Always Good for a Laugh

Two things about my day to remember:

1.  Anna was singing along with the Veggie Tales.  The song was "Sweet, Sweet Spirit":  "There's a sweet, sweet spirit in this place ... and I know that it's the spirit of the Lord.  There are sweet expressions on each face ... and I know that it's the presence of the Lord ..."  The Anna version continues on, "Sweet Lonely Spirit ... Sweet Heavenly Dove ..."   After which she paused and asked me, "Who IS the lonely spirit?!"   I guess the song wasn't hymn-like enough for her to realize it was talking about the HOLY Spirit. 

2.  Miriam is no dummy.  I was sharing my dry Lucky Charms cereal with her this morning, so I'd hold out a hand-full for us to share.  She'd pick out all the marshmallow charms to eat ... and feed ME the oat pieces.  She's after me Lucky Charms!

After 4 Hours of Sleep

Yesterday was a busy day (besides Miriam's usual busy-ness) ... not only do we have services at our church - Sunday School at 10 a.m., Morning Service at 11 a.m. and Afternoon Service at 2 p.m., we also had the season's end Upward Program to attend at another church at 6 p.m.  I was a little skeptical about how good the whole thing was going to be because the speaker was the mascot for the Kansas City Chiefs NFL football team ... I mean, really?  How much could a MASCOT have to say?!  But I was proven so wrong:  Dan Meers is the man behind the mask (so to speak) ... and he was so much fun and gave an incredible testimony about his personal relationship with Jesus Christ. 

So, Miriam had all of a maybe 1 hour nap yesterday in the midst of all the excitement ... On the way home from the basketball program, she fell asleep.  I was a little worried as it was only 7:45 p.m., but we got home and I put her in bed, thinking she'd wake up soon.  So, I waited.  I put the older 2 kids to bed after a while, thinking Miriam would wake up amid the night chaos and showers.  Nope.  I folded some laundry, balanced my checkbook, watched Cupcake Wars ... and I waited for the banshee screaming.  Miriam slept on.

We got a pretty fierce storm around midnight - strong winds and thunder.  I was SURE Miriam would wake up ... so I waited.  But she slept.  I went on to bed, but I didn't sleep very well at all.  Miriam woke up SO HAPPY at 6:30!  She enjoyed seeing the older kids before they left for school.  We even sat on the porch a few minutes and waved good-bye to everyone as they headed out for the day.  THANKFULLY Miriam fell asleep on my lap, watching the (obviously boring) morning news so we got to take a short morning nap.  That was very helpful for me and guarantees that I will survive this day.  And so here we go ... ready to tackle unloading the lower cabinets and bottom bookcase shelves and all the toys in every box ...

Anna ... The Beast?!

Anna played in an Upward basketball league this year with her 2 "oldest" friends (these girls have known each other since Anna was a year old!) at a local church.  We always kind of thought while the other 2 girls are athletic and really enjoy the game of basketball that we were letting Anna play just so she could have something in which to feel included ... more of a social outlet than really a sport.  Today, Anna proved us wrong.

After a season of barely getting the basketball to the rim but having a great time despite it all, Anna determined that she was going to SCORE.  In her last ballgame today, she scored not one, not two, but THREE goals that helped her team win the game.  She was a productive, contributing member of her team - and it was such a joy to watch. 

As I drove her home after the game, we were talking about how well she did - and she told me that she really just wanted to score ONE basket.  When the shot went in, she said she immediately prayed and thanked God for helping her.  I guess you could say He rewarded her with the two following goals!  :)  What a blessing to see my children trusting God and learning that He can be included in every aspect of their lives.  If they can trust Him to help them in something as "minor" as basketball, most surely they can trust Him to help them in major life choices as well.

PS  Having scored three goals in a row, Anna earned the nickname "The Beast" from one of my friends!  ;)

NEW ARTICLE: Take Time to Enjoy Your Kids

My latest Blissfully Domestic article is HERE!  :)

M in Another Box

Different day ... different box. 

 Another chill-out morning at home on another gray day after another (!!) good night of sleeping (hate to brag too much & jinx the pattern, even though I don't even believe in jinxes). 

Looking forward to a fun afternoon & evening WITH DADDY!!  Anna is going to a sleep-over after school, and Andrew is at our school's post-season tournament (basketball & volleyball) ... so Miriam and I get Daddy all to ourselves for a little while.  :)  We'll be going to the tournament, which will be over tonight; but at least we get out of town for a few hours ... and we'll get to go out for dinner (my favorite part - remember, my love language is FOOD after all). 

Have a great weekend, everyone!  :)

M in a Box

Today was a rainy, gray day ...

We didn't have any where to go until the afternoon.

It must have been "good sleeping weather"!

Miriam slept well last night - and took a nice, long, late morning nap.

For most of the day we just PLAYED.

Many times the BOX is more fun than the toys.

A Tired, Old Mom Confesses:

 Miriam is 14 months old today ... 14 months!!  My, how time flies. 
This child has changed my life so dramatically - not that my other two children didn't - but this is the child who is just A LITTLE high maintenance right now.  I'm not sure if it is because I am older and more laid back these days or because I'm older and flat out exhausted ... but this baby experience has been like no other. 

With my first two children, I was so "by-the-book" ... we ate on a schedule, slept on a schedule, and played on a schedule.  

With this child, we sometimes eat on the floor  :)

With this child, we do NOT sleep on a schedule - and I may die because of it.  We've been working on the whole "sleeping through the night" thing since M was 7 months old ... I mean, seriously working on it.  The best we've gotten so far was about a 9 hour straight night.  Most nights, we make it about 7 hours ... but last night, for example, a BANSHEE SCREAM through the baby monitor woke me up at 1:30 a.m.  A MAD, MAD banshee scream.  I have long ago stopped feeding or picking Miriam up when she wakes in the middle of the night - but apparently, she just wants me to continue to know that she DOES NOT like it.  (unfortunately, I've been known to use the very same method just in a more adult manner) 

Usually, I turn on her lullaby CD or stand by the crib and talk to her, but last night (or should I say VERY EARLY this morning), Miriam was not having it.  She was bucking against my hand and pitching a major fit.  From past experience, I knew it was a fit.  You see, she did that once before - and I picked her up, convinced that she was having a seizure or was in extreme pain or thought maybe she was dying ... but in the end, she just wanted me to pick her up.   Now, you may say:  why not just pick her up then?  Well, I can't any more ... I just can't.  I'm tired, and I don't want to do this every night for the next 14 months ... although you may say:  well, obviously your crying-it-out method isn't working either.  Yeah, I can see that ... but there are those random nights when sometimes Miriam will sleep from - say - 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. before waking up for me to feed her ... and that, my friends, is 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep for me (well, usually more like 5 because I hate to waste all that good quiet time sleeping ...).  In the end, I'm convinced that I just got one of those babies who "just aren't good sleepers."

Thankfully, she will go right back to sleep after her banshee screaming  little fits or after having a snack in the early morning hours, but as you may know, for an adult, interrupted sleep is about as bad as no sleep. 

BUT other than that, Miriam is such a happy, babbling, SMART, cute baby during the day ... except at nap time because she doesn't nap well or long either (BIG SIGH!!). 

She's still a little peanut compared to my older 2 always-90th percentile sized children; I got her size 4 diapers (for 22 lbs+) and they just about fall off of her.  She's a talker too - we're currently doing all the animals sounds, and she's definitely got down bear (her favorite because of the accompanying belly tickling that goes with the ROAR), dog, cat, duck, sheep, etc.  She loves to sing - and will actually request the "ba ba ba" song (Veggie Tales - "Ba - ba - ba, I'm a little sheep.").  Last night, Dan was trying to sing to her to get her to sleep and he started in on his usual lullaby - and Miriam, not being ready for sleeping, pushed up off him, got off our bed, hit the floor, and left the room.  Yeah, she's got a way of expressing her opinion.  She will also tell you when she is "stinky" ... she turns her little diaper bottom towards you and says, "Stinky ... stinky."  I can always hold out hope that though she may not ever sleep well, she may potty train early??!!?!?! 

I love these days though - my second chance at mommy-hood - even though it is exhausting and frustrating at times - it is still a WONDERFUL BLESSING to be Miriam's mom!!  (and Andrew & Anna's mom too!!!)  :) :) :)

The College Years - a Memory

If you follow KellysKorner, you know about her "Show Us Your Life" weekly posts.  I seldom participate because my house really isn't that great to show off ... my 3rd baby doesn't have a nursery ... my laundry room is my utility room ... and so many other things that she features are not really things I have or want to "show off."  I am, after all, just "an ordinary hausfrau."  I was excited to see something this week that I could share:  my Alma Mater. 

While my school is now not the same school that I attended back in the late 1980s and early 1990s, I am thankful for the years I spent at Tennessee Temple University (TTU) in Chattanooga, Tennessee.  I was very young when I graduated high school, and I was still only seventeen years old when I went away to college.  I actually spent a year at another university in Virginia first before transferring to TTU.  My parents were moving to Germany where my dad landed a Civil Service job, and they wanted me to be back in my home state of Tennessee near my grandparents and relatives while they were overseas.  So, TTU was not at all my first choice - but I see now that it was God's choice. 

(me on graduation day with my best friend from high school and roommate for the year)

Tennessee Temple University was founded in 1946 as an independent Baptist school, although it has been affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention for a few years now.  Dr. Lee Roberson was the founder and President of the school until the mid-1980's.  Lee Roberson is somewhat of an icon of the independent Baptist movement of his day, and I had the privilege of having him as our commencement speaker.  

(Dr. Roberson on the left; Dr. J.R. Faulkner on the right)

Dr. J. Don Jennings was the President of TTU when I first arrived my sophomore year, but he soon was replaced by Dr. L. W. Nichols, son-in-law of Lee Roberson, and as I graduated, the great transition had begun with a new president, Dr. David Bouler.  I have somewhat lost track of the leadership now - although I know the current president is a Dr. Danny Lovett.   

But all that history of the school isn't really the most significant thing about my college experience.   I entered college - honestly - to hopefully gain a MRS degree (as in Mrs.).  I changed my major three times because I really had no desire for a career - I didn't want to be a teacher, a secretary, or a nurse.  I had no business sense and almost failed a mandatory Economics II class and almost didn't graduate at all!  I ended up with a BA degree in "Interdisciplinary Studies" with a proficiency in English - that's just to say a general liberal arts degrees with lots of English, Linguistics, and Literature classes.  In the end, I did eventually end up with my MRS degree as well!

(My husband Dan with his dad and 2 brothers at graduation)

I met my future husband our Senior year.  He was actually already in his 6th year of college due to attending ROTC at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga - but this too was part of God's plan to allow us to graduate together.  Graduation day was a turning point in our relationship as well.  Until this day, we were just kind of "friends" who went out together; we had not really seriously talked about our future - other than I knew he'd be going active duty with the Army with at least a 4 year commitment.  Faced with the decision of going our separate ways or staying together, we decided to see what God had in store for us ... and 4 months later we were engaged; 3 months after that we were married! 

(Dan at Niagara Falls, NY - Summer 1992 - in his TTU sweatshirt)



Not only was college significant in bringing me to my life partner, I "grew up" during those years.  I found myself at a crossroad of choosing to serve the God I had come to know as a child or serving myself in a life lived only for success, money, and my own agendas.  I had to choose what standards I was going to live by - my parents' and those of the church I grew up in, my own, or what I truly believed God's Word said.  Ultimately, God showed me the answers.  While I knew a lot about God, in college I began to know God.  I guess you could use the biblical terms that I was ready to go beyond the "milk" and get to some "meat" of the Word.  It was a slow start with many mistakes, but it was the turning point that convinced me that I was nothing without my Lord.  It was when I decided to trust Him completely and give Him my life - though I took it back a few times - I can see how my true Christian journey began during those soul-searching, Bible-learning years. 

(Dan & I - June 1995.  I was wearing my Tennessee Temple tshirt)



I could write a book on the specific incidences that God used in my life during my college years - and about the people He brought me into contact with.  Some were testings and trials; others were joys and victories.  I am very thankful that I attended a Christian liberal arts university even though my main goal was marriage and motherhood.  I have ended up in several jobs where my English skills have come in very useful; the practical lessons I learned by having to complete college level courses have been invaluable as I've worked outside my home for small businesses, in Civil Service, and most recently as a church/school secretary - as well as being able to manage my own household affairs as a stay-at-home mom. 

It has been interesting to look back and see God's Hand in my life ... I like to do it often as a reminder of God's guidance.  Every Christian has a testimony, and this is a small part of mine.  I am so thankful for those 4 growing years that I spent in college, although at the time, I often wondered if I was just wasting my time; but God has a purpose.  He always does, if we are willing to follow. 



Daybook - 2/15/2011

FOR TODAY

Outside my window...
 It was a gorgeous day today - in the mid-50s, I think!  The sun was shining & the snow has melted ... :)
I am thinking... about some very pressing issues that are lying very heavy on my heart right now and praying that prayer that never fails, "Thy will be done."

I am thankful for... my husband.  We don't really celebrate Valentine's Day too elaborately; in fact, Dan called me late in the day to ask me if I'd gotten him a card because he was going to get me a card but didn't want to get me one if I hadn't gotten him one.  Romantic, eh??!  ;)  I did buy him and my kids a little something - but otherwise, amid all the gushing of friends who got flowers, candy, a dinner date, or jewelry for Valentine's Day, I kind of feel like Charlie Brown does about Halloween:  "I got a rock."  ;)  I'm not complaining though - my husband does loving things for me on a regular basis and takes VERY GOOD care of me - love doesn't have to be expensive!! 
From the kitchen...simple things because we have a busy week this week.  Probably won't be sitting around the table as a family much at all :(

I am wearing...comfy clothes!

I am creating...a safe haven for my family to come home to after busy days ... now if only I could have a day where I actually STAYED HOME all day, that would help!!!

I am going...to pick up the house after Miriam tore through it today (and we weren't even home the majority of the day!!), so she can start all over again tomorrow!  :)

I am reading...a magazine (All You) but I have a book I need to get started on for a reveiw.

I am hoping...it will NOT snow again this winter!!  We've enjoyed our snow days, but now it is time to THINK SPRING!

I am hearing...silence :)  Everyone at my house is asleep. 

Around the house...Miriam's myriad of messes :) and my own paperwork messes I need to weed through.

One of my favorite things...the day after Valentine's Day chocolate sales!!  :)

A few plans for the rest of the week: 
Wednesday - church (prepare for our kids' club and business meeting)
Thursday - piano lessons
Friday - the boys will be gone to our school's ballgames (last away games before the season ending tournament next week!! YEAH!!).   Miriam, Anna, and I will have to just enjoy GIRL TIME!  :)

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...
It's SPIRIT WEEK at our school this week - Monday was International Day
Andrew- Canadian Mountie; Anna - Scottish Lass; Dan - Hawaiian [though the shirt is originally from Togo, Africa]

There are lots more daybooks at Peggy's blog - check them out!

Going Back in Time

 It's Spirit Week at our kids' school!  Today was 50s Day. 

Anna apparently prefers to accessorize with stuffed dogs - a Scottie dog yesterday & a pink poodle today.  (We found the poodle skirt at Goodwill a few years ago!)

Andrew is wearing a true oldie - his dad's school jacket (from the early 80s!).   I actually had a real letter sweater when I was in high school, complete with "a letter", badges & pins (not too many badges or pins because I wasn't THAT cool), chevrons, and a big '88 on the shoulder.  (Yes, I graduated high school in 1988 ... "we were awesome - we were great - we were the class of '88!")

5 Little Bunnies

Simple rhymes and delightful illustrations in this oversized board book teach young children numbers 1 to 5. The Music CD includes the recorded story plus 19 new and classic children's songs!

~*~

The day I received this book in the mail from Twin Sisters Productions, we were on our way to run some errands.  I immediately put the music CD in my car's CD player - and I was very pleased to hear many familiar tunes plus some fun, new songs.  Miriam, my daughter, is 13 months old and LOVES music ... and I love exposing her to GOOD music.  I think this CD will be a favorite.   

When we got home, we looked at the lap book.  The story is somewhat like the one about the monkeys jumping on the bed ... same concept - but it's about bunnies who are disappearing.  The illustrations are BEAUTIFUL.  Again, I think the fun shape of the book and the easy-to-read story will become a favorite as well. 

For only $6.99 (plus shipping) this CD and lap book set is a BARGAIN and sure to please any little one from baby through about age 6 (as well as their mommys!).  It would make a fun Easter present - or a great any time present!  :)

 Twin Sisters Productions offers many more affordable, quality educational products as well - they are worth checking out.

Twins Sisters has offered my readers a 30% off discount on their site, good through March 31, 2011, using the code FIVEBUNNY.

This book and the accompanying CD were provided at no cost to me by Twin Sisters Productions. 

Florida's Natural OJ - Review/Giveaway

Where does your orange juice come from?!!  Most people think all orange juice is from Florida. But did you know that Tropicana® Pure Premium and Simply Orange® sometimes import their juice? Because Florida’s Natural is owned by Florida growers, every drop of their orange juice comes only from homegrown Florida oranges. Never imported. And supporting American growers is always in style. For more information about Florida’s Natural, visit http://bit.ly/b46i39.

You can TEST your OJ knowledge at Florida Natural's site. 

My family was recently given the opportunity to try Florida's Natural Orange Juice.  I chose the original, no pulp 64 oz. carton.  When my kids got home from school and foraged for their afternoon snack, they immediately spied the OJ in the fridge.  For the most part, we buy orange juice from concentrate or wait for a good sale to have the "real stuff" ... so they were THRILLED.  It was a treat for them - and both Andrew & Anna commented on how GOOD and how FRESH the juice tasted.  I loved it too.  :) 

In considering the comparison of how "good for you" Florida's Natural is versus concentrate, it is worth the cost to get "the good stuff".  My Walmart charges $2.98 for a 64 oz carton.  With my family of 4 (Miriam doesn't drink citrus yet), it might last us through 2 or maybe 3 breakfasts or after-school snacks.

Wouldn't it be awesome to WIN free orange juice for a year!?   If you "like" Florida's Natural on facebook, you have the opportunity to enter their sweepstakes. 

I am giving away $5 worth of coupons for Florida's Natural orange juice!!  (One winner will receive five $1 off one 59-oz or larger Florida's Natural Brand orange juice).  The coupons expire 3/30/2011.  WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN ON FEBRUARY 18th.

TO ENTER:
~leave a comment and say something nice ... :)  preferrably about ME, my blog, or my adorable kids!!!  ;0)  (Make sure I have a way to contact you if you win!)

FOR ADDITIONAL ENTRIES (1 each for the following):
~"like" Florida's Natural Orange Juice on facebook & tell me about it.
~play the "Where Does My Juice Come From" game on Florida Natural's site and tell me how you did.
~grab my blog button or tell me that you already have it :)

I received my free sample of Florida's Natural OJ from smile.ly - and I also received the $1 off coupons from smile.ly.

He Always Gets His Man

You’ll have to bear with me on this post … my mind has wondered all over the place just to share with you that in keeping with the British Commonwealth theme of our kids’ Spirit Week’s International Day, my son dressed up like a Canadian Mounted Policeman.  (Anna dressed Scottish – pictures here).

 So, as we were working on Andrew’s “costume” yesterday, we got to laughing hysterically … you see, we LOVE old sitcoms because really, there isn’t much “good” on TV these days (not to say there isn’t ANYTHING good, but there isn’t MUCH good) … we prefer Gilligan’s Island, Get Smart, Little House on the Prairie, Hogan’s Heroes, and even ALF). One classic TV show that Dan introduced me to as I apparently missed it the first time around in my 1970’s childhood was “F Troop”. My kids LOVE this show. It is cheesily funny and yet, surprisingly clever.


One of our favorite episodes stars Paul Lynde (who was also often a guest star on other late 60’s/early 70’s TV shows- particularly often on Bewitched - as well as several game shows like Hollywood Squares) as a singing Canadian Mountie, Sgt. Ramsden. You’d have to know the episode to understand why just thinking about this episode makes me and Andrew spontaneously break out in “I dream of Wrangler in with the light YELLAR hair.” You really should buy the DVD if you like classic television! The other key joke is that Sgt. Ramsden is in pursuit of the Burglar from Banff (emphasis on the “f-f” … as in Burglar of Banf-ffffff….”. You had to see it, I guess) who is potentially a man named Lucky Pierre. Funny stuff.
If you're curious, you can watch some of the episode on YouTube here. 

Dan dressed Hawaiian for the day (although the shirt is originally from Togo, Africa - given to us by a friend from college who is native to Togo and is now a pastor/missionary there; I have a matching dress!).  So, in keeping with the oldies TV theme, I guess Dan was emulating the series Hawaii Five-O.  Book 'em, Dan-O!  

My Scottish Lass

 Because of my German background, in the past, anything that has had an international theme in our lives has had to do with GERMANY.  For years, if our school's "Spirit Week" included an international day, my kids dressed in a German outfit of some sort; if a dinner required international cuisine, we brought something German.  It is what I know; it is my comfort zone. 

THIS YEAR, as our Spirit Week kicks off with International Day on Monday (Feb 14), I was determined to be DIFFERENT, to stretch my horizons beyond the borders of Germany!!!  I racked my pea brain and perused our closets - and this is what I came up with:

 Anna is dressing up like a Scottish Highland Lass (complete with Scottie dog). 

She's quite a sassy lassie, wouldn't you say?!  Aye, lads, she be that.

(I stretched my borders beyond Europe for Andrew's international outfit this year ... I'll share his pictures later).

February 14 - Love Endures All Things

Happy Valentine's Day!!

I Corinthians 13:7b, "[Love] endureth all things."

So, if I have any readers left, you all have ENDURED my 14 days series on LOVE this month ... or perhaps you've just ignored it??!  ;)  Believe me, I'm not touting myself as some great Bible teacher or marriage counselor --- I know my limitations.  That's why I've brought along Martha Peace who wrote The Excellent Wife and Bible commentator Matthew Henry into my study.   In the end, this study on LOVE has been more for ME than anyone else - that's for sure.  You may not even be able to begin to relate with my conclusions or explanations.  I don't know ... and that's OK.  If you did follow along even a little bit, I hope you found my conclusions to be  biblical and maybe even a little insightful??!

As I wrap up my study, I think that the statement that love ENDURES all things wraps up all the other lessons into one big conclusion:  to be more like Jesus, to have good  relationships, we MUST faithfully endure the things that God allows into our lives with love.  Martha Peace reminded me that JESUS endured (Hebrews 12:2) THE CROSS, despising the shame.  I don't think DESPISING the shame here means he hated and resented having to die for our sins, I think it meant that He gave no thought to Himself during His shame.  It was the ultimate selfless act of love. 

Martha Peace also advises that "FEELING love ... begins only after you've been thinking and doing loving acts ... Putting on love does not happen automatically.  It is the greatest commandment.  It is the character trait you should work on the hardest."  

A long time ago, I had a discussion with my husband about love - I think in the context of people breaking up and marriages falling apart.  His statement was that love was a choice.  That doesn't sound very romantic, but romance can fade and feelings can go away; a determination to continue to love anyway is a conscious choice each day.  It is what we do when the ordinary sets in and life gets mundane and dirty socks need to be washed and kids need to be taken to school.  Love is a choice when feelings are hurt and words are misunderstood.   Love is a choice when expectations are let down and disappointment or loneliness creeps in.  And like Mrs. Peace said, it is also a command from our Lord Himself.  God has told us to love Him, wives to love their husbands, to love our neighbors, and to love our enemies ... He has promised - as it says in I Corinthians 13:8:

Charity [love] never faileth.