Quote of the Day

"Prayer is asking for rain.... Faith is carrying an umbrella"

Barbara Johnson

Move Over Kate!

Kate Middleton better watch her back... there's another princess on the scene. I was greeted yesterday morning with "Good Morning Princess!" I was taken aback because maybe that's a common greeting in your home each morning, but certainly not in mine. When I asked Chris why he wanted to call me princess he replied that it was because he wanted me to call him a prince. But of course... I should just call him Prince Lego since that's his favorite thing... although if I flipped that around I guess I would be called Princess Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and that just doesn't sound very much like a princess.. it just makes me hungry. LOL

Fire Drill

Yesterday we had a family fire drill. I'm proud to say it was mainly at the prompting of Christopher. So, we practiced leaving the house and going to our designated meeting space. It went very smoothly. Then I decided it would be a good idea for Chris to learn how to use my cell phone in case of emergency. I showed him how to call Steve and thought we should role play.

Me: "Call Daddy and tell him that something happened to mommy and you need help. Think of a situation when Mommy might hurt herself"

So, Chris uses my cell phone to call Steve (who is sitting next to us during this activity) and says: "Hi Dad.. it's me,Christoper. Mommy fell down the stairs and got hurt."

For those of you not too familiar with my legacy... I am notorious for falling down stairs.. it hasn't happened in a while, but even my son knows this about me.

I had myself a good laugh and felt confident of two things: 1 - Chris is ready for an emergency and 2: I better keep an eye on my cell phone now that he knows how to use it.

Letter to the Editor

To Whom It May Concern:

Today my son was home from school and I decided to pull out your Grade 1 Curriculum to have him do some relevant classwork. While working in the reading/spelling section he was stumped because he was supposed to match the first letter of the word to the picture that started with the same letter... He was stuck because he said " the letters there were "R" and "T" and it showed a picture of a Rose and a Radio... "

So I meandered over to see what the problem was... and the problem was that your curriculum was written before Flat Screen Televisions invaded America. The picture of the correct answer was a "television" that honestly looked like the floor model my grandfather had in his home in 1975. It had ANTENNAS on top of it as did your picture... my son thought it was a radio.

So, thanks for making me spend 30 minutes trying to convince my 7 year old that the picture was not a radio, but an old fashioned television. Don't you think moms home with sick children have enough to deal with?

Thanks

Friend or Foe

About a week ago, Chris came home from school and announced to me that he was now friends with "Bob". I was a little surprised because Bob has tried my patience, has softened my heart and has opened a door for me to teach my little boy how to act towards others...especially those who are not nice to you. You see, Bob has some learning and behavioral challenges and, as such, is not to blame for some of his actions. So, I've spent the majority of the year trying to explain to Chris that we are to treat others the way we want to be treated, but if you get pushed or something is said or done that doesn't follow the rules, you need to tell the teacher right away. And Chris has been great about doing just that, but always with the mindset that he does NOT like this kid.

So, that was why I was surprised that the boy who will "accidentally" knock into him and give him grief, is now his friend. I didn't get too much into it the day of Chris' announcement because we were with other people. As I was driving Chris to school the next day he said to me, "Mom.. do you know why I am now friends with Bob?"

No, Chris I don't... why did you decide to be his friend?
"Well, Bob does not have even ONE friend in our class and so I decided I was going to be his friend that way he has one. I was thinking how would I feel if I was the one who didn't have a friend and I would be very sad. So, that's why I am now his friend."

As the tears were rolling down my checks I told him how proud I was of him and how he is being so Christ-like in his actions.

Kid Funny

The following conversation took place in church recently:

As the ushers were called to come to the front of the sanctuary...
Chris to me in a whispered tone: "Mom.. are they going to turn the water into wine today?"
Huh?? What was he talking about??.. the ushers were coming to collect the offering.. and then it dawned on me.. he thought they were going to pass out communion!
"No.. there is no communion today, Chris. Usually once a month"

He remembered his recent Sunday school lesson about the miracle of Jesus turning the water into wine. And I guess when explaining communion to him he just put the two stories together.

At least he's not mad anymore thinking that it wasn't fair that the adults got to have the snacks (juice and bread) and the kids got nothing.

Get Rich Quick!

Chris is saving up money to take Tae Kwon Do lessons. We told him that we would pay for the majority of it, but we'd like for him to chip in a little bit to help with the cost. So, each week he is putting part of his allowance aside and I guess he is getting a little impatient...

"Mom.. get the video camera out!"
"Why??"
"I'm going to record something funny so we can win the $100,000 prize on America's Funniest Home Videos. So, get the camera and I'll do something to make people laugh." (I could ONLY IMAGINE what that would be....

Needless to say, I explained that those videos are usually spontaneous and not planned out actions.

"Well... if I win then I can go to Tae Kwon Do AND still have money to buy tons of Legos".

Yes.. .it's all about the Legos once again. I hope his future home has a room big enough for his future collection.

Cross Cultural?

Chris to me yesterday while we were visiting family...

Chris -"Mom... can we go to a foreign country sometime?"

me - "Sure -- where would you like to go? Canada... Mexico?"

Chris - "How about Spain?"

Me - "That would be great! Daddy can give us the grand tour. Why did you pick Spain.. because you are part Spanish?"

Chris "No... remember a few days ago I was looking at a Lego on the computer and it said that it was not available in the U.S.? Well.. I figured we could go to Spain and look at their Lego store to see if they have it there!"

I laughed so hard you have no idea... here I am thinking he was inspired by all the books about Puerto Rico and Spain that are in my sister-in-law's house.. or maybe just some cultural interest since now he is learning Spanish in school. No such luck... it's all about the Legos. Love this boy!

Roof!

I woke up this morning exhausted because I did a late night Mary Kay party at a local college for some of the students. The college scene certainly has changed since I was in school.. but I'll save that for another blog. Anyway, this morning as I was getting ready to give a facial at my house, I ran upstairs from my basement and noticed a little puddle on my kitchen floor. Looked like a spill, but it wasn't a spill.. it was a leak... from the slanted ceiling by our skylight. We officially have yet another leak. (insert huge sigh). So now I'm waiting for my friend to come and praying that she doesn't get dripped on during her facial (just kidding.. we aren't going to be sitting near the leak).

So, as I'm stressing out and beginning to figure out just what we are going to do about this latest little problem, my daily calendar has the following inspiration message on it: "Worry doesn't help tomorrow's troubles but it does ruin today's happiness." So, I will not worry about this little challenge today and let God just take control. I'll get the umbrellas out just to be prepared (haha)

If You Had....

Saw an interesting conversation on Facebook a few weeks ago and thought I'd throw it out to you. If you had enough money to hire ONE person to help you out who would you hire? A Nanny... A Personal Chef... or a Housekeeper?

My first reaction was housekeeper.. help me keep a home clean, do laundry, load and unload and reload and unload the dishwasher.. umm YES! Please! But only if that housekeeper learned to clean from someone like my mom.. .who taught us to get on your hands and knees to clean the floors if you know what I mean.

But then I thought, well I think what I would REALLY love is a personal assistant. Someone to fill out forms, go grocery shopping, unload the groceries, make all the doctor appointments, answer phone calls, respond to mail, party invites, etc.

So after feeling that I made the wisest decision, I shrugged my shoulders and realized that all those tasks and responosibilities that often times feel unfulfilling, unrewarding and under appreciated are what make me the Mom.. the wife.. the friend that I am. God has purposes for even these insignificant little things and I don't think I want to let go of them. Well..maybe for a day. How's tomrorrow?

Ready for Battle

Every morning I pray that God gives me strength for the battles that I will inevitably face that day.... Literally... I face battles EVERY DAY. Sometimes once a day.. but more often than not it is THREE times a day. You see, having a seven year old who LOVES Legos, I am invited every day, three times a day, to participate in a LEGO Battle. Sometimes I am faced with an early morning battle (before first cup of coffee). I am usually greeted with another one right after homework is completed in the afternoon. And you can be sure there is a third battle right before bedtime. Let me tell you -- it's exhausting being on the front line! But so worth it. Trust me -- I don't feel like going into battle every day, and sometimes I'm able to push off a battle or delay the start time so I can get a few more minutes of rest or at least a sip of coffee before facing my 7 year old challenger and his fleet of Star Wars Legos.

One of the coolest things I've been able to do is to start teaching him about different Bible battles while we are playing. Fore example -- he thinks that the biggest plane or space ship always wins the battle which opened the door for me to remind him of the story of David and Goliath. So I'm excited to get to reintroduce these Bible stories he knows while he is playing with favorite toys. You never know what will stick with kids as they grow up. So - for those of you "in the battle" with your kids each day, maybe you can turn what seems like mindless play time into some important lessons for everyday life.

And yes -- It's 8:03 on a holiday, President's Day, and I already participated in Battle 1 of the day at 7:30.

Thought For the Day

"Hope is faith holding out its hands in the dark." George Iles

Valentine's Day

I met you as a teen and you became a good friend. Although you drifted out of my life when I went off to college, I thought of you every now and then throughout the years. There were some years of great joy, and of deepest sorrow while we went our separate ways, but all along God knew that those experiences were helping me grow. You see, I had to dance on the mountain top and get lost in the valley in order for God to make me who I am today. I wasn't ready to be your wife back when I first met you, but God new that when we reconnected 15 years after that first encounter, I would be ready. That WE would be ready. It was so easy to fall in love with someone I already considered a good friend.

Happy Valentine's Day to the one who got away... but then walked back into my life... just in time to steal my heart forever. I love you STEVE!

I thank God for the broken road that lead me straight to you!!

The Love Passage for Kids

With Valentine's Day right around the corner, I thought I'd share this kid's version of I Corinthians 13 which was in my son's new "big boy" Bible. (Side note to those of you who are thinking about buying your sons a Bible, I highly recommend the NIV Adventure Bible. Full of fun facts, bible verses to memorize and simple devotionals for their level. A great first full-length Bible).

"If I can speak beautifully and sing like an angel, but don't love others, I sound like a child banging on a piano or a screeching radio. If I'm very smart - almost a genius- but don't love others, I am nothing.

Love will stand in line and wait its turn.

Love looks for the good in others.

Love doesn't always want what others have and it doesn't brag about what it does have.

Love is polite, even when the other person is rude.

Love doesn't have to be first.

Love doesn't get angry over small things and it doesn't remember one reason after another to be hurt.

Love isn't happy when someone else fails but is happy with the truth.

Love will always protect others, especially those who are often picked on or teased.

Love always believes the best about others and is steady and true.

Love never gives up.

The Three most important things to have are faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

Thought for the Day

"In the darkest pit of despair, when God gives us the light to take only one step at a time, His message to us is still simply: TRUST ME! " Barbara Johnson

My father-in-law, Domingo, is in the hospital and we would appreciate your prayers. He's having some tests done later this week. Many thanks!!

Zapped

My son was distraught that none of his friends were able to come over for a last minute play date yesterday. I was his only option and he was not having it. So, his plan was for me to be "zapped" into a little boy that he could play with. So he stuck out his finger and said "Zap"... then waited. When nothing changed, he then said.. "well that didn't work... how about you just have another baby so I have someone to play with." If it was only that easy... sigh...

Give It Away

My jaw almost hit the floor when I heard my 7 year old make this announcement on the way home from school today, "Mom.. I think we can give away all my Thomas the Tank Engine trains at the next garage sale."

"Really!?!"
"Yes.. I don't watch Thomas anymore and don't play with the trains, so we can get rid of them."
"Well... we could try to sell them or is there some other little boy that you think might enjoy them?"

He immediately named his best friend's brother who is almost 3 and an avid Thomas enthusiast. "Next time we go to their house we can bring him some Thomas toys." I also encouraged him to leave a few here just so when his best friend and his brother come over there are some toys for the little one to play with here.

So proud that he's ready and willing to bless others with things that were once "treasures" to him. I'm just beaming today because he also received a great report card and for those of you who know some of the history regarding some of the challenges he had, let me tell you that God is so good and continues to do a great work in our boy.

At Long Last

My son has had a loose tooth for 3 months.... 3 LONG months... he was really NOT looking forward to losing this tooth - for some reason he was afraid it was going to hurt. Now, he's already lost 3 other teeth that caused him no pain, so maybe someone told him that this upper front tooth would hurt when it came out... Anyway... we've been "encouraging" him for weeks.... for MONTHS to just wiggle it, eat an apple, let us "check" it, etc. and he has wanted nothing to do with it... He would have let that thing tangle for the rest of his life if that was possible.

Finally, last night, while we were all snowed in here in NJ, he was enjoying a go-gurt (yogurt in a long tube for those of you without young kids) and as he was squeezing the life out of it... the tooth came out. He was so calm when he discovered it and then exclaimed, "Well that wasn't bad at all!"

The funniest part is that after his tooth came out, he wanted to know how much money I, the tooth fairy, would bring him. We went through the ritual of putting it under his pillow and as I was tucking him into bed he told me that his eyes would be closed at 9:25 and I can come in then to leave him his reward.

So, at 9:25, I hear "It's time, Mom!" ... so I tip-toed into his room amidst little giggles, slipped the money under his pillow to even more giggles, and then left. Surprisingly, he didn't grab the money and jump out of bed... no, not my boy... he saved that until 6:00 this morning!

So cute... cherishing these precious little boy moments...

I'm SNOW Over it!

Sigh... snow... every day it seems like we get more and more snow... I don't know what color grass is anymore.. I think it might be white. We got slammed with another major snowstorm last night. Which means I was up half the night because of the snow plows clearing our streets. I think I've come to love the sound of those plows because every minute they are out there I am reminding myself that my husband and I don't have to lift a finger to clear our driveway.. or our stairs. It truly is the major benefit of townhouse living and I'm sure one day when we are living elsewhere I will miss that.

Today I gave a piano lesson to my neighbor's son. I haven't taught piano in a few years so I don't know who was more nervous... me or him! He wore cologne (how cute!! he's 8 so relax!) It went well and I'm told that he's eager to continue... at least I didn't scare him off.

Hope everyone is doing well and that most of you didn't have to go to work outside of your home today.

Aww..

Wouldn't you like to receive this from your child? Melted my heart... he printed the paper off the computer all by himself and proudly handed this to me.. I know it's a little light but it say:

"Dear friend. You are nice. I like to play with you. From Christopher. "

Enjoying the moment