living room to tidy up.

But when someone else cleans your house, number one: you are not too tired to take on a project and number two: your entire house is clean all at once so you are able to focus on a potentially messy and time consuming project.

This closet may not look like much to you but for the last two days (whenever I need a pick-me-up), I open the door and peek inside.

It is something that I have cleaned and organized that will stay that way for at least a few weeks....unlike every other area in my house.

I wish I had taken a "Before" picture so you could see the difference but I did not think of that until I sat down to write this post.

Oh! A little bonus to cleaning out this closet is that I found my son's 200 page Kindergarten Homework Book that is due on Monday. It had been missing for a week. He would have been devestated to miss out on the "prize" for completing his book.

He has two days to complete 40 pages.....oops, maybe I should have avoided that closet for another few weeks. I have a feeling it is going to be a loooong weekend!

Shhhh.....

2009-05-14T13:56:00.000-07:00

Shhhh....
Isn't that what you think of when you go to the library? Apparently someone forgot to tell my children.

I thought that I would be a nice mommy and take my children to the library yesterday. Now I remember why we have not been there since last September.....what an absolute nightmare!
So, we had the "talk" in the car on the way to the library:
"We have to be quiet in the library. You can look at books, you can pick some books to check out, you can sit at a table with your books but you CANNOT yell, scream, run, hit, or throw books on the floor."

Well, it seems that my children got the speech all backwards. Everything I said that was a "can't" or a "don't" they thought was a "can" and a "do."

As we entered the Children's Room at the library, we were met by a large dog. Yes, you got that right, a dog! Well, he was on a leash that a nice elderly lady was holding. Two out of my three children are terrified of dogs. As the lady was explaining to us, "This doggie is very nice. She is a therapy dog," I had my 4 year old daughter climbing up my leg and my 2 year old backing into me screaming, "EWWWWW, EWWWWW doggie." And I DO mean SCREAMING! I don't really know why he was saying, "Ewww," as opposed to just crying but he was.....and he was LOUD.....and it was embarrassing.

If only I had known that this was only the beginning. We should have gracefully (yeah right) made our exit right then.

Luke's eyes lit up when he saw the book shelves. Actually, it was not the books that excited him; it was the aisles between the book shelves. Those wide open spaces just looked perfect for running.

Zachary was off to look for a book on reptiles.

Emilie asked me to ask the librarian to help her find a book on princesses. As the librarian tried to help us (to no avail), Luke decided to run around and knock books onto the ground. I was trying not to be rude to the librarian but I kept trying to get away so that I could catch Luke but she just kept talking and talking about how she "just could not believe that there was not one book about a princess in the library." Yeah, yeah we gotta go!

I hear another librarian say sweetly, "There is no running in the library." As Luke goes streaking by. I really wanted to defend myself and say, "You know what? I already told him that and I would really like to spank him because he disobeyed but I am afraid that you will call the police. And that is why I am talking in my fake nice voice to my child and glaring at him....it is so that he and I can go home together where I can discipline in private."

Then Emilie says that she has to go to the bathroom so I grab Luke and take him with us and tell Zachary that he can look at his books.

As Emilie is going potty, I give Luke a lecture. "Luke, you need to stay next to mommy. You cannot run around. You cannot pull books off of the shelves. STAY RIGHT NEXT TO ME!"
He sweetly says, "Ok mommy, I stay next to you."

As I turn around to help Emilie, he grabs the handle on the bathroom door and starts yelling VERY LOUDLY and jiggling it around. He must have unlocked it because a lady pulled the door open and was ready to save this child in distress. She was surprised to find me standing there with my two children. She apologized for walking in but I am sure she was thinking, "That lady needs to control that kid!"

When I left Zachary, he had found 2 books about snakes so I told the kids that it was time to go look for a book for mommy. Emilie had about 8 books so we had about all we could carry. (A good mommy would have brought her "Library Bag." Whatever.) Zachary declares that he is "done" with his books and now wants to put them back and pick out some others. Through clenched teeth, I help him pick out 2 books about Sharks. Let's go!

As we walk out of the Children's Room and enter the main library, Zachary decides to become a spy. He weaves through the book shelves and jumps from one aisle to the next, always keeping an eye on me but I could not see him. So I am hissing, "Zachary, come here. I want you to be right next to me." He would jump out for a moment just so I could see where he was but then he was off again. Ok people, this is my (almost) six year old! I could not believe how horribly he was behaving.

Well, Luke thought this was awesome. He decided to run after Zachary and try to find him. When I caught up to him, I grabbed his hand and said, "Luke, you need to hold mommy's hand." He said, "Noooooo." And tried to wriggle away from me. So I had to use the "death grip" and try to hold his hand without crushing it. That was when he began to sob.

Ok, forget mommy's book. Let's find Zachary and get out of here. We go to the self check-out. I scan my library card. WHAT?! I owe $21.75 in late fees! Aughrrr!

So we have to go to the Accounts Counter to pay our bill before we check out. Luke decides to crawl around on the floor and yell, "wah, wah," pretending that he is a baby. I tell him to get up and stand next to me and he does NOT so I quietly "discipline" him. He yells, "Owww, don't pinch me, mommy." And starts to cry.

The man who is taking my check says, "You've got your hands full." Oh, how I just love it when people say that. REALLY? YOU THINK SO???

I was trying to think of an appropriate punishment for Zachary's bad behavior. I considered not letting him check out his two books. But then I felt guilty because I knew that we would not be coming back to the library for a VERY LONG TIME.....like, years. So, I settled on letting him check the books out but he was not allowed to have them until tomorrow. Yeah, I know.....I am a weanie.

I do have to say that Emilie was very well behaved. That girl does have her moments but thankfully, she made some good choices while we were at the library. If she had joined her brothers on their "Team Obnoxious," I probably would have had to call CPS on myself.

So, we finally made it to the car where I told Zachary how disappointed I was in his behavior (all the while, Emilie chiming in "Mommy, I was good, wasn't I? I stayed right with you, didn't I? I listened to you, right mommy?"). Next, I gave Luke a 2 year old version of the same speech.

Going to the library is a bit like childbirth for me. It is excruciatingly painful at the time but then as time passes, I forget the pain and do it all over again. I vow to remember. No thank you on both accounts: library visits and childbirth.

Let's Get Real

2009-04-07T20:13:00.001-07:00

This is the home of a self-professed clean-freak:

What you don't see: pee in the potty seat.

This is what my kitchen counter looks like....on a regular basis.

My desk is cluttered with all of the things I am intending to work on.

I am so tired of cleaning up messes! One of the hardest things about being a stay-at-home mom is going to bed at night without a sense of accomplishment. It seems like one hundred percent of what I do each day is undone within minutes.

Make breakfast, clean up. Make snack, clean up. Make lunch, clean up. Make another snack, clean up. Make dinner, clean up.

Take off diaper, put underwear on, clean up poopy underwear and poopy bottom. Forget to put on new underwear, clean up poop off of the floor and poopy bottom. Try again with a clean pair of underwear......or give up and put a diaper on. (I am referring to my 2 year old.....in case there is some confusion.)

Wash clothes, fold clothes, put away clothes. Repeat 100 million times.

Pick up toys, put away toys. Tell kids to "go play with your toys," then....pick up toys, put away toys.

Right now it is 8 o'clock on a Tuesday evening. My house is a mess. I did clean up (many times) today....but I have not done "the final cleaning" and I DON'T WANT TO! But I know that I will pay for it in the morning. The only thing worse than going to bed with a messy house is waking up to a messy house.

As I sit here writing, my husband says, "Don't you have other things you should be doing?" He is right. And I say so. "Yes, there are ALWAYS other things I should be doing." Which is why I have not written a post on this blog in 6 weeks!

A few months ago, I spoke to our MOPS group about keeping a clean and organized home. I have thought about that many times as I have looked around my messy house. I think, "If they could see my house now!" So, girls.....here is your chance.

I will try to rest in the fact that it will be clean again.....probably, even tomorrow.

Although, it seems like a daunting task at this time of night.

I am comforted by the fact that many of you are right there with me. We are cleaning and breaking up fights and wiping bottoms and putting away loads of laundry and praying for patience.....together.

Typical....

2009-02-26T10:29:00.000-08:00

I decided when I woke up this morning that I am not going to the gym today and I am not going to feel guilty about it.

My plan was to take Zachary to kindergarten and then come home with Emilie and Luke to work around the house. My two lofty goals were to complete (wash, dry, fold and put away) two loads of laundry and vacuum the entire house.

It is my belief that children (at least, my children) were put here to thwart my plans.

The second we walk in the door, Emilie wants to change her clothes. She takes off her warm leggings and long-sleeved shirt in favor of a sheer, pink ballet skirt thingie and a tiny white camisole.

I can't stand when she does this because she has to change back into normal clothes when it is time to go get Zachary.....which is only a few short hours away.

I plug in the vacuum. She comes to get me, "Mom, my door is locked." Yep, it sure is. I get the screw driver out of the garage to take the door knob off. I am mad. This is not on my to-do list. The door knob won't come off.....it is hanging by the screws. My friend calls and advises me to use a paper clip to unlock the door. It doesn't work. My sister calls and says to use a bobby pin. It doesn't work. I call Matt for advice. I hear him answer his phone - meaning, I hear people talking in the background. Then I hear, "click" and then silence. Ok, I guess he will be of no help to me.

I decide to give up and worry about it later. Back to vacuuming.

The noise scares Luke (or so I think) and he hides under the kitchen table. Moments later, I think, "What stinks?" It is then I notice Luke pulling his pants and underwear off. "I go poop," he tells me. Great....

I take him to his little potty where he finishes the job and then clean him up.

I walk in the direction of the vacuum cleaner....."Mom....." WHAT????? Now, they are hungry. Can they have gum? No. A mint? No. Milk? Yes.

I go out to the garage to put one load of laundry in the dryer. My plans to start the 'darks' are interrupted by the clothes that Luke was wearing when he had his accident. I decide to wash those separtely before I start what was intended to be my 'second load.'

As I go back to the living room to finish vacuuming, Matt calls. I tell him the problem. He tries to help me over the phone - to no avail. He is shocked when I scream at Emilie and Luke "Shush! Be quiet! Just get out of here!" He laughingly tells his coworker that his wife is screaming at the kids. Oh yes, isn't it funny when you are not the one dealing with them.....

He gives up on me and tells me to just "dress Emilie in Zachary's clothes." What about nap time? What about time outs? What about "just go play in your room!" I need her door OPEN! I need her room to be AVAILABLE.

I figure out that if I take Zachary's door knob off, I can use it to open Emilie's door (yes, I did mangage to get her door knob off - but still could not get the door to open). So, now I have screws and door knobs scattered about and Luke thinks he is Handy Manny and wants to play with everything.

I open Emilie's door. I put Zachary's door knob back on. But now I cannot get Emilie's door knob to line up correctly to put the screws back in. Forget it! I gather the screws and knobs and put everything on the kitchen counter for Matt to deal with tonight.

I realize that if anyone shuts Emilie's door, I will have to take Zachary's door knob off again in order to open it. I instruct Luke and Emilie not to shut the door. Yeah, right. I am counting the minutes until I will be kneeling in front of her door to remedy the problem.....again.

The laundry is not done. It sits wrinkled in the dryer. The house is not vacuumed....except for about one-fourth of the living room.

It is time to go get Zachary.

Typical.

Down....but not out!

2009-02-08T19:33:00.000-08:00

Somehow, I managed to hurt my back. It has been about a week now. The pain started in my right wrist, moved up my arm to my neck, down my back and has decided to make its home under my right shoulder blade.

My friend, who is a Physical Therapist, had a look at it four days ago. I happened to be at his house because his wife and I were hosting a dessert for the MOPS leadership at our church. I weaseled my way into a personal training session before I left their house.

The problem with Physical Therapists is that they don't give a lot of sympathy. But they do like to give homework.

I am supposed to ice my back a few times a day. I am also supposed to lay on a rolled up towel (because a don't have a 'ball') and do a few stretching exercises throughout the day. I was excited to hear that I should not exercise in a way that would strain my back.....but then he told me that working out on the treadmill was fine. Bummer!

He thinks I have a Damaged Nerve Root. Of course, I Googled this.....and I must say, this diagnosis sounds right on.

Every time I lay on the floor to do my "homework," Luke thinks it is time to jump on my knees to play "Flying Superman." Zachary and Emilie also seem to want to climb all over me. It is not often that my children see me on the floor (unless I am trying to get to some discarded food item under the kitchen table).

Writing this post has seemed to intensify my back pain. To describe the pain, all that comes to mind is that someone jabbed me in the shoulder blade with a screw driver. And then left it there.

So.....I will stop writing now.

p.s. I also have a cold (as do my three children and husband)......feel sorry for me.....please!

Thursday Night

2009-01-29T18:42:00.000-08:00

It is 6:40 pm on a Thursday night. We had a delicious dinner (made by someone else).

The house is clean - or at least, "picked up."

All 3 kids have been bathed and have their pajamas on.

Zachary is reading to Matt.

Emilie and Luke are enjoying a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios.

I have my pajamas on, my teeth are brushed and my face is washed.

The kids will all be in bed in the next 45 minutes.

After that, it will be time to catch up on some tivoed shows (American Idol) before The Office starts. (I love having a show that Matt and I both enjoy watching together - they are few and far between.)

Matt and I will most likely be in bed by 10 o'clock - where we will hopefully enjoy 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. (I just knocked on wood.)

Nights like this are the best!

Calling All Moms!

2009-01-14T06:41:00.000-08:00

If you are a mom to little ones, I have something for you to read. If you have ever felt down or discouraged or depressed about your role as a mother (and all that one little title entails): READ THIS!

One of my favorite blogs to read is called "Preschoolers and Peace." It is written by a mom of 8 children so she is full of wisdom and experience. She is also real.

I found so much encouragement and hope in her post yesterday (and also in all of the comments that followed it).

Do yourself a favor, take a few minutes to read it.

Sometimes when I am feeling overwhelmed by the task of mothering, I just want a friend to commiserate with me. This is NOT that kind of post. This is for those of us who are looking for real HELP and ANSWERS.

I hope it touches you, like it did me.

It is entitled, "Can We Really Discover Joy in the Journey?"

http://www.preschoolersandpeace.com/

Money Matters

2009-01-03T10:55:00.000-08:00

Every January, my hubby and I sit down and write out a budget. It all looks so nice and neat on paper! Matt sets up Excel spread sheets and tries (unsuccessfully) to explain how to transfer information from our bank account onto these forms so that we can track our spending.

There are two main problems here:

1. Neither of us has the time or energy to keep up with this on a day to day basis. We get so behind that it takes hours to catch up.

2. I honestly don't understand how to work the program. I have told you all before: I am computer illiterate!

So basically, by the time we enter all the data, the month has ended. We see were all of our money went but we were not tracking it all along.

I am an organized person. I like to have order in my life. This is one area of my life that is messy and confusing. And it drives me crazy!

I think I may have found a solution..... www.mint.com I read about it in a magazine and decided to try it out this morning. It only took about 5 minutes to set up my account. It is free. And it tracks our spending and puts it in easy to read graphs! It does all sorts of other neat stuff too (like reminded me that I need to make a payment on my credit card in 7 days).

When I am excited about something....I just have to share. Try it out and let me know what you think.

NOTE: Once again, I am endorsing a product yet not getting paid for it! Maybe, they'll track me down and thank me later.

All I Want for Christmas is You

2008-12-18T12:22:00.000-08:00

I apologize for not writing more this month. I really do have a lot to say......but I am too tired and too busy to say it!

Take a minute and enjoy a great video. (My friend and fellow blogger, Teri, shared this on her blog.)

(click below on the green words)

YouTube - All I Want for Christmas is You: "All I Want for Christmas is You"

Merry Christmas everyone!
Love, Heather

Tagged

2008-12-01T13:22:00.000-08:00

Teri tagged me so I am now faced with the task of listing 6 things that make me really happy. I have NEVER done one of these "erase my answers and fill in yours and pass it on" emails. Mostly because I hate how they always end with the line, "Pass this on and something good will happen to you today" or "If you are really my friend, fill this out, send it back to me and we will be BFF's." No thank you.

Another reason I don't do these "questionnaires" is because I am computer illiterate. I don't know how to cut, paste, and delete. I usually get stuck after the "cutting" part.

One more reason I avoid these like the plague is that there are usually about 504 questions to fill out. And who the heck has time for that?

But because Teri and I have a picture of ourselves with our shirts up and our bare prego bellies sticking out - I do feel some obligation to her. I DO NOT want that picture getting out!

Another reason to make my list is because there is only ONE question.....although, there are 6 answers.....so here it goes:

6 Things That Make Me Really Happy
1. Hanging out with my girlfriends at the gym, Starbucks, out to dinner.....where ever.
2. Going on dates with Matt.....especially when we laugh a lot.
3. A clean house.....not just "picked up" but DEEP CLEANED.
4. Being the coordinator for MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) at my church.
5. Pretty things: grassy hills, blue skies, fluffy white clouds.....
6. Laughing with my kids......there is just something about sharing a joke with someone who grew inside of you!

Tag, You're It!
1. Mom
2. Allie
3. Brandy
4. Matt
5. Kristal
6. Carol

These are the only people I know who read this blog and therefore will see this and know that they are tagged!

Please don't feel any obligation to "keep this going" (I hate being made to feel guilty about "breaking the chain"). Just do it if you want to! The one exception here is my husband. One reason being: because I want to see if he is really reading this and two, because I am curious to see what his answers will be.

I would like to take a moment to apologize to all of you who did not "receive a recipe" or a "dish towel" or "a book" or some "new underwear" because I "broke the chain". I hope you can forgive me.....I just hate these things!

Tag, You're It!

Going Home

2008-11-29T20:00:00.000-08:00

I am 32 years old and "going home" still means going to the home that I grew up in. I keep trying to change my thinking.....to grow up and recognize that I have a home with my husband and three children. Yes, I guess I do have two homes. But only one of them makes me feel giddy and weepy when we are within 30 miles of the place. My parents still live in the house that we moved to when I was 5 and my sister was 3. Many of my childhood friends' parents still live in the neighborhood. Some of my friends have even moved back. It is easy to see why..... Growing up in Bishop Estates (don't let the name fool you....the house I grew up in was 1780 square feet) made for a wonderful childhood. Bishop Estates is a true neighborhood. Everybody knows everybody. All the kids walked to school together, rode bikes together, participated in the 4th of July parades together and were teammates together on the neighborhood swim team. It was fun and safe and community......and I thought that one day I would be there, too.

But I am not. I am living a great and blessed life.....3 hours from my home town. So, when I get to go home - it is a thrill for me.

My husband has not come right out and said that I am a wacko but I am pretty sure he thinks it when we travel back there. The closer we get, the more "oohing and ahhing" he has to put up with. I think it is beautiful there. The hills and the blue sky and the trees and.....I don't even know what.....just everything....the familiarity of all of it.....that is what is beautiful to me. What my husband comments on is: the traffic. He can't stand it and he loves to complain about it but I try to ignore him and remember that "every party has a pooper...."

The actual house I grew up in looks nothing like it did when I was a child. Well, the outside looks the same, except for the new paint color. (I guess grey and white is more popular these days than yellow and brown.) There is new carpet, new tile, new hardwood, a family room addition downstairs, a master bedroom addition upstairs, all new paint, new windows, new EVERYTHING in the kitchen. All of the rooms have been changed around: the old family room is now an office. My bedroom is now a home gym. The laundry room is now a pantry. The sewing room is now an upstairs laundry room. The old master bedroom is now set up as a nursery for the grandkids. There is a beautiful pool in what was once a cement and grass playground in the backyard.

All of these changes and still, I feel complete and utter peace the second I step through the front door. I am HOME. This is the place that my mom waited for me everyday after school. Always with a snack. Many times warm from the oven. This is the place we ate dinner together every night at six o'clock. The table that we lingered over, long after our meal was finished, is still there. This is the place that my parents kissed every morning before my dad left for work and again each evening when he returned home. This is the place that all of my friends wanted to hang out. This is where my high school boyfriend, now husband, kissed me for the first time.

This is the place that I slammed doors and called names and had temper tantrums in.

This is the place I love.

When it is time to leave, I also look forward to coming to the home I now share with my husband and three children. I am happy to unpack and get organized and prepare for the week ahead. I love getting back into our routine. Right now, the laundry is done, everyone is unpacked (that is a lie....my husband has not touched his bag), the kids all had baths and are snug in their beds. I love this home, too.

Christmas is 4 weeks away. We will be preparing and packing and shopping and wrapping and driving - probably in traffic - and I can't wait......I am going home!

Huh?

2008-11-24T22:02:00.000-08:00

OBEDIENCE. I am a little confused so I thought I would work through it on this blog....this public blog.....this blog that is read by my family and friends. This may be a very bad idea but here I go.....

So, I would like to live in a harmonious home. I believe that to have harmony, there must be order. The way that our home is set up is that Matt and I work together to raise our children to be good, caring, kind people who love Jesus and love others. To do this, we must teach them, right? It does not come natural to think of others before yourself or to deny your own desires so that a greater purpose can be fulfilled.

I think that ultimately I would like my children to serve others in their communities and around the world. I would also like them to respect people with whom they disagree. I would like them to take time out of their busy schedule to notice and care for other people.....basically, to take their eyes off of themselves and focus on the world around them.

It is my hope that they are on a journey to this "destination." I think that if they are practicing caring, kindness, respectfulness and obedience right now -when they are young- they will be on the right path. How do they learn this stuff? This is where I am a little bit stuck.

I know that it is my and Matt's job to teach them. But how do we do that? We do not think it is ok for our kids to talk rudely - whether that be to us, to their siblings or to a stranger. When they do speak rudely, we think that the right thing to do is to discipline them. To correct them and teach them the right way....the right words. (There are times we completely "miss the boat" here and we don't do what we know is right.....basically, because we don't want to interrupt what we are doing----but this is not what we desire to do.)

Talking rudely is just an example. There are a lot of "naughty" behaviors going on around here. There is lying, disobeying and laziness to name a few. I know that Matt and I are not perfect. We don't claim to be. But is is our job to teach our children to do right.....right? When my child tells me that he took his medicine, but secretly washes it down the bathroom drain.....should I say, "That's ok because Mommy has lied before, too."??? Or should I discipline for that behavior? Do I chalk it up to "childish antics" or do I "nip it in the bud" and do my best to see that the behavior does not repeat itself?

When I call my children and they do not come or when my two year old repeatedly pulls away from me when I am holding his hand, is this behavior acceptable because "they are just kids"?

I really do not think it is ok. If I have told my children my expectations, I believe that their job is to do what they have been told.

I am NOT trying to offend anyone here. I really am struggling with these thoughts and I am trying to work through them. How do I teach my children? What do I require of them? What is "kids being kids" and what is "willful disobedience"?

When my children know what is right (speaking with kindness, obeying the first time, being considerate of people and things....I could go on...), and then choose to DO what is right - they will see what a fun and happy and harmonious home we live in. When my children know what is right, yet CHOOSE to do wrong - there will be consequences. Matt and I don't want to be mean to our children. We want to teach them to DO what they KNOW. We want them to feel wanted and loved NO MATTER WHAT THEY DO.....but we want them to see how much better life and home and family can be, when they CHOOSE RIGHT.

Am I on the right track here? Should life not be altered by their behavior. Should we just "let them be kids" and go on with our normal routines?

I get that Jesus accepts us as filthy ragamuffins. I get that He loves us no matter what. I understand that it is only by His grace that I will spend eternity with Him. I also know that He loves me so much that He desires me to change.....to do what I know is good and right. It is through His acceptance and love and grace AND His discipline that I am being changed and molded and shaped into the woman that He has created me to be. When I do what I know to be wrong (disobey), there are often consequences, right? If there were none, would I want to change? I don't know.

Are God's standards too high? Well, without Jesus, yes. In His mercy He threw out a lifeline to us.

Are my standards too high for my children? I don't believe they are. But, like I said, I am working through all of this. Am I ruining their childhood by expecting them to listen and obey the first time they are asked to do something? I believe in discipline. I believe in teaching. I believe in mercy. I believe in grace.

NOTE: To any of you who have seen and heard me parent my children, you know that I do not live up to my own expectations. Many times, I do not drop what I am doing to teach or correct or discipline my children. But is it wrong to think that I should? Don't get me wrong....I am not trying to beat myself or any other moms up over this..... Once again, I will repeat: I am just trying to work through all of this...... Thanks for listening!

Kick in the Booty

2008-11-23T07:40:00.000-08:00

I have been tired lately. Physically tired and mentally tired. It is hard work to teach kids to listen and obey the first time. It takes energy and persistence....both of which I seem to lack at any given moment. There are many times where I don't feel like doing what I know that I am supposed to do. Well, God must have seen my weariness and in His amazing grace, He threw me a lifeline. My mentor and friend writes an amazing parenting blog. Yesterday, God used her experience and wisdom to kick me in the booty. Here it is: http://www.mommymap.blogspot.com/ What do you think?

p.s. My friend did send me an email after writing her post to let me know that I was not the mom she was speaking of. I was happy to hear that. But seriously, it could have been me. Who am I kidding.....it is me. (She was just kind enough to pick on someone else for this particular post.)

I'm Back....

2008-11-13T09:15:00.000-08:00

Our computer "broke" again.....I know that there is a much more descriptive and technical term I should probably use but all I know is that for an entire week I did not have access to the Internet. I felt a little lost. I did not realize the habit that I have created using the World Wide Web. Whenever I have a spare moment and there are no kids crawling up my legs, I sit down and do the following: 1) Click on Google and check my email account (this is the address that I give out to my friends) 2) Next, I go to Netzero to check all my other emails (this is the address I give to all the stores who ask for my email address and also to my mom and my mother-in-law who like to send me emails that have been forwarded around the world and back. 3) Then, I log on to Facebook to see what all my buddies are up to (you know, the important stuff like what they ate for breakfast or who has sick kids that day) 4) Last, if I have time (and at least once a day, I make the time) to check my favorite blogs (check my Blog List on the right).

This process can take less than five minutes OR it can take a lot more than that if I....respond to some emails, forward a few 'forwards', write a 'status update' for myself on Facebook, comment on my friends' 'status updates', write on a few 'walls', and if my favorite blogs have new posts - I read those, too.

It was a little bit freeing knowing that I could not do those time-consuming activities even if I wanted to. Not that I did anything fantastic like write a novel.....but I did catch up on flipping through the hundreds of catalogues and magazines that have been piling up. I also relaxed on the couch while my hubby watched t.v. ---which is where I caught up on all those periodicals while he was glued to the History Channel. And I must confess, my house did seem to be a bit more clean and organized. (NOTE: Readers of this blog - specifically, my husband - may not use this information AGAINST me in any way, shape, or form.)

So, I now know that I can live without a computer....for five days. Well, that is actually a lie. I had to use two of my friends' computers during that time. One time to pay bills and the other time to respond to emails I had received.

If you know me, you know that I am very much a "people person." I enjoy my friends....I like talking with them, listening to them, helping them, being with them. I am sure that many people could turn this into a downfall or flaw of mine but I am not going to go there today. I am going to let myself find pleasure in friendship....I am going to indulge myself in people....I am going to enjoy staying connected.....whether that means meeting for coffee, going to the gym together, talking on the phone.....or even through the Internet - I'll take what I can get!

Halloween and the Stomach Flu

2008-11-01T09:05:00.001-07:00

Zachary dressed as an "Army Man." He is even wearing Matt's beret from 10 years ago when Matt was a Sergeant in the Army!

Emilie as "Snow White." She was very excited about her red sparkly shoes!

Luke as a "spider." Most people thought he was either a turtle or a pumpkin??!

It is becoming a tradition to drive over to the Wilkinson's to show off costumes before we go back to our neighborhood to Trick-or-Treat.

I was so happy that the flu bug left our house just in time for Halloween! Here is the latest on the flu:
MONDAY: Luke starts throwing up
TUESDAY: Luke continues
WEDNESDAY: Emilie's turn
THURSDAY: Emilie continues and Matt begins and late that night Zachary joins in!
FRIDAY: Everyone is well!!!! (Zachary had the shortest flu ever - 5 hours!)

Friday morning, I Googled "Stomach Flu & Contagious" and I learned that a person is contagious from the time he starts vomiting (and depending on the type of flu) up until 3 days after and even up to 2 weeks later! And then the article added, "and in children, they may be contagious even longer than that." Well, I don't think I can keep my family locked up in our house for 2 weeks but I thought it would be best to stay away from our friends at school and church.....if I don't know you.....you are probably not safe! Since we would not be touching or spending a continuous amount of time with our neighbors, I thought it would be ok for the kids to hold out their Trick-or Treat buckets and let our neighbors drop a piece of candy in.....I promise, there was no hand-to-hand contact!

I kept Emilie out of school because we didn't want to spread any germs and she was sad about missing out. Zachary did not have school because of Parent/Teacher Conferences (as a former teacher I say, "Great idea!") and he was sad about missing out on Emilie's party, too. We were all bummed about not being able to go to church to see our friends and join in the fun there. But, once again, we did not want to get blamed if anyone started throwing up! So, by Friday evening, everyone was feeling great and anxious to begin celebrating.

After a quick trip to the Wilkinson's (they have all already had the stomach flu!), we came back home to find Nana and Papa had arrived. The kids were so excited to have them here to celebrate Halloween with us. After we went around 3 courts, we came home to pass out candy. I think the kids liked this part just as much as they liked Trick-or-Treating!

We have so much candy left over....it is ridiculous! What does everyone do with all their left-overs? What about all the candy your kids collected? Do you let them eat as much as they want in one weekend and then throw it out? Or do you give them a piece after dinner every night for the next year? I am already tired of my kids asking for it....and it is 9 o'clock in the morning! I did hear of a dentist here in town that will pay you by the pound for your candy.....I guess he is hoping to save some teeth from cavities. Which is pretty nice of him considering all the money he would make off those fillings!

Happy Halloween! And good-bye flu bug.....fly, fly away!

I Love This Picture!

2008-10-30T21:04:00.000-07:00

A Bug in our House

2008-10-29T22:04:00.000-07:00

We have a bug in our house. That sounds so much nicer than saying, "We have the stomach flu in our house." Exactly 48 hours after Luke started puking, Emilie joined in. She seems to have a much "bigger" bug. She has thrown up about 10 times in the last 5 hours. Luke only threw up 5 times in 36 hours. I hope hers ends quickly, like Luke's did. I also hope that Zachary does not follow suit. If Zachary starts throwing up 48 hours after Emilie, it will be 5 o'clock in the evening on Halloween. He will be so sad to miss all the fun!

I have not really felt too sorry for myself, surprisingly. Usually, I would be using the sickness of my children as an excuse to wallow in self-pity. The reason that I am not sinking into a depression is because of my awesome friends and my sweet husband. The first day Luke was sick, my friend Laura came to my house and picked Emilie up to go play with her daughter. I am not that nice of a friend. I would not let siblings of sick children into my home to spread their yucky germs. Laura says it is because she thinks her kids already had this virus. But I know her better than that....she is just that kind of friend....amazing.

This morning, when Luke was still sleeping and I was supposed to be taking Zachary and Emilie to school, I was able to call two moms to help me out. One came and picked up Zachary to take him to school and then after school took him with her and her son (Zachary's friend, Wyatt) to run errands and then brought him home. The other mom picked Emilie up for school and then brought her home afterwards. Amazing.

So many of my friends have been sending me sweet messages through Facebook. It is so nice to have a connection to other moms when I am trapped at home with sick, tired, and cranky kids. I know it only takes a minute to leave a sympathetic message but I have really been encouraged by all of their kind words. Amazing.

Matt agreed to be "on duty" tonight. He is sleeping on Emilie's trundle bed so that he can "hold the bowl for her." That is a good dad right there! Amazing.

Lots of Pictures

2008-10-28T01:19:00.000-07:00

Since I am up with a sick baby, I thought I would post some pictures of the kids. I have been meaning to do this for a while so you will see that I had quite a bit of catching up to do! My friend, Laura, is so good at giving updates about her kids while I selfishly use my blog to ramble on and on about myself!

Zachary's Kindergarten Class on a Field Trip to the Pumpkin Patch

Zachary is the one with his socks pulled up!

This is Zachary with his best buddy, Wyatt.

Jog-a-Thon at Nelson Elementary

Zachary ran 4 (big!) laps and got an otter pop and a medal to show for it!

While I ran with Zachary, Luke knocked down cones!

Being Silly

Zachary and Emilie wore red for "Team Color Night" at AWANA.

Zachary's 1st Soccer Game

Luke thought he was on the team!

Zachary is having a great time playing soccer....especially since his dad is the coach!

Playing Wii

Luke "thinks" he's playing, too.

Hang'in Out

This is what Luke and Emmy do while Zachary is at kindergarten and mom folds laundry.

Mother's Intuition

2008-10-27T21:36:00.000-07:00

This afternoon when Luke woke up from his nap, he was crying his eyes out. He just wanted to lay his head down on my shoulder and hang out with me.....this is when I knew something was wrong. Luke does not like to sit still. So I decided to call the doctor. What was the reason I wanted to bring him in, they wanted to know. I don't know.....he's cranky? I am sure they thought I was nuts but sometimes a mom just needs some validation (I really wanted to hear someone say, "No, you're not crazy....there is definitely something wrong with this kid.")

After waiting 50 minutes to see the doctor(!), he let me know that there was nothing wrong with my son. His ear tubes looked good - no ear infection. His throat looked fine. His breathing sounded ok - no wheezing. No rashes. He did seem a bit concerned about Luke screaming his head off throughout the entire appointment but I didn't feel like explaining that he was probably crying because he was trapped inside this tiny exam room for almost an entire hour before the doctor made an appearance!

As we drove to pick up Zachary and Emilie at a friend's house, Luke was quiet in the backseat and he looked worn out. All of a sudden he started making this coughing/gagging/crying sound. After having three kids and going through one or two rounds of the stomach flu each year, I knew what was coming. I took him out of the car and let him stand next to me for a few minutes while I tried to steer him away from my shoes. Well, after about 3 minutes, he seemed to calm down and nothing came of it.

I put the kids in the car and since it was 5 o'clock, I decided to scrap my idea of barbecuing tri-tip and baking potatoes. We drove to pick up a $5 pepperoni pizza. Just as I pulled out of the parking lot with the pizza next to me, Luke started coughing/crying/gagging. As I looked in my review mirror, he began to projectile vomit. (I know....too much information!) How many times have my kids barfed in their carseats? Hmmmm, I think I have actually lost count. They must know that a carseat is so much more time consuming to clean than let's say....the tile floor in the bathroom.

Anyway, after the first incident (luckily, we were stopped at a light), I grabbed my daughter's baby doll carrier that she just borrowed from a friend (sorry, friend!). I ripped off the Winnie the Pooh cover so that only the plastic base remained. I shoved it under Luke's chin and it actually caught the next round of yuck! Seriously, it held probably one cup of regurgitated Ritz crackers, peanut butter and quesadilla! (I know....this is WAY TOO MUCH INFORMATION!)

All of you moms out there know what comes next.....get home, wash sick child in the bath, put on fresh diaper and clothes, and put child on a towel in front of the tv while mom gets to work cleaning the car and car seat. I armed myself with washcloths, soapy water, vinegar, the shop vac, gloves, and plastic bags for trash. I scrubbed my heart out for about 45 minutes and on the advice of a friend, I ended up removing the carseat cover and throwing it in the washing machine. (Yes, I do know that you are NOT supposed to do that.)

Luke seemed completely fine after that one incident. He wanted to eat and no longer seemed sick. He was more than ready to jump in his crib at 7 o'clock this evening.

All this to say....I KNEW IT. I KNEW IT. I WAS RIGHT. MY BABY IS SICK. I AM NOT CRAZY. So far, I have refrained from calling the pediatrician to inform him of my Super Mom Status.

Update: At 10 pm this evening, I was back to work cleaning up yuck. I have to give my husband credit here: he thought it would be a good idea to lay a towel down in Luke's crib. That made for a quick and easy clean-up. (I hope I do not have to write another update tonight!)

House Cleaning Tip #2

2008-10-21T19:39:00.000-07:00

I have written in the past about how much I enjoy a clean house. Not just a house where things are picked up....but a CLEAN house. When floors are swept, vacuumed or mopped, I am happy. When countertops are wiped clean, when tubs and showers are scrubbed, when furniture is dusted, I am happy. When ceiling fans and window coverings are washed....I am ecstatic!
House Cleaning Tip #2: Hire a House Cleaner.
Ok, I am partly kidding. I know that most of us are unable to afford someone to clean our houses for us....but wouldn't it be nice?
Every once in a while, my mother-in-law gives me me money with the sole purpose of hiring someone to clean my house. I LOVE that she does not say, "Here is some money; do whatever you want with it." First of all, my husband would tell me that I should either put it in the bank or pay bills with it. Second, I would probably buy clothes or some other unnecessary item. Although, I enjoy shopping for clothes and other "unnecessary items," they do not provide me the pure joy that a clean house does. Friday afternoon, 3 wonderful ladies came to my house and cleaned it for 3 hours!!!
I do have a cleaning schedule. I am sure you have all either seen one or have one of your own. For example, Monday: Clean toilets and tubs; Tuesday: Dust, etc. When I follow this schedule my house is "technically" clean at the end of seven days. What I mean is that every inch of my house has been cleaned BUT (and this is a BIG BUT) IT IS NOT ALL CLEAN AT THE SAME TIME. By the time I am vacuuming floors on Friday, the dust has piled up again on the dressers and the toilets need some serious scrubbing. The best part about having a house cleaner (besides the fact that someone else is cleaning my house) is that my house is ALL CLEAN AT THE SAME TIME.
It is so much easier to do all the "picking up" that comes along with children, when underneath all the toys, clothes, snacks, and crayons, the house is truly clean! We had a very busy weekend. Our Saturday was full with an appointment to get our family pictures taken, a soccer game, a trip to Costco, and a potluck dinner at a friends' house. Since we were basically running from one event to another, our house looked....well, you can imagine what our house looked like. Clothes strewn throughout, the ironing board in the middle of the living room, brushes, combs and spray bottles everywhere, dishes in the sink, groceries on the counters, evidence of food preparation left out. You would think I would be stressed. Guess what? I was NOT stressed out over my crazy mess of a house! Why? Because my house was CLEAN...not dusty, not dirty. It was scrubbed to a shine! It even smelled clean!
I do know that my house will get dusty again. I can barely see the markings from the vacuum cleaner today. I know that I will step on cereal and it will scatter far and wide. The mildew in my shower will reappear. But for now, instead of trying to play catch up at the end of each day - I am ahead of the game. For now, I feel like I have a fresh start. For now, I am happy.

House Cleaning Tip #1

2008-10-14T11:50:00.001-07:00

I am sure that my house is not the cleanest house on the block....yes, I am really sure about that. But I do like to have a clean house. I feel like I am always cleaning the house. My family is all about messing up the house. I guess I am not really talking about 'cleaning', but more about 'picking up'. Today, like most days, I was feeling overwhelmed with the 'picking up' part. I have learned to ignore the dust, crumbs, and fingerprints.....ok, that's a lie. I cannot really ignore those things. They do still irritate me but I must prioritize. "What can people see when standing at my front door or sitting at my kitchen table?" So I have come to the conclusion that on a daily basis, my goal is not to have a sparkling clean house but to have a house that appears orderly.

One thing I do to help me 'pick up' is to grab a basket for each person in our family. I used to use these white baskets that I bought specifically for this purpose but they always seem to be in use. Zachary uses his for all sorts of odds and ends. Emilie's is filled with her dress-up shoes. And Luke's is full of all the stuff I use when he has a diaper rash (Milk of Magnesia, Desitin, corn starch.....but that is a whole other post).

Zachary's basket

Emilie's basket

Luke's basket

So now I just grab whatever I can find. Today it was one laundry basket (for Matt and I) and three crates - one for each kid. I went through the family room, living room, kitchen, entry way and hallway and threw every one's stuff in the appropriate container. I also added the laundry that was in stacks (one stack for each person) on the couch. My house looked relatively clean in a very short amount of time.
Four baskets that need to be 'delivered' to their rooms.

Next on my agenda is to clean the bedrooms before I bring the baskets of stuff into the rooms. Baby steps.

Today

2008-10-07T20:56:00.000-07:00

For anyone who cares: this is my day in a nutshell.....a very big nutshell. I wake up at 6:15 am and plan to hurry and get ready for the day while my three kids continue sleeping. By 6:40, they are all awake and I am not yet ready. Today is picture day at Zachary's school so I prepared him in advance by telling him that I would be picking out his shirt on this day. I even let him try it on two days ago to make sure there would be no fit on picture day. Oh, there is a fit alright! "It feels funny....it's too big....the sleeves are too long...." as he bunches it up in his fist and tries to rip the buttons open. (Did I mentioned that I ironed this shirt? And, if you don't know....I do not iron often.) I tell him that he just has to leave it on for his picture and then he can take it off and just wear his undershirt. He continues to (fake) cry and whine about it almost the entire way to school. Though, I did manage to distract him with a roly poly once we arrive at school.
I work in Zachary's kindergarten class every other Tuesday and today is my day. So after I drop Zachary off at school, I take Emilie and Luke to my friend's house so that they are taken care of while I go help Zachary's teacher. I have an extra 20 minutes before I have to be in the classroom so I thought I would drop in at "Moms In Touch." (This is a group of moms who pray for our kids and their teachers and their classmates and the administration.) Well, I forgot the address of the house the moms are meeting at. I know that the moms are meeting at a house on the court behind my court so I decide that I will sit in my car in the middle of the court and try to figure out which house they were meeting in. I notice that a lot of houses have political signs and some houses have baby swings but I was not about to go knocking on random doors. Thankfully, one of the moms happens to walk out to her car to grab her Bible and I pull up next to her and say, "Are you.....?" And she is just the mom I am looking for! So we chat and say a quick prayer before I have to rush out to volunteer. I am feeling a little disappointed that I could not go on a "prayer walk" with them around the perimeter of the school. Oh, well....maybe next time.
Helping in a kindergarten class is exhausting. I am not even going to go into any of the details. I don't know how those teachers do it! I notice when I arrive that Zachary has just his undershirt on. When I inquire if pictures have already been taken, his teacher assures me that they were. It does cross my mind for a second....'what if my little boy took his "picture shirt" off before pictures were actually taken? What if he has been deceitful?' I dread the day when he chooses to defy me behind my back!
After I work in Zachary's class for two hours, I only have about 20 minutes to leave to go get Emilie and Luke before I have to be back to pick Zachary up from school. Luke is screaming, "hungee" and "nak" on the ride back to Zachary's school. (For those of you who don't have an almost 2 year old, that would be "Hungry" and "Snack".) I am usually very prepared and have crackers in the car for these times but of course I do not have anything.
My gas tank is empty so my brilliant plan is to go pick up lunch for all of us at Chick-Fil-A and we can all eat while I wait in line at the Costco gas station. Well, guess what? "The chicken nuggets taste funny.....they don't taste like McDonald's.....these french fries look weird....I spilled my juice.....I need to change my clothes, NOW!" (If I had a tape of Luke screaming his head off I would push "play" now so that you could have the full effect.)
We get home at about 12:15 and everyone is cranky, hungry (since no one liked the $15 lunch!) and the house is disastrous!
I am beyond tired and after I wrangle all my kids into their beds (after changing clothes, going potty, washing hands, changing a diaper, breaking up a few fights, and dealing with a couple temper tantrums), I decide to take a nap, too. I turn on my very loud fan to drown out all other noises....lay my head down......and.....begin coughing. I have a cold. I have a cough. It is like a tickle in the back of my throat. I cannot sleep. After wasting an hour trying to stop coughing and sleep, I give up.
At 3 o'clock, I gather up my stuff for the gym, wait for Luke to wake up from his nap and give the older two kids a snack. We make it to the gym by 3:45, where I enjoy a wonderful 90 minute respite from my crazy life. I lift weights, work out using the elliptical machine, and take a shower....all while visiting my best friend. It is wonderful.
I forgot to mention that my husband is out of town. So, after the gym, I am not really looking forward to heading home right away. So I decide that I need to buy some sugar-free syrup to make a latte' in the morning. I strap my kids in their carseats for the 100th time today and we head to Smart and Final. Emilie is singing some obnoxious Strawberry Shortcake song at the top of her lungs and Zachary (who did not take a nap) is overly annoyed with her. He decides to hit her in the face. So we have a talk about being kind....in the gym parking lot. I remind them that I have a wooden spoon in my glove compartment and I will use it, if necessary. (Yeah, right....and then I'll be taken into custody after the security cameras catch me on tape!)
Luke is shrieking at the top of his lungs, Zachary is sulking in the backseat (after I tell him that we will not be going to Wendy's for dinner) and Emilie continues to sing. Wow, I sure am having fun!
Once we get into Smart and Final, the kids begin to ask for just about every gigantic box or bag of chips, crackers or cookies in sight. Zachary asks if he can weigh the bananas. I say sure and turn my back. BIG MISTAKE. As I turn to look at him, everything is in slow motion as the free-standing steel scale falls to the ground with Zachary underneath it. He bangs his head pretty hard on the cement floor as other shoppers stop to stare and an employee rushes over to assess the damage. (He was probably worried about a lawsuit.) I decide we don't need bananas. I carry Zachary, who is crying loudly, and push the cart with Luke and Emilie inside, to the coffee aisle. I point out some colorful straws to Zachary and as he reaches up to touch them, he somehow knocks a HUGE bottle of Torani Strawberry Syrup onto the floor. Glass breaks and syrup is oozing everywhere. Zachary really starts sobbing, now. He keeps saying, "I am sorry, mommy. I am sorry." It is really pathetic. Part of me wants to scream at him, "What are you doing?????" But I decide to pity my poor, tired, five year old child. The same people who witnessed our incident over in the produce department, are now witnesses to this unfortunate event. I really want to crawl under a rock. I wonder how many conversations my family is the topic of tonight? "Did you see that mom with the three unruly kids in the store? Why wasn't she watching them? Did you notice she had wet hair and no make-up on? Sheeesh, some people!"
We make it home at about 6 pm and have a gourmet dinner of Eggo waffles and strawberry yogurt. By 7:30, all three kids are in bed. By 8:20, they are all asleep. I have not cleaned my house nor have I done one load of laundry. If someone rang my doorbell right now and peeked in, they would be thinking, "What does this lady do all day?"

To Illustrate My Point....

2008-10-06T22:21:00.000-07:00

This is what I am up against! My sister is an amazing baker and she always makes the most delicious sweet treats. Case in point: Milk Chocolate Fondue with brownie bites, strawberries, Oreo cookies, shortbread, marshmallows and bananas for dipping! (This dessert would not be so bad if I had not already indulged in an iced mocha, a caramel apple, a churro and a few cookies throughout the day!) Yes, I know: I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH SUGAR! If only it didn't taste so darn good....

Confessions: Part 3

2008-10-06T21:42:00.000-07:00

Confession number three is: I am addicted to sugar. I eat it all day long every day. I start the morning with a spoonful of white sugar on my grape-nuts or cheerios. I then have a whole bunch more in my Caramel Macchiato. I usually have a few nibbles of whatever my kids are snacking on (whether that be a pop-tart or cinnamon raisin bagel). Moving on to lunch....I always manage to find something sweet to eat after my boring sandwich. Either chocolate chips or marshmallows or caramels.....or all three mixed together! After dinner, I will search my cupboards until I find some sort of treat. If nothing immediately grabs my attention, I will just go ahead and make a batch of cookies or a Texas Sheet Cake!
So my problem really cannot be solved by just taking "candy" out of the house. I will go to great lengths to make something sweet to eat if I need to. If I don't have something convenient to pop in my mouth....I will make something out of basic baking ingredients. For me, it is not possible to take all tempting treats out of the house...it would be a sad day for my husband if he could not have sugar on his cereal.....who could eat grape-nuts without sugar? Not me! I cannot take simple baking staples out of my house. Instead of making this issue about the circumstances around me...I am going to make this about me - just me. I am going to challenge myself to a diet without sugar for........one week. Yes, I said one week. Not one month. Not one year. I have very little faith in myself that I am going to make it even one week. I do have two things in my favor at the moment: (three, if you count the Pizookie in my belly......mmmm, that was yummy!) one: I am writing about it on my blog, and two: I made a pact with three of my friends tonight (yes, their bellies are also full of Pizookie) that we would go without sugar for one week.
I have two questions for you my faithful readers: Do you think I can do it? Are you willing to join me?
Start time: NOW!

Apple Hill

2008-10-05T20:26:00.000-07:00

Friday morning Matt and I and our three kids, along with my mom, my sister and her three kids, drove up to Apple Hill. Apple Hill is about an hour from my sister's house and I have fond memories of going there as a child. It is not so much a place you go to "do" but more of a place to "eat".....which is right up my alley! We tasted apple fritters, apple doughnuts, and carmel apples. The kids did have a great time feeding the fish in the pond, riding ponies and eating apple doughnuts. The best part of the morning was spent running and rolling and sliding on a big dirt "ditch" ---for lack of a better word---the kids were filthy but had a great time.

NOTE: I will add some cute "dirty" pictures later when I get them from my sister.

So You Think You Can Dance....

2008-10-05T19:49:00.001-07:00

We have been out of town for four days and it feels overwhelming to write about it all....yet, it was so much fun that I don't want to forget the details....so here it goes....
Thursday afternoon the five of us drove to my sister's house (mansion) in Roseville (just north of Sacramento). My sweet hubby watched 5 of our 6 kids (the 3 month old was sent to a neighbor's house) so that my mom, sister and I could leave to go see "So You Think You Can Dance" on tour. My brother-in-law showed up a couple hours later to help out. Anyway, the three of us met up with two of my sister's friends at Arco Arena to watch the show. When we found our seats I was a teensy bit disappointed to see that we were in the second-to-last row....how much did we pay for these tickets? Ouch! When the show started I kept trying not to look at the big screens because I thought that would be like watching it at home on t.v. so I tried to focus on the tiny dots on the stage.....sad, I know. But the feeling of fun and excitement was contagious so I really was enjoying myself.....ok, here comes the good part......At intermission, a girl came up to us and said that she and her friends were leaving and did we want their five tickets so that we could sit closer. What is this, a trick? Of course, we said "YES!" I have no idea why she picked us....maybe because one of my sister's friends is 9 months pregnant and was standing? Maybe because we had such horrible seats? I will never know. So after we kicked some people out of our new seats, we had quite the view! We moved down from row "Y" all the way to row "C"! We were the third row from the floor and we could actually see the dancers! We all had a great time screaming and clapping and stomping our feet. (Although, we looked quite calm in comparison to the girl sitting next to us who jumped up to hoot and holler at the end of each performance.)
For those of you who did not watch this show over the last three summers...you have been missing out. First of all, there is NOTHING on t.v. in the summer so I don't know what you were watching. Maybe you don't watch t.v.? That is just crazy talk! Anyway, give it a try next summer....you really will love it, too!

A Quiet House

2008-09-30T22:50:00.000-07:00

I love a quiet house. The kids are all tucked in bed. Matt is sleeping with the radio playing softly. The lamp on my nightstand is calling me to bed. I have been picking up toys, and many scraps of paper (Emilie loves to cut paper into tiny, little, minuscule...well you get the picture...pieces.), putting dishes in the dishwasher. No heavy cleaning going on but just enough that when I wake up in the morning I will be glad I stayed up. Matt doesn't understand why I have begun to enjoy staying up late. I try to explain to how I love the quiet, the stillness but I don't think it is in him to get it. I think that, as a mom, I crave it so much that when I get a chance at it...I can't pass it up.
Well, I am off to bed....after I sweep under the kitchen table...good-night.

Fireproof

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

Matt and I went to see the movie Fireproof on Saturday night. We went for three reasons: to get out of the house, the tickets were free, and to support a movie made by Christians. I did not really have any expectations of seeing a great movie. But surprisingly....it was a really good movie! I was a little nervous as we watched the first scene play out. It seemed like a "Lifetime Movie for Women." Once we got through that first cheesy part, there was really a lot to enjoy. I liked that the married couple was dealing with everyday issues: division of labor around the house, busyness, work stress, feeling under appreciated and disrespected.....all those things that all of us who are married experience at one time or another. I also liked that the solutions to these issues were not easy to come by. I thought it was interesting that the movie explored both work environments of the husband and the wife.
There were some parts during the movie that seemed a little odd or stiff but those parts were easy to let go of because the story of the movie is so good! It's funny that I say that I want to support a "Christian" movie yet that is just the reason that the movie doesn't live up to all my 'great movie expectations.' It just shows me that I am so used to being sucked into whatever is put out there that when something different is presented it does feel really weird!
It was a nice feeling to walk away from a movie feeling really affected by it...in a good way! Not in a way that creeps me out so much that I have a hard time sleeping (like some others I have seen). I liked that I actually learned a thing or two (or forty :-) ) about making a great marriage. And what woman wouldn't enjoy watching a husband woo his wife back? (I was trying not to elbow Matt too much...."See honey, why don't you try that?")
Anyway, I was excited when I got on Fandango at www.fandango.com to check out how the movie did this weekend and I saw so many great reviews! As of today, Fireproof is #4 at the box office but it is #1 on the list of "Top 10 Fan Rated Movies." On www.fireproofthemovie.blogspot.com I read, "Playing on 839 screens Fireproof was the #3 movie in the nation on Friday. Movies 4-8 on the list were on between 2,300-3,000 screens. Each."
Yay for good movies!

June Cleaver After A Six-Pack: Had It Up To Here? Welcome To My World...

2008-09-26T13:17:00.000-07:00

June Cleaver After A Six-Pack: Had It Up To Here? Welcome To My World...

This blog cracks me up! It feels so good to know that all of us moms of little ones are in the same boat. I appreciate her candidness as she vents.....so now I don't have to!
NOTE: If you are a mom of babies, toddlers, preschoolers or school-age kids and you can't relate to this post....I don't want to hear about it!

Ok, now I will get back to reading, "The Mission of Motherhood," and learn how to SERVE my family....I just took a quick detour! :-)

Strictly for the Grandparents....continued

2008-09-24T17:18:00.001-07:00

Zachary requested 'Spiderman' for his face art at the zoo. He showed the "I Love You" sign just as I took the picture. (Maybe he knew that his grandparents would see it?!) EDIT: Zachary just informed me that he was not saying, "I Love You." He was pretending to be spiderman....I guess his webs come from his wrist??? I have no idea....

2008-09-24T17:18:00.000-07:00

Emilie was so excited to get a flower painted on her face at the zoo.

2008-09-24T17:17:00.000-07:00

Luke loves his blankie and his baby....as long as his baby is shirtless, all is right.

Strictly for the Grandparents

2008-09-23T20:23:00.000-07:00

I don't want to bore my friends and fellow bloggers with my "funny kid stories" hence the title of this post. I originally started this blog to keep our out-of-town family members in the loop of our day to day family life. Well, as you can see, it has turned into more of a journal for myself. But this post goes back to my original intent.
I apologize in advance if these stories are not all that funny. I know a lot of times "you just have to be there" to see the humor in the situation. Since we only see our family about once every 1 or 2 months, this is the best I can do.....
We have been singing "The Night Night Song" also pronounced "The Nigh Nigh Song" since our first baby, Zachary, was born. Matt's mom made this song up and it has really stuck over the years. I think even my sister sings it to her kids. It is a very simple song which is probably why all of my kids have loved it and started to sing it shortly after they turned one. The words are:
Nigh' nigh' night
We all say nigh' night
Tomorrow we'll get up and play, play, play
But now we say nigh' night.
I believe that my sister modified this song for nap time and so now we all replace the word "tomorrow" with "later" if we are singing this before a nap.
Luke has been singing along as we put him to bed each night for a while now. About a week ago he started singing it at random times throughout the day. Sometimes he lays his head down on the floor or on a pillow as he sings. The funniest thing happened last week.....we were driving in the car and he started singing from his carseat. He sang "Nigh' nigh' night, we all say nigh' night..." and then he flung his head back in his carseat and began making sounds like he was snoring! It was so hilarious. Even though he is "sleeping," and his head stays back, his eyes are darting all around to see who is watching him. So, now that we have all laughed repeatedly at this....he does it all the time! It's pretty funny...
One thing I have noticed about Emilie lately is that she pronounces "girl" without the "r" and it sounds like "gul". She says, "Mommy, when am I going to be a big 'gul'?" It is so stink'in cute. Part of me dreads the day she begins to pronouce it correctly. She has already figured out a lot of those cute mistakes. She used to ask for "Frosted Mini Meats" for breakfast every morning. Now she knows to say, "Frosted Mini Wheats." Waaaaah! She is growing up so quickly. For the most part she is a really good girl. She loves to help and she likes to stick to me like glue. (Which does come in handy at Costco or the zoo!)
Zachary is so proud to know 22 out of his 30 sight words. I miss all the art work that he used to bring home from preschool. Kindergarten is sooooooo different. Everything he brings home is in pencil and it involves numbers or letters or writing. The saddest thing is that in kindergarten "coloring is last" so if time runs out during station time then nothing gets colored! In spite of all my misgivings, Zachary ADORES kindergarten. He runs right into his classroom each day like he owns the place. He loves his teacher and all his new friends. I think he also loves the academics and the routine of it all. He is so in his element!

Here is a list of the kids' current "Likes" and "Dislikes":
Zachary likes building blocks, school, writing, spelling, Wii, the same two pairs of shorts, sweets, sword fighting, wrestling and Honey Nut Cheerios (every single morning!).
Zachary dislikes waking up in the morning, seams in his socks, naps, showers, and clothes that are too big.
Emilie likes dresses, skirts, dress-up, singing, dancing, drawing, talking, preschool, ranch dressing, ketchup, sleeping, showers, baby dolls and praying.
Emilie dislikes waking up from naps, bread crust and pants.
Luke likes cereal for every meal, being tickled, his blankie and pacifier, baby dolls, pushing anything (strollers, wagons, walkers), singing, toy cars and trucks, and being very loud.
Luke dislikes just about all lunch and dinner foods and being still.

I Don't Want to Gain the Whole World....

2008-09-23T20:05:00.000-07:00

I am loving the new TobyMac song, "I Don't Want to Gain the Whole World and Lose My Soul." For the last week, I have not been able to get that song out of my head. I am always singing it aloud. Tonight our family was in the car driving home from a fun dinner at Chick-Fil-A and I started singing that song. Emilie said, "Mom put it on the radio." And I said, "Emilie, you can't just pick what song you want to hear on the radio." And wouldn't you know it....I turned on the radio and the DJ was saying, "....and here is the new TobyMac song, 'I Don't Want to Gain the Whole World and Lose My Soul'....." How much fun is that? We had so much fun belting out that song at the top of our lungs and car-dancing the rest of the way home! Not only is it a fun song to listen to....the words are a great reminder as to what is really important. Follow the link and enjoy!

http://changeourhearts.wordpress.com/2008/07/17/i-dont-want-to-gain-the-whole-world-and-lose-my-soul/

Comments?

2008-09-22T13:42:00.000-07:00

Testing....testing....123.... Don't you love when people say that as they tap a microphone? Anyway, that is essentially what I am doing with this post. The "comments" portion on my blog page is not working - or at least, it did not work on my last post so I am posting this to see if it will work. If it works, leave a comment about my last post. If it does not work, call me to see if I have chucked my computer out the window, yet.

A Day of Rest? Confession #2

2008-09-21T21:01:00.000-07:00

Sundays are not a day of rest in our house. I hate to say it but it is usually a crazy day and I spend much of it stressed out and in a bad mood. Part of the problem with Sunday is that it comes after Saturday. Saturdays are usually full of baby showers, birthday parties and other things that take our family out of the house. If we stay home on Saturday we may start a "weekend project" that turns into a "5 weekends project".
Back to Sunday....we wake up to a messy house and get the five of us ready for church. We try to be in the car by 9 am. I usually only run back into the house 5-6 times for forgotten diapers, sippy cups, a snack for the (10 minute!) car ride, a pacifier, etc. Now we get to the good part of Sunday: dropping the kids off at Sunday School and spending an hour and a half with my husband learning about lots of good stuff.
We usually stop at Costco or McDonalds on the way home. Back on the road again, the kids are either crying or fighting in the back seat. Walking into the same messy house that we left is always a downer. And then we add a carful of Costco items or fast food to the disaster. After lunch and naps....I begin to freak out because tomorrow is Monday! We have to get the house clean! My husband does not seem to understand that if the house is not clean on Sunday night, I start the week in a deficit. And I WILL NEVER CATCH UP! So I begin to get very grumpy with my family. I become so focused on vacuuming, dusting, windexing, mopping and toilet cleaning that my family becomes an irritation. I am constantly saying, "Go play."
I really do try to go by a "cleaning schedule" during the week so that these things are done by Friday. But either one of two things happens: 1) Not all of the chores get done or 2) If they do get done during the week, by Saturday night everything has been undone! In my mind I know that these things will NEVER ALL BE DONE......as a mom this is my fate. I do wish that I would accept it. I recognize that at this stage in my life I will do the same things every 30 minutes.....make a meal, serve a meal, clean up a meal, change a diaper, change an outfit, wipe up a spill, pick up the couch cushions, put away a toy....rinse and repeat.
Even though I know these things in my mind....they have yet to transfer to my heart. As I write this, even I can come up with a solution to each one of the problems I have mentioned.....my problem is not my messy house or my crazy day. My problem is my attitude about my messy house and my crazy day. I need to accept that this time in my life is so not about me and what I want. I need to enjoy these times, these days, these very short years.
I am forcing myself to just say it....so here it goes....I confess to you readers: I crave, desire and yearn for.....a clean house. I want it more than a happy family and more than a relaxing Sunday. I am vowing right now, with you all as my witnesses, to change my ways. I am going to do whatever it takes to make Sundays a day of rest in our home. Not only a day of rest....a day of fun....a day of laughing....a day of loving. I know that as a mom I will not be able to forgo all of my duties but I am going to change my attitude. I welcome your suggestions, comments and especially your prayers.

Confessions: Part 1

2008-09-13T21:43:00.001-07:00

I checked out a book from the library on Thursday. Today is the first day I have let myself read it. I LOVE to read but because it consumes me....I must limit myself. When I read, my house suffers, my children suffer, my husband suffers. I don't want to cook, I don't want to play, I don't want to answer the phone, I don't want to talk. I do feel guilty. That is why I only let myself read books occasionally.....or I should say good (read: fiction) books occasionally. I am always reading something.....a magazine, a book on mothering, a book about becoming a better wife, a devotional, etc. These books do not suck me in. I am content to leave them on the bathroom counter. A novel, however, becomes my constant companion. I carry it to the kitchen table, and then to the couch. It follows me to the bathroom and rides in my passenger seat when I am out running errands. Every activity in my day has me thinking, "Can I read while doing this?" I know, I have a sickness. I confess: books are one of my addictions. (I will confess a few of my other addictions in the future.) At least I am admitting that I have a problem, right? Isn't that the first step to recovery? Oh, wait....do I want to recover? For now, I will allow myself the occasional indulgence.

Only by the Grace of God...

2008-09-09T23:58:00.001-07:00

I have been frustrated with my kids today. "I have so much to do.....why can't they just leave me alone?" "I am trying to prepare for our first MOPS meeting of the year.....I am half way done dusting the entertainment center....I need to prepare dinner...." These were the thoughts running through my head all afternoon. I was answering my phone non-stop throughout the day trying to coordinate a Thursday night meeting. The "Phone Man" was at my door telling me that he could not figure out why my phone had so much static on the line....would I like him to come in and check the phones? If so, it would cost $55 plus $20 for every 15 minutes. Are you serious? I will live with the static.

At 4:55 pm, I was multi-tasking (talking MOPS stuff on the phone while peeing). Emilie came pounding on the bathroom door and she was sobbing. I quickly hung up the phone when I understood her to say, "Mommy, Luke is choking...." I opened the door to find Luke standing next to her with drool coming out of his mouth. He was alternating between making a gagging sound, crying and silence. I immediately grabbed him, pounded him on the back, started the Heimlich maneuver and called 911.

It was just like on the movies. I am crying into the phone, yelling, "My baby is choking." Luke and I are on my bathroom floor. He is now drooling blood and I see pieces of pretzel coming out of his mouth. When the operator finds out that he is choking on a pretzel, she tells me to "stop pounding him on the back and stop the Heimlich." So, now I am sitting there doing nothing except crying along as the operator tells me to "calm down...the paramedics are on their way." I have seen enough movies to know that she will talk about anything....she just keeps talking. She tells me what streets the emergency personnel are crossing. I tell Zachary to go "open the door for the firemen." Every time Luke lets out a cry, I am relieved because I know there is still breath left in him. But silence continues to come. The drool and blood continue to come. Why won't the pretzel come?

Luke keeps looking at me with terror in his eyes. I am sure he is thinking, "Why doesn't she do something?" Zachary and Emilie stand at the end of the hallway. Staring. Zachary says, "Mommy, why are you crying? Is Luke going to die?" The five minutes it takes the firemen to arrive stretch on. I hear them come through the door and call out for us. Just then, Luke coughed and a soggy, almost whole, pretzel popped out of his mouth!

God's grace and goodness overwhelmed me at that moment. This could have been so much worse. Shortly after the firefighters arrived, the paramedics followed. They gave Luke an exam on our bed. As he warmed up to them, Luke began to crawl all over the bed and act like his crazy self. He laughed and yelled and played.....

I keep thinking..."What if I had been in the shower?" "What if a babysitter had been here?" "What if I had been in the garage doing laundry and Emilie could not find me?" "What if the pretzel had not popped out?" This day could have had a very different ending. Only by God's grace do I have all three of my children sleeping and breathing and living at this moment.

I cannot sleep tonight. I am so struck by the thoughts, "Why me? Why has God allowed so much good to happen to me?" "Why do I get to have another day with my baby when so many other mommy's lose their children every day?" I am so overwhelmed by God's great love. I cannot take it in. I just keep repeating, "Thank you, thank you, thank you..." And, it is still not enough.

I am terrified of becoming one of those women whose tragedy God uses to bring others to him. I am selfish. I don't want to have a horrible story to tell and then end it with..."but God's goodness and faithfulness has pulled us through." I know that I serve an awesome and amazing God. It is my own immaturity and weakness and humanness that keeps me fearful. I will tackle those issues tomorrow. For today, I will say, "God is so good. God is so good. God is so good. He's so good to me."

What Do You Think?

2008-09-07T15:48:00.000-07:00

To my faithful 5 readers! I am playing around with different blog templates. What do you think of this one compared to my previous black background? Don't be shy....

I'm a Barista!

2008-09-06T12:37:00.000-07:00

I have never been a coffee drinker. Whenever my girlfriends want to hang out at Starbucks, I have to figure out what to drink. In the winter this is not a problem. I love hot chocolate. But in the summer I have always been at a loss....what could I get to drink that doesn't taste like coffee or have the calories of a milkshake? Well, in July I decided to try a Caramel Macchiato....I have been hooked ever since. My husband has also become addicted. When I began adding up how much we were spending a week at Starbucks, ($3.10 for a tall x 3 times a week--for each of us, so really 6 times a week---well, I don't feel like finding my calculator but that's a lot of mula!) I said to Matt, "Don't say no....just listen first...when you think of all the money we are spending at Starbucks each week, we could probably buy an espresso machine and break even in 2 to 3 months." To my surprise, he said, "Ok, look into it." So I did!

My mom bought hers on ebay a couple of years ago for $180 so I checked it out and I found some for $230. Starbucks sells them for $400 so ebay is quite a deal! Anyway, before I made a purchase, my mom decided that she wanted to get the new stainless steel model for herself and she would give me a deal on her old one. Yay! We have not agreed on a price yet....she is leaning toward $10 and I am pushing for a bit more....

My parents are here for the weekend so I had my first lesson on my new Starbucks Barista Espresso Machine. Here are the results:

Hot Latte

Iced Caramel Macchiato

In my unbiased opinion....these drinks were better than Starbucks!

So friends, come on over and let me take your order....just don't bypass the tip jar!

Recipes can be found at the following links:

Caramel Macchiato: www.geocities.com/connorbd/coffee/caramel.html

Latte: www.sevenmountz.com/index.html

I Love Brand New Babies!

2008-09-05T21:36:00.001-07:00

My good friend, Stacy, had her second baby today. Her 2 year old daughter now has a new baby sister. I always love an excuse to make something sweet to eat so of course I made a batch of "Scotcheroos" to take to the hospital. Matt put the kids to bed tonight so that I could go visit mom and baby.

Ohhhhh my goodness! There are not even words to describe how precious that sweet baby is! Knowing that just hours earlier she was inside her mommy, just takes my breath away! I always have mixed emotions when I have the opportunity to meet a new little person. I mean, I am so so so done done done!.....but.....when I see a newborn baby my resolve starts to waver a little. I get all sentimental which really freaks my husband out. He actually told me tonight that he had a nightmare a few nights ago that I was pregnant. He said it woke him up at 4 in the morning and he could not go back to sleep. Let me tell you...my husband can sleep under almost any circumstances...it has to be pretty bad to keep him awake in the middle of the night.

I remember after I had Luke, I cried on the way home from the hospital because it was our "last car ride home after having a baby." Matt and I have both decided that three kids is the number for us. And when I am in my right mind, three kids is the right number for me. But, seeing a brand new baby does not leave me in my right mind!

When I got home from the hospital, I sat next to Matt on the couch and said, "Are you one hundred percent sure that you do not want to have another ba...?" And before I could even finish the sentence, he said, "YES!" (And not a happy "yes" .....a very annoyed and mad "yes") So, there you go! Honestly, I really do not want to have another baby....99.9% of the time....it is only when I see a brand new baby!

While I was at the hospital, Stacy's husband pointed to his wrist band and said, "Hey, did you know that if you wear your hospital band to Chipolte you get a free meal? Maybe Matt would go for another baby?" I said, "Yeah, he would probably let me have the baby so he could get a free burrito....but then we would have to give it up for adoption." When I got home, I relayed this story to Matt and his response was, "Yeah, we could give the baby to one of our friends who really wants one...we could make one of our friends really happy." End of story.

Chocolate Scotcheroos

1 c light corn syrup

1 c sugar

1 c peanut butter

6 c rice krispies cereal

1 c semi sweet chocolate chips

1 c butterscotch chips

1. Place corn syrup and sugar into large saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until sugar dissolves and mixture begins to boil.

2. Remove from heat, stir in peanut butter. Mix well.

3. Add rice krispies, stir well. Press into a 9 x 13 in. pan coated with cooking spray.

4. Melt chocolate and butterscotch chips in sauce pan over low heat, stirring constantly. Spread over mixture. Let sit until cool, then cut.

note: Do not attempt to eat "Scotcheroos" if you have false teeth....they will get stuck...guaranteed.

I Love Chores!

2008-08-30T14:04:00.000-07:00

I love chores....when my kids are the ones doing them! I know that all of my friends are getting sick and tired of hearing about how much I love our new chore charts---so I thought I would get it out of my system once and for all and mention it on my blog. I have searched high and low for the perfect chore chart for my kids. Zachary is 5 and Emilie is 3 1/2. Luke, who is not quite 2, does not do chores...he just makes messes.

These were some of my criteria:

1. It had to show only one day at a time (one's that display an entire week seem overwhelming).
2. It had to have both pictures and words (since my children are not yet reading but will one day).
3. I wanted to be able to choose the chores.
4. I wanted to be able to change it as they got older.
5. And last but not least, I wanted my kids to be able to independently use their charts (in other words, I did not want to have to look over their shoulders and tell them what to do).

I found the perfect chore system! And you can find it, too....at
www.chores-help-kids.com (I swear I am not getting paid for this....I wish!)

The "I Did My Chores" magnetized version is $24.98 (This is the one I got. I know it seems ridiculously expensive for what it is but a mom's sanity is worth it!)

The "I Did My Chores" original version is $21.99

We have been using these for almost 3 months now. Here is how it works:

The chores are grouped by time of day. Each time of day (morning, noon, after school, and nighttime) also has its' own color cards.

This particular morning, Zachary completed most of his chores (which he placed in the "I Did It!" box) but the one chore he did not do - "Wipe My Place at the Table" - he had to place on the "Extra" hook.

At the end of the day, all completed chore cards are in the "I Did It" box. We give the kids one token (these come with the chore system) for each chore that they complete. (The only penalty for not completing chores is that they do not get a token for those left on the "Extra" hook.) It is not really optional to do chores, so the reason that some chores do not get done is because we are not home at that particular time. For example, we were at someone else's house for lunch so the orange "Noon" time cards do not get done.

This is our "Reward Board." The kids spend their tokens on these things at times that Matt and I consider appropriate.

...more rewards. Zachary usually earns about 15 tokens a day and Emilie about 12, on average. It is fun to see them make choices to "spend" or "save".

Here are some examples of the chore cards. You may not be able to see the words but hopefully the pictures will explain the chore.

The creators of this chore system came up with almost every chore you would think of but they supply the buyer with blank stickers, just in case. Here are some examples that I needed to include for our routines: wash face, get dressed (morning), and wash hands and face (evening).

There are definitely days that my kids are not thrilled to do their chores. Many days, I set the timer (for example, for 20 minutes) in the morning and if they complete all of their chores in the allotted time....they earn 3 extra tokens.

I am actually shocked at how well this chore system is working! I love being able to say, "It is time to start your blue cards," ---instead of saying..."Go brush your teeth," "Go put your pj's on," "Go clear your plate from the table," etc. I feel like much less of a nag!

List of Chores
Morning -
Clear My Plate from the Table
Wipe My Place at the Table (they usually use a wet wipe)
Get Dressed (Emilie sometimes needs help with this--especially shoes and socks)
Make My Bed (of course, they do not look fantastic but that will come in time)
Brush My Hair (I help)
Wash Face
Brush My Teeth
Sweep the Floor (Zachary really wanted me to add this chore to his list so I bought a small broom and dustpan and he sweeps under the kitchen table)

Noon -
Clear My Plate from the Table
Wipe My Place at the Table
Pick Up My Toys

After School -

Pick Up My Toys

Nighttime -

Clear My Plate from the Table

Wipe My Place at the Table

Pick Up Outside Toys

Put My Clothes Away

Set Out My Clothes for Tomorrow

Brush My Teeth

Take a Bath (on the reverse side of this card I put a sticker that says "Wash Hands and Face" for those nights that the kids don't have baths).

Like I said, "I love chores!"

Note: My sister purchased this chore system from a different web site than the one I mentioned and she was not as happy with the quality of the product.

One More

2008-08-28T21:12:00.000-07:00

Well, I guess I have forgotten to mention my third child. (You know he will be bringing this up in future therapy sessions.) Luke Matthew Hall will be 2 in November. He is the naughtiest, funniest, craziest most fun boy around! I seriously cannot turn my back for one second (not to mention, go to the bathroom!) or he is into something--or should I say on top of something! For months now, he has been climbing onto the kitchen table where he stands proudly until I discover him. Just this week he figured out how to climb to the top of his changing table....I caught him trying to straddle his crib with one foot still on the changing table. If he does make it into his crib at least he will be stuck for a while--he has not figured out how to climb out yet....wait a second...when I came into his room to get him up from his non-existent nap today, he had one leg flung over the side of his crib. So, I guess this weekend I should expect him to do a face plant on the floor at some point. I am not looking forward to moving him into a bed! That crib is my sanity! I know that even if he is not sleeping in it, he is in it--and that is good enough

for me!

Zachary thought Luke would enjoy

playing in a very large mud puddle that

he created in the backyard. Mommy was

not pleased!

Emmy's Turn

2008-08-27T15:27:00.000-07:00

I don't want my middle child to have "middle child syndrome" when she someday discovers that I have devoted multiple blog entries to her brother--with pictures, to boot! So, Emmy...it's your turn! Emilie started her second year of preschool one week before Zachary started kindergarten. Their personalities could not be more different. Emilie told me that I could stay in the car and she could walk to class by herself. (I can't say I wasn't tempted! But how would that have looked to the other moms?) Of course, I think my only daughter is adorable but I have to make a disclaimer: she takes the goofiest pictures!

first day of preschool

at Zachary's school

She honestly thinks she is some sort of model--I don't know where she got the idea that she needs to cock her neck so far to one side that her ear is touching her shoulder... anyway, she's my girl!

The Mission of Motherhood

2008-08-26T22:08:00.000-07:00

I am meeting with a small group of moms to discuss the book, The Mission of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson. I am only on chapter 3 but I am already quite captivated by some of what I have read. If you know me, you know that when I am excited about something....I have to tell everybody! So, here it goes...

"Doesn't it make sense that a wise God, who ordered the rest of creation in an intricate and systematic way, would also have provided such a person to care for children - to commit wholeheartedly to creating the right environment for them to grow and to prepare them to live throughout eternity bearing his image? I am convinced that God designed us as mothers to be that person in the lives of our children. He intended it to be a fully committed job, not something we do on the side." (p. 43-44)

The author talks a lot about not having your "heart divided" when it comes to mothering. Wow! I have been thinking about all the ways my heart is divided....how sometimes my desire to clean and organize is greater than my desire to hang out with my kids...how my desire to talk to other mom friends on the phone overrides my desire to watch my kids 'perform gymnastics tricks' for me...how my desire to take a nap wins out over my desire to read books with my children. Ok, the guilt is piling on now!

"...I had not yet given myself wholeheartedly to the mission of motherhood. Yes, I loved my family and wanted to do a good job as a mother. But when up to my elbows in the tedious responsibilities of life, I spent much of my mental energy thinking about when I would have more time for myself and my own interests. When my children are six, I would think, there will be no more children in diapers, no more naps, and my life will be freer. Then I will have more time to write and speak and spend time on me - to do the important stuff!
As I began to seek God in this area, however, he gently began to put his finger on the real source of my dissatisfaction, which lay not on my specific choices or my skills as a mother, but in my divided heart. How could I put all of me into my time at home if I was always thinking about a future time when I could escape the routine tasks of motherhood?" (p. 44)
"...I began to see my children's care and nurture as God's best will for my life during my season as a mother." (p. 45)
"...If I didn't commit myself wholeheartedly to the demands of motherhood, I would never be able to do my best, because my heart would always be somewhere else." (p. 45)

As all the moms with teenagers like to tell us moms with babies and preschoolers, "Oh, the years go by so quickly...enjoy your children...you won't believe how fast they grow up..." I think we all know that in our hearts, but it is so hard to keep that perspective when we are sleep deprived, working on our third load of laundry for the day, and sweeping crumbs (and entire platefuls of food) off of the kitchen floor.

I want to want to mother my children wholeheartedly! I love when I am changed by something that I hear or read...I hope that I am changed by this book...I want to be changed! I want to be able to say one day, "No regrets! I gave this mothering thing all I had to give...and then some!"

The BIG Day

2008-08-25T09:55:00.000-07:00

Zachary was up early this morning and excited for his first day of kindergarten. I was up early too....2:28 am to be exact. Emilie wet the bed and since I was not sleeping well anyway (see: First Day Jitters), I decided to start a load of laundry. Anyway, the morning went well----it really helped that Matt was around to help get the kids ready. We took lots of pictures in front of our house (I kept wondering which of our neighbors were staring out their windows) and then even more pictures once we arrived at school.

Zachary's teacher came out of the classroom with a big smile and instructed all of the students to line up against the outside wall of the classroom. She asked parents to say their good-byes. All was well.....until Mrs. Teacher decides to pass out name tags----while all the parents are still standing there and the kids are starting to get a little antsy! Why, oh why, didn't she just take them in the classroom right away?!

While the students were waiting for the teacher to find their correct name tags, they started searching for their parents, walking away from their line and some even began to cry---Zachary being one of them. So, as the kids finally began to file in the classroom, Zachary decides to stand firm and grip my arm outside the classroom. Because the teacher was dealing with another crier, I kind of had to push him in and run! Oh, it was terrible! Matt looked like he was having an even harder time than I was....which made me even more sad!

As I drove Emilie to preschool 30 minutes later, I searched the streets for a wandering, crying, brown-eyed cutie but thankfully I did not see one!

In one hour I will go pick my first born up from his first day of kindergarten and I am counting the minutes....64 to be exact.

First Day Jitters

2008-08-24T15:00:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is my oldest son's first day of kindergarten. Where have the last five years gone? It seems like yesterday that I was walking him around the house in circles in the Baby Bjorn until he screamed himself exhausted. Those difficult months passed quickly and we were on to the fun stuff! He was so happy when his baby sister came home from the hospital 19 months later and so excited again when his baby brother came to join our family 22 months after that. He is our first born. He is their big brother. It must be a little scary to be the oldest...the first to try each new experience.

We had the best morning together on Friday. While his sister was at preschool and his brother took a nap, we played "Go Fish" and wrestled on my bed. Then I made the mistake of getting sentimental. I said, "Bub, this is our last day together." He hid his face under the covers. As tears streamed down his face, I think he understood that a big change was coming. He has never been one for change. He has my personality (frightening, I know!). He would be happy to stay home and play with mom. I know he will love kindergarten once it becomes his routine....but getting to that point might take a little time.

I do feel a little sad that we are beginning a new chapter in our lives. My baby is growing up! Waaahhhhh! I know that it will be good for both of us to meet new people, make new friends and learn new things....but change is always hard. So, tomorrow I will smile while I take about 100 pictures. My tears will wait until he is safely

inside K-2.