My Kids...My Life

My boys

2008-05-15T21:12:00.000-07:00

The girl in our lives

2008-05-15T20:35:00.001-07:00

Finances

2008-03-11T23:18:00.000-07:00

I have found that having a daughter around is the potential cause of major debt. I love having a daughter! I love all my children equally, but you can't find the adorable clothes for boys that you can for girls. Oh my goodness...the things you can find for little girls. The problem is that you might find a cute outfit, but it's not quite enough because of course there are the cute little socks, and hat or headband, maybe a little cardigan to go with it, and all of the sudden you've spent $60 on an outfit. I try not to shop for her too much, because I love buying her clothes! I have found that ebay cuts down on the clothing budget considerably. You can find very cute lots of clothes for very cheap. And babies don't wear out clothing, so they're all practically brand new. I'm just viewing this new problem of mine as an exercise of self-control. But believe me, I'd love to have an unlimited budget and go hog wild with all the cute baby things I find!

One Year Later

2008-03-02T23:21:00.000-08:00

I looked at my blog. I can't believe that my last post refers to my now 5½ month old beautiful baby girl. I just watched Martian Child tonight, and it reminded me how precious my children are. How lucky and privileged I am to be their mom. And how many children will never feel the love that I have for my children. I want to always remember, no matter how much my kids drive me crazy and I want to get away from them sometimes, the passionate love that I have for them. I love the feeling of loving them. My heart feels like it's going to burst. My throat feels tight because it brings tears to my eyes. I love Paul, Luke and Elizabeth so much that it hurts. I never knew I could love like that.

I think I'm in shock

2007-01-23T22:21:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm pregnant. For the third time. It was sort of planned, but it had been so long, it was kind of unexpected. I was ready to quit, and was really okay with the fact that we have two beautiful sons. So, I don't know if I'm really happy or not. Of course I will love this baby with all my heart, but I'm feeling very overwhelmed with this pregnancy. It seems harder than the last two, and I'm scared to be taking care of another baby. It's been 4 years since Luke, and it was hard then. I can't even imagine how much harder it's going to be this time around!

Okay, I know I sound really negative. It's probably hormones. Hopefully once I'm past the first trimester, things will calm down some. Please pray for me, that I can get through this without being too negative, too sick, and too hormonal.

Maybe I'll get back to the blog so I can chart some of the crazy thoughts I'll be having over the next 8 months or so.

Huh?

2006-08-30T20:31:00.000-07:00

For whatever reason, people have started reading my blog again. I guess maybe they took the summer off, and now they're back in the swing of things. I'd like to have more traffic, but haven't yet figured out how to do this. Oh well, no big thing.

Things are good. Been doing homeschool for about 2½ weeks now. Paul seems to be enjoying it so far - at least he's doing better than he did last year. It was a constant battle. Not too many complaints over the past couple weeks. We're trying for year round school instead of the typical August to May schedule the local schools are now doing. That means regular breaks are always in sight. Our first break is a week in October...sad that I'm already looking forward to it. We'll see how it goes...the great thing about homeschooling is it's very flexible. We can change it if we don't like it!

No groove

2006-08-25T20:55:00.000-07:00

I don't have anything to say. I feel guilty about not writing, but that's how it goes. When I feel inspired, I'll write more. Sorry.....please come back, though, because I will come back. Someday.

How I got my groove back

2006-08-01T21:26:00.000-07:00

Last time I wrote, I said I wanted to get back to blogging at least once a week. Obviously I haven't kept my word. It seems like I'm busier than I used to be, although I don't think I am in reality. Actually, I think I'm slacking because I'm not on the computer as often anymore...since I rediscovered the library.

I've been reading books non-stop since our trip to Hawaii. I bought several books to read on our vacation, because that's my idea of relaxation. I love to lay out and read. We did that for hours that week. It was refreshing. Since then I bought several books to read, and then I realized that it was stupid and a waste of money since the library is available with more books than I could ever hope to read. So, I check out about 8 at a time and read them over the three weeks that I am allowed to keep them. I love to read, and it's so much better for my brain than watching tv.

My favorite book so far is "The Time Traveler's Wife", by Audrey Niffenegger. It is an amazing love story, with twists and turns through time. I felt like I had to be on my toes throughout the whole book to keep everything straight in my head. Although it's not the most moral book around, the story is amazing, and I highly recommend it.

I've also been preparing for Paul's 1st grade year. I've ordered and received all his curriculum, except for one book. Last night I spent time perusing some of the texts, and over the next couple of weeks I'm going to have to start filling out my lesson plan book. I'm going to try to be diligent about it this year. However, I know myself very well, and I don't expect that it's going to last long! I will make a valiant effort to do my best! Hold me to it!

Well, off to read the current book..."Midwives", by Chris Bohjalian. Last night when I read it, one of the passages I read made me want to pass out, literally. I had to stop reading and take a few cleansing breaths, to calm me down. It was so real, and scary. I guess the sign of a good book is one that pulls you right into the middle of it. So, have a good night...and read a good book!

My how time flies

2006-07-17T21:56:00.000-07:00

I've been naughty, and haven't kept up with my blog. And if you could have seen how many typ-o's I just made writing that first sentence, obviously I haven't been typing much either. I was being so faithful at writing at least once a week on the blog, but once we got back from Hawaii I just didn't get back in the groove. I'm going to make a conscious effort to do it again. I enjoyed it, so now I just need to do it.

Okay, funny story from my 3 year old.

Background to story: There is a teenage boy named Christian that we know who freaks Luke out for no apparent reason. If you mention his name, Luke says, "Christian? I don't like Christian!!!" (Except he kind of says it like "cushion".) And Christian has a brother named Travis, who Luke isn't so sure about either.

So I was getting my nails done by my sister, and was telling her that B and I had been watching tv and caught a show on TBS with Stephen Baldwin (you know, of the Baldwin brothers, Alec, Billy, etc.). I said something along the lines of, I guess he's Mr. Christian guy now. (I wasn't judging, just commenting.) Well Luke was with me, and I was about to continue my story with Melissa except he interrupted me with, "Did you say Christian? I don't like Christian!" M and I both laughed and I said, "No, not Christian. I was talking about being a Christian."

Luke: But I don't like Christian.
Me: I know, but people who love God and Jesus are called Christians, too. Do you love God?
Luke: Yeah, and I love Jesus, too.
Me: Well then, you're a Christian.
Luke: I'm Christian?
Me: Yep, and I'm a Christian, and Auntie's a Christian, and Daddy, and Grandma, and Grandpa. If you love God and Jesus, you're a Christian.
Luke: I'm Christian?
Me: Yep.
Luke: Are you Travis, too?

At that point, M and I doubled over in laughter, because we then realized he wasn't asking if he was a Christian, he was asking if he was Christian. I'm sure it doesn't come across quite as funny on the blog, but trust me...if you know my son, it was hilarious!

And we're back!

2006-06-25T14:01:00.000-07:00

Here's a few pictures from our trip...mostly of us taking pictures of ourselves, because who else was going to do it?

Our first day...the view from our room.

We did this maze in a half hour - the record is 7 minutes. We suck!

Aren't we good lookin'? Celebrating our anniversary.

Waimea Falls Park

Waimea Falls - where you can no longer dive off the rocks.

The sunset at the luau we attended.

The Paradise Cove luau. Highly recommended.

The view from Diamond Head

And here's our Hawaiian boys with the goodies we came home with.

I'm leaving on a jet plane...

2006-06-13T18:48:00.000-07:00

But I do know when I'll be back again! We're leaving tomorrow for the paradise I know as Hawaii. We'll be back next Wednesday. And we're going sans kids. It's not that I don't love my sweet darlings, but I'm so looking forward to a week of peace and quiet, and not having to cut up someone else's dinner when we go out.

So, here's to 10 years of marriage, and many more to come!

Today I cried

2006-06-08T21:07:00.000-07:00

I cried in front of the dentist today. I couldn't help it. I've been to the dentist three times this week. And every time I go, they keep telling me it's going to cost me more money. I have to get a crown on one of my teeth, and I knew that was going to cost some bucks - $1300. But I also had to get a major teeth cleaning - $95; an upcoming root planing (don't ask) which takes two different appointments to complete - $600; and oral surgery to remove a different tooth - $???.

Today, after I went in for the first step of getting my crown the dentist tells me that, basically, my gums aren't good enough for a crown. She has to do surgery...I just started crying. She asked what was wrong, and I said, I cannot afford this. It's too much. She felt very bad and then started back pedaling and telling me that I might not need it, she needs to see my gums after the inflammation goes down, and she might be able to do some simple procedure that she wouldn't even charge me for. I found out a few minutes later that if she does, in fact, have to perform the surgery it will cost me an additional $850. I'm kind of beginning to wonder if they're scamming me a little. I guess maybe tears can work to your benefit sometimes.

I am now praying, and asking God to heal my gums so that this procedure will not be necessary. I just don't want to have to afford all of this. It's not how I want to spend our money. The moral of the story is, if you're not going to the dentist because you just know your teeth are horrible...go anyway. Nip it in the bud, or it will start costing you serious moo-lah!!!!

Happy Birthday

2006-06-04T19:42:00.000-07:00

We had a birthday party today. Actually two...one was for a dear friend of ours. Her name is Maddie and she turned 7. A very sweet girl, with a very wonderful family...Happy birthday Maddie!

The second party we had was for the church. Not our church, but the univeral church. Today is Pentecost, the day when the Holy Spirit came, after Jesus ascended into heaven. So we celebrated the birth of the new Christian church. We had beautiful red banners, and everyone wore red, and then after the service we had dinner and birthday cake. It was such a nice evening. It's fun to mix things up a little bit. Like my dad says, the world takes all the Christian holidays and secularizes them. But somehow it's not likely that they'll want to celebrate the church's birthday. So that's our own little holiday that we can celebrate without it becoming commercialized.

Where does the time go?

2006-06-01T21:45:00.000-07:00

I guess I should write something so I can keep this blog alive! If I'm not careful, I'd let this thing go for months, which I did shortly after I started it. But I'm trying to blog once a week. It's a good start for me. I'm not much of a writer, but this is kind of fun.

So, today was a good day! It started out with us going to Paul's charter school for the last time...school's out! We didn't have anywork to turn in, because frankly, we did squat in May. Stacy asked me why I even bothered coming. I just said I thought he should have his 3rd Kindergarten evaluation. They evaluate them at the beginning, middle and end of the year. Paul is right on target with where a kindergartener should be. He didn't know the months of the year (he can do it if I prompt him, but they can't be prompted during the evaluation), or the Pledge of Allegiance. Hmmmm...I think he can survive without knowing the Pledge in Kindergarten.

After our meeting we went to Jamba Juice to celebrate. That was fun, because it was free! I had a gift card from our neighbors, because I cleaned up their house after it was TP'd while they were on vacation.

Then we went to the car wash, and got the oil changed. That took 1½ hours!!!! I was pretty darn mad by the time they were done. And there happened to be a manager by my car when they finished. So I asked how long it should have taken, and told him how long I'd been there. He said I should've been done in about 40 minutes. So, he kindly gave me a free car wash! It pays to complain politely sometimes. And yes, I was polite. I didn't scream or yell or swear (not that I swear normally, but you know...).

After work, we went to Paul's final t-ball game. He did great. He got an out, and hit a double! I'm so proud of him, because he has improved so much. After the game, they had a big BBQ and we all just hung out and talked while the kids played at the park. We didn't even get home until 9 pm! Once it was actually dark we decided it was time to get the kids home. That's why I love summer, you can just hang out and your kids can stay up later than usual because there is nothing but fun to be had!

Hope your day was a good as ours! Happy Summer!

I feel sad

2006-05-25T20:48:00.000-07:00

I was reading through my daily list of blogs, and came across this one. It breaks my heart that people have to deal with situations like this, and are so completely turned off that they just turn the opposite direction.

I have been a Christian my whole life. My dad is a minister, my grandfather was a minister. They both ministered at the same church, at the same time. I've dealt with some of the same garbage that she spoke about on her blog. So what makes one person turn away, while another perseveres? As I ask this question, I'm sitting here without an answer. Is it a personality issue? Is it how they're raised? The family life they've lived?

I've come to a possible conclusion over time as I've watched friends I grew up with fade away from church, and possibly God. I think often times that parents who are all encompassed with church activities allow the church to raise their children. They think their kids are getting everything they need out of Sunday School, and youth group, and Wednesday night programs, and church camp, and so on, and so on, and so on. Nothing is really being taught at home. And so with no true foundation from their parents for their faith, it is easy for these children-turned-adults to walk away. Does this resonate with anyone? Maybe I'm completely off base.

For our family, it was so important to our parents to spend quality time with us. We had a regular family night, and we would do everything from read a book together to going out to a drive-in movie (remember those?). We talked and still do about everything spiritual, and church-related, be it good or bad. I looked to my parents when my world was falling down around me, and they pointed me towards God. Although people will constantly fail you, God won't. That's hard to remember when the people are physically right in front of you, beating you up spiritually and emotionally, and God is invisible and letting you go through it. God is not a God of hate or injustice or anger. But he does let us go through trials. Our part in this covenant we have with him is how do we handle these trials? I'll say on my part, not very well.

When I read the post that woman wrote, my immediate, off-the-cuff, emotional reaction was to tell her that she hadn't been strong enough, and that if she was a true Christian she would understand that God doesn't approve of people like those that hurt her and she should stand above it all and be the Christian that God wants her to be! Of course that is exactly the wrong thing to say. I know that. It would just turn her off more. Instead, I just sat in shock as I read her post and all the comments that ensued, and knew that nothing I could ever say would change her mind. My heart hurts, and I feel like crying. How can you tell someone like this that it doesn't have to be that way?

A Night at the Races

2006-05-21T14:45:00.000-07:00

Last night we went to a fundraiser for MARE, and had so much fun! They show pre-recorded horse races on a screen, and you place bets on which horse you want to win. We're broke, so we didn't bet, but my mom did. We all helped choose horses to bet on. And we won 3 out of 6 races. She won $100 to use for bidding in a silent auction. So she bid and won 8 tickets to a LA Dodgers game. We had a wonderful dinner, and good conversation. Plus it was fun to dress up and go out. We don't have many reasons to get dressed up, so we take advantage of it when we can!

Not your typical Mother's Day post

2006-05-15T17:28:00.000-07:00

I am easily frustrated by people. I don’t understand why they refuse to commit to things. Specifically to church. I’m not talking about people who are “Chreasters” (you know, Christmas & Easter attendees). I’m talking about people who say they are committed.

We are a part of a small group with 5 couples. It was a good group. But we took a break at Christmas that ended up lasting about 2 months. So finally, I just said we needed to get back into it. Well, one couple backed out because they had just had a baby, and the husband traveled too much for work, so he couldn’t commit to Tuesdays. The second couple has only the wife attending, because her husband is taking night classes. The third couple backed out temporarily because the husband’s job moved him out of town for about 1½ months. So of course, his wife couldn’t make it without him, because she refuses to find a babysitter. And now, they’ve come back two times and she asked when we were taking another break. Are you kidding me?!?!?!?!

Last Tuesday, they didn’t show up because they “forgot”. Yeah, right. This week, they’ve arranged a meeting on Tuesday night, because of course you couldn’t arrange it on any other night of the week that you have nothing else happening. Just tell us that you’re not coming back. So, today she tells me that she didn’t think they could come anymore because they don’t have a babysitter. I just said, in a not-so-nice tone, that maybe we should just cancel since nobody seems to want to come anymore. I mean, why waste each other’s time?

I was raised completely differently. If you commit to something, then you commit. That means that you’re there come hell or high water. Now, there are times that I don’t want to go. Like today, for example. I had a lovely Mother’s Day. I stayed in my jammies until around 2 pm, because I could. And at that point, I felt too lazy to get into the shower and get ready to go to church at 4 pm. But I did, and I’m glad I went. I sang songs with the kids before they had Sunday School and we had a really good time. The sermon was good, and it was good to see everyone. I believe God blesses you when you take the time to worship him.

So anyway, now it’s Monday, and I’m trying to figure out what to say to this couple about their lack of commitment. Maybe I shouldn’t say anything. Maybe someone else should do it. Someone who doesn’t feel so frustrated or emotional about the whole thing. I’m praying about it and asking God to help me calm down and put it all in perspective. We’ll see how that goes…

I can't believe I forgot!

2006-05-08T18:39:00.000-07:00

We are going to Hawaii for our 10 year anniversary!!!!! I am so excited that I can hardly stand it! Obviously not excited enough to blog about it until now. I booked it on April 24th. But even so, I think about it all the time. We talked about doing this when we were on our honeymoon - in Hawaii. And for a while there, I wasn't sure we were going to be able to make it happen. But we got a much larger tax refund than we anticipated, which was a nice surprise. So, instead of paying off the credit card, we are going to Hawaii! Hey, at least I didn't add more debt to the credit card, right?

So on June 14, the day before our anniversary, we are heading to the island of Oahu! Hawaii, here we come!!!!!

Living Stones

2006-05-03T22:03:00.000-07:00

We've been watching a video series in our Bible study, and it has really hit home with me. I'm still not taking the action I need to, but I'm being convicted. And maybe by writing about it, I'll actually start doing something.

Last night the speaker talked about Living Stones (1 Peter 2:4-10). As Christians, we are all living stones. He spoke about God creating each one of us, as stones. He hones us and shapes us and places us right where he wants us in his temple. He is building us into his temple. All of us together become his temple, although we are each individual stones. We each have a job to do. Some of us may be beautiful, noticeable stones that people are attracted to. Others may be unseen, like a foundation. But their value is just as great. If there is no foundation, the building will crumble.

His question was, are you allowing God to shape, hone, and place you where he needs you? Or are you doing your own thing? He wants all of us to become one. Because if we can do that, then the world will believe that Jesus is the Messiah, and that he is God's son (John 17:20-23).

Now I need to starting listening to what God wants me to do. It's time to step out of my comfort zone and become a living stone.

Celebrity Sighting

2006-05-01T16:51:00.000-07:00

It wasn't my celebrity sighting, but Brian and Bruce (my BIL) met Jeff Probst, the host on Survivor. They asked him if he would be so kind as to take a picture with them since we (me, Brian, Bruce, and Melissa) have religiously watched Survivor together since Season 3. He kindly obliged them, and the friend he was dining with (who happened to be a show producer) gave them a Survivor hat & t-shirt. Brian said they were very nice guys, and they chatted for about 5-10 minutes.

The exciting part about them meeting was that Jeff Probst recognized Brian & Bruce's company logo on Brian's t-shirt. That's cool, because it means people are seeing their ads in magazines, and it's making an impact! They've been running a new nutritional supplement company since August '05, and things are just now really starting to pick up.

Bruce, Jeff & Brian

A 3 year old...'nough said

2006-04-27T19:10:00.000-07:00

Okay, for those of you who do not have children, I want to say that they are a blessing and they bring so much joy to our lives. For those who have very young (read less than one year) children, this is a warning!

Luke, my beloved 3 year old son, the love of my life, did something today that he was so proud of. He needed to go potty this morning (gotta love it once they're potty trained!) so I said go. And he went. Although after some time I realized he was taking quite a while and it was very quiet. Just as these thoughts were going through my mind, I heard the toilet flush and he came out with a huge smile on his face. So I thought to myself, he must have gone poop. That usually takes a while. But then he said, "Mommy, come see what I did!"

Uh-oh...the words that strike fear in the hearts of parents everywhere. I just thought to myself, he's proud of whatever he did. Don't get mad. Be prepared for the worst. The worst doesn't even prepare me for what was to come. I figured he had just played in the sink and had gotten water everywhere. Oh no, that would have been too clean. Too easy.

We walked into the bathroom, and he showed me his masterpiece. Kitty litter in the toilet. Not just regular kitty litter. The clumping kind. And the toilet was getting ready to overflow. Let's just say that in my mind I was freaking out, and screaming, and yelling. But on the outside, I got down to Luke's level and looked right into his eyes and calmly said, "Luke this is a no-no. This is very bad. You broke the toilet. Did you hear me? You broke the toilet. You can not put kitty litter in the toilet." He looked at me with his big blue eyes welling up with tears and asked, "Can we get a new one?"

Well, for the next, oh, I don't know, half hour to 45 minutes I scooped as much kitty litter out of the toilet as I could. It had gotten down into the hole, so I couldn't get it all out. But thank God for American Home Shield. $35 later, the plumber had come and snaked out the toilet. And it's a good thing he came when he did, because what I didn't realize is that the toilet had started to overflow again. There was water and kitty litter on the floor all around the toilet.

I think Luke has learned his lesson. Everytime I ask him if you can put kitty litter in the toilet he looks at me and says, "Noooooo, mommy." Good enough for me!

A friend in need...

2006-04-25T19:10:00.000-07:00

Do you ever long for a really good friend? I feel like all my life I've looked for a best friend - someone with whom I connect spiritually, emotionally, mentally. Now before anyone tells me that my husband should be my best friend, I am here to tell you that he is. I love him and we do have a good relationship. But I'm talking about a female friend. It's completely different. Throughout my life, I've had probably two friends that I would consider "best friends".

The first is Vanessa. We met while our family lived in New Zealand. For the first six months we lived there I had a hard time making any real friends (I was 14 years old. A terrible time in my life.). But then, somehow, through mutual friends we just clicked. Although we have little contact these days, I still consider her one of my best friends. It was just one of those relationships that was a gift from God.

The second is Jennifer. We've known each other our whole lives, going to church together. I guess it was after we had graduated from high school that we just started doing everything together. We had some great summers together, memories that are so sweet and fun - nostalgia at its best! I love getting together with her and reminiscing. But just like so many friendships, things change, people change, and we drifted apart. Nothing bad really happened, we just kind of stopped calling. She had started hanging out with a co-worker, and I had gotten married. We were just in different places in our lives.

So, it's been a long time since I've had what I would consider a best friend. Probably about eight years or so. I've got friends, but no one that I really share anything with. That's what I'm looking for. And ideally this friend would have a husband that my husband could be good friends with. I guess I'm looking for community. And I don't have it - at least I don't have my ideal of it. We are very close to my sister and her husband...but I really want someone outside of my family. Someone who gives me a different perspective.

I guess that I need to turn back to God for this. It is by answered prayer that he gave me the above mentioned friends. If I'm truly looking for a friend that will be what is good for me...He is the answer. He knows best the kind of friend I need.

I'm being sucked in!

2006-04-24T23:28:00.000-07:00

I went to an MLM party tonight...you know the kind. The home parties where you can buy anything from dishes to sex toys. (Yes, I said sex!) Anyway, I am a consultant for an MLM company. It's okay, but I'm not really a sales person and I'm not very aggressive so it's mostly just a periodic hobby. But tonight I went to an Arbonne party. It's all my sister's fault! She invited my mom and me to go to a mutual acquaintance's launch party.

Now I have to tell you - I love makeup! I try not to spend too much money on it, but if I could have every color (that looks good on me) of every type of makeup, I would be a happy girl. But I digress. Everytime I go to these parties I always think, "I could do this. This is a good product. I could convince people to buy this. It's only (blank) dollars to join." I need to slap myself. Tonight was no different. I think I might want to sign up to be a consultant. The products are excellent, and I would get a discount. That's what appeals to me. So now, I need to take the time to tell myself that I don't need to do this, I don't need to spend the money, and the makeup I use now is just fine. I'll keep you updated on how well I convince myself.

Antarctica Fever

2006-04-21T16:31:00.000-07:00

Our homeschooling co-op has been studying continents for the past eight months or so...and we finished up this month with Antarctica. My friend and I were in charge of putting together this one. I didn't think it would be all that interesting, but it really was.

We didn't do major research - we just hit the highlights. Basically you have to fit all your information into a 2 hour time span. We had the kids create lapbooks with all of the pictures and facts about explorers, research stations, types of ice (did you know there are 6 different types of ice in Antarctica?), how you get there, what you wear, and animals that live there (very few!).

It was a lot of fun, but I am exhausted! I went to work this morning, so I could do co-op this afternoon. So basically I've been going nonstop all day. Now I know I shouldn't complain, because the majority of our population works all day, but I don't...and I'm not used to it at all. I feel like I could lay down and sleep till the morning. So I'll definitely sleep well tonight! I can't even type straight!!! I keep getting all my letter mixed up. I should leave it like I'm typing and see if you can figure it out!

Anyway, Brian's out of town again, but it has been a much better week this time! No freak outs on my part. And the dog is behaving herself. That's a blessing all by itself!

Happy Easter!

2006-04-17T18:33:00.000-07:00

Well, this is the second time I've written this...Luke turned off the computer, and I had forgotten to save my blog. So here it goes again...

We had a wonderful Easter weekend. It was a time of fun and renewal and new things! On Saturday, our neighborhood had a BBQ and Easter Egg Hunt. Then on Sunday we got to celebrate Easter in our new meeting place. We're renting a hall on a weekly basis, and it was so wonderful to meet in a place that felt like "church". Meeting at my parents' home was nice for the time being, but it's time to move upward and onward. So we had the best Easter service I've been to in years (IMHO).

After church we came home, had a light lunch, and then the boys hunted for their baskets. And after that we went to see Disney's "The Wild". It was okay, but not up to Disney standard. However, the boys enjoyed it, and it was a nice break. Dinner at my parents' was next, again we had a wonderful time...the food was delicious and we had good conversation and laughs.

I hope your Easter was just as wonderful as mine!

The semi-annual family picture

The boys, looking slightly deranged,
after their Easter basket hunt

Holy Eggbeaters, Batman!

2006-04-07T20:10:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting here reading blogs, and my boys (all three of them) are watching a Scooby Doo movie. The one with Batman & Robin. It's a crack-up to listen to all of the "Holy Fill-in-the-Blank, Batman!" comments.

But the one thing I love about Scooby Doo is that Paul laughs hysterically at this cartoon. And I love to hear him laugh. He's a pretty serious kid, so he doesn't do it often. When he does though, it's like music to your ears. I think hearing my boys laugh is one of my favorite sounds in the world. They were cracking each other up tonight at dinner, and it just makes you want to laugh right along with them. We should all lighten up, and laugh a little more. I think we'd be a lot better off!

"An excellent deduction, Robin."

This is the life

2006-04-07T10:19:00.000-07:00

Being a mom is never dull. Yesterday morning Paul came into my room and said, "I gave Luke some milk to drink because he ate nail polish." It was so matter of fact, like it was no big deal. Just thought I'd letcha know, Mom. The funny thing about it was, I thought it was pretty smart of Paul to give Luke milk. I don't know if it was the right thing to do, but it was clever.

Needless to say, I'm not sure Luke really ate the polish, so much as he got some in his mouth. There was polish all over his face, his fingernails, his hands, his toenails, and his legs. He looked charming with coral colored polish everywhere. I should have taken a picture...oh well, maybe next time (ha!).

Not only was it on his person, but it was on my carpet. Thanks to the internet I got most of it out. Rubbing alcohol works wonders. However, there's still a stain there. I need to try scrubbing it some more. I just got tired of scrubbing yesterday. The blessing of it is that the stain is behind the couch. Luke was obviously hiding because he knew he was doing something wrong. A guilty conscience...at least he has one.

Okay, okay

2006-04-02T19:56:00.000-07:00

I've really had a chance to get back to normalcy with Brian back home. But I'll tell you what happened to Paul that Tuesday. It seems so long ago, now.

A couple of Tuesdays ago, we went on a field trip with our homeschool group to the movie theater, which was a lot of fun. Afterward, the some of the moms were standing around talking, and the kids were running around, goofing off, and generally just playing. Well one of the boys tends to have a violent streak, and I saw him starting to rough house with Paul. So I went over, and firmly told him that that was unacceptable and not to mess with Paul. (The boy is 8, and Paul is 5.) It was fine, just kids being kids, and I did my job as a parent. Then a while later, a second little boy thought it would be funny to grab Paul's arms and hold them behind his back, because he didn't like the way Paul was swinging them around. Well the first little boy saw that boy #2 was holding Paul's arms, and saw that as an invitation to punch Paul in his side.

I LOST IT!!!!! I told both boys under no uncertain terms were they to ever touch my son again, and if they did, they would have me to deal with. And the second boy, who's a friend btw, was told that if he ever did anything like that again, that he would never play with Paul again.

At least my friend was supportive in what I did and she made her son (the friend) write a letter of apology to me and one to Paul, and punished him. I'm not sure what happened with the first boy. His mom apologized to me while we were there, but I never heard anything more about it from the boy.

After that though, I was basically an emotional basketcase the rest of the day. And I realize as I've written these past three posts that I sound like I'm emotional basketcase all the time. I'm not....really! It was just a bad week. And, (guys close your eyes) I was dealing with PMS which seemed to hit really hard this time, for whatever reason. So that was my Tuesday while Brian was gone. Things seemed to be better after that, and now things are back to normal...like I said earlier. Yeah!!!

Now here's my lesson I need to learn. Lean on God. I didn't do that at all. And if I had, I know my week would have been so much better. So if you see me write a post like that again, send me a note that says, "Remember the lesson you learned...lean on God!"

The best is yet to come?

2006-03-27T12:39:00.000-08:00

I haven't forgotten to finish my story....but Brian got home on Friday. We had a really nice weekend, and I didn't take the time to sit down and write. Maybe later tonight I can do it.

P.S. I did have a total breakdown on Saturday. All the stress finally got to me and I completely broke down crying. I'll tell you what, though. I felt immensely better and was able to let everything go. Maybe I should have had a good cry earlier in the week.

Are we there yet?

2006-03-22T22:55:00.000-08:00

Okay, I think this has possibly been the worst week of my life. Well, maybe not my life...but in a long time. Have you ever had one of those weeks when everything goes wrong? If it can it does. Brian left on Friday to work some trade shows, and he'll be back this Friday. So, I've been on my own. I can honestly say that I think I'm going to have a meltdown when he gets back. All I want to do is crawl into bed and stay there for a whole day without anyone bothering me.

I have to preface all this by saying that we acquired a puppy - a German Short-Haired Pointer - 2 weeks ago this Friday. We're guessing she's around six months old. Paul named her Snickers. For the first couple of days she was very cute, and I could handle the peeing. Now, not so much. Last Friday, she peed - out of rebellion - in my house 3 different times within an hour. That, along with the fact that Luke peed his pants while he was having an all out temper tantrum. So now I had two peeing babies on my hands! I finally got everything under control that night, and crashed with exhaustion.

Saturday, my mom took the boys and me (yes, that is grammatically correct. It's not supposed to be 'I'.) on a much need day trip down south. We went to the California Science Center and had a great time. My dad watched Snickers for me. Yeah Dad! So, when we got home he brought Snickers back over. She proceeded to pee once while my parents were still here and none of us noticed. I found it shortly after they left. That was just the beginning...she did it four more times and pooped!!!!! I think I literally spent an hour cleaning up all her little accidents. She was purposely going around leaving me little gifts. I know she was.

Sunday was a pretty good day, although I kept thinking to myself, "I'm not in the mood to go to church. I feel like I should just stay home." I should have listened to myself. Around 3 pm I let the dog out and told Paul to play with her, because we had to leave for church at 3:45 pm. Well Brian called home to talk to Paul, so Paul didn't play with Snickers. Snickers decided our backyard wasn't good enough and that the grass was greener on the other side. She dug a hole under the fence to the neighbors behind us. It took me a while to figure out where she went. When I finally found her, the neighbors found her too. So of course I said, "I'll be right over!" It is now 3:40 pm. I called my grandma and told her I wouldn't be able to pick her up for church, because I had to go get the dog, and I didn't want her to be late, too. So, I thought, okay let's just get everything together for church, I'll pack the boys up, we'll drive over to get the dog, and we'll come back home quickly to get her in her crate and head to church. Sounds like an okay plan, right? Well we walked out the door, and I felt in my purse to make sure I had keys. Yep I had keys. The door closed behind me...and just as it latched I realized I had the wrong set. The keys to the car and the front door were now safe in the locked up house. Well, now I was really upset. I called my mom crying, and she told me she'd come get me and the dog and bring us back to their house for church. She did, and I just broke down at church, and hung out with the dog for the hour. My parents couldn't find the spare key we'd given them, so I had no way to get into my house. I finally remembered that my friend's dad is a locksmith, so I called them and luckily her dad was off that night. He kindly came over and had to drill out my lock to get me back into my house. So the price I paid for not having a spare key hidden was a total of $50, which is not bad considering that just to have a random locksmith picked from the phonebook was going to cost me a minimum of $75. Here's a big thank you to Buster for getting me back into my house without breaking the bank!

I think Monday went okay, but then Tuesday happened. And you know what? I'll have to share that later because I'm really tired and I just realized it's 11:30 pm. I have got to get to bed. Luke has been gracing me with his presence around 5:30 the past couple of mornings, so I need as much beauty sleep as I can get. I'll be back. I promise.

Waxing Nostalgic

2006-03-09T22:17:00.000-08:00

Isn't it funny how things in the past seem so wonderful and nostalgic 16 years later? (Did I really say 16????) That's how long it's been since I graduated from high school. And in the past week I've had 3 different reminders of my high school days.

#1: On a homeschool message board I'm on, a guy I had Chemistry with my junior year posted. I verified it was him. I don't know if he remembered me...we weren't friends outside of class. It was just one of those people you connected with in class.

#2: Ran into a gal from my Singers group at Home Depot. She was a freshman and I was a senior. I recognized her, and she was totally shocked at how different I look. It's funny, but I don't think I look that different. But once I thought about it, I'm now a brunette, and I was wearing glasses instead of my contacts (which I always wore in high school). I probably did look really different. Anyway, she's much nicer than she was in high school. I always thought she was a little snooty. Maybe it was me that was snooty. A lot changes in 16 years.

#3: Saw my US History teacher at Office Depot. I didn't actually speak to him, but it was weird to have all these things happen in such a short time. Normally I don't see anyone from high school, even though I've lived here ever since. I didn't even go away to college. I just went to the Cal State in town.

So these 3 incidents just brought back a lot of memories, and makes me want to see all my friends again. It would be fun to have a reunion of just the people I hung out with. I think we'd have a great time. The bad part about this idea is that I don't even know how to get a hold of anyone from high school. It's funny how your life takes you in such completely different directions.

Believe it or not!

2006-02-09T16:49:00.000-08:00

My good friend just had her fourth baby...and it was a biggun'! Their beautiful baby boy was 10 lbs., 9 oz.!!!!! That's pretty crazy in and of itself, but here's the kicker...She went to the hospital on Sunday morning because her contractions were 5 minutes apart. And they stayed that way. All. Day. Long. So, the doctor sent her home. At 9 pm, they went back again, but once she was there, the contractions slowed back down to 8 minutes apart. Aaaarrrgggghhhh! Again, she was sent home. Finally, they left for the hospital on Monday morning around 5:30 am. Her contractions were becoming more intense, so she figured it was time to go. The hospital is about 20 minutes from their house, but she figured she had plenty of time. Well, on the way to the hospital, her water broke. She knew right then, that she was going to have the baby. They made it to the hospital and her husband pulled right in front of the ER to let them know they were there. However, there was no way in you-know-what that she was able to get out of the van. She had that huge baby in the front seat of her van! The ER nurse climbed in between the seat and the dash, and delivered the baby! Oh my goodness!!!! All I can say is that my friend deserves high accolades as a mom!

Time marches on

2006-02-02T22:46:00.000-08:00

Shortly after celebrating year number three...we had another milestone. Paul lost his first tooth. What a huge ordeal! I thought he was going to die from the tooth falling out. For whatever reason, he decided that this tooth falling out was going to be the death of him. He cried and wailed and moaned for about 3 hours. All this was going on as the tooth was getting looser and looser. Pretty soon it was hanging by a single root...barely. We just kept telling him to just give it a little tug, but again, more crying and wailing. So he would ask dad to try to move it, but then would freak out as soon as Brian tried to touch it. Eventually, the tooth was sticking straight out of his mouth, you know, perpindicular to the rest of his teeth. So Brian took him to a mirror to show him the tooth, and all of the sudden, the tooth just kinda popped out. And then he was a different child...laughing and joking like it had been the easiest thing in the world! Kids are so weird.

Well his second tooth fell out about 2 weeks later, I guess it was last Friday. And it was no big deal. He just wiggled it until it popped out. It's old hat now, I guess. Again, kids are so weird!

Time's fun when you're having flies

2006-01-21T14:16:00.000-08:00

I can't believe how long it's been since I posted last. Since then we've celebrated the third year of our baby boy. Oh my goodness, how time flies! He's such a character - so independent, funny, charming, frustrating, stubborn, and he's beautiful! He's the kind of child that looks at you with a sparkle in his eye, and you know there's trouble brewing. My grandma would have called him an imp. I think it's the perfect description of him. So this post is for Luke and my prayer for him this year is that he would continue to be as charming and independent as he is now, with a little bit of obedience thrown in there (that's for the mom in me).

This, too, shall pass

2005-12-27T11:45:00.000-08:00

I love Christmas...it's after Christmas that I'm not so fond of. The boys haven't stopped fighting. They each want what the other has. They're never happy with what they're playing with. If Paul is playing drums, Luke wants to play, and if Luke is playing on his scooter, then Paul has to play with that. The temptation is to just put it all away, and let them play with all their old toys. They were satisfied with those before Christmas.

Anywho, Christmas Day was nice, but tiring. We were up at 6:30 opening gifts. Then we ate, and it was off to church at 10:30. After church we came home, put the boys down for a MUCH NEEDED NAP!!! and I got my dish ready for dinner at my sister's house. We were supposed to be there at 2:00 and we were a half hour late...oh well, life goes on. So on our way there, my husband called his family (they live on the east coast), and got an earful from his sister about how horrible we were because we gave her a shirt instead of a gift card. That just kind of topped off my day! Once we were at my sister's, we opened...

Jan. 6th - I'm now back to this post, only 10 days later! It's funny reading this, because things have calmed down so much. The boys are now playing nicely with each other, sharing their toys. We sent a gift card to my SIL so she can buy exactly what she wants. Now I'm just waiting to receive the gift that we gave her. She promised to send it back. So, all in all, I thoroughly enjoyed Christmas. I hope yours was well, too!

4 Days and Counting

2005-12-21T15:05:00.000-08:00

I can't believe Christmas is almost here. I think it has caused my schedule to become all out of whack. Yesterday, I kept thinking it was Wednesday, and I have followed suit today. It feels like Thursday to me. And for some reason I keep thinking that Christmas Eve is Sunday. Although I know Christmas is on Sunday, in my world it's Christmas Eve. I think having Christmas on Sunday is hard. You want to just get up and open presents and be lazy, but you know you really need to go to church. I wonder if God is offended if you don't go to church on Jesus' birthday especially when it's on Sunday. It's not a real deep thought, but none of mine are right now. I'm struggling to stay afloat with the shallow thoughts I have. Anyway, I hope everyone is finished with their shopping and that they are enjoying the Christmas season and not stressing over it.

Investing in real estate

2005-12-20T12:36:00.000-08:00

Well, not real real estate. Actually cute little gingerbread houses. Our homeschooling group had a Christmas party yesterday at the park and all the kids made gingerbread houses. They were so cute! It's so much fun to watch kids of all ages do a project and see how many different ways that they turn out. Each and every one was unique to the child.

On an unrelated note (or maybe not, I don't know), it is HOT here! At the park yesterday, I thought I was going to die of heat stroke. (I might be exaggerating a little) But it was hot, and I was wearing a turtleneck and a sweatshirt and playing with the boys in the playground. Anyway, it doesn't really feel like Christmas when the weather is a balmy 70 degrees! The weird part is that last week it was really cold and foggy...typical Bakersfield weather. I guess we'll see if it lasts.

Fa la la la la la la la la...

2005-12-18T20:51:00.000-08:00

A long lost art form...at least here it is. I love caroling! Our church group went tonight after our service. It's just so much fun to watch people's faces when they open their doors to your crazy singing. Always you get huge smiles...people like to have nice things done for them.

And I must say, with no modesty whatsoever, that we sounded good for a rag tag group of adults and kids. Even the guys chimed in! Though they pretended that it was silly, I know they had a good time.

So here's my recommendation: grab a bunch of friends, go caroling, and spread some Christmas cheer! You'll enjoy it, and so will the people on the receiving end!

Once an ear biter...

2005-12-16T20:36:00.000-08:00

No, I'm not talking about Mike Tyson. I'm talking about both of my sons! My (mostly) sweet 5 year old and almost 3 year old. No, they weren't biting each other's ears. I think that would have been better in a sick kind of way. They were biting the cat's ears!!! Both of them!!! My husband freaked out, and they both got in very big trouble. No "Charlie Brown's Christmas" for them tonight. Lucky for them, I'm a softy, and I have secretly recorded it for them.

When in Rome...

2005-12-14T21:02:00.000-08:00

You know how in some cultures something is really popular, while in other cultures the same thing, although it exists, is not nearly as popular? Well, when we lived in New Zealand, way back when, everyone used these. You almost needed to. But when we moved back to the States it was no longer necessary, and I don't even think we owned one anymore. I don't think I know of anyone who owns one currently. Not that it would be a major topic of conversation.

When I was pregnant I bought one, because it was on a list of things I might want during labor. So I did, because I remembered how nice it could be. But I didn't use it, so it got stuck in a drawer in my bathroom.

Well last night I was laying in bed...freezing to death! Finally my body warmed up, but my feet were still little (actually quite large) ice cubes. And I started thinking back to the days of living in NZ with no central heating in our little house, and how we always had electric blankets, because you would freeze to death if you didn't. Then it dawned on me...something else that I had used so many years ago, and had actually purchased 5 years ago. (Remember? The birth of my son?) Anyway, I got up out of bed, and dug around in that bathroom drawer and found it.

My HOT WATER BOTTLE! Oh my goodness!!!! I filled that baby up with hot water, jumped back into bed and put it on top of my feet. I think I was asleep almost instantaneously. It felt so good on my ice cold feet. I think the cat liked it, too, because she found her way over to my feet and laid right next to them all night.

Anyway, the moral of the story is that just because nobody in your culture uses a specific item, doesn't mean that you have to stop using it. Especially when it serves a great purpose. Like keeping freezing cold feet warm at night!

Not as easy as I thought

2005-10-05T14:18:00.000-07:00

I thought I would enjoy writing a blog. I don't. It's hard and I have to think of creative things to write. I suck.

It figures

2005-03-24T14:18:00.000-08:00

Congratulations! You are Susan Mayer, the divorcee
and single mom who will go to extraordinary
lengths for love.

Which Desperate Housewife are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

To be or not to be...

2005-03-21T17:20:00.000-08:00

Not to be. I'm not getting away tonight. I was hoping I might be able to get away for a while by myself, but Brian's going to be gone again tonight. It's okay though, because he's hanging out with a friend who's getting all (yes I said all) his teeth pulled tomorrow. A group of them are playing Settlers of Catan. It's a very addictive game. I actually wish I was playing too, but it's a hard game to play when all the kids are running around. You need to be able to focus on the game.

Anyway, maybe later this week Brian and I can go on a date or something. We'll see...

The most beautiful boys in the world!

2005-03-20T21:51:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of my boys:

Paul enjoying ice cream

2005-03-20T21:48:00.000-08:00

Luke after a nap

Where does it go...

2005-03-20T11:12:00.000-08:00

Funny how time flies...Brian's out of town again. Although he's coming home today. The house is a disaster, Luke is playing in the kitchen sink, Paul's watching Disney Channel, and none of us are dressed. It's 11:15 am. Actually I lied, Luke is dressed. He had been running around in just a diaper, but when it came time for him to eat breakfast he wanted to put on some clothes because he doesn't like to sit in the high chair naked (with a diaper on of course). I guess it's cold or something. Just a funny little quirk of a two year old.

What a lazy day. I really need to get up and go, or maybe I need some get up and go. Either way, here I sit. I'm watching Luke as I write this. He has pulled a chair up to the kitchen sink and....aaarrrgghhhh! I just realized he had a knife in his hand. I had to run and get it from him. Anyway he's washing the sink and some dishes with one of those sponges that has soap in the handle. He's making bubbles, and then blowing them. It's the simple things. I wish I could find that much joy in washing dishes. Maybe they'd get done more often.

Am I the only one in the world who's a terrible housekeeper? I mean it doesn't seem like it should be that hard. But I hate doing it so much. As I said before, the house is disastrous. I'd like to have it nice for Brian when he gets home. I doubt that will happen though. Somehow I always find other things to do.

Now Paul's on the chair with Luke. I know I'm going to regret letting them play in the sink. It only means that there's going to be another mess to clean up. And I was right. Luke has just spilled a whole cup of water on the floor. I'll be back....

Not so bad, it wasn't as much water as I thought. But, no more playing in the sink. Now Luke is torturing Paul, although I don't think Paul minds it. Actually he's torturing Luke just as much. It's funny how different they are. On one hand, we have Paul. The cerebral one, so serious for a four year old. However, he has so much imagination. He is constantly pretending to be someone or something else. For instance, the most recent thing is that he is a crossing guard. We made him a little stop sign and he has a whistle. He has a whole persona going. He is also inanimate objects sometimes. He loves trains, and railroad crossings fascinate him. So he decided he wanted to be a railroad crossing. Brian made him some crossing arms, and Paul becomes a railroad crossing. He keeps bugging us about getting him some flashing lights, but I don't see that happening.

On the other hand, there's Luke. There are no words to describe him. An imp maybe. You see the sparkle in his eye, and you know there's going to be trouble. So charming though, that people see this beautiful blonde hair, blue eyed boy who plays very coy when meeting new people, that they think he is a perfect child. Now I love my Luke-y very much, but I am the first to tell you that he is NOT the perfect child. He is stubborn, can scream like a banshee (sp?), and generally knows how to press all your hot buttons. He can be so sweet though. Right now he's sitting on my lap, leaning on my arm and watching TV. When he came up, he looked at me and smiled his charming smile and gave me two kisses for no good reason. Just because he loves me. That's what melts your heart.

Those are my boys...and they are my life. When Brian gets home, though, I need some time off. I don't know what I'm going to do, but I'm leaving the house. I love them, but I also need a break every once in a while, or I start to go insane.

Ty Pennington

2005-02-17T15:43:00.000-08:00

The boys with Ty Pennington last October when Extreme Makeover: Home Edition was in town.

I just found this, so I thought I'd post it. Paul was so proud to meet "Mr. Ty".

By Myself

2005-02-17T14:42:00.000-08:00

Brian's gone for a long weekend. So I'm at home with the boys by myself...I'm not looking forward to it. I swear I'm a terrible mom. Today has been a really bad day, and the weird thing about it is that nothing about it has really been bad. I guess I'm just in a bad mood. My grandma called right when I was leaving the house. I knew I shouldn't have answered it, but I did, and she talked my ear off for 20-25 minutes. AAAHHHHH!!!! "I have to go, Grandma," I wanted to say. But didn't. So the boys sat strapped in the van for the entire phone call, screaming at me. I guess that didn't help matters.

Then I took the van to get it washed and the oil changed so Brian could drive it down south for the trade show. It took a freakin' hour! The frustrating part was that no one was at the car wash when I got there...which was a good sign. But they changed the oil first, so by the time they finished that, there were about 6 other cars in front of me. So we waited. When that was done I took the van to Brian and he wasn't even there...which wasn't really a bad thing, except I had to get the boys tranferred from one vehicle to another, and get his bag into the van...and Luke is running around the back parking lot, and Paul has disappeared inside the shop. So I finally get Luke into the car, and call my mom from the parking lot and tell her to send Paul out to the car. How lazy is it when I can't even run into the shop to get my son!

After that we go to the park, and I realize as I'm half way there that I have forgotten to bring Shannon's stuff with me, even though I told her I was going to bring it. What a dork I am! Then we get to the park and it is freezing!!! I think we stayed for about 45 minutes which was about 40 minutes too long. And I'm constantly chasing Luke because he won't stay in the playground area. By this time, I am just mad, cold, and the boys won't stop talking.

Now I'm sitting at home. It's quiet...the boys are sleeping, and I think I might crawl into bed and go to sleep myself. I just needed to vent and unwind. I hate days like this...

TV is evil...

2005-02-15T10:28:00.000-08:00

Or is it? Am I a terrible mom for letting my boys watch too much tv? Probably. Actually Luke just turned it off all by himself. That must be a miracle of miracles. I've read several articles that say how terrible it is for kids to watch television. It will cause them to have ADD or learning disabilities, or fill in the blank with whatever horrible thing you can think of. Yet my boys seem to be okay. Maybe it will come out in them later - all the horrible things tv has done to them - or maybe they'll be the smartest, best behaved kids you'll ever meet.

The tv's back on now. And off. And on. Luke's playing with the remote. Torturing his brother...a fun game in itself.

All I know is I want my boys to be perfect. Is that too much to ask? Yeah, I know it is, but I love them so much and want all the best for them without spoiling them. I want them to do well in school, have a wonderful social life, be athletic, and most importantly, have a relationship with God (not just religion). I guess that's where I come in. My role is to raise and guide my children in the direction I think they should go. So, I'll turn off the tv (after LazyTown is over) and do my job as a mom.

Guess How Old I Am!

2005-02-12T14:20:00.000-08:00

You Are 26 Years Old

26

Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view - and you look at the world with awe.
13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world.
20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences.
30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more!
40+: You are a mature adult. You've been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax.

http://www.blogthings.com/whatagequiz/

What Age Do You Act?

I'm not really, but I would love to be 26 again...alas, I'm now in my thirties and only getting older. Actually, I vowed when I turned 29, I would be 29 forever. So there you are...that's how old I am.

I need help!

2005-02-11T20:35:00.000-08:00

Can anyone help me add a "Links" or "Friends" sidebar to my blog? I've tried to figure it out by reading the help files. But either I'm being vague, or they're being vague. Whatever the case, I can NOT figure it out.

Is anyone out there?

On the Positive Side

2005-02-11T10:18:00.000-08:00

Do you have those people in your life who are always negative? I dealt with someone like that today, and it is exhausting. Just listening to them drains all my energy. So, I try to move on quickly to something else, and get my mind off it. So, this is what we're going to do:

The boys and I are going to see Pooh's Heffalump movie this afternoon. I hope Luke does okay in the theater. This will be his first movie-going experience. And Paul has only been to one other movie (that he remembers anyway). When we saw Polar Express he got kind of freaked out, so I'm hoping he has a better time in this movie. I'm sure it's going to be fun...I love seeing when they get excited about things. If only we all had the excitement and wonder of a child. I think the world would be a better place.

I love this!

2005-02-10T19:46:00.000-08:00

Okay...I'm new at this, so I was reading other blogs and came across a blog that had this link. I love following links, so I checked it out. Glad I did. Hope you enjoy it too.

http://www.tonypierce.com/blog/2004/06/how-to-blog-by-tony-pierce-110-1.htm

I finally did it...

2005-02-10T16:33:00.000-08:00

"What did you do?" you ask. I finally started a blog. Something I've been thinking about for a while now. I've never done journals or diaries before, so this is something new to me. However, as I get older, I feel like this is something that I need to do. But I hate sitting down and writing in a journal. So, I'll type...I'm at the computer anyway.

I guess I need a space to write down my frustrations, my dreams, my goals, and what my two beautiful (but busy) boys are doing. And I'll try to relay what I'm thinking. Seems like I've been doing a lot of that lately...am I doing what God wants me to do. My answer is no, because I'm not talking to him, and not reading his word. So I need encouragement, too.

I'll sign off now, because it took me forever to finally get the picture of our family on there the way I wanted it to look. Very frustrating when you don't follow the instructions given you. Oh well, when all else fails, follow the ENTIRE directions, and you can't go wrong!