Save The Date

Heard at my house yesterday...

"Mom.. I want a party to celebrate my 100th birthday"
"Wow.. that's planning ahead!"
"Yeah... I want to eat Pizza at Bensi (an Italian restaurant) and then have ice cream cake"

So, basically he will be celebrating his 100th exactly as he celebrated his 6th birthday minus the bowling. LOL

So, save the date people... December 26, 2103 Hope we are all still around to celebrate with him!

Field Day

Yesterday was my first experience with our school's Field Day. We had the choice of supplying food, equipment or volunteering our time to help out. So, since I always like to be at whatever events I can to see Christopher in action, I volunteered my time. The idea behind Field Day is that all the students and teachers are outside all day playing various games.. they move from station to station every 15 minutes.

Heat and I don't necessarily mix. For those of you who have ever had the pleasure of vacationing with me, you may have seen me suffer from extreme sunburns, heat stroke or almost pass out at the turtle farm in Grand Cayman (right, Sue!?) So, I was really concerned when I saw yesterday's forecast for 88 degrees. I loaded on the sunblock, grabbed my hat and stood outside in the hot sun for 3 1/2 hours. I was smart enough to bring plenty of water and a good friend gave me an extra chair she had so I could "rest" in between groups. Well, I got my station set up and my butt never graced that chair once! I had back to back groups and by the time the third group came I lost my voice from talking. See, I had the ring toss game and I was constantly chasing after the target (which was made on a shower curtain that wasn't taped down to the ground), redistributing the rings to the 4 teams and explaining the instructions, counting up points, etc. I talked non-stop for those 3 1/2 hours. I knew that I had to be careful or else I would end up with heat stroke yet again. The funny thing was, when I looked around at the other stations, all the other moms had easier games. They were chatting with the teachers, relaxed and not breaking a sweat.

It was all worth it when my son's class came through as my very last station. He was thrilled because both Steve & I were there (Steve and another Dad walked the course with the kids and the teachers).

Next year I'm volunteering to bring water and begging for an easy game.

Mole Doctor

Yesterday I had to go to the dermatologist, or as my son refers to her, "The Mole Doctor". For those to you new to my blog, you might want to check out this story about my last visit to the dermatologist. Let's just say that I spent the better part of last year looking like a block of swiss cheese.

As you can imagine, I DID NOT continue to go to that particular mole doctor. In fact, I was so scared of going back to any mole doctor that I've put it off until I stumbled upon a wonderful dermatologist that I knew I could trust. I actually met her because of my son who had a few moles that needed to be examined. Thankfully, he didn't need any of them removed, but during the course of the visit, I explained about the "Butcher of Chester" and she readily agreed to take me on as a patient.

I was extremely nervous. I prayed, read my bible and had my husband pray for me before I went. I just had so many visions of what happened last time that it was almost paralyzing. But, I put my trust in God and forged ahead with the visit. She couldn't have been any nicer, any more sympathetic and I DIDN'T FEEL A THING! She had to tend to 3 moles in particular and honestly, I didn't have to grip the table once... that says a lot.

So, I'm very excited that's behind me and I don't need to go back for another 6 months.

Can I Trust You?

Trust... do you trust easily? Or is it earned? Can you meet someone, immediately get a "vibe" from them and determine whether or not they can be trusted? I have to admit, that for the majority of my life, I was not a very trusting individual. I think 90% of that was because of the fact that I was raised in a metropolitan area where we were taught street smarts probably before I even knew my A,B,Cs. It's not that I didn't want to trust people as I got older, but I learned that I had to be around them for a bit, quietly observe them in words and action, form my opinion and then I can let my guard down and be myself.

When I first arrived at college, the administration had set up little small groups for all incoming freshmen. It was assigned alphabetically by last name and there were about 15 or so in a small group. I loathed these once a week get togethers. I totally felt like an outsider... city girl trying to find her way in the country. Totally out of my element and, at this point, only knowing 2 other people on campus that I could truly say I trusted. Friendships were just forming and it was going to take me time.

The leader of our small group was an upper classman and he announced one day that we were going to play the "Trust" game. Right then and there the panic alarms were sounding inside my brain. What do you mean, the trust game... I don't even know you.... don't even know what the game is but I already knew that this was not going to be pretty.

So, the premise of the game is that everyone is to form a circle and one by one we would take turns standing in the middle of the circle. Then we were to fold our arms across our chest, close our eyes and just fall back. Ummmm... excuse me? Just fall back... with my eyes closed... and trust that this 90 pound boy or girl to my left or right is going to catch me? I'd rather be thrown into the creek on campus.. or eat a vegetable (which is saying a lot!). So, one by one, the other group members cheerfully took their turns... totally trusting that someone would catch them and they would bounce back into the middle of the circle. And each and every one of them did. Even the scrawny looking kids were pulling their weight so to speak. Even though I saw this was sucessful and no one was falling, I still didn't believe it was going to work for me... I could not trust that I wouldn't fall. I could not trust these strangers! So, finally it was my turn. I got in the middle of the circle and ... FROZE... I closed my eyes, put my arms across my chest...but could not let myself fall back. Gripped with fear... not trusting in anyone. I started to fall back and when I didn't feel someone right behind me to catch me.. I shot forward to regain my balance and walked out of the circle and off to the side.

I think, in hindsight, it was the turning point for me about trusting people. Although I didn't succeed in the task, I realized what a problem this was. I can trust Jesus with my life.. can't see him, but I know he is there always. I just needed His help in learning to trust others. Not to be reckless in just trusting everyone, but to let the walls down. 18 years worth of walls needed to be chipped way at. I don't know if they are all down.. but I know I've made a ton of progress. It's much easier for me to form friendships and easier to trust (with caution).

I often wonder if I played the Trust game today if I'd be able to do it... I think I should give it a try.

June!

I don't know what it's like by you...but June always seems to be a busy month. Birthdays, graduations, last days of school. It's like squeezing 3 months worth of activities into 2-3 weeks. I was trying to schedule a little shopping excursion with a friend only to realize that every morning this week (prime time to shop when Chris is in school) is already booked with various things. Doctor appointments, meetings and other obligations are proof that my mornings of running errands by myself are quickly coming to a close. Don't get me wrong, I have a bunch of fun things planned for us this summer, but oh how I'm going to miss a few stolen quiet moments each day.

Speaking of fun and summer... check out this website to see if your local bowling alley is participating in the "kids bowl free" program. Your child will get 2 free games A DAY! All you have to pay for is shoe rental. www.kidsbowlfree.com We took Chris yesterday and had a blast.

Red, White & Broke

What have we done this weekend? Well... hubby's car decided to smoke on Friday. It's in the shop getting fixed and then will be put up for sale. We wound up purchasing a car for hubby and new furniture for the living room (for those of you who follow the blog you'll remember that we sold our living room furniture at the community yard sale a few weeks ago). We got great deals so that helped ease the pain of making such big purchases.

As far as fun goes, Dairy Queen, mini golf, bowling and a surprise invite to my cousin's house for a BBQ rounded out the excitement. We went to our small town's Memorial Day Parade which, I must admit, was really fun. It flooded me with childhood memories of the Memorial Day parades I attended with my family. It felt great to see Chris excited about the festivities. Of course we also were trying to explain to him the purpose of this important day. When asked what his favorite part was he replied, "the candy". Of course... who wouldn't love the candy that was thrown by the people participating in the parade. He honestly collected as much as he does on Halloween. Not a bad gig.

Hope you are all enjoying the day with family and friends and a special thank you to all of you who have served or are currently serving our country and for fighting for the freedom that we enjoy each and every day

Close Friends

The other day we were asking Chris who is closest friends are. He started naming several kids in his class and we were a little surprised by some of the people he was naming. Not that they aren't nice kids, it's just that he doesn't talk about them much or socialize with them much outside of school. When we asked why so-in-so is his close friend, he replied, "Well he lives near our house.. I'm naming all the "close" kids.. you know the once that are closest to our home" Bless his heart.. he was right.. we asked who were his closest friends.. and he listed them by proximity.. not closest to his heart. How cute.

BP - Bringing People together - Funny!!

Man, It's HOT

Today I remembered why I hated going to school in May and June. THE HEAT! Oh my word. Today I spent 2 1/2 hours in Chris' school helping with various activities. I don't know why I bothered to shower this morning, because I was dripping with sweat when I left there today. Stale, hot air... that's all that flowed through the school. It brought back memories of my own school days. Relentless heat and teacher's trying to get you to pay attention when all you can think of is a cold drink and a swim.

I don't know about you, but I'm staying in with the air conditioner on... with any luck I'll catch a nap (and another shower) too!

Field Trip

Today, lil' guy took his very first class trip.. .without me, mind you. They boarded the school bus and headed to a local farm... couldn't have been a HOTTER day for their outing. 90 degrees.. now I don't know about you, but the LAST place I want to be on such a hot day is at a stinky farm. Maybe me not being on the trip was a good thing given my outlook LOL.

Chris had a great time and is definitely tired from the adventure. A friend of mine knew I would be worried and thinking about him all morning, so she did what any good friend would do, invite me over and then we went shopping. Totally kept my mind occupied for which I'm very grateful.

I remember going to a ton of museums in NYC when I was in school. My mother must have really have been prayed up those days of us getting on a school bus and going into Manhattan!
Do you remember your first class trips?

Waffle...

How would you like your waffle? On the floor or burnt... because that's the only two ways I could make them one day last week. You know how it is as a mom.. you rush around like a crazed lunatic in those early morning hours doing 10 things at once.. combing hair, brushing teeth, packing a lunch, folding laundry, cleaning up a spill and trying to get breakfast on the table. The other morning I made myself two delicious looking waffles... topped off with butter, syrup and applesauce..just the way my mom used to serve them to me. I was so anxious to devour them that as I turned to put them on the table, one of them slid off my plate and plopped right onto the kitchen floor. Needless to say, that poor waffle wound up in the garbage. No problem... make another. Popped it into the toaster oven and I was off writing my to do list, making beds, checking emails, etc. When the toaster oven chimed to let me know my waffle was ready, I was so saddened to see that it was burnt beyond recognition. By that time, I HAD no time, so I ate it.
My husband came down and he suggested a bowl of cereal...

TGIF !

Another busy weekend... traveling to visit my sister-in-law for her birthday and bringing a wonderful lasagna and cupcakes to celebrate. Wish we could stay all weekend, but must travel home tomorrow night so the lil man can sing with the Children's Choir again on Sunday.

It's hard to believe that the school year is winding down. Next year it will be full-day for Chris... a big boy in first grade. Next week the kids are going to "practice" eating in the cafeteria so they get used to it. So many milestones going by too quickly. Going to give him a big squeeze right now - at least he still responds to those and squeezes back... wish I could bottle him up at this age. Love it!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone and sending special prayers up to my Uncle David today -- we love you and are praying for you!

Sit Down!

So we are still without a sofa in our living room. My son brought up his little Pooh couch that he's had since he was a baby so at least he has a place to sit while watching TV. I moved one of our chairs from the kitchen to our living room so at least Steve or I have a place to sit should we need one. I guess we are going with the "less is more" look. Just not great for entertaining, so we are going to have to continue our search for a new sofa.

Chris loves shopping for sofas... he has now been to two furniture stores with us in the past few days and he is hysterical. He walks in, scopes out the place... must find the restroom to check that out, and then it's on to couch testing. He has discovered an inner passion for recliners... specifically sectional sofas with at least 2 recliners. Some have the traditional levers that you push/pull, and some are more up to date and have the little semi-circle levers that you simply just lift. He is in glory! He purposely wears easy shoes to slip in and out of so he takes off his shoes, plops on a couch and reclines. He is in heaven. Or maybe he just really misses having a place to sit in our living room!

Everything But The Kitchen Sink

Yesterday our community held a huge garage sale. They hold one every year, but this was the first time that we participated. At first, we didn't think that we had much to put out, but we found several items (baby gear, toys, an old TV, etc) and decided to put it all out to see what happens. So Friday was spent gathering items and tagging them, so on Saturday all we had to do was put them out and sit back.

Well, something unexpected happened on Saturday... I was expecting a few people here and there, but there are some serious garage sale hunters out there, people! They were coming in DROVES... looking and buying. So, the more we sold, the more I started thinking... what else could we sell. So, I ran to my bedroom and grabbed some old books - put them on the table and they sold. Next, I went through some old boxes in the garage that we hadn't tackled on Friday and found more items - put them out and sold them. Then Steve & I looked at each other and we both had the same thought --- the Sofas! Yes, we decided to have our neighbor come over and help Steve haul out our couch and loveseat. Steve has had this set for at least 10 years.. well before we got married. They look really good, but we were planning on buying a new set sometime in the next year. So, out they went.. and we sold them! It was the funniest thing... I had to explain to Chris what was going on.. he looked at me like I was crazy, but I guess a garage sale made me a little crazy. I came back into the house to "check on him" (aka - grab more stuff to sell) and he had taken the cushion from our piano bench and had it on the floor of the living room playing a game. It was hysterical.

Anyway, after the couches, I got a grip and just starting visualizing what I would sell next year. Other than the couches, we didn't sell anything that had been used on a regular basis. Mostly stuff that had been in boxes since our move from Florida. We don't have the wall space or counter space to display most of it and if it's been in a box for over 2 years, the likelihood of it getting used in the next 2 is slim to none.

We were so exhausted by the end of the day, but it was a great time. Chris was thrilled to sell a bunch of his old toys (and we were so proud of the fact that he was able to sort through his things and decide which toys he no longer needed).

Of course the first thing we did after the sale was jump in the car and start furniture shopping... no luck yet, but hopefully soon!

Upate on Dad

Thank you all for your prayers. Dad is doing fine. The doctors did not need to put a stent in and while they were examining his heart, they checked the other stent and it looked good as well. So, we are very thankful that he did not need further surgery today. He should be able to go to my sister's house later today where he can rest up for a day or so.

Again, thanks for praying!

My dad

Hi everyone.. just a quick post to request prayer for my Dad. He is having a procedure done at the hospital very early tomorrow morning and would really appreciate your prayers. The doctors are going to be checking for blockage in one of his arteries and, if necessary, will be inserting a stent.

I will update as I have more information tomorrow. Thank you so much!

Celebrations

In my family, it just seems that celebrations just roll one into another. The first half of the year is just packed with birthdays, anniversaries and the common celebrations like Valentine's day, mother's day, etc. We finally get a little reprieve around the end of June and then it picks up in November. This past week was not exception. Mother's Day and then Steve's birthday. Of course little man was still on the prowl for a gift for himself. On Mother's Day he lovingly wrapped his arms around me and said, "Happy Mother's Day Mommy.. I love you.... (insert pause) "Do I get a gift for loving you?" He's too funny... He just thinks it's all about him and usually it is LOL. That's what happens when you have one child.

We are having a great week... even if it feels like winter. I had just started putting all our sweaters away when we got slammed with a cold spell. I'd like to personally tell mother nature that we are over it...bring on spring and summer.

Hope you all had a blessed mother's day and that your families are all happy and healthy.

Food for Thought

Busyness

My devotional earlier this week was on busyness and I thought how appropriate since there is hardly ever a time when I don't feel busy. The author was cautioning the readers to not be so busy that you don't take time to get quiet before God to hear what he's trying to tell you. He longs to speak to us and to answer our many requests, but do we ever stop long enough to spend time praying and focusing on Him, or worshipping Him to get the answers that we are seeking?

The other day was particular busy for me.. my to do list was 2 pages long and I was overwhelmed. The last thing I wanted to do was return phone calls, but I knew I should. So, I dialed a friend who had left me a message and 2 minutes into the conversation, I was so glad that I took time out of my busy day to call. She needed a friend, a Christian friend, to pray with her over a particular need. I've been in her shoes when I've had days when a friend called me at just the right time, to utter just the right words, or pray with me when I needed it most. That's when I realized that there are some days when I'm busy and doing good things, but maybe it's not the right kind of busy.

I was really challenged that day to make time even in my busyness to listen to God's voice and to pray for Him to direct me to the activities that He wants me to accomplish that day. So, I'd like to encourage you to take a moment each day and ask God to direct you in the midst of your busy life towards the activities that would be blessing to Him.

Full Speed Ahead

Yesterday I managed to attend the Ladies Bible Study brunch, host 2 back-to-back play dates at my house, make 1 trip to the E/R AND had dinner on the table last night (thanks to a crock pot!). I didn't think that so many valuable lessons could be shared in ONE day....

The trip to the E/R was due to 2 kids running around the house having fun and inevitably running full speed into each other... resulted in a loose tooth for Chris' friend and a ton of blood. Chris has a little bump but is fine. The other child definitely will loose the tooth sooner than expected but otherwise was fine.

I am so glad there's no max in how many times you can reach out to God during the day.... his name was on my lips all day!! Just so thankful that all turned out well... and I told my husband I deserve a medal for having dinner on the table, because that's the LAST thing I wanted to deal with after all was said and done yesterday.