Easter Pics

I've been a little distracted this year and realized I just posted about my son's birthday, which was AFTER Easter, and I forgot to share pictures from Easter! I was just reminded because my daughter just came to me telling me that she wants to get baptized on Sunday. We had a long talk about Jesus and of course Easter came up. She informed me that she wants to pray to ask Jesus into her heart on Saturday, and then get baptized on Sunday. Sounds like a girl with a plan! We'll see if she comes back to me Saturday or not

Anyway, here are the kids coloring Easter eggs and the finished eggs. They had so much fun!

My son is 8!

I still can't believe it. I remember his birth like it was yesterday. Even more so, I remember the labor, and that he will NEVER live down! My son is just an awesome kid. He works hard, plays hard, and still loves his Mommy more than anyone on earth. I feel very priviledged to be his mom and to see those light bulb moments daily as he pieces together this thing we call "life." I have seen him go from a 5 year old too timid to get in the soccer game, to a fearless player that really understands the game. I have seen him learn how to put his face in the water (finally!!) and take off at the pool. I have seen him go from a beginning t-ball player to hitting every pitch from the pitching machine. I have seen him become a wonderful Christian young man, who loves to help people whenever he can. I am truly blessed! Here is the smile that greeted me on his 8th birthday, April 22, 2009:

Life Before DVR

I try to, but just can't imagine life before we had DVR. HOW did we suffer through all those drawn out shows with all those PAINFUL commercials?! I guess we had to go pee, fix our popcorn, or check our email in 3 minute spurts of time. How crazy was that?!

The other day I was doing the dishes and for some reason started thinking about DVR (digital video recorders) and how they have changed our lives. And I got to wondering, when are the ad campaigns going to catch up with this technology? Ever since I've had a DVR, (which has been about a year or so) I've wondered when it was going to "hit the fan" so to speak. I mean, do people realize that nobody's watching those commercials anymore? Well, I know some people are, because plenty of people haven't caught on to the NEED for their own DVR, but eventually, it's going to happen. Advertisers will know that they are wasting money on television ads that no one is watching. And here's my thought. Why not just create a simply "billboard" style ad where the screen says exactly what you want the viewer to get from the ad, and if the viewers fast forward through it, they can still read the ad! I'm such a genius!

Many of my friends say that DVRs are too expensive. I say, they are crazy! As a matter of fact, they are wrong. If I were to sit down and calculate the amount of time I have saved by fast forwarding through commercials, I would come out way ahead. After all, time is money, especially when you are self-employed. And the convenience of being able to record your favorite shows and watch them when you want...you can't put a price on that. I don't even know when most of my shows come on. I check my "list" to see what's recorded and watch them- or not. Sometimes I save shows until the weekend or for a time when I know I won't be as busy.

And if you are a fan of American Idol you HAVE to have a DVR. I don't listen to half of what Ryan says, and the day that someone gets booted...YOU can wait until "after the break" but many times I fast forward all the way to the end. (Though last night I did watch Jennifer Hudson and Miley Cyrus perform. Is it just me or did it look like Miley was just starting out in the biz? She looked so nervous and unsure of herself, I couldn't believe it. And her annunciation...HORRIBLE.) Anyway...if you are one of those who thinks paying extra for DVR with your dish service is "too expensive" I beg to differ. It is well worth it and before long, you will be wondering how you went so long without it!

P.S. I finally got an Mp3 player for Christmas and don't know how I put it off so long. I can carry my music with my anywhere I go!!!

Susan Boyle sings "I Dreamed a Dream"

47 year old Susan Boyle wowed the audience and the judges from the get go when she belted out "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Miserables on tevelevision show Britain's Got Talent. It's amazing how such talent can be hidden in the most surprising places. If you don't watch this video now, you will hear others talk about it and wish you had seen it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

Giving Everything Your ALL

I write about sports a lot, mainly because it's a big part of our lives. Currently we are playing soccer. It's funny to me how many life lessons can be learned through sports alone, and parents who don't sign their kids up for sports- they are missing out!
Recently I started rock climbing again at the YMCA. I haven't climbed in over a decade, so it's as if I'm doing it for the first time. On a couple of difficult climbs, I got a really good picture of "mind over matter." It's amazing how much our thinking affects our ability to do things. About halfway up, I started telling myself, "I don't think I can do this..." And had I let myself continue that way of thinking, of course, I wouldn't have been able to make it.

I decided to take it one handhold at a time, and not give up until I fell. And guess what...I made it. I realized that the worst that could happen is I would fall. As I said, "Of course you can do this...not much further...grab onto the next handhold, and if you fall you fall..." I kept moving upward. And eventually I was there.

How often do we see kids give up before they get "there"?

I am coaching my daughter's U6 soccer team. I am not coaching because no one else wanted to, which is often what happens. I am coaching because I love teaching, I love kids, and I love seeing those little victories every time a kid gets something. We practice three times per week, but the kids only have to come to two practices if they want. Most kids have come to every practice. It's amazing how much kids learn when you teach them. I give coaching my all, because if I didn't I'd be wasting their time and mine. And I expect them to give me their all as well.

This partnership pays off! Unfortunately, the opposite is true. If coaches don't put their all into coaching, the kids won't either. They won't know what they're doing, and they won't pursue excellence in what they do because they don't know what excellence is. We tell kids to try their best all the time, yet the examples we show are often far short of our best. How can kids say, "I can do it!" when they don't know what "it" is?

If you find yourself in the, "I'm coaching because no one else would..." spot, don't give it less than your best. The kids deserve better, and all it takes is learning about the sport and sharing what you've learned. You never know, you might love the sport in the end!

Today is Easter...

Today is Easter and it is one of the strangest Easters ever. Already today I have experienced a number of different and new things that show me why today is so important to me, and how the peace that Jesus brings me because of this day is so important in my daily life.

Today was the first Easter in 7 years that I have woken up without my kids. They spent the night at their father's house and I won't see them until tonight. I saw them at the community Easter egg hunt yesterday, and of course at the soccer games my son had, but as I got ready for church this morning, it was really quiet. No egg hunts, no "look what I got in MY basket!", and no arguing. (That part was kinda nice!) It occurred to me that raising the best children possible is not about pouting because I can't have things the way I would prefer, but about doing daily what needs to be done so that they KNOW what they need to know when they leave my house for college, or for whatever is ahead on their paths.

And speaking of church, today I attended Life180, a start up church in my friend's home, which I've attended for a few weeks now. It was SO chaotic! There was a technical problem with the music, which is played via a computer and projector. So we decided to do the sermon first (which is through a video feed that is recorded the night before). There were more kids present than adults, and the kids had no interest in being quiet. (When it's not your kid, it's easy to tune them out!) When we finally got to the music, I could not sing because I have a cold and my voice is hoarse. Could it GET worse?!

I say all that to point out how imperfect church was this morning. Because as I stood there (not singing) and listening to the voices during worship, I realized that the realness of that room brought more to my heart than the perfection of "church service" that is more about who will do what, how everything sounds, and getting out in time to eat lunch before everyone else.

I forgot to mention that it's raining today. And that I sat in pee at church. But what I hope you get in all of this is that when the little things pile on top of one another, they still cannot pierce the love Jesus Christ has for each and every one of us, or the peace that His love can bring to each of our lives. Knowing that peace is the best thing that you could ever imagine, and it carries over to the rest of your days.

If you attend church every Sunday and you lose that peace, perhaps the perfection is getting in the way of the Holy Spirit, who often speaks to us through chaos. Listen in the quiet. Listen in the chaos. No matter where you are, He speaks to you there. God bless you all!

A Lesson in "Mothering"

I received this story in an email, and was able to confirm its authenticity from the source. As I read it, I realized that many parents could learn a lot from this dog. If only we could all love unconditionally as this...

Jasmine

In 2003, police in Warwickshire, England, opened a garden shed and found a whimpering, cowering dog. It had been locked in the shed and abandoned. It was dirty and malnourished, and had clearly been abused. In an act of kindness, the police took the dog, which was a Greyhound female, to the nearby Nuneaton Warwickshire Wildlife Sanctuary, run by a man named Geoff Grewcock and known as a willing haven for Animals abandoned, orphaned or otherwise in need. Geoff and the other sanctuary staff went to work with two aims: to restore the dog to full health, and to win her trust. It took several weeks, but eventually both goals were achieved. They named her Jasmine, and they started to think about finding her an adoptive home.

But Jasmine had other ideas. No one remembers now how it began, but she started welcoming all Animal arrivals at the sanctuary. It wouldn't matter if it was a puppy, a fox cub, a rabbit or, any other lost or hurting Animal, Jasmine would peer into the box or cage and, where possible, deliver a welcoming lick.

Geoff relates one of the early incidents. "We had two puppies that had been abandoned by a nearby railway line. One was a Lakeland Terrier cross and another was a Jack Russell Doberman cross. They were tiny when they arrived at the centre and Jasmine approached them and grabbed one by the scruff of the neck in her mouth and put him on the settee. Then she fetched the other one and sat down with them, cuddling them."
"But she is like that with all of our animals, even the rabbits. She takes all the stress out of them and it helps them to not only feel close to her but to settle into their new surroundings."

"She has done the same with the fox and badger cubs, she licks the rabbits and guinea pigs and even lets the birds perch on the bridge of her nose."

Jasmine, the timid, abused, deserted waif, became the animal sanctuary's resident surrogate mother, a role for which she might have been born. The list of orphaned and abandoned youngsters she has cared for comprises five fox cubs, four badger cubs, 15 chicks, eight guinea pigs, two stray puppies and 15 rabbits.

And one roe deer fawn. Tiny Bramble, 11 weeks old, was found semi-conscious in a field. Upon arrival at the sanctuary, Jasmine cuddled up to her to keep her warm, and then went into the full foster mum role. Jasmine the greyhound showers Bramble the Roe deer with affection and makes sure nothing is matted.

"They are inseparable," says Geoff . "Bramble walks between her legs and they keep kissing each other. They walk together round the sanctuary. It's a real treat to see them."

Jasmine will continue to care for Bramble until she is old enough to be returned to woodland life. When that happens, Jasmine will not be lonely. She will be too busy showering love and affection on the next Orphan or victim of abuse.

From left, Toby, a stray Lakeland dog; Bramble, orphaned Roe deer; Buster, a stray Jack Russell; a dumped rabbit; Sky, an injured barn owl; and Jasmine with a Mothers heart doing best what a caring Mother would do... Such is the order of God's Creation.

Traveling with Children

Last week, my kids and I went on a trip back "home" to Georgia. In all, it's about a 17 hour drive from where we live in Kansas. Oh, did I forget to mention that we brought our dog along, too? I bet you are expecting the rest of this post to sound a bit like a nightmare, and I'm sorry to let you down! The traveling part was actually no big deal at all! Yes, my kids tend to fight. And they also get along really well. And no, I don't know what it is about them, but they have always traveled quite well. I wish I knew the secret to offer to parents whose kids whine, complain, argue, etc. from the backseat, but in 17 hours, I heard very little. And let me remind you...a good portion of the trip is through what some people call "boring" Oklahoma and Kansas.

On the way out, we were in the car by 4:40 am. My son stayed up all night, so he was asleep within 30 minutes. My daughter, who had gotten a couple of hours of sleep, held out a little longer. She was also the one who woke up when I stopped to get gas the first time, and of course, had to potty. It was snowing! About six hours into the trip, they were both awake, and we listened to music from my mp3 player. (In case you don't know this, for older vehicles, you can get a thingy that plugs into the cigarette lighter that allows you to play your mp3 player through your radio.) We had already been through snow, freezing rain, and now RAIN. As a matter of fact, it rained the rest of the trip and rained for three days once we arrived in Georgia.

Just past Little Rock, Arkansas, my van engine started rattling. This terrified me since I had just had $1300 of work done on my 14 year old van! I pulled off an exit where there were 4-5 visible hotels. I figured if we were going to get stuck somewhere, this would be the place! I went to one hotel and asked where there was an auto shop. They directed me about two miles away, and when I got there, I wanted to turn around and leave. It was a dump and scared me! Luckily, they did not work on Nissans, but directed me to another shop at the next exit. The man who helped me had most of his teeth and this shop was much less scary! After driving it 40 miles (with the dog still in his crate in the van!) the man came back and said that there was no rattling, but perhaps I had gotten some bad gas and it had worked its way through the system? YAY!!

After that, (and because I had only gotten two hours of sleep the night before) I decided we should stay overnight in West Memphis. We found a decent Motel 6, which was close to Waffle House, and they are pet friendly. Yay again! But I did learn something that might help you...make sure you tell them that you want a room with Wi-Fi if you need it. They had a big red sign that read "Wi-Fi here" or something like that, on the outside of the hotel. But once we got settled in and we needed the activation key to get online, we found out it's only available in certain rooms! Unfortunately we had a new girl check us in, and she neglected to ask if we needed it. Fortunately I was too tired to care too much and I fell asleep before 8 pm. The room was about $40 and decent enough. A great place to crash just to re-charge and finish the trip.

The next day, we were supposed to go through Tuscaloosa and see a gymnastics meet between Alabama, North Carolina, and OU (University of Oklahoma). The kids decided to skip that and go directly to their uncle's house, so that's what we did. We went through Birmingham instead and the drive was quick...and then we hit "Atlanta" traffic. We were just in Kennesaw, but if you live anywhere near, you know that it takes forever to get anywhere, and that is why I moved to Kansas! After staying there for a couple of days, and getting treated to Japanese, The Varsity, Chick-fil-a, and the new movie "The Race to Witch Mountain," we left for my sister's house about an hour away.

We met at the Gwinnett Arena, where we got to watch the "last place" Gladiators kick the tails of the first place FL "Everblades." It was SO much fun!

During the rest of the trip I was able to reconnect with old friends, visit my parents, spend some time at Bass Pro Shops, shop at the Lego store, get a tattoo, eat LOTS, swim at a cool indoor pool, and... wow, I think that's it! When I left GA, I drove to Murfreesboro, TN to visit my childhood friend, where we spent the night. From there, it was 13 hours to get home. So we got up around 4:30 again, and drove on a Sunday, all the way home. Other than the people who don't know that the left lane is for passing, (grrrrrrr) the trip was uneventful. The kids didn't even watch any TV during this trip, even though we had two TV's available and some new movies that we bought on the trip (because we brought the DVD player and forgot to bring any movies! d'oh!) When I got a chance to look in the rearview mirror, I saw them looking out at the scenery, and I wondered if they were like me...making up stories about the things I saw out the window. I'd been doing that since I was a little girl. During this trip we saw farmland, lakes, rivers, cool bridges, mountains, and lots of other travelers.

I can't wait to get on the road again. If you have never taken a road trip with your children out of fear of their behavior, just do it! It may work out much better than you expect and you might find yourself a few adventures in the future!

Personalized Children's Gifts

This is going to sound really strange, but it is what it is.... On Valentine's Day, my kids and I were at Border's and I let them each pick out a book. My daughter came to me with a book called "Evie the Mist Fairy." Apparently there is a series of books with different fairies that represent different weather conditions. Anyway, as I flipped through the book to make sure it was appropriate for her, it occurred to me how good it felt to see my name on the pages! "Evie" is not a very common name, so you don't see it everywhere. I've seen it on TV, and a couple of movies, but during my lifetime it's been rare. Then I thought how children must feel when they see their own name in books! Created 4 Me is a great place to find a personalized book for your own child. Another is "I See Me". These gifts, while a bit higher in price, will prove to be one of your child's favorite gifts and something he or she will treasure for years to come! I'm a mom myself and STILL get excited about seeing my name in print!

Writing Stories

As this school year has progressed, I've found myself becoming much more lax in our schooling. And my kids seem to have learned more than ever! There are days that they choose to build with Legos all day, and I just let them. They learn WAY more doing that than they do in "school" and heck, they learn the information in school in a few minutes...why not give them that time?

Recently my daughter, who just turned 6 in November, asked, "Instead of doing handwriting, can I have a book where I can write stories?" I didn't "give" on the handwriting, but I did say that the stories sounded good. I gave each of my children a simple spiral bound notebook. I did not tell them to write anything specific. I just said to write. What came back completely blew me away. My son will be 8 next month. He filled up an entire page and a half with a great story about a puppy that went missing. My 6 year old wrote an amazing story as well. I was totally impressed! They even drew pictures to go with them.

There are a couple of lessons here. I haven't mentioned yet that I had been stressing about my son's writing. His handwriting is "okay" but early on, he had difficulty even TELLING stories, because they weren't true. So I thought, "oh no, how am I going to get him to write?!" So I let it go. He is in 2nd grade and I've never made him write anything, other than the answers to his school work. So all of that worry was for nothing, because not only did he love it, the product was wonderful, and he sat for two hours to write it WITH JOY! Think about all the schooled kids that are forced to write things who end up hating it...I remember those days! I'm sure we will deal with that at some point, but for now, I'm enjoying the pleasure they get out of writing as much as the pleasure I get out of reading them!

Better to Bless

As a single mom, there come times that I really miss having someone to put his arms around me and say, "Everything's going to be okay." I was reminded by a dear friend recently that we are to rely on God for these needs, and that is so true. Even married moms, who don't have a great relationship with their husbands, or whose husbands travel or are fighting our war in Iraq...we all have a longing from time to time for more than what we have. Whether it's comfort, love, forgiveness...we have needs. And I have to say, especially during that "time of the month"...we have needs! lol

I have come across a really great program called Better to Bless. For some great inspirational videos, click on that link and then go to "the movies" where there are currently three to watch. They all remind me, personally, that everything IS going to be okay. And they say so much more! I hope you enjoy the movies, and I hope that you pass them on to friends and family who you know could use them, too. Also, check out the other programs on this site and always remember to pass your blessings on. You never know the lives you will change by the "little things" you do!

Why I LOVE Watching Sports

Tonight I just saw one of the best basketball games I've seen in a LONG time. Before Christmas I saw a great high school game where our team all came together and made magic on the court. It was so much fun to watch. But tonight's game was University of Oklahoma and Texas. I only watched from half time, just in time to see Blake Griffin, star sophomore forward, suffer a concussion after taking a blow to the nose. (I kept rewinding it but could not figure out how this happened. I don't know how the ref's see all the little things that they do. It all happens so fast!) You could feel the "uh oh!" in the air. Now we all know that one player does not make a team. And the Sooners demonstrated that tonight! Willie Warren (freshman guard) went on, I believe it was, a 14 point streak shortly thereafter, and I can't tell you how many 3-pointers he made. A LOT. One great 3-point shot went in OFF THE BACKBOARD! His last 3-pointer was followed by what looked like an ankle injury but turned out to be a bad cramp.

Texas had their own heroes, and ended up winning by just a few points. I figured out tonight why I love watching sports so much. I spent most of the day in bed (okay, all of it) because I've been fighting this darn sinus infection and, well, because I could! I started feeling better around 7 pm, but by the time the game ended at 10 pm, the energy from the game came right out of the television and into my body. Even though my team didn't win, I saw some great basketball. It reminded me of the great plays I made as a kid on the field, as well as the great swims that nobody thought I would do. Seeing the talent on the basketball court, I know these guys have such great memories from little league all the way through high school and college. Sure, sometimes we mess up. But those great plays and moves always stick in the brain longer. They make us realize that when we work hard enough for something, we can do great things.

I also like watching little league games. I've seen a number of kids make awesome plays and it feels so good to know that when they are attempting something difficult in their lives, they will probably remember that play, and realize they CAN do it. My daughter is learning, at the tender age of 6, what hard work can accomplish. She started taking gymnastics at the Y this month, and while she only has class one day each week, she has practiced just about every day at home. The progress she has made is absolutely amazing. She has always loved tumbling and swinging. She had a natural ability to walk on the beam, even as a toddler. But she is now learning what her body is capable of and how she can teach it to do a handstand, cartwheel, or back walkover, and how much easier it gets each time she starts a new practice session. She is learning SO MUCH through this, all on her own! (And I can't wait to show her the DVR'd "Tyson American Cup" where 13 year old Jordyn Wieber won the competition).

So when I watch sports and see improvement or just some awesome plays, I know that people out there are putting their all into something, and you know, I guess it just makes you realize that there are still good things happening in the world. And no matter what the decade, every generation has that in common!

The CPSIA Meets Dr. Suess

If you know anything at all about the crazy legislation regarding lead testing for children's products, you will appreciate this wonderful "Dr. Suess" style poem!

http://www.easyfunschool.com/the_CPSIA_meets_Dr_Seuss.html

Sick in the City...Country...Wherever!

I've been on facebook a lot lately, and it seems like people everywhere have something right now, or their kids do. It all hit at the same time, right around the middle of January. Sure, it's cold and flu season, but it almost feels like these things are going through the internet! I was super healthy, working out everyday, when it hit me. First I woke up with some really bad gunk. I still blame this on cleaning the bathroom with a chlorox product, which I usually run from. A few days later, I lost my voice. Within a week, I was 100% better, and the next day, I woke up with something else! So for the past two weeks I have been coughing, blowing, and sniffing. I have never in my life encountered so much gunk! Seriously! I woke up Monday with such a bad headache, I knew that the gunks had over populated every possible cavity in my skull. I would blow my nose every two minutes and there was just more again ready to come out right after. My hearing was bad...it was time to go to the doc. So I went, and got a z-pak and some sort of decongestant that didn't seem to work at first. But tonight, after a little more than 24 hours, I can finally taste my food again! My nose is drying up, my cough is calmed down, and I think I just might live! Chances are, you or a child is sick right now. I feel for ya! Sometimes they just sneak in there. If you aren't, keep eating your veggies, wash your hands a lot, and stay awa y from the sick folk! My kids stay healthy by taking their vitamins. Also, try and get more sunshine this winter. Dr. Mercola blames cold and flu season on lack of vitamin D. I believe him! I tan once a week during winter, and when I didn't for a couple of weeks...I got sick! Coincidence? Perhaps...

Super Bowl is over...now what?

I guess I'll keep on watching basketball, but there's something disappointing about the end of the football season! College football has been over for about a month, and it's been fun watching the NFL playoffs. And I guess basketball started over a month ago. I've been watching basketball and the thing about basketball is that there is ALWAYS a game on! With football, they don't play as often, so I guess it's easier to appreciate Saturdays or Sundays for the games and doing absolutely nothing while you cheer on your favorite teams.

Anyway, it was a great game last night. I wanted the Cardinals to win, but even though it wasn't the outcome I hoped for, I can't complain about the game. It was up, down, right, left! Awesome entertainment and something you could not script if you wanted to. I secretly hope that Kurt Warner decides to play another year and that they make it to the Super Bowl next year. This was a miracle year, but next year, who knows? I've seen them make some amazing plays and darn it, I want to see some more!