Quote of the Day...Week...Month?

Please Vote Daily Until Oct. 9, 2011

2011-10-02T14:23:00.001-07:00

Coming To A Close

2010-10-17T07:47:00.000-07:00

Thank you for reading our silly journey the last 3 plus years. Wow, can't believe I've been blogging that long!
While this blog is coming to a close, I think you'll enjoy one that's mighty similar:
Creative Family Moments.

This blog will be up for awhile longer though as I hope to save it! It's 3 years of precious quotes, stories, and pictures that I don't want to ever forget!

Sam, the Bear

2010-09-29T16:52:00.000-07:00

Sam, waiting for the ceremony

Listening to his leader explain what awards he was receiving

Sam gets ready to give me my second mother pin.


That's a lot of awards!

Sam was all smiles when we left. We walk out the door, and he smiles and says, "Guess you've got a lot of sewing to do!"

Sad to See You Go

2010-09-27T05:33:00.000-07:00

I love you weekend. I'm sorry you had to go so quickly. You were very silly and fun. Come visit again... soon!

The Case of the Missing Case... yeah, you read right.

2010-09-21T19:20:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not, we had an avocado smoothie tonight. And... it was good! Tasted like vanilla ice cream... green ice cream.

Sam has a new appliance. A bright blue glow in the dark retainer with built in bite plate and hooks for moving teeth. To hold the glowing mass is a matching glow in the dark retainer case.

As you no doubt already know, buying a retainer is like buying a brand new iPod Touch...except it goes in your mouth and hurts and is much smaller and... most importantly, is known for "causing dogs to act uncharacteristically. They will hunt down this retainer because its smell calls out to them." At least that's what the orthodontist said.

So, given this investment we had a HUGE talk about the importance of never ever ever ever losing the retainer.

We went over the rules of where the retainer should and should not go, and that Sam should not breathe heavily on the dog making her nose sniff wildly. The latter rule came about as he walked in the door and tried it. Sigh.

What we never thought of lecturing about was the retainer case. Which was lost on the second day. Yet one of the rules is that you can't take off the retainer unless it is to put it in the retainer case... so mass hysteria erupted.

We looked in dirty laundry bins, violin cases, places I'd never seen before in the bathroom... and I even suggested turning out all the lights. After all, its glow in the dark.

All hope was lost.

Until Mike needed ice for his water.

And guess what we found in the freezer.

I'm serious.

No one is admitting anything.

We Haven't Even Been In School A Month?!? And My Night Fright

2010-09-17T19:34:00.000-07:00

This will sound completely random, but when Katarina was 10 she used Christmas money to buy a robotic kitty cat. That's all I'm saying for now....

So, I admit, along with the children, that it seems unbelievable that it hasn't even been a month since school started. I wager it's because getting back into new routines and new schedules is, quite frankly, exhausting.

Anabelle came home today so excited. "Mom! Guess what?!? My teacher says today is a holiday!"

I smiled brightly back. The kids have been so excited about my new special project that they're eager to share new things with me as well. Yet, if I wasn't in 'the know' I would've had no idea whatsoever what she was talking about as she exclaimed, "It's CRINKLY BROWN PAPER DAY!"

Mike burst out laughing, and he truly didn't have any idea what she was talking about. "Is that what your teacher said?" he asked.

She smiled and nodded.

"You mean Constitution Day?" I asked.

"Yes!" she beamed.

Mike laughed some more. I laughed a lot once she looked away. She mumbled, "We had to watch a video called 'We Kids.' 'We the People' would've been a better title."
I can't help but agree with her. And all the Constitution Day talk made me really want to watch National Treasure, even though I know that's about the Declaration of Independence, which prompted a surprisingly intellectual discussion from my children. It made my heart so glad.

Then they got into an argument on who got the most guacamole and I was back to my normal self.

Katarina is loving--no adoring--band again this year. Her band teacher is so cool that he made it happen for seventh graders to play pep band for football games complete with tailgating. She came home happily filled with hot dogs and cheese curls and bursting with that victory energy that comes after a great performance. In addition, she completed her goal in cross country and finished, yet again, with a better ranking.

Sam started orchestra, and kiwanis kids, and he's still doing cub scouts. All his choice.
I had, however, never seen a boy scout play the violin before, and found it very picture worthy.

And, after all that, I'm exhausted. Thankfully, everyone is in their beds; everyone is actually asleep. I tiptoe, bleary-eyed, down the dark stairs to refill my water, and look towards the kitchen, and almost wet my pants.

Imagine this scene with creepy lighting, and the cat wasn't there before. Now insert a robotic 'meoooowww..."

My short scream from the sheer shock alerted Mike. The next morning when our alarm went off at 430 a.m. guess which mischievous husband moved the cat to the foot of the stairs?

Our Dog

2010-09-16T13:11:00.000-07:00

Our dog, wow. What can I say?

She's unbelievably patient for Kat.

It's no wonder she acts like she needs a vacation.

And also no wonder she sometimes feels like hiding.

Cross Country

2010-09-11T09:23:00.000-07:00

Look at Kat! Mike remarked it looked as if she wasn't even breathing hard and all those runners are sprinting after her at the end of a mile and a half run. Kat's already passed the finish line and is slowing down. We're so proud of her. She runs against hundreds of girls and two other schools during this race. Her goal is to get a higher rank with each race and thus far she's completed her goal. Her one complaint-- how red her face gets while she runs. Sadly, she gets that from both parents. Poor thing.

Please note: Katarina insisted that I not take any pictures of her in 'this horrible yellow uniform.' I sadly put away my camera, and then Mike showed up, as Katarina had just taken off running. He said he can't abide with no pics for sports, and took this picture. So thank him for this shot.

Outlive Your Life

2010-09-10T05:10:00.000-07:00

15 years ago, shortly after Mike & I got married, we learned of Mike's father's love for Max Lucado books. We'd get one and, feeling silly, replace the picture of Max on the back sleeve of the jacket with a picture of Mike, or the dog; after children, they all wanted a turn to replace their picture with Max. It made us giggle wondering when or if Grandpa would discover that Max Lucado surprisingly carried many family characteristics.

Then Mike started reading the books and got hooked. I, having never read one, went to a Women of Faith conference, heard that Max was speaking on David and Goliath and yawned. Seriously? What else could I learn from that? A lot, I found out.

Yet, book purchases slowed as I realized that a lot of the 'new' books were actually snippets of prior books put together. The best of the best. Not a bad idea really when you put together that the man has been writing for 25 years.

Then Thomas Nelson offered me an advanced copy of Max's newest book, Out Live Your Life, to review. Suh-weet! Gift for Grandpa! Then I began reading and my delight turned into full engagement. It's rare for me to say, "Read this book." or even "Get this book." but I'm saying it. In Max's unique writing voice, his illustrations take you down a path that you think is familiar until suddenly your vulnerable heart becomes aware of a new side. "Ohhhh..." New thoughts lead to new feelings and suddenly you've got a bit of mind renewing...and heart transformation.

The author begins by sharing a heart changing moment when in a short time frame he'd heard questions about what he would've done had he... been a German in WWII, or lived in the South during the civil rights. All hypothetical questions that, just like me, could only been answered with "I hope I would've...." But then someone asked him this: "When your grandchildren discover you lived during a day in which 1.75 billion people were poor and 1 billion were hungry, how will they judge your response?"

Don't be afraid; this book won't make you feel guilty. What it will do is stir your heart, your mind, and hopefully your feet to what God is specifically calling for you. It'll help you walk through the book of Acts with new eyes and perhaps walk through your own day to day life with new perspective.

I shouldn't have been surprised, but was, when I closed the book and saw in small font on the bottom of the back, the publisher's words: "One hundred percent of the author's royalties from Outlive Your Life products will benefit children and families through World Vision and other ministries of faith-based compassion."

So there you go. Oh, and the book is being released today.(ebook version won't be released until the 14th though.) I've provided links on the side of the website. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

The Butterfly Effect/ The Boy Who Changed The World

2010-09-07T05:23:00.000-07:00

The Butterfly Effect is a beautifully illustrated book designed to lift your spirits into purpose-filled motion. The book describes people in history that have impacted our lives. One is a nobel prize winner credited with saving 2 billion people, but then the author begins to work his way backwards, attempting to find who exactly is really responsible with saving this amount of people. What was it that inspired these history changers to make such decisions and actions? It's an enjoyable read filled with little known stories in history. I was glad to have read the e-book version provided by Thomas Nelson/Booksneeze for review, and can see it making a nice coffee table book for guests to pick up and become engaged for ten minutes. It's a quick read.
For a gift book, I can give it 4 out of 5 book lights.

The Boy Who Changed the World is the child version of The Butterfly Effect by the same author, intended to inspire little ones that they can make a difference by the decisions they make, even as a child. It's the same stories, except with some parts deleted that were likely considered too violent or too descriptive for children. It's a good book, and as an adult, I enjoyed it, but for children it still comes across as several history lessons with pictures. Eager learners will perhaps still like it, but I believe the child who will appreciate this book will be old enough to read it himself, or for the 8 to 10 year old that still likes a parent to read a book to them at bedtime. I reviewed this as an e-book from Thomas Nelson/ Booksneeze, and while I could easily navigate it and zoom in on pictures and select text, I think this version would be much better in hardback form. As a children's book for older readers, I give it 2.5 out of 5 book lights.

Blog Worthy

2010-09-05T19:15:00.000-07:00

One of the consequences of having a blog where you write the most memorable moments of day to day living is that family and friends will frequently ask, "Is this blog worthy?" "Is this blog fodder?"

Today we had such a moment after we'd been hunting for a car for Mike as the nights and early mornings progressed to chilly temperatures, and he's been riding his motorcycle. This weekend, we settled the hunt. Although we had been trying to find a small car like a Dodge Neon or Geo Metro, we found an old Suzuki Sidekick kept by an original owner and maintained by a professional mechanic. I've never seen a car this old kept so well. So for 1500, we added a member to the family. The kids loved it. And Mike promptly took them out for 50 cent ice cream cones leaving me in a blissfully quiet home -- which means that now I love the car too.

Still Smiling

2010-09-02T05:28:00.001-07:00

Sam was sick the second day of school with the worst hay fever allergy attack I've ever seen. It started the night of the first day and lasted over 24 hours. But finally, once he was able to fall asleep the second night, it went away. I attribute the sudden clear up to him FINALLY getting a full night of sleep and the awesome hot steam humidifier we got recently, despite the fact it brings up memories.

Anyway, on the third day he brought home papers from school. The first, he explained, was from when they played a game. You've heard of two truths and a lie, no doubt. Well it's the same except two lies and a truth. Mike and I eagerly wanted to know what he picked.

1. My favorite thing to do is video games.

2. Obama is a good president, in my opinion.

3. I have a sideways lightning bolt shaped wrinkle.

We started laughing, Mike and I both sure which one was the truth.

"Everybody got it wrong," Sam said.

"Really?"

"Yeah, no one guessed the wrinkle."

Mike and I looked at each other, both confused. "What?"

Then Sam proceeded to make the funniest face we'd ever seen, contorting his eyebrows funny ways until Anabelle said nonchalantly, "There."

Sam relaxed. Apparently these two had spent time discussing his SIDEWAYS lightning bolt shaped wrinkle on his forehead.

We couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Well I learned something new about you too," I said.

"But Sam, if video games aren't your favorite thing to do, what is?" Mike asked, later.

Sam pursed his lips. "I don't know... maybe Chuck E. Cheese?"

"Where," Katarina said, authoritatively, "you use tokens to play video games."

"Nah," Sam replied. "You get tickets and have to stop after a couple minutes. Doesn't count as video games."

I'd take a picture of the sideways lightning bolt wrinkle if I could, but I never could see what they were talking about. That probably means I'm a muggle.

Home Association Letter, Mostly True Story

2010-08-31T19:05:00.000-07:00

To: Subdivision Mgmt.

Subject: Apologies

CC: My Blog

Dear Home Association Management,

It was me. The guilt is overwhelming, and I must fess up. I know I acted like it wasn’t me and just sniffed along with everyone else in the neighborhood when they were all sniff sniff “Do you smell that? It smells like vinegar! I wonder what’s going on?” I realize it was wrong to just nod and say, “Yeah. Weird.” and grab my mail and hustle inside, but in my defense, do you realize just how hard the water is here?

See, I was in the bathroom, leaning over the tub and attempting to decalcify our humidifier since my dear, poor young son was suffering from the worst case of sniffles I've seen. If you’d have seen his poor miserable face, you’d understand that I had to do something – I had to make the humidifier work at its best!

But when I opened up the humidifier casing it was the worst case of calcification I had ever seen; it was as if I was breeding chalk. Unbelievable considering it’s a new humidifier and had only been used for a month! So, I took up the brand new bulk size jug of vinegar into my bathroom, leaned over to pour a bit, and… well, my hands were wet so it slipped out of my hands... Yes, most of the gargantuan jug spilled into my bathtub.

I quickly went into crisis mode and flung up the bathroom window, cranked the ventilation fan, and slammed the bathroom door so the smell wouldn’t progress into my house. And thankfully it didn’t. But I had no idea the wind would carry the smell so powerfully, as if the vinegar spill was actually a tanker in the street.

Although, now that I think about it, the wind/ventilation fan effect does explain the uncanny timing all the school children have of ringing my doorbell when I’m baking cookies or pizza.

And, while I'm apologizing anyway, I know that I have not been keeping the ordinance to weed my flower bed every single day, but, again, in my defense, who really does besides the lone retired man who hates people down the street? Does the lady with the clipboard really have to evaluate all our flower beds? Honestly, do we really need that rule? Couldn’t we make it weed weekly or monthly, but not daily?

If you want a good rule, how about you address the school children who ring my door constantly? I’ll admit that at first I thought it was cute when they were trying to sell their services of watering my yard when it was raining. And again when they were trying to sell me curled up dandelions for a quarter. But the thing is, even after we reach the double digits of me saying no to them, they still come… last time they tried to sell me DumDum lollipops for a dollar… EACH. If this keeps up, I’m going to stop answering my door and do you really want that when your lady with the clipboard comes by to tell me my edging isn’t up to snuff?

I’m sorry, I was really writing to apologize for the vinegar scare and not to give my opinion. Please do not take away my pool key deposit. But, speaking of pools, I’d be remiss not to express my concern in how you’re handling the pool situation.

I’m very glad that the teenage vandals didn’t start in on the pool until the season was almost over, but the way you handled it… I just don't get. Granted, the man on the Home Association Pool Board was very kind to volunteer his time to dissuade the teenagers from their ways, but… frankly, I’m not sure his motorized wheelchair is fast enough to actually scare the teenagers. It did, however, scare the adults when he slammed his wheelchair into the pool gate... repeatedly. So much so, in fact, that I ran up to him the second time he did it to see if he needed help only for him to tell me he was just making sure the lock on the gate was working. “It’s usually open when it shouldn’t be,” he explained. “That’s how they keep getting in.”

I looked around. A few feet from the widely spaced bars surrounding the pool there is a big red button labeled “EXIT” that when pushed, opens the gate. I’m no genius but… I don’t think the pool gate lock is the problem. And I don’ think volunteers need to bang up their legs to find that out.

In conclusion, I’m sorry about the vinegar and your rule on Christmas lights being down by July is really a good one. The planes were flying a little too close for my comfort.

Sincerely,

A resident who was surprised to find out the “Over the Hedge” lady must have been based on truth.

First Day

2010-08-30T18:43:00.000-07:00

Whenever I see "First Day" I can't help but think of the Chris Rice song with the same title. First day in the first grade.... first day in the fourth grade... first day in the seventh grade... you could buy a zoo with all the doctor bills we paid. Okay, you gotta know the song to get that.

All three came home with great reports and all pleased with their teachers, and when we had "mad, glad, sad" time to report at dinner no one had any mad or sads... unless you count the kids' objections to the vegetable dished at dinner.

Annual Backwards Day

2010-08-28T17:16:00.000-07:00

Each year before sending the kids back to school, I've wanted to do something really fun for them to remember. Yet, by this point in the summer it's not feasible to go somewhere and we've got to keep to the budget. One similar year I was in the same predicament and decided something bizarre could accomplish my goals, and now it is an annual tradition that the kids ask for: Backwards Day.

So, I found out that today is National Dream Day. I didn't know what it meant, but that didn't matter, it sounded like a good holiday to have our annual event on, as Backwards Day could be interpreted as a bizarre dream the next day when you woke up.

And bizarre it has been. Even Mike got into the spirit of the day and came downstairs with his clothes on backwards, causing me to start the day laughing. The kids recalled that our names are the same even spelled backwards, but that we were to call them: Aniratak, Ellebana, and Leumas. They insisted we even call the dog, Ragus, which sounds very amusing, but gains strange looks when the neighbors dropped by unexpectedly and the kids were trying frantically to get the dogs attention by the name that still gave them giggles.
"Ragus! Ragus! Here, Ragus!"

Schedule went as follows:

8 a.m. Bedtime snack a.k.a yogurt/fruit smoothie

10 a.m. Dessert (Popcorn & mms) along with a movie. This year we picked Monsters Inc. I thought it was a good choice on Backwards Day and Dream Day when I thought about the plot, until I found out that Dream Day actually refers to the day that Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I have a dream speech" years ago and is one of three emancipation holidays to honor his work. In fact, to truly celebrate the day you are supposed to wear white and black in honor of the speech. I looked at the kids dressed in their typical summer garb, backwards. Yep, I had to stop telling them we were celebrating Dream Day too.

Noon. Dinner Time! (Chicken Tacos)

2 p.m. A trip to Chuck E. Cheese --- no food or drink orders, just playing games. Instead of the kids actually screaming and running away from Chuck E. yelling, "It's a big fat rat running a crooked casino for children!!!!" (thanks, Tim Hawkins.) they had the chance to win tickets from Chuck E. if they danced with them. I convinced Sam that would definitely follow Backwards Day philosophies so he joined in -- dancing when Chuck said to dance and when Chuck said to clap... well, I was glad I didn't see that he actually put his hand under his armpit, and well... made noises. Mike told me later. At the time, I had wondered why Mike was laughing so much....
Anyway, Chuck E. threw out loads of tickets pinata style and Sam didn't even try to collect them. Instead, he sat down... on a pile that landed in front of him, and waited until the kids left, then collected them. He explained this works like a charm so kids aren't trying to grab your tickets or, in the case of pinatas, candy from you.

4 p.m. Lunch Time (Light snack of fresh guacamole and some veggies/dip/chicken salad.)

7 p.m. Breakfast (Eggs, bacon, fruit, and a pop-tart for those that were still hungry.)

8 p.m. Watch Shaun the Sheep episode backwards

8:30 Get in bed in time to 'wake up'

9 p.m. It's dawn and everyone is asleep. And, in my opinion, ready to start school after an awesome summer.

Weird, Fascinating, and Unusual

2010-08-24T19:29:00.001-07:00

Today is International Strange Music Day
I'll reveal why I know this in the very near future, but nevertheless, I felt the need to post some strange music in honor of the day. My kids, incidentally, don't find this strange--they find it hilarious. So I watched it again.

I still don't get it.
But hey, maybe you will. And, if you're feeling cantankerous, then maybe today is your day, as tomorrow is Kiss and Make-Up Day. If you're lucky you can take advantage of some of the free cards and great flower deals going on that day. Frankly, I find it a bit disturbing that everyone in my family has picked a fight today not knowing about Kiss and Make-Up Day tomorrow. I won't go into conspiracy theories, I'm just saying....
Weird.
And speaking of weird, enjoy the Strange Music.

Bible Study Review

2010-08-24T10:06:00.000-07:00

I've been itching to start a deep study lately so when Tyndale offered me the chance to review a Life Application Bible Study, I jumped on it. Life Application -- I love that title, as I don't want to simply read the Word and let it slip away. So I had lofty thoughts of doing the study as a family or maybe just as a couple to try it out.

Then I opened it up. "A Note to Readers" in tinier print than this blog with literally no spacing between sentences took my three times to not read. In other words, I tried and couldn't succeed-- it was that wordy, and, in essence, defending and documenting the history of the New Living Translation. What followed was the introduction about translation philosophy and methodology and the team... again in the same tiny print that makes newspapers and grocery receipts look like large print reading.

It's not until 15 pages into it that you get to the actual scripture and even then the commentary takes up more of the page than the verses and it's harder to read than my study bible. And I took Theology in college and read a 700 page textbook so I'm no stranger to commentary. This is simply not for the average person hungering to learn more. This is for someone who enjoys to immerse themselves in academic study.

Finally the questions. They start off very slow and very impersonal. A lot of what do some people, what to do some Christians, type of questions. If you're patient enough it gets to some good personal questions but I doubt many are going to get that far. If you choose this book for a small group, just know that most of your attendees are not going to be reading any of the pages prior to the questions. And I don't blame them. But if you want to have a goal of what to read on your own and then use the questions for discussion, then it's not half bad. 2.5 book lights out of 5.

Catch All

2010-08-24T06:14:00.000-07:00

Ever since the wedding, the girls have been keen on trying new things with their hair.

Translation: Mom, will you....?

I'm having fun with it. Admittedly, I'm no hairstylist but I'm gradually getting better. Last night, Kat wanted two tight braids before she went to bed (for super wavy hair this morning). When I was done, I leaned back, admiring my work and said, "From behind you look like an American Girl doll!"

Then I proceeded to experiment wrapping her waist-long braids up and around her forehead to which she responded, "Except unlike a doll, I have a nervous system!"
Hmm... apparently I pulled a little much.

Sam has grown a new appreciation for Legos, especially anticipating our turn at the new Lego Harry Potter Wii games (which look hilarious) that we've requested from the library. Yes, you know times have changed when you can check out DS and Wii games from your local library!

Anyway, our living room became Lego-topia for a few days.

Given Mom's ability to only cope with one night of outdoor camping, I promised the kids they could camp in the backyard. Except we found out that not even two airbeds fit in our big tent. Anabelle didn't mind deflating them.

So since the kids couldn't have airbeds, they decided to grab a smaller tent and sleep in style (thanks, Uncle Greg!)

Past 20 Hours

2010-08-21T14:54:00.000-07:00

We had a lovely surprise visit from friends this weekend. The kids had a blast, and the adults got to reconnect. Rather than explain each photograph, check out this slideshow:

This free scrapbook customized with Smilebox

PhotoJournalists

2010-08-15T17:17:00.000-07:00

So I've been wanting to go this Rose Garden that's in the heart of the city for quite some time, but mention to the gang, "Hey, wanna go stare at some roses for like an hour?" and blank stares are accompanied by drool and often, fainting, so this time I packed up a picnic and instructed everyone to bring a camera and Didn't Tell Them Where We Were Going.

Cameras-- on a total tangent-- Remember when we had only 24 shots to work with and had to pay money for the film and the developing and had to wait for days until it was done and there was no editing unless you had a scanner... I'm still in awe. And going on a tangent like this makes me feel old. Anyhoo, I got home and asked the kids to hand over their SD cards. I imported a whopping 329 photos. Sheesh. And, found out that during my peaceful rose garden walk that the kids were quite busy. I deleted a third of the photos, but was surprised that two-thirds were really quite good... and/or entertaining.

Here, for mostly my personal enjoyment, is a video slideshow of all the photos my little photographers took in the course of 45 minutes. The video itself is about six minutes -- I'm trying to become bi-lingual so this is my first Windows movie (I speak Mac) and the captions didn't go where they were supposed to and the processor had problems with the music - in the big pause just imagine a rockin' sax solo - so... just enjoy the pics, and it looks better if you keep it orginal size -- full screen is available at a whopping 75 mb. (:

New Law

2010-08-13T12:54:00.000-07:00

We've reached that point in summer where we've spent so much time together that in spite of enjoying the time together, we (as in me), are ready for a little time apart. But I also know that just as soon as school starts, we (as in me), will also be immediately ready for some quality family time together. As such, I am purposely not focusing on the frustrations of summer such as the constant stream of dirty dishes into my sink, the constant movement of toys and books around the house, and the absence of quiet at all times. Instead I'm focusing on the best moment of the day.

Today's best moment was a trip to the pool and watching the kids pretend to be penguins dancing in the ocean, then seeing them pretend to be synchronized swimmers in a dramatic fashion. (It was very funny.)

Then I got home and after cleaning the kitchen for what must have been the tenth time that day, the children walked in the kitchen and got out a most messy snack. I had a "THAT'S IT!" moment followed by a nice little reminder lesson on cleaning up after themselves and what that looked like.

Katarina smiled. "Great. It's the No Crumb Left Behind Act."

Sam burst out laughing. She's too funny for her own good. But I'll admit it, it's my new favorite moment of the day.

Morning Mystery Solved

2010-08-13T08:14:00.000-07:00

I pull out the brand new cereal box from the pantry this morning. It clearly wasn't opened yet. I walk to the kitchen counter only to have bits of cereal pouring out from a large rectangle on the back.

Very confused, it takes me minutes before I realize that someone has cut a 'collector's card' out from the back, expertly, as there are no other cuts anywhere on the box.

I look around the kitchen to see our youngest with wide eyes. I purse my lips and raise an eyebrow. "What?" Anabelle exclaims with a shrug. "I used safety scissors."

Explaining that you're supposed to wait until AFTER the cereal is gone, I open the box to transfer the cereal to a container only to find a gaping hole in the bag, leaking cereal at an alarmingly fast rate. "YOU CUT THE PLASTIC TOO?!"

She scrunched her face tightly, as if really embarrassed. "It got cut at the same time as the box!"

I tried really hard not to laugh. I failed. She looked relieved. Cuteness truly must be a child's greatest defense.

Biggest Blog Post of the Summer... Maybe

2010-08-09T19:10:00.001-07:00

Summer has not been boring. From the moment Anabelle got this lovely graduation certificate and flew home on her scooter, the days have been full. We loved that the kickoff to summer started with a visit from Mike's dad and brother. Mike's brother chose wisely and joined us in the amazing Northwest ... you should take a lesson from him and join us too-unless of course you are reading this blog and I don't know you. Then, in that case, I'm sure you're happy right where you are.
Always first on my summer to-do list is a trip to the library. The library program here is very different from previous summer programs but the kids got some tickets to go ice skating. Suh-weet!
In addition, some trips to see baseball games!

Many trips to the zoo and the science center, combined with hiking, geo-caching, a trip to the water park, more visits from friends and seeing the beautiful sand dunes, chatting in deck chairs, watching the fireworks...
Trips to the dentists, losing teeth...
A Harry Potter Movie marathon complete with butterbeer and a stop by the trolley cart right at the same time as the movie (Sam asks to repeat this event many times, and requests that next time it be followed by a great feast like in the books). Thanks to my birthday and father's day being on the same day, we treated ourselves to a chinese restaurant lunch and a Toy Story 3 matinee-- this made the summer highlight list.

Next, the BIG event of the summer-- a trip to North Carolina to see family and celebrate my brother getting married! The kids did fabulously on the trip -- all managing to carry their own carry on luggage and backpack each. I brought those Pop Top things that make soda cans turn into bottles and the flight attendants happily cooperated by giving the children their own can each to avoid possible spills. Sam said one of the highlights was getting to eat a Quizno's sandwich on the trip. My son loves a good cheesesteak.

Sam made an excellent usher, although he balked when he found out that ladies would actually be TOUCHING him when he led them to their seats.

Anabelle took her job as flower girl very seriously in the chapel that honestly looked like a castle.

Katarina enjoyed being a reader and getting the best seat in the house for the wedding and getting to see her uncle and then soon-to-be aunt's facial expressions during the ceremony.

Following the wedding was an awesome dance, and before we knew it, we had one exhausted family.

The day following the wedding we were able to spend more time with family and just enjoy each other.

Anabelle engaged fellow travelers in conversation on the plane on the way home. Of course, she ignored them the entire flight until we landed then whispered to me, "Is it okay to talk to them?"

The next thing I know I hear a voice that sounds remarkably like mine say, "So are you from here?"
Passenger answers then Anabelle continues. "Oh, then what was your trip for?"
Passenger gives a little more lengthy answer, now smiling.
"Well, I went to my uncle's wedding and got to be flower girl and saw Despicable Me at a movie theater and got a mood ring from my Grandma and... "
Passenger is now grinning ear to ear as they learn which color means excited and which color means flirty-- at which point Anabelle explains that this means you smile at boys you like.

We also managed to escape for a small camping trip. Sleeping in tents. No running water. No electricity. No real bathrooms close by.

I barely lasted one night. Of course, in my defense, it partly had to do with cows making noises that seriously made me wonder what they did at night, a flock of geese holding a party, dogs trying to out bark each other, our car battery dying at 3 a.m. and thus shutting off Mike's sleep machine, and a deranged rooster that someone trained to doodle-doo in a snooze-alarm style... as in every fifteen minutes until everyone is awake in the tri-state area.

Yet, with sleep-filled eyes, I cuddled with the kids in the early morning hours in their sleeping bags (it's cold in the mountains at night!) and listened to their account of their interpretation of the 'adventures' they heard going on in the middle of the night.

Here Sam is catching a fish... I mean flipflop with his bare hands. The creek/river was ice cold from snow melt, but so fun to wade in!

We also were able to see friends on this camping trip, which really was the highlight and our families enjoyed each other during the day exploring the wilderness until Mike and I reached full zombie status and drove quickly back to our nice comfy beds.
Anabelle found a beautiful heart shaped rock.

Anabelle summed it up nicely when she said, "I don't like sleeping outside, but I like being outside... in the wild." Yep. She's my daughter.

And... we walked in the door and passed out.
And if you're wondering, even the dog has had a busy summer full with playdates, running, and more. She's worn out too.

Yes, definitely not a boring summer.

Feels Like Summer

2010-07-24T11:50:00.000-07:00

Summer temperatures seemed to take a long time to come our way -- a fact I was very thankful for, yet the last couple weeks have been hot. We are very thankful to have a swimming pool and a waterpark fountain system on both sides of us within the subdivision, so the kids have enjoyed getting cool. If we go in the morning we've found the pool is relatively empty. The kids invent all sorts of games-- I was busy working poolside when I heard Sam yell, "Expecto Patronum!"
I looked up and saw Katarina, her hair over her face, and Anabelle as dementors. It was a pretty hilarious game to watch.
Katarina then found she could flip her hair back, and show off her "George Washington impression."

Sam has also kept busy with Boy Scouts, and as demonstrated below, finished his tool requirement and is about to be recognized with his Bear Badge this coming week. He is very excited and has worked har

My Daughter is WILD!!!

2010-07-15T10:54:00.001-07:00

Katarina came home with the following video.
I hyperventilated slightly watching her ascend and cross, but the way she got down... I can't believe she did that. You'll just have to take 3 minutes of your time to watch the video.

Kat at Camp

2010-07-14T19:52:00.000-07:00

You've most likely already heard at least some of the amazing adventures Katarina had at camp. Here's just a couple pictures I swiped from her camera! I'll have to ask her to guest blog and recount the wildness.

Katarina loved her camp counselor.

Katarina's two friends made the trip possible and much more fun!

I will step in and explain that her cabin won the award for cleanest cabin, the coveted Silver Plunger!

All She Wants For Christmas Is Her Two Front Teeth

2010-07-14T18:35:00.000-07:00

"Just like Kaitlin asked if it hurt when I ate corn on the cob, pears, and apples when I lost my first tooth, I can tell her it hurt with this tooth!"

The Benefits of Moving

2010-07-04T09:44:00.000-07:00

I'd be surprised if everyone didn't already know the cons of moving. They're pretty obvious. But lately I've been reflecting on the benefits of a new location where almost no one knows your name.

A huge benefit is that no one really thinks twice about your actions, or if they do they don't talk about it except in generic terms (that lady). As a result, I don't care if my blinds are open and the kids and I are all doing the hustle. It's easier to go next door and tell the neighbor that it's not cool to put their trash in my trash can after the garbage trucks have come and they need to come take care of it. And, should my running partner not be at the pace I might want to be at that particular moment, it's totally okay to boogie with jazz hands, cha-chas, and air guitars down the street while listening to Journey's "Don't Stop Believing."

On a side note, I think this might work as an effective personal training technique. The person next to the ridiculous exerciser wants to speed up so they don't have energy to act, as my running mate said, "a little much." I also think my GreatDane/Lab mix wishes she could do that to me, as I never go as fast as she wants, and even that image of my dog performing air guitars down the street makes me laugh, thus burning calories. I think I'm on to something... or I need to get out more.

Tomorrow, I will. Katarina is going to camp. Her first time. With friends, over SIX HOURS AWAY! I'm excited for her, and me, as I get to meet up with my friends on the way to pick her up, but during the week that she's gone I might be a little misty eyed until I remember that she's going to have the time of her life.

But back to the pictures above: I love the choice of tennis courts here!

Largest Sand Dunes in North America

2010-06-28T13:59:00.000-07:00

Our dear friends came to visit us this weekend and as a special treat, introduced us to the Bruneau Sand Dunes that happen to be fairly near here!
The kids DREADED it. "I don't want to climb a sand dune," Sam argued. "It's going to be hot, and a lot of work, and I hate being in the car..."
Anabelle whined as well.

Yet I insisted... and we saw the Snake River and heard about how the river and cooled lava and a bunch of wind and some scientific hypothesis all came together to result in something really cool. (You're just going to have to come and read the explanation yourself.)
What was the word I heard over and over again the whole time we were there and the way home?
AWESOME!
Yep, that summed it up.

Katarina wanted to see how fast she could go all the way down the sand mountain and back up. She was a beautiful sight walking the top of the dune with her hair whipping behind her. Thankfully, we left early enough on the forecasted 100 degree day, that the sand was still cool underneath our feet and the temps had only reached to 80 by the time we left. The kids can't wait to go back on a day Dad can come too to experience the adventure.

Tooth Fairy Visits Anabelle!

2010-06-18T13:53:00.000-07:00

What better time to get a picture of her new smile than playing with a slip n slide!
These shots were taken a good ten feet away-- I love cropping! And my birthday present is a camera that is good enough quality to let me do that (yeah, I cheated and opened it early).

Sam-isms

2010-06-17T19:15:00.000-07:00

All the kids had orthodontist appointments and wellchecks this week for a total of 5 long appointments. (There went all the coupon clipping savings). Sam was relieved to find out he doesn't get braces until he's eleven or twelve and said he's going to enjoy every skittle and starburst until then. The doctor's appointment revealed that he's as perfect as can be for height and weight. But this chart showed how much he'd weigh and how tall he'd be as a grown up if he stayed on the projected path.

"Look at this, Sam," I said. "If you keep at these percentiles it looks like you'll be as tall, if not taller, than your dad."

"Aaaahhhhh, Nooooo," he groaned. "I don't want to be as tall as Dad."

Mike turned to him. "What? Why not?"

Without missing a beat, he offered his toothy grin and replied, "Cause it's easier to win the limbo if you're short."

He went back to reading Baby Blues comic books, which I never should have allowed my children to check out--they all love them, and awhile later he came to me, again sporting his grin. "Hey, Mom," he said, "you know about how you had the 3 of us . . . well, we're sorry we destroyed all your brain cells."

He watched my eyebrow slowly go up and took off running and giggling knowing I would surely come after him.

Thankful

2010-06-15T11:52:00.000-07:00

My heart has had those wonderful moments where it feels fully lately. Something so small as the pic above--seeing Anabelle read the paper--makes my heart glad.

I do enjoy being in the valley where there are so many things to do, even on a tight budget. Last week the kids got to enjoy a new exhibit of the California Condors, the largest birds, at the World Center for Birds of Prey. Those who know me know of my intense fear of birds... that I took them is proof that I love my children. They loved the different type of eagles that looked at them funny. We surmised they were thinking, "I wish you were smaller. You look good to eat."

This last weekend the kids got to go fishing with free fishing day. While they didn't catch anything, they had a blast. And the zoo here just added an exhibit where you can walk next to wallabies. I love that the zoo membership is the same as one day admission and we get to go all year round. I also love that the science center is starting a new light show this week. Then there's the Watershed free exhibit and tours, and the nature center teaching gardening, and and and...

I succumbed to using coupons all the time thanks to the Krazy Coupon Ladies and the fifty percent off Sunday paper subscription deal. I never knew you could combine store coupons with manufacturer coupons. That changed everything being in a city. At first I felt bad for the stores until I realized the stores get their money back plus a handling fee. So far we've gotten free cashews, free toothbrushes, free toothpaste, free fruit snacks, free meat, free milk, free cheese...
I like free. The problem is that as I'm mentally adding up the grocery bill as I use my coupons and grocery rewards, that I know how much I've saved and suddenly I've justified getting the kids a slip n' slide... but that brings me back to being thankful.

And, the thing I'm most thankful for... friends and family. Not so much here in the valley, but for those that stay in contact and close despite the miles apart. It means a lot.
And, I'm thankful for the kids and their crazy creativity.

I'll end with finding a file on computer. Apparently, Buzz and the gang got access to my computer. Katarina casually mentioned that maybe Woody just wanted to check his facebook. Probably seeing all the publicity for Toy Story 3.

Facebook/ Sheriff Woody> I am awesome. Who's with me? Am I right or am I right? If anyone's seen my hat just poke me... or text Buzz. He just got the newest iPhone.
"Uh... oink can actually indicate a squeal or a grunt. A squeal is actually a high pitched sound that is mostly indicative of a pig whereas the grunt is more of a short gruff noise that has its roots in hogs of the male persuasion."
"Let the royalties keep pouring in..."
EharmonyToyEdition: "Hello there... "
Joyride!

I'm Going to Remind Him of This

2010-06-12T15:53:00.000-07:00

Sam's experiencing a growth spurt. He's getting taller and stronger rapidly. Yet, when I say something like, "You're growing up so fast," his response is to gape in horror. I didn't really understand until today at lunch.

"I'm really not looking forward to being a teenager," he said.

"Why not, Sam?" I asked, laughingly, for when he says something like that out of the blue I know it's going to be a good insight.

"Because I don't want to lose my logic and start walking around without my shirt with tattoos or something looking really goofy like I see a bunch of the teenagers doing. What's next?! Start walking completely in just underwear since we can see some of the underwear anyway already. And then, I saw a guy walking around with green hair sticking up."

"Don't worry, Sam. I will tell you if you start looking ridiculous."

He shook his head seriously. "No, by then, I'll have lost my logic and think you're out of your mind."

Making Money From Home

2010-06-09T13:13:00.000-07:00

I agreed to review Making Money From Home by Donna Partow months ago! And why did it take months to post? Because you can't just read it, you have to do it! Each chapter ends with assignments that take a lot of mental processing power, and each chapter is filled with links and resources so it takes a lot of research power.

I started the book completely skeptical. The author displays her credentials and experience and I raised my eyebrows. Then I suddenly remembered where I'd seen that name before--Donna Partow. She's the author of "Becoming a Vessel God Can Use," a book that impacted myself and my best friends studying it together in college. This was the same woman?!? Okay, she had my attention and I kept reading...

This is not a book that is easy to put into practice. Making money from home will involve research, creativity, planning, and marketing. She tells you how to go about starting each process but after that it's all up to you, baby.

So, it took me 3 months to finish and I have a notepad of ideas and projects and research to follow up on. And, to be honest, I need to read it again. You won't use everything in the book but even starting small is sure to reap some rewards. Just have a highlighter, a notebook, and the internet by your side before you dare to pick this book up. I give it 5 book lights, and apologies to Tyndale House Publishers for taking so long to post this review after you generously provided this complimentary copy.

A Girl of Many Talents

2010-06-07T16:39:00.000-07:00

Katarina informed us the week before Memorial Day that she would be having finals. Finals! I don't remember finals until high school, but they're starting them early here.
She had 3 tests on the Friday before Memorial Day weekend and then more this week. Today she came home celebrating - she got a 100 on one of her finals, even though she'd only been at the school for a couple of months. The band teacher had a contest to see who could play the tuba the best on a first try. The crew picked a gal and a guy, and Katarina made her tuba-loving Dad proud as she took home the prize. I'm afraid this might be fodder for more hints on buying a tuba though. ( ;
She also recieved a lovely card and chocolate bar from her advisory teacher praising her latest performances. This is one reason I'm thankful for teacher conferences here --- the teachers told stories of her whipping out an Australian accent for a report, her dramatic display performing as a Greek Goddess, and more.
We're very proud of how well our daughter has adjusted to middle school life.
More proud mama end-of-school moments to come on Anabelle and Sam moments.

New Transportation

2010-06-05T09:46:00.000-07:00

Living in a subdivision we've seen all manner of transportation now.
It's pretty entertaining to watch before and after school all the different ways kids get to school:heelies, Ripstiks, motorized and nonmotorized scooters, and this one that Sam would love to transport himself on (see video below). Bikes and BigWheels are so the thing of the past.

Band Night

2010-05-30T13:11:00.000-07:00

I drive towards a band concert with a bit of trepidation. The last two years of concerts I went to I had to struggle not to laugh, and well, the first one I visited I was completely unsuccessful.
The bleachers literally shook at my laughter--I couldn't stop!
Not because they were that horrible (okay, they might have been) but because I simply wasn't prepared for what a beginning band sounded like having only heard my daughter practicing alone and my husband's professional playing.

Upon the first visit to Kat's new school the school registrar exclaimed in delight when Katarina said she had been in band. "You'll absolutely love the band teacher. He's gotten so many awards. We're very proud of him."

Indeed, Katarina came home the first day of band and couldn't stop raving about the man, his hilarious stories, and funny antics. The teacher obviously has a gift for relating to middle schoolers--they all love him. Despite the 8 million dollar sudden cutbacks the school district faced and the sudden ban on field trips, this teacher was able to arrange through his own network, a deal to take plush charter buses to the band festival as long as the students chipped in a whopping 3 dollars a piece.

Still, Katarina came home from that festival saying they did pretty good considering they had never practiced together as a band before.

"What?! What do you mean?"

"Well, the woodwinds have their own class on one day and the percussion and brass practice on the other day. We don't get to practice together."

My eyebrows rose in alarm. "But you're having a concert together?"

"Yep." She walked off to get ready to leave for the event.

I turned to Mike. "Honey, they never practice together. And while this is Katarina's second year of playing, all the other kids are first years."

I practiced not smiling or laughing while thinking of funny things all the way to the concert.

Our first hint that something was different was seeing a giant Yoshi walking into school followed by two clowns. We walked into the gymnasium surrounded with lifesize movie star cutouts from Pirates of the Carribean. The program indicated music selections from Pirates of the Carribean, Phantom of the Opera, Harry Potter, Under the Sea, Pink Panther, Lord of the Rings, and Trumpet Hero.

A hush fell over the crowd followed by laughter as pirates, Men in Black, Dorothys (from the Wizard of Oz), witches, Cleopatra, and more walked in with instruments. The students sat down in front of us, and raised their instruments to their lips.

I looked around. No conductor. No teacher. BAM! In unison the instruments played Pirates of Carribean. All the parents were looking around and whispers and points revealed the teacher, dressed in a complete zoot suit, had jumped up from his hiding place and was standing on the top bleacher conducting. It was then I noticed that every single student had an eye patch on while reading the music. They finished the piece and all stood up in unison, passed out extra eye patches to all the kids in the audience, sat back down and played 14 more recognizable movie themes. IMPRESSIVE. Fun. Enjoyable. This was no band concert, this was a musical event complete with the drummers getting a chance to have a drum off of sorts to see who could do the most impressive drum solo.

So I did laugh at this band concert. But it was okay because it was expected and desired.

I'm not scared of band concerts anymore.

Treasure Hunting

2010-05-16T18:09:00.000-07:00

Another weekend exploring our new surroundings, this time with a twist--- we try geocaching, but without a GPS receiver... instead we take notes on the coordinates on google earth and do our best. Here's a few of the best sights we saw on our trek through the city today:

We got a little too close to the native wildlife for my taste.
The first time we walked past this snake, named George, it did nothing. The second time Sam spoke to it and the snake rose from his hole and up to look at Sam.
It sort of freaked us out.
Sam also took this picture of a Springhill Crane-- it's a real life crane in action. We were struck by how gracefully the crane moved--Sam caught it on video, but I get motion sick so you'll have to imagine with this still photo.

We did find a cache, and it was a fun find: the kids gasped when we opened it up. Geocaching has been called a game, a sport, and a hobby; we call it family fun.

A Weekend From 3 Different Perspectives

2010-05-15T12:12:00.001-07:00

Mother's Day weekend brought us our first weekend of perfect weather--not too hot, not too cold, not too windy, just right.
Throughout the valley, city attractions offered special deals for moms... my favorite being free admission for everyone at the botanical center. I assumed it would be an indoor facility but instead found it behind a rustic, abandoned prison wall. The kids were fascinated with the wall and the hike up the hills to see the different array of plants. The following day, Mother's Day, we explored the hiking paths just thirty minutes away from home and loved it!
So, to the 3 perspectives: Anabelle, Sam, and Mike each had a camera. Check it out.

From Sam:

He was fascinated with the prison wall.

He passed the camera to Dad for a quick mom/kid shot, then proceeded to take pics on plants that impressed him while on the move:

Mike brought the camera for the hike:

As part of mother's day, the crew took away my camera responsibility, but I couldn't resist taking at least one shot of my peeps.

And Anabelle snapped away during the botanical exploration:
We saw the pic above and wondered when we put her into solitary confinement and forgot about it... she enlightened us that one of the gazebo style buildings we entered had this giant hole at top--she was the only one to notice it and got a neat shot!
She handed me her fisher price camera to take this shot of her enjoying 'the wild.'
Anabelle tells us how to pose and where!
She spies this and asks me to take another shot.

When A Teacher Leaves--A Documentary By Anabelle

2010-05-15T06:47:00.000-07:00

You won't get it.
No offense, I'm just saying--if you aren't a six year old who knows first hand what preschool is like, you probably won't appreciate this.
I think Anabelle did fabulous--enrolling her sister to do some camerawork as well, with a handheld still camera that happens to do video. In other words, the sound is horrible and you'll have to strain to hear Sam's voice.
And, for the most part, it's true--this documentary of a mom gone silly after leaving preschool... with only a slight touch of exaggeration. Listen closely and you might hear Anabelle's cry for help--it cracked me up. Had to take two takes of that, and it was all her idea. Mike and I constantly wonder where our children all get their dramatic tendencies...
After this first directorial debut from Anabelle, she was inspired with an episode idea for Penguins of Madagascar, which the family thinks is hilarious. I typed it up with her reading over my shoulder, and sent it in. We know good and well the likelihood of anyone from Dreamworks reading it is nill, but we love encouraging creative hilarity.
We'll see what she comes up with next!

Mario Party 9

2010-05-01T15:16:00.001-07:00

It's so fun when the family gets creative, comes together, and makes our house a different world. Sam had a rocking party! It's fun having a reason to draw and color too!
I got an education on what these things are called while I was drawing them. Sam loved having a reason to teach me all about his favorite game--Mario sure has advanced since I played it!
With the kiddos help, we made our first pinata. I'm so glad we did! We filled Yoshi's egg with coins of the chocolate variety to match the theme and found out homemade pinata's break a bit different. Instead of a bat, going with Mario theme, the kids had to earn fire power, and they had fireballs (tennis balls) they took turns throwing at the egg. It was hilarious when one of Sam's hard thrown balls hit the pinata and stuck. Even more hilarious, when the next kid threw one to get Sam's out and the ball went INSIDE the pinata and stayed. They kept at it until the egg burst.
Thanks to this website, I found this little idea.
We made the bricks and question coins that hold chocolate coins -- they were part of the prize for the kids completing all five levels of the real life Mario Party 9 we came up with.

Before the games begin, Sam is enjoying the Mario pizza with the guys.
I had fun coming up with this game! The 'BOO' or ghost in Mario world chases all the Mario and Luigi boys as they are trying to collect their Yoshi eggs. You had to find 2 Yoshi eggs (which contained coins) while staying away from the ghost. If the ghost touched you, you froze until another Mario or Luigi saved you. Once you had two coins, you went to Super Mario (mike) and waited until everyone else was finished before going to the next level. Katarina loved being a BOO.

After this level the kids left the backyard to enter the house through a level - the underground tubes level. I got a chuckle seeing neighbors' reactions when they saw 4 Marios and 4 Luigi's appearing in our driveway.
This guy is just trying to get to the tunnel without the Boos getting him! They then had to smash balloons (boo-bahs) that had coins in them to earn fire power, then had to bounce fireballs (red balloons) to hit my drawing of Bowser beyond the lava. Finally, they had to go through the lava level upstairs without getting burned to rescue Princess Peach.

Princess Peach is saved and presents her token of thanks to her heroes.
Sam demonstrates the proper way to save a Princess.

Sam makes his 1-up mushroom for his cupcake.

Pinewood Derby

2010-04-29T09:52:00.000-07:00

Here is Sam with his hard-earned certificate and car that he sawed and sanded and painted himself with guided instruction from Mike. Those two worked hard every night for 2 weeks to complete this fast moving machine. You may not be able to tell in the pic, but flames are coming out of the back of the car, earning him the "ROCKET" award. They really did this derby up complete with a beginning presentation with disco ball and strobe light and music all centered around the message of being good sports. Each boy raced his car with three other boys in a rotation until every boy had raced 8 times. A computer timing system had monitored it all and took the four racers with the lowest average time. It was a great way to make sure that everyone got plenty of racing time. While Sam's car didn't win, Sam's car was the 'only one in history' to race completely off the track, flying past the finish area. Sam's grin when told that made the night extra special.
They also had to make an official racing pit stop for tires (small chocolate donuts) and an oil change (apple juice.)
Sam can't wait for next year.

Sam Turns Nine Tomorrow

2010-04-22T21:23:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow my Samuel James will turn nine years old. This is one of my favorite baby pictures of him. Such a cute pic of brother and sister. And on the eve of his turning nine, he asked to go out on his bike to ride in the cul de sac with the other kids. I went upstairs to fold laundry and out my bedroom window I see a neighborhood kid put a bike ramp in the middle of the road. A moment later my son is riding the bike straight on the ramp. I silently scream and run downstairs to find a beaming Sam coming in, eager to tell me about his adventure. A quick dinner, and he's spraypainting his car that he sawed himself, putting on his handsome boy scout uniform with badges (ugh those things are hard to sew on!), and collecting his book filled with hard-earned achievements. As he runs out the door, he gives me a hug.
It's so much fun watching my boy turning into a man.

So on birthdays I give the children a choice to have a 'I'm too well to go too school day.' Sam took me up on it and stayed up way past normal reading in his room. I know because he came downstairs at 930 when I was trying to secretly work on a little surprise for him. Sam loves Mario and I found red and green baseball caps at the hobby store here for under a dollar. I had just finished cutting out the stick on foam and stick on felt when he walked in the living room.

Katarina joined in on the fun. Do they look different from that first picture or what?!?

He's modeling both trying to decide which one he wants to be for his birthday party-which he decided to have next week. This week is the Pinewood Derby after all.

Airbrushed

2010-04-19T19:47:00.000-07:00

With half-day kinder now, Anabelle and I frequently have 'deep thoughts' conversations. Today it was about beauty products and if they 'make people perfect.' Anabelle was asking questions about people on t.v. and magazines and finally we came to the topic of airbrushing. She asked what it meant--she remembered seeing that option on the school pictures forms awhile back too-- so I explained.

Fast-forward to our trip to Walgreens this morning. I'm intently walking down the aisles looking for my great deal plus coupon products. Anabelle is following me down the aisles when I hear her say, loudly, "You were right, Mom! It's definitely fake! Yep, that one definitely had her wrinkles wiped out. Look at that! No wrinkles at all!"

I tried to move her along quickly -- The mom down the aisle was clearly disappointed that I cut short Anabelle's commentary.

Starbucks On Tax Day

2010-04-15T08:08:00.000-07:00

Starbucks is offering free coffee to anyone who brings a reusable mug in on Tax Day. Upon hearing this, Anabelle wondered if they would be serving children's coffee.
"What's children's coffee?"
"I'll give you a hint... it's cold." She demonstrated by making herself a mug of chocolate milk a.k.a. children's coffee.

Training Up A Child

2010-04-13T20:20:00.000-07:00

Like most, I believe part of my job as a mom is to teach and train my children in the running of a household--that and I need to delegate some things to get or it won't all get done!
That brings me to Saturday. Sam has been cleaning his toilet once a week for the last year but I've continued to scrub the baths. Now that we have our own master bath (aaahhhhhh), the kids need to scrub the bath. I bring Sam in and explain that he can scrub the sides of the shower down while he showers but that once a week he needs to disinfect the floor and sides of the tub. I often use baking soda and vinegar but for the first time I brought out the Soft Scrub. I love the lemon smell. Ever safety conscious, I explain to Sam that he should always point the cap away from his face when he opens the Soft Scrub should any squirt out.
"What would happen if it squirted me in the eyes?"he asked.
"It would burn. It would be horrible. We'd have to throw water in your eyes for several minutes."
He nodded and walked out of the bathroom.
"Where are you going?!?" I shouted after him, on my knees holding a sponge.
He walked back in wearing glasses. "Okay," he says with a nod. "I'm ready. My eyes already look like they're burning but really they're protected."
Here's his cleaning gear:

Forget Me Not

2010-04-12T14:21:00.000-07:00

I suppose I should've known that when you pick up a book written by The Vice President on the International Thriller Writers Board of Directors that you should expect to stay up all night. But, as is my policy when reviewing a book, I didn't read the author bio. I always read the author bio after I finish a book. So let me just say - I didn't even stop to take a bathroom break. And if you know me, you know that means I was seriously riveted... and maybe dehydrated.
The author gives us an inside view of the victims, the bad guys, and everyone in between. It works because the backstory is woven in a way that you engage with each character and find the likable in the unlikable. Did I like the story itself? No. Not so much. But I normally don't like things that make me frown and gasp - I don't like watching CSI or Dateline so if you do, you might. I love Mary Higgins Clark for her ability to keep me flipping the pages and guessing, but I hated the horror part of it. It's the same with this book. If you like the genre of thriller, I think this book is a safe bet for you - click on the cover art to check it out. 4 out of 5 booklights.This book was provided for review by Waterbrook/Multnomah Publishers.

Nothing Is As It Seems

2010-04-09T13:32:00.000-07:00

I bought a big bag of Gala apples and displayed them in a nice bowl at the center of the dining room table. Anabelle chowed down on one instantly. A few hours later she chowed on another. Three apples a day for three days. I expressed my surprise. "Wow, Anabelle! I'm impressed! Choosing apples as your healthy snacks."

"Yeah, I know! I'm six years old and my teeth are supposed to fall out soon, so when I eat an apple it sort of hurts all the teeth, so if I keep eating the apples the teeth will get loose and fall out so I can get money from the tooth fairy!"

I took a good ten seconds to digest everything she said. "So who gave you this idea?"

She displayed her million-dollar grin. "I thought of it all by myself!"

B-U-S-T-E-D

2010-04-05T12:50:00.000-07:00

In the car on the way home I spelled something to Mike. He burst out laughing. "There's no one in this car that doesn't understand."
Phooey. It gets hard to ever have a private conversation once they start reading! They even look over my shoulder while I'm emailing and I must remember that they can understand every word.

April 1st

2010-04-01T20:22:00.000-07:00

So today I woke up to bizarre noises in the hallway. I walked out my door and what do you suppose? There was a fake freaky man made from a soccer ball, filled pants, a jacket, shoes, and a tennis racket. Too funny. Then I came downstairs and discovered tape on the sink sprayer. Unfortunately, I missed a spot and still got soaked. Doh. Then it began to snow giant snowflakes. Sam didn't believe it. He thought we had rigged something on the roof to fall.
We did enjoy Google's April Fool's today - they changed their name to Topeka. It's a well-crafted hoax on top of their supposed vowel malfunction - I mean, mlfnctn.
Check out what BBC did a couple of years ago. Hilarious.

Official Gmail Blog: Today’s vowel outage

Official Google Blog: A different kind of company name

An Absence So Great

2010-03-31T21:00:00.000-07:00

I'll begin by saying that truth is stranger than fiction, but fictionalized truth is even stranger. Jane Kirkpatrick 's work was cited as one of the best in 2009 by Library Journal and judging by the first page I could see why. Her writing draws you in with engaging, thought-provoking observations. Photography in 1910 presented unique challenges and I delighted seeing how the character managed a baby shoot. Add the rarity of a woman starting her own business without the benefit of marriage in that decade, and I curiously read to see what happened.

However, there were two big surprises that left me nonplussed. First, this is the continuation of 'A Flickering Light.' This book is advertised as a stand-alone novel, and it is, yet clearly it would have been better off reading the prequel first. Second, nowhere on the back title did I see that this is actually a fictionalized telling of the author's family tree.

I think maybe if I had known from the beginning, then I would've read the story with a different eye, but assuming that it was truly a fiction story I cringed at the hero being offered and the reactions of the heroine. I felt no resolution with how the story ended, until I read the interview with the author at the very end. That said, it was interesting and educational but not entertaining. Great writing but not a story I would otherwise choose to spend time on unless I was expectin a nice biography and not a fiction story. Yet, I still appreciate that the book was provided to review by Waterbrook/Mulnomah. 2.5 out of 5 booklights.

Katarina Photo Shoots

2010-03-31T12:44:00.000-07:00

You can't tell, but Sugar, our dog, is attempting to hide behind the flowers. It didn't work and she's pleading with Katarina, "Please don't dress me up as the Easter Bunny."

Spring Break

2010-03-31T09:47:00.000-07:00

The kids were so excited that Spring Break arrived last Friday and I was so excited that friends would be coming to visit for a few days. We spent the weekend out and about and visited the science center.

Anabelle was thrilled that the robot spelled her name on command.

No the pictures aren't sideways - Sam acted like sleeping on a bed of nails was no big deal... until he tried to sit up before they went down. Don't worry, no holes sustained.

Anabelle was thrilled that she got to make slime/goo (Mom hates this stuff!).

And after our visitors left, after a weekend of activity, Anabelle sat down with a sigh and said, "It sure does feel nice to rest on my bum."

Revolve

2010-03-25T14:01:00.000-07:00

Are you a talkaholic? Want beauty home remedies from the Bible? What does your wardrobe say about you? Are you a digital junkie?
I admit that when I saw all the articles in something that was supposed to be a Bible, but looked like a magazine, I was tempted to check it out myself. But being a mom that is also excited to see her daughter in the Word, I took it to her first.
She took a look at it and cringed. Her eyes and shoulders sagged into begrudged acceptance as I asked her to check it out. Two days later, however, I saw her light on in her room past curfew - she was TOTALLY into it. "Yeah," she admitted with a smile, "it's not bad."
For those of you not in tween world, that's the equivalent of 'it rocks.'
She let me take a look at it, though, and I'm impressed. It really is the Bible except instead of commentaries it's sidebars of stuff to check out, practical ways to live it in a teen's real world, and fun Facebook-like walls to explain a biblical character's background and life.
It's just the New Testament but I give it 5 book lights, and my daughter does too. Thanks to Thomas Nelson for providing this book for review. Click on the cover art if you want to check it out too.

Leprechaun Day

2010-03-18T20:59:00.000-07:00

If you remember last St. Patrick's Day, the kids and I built an elaborate trap to catch a leprechaun and all we got was a huge stack of fake gold (really yummy chocolate), an elegant note and a bunch of pranks. So this year, Sam wanted to make sure our trap didn't look suspicious. This science project was his brainchild. Anabelle offered up her special rocks including the GOLD that she sifted in the Wild West on a preschool trip last year. We glued the small gold bits to a bigger rock or our plan wouldn't work, and then the family, um, scientifically labeled them.

Again, not to look suspicious, we needed something that looked sort of like a lamp decoration over the table.
Unfortunately, our plan still didn't work.

EWwwww. green slime all over our science project (the kids shouted Hooray as Mom hates slime) and a pile of gold - no, actually yummy chocolate covered caramels - I liked the other classy leprechaun last year better.
Happy kids. And one that's saying, "Got smoothie?"

A Three Second Tour

2010-03-16T16:09:00.000-07:00

So I took these photographs this weekend, to offer you the three second superficial tour of our new living quarters (in other words no bedrooms or bathrooms). Here you go!
Katarina shooting in the 'living room.'
Sam getting 'shot' in the 'living room.'

Our model 'modeling' the kitchen.

Mike and Anabelle hanging with the fam in the 'family room.'
Anabelle and Dad living in the living room.

Chiton

2010-03-16T06:35:00.000-07:00

My daughter is studying Ancient Greece. She came home and asked for a bed sheet.

Mike raised an eyebrow, "Do you have to wear a toga to school?!"

She shook her head and sighed dramatically. "No, Dad, it's a chiton. We're not studying Rome."

Sure looks like a toga to me.

HairDos!

2010-03-12T21:08:00.000-08:00

Thanks to a fabulous tip from my former preschool boss (sniff, sniff - I miss those guys!) I bought a different 'ouchless comb' and different types of elastic bands made for little girls. Ta-da! Anabelle finally let me do her hair. It's never been a battle I've been willing to fight. Now she wants me to do her hair - three days in a row now.

It's not a chore yet, so far it's been fun. Just wish I was better at it.

In the background you can see some unpacked boxes and mess. It's almost there though. This weekend I think I'll get some final things done and proclaim it 'good enough.' For now, that is...

I will say that living in suburbia is a bit weird. Cool, but weird.
I'm not exaggerating when I say it feels a bit like a movie set. I was thinking it, Mike said it, and then another family moved in across the street and said it.

Sidewalks line both sides of every street. When school lets out you see this stampede of children rushing down the street on heelies, skateboards, bikes, and scooters - all with smiles on their faces, eager to get home - no, not home- eager to get onto the sidewalk and driveway next to their home and play.

It's a place where my children would be the WEIRD ones if they wanted to go inside and play video games or watch t.v. And at night a silent hush falls over the neighborhoods. When Mike and I walked the dog the other night we both observed it seemed as if all signs of life had just vanished. Except, of course, for the Eau de Subdivision.

The Eau de Subdivision is the scent permeating through the streets of suburbia. Can you guess what it is?

Time's up.

It's filled with the floral and musky scents of every fabric softener imaginable. Each house you walk by you can tell if they prefer Bounce or Downy; vanilla lavendar or mountain spring.
If walking by department perfume counters or through candle aisles pleases your senses, then you'd love it. Me and my ultra sensitive sinuses can handle those who love bounce vanilla lavendar but otherwise I hightail it to the amazing bike trails hidden in the corners.

In other news, Anabelle is only in halfday kindergarten which means she has mornings to play and hang out with me. She is actually filming a documentary of what happens to a preschool teacher when the teacher moves away from the school mid-year. And that's my teaser for the night.

Fantasies

2010-03-12T19:32:00.000-08:00

Okay, the title of my blog post might raise eyebrows, but Waterbrook Multnomah sent me two books in the Fantasy genre. I like fantasy - honestly, I've never understood why a genre is called fantasy because all fiction is fantasy except that, of course, the things in 'fantasy' could never plausibly happen. So I guess I just answered my own question. Aren't you glad you were there while I figured it out?
I'm tired.
Moving on... ( ;
Ever heard of "The Lightening Thief" by Rick Riordan (much better than the Percy Jackson movie, by the way)? It's a fabulous series in the fantasy genre that I loved. Harry Potter. Fun. In other words I thought I'd love fantasy. So Waterbrook Multnomah sent me two. Suh-weet. Except they're so complicated I can't possibly sum up, so I'll post the official summaries before I review.
Here ya go - Oh, and if you want to purchase then click on the links.

Here’s a summary:

Raven’s Ladder:

Following the beacon of Auralia’s colors and the footsteps of a mysterious dream-creature, King Cal-raven has discovered a destination for his weary crowd of refugees. It’s a city only imagined in legendary tales. And it gives him hope to establish New Abascar.
But when Cal-raven is waylaid by fortune hunters, his people become vulnerable to a danger more powerful than the prowling beastmen––House Bel Amica. In this oceanside kingdom of wealth, enchantment, and beauty, deceitful Seers are all too eager to ensnare House Abascar’s wandering throng.
Even worse, the Bel Amicans have discovered Auralia’s colors, and are twisting a language of faith into a lie of corruption and control.
If there is any hope for the people of Abascar, it lies in the courage of Cyndere, daughter of Bel Amica’s queen; the strength of Jordam the beastman; and the fiery gifts of the ale boy, who is devising a rescue for prisoners of the savage Cent Regus beastmen.
As his faith suffers one devastating blow after another, Cal-raven’s journey is a perilous climb from despair to a faint gleam of hope––the vision he sees in Auralia’s colors.

Lady Carliss and the Waters of Moorue:

Determined, smart and a master of both the sword and the bow, Lady Carliss has proven herself as a veteran Knight of the Prince. Returning from a mission of aid, Carliss is plunged into adventure once again as she searches for the marauders responsible for kidnapping a friends’ family. Along the way she is reunited with Sir Dalton and discovers that the struggle in her heart is far from over. When Dalton falls to the vicious attack of a mysterious, poisonous creature, Carliss finds herself in a race against time. As Dalton clings perilously to life, she must find the antidote in the distant and strange city of Moorue.
While there, Carliss uncovers the master plot of a powerful Shadow Warrior that will soon overtake the entire Kingdom. Her faith in the Prince and her courage as a knight are tested as she faces evil Shadow Warriors and a swamp full of dreadful creatures. The lives of many, including Dalton’s, depend on Carliss. But she cannot save them all, for time is running out. She faces an impossible choice: save Dalton, or let him die so that others may live.

So let's get to it -

The Raven's Ladder was so very complicated, I, well, (embarrassed cough) couldn't finish it.
SO - not to be discouraged - gave it to my daughter who was out of books and desperate to read anything and (embarrassed cough) she couldn't get past the first chapter. My husband who loved Eragon and all it's complicating places and characters hasn't picked it up even though I offered. Let me say this - the writing is fantastic and the imagery beautiful. But there is a full on guide to characters in the back that is more than a page long. Sorry. 1 booklight.

Lady Carliss and the waters of moorue is the 4th installment in the series and I haven't read the other three. Kudos to author Chuck Black in that I didn't feel lost. He made sure we understood what was going on without going into too much detail. Made for teens, my daughter finished this first and said it was 'okay' with a 'whatever' shrug. I was able to get through it but quite frankly I wasn't impressed with the over the top allegory. I felt like myself and my daughter were being talked down to - Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the Chronicles of Narnia, but I never felt C.S. Lewis was going out of his way to make sure that I got it. The story itself stood on its own merit (referring to Narnia). Didn't feel the same about this. But it's not a bad read. 2.5 booklights out of 5.

You Know You’re Moving When….

2010-03-06T22:11:00.001-08:00

You know you're moving when…

Friends come over to help you load your possessions onto a truck. You realize just how much stuff you have when friends say things, such as, "Isn't there a law about how many guitars you can own?"
You cry, laugh, or stare into space at seemingly random intervals.
Your son comments during the drive, "It feels like we're just going on a vacation, a temporary time away for fun. It doesn't seem real."
With so much on your mind and in your arms, you misjudge the distance from trunk door to your face as you pull the trunk door down hard and it hits your nose with a force that sends you to your knees.
You rush to the hotel room, halfway to your moving destination, and proceed to ice your nose praying that you won't have two black eyes. Your husband joins you in this prayer.
Arriving exhausted to the new house, nothing feels right. You're exhausted and your eyes are a little red. The band-aid covering the gash on your nose completes the look.
When meeting neighbors you don't know whether to embarrass them by pointing out they are staring at your nose and then embarrass yourself by explaining what you did to your nose or to just ignore their staring.
You choose to pretend they don't notice your nose.
On the way back from Wal-mart to pick up much needed household paper items, you are pulled over by a friendly state-trooper who is alerting you to the fact that a headlight is out. He follows the statement by saying, "What happened to your nose?!"
The entire move is about your nose.
After walking your son to school, you begin to walk back home with your husband and the remaining two children (who don't get to start until the following day), when a sudden torrential rain downpour begins. Your husband graciously offers to ride the daughter's bike home fast and bring back the car to pick you up. You huddle with the girls under a park gazebo. Ten minutes later a SOAKED husband bicycles back to you (knees hitting his chest as he bikes) because he's completely lost in the maze of subdivision curves and street name changes. You realize with your husband's help that there is a shortcut that would help get you home. You decide to walk in the downpour and your husband rides off fast again. Five minutes later your husband calls your cellphone (as you are almost home) and he's lost again. You almost give yourself a hernia laughing so hard but he's so angry he doesn't appreciate the humor. Everyone arrives home and puts on dry clothes and drinks hot cocoa. You tell yourself someday he'll see the humor and try hard not to laugh but end up laughing until you cry.
Your son has a fabulous day at his new school and you cry.
Your youngest daughter has a horrible day at school and you cry.
Your eldest daughter has a fabulous day at her new school and you cry. Followed by a cry of relief when your youngest daughter also has a good second day, thus redeeming the first day.
The move is now all about your nose and crying.
You can't find the coffee beans you packed and you cry then praise God that Starbucks is five minutes away.
You come close to throwing numerous tantrums at the annoyances of transferring all business and personal records to a different state, and not being able to put all your possessions in their proper places.
You spend too much time at the kids' new schools and realize you will just be adjusting to the new schedule when daylight savings time hits. Friends and family call throughout the day and you return to your happy self.
In the midst of the chaos, you walk upstairs to find your youngest son flipping through all the days of his A Paper Airplane A Day Calendar Kit. When you ask what he's doing he says, "Looking for Men's Day." You say, "HUH?" He responds, "Women's Day is on March 8 so it's only fair that there's got to be a Men's Day somewhere!"
You realize that no matter where you are, your family gives you great joy and a house doesn't make a home. Home is truly where the heart is.

Spring Break Fiction Grab Bag

2010-02-26T07:24:00.000-08:00

Waterbrook Press asked if I wanted to be a part of their Value Fiction Grab Bag Tour. I devour fiction so I said, "Bring it on!" Later I was wishing I hadn't.

They sent me two random titles out of the many they're discounting down to $5.99 for spring break reads. I scanned some of the books that I might get and saw Robin Jones Gunn and Angela Elwell Hunt, two authors I've really enjoyed. The books that arrived were by two authors I've never read.

The first book, Beneath A Southern Sky by by Deborah Raney. The description reads, "Daria Camfield is expecting her first child when her husband Nate is reported dead on the mission field. Devastated, she returns to the States and soon marries again. But two years later Nate is found alive in the jungle. How can Daria possibly choose between he two men who love her?"

I must admit that dread filled me when I first read the description. How could this have a good ending? One reviewer said that Deborah Raney often writes five tissue books. Well, if you decide to give it a go, I would recommend five BOXES of tissues.

Deborah is talented in the writing department but she takes you through every bit of each character's horrific pain. And it doesn't stop. Ever. Pain, pain, pain. It's a gut-wrenching, heartache-filled story. And it will haunt you after you finish the last page. There is no nice resolution. The missionary's daughter has no idea who her real dad is, and there is another child in the picture as well.

Other stories have used the 'presumed dead' and about to marry storyline (think Princess Bride and a Cary Grant movie), but that was just it - ABOUT to marry not already married. And there were no children to consider. Frankly, I disliked everything about the book except for the author's great descriptions.

The second book, A Faithful Heart, will also leave a bitter, haunting over you. I have never read Al and Joanna Lacy books, so I had no idea what I was getting into but I had heard people warn me that they don't write enjoyable books. Someone must love these books because they're prolific writers. A Faithful Heart is about a nurse traveling by wagon train to visit her sister, Dottie and Jerrod, her brother-in-law. Jerrod was a hero and great guy until dementia took over and Dottie needs helping putting him in an Old West mental hospital. I can't say much without giving it away but again there are children involved, and again it's not a happy ending. I had to work hard to get in a good mood after this grab bag tour.

Making A Statement

2010-02-24T07:34:00.000-08:00

I realized that this will be my 13th move in my life. You would think I'd be a lot calmer and a lot less stressed for this move. I think the fact that my children are old enough to have developed friendships makes it a bit more emotional. It's hard to see them learning to say goodbye.

So, thinking ahead to this Friday, I asked Katarina if she would like to bring a treat to the school - kind of a do-it-yourself going away party. Katarina shrugged and looked around the kitchen, spotting our stash of leftover Valentine's candy and said, "I don't know. How about some dum-dums?"

I realized she was serious and started laughing. "That's what you want to bring? 'Here, remember me,'" I say, imitating her passing out the lollipops, "'Here. Dumdum? Dumdum?'"

Anabelle joins in, remembering the scene from Night at the Museum. "Have a DumDum, dumb dumb."

Katarina giggles. "Okay, fine." And she takes some time to think about what she wants to bring.

Thirty minutes later Sam arrives home from his tennis class. I ask him what he'd like to bring, and he does the same thing Katarina does - looks at our leftover candy stash, spying all the boxes of Nerds candy. "I don't know - how about a bunch of Nerds?"

We burst out laughing. Anabelle connects the dots for me and begin acting it out. "Here, remember me. Bunch of nerds!"

They all pick snacks that have no brand names ( :

And, I, being very conscious of what I pick, choose a bag of Smarties candy for my preschool class. After all, I was one of their teachers...

Very Few Pics Allowed

2010-02-16T21:53:00.000-08:00

I'm not allowed to say much according to the teenage code of birthdays, but she had a great time. And, her parents feel as if they've aged significantly especially when she occassionally looks more like a young woman than a tween.

Katarina's Birthday

2010-02-13T08:12:00.000-08:00

It's official - she's twelve now! As she said after dinner, "I FEEL older. I can actually feel that I am twelve now! Do you know you can actually feel how old you are?"
Sam deadpanned, "Well that'd be easy for really old people."

Pictures and video to come, but as that's been taking me awhile lately here are some highlights -
Katarina, as you most likely already know (she's been texting a lot) got a cellphone.
Everything was fine, until, we sat down to start eating dinner and she buzzed.

It was so weird to see our daughter blush, look under the table and TEXT at dinner!!!
She already looks fifteen, we didn't need her to start acting fifteen. But on her birthday we'll let it slide. Mike and I were both surprised to see that she was already texting in text slang.
"Who taught you that?!"
She shrugged. "No one. I guess it just comes natural."
Mike shook his head. "Digital natives," he muttered.

Otherwise the day was a typical birthday - breakfast in bed, a free smoothie at the local coffee shop, going to Wal-mart for the friend birthday party supplies, lunch at a restaurant, making cupcakes, and eating Mike's homemade-from-scratch clam chowder (YUM!), and putting together a hard puzzle that Katarina insisted she wanted to do while instead she texted and chatted on gmail for the rest of the night. Interesting. Maybe she just wanted to keep us busy?
Too funny.

As I put the kids to bed, I should've known this would happen, but I didn't. From each bedroom: "Mommy, can I have a cellphone for my next birthday?"
"NO!"

Katarina's friend birthday party is tonight, and I've already been told I won't get to blog any juicy details. Bummer.

Bathroom Reading

2010-02-11T19:10:00.000-08:00

After Anabelle's bath, she came to my room for me to do her hair. I paused in the middle of drying her hair when I noticed dust collecting on the screen at the back of the hairdryer. "I just have to clean this off. It'll help it work better and will reduce the risk of fire."

Anabelle frowned. "Was that in the manual?"?

"Um, actually I don't know. I don't think I have the manual anymore."

"Katarina has hers!"

"She does?"

"Yep! I read it, hanging on the cabinet in the bathroom every single morning. It says, 'Do Not Remove This Tag. Warn Children of the risk of death by electric shock.'" She shrugged. "You already warned me. I'm bored of reading it all the time."

More Moments

2010-02-06T21:51:00.000-08:00

Sam had me import the pics on his camera. This one cracked me up!

So, I walk into the dinner conversation a little late. Sam is obviously in the middle of a four-square recess story. He looks at his Dad and says, "But you probably do four-square old school, right?"
Mike nods.
Sam looks at Mike thoughtfully, as if he's not sure Mike really understood his question. "Old school can also be called old fashioned," Sam explains.
Mike turns to me. "My son just called me old fashioned. I'm not sure I'm ready for that."
Anabelle pipes in, "Speaking of old-fashioned. In the songbook there is a word called, 'thee' and that means 'you!'"

Favorite Moments

2010-02-06T21:44:00.000-08:00

My favorite moments from Anabelle's birthday:
1) When she woke up she declared that she wanted to eat with us instead of breakfast in bed.

2) She is a girl who knows how to be true to herself, sometimes to the extreme, but is learning to be polite - so she hit a somewhat middle ground today. As all the partygoers sat down she said, "Birthday girl gets to eat first!" Then, "Just kidding." As the kids were finishing their cupcakes she shouted, "The Best Part - Present TIme!" Then, "Just Kidding."
A couple minutes later: "Hurry up! I want my presents!" Then, "Just Kidding."

3) Watching her be ultra silly with her friends and them eating it up and getting just as silly with her.

4) The girl loves her chocolate.

5) Okay, this wasn't from today, but on our roadtrip we stopped at Red Robin. Anabelle remembered last year when Katarina went to Red Robin for her birthday, and asked if it could be her birthday dinner just a few days early.

6) At dinner I asked Anabelle, "How many times do you suppose you said, "Just Kidding" today?"
She replied, "One hundred." Then she smiled, "Just kidding!" She laughed. "Okay, one hundred-one. Just kidding! One hundred-two."

7) She wanted to be fancy before she let me light the candle and make a wish.
8) As we're eating she tells us a joke. "Okay, Mom, tell me why the spider crossed the computer."
"I don't know," I said.
"To get to it's website."
I laughed pretty hard. "Where'd you hear that joke?"
"It was on Thea's string cheese wrapper at school."
"Oh, you guys liked that joke, huh?"
"No, we didn't laugh."
"Then why'd you tell me?"
Sam interjected, "You laugh at ALMOST all our jokes."
Anabelle shrugged. "I just don't get those chicken crossing the road jokes. They're just not funny to me. The spider one was much better at least."

9)After she blew out the candle she stared at her cupcake a moment. "Dang it, I can't get the Happy Birthday song out of my head!"

10) She spent the whole night playing with crafty/art toys she got for her birthday.

Sam's Directors Cut

2010-02-06T21:19:00.000-08:00

Anabelle is now six. Sam surprised us by taking over the filming of the festive day. Everytime she was about to blow a candle or open a present he'd direct us: "Wait... wait... okay, I'm ready."
So straight from Sam's camera, we have footage of a present Anabelle received - a flying Tinkerbell. Her fast fluttering action surprised us all, but more than that the fact that she can't be steered... Enjoy. (If shaky camera action makes you nauseous, you'll need a bucket.)

Anabelle

2010-02-05T21:25:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again. Within a week, my two baby girls will age. First, it's Anabelle's turn tomorrow. As January approached, I remember pondering that my youngest turning six seemed more of a milestone than when she turned five. Having a five year old still means you're a mom of little ones. But as of tomorrow my little one will be six years old and I will be officially a mom of school-age children. I'm thankful that starting a blog in hopes of staying connected with family and friends forced me to write down some of the little kid moments the last three years.
But back to Anabelle... she is in bed at this moment, squeezing her eyes shut with a big smile on her face. I tiptoed in to check on her and she whispered, "I'm too excited."
Mike is working late tonight switching IP addresses over at a company - he is loving the technology industry - it complements his musical skills and usually the musician schedule very well. Anyway, he'll come home late tonight, and assuming I stop blogging, he'll be greeted with a living room full of animals.

Stuffed animals that is.

Anabelle is having a Pet Shop themed party and I must admit, I really enjoy finding games and fun stuff to do for a party out of things we have around the house. It's a creative challenge that I love - the challenge to 'transform' my living room into another world for my children to play in without spending money. I intend to fully enjoy their smiles and imagination tomorrow (before I pass out) as I know there won't be too many years left before those themed, 'use-your-imagination' parties will be replaced with sleepovers, gossiping, and prank calls.

Enough sentimental ramblings. My little girl is six tomorrow. YAY!!!

Road Trip and Graffiti

2010-02-04T13:57:00.000-08:00

We just got back from a whirlwind three day road-trip. I vividly recall driving a long haul with 3 young children and having to stop frequently for diaper changes in the freezing cold while telling Mike, "Someday this is going to be a piece of cake when they're older."

I think we're there! It wasn't exactly a piece of cake, but the kids handled a 9 hour one-way drive like experts. What I wasn't expecting was Anabelle's new confidence with her reading ability. She can easily read road signs, which made for a fun first time game of RoadTrip Alphabet. Anabelle is a charmer - we were at the letter 'P' and she knocked off two letters at once - "I see the Pretty mommy, Queen of the family!"

She earned bonus points for that one. Then there was the bathroom stops. Finally, I don't have to share a stall with her anymore. All three girls can enter their own stall. Except I wasn't counting on the graffiti. "Hey!" Anabelle announced while in her stall, not caring who else was in the bathroom,"somebody wrote on the doors." She took a deep breath, as if to read it aloud, and then said, "Um, it's about a person. But over here it says, 'God loves, just ask him.'"
Boy was I glad that was all she read!

A day later, a stop later, we are in a busy rest area again. Katarina comments, "Boy, I feel like I'm breathing fire after eating those flaming hot Cheetos!"
Anabelle, in another stall, says, "You must be breathing fire."
"I don't even get what you're saying," Katarina replies.
"The fart. You just did a fart of fire."
The whole bathroom area gets quiet.
"Wait," Anabelle continues, "that wasn't Katarina, was it?"
I'm so surprised she just said that to the whole bathroom, I burst out laughing. I'm sure somebody in that bathroom hated us. We left right away - making sure not to make eye contact.

The Long Way Home

2010-02-04T13:28:00.001-08:00

I loved it! Another reviewer said it was a teenage version of "24." I haven't seen the television show, but as a fan of The Bourne Supremacy series, I saw a lot of similarities as the plot starts with everyone wanting to kill the seventeen-year old black belt teenager who has no memory of the last year of his life.

This book was provided by Thomas Nelson for review, and when I first opened the package I wasn't very impressed by the cover, but don't let that stop you because after page one you won't be able to put it down. This is book 2 of the series, and I never read the first book, but found it every bit as enjoyable as a stand-alone novel. Kudos to the writer for being able to write constant action so detailed it felt like a movie but concise enough to keep it a page-turner.

If you're worried about starting the book and not being able to put it down, then I have the following suggestion - when you reach the part where you're laughing, put it down. If you don't, you won't sleep until the book is done. Intended for the YA market, my daughter couldn't wait to get her hands on it with this mom's instructions to start it on a weekend, and my husband is in line after her. A fun adventure and we will definitely be purchasing book 3 when it comes out! 5 out of 5 booklights.

Dana Carvey SNL Audition: Choppin' Broccoli

2010-01-30T21:00:00.001-08:00

The kids are really starting to write their own songs. So, I had to show them this little clip. Everyone has been 'chopping broccoli' ever since on the piano.

With Permission

2010-01-28T15:31:00.000-08:00

Believe it or not, I often ask my children if I can put things on the blog that give my funny bone a workout. There are some things, especially videos and photos, that, to my great disappointment, they have not given permission.
Anabelle's sensibilities or her claim to fame still give me a lot of latitude to share her wittiness.
Today, Anabelle sat next to her Daddy, then rose and got a cookie. She came back and sat on his lap and said, "Cookie crumbs will help you smell good."
How's that for tactfulness?

Anabelle often pretends to be a kitty named, of all things, MeowMeow. In my opinion she took it a little too far, however, when she pounded on the occupied bathroom door with, "MEOW! MEOW! Let me in! The litter box is full!"

You're the BEST Blog Readers

2010-01-24T22:00:00.000-08:00

Today was an interesting conversation day at our household. My son told me I had nice, shiny eyebrows with a grin and a hug. Katarina told her sister, "You're really good at scaring the kitty." I told the kids they had an amazing knack for choosing sounds on the keyboard that drove me crazy. Conversation continued in this fashion for a very long time. They are persistent children.
And why? Well, if you missed the holiday you should mark it down on your calendar for next year because today was, in fact, National Compliments Day. Did you compliment anyone today?

Dug Down Deep

2010-01-23T08:33:00.001-08:00

Joshua Harris is a good storyteller. I've read some of his other books and while it's been years, I have a faint positive association, so when Waterbrook Multnomah provided a copy to review, I was excited. His storytelling is engaging, and it's an easy read. But as far as digging down deep, I think that's all relative. And we, Mike and I, both thought he'd be digging down deep into scriptures and instead we felt he was digging down deep into the beliefs he already held.
If you don't know why you believe what you believe, you might get a lot to think about. If you already know the basic theology and know your scripture, you can still enjoy hearing about his family's experiences. All in all, it's an adequate presentation of the basics of evangelical Christianity with a conversational feel surrounded by good storytelling. I can give it a 2 out of 5 booklights. If you want to form your own opinion, click on the cover art above and you'll be able to read an excerpt.

Random

2010-01-18T21:29:00.000-08:00

Dave Barry always said preschoolers receive transmissions from Planet Random. Hence, the funny things they say. Our entire household must get transmissions because you never know what will be said at the dinner table or hanging out in the living room.
Unfortunately, I don't remember half of them that made me laugh.

Above, you'll notice Sam got a camera for Christmas. Unfortunately, it has this Sponge Bob feature (I loathe Bob) that he can attach to any photo. He has produced quite a few funny shots. I'm sure you'll see more later as he gradually grants me photo rights. I made the mistake of ordering a few photography books for Katarina- one on the how-to process and the other on the business of photography. Sam showed more interest.

Anabelle caught me by surprise yesterday by asking the dog, "Do you want to make yellow snow?" Then she proceeded to let him out.
She also has this uncanny habit of making all her sentences rhyme and then acting (and I do mean acting) outraged that she 'accidentally' keeps doing that. It's still cute enough to make me laugh each time.

Sam received a Paper Airplane kit that has a plane for each day. Just like he read the Jokelypedia from cover to cover, he takes the daily challenge seriously. Not a day goes by without a plane getting stuck in my hair.

Thanks to the great weather today, we visited the playground and let the kids play. As Katarina and Anabelle began to leave for neighbor's house, I called out to Katarina, "Make sure to keep an eye on your sister!"
In all sincerity, Anabelle replied, "OKAY!"

Katarina is into filmaking currently and will assuredly be posting some new things in the future. She knows me well enough that the hilarious and note-worthy things she does lately are followed with, "Mom, don't put that in the blog!"

Mike and I got hooked on a show called "Doc Martin" about a surgeon who develops a fear of blood. It's bizarre and funny and wierd. I can't get the theme song out of my head. Thankfully the long weekend allowed us to sit back and watch several episodes. I don't remember the last time I relaxed so much - it was great!!!

The Male Factor

2010-01-15T10:08:00.001-08:00

If you click on the cover art, it'll take you to Random House for options to purchase it. I tell you that first because it's that good, in my opinion, and if you work with men I think you should get it. How's that for concise and to the point? ( ;

I'm not quick to praise a book. When Shaunti Feldhahn released For Women Only, it was all the rage with bible studies and workbooks as companion materials. Sure, I learned things and changed some things. But it didn't blow my mind like this book did.

Shaunti spends SEVERAL pages (too many in my mind) in the beginning clarifying and explaining the research and surveys to make sure you know you can trust this information at the same time as realizing that not every man thinks and feels exactly this way in a tremendous fashion. But in general, it's true. And as I read, especially page 100 and on, (out of three hundred some), my mouth kept dropping. So that's why so-and-so reacted when I .... no way!!! they think we mean THAT when we mean THIS?!? They just assume WHAT?!

So, it was very informative. So informative, that I want to read it a second time to digest it and make sure I'm getting an accurate picture.
And, in case you're wondering, it's not just information. It's interviews from CEOs, blue collar workers, the average Joe, the highly successful... and there are practical tips with how to deal with these unwritten rules, misperceptions, and secret beliefs of men in the workplace. Yet, I feel these tips are useful in the day to day world, not just the working world. Besides, I just find it fascinating that God created men and women so differently in such a tangible way.
All in all? Five out of five booklights.
This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

The Noticer

2010-01-09T13:06:00.000-08:00

When I agreed to review The Noticer I thought it was truly a work of fiction, yet once I got into it I found it's a mix of "based-on-a-true story", fiction, and allegory.

I wouldn't call this a "story," I would call it a collection of essays revolving around an elderly man named Jones and the wisdom he has to offer -- or perspective.

Perspective is the key word of the book. The book begins with the true part of the story - the author, homeless and living underneath a boardwalk. Jones appeared and gave him the change in perspective he needed to radically change his life. The book continues with Jones appearing in other people's lives offering them "radically" new ways of looking at things.

Personally, I love that Jesus taught in stories because a good story enables me to truly relate and empathize and put myself in someone's shoes. Once I'm in those shoes, I'm more vulnerable to see things in new ways and to embrace new truths. I love a good story so much I've often wondered if someone read all the best non-fiction and self-help books in the world and took the essential truths and put them in fiction format would it be powerful?

Andy Andrews essentially did that. The Noticer has some basic relational skill fundamentals many already know, but it also includes thought-provoking truths packed in a few sentences by an old man named Jones.

I can only recommend this book if you want to read a chapter at a time and enjoy good, short sermons.

I will say that for me the most compelling writing of the entire book was the true part - the story underneath the boardwalk. My understanding is that that brief portion was the start of the author's journey that led him to write The Traveler's Gift. I'm more interested in reading more about the author's true experiences than his fictional ones, so I might pick up a copy of the Traveler's Gift.

To sum up, thanks Thomas Nelson for providing me a copy of The Noticer. I'd give it 2 out of 5 booklights - an enjoyable middle-of-the road read but nothing that kept me engaged or satisfied my desire for a good story. If you're interested, check it out by clicking on the cover image above.

Wall-eeee

2009-12-27T13:15:00.000-08:00

Sam got this cool gift - a robot- except it came in a million pieces, and to be honest, I thought it might be too hard, but I was clearly wrong. He spent an entire day working hard, studying diagrams, and built this robot by himself. So proud.

Emotional Rollercoaster

2009-12-26T09:44:00.000-08:00

As you can see, Anabelle hides her feelings very well. When she opened up this gift friends gave us and thought it was a box of cocoa, well you can see how excited she was.... except it wasn't really cocoa inside. ( ;

Funny Kids

2009-12-26T07:58:00.000-08:00

If you haven't seen Pixar's Prep and Landing you won't get this joke. And you should really see it if you love Pixar stuff - it's only 22 minutes and Hulu/ABC will be playing it only until december 29, I think. Plus I just provided a link, so really, you should.

Okay, so assuming you've watched it - I wake up Christmas morning and we see this:

You've probably already read the letter the elf wrote us. He wrote us one last year too that perfectly fits the Prep and Landing movie. And the year before they wrapped our hallway in wrapping paper since there had been a confirmed peeker, and the year before that he wrote a letter on fire safety because Katarina had sneaked back out of her room and turned on the Christmas tree lights because she wanted Santa to see how our tree looked all lit up. But I've kind of gone on a tangent, because that doesn't really relate...

So anyway, we're eating breakfast that morning and I relate the bizarre dream I had where heat ray vision, like Superman, was coming out of my eyes.
"What were your eyes shooting at?" Katarina asks.
I shrug. "It really didn't make sense in the dream."
Sam's eyes light up. "I know why you had that dream!!! It was probably when the elf was checking if you were really asleep or not - the rays hitting your eyes made you dream that!"
He cracked me up. Although... you never know.

Christmas Eve

2009-12-25T12:22:00.000-08:00

Despite a job loss, we've been very very blessed this year. This week the nasty long stomach flu invaded our house and instead of making fun at home, it was a grumpy place to be for the most part. Mike and I both had extra jobs this week, so we decided to break the gloom and travel to Wenatchee for their special family skate on Christmas Eve. Cheaper than going to a movie, we made memories that I'm sure will last a very long time... that, and my kids actually fell asleep quickly on Christmas Eve!
Last year I was homeschooling (wow, that seems like ages ago) and the group we schooled with held a skate at this very place. What a stark contrast in one year! First off, I barely went around once last year - terrified the entire time. This year, well, I was still terrified, but in 2 hours I zipped around that skating rink a total of 7 times, and I was skating the entire time! That's right, you do the math -- I was a speed demon.

Unfortunately, I forget blogger's quirks and uploaded these pics in the wrong order. Last year, Anabelle made it on to the ice for 5 minutes, crying the whole time. This year, she was excited!!! For the first half hour she glued herself to her dad and the rink wall, moving not even a quarter of the way down the rink. Then, a little teeny bopper snowplowed up to Anabelle and dared her to skate -- giving her some tips. That's all it took. By the end of the two hours, my little daredevil was skating in the middle of the ice. Better, as she will tell you, than her mom!

And Sam found this tower of buckets to skate wild and free around the ice with abandon. He graced me with one couple skate though. ( ;

Katarina always jumps in with two feet and was looking like a pro instantly. She loved skating with her dad. In her words, "we were flying! It was exhilirating."

I see a tradition in the making.

Anabelle's poise and confidence and stark transformation gained the notice of many people... especially adults. She got so many comments and exclamations even as we left the arena that now she thinks skating is one of "the funnest things to do!"

Christmas Poem

2009-12-25T11:25:00.000-08:00

Anabelle recited a Christmas poem for me last night... turns out it was part of my gift! She made me an ornament to match! Check out the video:

2nd Year In A Row We've Gotten A Letter - Elf is Getting Mad At Our Family

2009-12-24T23:30:00.001-08:00

From the desk of
SANTA
CLAUS

Pursuant to Code of Ethics 1098672-54 in compliance with the United States of America Treaty No. 34 dated 1915, Santa Claus and his elves are not to invent any new toys. Whereas North Pole Inc. is certainly capable of inventing PET SHOP ROBOT and DS LOCATOR we are not allowed to do such a thing for as President Woodrow Wilson declared if "Santa, you keep inventing every toy a child even imagines, you will put the United States economy in great peril. No one will buy from us or our toy makers! No one will even buy Christmas presents for each other. Please… no more inventing, unless you are willing to pass on the blueprints." We have, as you have no doubt noticed, passed on many blueprints to toys we feel toy makers deserve to make (how do you think Wii was invented!). Yet many of the toy makers are on the naughty list at present and therefore we will need to wait a few years before inventing your request. Santa extends his deepest regrets.

Secondly, it has come to our attention by our Senior Operator of Duplications that this family is so blessed with gift-givers that others who love you have satisfied other things on your list. In this case, pursuant to Code of Ethics 3, Santa examines a child and provides the elves with an educated guess of what might bring a smile to your face. KATARINA and SAM were two children brought to our attention.

Senior Elf Kirby here, secretary to Santa… we corresponded last year and I must say that Sugar has a good memory! One look at us and she tromped back to your parents room – thanks for training her! But alas, your kitten – Snowy – yowsers she knows how to meow loudly to come out of the basement when she hears noises in the living room. We have seen only 12 cases of watch-cats. We are sorry to say we had to administer the KSR, kitty-sleep-ray. It's normally administered in a cat's tail, but since your cat has none (Santa was sad for her), we had to shoot through the ear. Watch your cat for signs of excessive sleepiness, laziness, and aggression towards dogs.

Since we had to let Snowy out to administer the KSR, Santa was afraid the cat would get scared and jump into the tree to hide. Therefore we flashed out the WPDT, wrapped-paper-decoy-tree.

Sorry for the inconvenience, and I for one, certainly hope you don't get any more pets. These form letters are a pain in the butt our pleasure.

Merry Christmas!!!! Senior Elf Kirby

p.s. The glitter glue wasn't dry on the stockings. Sigh. What is with you people?!? Your family sure is creative.

Before I Forget

2009-12-24T09:24:00.000-08:00

I SHOULD be getting frantically ready for the day. It's the first morning all week I've woken up feeling like I can get up and go without threat of my intestines retaliating, but instead dear blog, I'm writing you for fear I forget precious moments.
During Christmas holiday so far, the kids have been at each other, until, that is two days ago when I begged Mike to take the family for a walk while I got some shut-eye. They ran and ran and played and played and returned loving each other. I worked yesterday afternoon and Mike repeated the routine. If they get out that excess energy they love each other. I must remember this!
They are still brutally real with each other though - like typical brothers and sisters.

Anabelle is constantly writing and reading with her newfound school knowledge. She loves to draw pictures with captions. This morning she drew herself on a cold winter day and labeled it thus, then flipped over the paper and drew herself on a hot summer day, but spelled it, "Sammre."

Sam walked by and giggled, "haha you spelled Summer so funny. Haha!"

Anabelle didn't have her typical pout, run to her room, my feelings are hurt episode. Instead, she sighed, rolled her eyes. Stood up, paper in hand, and followed him to the living room.

"Now listen," she said, one hand on her hip, the other shaking the paper at him, "I am in KIN-DER-GARTEN! Kindergartners are NOT the best spellers in the world. WE are just learning how to spell and we do that by SOUNDING out letters. So knock it off or help me!"

Then she stomped back to the kitchen table.

I ran to my room laughing, and then couldn't believe my ears when I heard Sam approach Anabelle quietly to the table. "So what do you want me to help you spell?"

Hee hee.

Quick Comeback

2009-12-21T20:39:00.001-08:00

In the last two years, Anabelle has heard plenty of people refer to her as my 'mini-me.'
Yesterday when that was mentioned, she shook her head and pointed to me, 'No, she's my GIANT me."

Another Book Lover in the Making

2009-12-21T11:03:00.000-08:00

So this mama is now fighting the fever and stomach flu. No fun. But in the midst of it I still catch glimpses of precious moments. Last night I heard Anabelle talking loudly, stepped in her room, and saw her reading aloud to her stuffed animals. Sorry about the bad video quality but you get the idea. She is such a good reader! And so cute. She loves the Amelia Bedelia books and as a result I think we've requested every Amelia Bedelia book there is from the library.

katarina's turn

2009-12-20T08:47:00.000-08:00

I thought, since it's been almost a week, that maybe the stomach virus had left our house. I did, after all, tell it to get lost. But yesterday Katarina got hit by it. The poor thing didn't sleep well last night - she was up at least 7 times. Which means I was up a couple of times. My children know that I'm there for them when they are sick, to sit, to cuddle, to get them some sparkling water; they also know I will be wearing a blue bandana over my face through it all. I really, really, really don't want to be sick on Christmas!
We have a 'For Sale' sign in our front yard. When we began a snowman we found it looked pretty good next to the sign. It looked ESPECIALLY good once we made him wave with the left hand while pointing at the sign with his right. We're sure to sell the house now with him as our salesman.
( ;

2009-12-18T17:07:00.000-08:00

I got a little jolt a week or so ago. I went to go check on Katarina and when I walked in, I almost swore I saw the cat reading along!

Oh... Dear... Me.

2009-12-14T21:17:00.000-08:00

My mom called tonight and asked how much snow we had. I said, "Huh?" Then I looked out the window. Yep. I was taken by surprise. Didn't know we were under a winter storm warning. Was blissfully unaware - well, not too blissfully. Part of the reason I was unaware was Sam had the stomach flu... and now my gut is rolling and aching and I'm belching to rival my husband after a chili night.
I'm in denial.
I'm not getting it. I've got airborne and yogurt. Not getting it.

Our life has been filled with intense drama these last few months, and amazingly, it seems to have increased over the last couple of weeks. Rumors portrayed as fact, misunderstandings, sickness, my PC computer completely crashing and sucking up WAY too much time. All little stuff in the grand scope of things, but with the uncertainty of where we'll be in a little over a month's time it's begun to wear on me. So, thank you for the invite, stomach flu germs that Sam coughed up on me, but I do not have time for you. Get lost.

Amidst the moments of unpleasantness have been great times of laughter - as usual, caused by my children. Lately, however, Anabelle has been very poetic - almost philosophical in her comments. Saying things like: "Life is for making memories," "Always bring your own sunshine," "Dance even if it's only to the music in your head." She is a highly intuitive child, but still! Then I busted her sneaking into my stash of Dove chocolates. If you're not familiar with them, they make the creamiest, tastiest dark chocolate in existence AND they always have a little message on the wrapper. I'm so not used to my five year old being able to read! Little stinker.
She's got good taste in chocolate, though. That's my girl!

99 Ways To Increase Your Income and Find Out What Women Don't Know

2009-12-11T15:52:00.000-08:00

I agreed to enter a Value Gifts Blog Tour where Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing selected one of their 99 ways books and 1 of their nonfiction books for me to review. It felt a bit like Christmas opening up the bag and not knowing what would be inside. The first book was '99 Ways to Increase Your Income' which seemed very timely. The second was "What Women Don't Know (and men don't tell you). The Unspoken Rules of Finding Lasting Love" and it's title made me laugh, thus making my day.

My husband took first turn with the income increaser and within an hour shrugged and handed over the book. "I suppose if you never read Larry Burkett or Dave Ramsey it might be useful." After my turn, I'm left mostly agreeing with him. The first 3/4 of the book is sound financial principles and practical advice that would definitely benefit a high school graduate or someone new to the how-to's of stewardship. The redeeming factor is a chapter that deals with home-based businesses that had a few new and unusual ideas, especially if you do well with animals. Overall, I give this value book (they only cost $5.99 each) 2 out of 5 book lights. I did take a look at the other 5 value books and "99 ways to entertain your family for free" caught my eye. One might catch your eye. Check it out.

What Women Don't Know is written with engaging prose that will hold your attention and never let go. Bottom line: it's for single women. And if you're single, I guarantee they'll be at least one thing that is eye opening. From knowing who you are and what you're worth, to knowing the signs of a mature man worth falling for, this book is practical and gets down to the nitty-gritty. This book will stand the test of time. I highly recommend it, and hope to encourage my daughter to read it in the near future as she grows closer to the dating years. 5 out of 5 booklights.

Concert Sam

2009-12-08T19:29:00.001-08:00

Tonight I went to Sam's holiday concert. I must admit, beforehand, I really wanted to just stay home and get warm. But seeing Sam's magnetic smile on stage, his 'Hi Mom' waves, his cracking jokes to the other kids, and hearing him belt out Christmas carols, was completely worth it. In fact, it was magical.
But the best part of all was his bow. Sam has no ordinary bow. Hands flair upwards right before he flings his upper body forward while one arm flies backward, high into the sky. Dramatic tendencies haven't skipped a generation in this family. I love it.

2nd Annual Gingerbread House Making

2009-12-07T06:52:00.000-08:00

Yes, I'm declaring it an annual thing, because we had so much fun! Last year we entered a contest and the kids had a blast with it. This year, we worked from a kit a friend gave us and I highly recommend it! The pictures aren't in the right order, but you get the idea. I think we have a trademark - our gingerbread houses always must include 'people' having a snowball fight. No teddy graham hot tub this year, though.

Treasured and God Gave Us Series

2009-12-01T20:13:00.000-08:00

Thanks to WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for providing me these books for review!

The treasures you keep reveal a lot about you. At least, that is the premise in Treasured: Knowing God by the Things He Keeps by Leigh McLeroy. A fig leaf, a olive sprig, a scarlet cord, and eight other objects are highlighted. Like learning about her grandfather by what was inside his cigar box, the author tries to see what she can learn about God from these objects.

The writing and personal reflections are moving and drew me in during the introduction. I enjoyed the focus of desiring to know the God that loves us so much. Recently, I’ve found that my relationship with God is enhanced more when I read the Bible with the lenses of wanting to know who He is and more about Him rather than a what-should-I-be-doing slant. This book only enhanced that perspective. Yet, there weren’t very many revelations throughout the reading of “Treasured”, at least for me. Instead, I felt I was reading the author’s personal journey as she read the well-known Bible stories. And there is some worth and enjoyment in sharing that journey. Ideally, I’d see this book as a Book Club choice – there is an impressive group discussion in the guide that would make for fun conversation over a cup of coffee. Otherwise, if opting to get the Christmas package, send it to someone who enjoys having a good coffee-table book or likes to read only one chapter at a time.

Overall, I give Treasured 3 out of 5 book lights.

God Gave Us Christmas and God Gave Us Love by Lisa Tawn Bergren follow a family of cubs. The Little Cub wants answers and either the parents or grandparents provide them. First off, I have a bias towards picture books – they have to be entertaining or humorous. If they’re not either of those, then there should at least be some poetic value that keeps me engaged during the reading of the text. Unfortunately, neither of these titles showed promise for me. The story lines were very sweet, sappy, and in my humble opinion, verbose. The art was attractive but not enough to hold my little girl’s attention.

Lisa Tawn Bergren has written fiction for adults that I have enjoyed in the past, but for this child and parent offering I’m afraid I can only give it 1 book light out of 5.

A Creative Bunch

2009-11-30T21:42:00.000-08:00

Katarina is very blessed to have four like-minded friends in town that share her creative, passionate spirit. Three of those friends performed in the play with her. They entertained (and some times drove us nuts) us carpooling moms with creative stories, song spoofs, and raps every moment they were together. Her friend Rosellyn had this idea to sing tribute to all of the adult helpers of the play. All four girls were off and running with the muse and before we knew it, had perfected a rocking rhymin rhythmically all-that rap. It truly was impressive how quickly they put it together.
Since the mothers of these brilliant girls were blessed with hearing it over and over and over (and over) the last week of practices, it seemed unfair to bless the rest of the world with it only one mere time.
So here it is, video taped at the unveiling, singing tribute to director Jane and her crew of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. (My apologies to the one eating pizza - sorry! didn't mean to catch you at that moment!)

The Play

2009-11-30T21:31:00.000-08:00

This past weekend we were privileged to watch The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Not biased at all, I can declare it truly was the best.

It was wonderful to see all the hard work put into the play by all the actors, volunteers, and director be so very worth it. I'm sure it'll be an experience Katarina will always remember. And, yes, of course we are immensely proud of her. She rocked.

Katarina Gets Cracking

2009-11-29T12:18:00.000-08:00

Anabelle Gets Cracking!

2009-11-29T08:57:00.000-08:00

So we had a little fun on Thanksgiving Day and the kids took turns acting out their ideas for a "How do you crack your pistachios?" contest. I think the kids were just ecstatic to eat the pistachios. Anabelle kept giggling and saying we needed to redo a shot, with a different take - we caught on that she was just looking for an excuse to eat more pistachios!

Sam's Version

2009-11-28T23:18:00.001-08:00

We let Sam figure out how to crack his own pistachio for the contest.

How Many Days?

2009-11-25T22:31:00.000-08:00

I just got home from an amazing, marvelous, wonderful dress rehearsal. And I don't just say that because my daughter is in it, and she's amazing, marvelous, and wonderful. The whole show made me smile. Sam commented on the way home how much hard work he was guessing it took to put on a good show like that made from kids.
Anabelle declared that she WOULD have liked it a lot... if she had been in it too. Then she switched to the obvious question, "How many days until Christmas?"
As it's the 25th, I simply said, "it's a month away."
She gasped and I expected whimpering, like she did in the youtube video we made 2 years back (for those who don't remember, we decorated the tree the day after thanksgiving and then she pouted because there were no presents under the tree yet.)
Instead of the whining, she YELLED - "I can HANDLE THAT!" Her little fist hit the air. "I can TOTALLY handle that!"