We Did It!

Made it successfully through our first sleepover. I'm exhausted, but have a very happy boy this morning (for those wondering... we have no school today or tomorrow and that's how I was able to do a sleepover in the middle of the week).

This song has been in my head the last two days so thought I would share it. It's called "You are God Alone ".... although I didn't link the kids Shout Praise version of this song, it is one of my favorites.

Coming Of Age

Tonight Chris is having his first sleepover. I've put it off since he is only 6 but he and his buddy have been asking me and the other mom for the longest time and we finally agreed. So.... Chris' little friend will be arriving around 6pm tonight and staying (fingers crossed) until tomorrow morning. I guess we'll have to wait and see how this all works out... I'm already exhausted because I am an insane mother who insists on cleaning before this little guest arrives (as if he will notice and if my house will even be recognizable by tomorrow morning!)

Road Block

Today has not gone as planned and, if I am anything, I am a planner. I have my lists, TWO calendars, my label maker, etc. I try to be organized and nothing gives me greater satisfaction then checking something off my list and having my day go according to plan.

So, right now I should be sitting in my Beth Moore Bible Study, sharing wonderful insights with friends and then watching this week's video. Obviously, that didn't happen. I was all ready to go... had my workbook and bible with me in the car so that after I dropped Chris off at school and voted, I would be on my way. And it was going great until I was a few miles from my house. Then there was a road block. Heavy construction... repaving roads. Single lane. No one moving... no one even crawling. No side roads to turn off. I kept thinking "if I just wait a little longer and then it would start moving. Maybe I'll just miss the worship part." Then time passed and I thought, "well, maybe I'll just miss the small group discussion." But after 35 minutes of moving maybe 1/2 mile, I realized that even if by some small miracle, the police man waved all the cars on my side of the road through, I would still be arriving at bible study well beyond the start of the video and it really wasn't worth the 40 minute journey.

So, as soon as I was able to finally get to the highway entrance, I was able to take some back roads towards my home. About 5 minutes into the trip home, I hit ANOTHER road block! By this time, I was thinking, "how come every plan I have today is not going my way!?" Luckily, I didn't have to wait as long at this road block, but it just really confirmed in my heart something about me and MY plans. Obviously, God has other plans for my day. And even though the plans I had in place were good and positive, even God-focused plans --- they weren't what he wanted or needed me to do with my morning. The whole drive home, I was thinking of all the other things I could accomplish on my list when I got here. And while I was mentally reworking "my plan", I felt the Lord impressing on me what HE wanted me to do this morning.... and I knew that He and I would have some quality one-on-one time with no interruptions and THAT is the plan he wanted for me this morning.

So, I guess I'm grateful for the road block that opened the path for me to spend my morning the way God wanted me to spend it!

That's What You Get !

I never liked Halloween on Sunday's.. just doesn't seem right. Especially when you walk into church on Oct 31st and your 6 1/2 year old turns to you and says, "Are we going to sing any Halloween songs this morning?

Nice...... I guess I should be happy he didn't ask to wear his batman costume to children's church.

Dancing With The Stars

My husband was playing a Beethoven/Salsa clip that he found on Facebook. While sharing it with us, he broke into a little impromptu dance. I guess Chris was impressed with his coordination, moves and musicality which made him wonder if he was a musician... however, the question that he came out with was "Dad, are you a magician?" We had a good long laugh and then I said "Yes... he is a magician and maybe if we turn off the music he'll make the dancing disappear."

Breast Cancer Controversy

There has been a ton of "buzz" in our school district regarding breast cancer awareness these last few weeks. Apparently, there are some retailers who are selling "I Love Boobies" bracelets. In general, there are several organizations who make bracelets available for purchase and a portion of the proceeds goes to that charity or organization. The problem with this particular bracelet is that, while it is supposed to be worn in support of breast cancer research, etc., the children sporting them (as young as 7 and 8) are obviously wearing them for other reasons (sexual comment). Call me crazy, but should a 2nd grader in my son's school be allowed to wear this bracelet?

I personally think the bracelets should just have the common symbol for breast cancer awareness, the pink ribbon, and let that be it. To have that phrase on it, to me, just demeans the whole purpose. Having lost a parent to this horrible disease, I take offense to it and really hope that parents pay attention to the bands your kids have on their wrists and have a heart-to-heart conversation with them about it.

To me, it's not cool for a young boy to have this band on his wrist (and to be able to wear it under the pretense of supporting a cause when the really is wearing it more as a joke - sexual remark). Don't wear a t-shirt to public school that has religious meaning behind it, but go ahead and wear the "I love boobies" band - that's just fine. Any thoughts out there? Do you think I'm overreacting or not getting mad enough?

Yogi

A few weeks ago, I was driving Chris to soccer practice, minding my own business, when all of a sudden, a HUGE black bear ran right in front of my car on this 2-lane road. I was thankful that he didn't run into my car and that my car wasn't going too fast so I didn't hit him. Chris and I just starting screaming --- AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH It was so random and so unexpected.... the closest I had been to a bear prior to this was watching Yogi Bear on TV... oh and Special Agent Oso for those of you with small kids.

I am so thankful for God's protection on the roads!

Heaven

Chris has been asking a lot of deep questions about heaven and what it's going to be like. Where do you live in heaven and more importantly, what do we do in heaven. So, I explained to him that we will be praising God and singing and worshipping forever. So, he looks at me for a few seconds and then comes out with... "And then what? When do we get to play with my Wii?"

These Boots Were Made For Walking

Up until this morning, I believed that there was no other activity more disheartening to a woman than shopping for a bathing suit or a pair of jeans. Both quests can make a woman have a moment of two of body image regret... (regret eating that bowl of ice cream, regret eating that piece of cake, etc.) Today, I realized that bathing suit shopping and jean shopping are a walk in the part compared to the dreaded "boot".

I went off to Marshalls this morning for some retail therapy and I wanted to buy a pair of boots. Specifically dressy boots (AKA -- boots that have no function in bad weather, are not waterproof, but boy do they look nice!) . There are so many different types of boots out there so I grabbed a mix of them (ankle boots, calf boots, knee high boots, etc.) First up was the knee high boot. I sat down and proceeded to pull them on. I had the zipper half way up my calf when IT happened.... I couldn't close the zipper! On the top part of my calf! Are you serious??? Now, call me crazy, but my calves have not changed size. (Thighs are a different story for a blog on a different day) I have not begun a body building regime so they are not muscular and super toned, but my goodness, it took me by surprise.

So then, I am reasoning to myself, that maybe the boots were cut "thin" or "narrow". You know.. if they have a "wide" shoe, maybe this was a "narrow". So, I grabbed a few other pairs, and while able to zip some of them, they just didn't look good. AT ALL. What is a girl to do? So, I guess once you hit 40, I'm best to keep the boots either at my ankles or slightly higher... no knee high boots for this girl.... I guess I better go shopping for a bathing suit or jeans to bolster my body image. LOL

Getting Ahead of Myself

I haven't even put away the summer clothes, but I have:

-Learned the words to almost every song in Christopher's upcoming Christmas play

-Purchased several Christmas gifts

-Researched airfares for our trip to Florida in December

-Updated my Christmas Card list

-Pulled out all my Christmas CDs

-Enrolled myself in a Christmas Cookie class at Cookie Crumb Productions, owned by my pastry chef friend, Melissa.

I think I'm a little ahead of myself, but I don't like frantic Decembers... I like everything in order and ready to go so I can sit back and enjoy those weeks... well, that's the plan anyway.

Why I Don't Like First Grade

Let me just say, life was simpler in Kindergarten. Everyone loved each other, they all shared, the world was a happy place. First Grade is the ANTI-kindergarten it seems. It's such a hard age... I remember being six... you learn a lot about your world and the people who make up the world. As a mom, I wish I could shield my son and tell him that everyone will love him as much as I do, everyone is always kind and that the world is a totally loving and happy place. Is it just me, or is it torture watching your child learn to navigate their way through the world?

So far, he's learned that kids are mean (for no apparent reason), that they will throw things at you and tease you just because they feel like it. He's learning how to fight his own battles and to make friends with kids that are nice to him and stay away from those who always seem to be in the "reflection" chair. He also just realized this past weekend that not everyone goes to church! I think he was SHOCKED when he realized that not everyone loves Jesus the way he does. He is growing up and I feel like I'm reliving all those childhood growing pains once again. It just means some extra time on my knees praying each day for him.

Boy, I miss kindergarten...sigh

Addendum: After talking to my concerned father, I should note that the reason why the kids seem so miserable is because they merged two elementary schools into one... so the majority of Chris' classmates are from the other school who are now trying to adjust to this new environment. It doesn't excuse bad behavior, but I truly believe things would have been a little different if they had kept the schools separate. Just my observation.

It's Been A While

So, what have I been up to?? The first week that Chris was in school, I spent my time cleaning and organizing.. not that you would know it and we are only a few weeks into the school year. Now, I am in the throws of running my business, running our home, being the Room Parent for Chris' class, bible study, walking with friends, soccer practice, soccer games, book fairs, etc. You get the picture. It's been non-stop but it's all good.

Fall just crept up on me and it's hard to believe it's time again to haul out the winter clothes. I hope with the Fall will come some more opportunities just to be home and to catch you all up on my life and blog a little about all that's happening in our little neck of the woods.

Got to close for now -- hosting 5 girlfriends at my house for coffee and some goodies. Promise to be back soon!

Kid Funny

Christopher is fascinated with all things number related: time, counting, adding, etc. So, I shouldn't have been surprised while exiting church on Sunday he hit me with, "How much do you weigh, Mom?" So, I did what any mother would have done in my shoes... turn the question around as quickly as possible. "Well, how much do you weigh?" He proudly announced that he was a whopping 48 pounds. "Wow," I said "Well, I can safely tell you that I weigh at least 10 more pounds than you do." "Ohhhh... cool" Hopefully that will satisfy him for a while.. LOL Let's just hope he doesn't ask me to get on the scale... better go hide it now

5th Grader

"Mom, are you stronger than a 5th grader?"

(Insert silence as I try to figure out where that came from)

"Um... what do you mean, honey?"

"Well... there is this game show called "Are you Stronger than a 5th Grader" on TV"

"Oh... you mean the show, "Are you Smarter than a 5th Grader... Not Stronger"

"Well... are you smarter or stronger?"

"I'm going to say both"

"I think you are definitely stronger, Mom"

Thanks for the vote of confidence....

The Doughnut Creed

"As you ramble through Life, Brother,
Whatever be your goal.
Keep your eye upon the doughnut,
And not upon the hole."

What a great reminder to be thankful for what you have and not what's missing!

Quote of the Day

My husband, Steve, walked into the house last night only to receive this greeting from our 6 year old...

"Hey Mom... your husband is home!"

Too funny!

Do You Hear What I Hear?

Do you hear that sound? You don't??? Get closer to your computer... closer...closer... Ok.. I'm messing with you.. There is no sound! (Did you seriously bend in closer? I bet you did!)

Anyway, the point is... there is NO sound in my house. Just my fingers clicking away on the keyboard. (My piano teacher would have a royal FIT if she saw how long my fingernails are!) Chris is at school... 2 weeks into his new school year.... 2 weeks into him being gone from 8:40 am until 4:00 pm. That's a L-O-N-G time for him to be gone and a L-O-N-G time for me to be home without the endless questions, the requests for food or drinks and to wear my hat as activities director. Don't get me wrong, I miss him.. it's too quiet. Although, I must say, my house is looking much tidier and, dare I say it ... I have some time to myself. For those of you who have endured the perils of having a child in 1/2 day kindergarten, you will sympathize with me on how brutal that was... 3 lousy hours was all you had. I was so FRAZZLED! I could barely go food shopping, unpack the groceries or clean a couple of rooms before I had to race to pick him up. It was rough. This year is a little easier. I can exercise (Not that I actually have yet, but I can when the spirit moves me) I can meet friends for lunch, I can browse in stores without someone tugging on me to look at the toy department.

Honestly, I think I am most grateful for the quiet time with God... it's not sandwiched in between brushing my teeth and putting breakfast on the table. It's actually quiet... and I can take my time... reflect and pray. What a concept!

Anyway, if nothing else I'm learning to be content in whatever season in life I am in. I was just telling my husband the other day that I really want to treasure each day we have together. Oftentimes the days just roll into each other and before you know it, our son will be in college. I just want to savor every joyous moment we have together as a family.... and while he's in school and my house is a little more quiet, I know that God will help me in using this time to not only better take care of our home and spend time working my business, but in using me for whatever purpose he has for me. So, whether you are still in the "frazzled" season of life with you kids, or are finally enjoying a little more "silence" during the day, take a deep breath and enjoy the day..whatever it may bring.

Nightmare

Chris woke up at 5 am crying... he had nightmare. He rarely gets them, so when he does, it's a big deal. Lots of crying, wailing, weeping, gnashing of teeth.. you get the idea. It only made me feel worse when I realized that I caused the nightmare.. .you see, I like to read books to Chris before bed. I pick one and he picks one. He reads one to me, and I read a bigger chapter book to him. So, last night he picked some Star Wars Clone thingy, and I read several pages about Droids, clones, light sabers, weird separatists nations, etc. He came into our room exclaiming, "It was so bad and loud..even my Star Wars Lego guys were scared!"















So, needless to say, there must be a reason why they haven't come out with a Star Wars Bed Time edition or Lullaby. IT IS NOT NIGHTTIME MATERIAL. I was firmly instructed by Christopher (and his Dad) that all Star Wars reading material must be completed way before sundown.

That's it... back to VeggieTales tonight.

Most Wondeful Time of the Year

Hope you enjoy this commercial as much as I do... it's from a few years ago, by Staples.

Waiting & an Answer

This is a follow up to my last post about Chris' prayer request... here he is waiting on the Lord so to speak...























Here he is immediately following the answer to his prayer (thanks to his Titi Shirley)