Another Great Contest

5 Minutes for Mom is hosting another contest, this one is for some very cute hair clips or bows for girls. My prissy 2 year old would love these. So, go visit if you are interested in winning. The clips are from Madison's Room, a very cute line of custom hair accessories. Go have a look.

What's that smell and where is it?

I have a serious problem going on in my oldest son's room. It STINKS! I'm not talking the normal little boy stink that goes along with having a boy. This smell comes and goes and we never know what we will face when we walk into his room. We have all been trying to locate the source of this smell for months. At first I blamed it on a dirty fish bowl since it smells a lot like fish food. But after cleaning the tank the smell would still come back. But we got rid of the fish, just in case. Mainly because I was so tired of having to clean the bowls out but that's another story. So then I thought maybe fish food was spilled somewhere and just needed to be cleaned up. I have taken that room apart, I have vacuumed and used gallons of ammonia to get rid of that smell. My husband has looked up in the attic in case something died up there but found nothing. So what the heck is this smell and where is it coming from. I have noticed that it only starts to smell when the light is on in his room. We can run the ceiling fan (to air it out) without having the smell return. I truly don't know what to do about this smell anymore. I feel so bad for my son although he doesn't really complain about it. At this point in time I would gladly trade this yucky fish food smell for something more desirable, you know like sweaty gym shoes.

Duck and Cover

Duck and Cover...what's that your wondering. Well it's the name of the drill that the elementary schools practice with the students in the event of bad weather. Which we had plenty of yesterday. Students duck under their desks and cover their heads until it is safe for them to get up again. When my oldest son finally arrived home from school yesterday he wanted to tell me all about the duck and covers they had to do throughout the day. The first one was pretty uneventful since it took place in his classroom and went exactly like all the drills they practice.

At the end of the day while waiting in the cafeteria to be picked up they had another alarm go off. He was separated from his friends that he car pools with. They were the lucky ones who went to the music room. Not my son, instead they directed him to duck and cover on the floor of the closet girls bathroom. Now for an almost nine year old boy, there could be no greater indignity. Having to duck and cover in the girls bathroom with a bunch of scared kindergartners really was to much for him. He informed me that they might as well have put him in the library with all it's many windows than put him in the girl's bathroom. He would gladly have suffered broken glass everywhere. After the alarm, my son made sure to inform all the teachers and any available adult that he really had no business being in the girl's bathroom. Some of the adults treated him as he had hoped with a little sympathy at having to lower himself to such levels and commiserated with him. Unfortunately for him, my husband and I found way to much humor in all of this so instead of the sympathy he was looking for he just found stifled laughter. My poor son, he really had it rough yesterday.

Tornados

Living in Texas you become familiar with tornado's at a very young age. Well at least most Texans. I grew up in El Paso, the furthest part of west Texas you can be, yet still be a Texan. In El Paso we were surrounded by mountains and lived in the desert so never really had the threat of tornado's. So as a child I never worried about them until I went to visit my family in the Panhandle. I vividly recall the time at my grandparents farm when my grandmother woke me up and said we had to go the cellar because the sirens were going off. I was in a panic. I remember being so scared and putting my jeans on backwards and being upset that I couldn't get them to snap. Once my grandmama helped me to get them on correctly she told me that the rest of the family was already in the truck waiting for us to drive to the next farm where the tornado cellar was. It was pouring down rain and super windy and of course it was the middle of the night. Once we got to the neighbors farm I continued to panic. Instead of getting out of the truck and following my grandmama and my uncle to the cellar like any child with half a brain would do I took off running in the complete opposite direction. Trying to hide from the tornado, I guess. My poor uncle was sent out to chase me down and get me back with the rest of the family. He finally succeeded and I remember climbing down into the ground and seeing all these faces that I didn't know. I just crawled into grandmama's lap and waited to be swept away by the tornado. The tornado passed us by that night and didn't damage any of the homes of the people who were in the cellar that night. But that night has stayed in my memory.

Now as an adult I wonder what the heck was I thinking? And I pity my poor grandmother who had my brother and me for a week of vacation that included the tornado. Granted my brother didn't cause a scene during the storm but still she was responsible for us. And naturally I cringe every time I think of my poor Uncle Bobby having to chase his runaway niece in the rain. He put up with so much from me that I'm sure he would have loved to have me swept away, but his patience with me was unbelievable.

Lately our area seems to be having it's fair share of tornado's. This time it's my children who are asking me tons of questions about what to do in if a tornado hits our house. My youngest son is extremely concerned about the weather and ask me on a daily basis if there will be tornado's today. And while I try to reassure him it will be okay I know how scary it is to him. All I can hope for is that if we do have to seek shelter some day that my kids will be more prepared to deal with it then I was. And if they are scared senseless like their mom was as a child then I hope I have half the patience that my grandmother and Uncle showed me that night.

Difference between moms and dads

We all know that there is a huge difference between moms and dads. Not only in how we do things with our children but also in how we perceive things. The way a mom changes a diaper is completely different from a dad's way but the smelly thing is always disposed of eventually. Our kids tend to be a bit tougher when dad is around instead of mom, and mom's are completely happy letting their son's play with dolls. Dad's however see this and immediately start to worry and send us mom's off to verify our child is normal in "The Manual" they give you when you leave the hospital. ( In case your wondering, no we didn't get a manual we got the "What to expect the first year book"). Dad's have this same reaction when they see their little boys show off their pretty toe nail polish at the same time as their sisters. Dad's just can't grasp that it's harmless and involves a lot less screaming for Mom if they go ahead and paint their sons toes as well as their daughters.

But recently I discovered that dads have a different view on baby pictures as well. If you were to ask any mom what they thought about a picture of a small bare bottomed, newborn baby with either wings or a big pretty bow on it, the answer would be that it was sweet and precious. Moms would totally get this concept of babies being a gift from God. Dad's are different, they look at the picture and ask why is the baby naked and what the heck did they put on them? Then if by chance they discover how much you spent on these pictures their jaws drop to the ground and their bodies would soon follow. Meanwhile mom's just know that these pictures are priceless, so we step over our clueless husband as they lie on the ground . So for all of us mom's of boys out there who let them play with dolls and paint their toes, I say "don't worry about it". After all I'm sure our husbands had pink polish on at one time or another, there just isn't any evidence of it in photographs like there is nowadays. In the meantime we can continue to try and explain to dad's why it is important to have both a salad fork and a regular fork when you sit down to eat. But I doubt they'd get it.

Cool Digital Frame

5 Minutes For Mom is having yet another contest and I want to win this one. Go check out Phillips and see if it's something you'd like also.

Great Poem

I just read the best poem about motherhood written by Corrie over at One Gal's Life in the Raw. If you get a chance then go read it. You'll really enjoy it.

Road to Recovery

We made it! We have survived another round of three out of four kids being sick at the same time. There were definite moments where I wondered to my self, will I survive this one all in one piece. And the answer is yes. I thought we were over worst of it yesterday but then the fatigue set in and all the little ones wanted to do was sleep and be held. So I let them and tried to reclaim my home which had been declared a natural disaster area by the governor. Pretty sad when you actually lose track of what day it is but my third grader reminded me and put me back into reality. Today I'm hoping to actually get out of the house for more than five minutes and enjoy the weather.

So here's to better health for my family and yours.

Cheers

The peaceful shower

For those of you with young children, I know you'll appreciate this. I never and I do mean never get to take an uninterrupted shower. With four children it just doesn't happen. Granted my oldest son never bothers me anymore but when he was younger he did his fair share. My children can tell the moment I step into the water and that is when they come running for one reason or another. My husband says "lock the door" but that won't work either. Because then you have three young children in tears crying and your dripping wet so you can't console them. So this morning as I stepped into the shower I waited...and I waited. And nothing, no kids coming in and out to check on me. Nobody needing to brush their teeth at that exact moment, no tattling on each other and most of all no crying. So I did what any unsuspecting mom would do. I enjoyed my uninterrupted time and got dressed. In record time I might add since I didn't have any interruptions. But I began to wonder what could possibly keep three children occupied for such a long time without needing mom's intervention. That's when the sinking feeling in my stomach began. So off I went in search of them.

My first clue was the trail of toilet paper my baby had drug through the house with her. Truly this is her favorite pastime so nothing new here, but this time it was wet. So I proceed to the other bathroom where I find that my 4 year old son and his 2 year old sister had been washing their cars. When I left them they were racing around the floor together so I guess they just got dirty and needed cleaning up. So they stopped up the sink and put the water on full blast. They did eventually turn the water off once it started to spill onto the counter. And in fairness they did try to clean it up as evidenced by the soggy box of Kleenex and roll of toilet paper everywhere. But it was an absolute mess, except for their cars , which were spotless. So this is where I am supposed to say kids will be kids and no I didn't get upset. But that's not really what happened so I won't even try. I will say that my house is back in order now and I desperately need to go and buy some more toilet paper and Kleenex. And next time I am having an uninterrupted shower I won't be so trusting of their good behaviour. It's a shame really, that the calming relaxing effect of my shower didn't last long enough for me to enjoy.

A friend in need

Relationships are tricky. You want to have friends but sometimes you end up in the middle of something that you really just wish you weren't in. We live in a very close knit neighborhood. To close I guess. There are always friends outside for the kids to play with and the parents watching them. Which means you find out way to much information and that you never really get a moment's peace during your time outside. Right now I have a dear friend who is struggling with the choices made and how it affects her family. It seems like it has put a strain on everyone around here not just that particular family. I am trying to distance myself from all the gossip that is going on but it seems to be the only topic anyone wants to discuss. I spoke with my friend yesterday and she is in pain. She is having a hard time forgiving herself and doesn't really believe that she will get God's forgiveness. In the brief few minutes that I spoke with her I tried to tell her that our God was bigger and better than that and that He does forgive. Since I have never been good at quoting scripture all I could do was tell her that He will forgive all our sins as long as we have a truly repentant heart. She seemed so surprised to hear this since she truly felt the person who she hurt was supposed to forgive her first before she could ask for God's forgiveness. I promised her it wasn't that way, but I wish I could have had some scripture locked away in my brain to quote to her to prove it was so, but I wasn't. She did share with me that for the first time in ages they are starting to go to church together as a family in hopes of healing. Hopefully they will have an open heart and hear God's words of love and forgiveness. All I can do is pray for them and continue to be their friend. And while I know this is vital to them, I just wish there was more I could do. So if you think about it please remember them in your prayers. I want them to truly experience all the love and forgiveness that God has to offer and become whole again.

Sounds that make me smile

Sometimes there are certain sounds that make me smile. They aren't the ususal sounds you would expect like children laughing or birds singing. Don't get me wrong I like these sounds very much but there are other sounds that I really like. I really don't like the wind but I do love the sound of a wind chime and have several of them in the back yard and even the front. But that really isn't even the sound that I'm thinking of that brings a smile to my face. It's the sound of sports that I am talking about. For whatever reason anytime I hear them they just give me a smile and a great sense of satisfaction. Even though it's not me causing these sounds. So I thought I would just list my favorite sounds of sports.

1. The smack of a baseball hitting the glove.
2. The crack of the bat connecting with the ball in that perfect spot.
3. The swish the basketball makes when it makes a basket.
4. The sound a golf club makes as it is slices through the air.
5. The sound of ice skates on the ice.
6. The sound the hockey stick makes when it hits the puck.
7. The sound the pins make when the bowling ball knocks them down.
8. The sound of football pads and helmets crashing together.
9. And throughout all these sounds is of course the cheer of the crowd.

And it's a good thing I enjoy the sound of sports. With two boys and a husband who like to watch sports all the time. I am always having to listen to these sounds. So just imagine the pain I would be in if I didn't like them.

Three things

Well, it is really more than three. 4andcounting tagged me to do the 3 things meme.
And I hate to let someone down.

Three Things That Scare Me:
1. tornadoes
2. losing my husband in a freak accident of some kind
3. horror movies

Three People Who Make Me Laugh:
1. husband
2. my brother
3. my children

Three Things I Love:
1. to read
2. watching my son play baseball
3. sitting by a swimming pool watching the kids play

Three Things I Hate:
1. the wind
2. people who drive super slow when I am late ( I know it's my fault not theirs)
3. being late

Three Things I Don’t Understand:
1. people who abuse children in any way
2. what it is my husband does at work...it is so over my head.
3. people who think they are better than everyone else

Three Things On My Desk:
1. bills to be paid
2. art from the kids
3. day planner which never gets used any more

Three Things I’m Doing Right Now:
1. wearing my cleaning clothes while I am not cleaning.
2. typing
3. thinking of all that I should be doing

Three Things I Want To Do Before I Die:
1. go to Italy
2. hold my grandchildren
3. go to Confession

Three Things I Can Do:
1. bake
2. read a map the old fashioned way
3. make my husband laugh

Three Things I Can’t Do:
1. play any musical instrument
2. read music
3. resist chocolate

Three Things I Think You Should Listen To:
1. your parents and grandparents when they talk about the old days. When they are gone so are the stories.
2. U2
3. Compliments (listen to it, say thank you, and be happy--we women have a bad habit of discounting or disagreeing when someone gives us a compliment)

Three Things You Should Never Listen To:
1. selfish people
2. your doubts
3. gossip

Three Things I’d Like To Learn:
1. how to draw
2. how to be a better cook
3. how to fully trust in God

Three Favorite Foods:
1. enchiladas
2. chocolate
3. strawberries with sugar

Three Shows I Watched As A Kid:
1. Sesame Street
2. The Electric Company
3. Mister Rogers

Three Things I Regret:
1. gossiping
2. not being there with my husband when his dad dies
3. grocery shopping while I am starving.

Three People I'm Tagging (no pressure, just if it seems like fun to do):
1. Nan
2. Greta
3. any one else who wants to join in.

How time flies

My baby turned one this weekend. It just seems like yesterday that I was holding her for the first time. She was so tiny and perfect and barely weighed anything at all it seemed. When I held her close she didn't take up my entire lap. Now fast forward a year and what do I see. I see my perfect little baby smiling and laughing at the drop of a hat. She has such a happy disposition and seldom cries. Now when she lies on my lap her legs hang over and she kicks them up and down for fun. When I set her down to play she is off like lightning crawling and exploring new ways to get into trouble. I can't tell you how many rolls of toilet paper she has unraveled and crawled through the house with. Every time I catch her in the act she just laughs with joy and looks so proud of herself. It's amazing how much a baby can change in that first year. It seems like life will stay this way forever, and then in a blink of an eye they seem to have grown up on us overnight. It just reminds me that life is short and precious and I really need to stop and enjoy all the little blessing my children provide me throughout the day. Time does seem to fly by when you least expect it and I know I will miss these days I have now, just as much as I already miss the days of her being my baby.

It shouldn't be this way

Have you ever just had one of those days or in my case weeks where everything seems to be a struggle. From the simple like signing on to your blog to post to dealing with difficult children. It has been one battle after another this week and it doesn't seem to be letting up yet. I am convinced part of it is because we have so much going on lately that no one is getting there individual quiet time we all need. Add very young and immature temperaments and there you have all the ingredients needed for a meltdown. On my part I am staying up way to late to do work and am myself tired which doesn't help my handleing of these meltdowns. But I can't seem to get the undisturbed time during the day to get it done. I guess I will have to get through this as well, I sure hope it's soon.

Songs stuck in your head

Normally I absolutely hate it when I get a song stuck in my head. This could be because it is usually some silly song from one of the kids programming. Songs that have absolutely no meaning to me except to annoy me. But this morning is different. I have a song stuck in my head and I can not get rid of it. The thing that is different is that I don't want to get rid of it. I absolutely love this song. It is such a church hymn called "Be Not Afraid". I have been humming it all morning and even decided to go find the lyrics so I could actually sing it correctly. I love this song...love love love this song. I'm not one of those people who can quote scripture or even remember what books of the Bible to find what I am looking for half the time. But this song holds such promise to me in my simple faith, so I will just enjoy it being stuck in my head.

Things that annoy

Last night my husband opened a can of worms when he asked me what are some things that annoy you. This is after I told him he was cutting the casserole we were having in the wrong direction. Yes, I am anal and I know it but I had to tell him since I was starting to have nervous ticks in my face. He was cutting his portion along the longest length of a 9 x13 baking pan. I in my strange quirky world, I have to have it cut along the shorter length. Now this is obviously not the first time this has happened during our almost eleven years of marriage. I really try not to mention it most the time since he always forgets and does it "his" way the next time. But since he asked why I was making such a pained face I told him. Which then brought on the discussion of what other things annoy me. Now not wanting this to turn into a huge discussion on each of our faults I focused on the question. What annoys me? He didn't ask "what things do I do that annoy you?" but he said "what annoys you?" So thankfully I jumped all over the question. I probably amazed him with all the passion I had on the different things that annoy me. I could tell it wasn't what he was expecting since none of my annoyances involved him (at least the ones that I mentioned) but we enjoyed ourselves. We also discovered a few new annoyances that we share together. I guess even after eleven years we still don't know everything.

Works for Me Wednesday

My kids love to drink Kool-Aid type drinks and juice bags. I am always wanting to control the amount of sugar that they have in these drinks which is hard at times. So what I started doing was just buying sugar free mixes like Crystal Light in the flavors they like. They think they are getting Kool-Aid but I know they aren't getting the sugar that it contains. Since I started doing this Wal-mart started to carry a generic version of Crystal Light in their favorite flavors so now I buy that brand for a a lot less. This works for me so maybe it will work for you. For other great ideas on Works for Me Wednesday click here.

Burst of energy

Every now and then you get a burst of energy and it seems like you can do anything you need to. Today was one of those days for me. I had a a lot of errands to do and a doctor appointment for my daughter an hour away. Yet somehow I managed to get all the cleaning done and make dinner for our "new parents". I spent some quality time with each of the kids one on one (a rarity I'm afraid) and even got an hour long walk in I guess when you limit the time you spend on the frivolous things like Internet, television and standing around out front with the neighbors along with sticking to the schedule you have planned for your children that is what happens. Maybe I should try this more often. I feel better about my day then I normally would and I am convinced it's because I accomplished what I normally would do in three days in just one. I hope to continue with this new decision my husband I have agreed on to spend more time with the family instead of friends.

She said yes..

Have you ever just been amazed at something and then wonder if you would be able to rise to the occasion. I am just always amazed at the way the Virgin Mary said yes. She said yes to God and in doing so became the mother of our Lord. What would have happened if she said no. We all have free will including Mary so technically she could have said no. Granted she was handpicked by our Lord to be Christ's mother but still...she said yes. Imagine the joy and pain she had to endure during Christ's life and death and further Resurrection. None of it would have happened if she hadn't said yes. I am constantly trying to follow her example. I feel very inadequate some days in doing so but continue to try. I hope someday to be worthy of her grace and our Lord's and hope when asked I will say "yes".

A full house once again

Today my oldest son comes home from visiting at grandma and grandpa's house. So I will have my full house back in it's entirety. It's amazing how just having one voice not in the mix of things makes our crowded home seem empty. But it's true. We didn't have any shuffling to and from practice. Any begging to play outside with his friends and asking if we wanted to play video games with him. And while I know he had a lot of fun away from home, it was just way to quiet for me. His noisiness is nothing compared to younger three but I missed his sweet personality. So I can hardly wait for them to return late this afternoon so that my normal routine will feel right again. You'd think I'd be overjoyed to have one less in the mix but I've decided I like it all or nothing. Kind of crazy I guess.