WARNING: music

I've attached music now to the blog...
So, if you're at work & don't want to have, say, Catch the Wind by Donovan (a fav from the 70s) piping from your speakers, you can either turn down your speakers beforehand, or quickly scroll to the bottom of the blog & hit pause.
I'm hoping you'll just enjoy it, as do I.

Waste of Time

In the study series, Daniel, Beth Moore talks about her daughter. She'll watch either a dumb commercial, tv show, or any waste of time, then says, "Well, I'm dumber now than I was before."

It has me thinking, do I watch anything that actually takes my intelligence (as small a portion that might be) away?
Do I do anything that makes me step backward?

In 1 John 3:18, It says, Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. Okay, I know, I know, I completely took that out of context, as that's actually referring to giving what you have of material possessions.
But I don't think God minds me referencing things out of context (as long as I don't distort the truth by doing so)...

I can say I'm a believer, but what do I do behind closed doors? Do I spend my time on the phone spreading rumors? Do I treat my family with disrespect? Do I have some pretty evil habits?

Those can sound a little extreme, so here's what I was thinking about yesterday while I was cleaning out Gabe's shoe drawer...

I talk to Angie & Amy several times a week on the phone. Sometimes it's a short chat but other times it's a soapbox. I vent, I complain. Or sometimes I just 'talk'... just words. Are they getting off the phone with me & saying, "Okay, what a waste of time... I'm dumber after that converstaion."?

I think I have a long way to get to the holy point of every word coming from my mouth doing nothing but proclaiming God's righteousness. Not to mention, who would want to be around me? But surely there's a comfortable point close to that.

Almost a year ago, I wrote a mission / vision statement. In this statement, I wrote all the things I'd need to do or things to avoid to be a Godly mother & wife. It's on the fridge & quite a great reference. I listed things that I called 'Mind Wasters' & those were the internet (um, oops), the phone (see 2 paragraphs above), & the tv. They waste time & brain cells. Used in moderation, I can see that they're okay... but are easy to cross the line with.

For now, I'll start with avoiding the things that make me dumb. A pointless show. Listening to something that might not make me a better person.

'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' Matt 22:37.

I Wanna Be Just Like You

In Jeff's iPod...





Lord, I want to be just like You 'Cause he wants to be just like me.
I want to be a holy example For his innocent eyes to see.
Help me be a living Bible, Lord -- That my little boy can read.
I want to be just like You 'Cause he wants to be like me.

He climbs in my lap for a goodnight hug... He calls me Dad and I call him Bub... With his faded old pillow and a bear named Pooh.
He snuggles up close and says, "I want to be like you".
I tuck him in bed and I kiss him goodnight ...Trippin' over the toys as I turn out the light.
And I whisper a prayer that someday he'll see...He's got a father in God 'cause he's seen Jesus in me.

Got to admit I've got so far to go... Make so many mistakes and I'm sure that You know.. Sometimes it seems no matter how hard I try, With all the pressures in life I just can't get it all right.
But I'm trying so hard to learn from the best...Being patient and kind, filled with Your tenderness...'Cause I know that he'll learn from the things that he sees...
And the Jesus he finds will be the Jesus in me...

Right now from where he stands I may seem mighty tall...
But it's only 'cause I'm learning from the best Father of them all.

Happy Feet

Tonight marks a monumental time...

the kids' first visit to the movie theater.

I didn't have high expectations. So we went to a "cheap" theater (Keller) where the kids were free, Jeff & I didn't cost much, & the movie we saw was an 'older' one.

So, Flynn enjoyed Happy Feet, Gabe enjoyed Happy Feet, Mommy & Daddy enjoyed Flynn & Gabe enjoying Happy Feet.

Another memory.

Deep Thoughts 4

A few nights ago, Jeff was trying to talk Flynn into choosing the movie, CARS, to watch as they wound down for bedtime.

He told her, "It's got 'Mater', the tow-truck."
She said, "Yah, he's funny! He's got two teeth. Like Bubby."

The Boob-Tube

I've been reading lots lately about television, how it rots our brain & takes up so much of our time. Usually, I just quickly dismiss the stats, the quotes & the opinions of those who have decided to unplug.

But how can you ignore facts? I just read an article that said that by the time we're something like 60, we've watched 2 years of tv. TWO YEARS! That is a lot by anyone's standard.
We are probably not as bad as most families, particularly since we're home so much. But I heard Flynn humming the PBS kids snippet. And anytime Gabe hears ANYTHING interesting piping out, he wheels around & will abandon whatever he was playing with.
And that's exactly what I don't want...
our family preferring their favorite show to their favorite book or game...
jumping into spots with the best view of the tv....
eating meals in front of the tele.
We've never done the above; however, who is to say the kids won't when they're big enough to make those decisions?

Growing up our lives did not revolve around the tv. And actually, this part is shocking: for the better part of my first 12 years we didn't have a tv in the livingroom. Can you imagine the shock & horror??!! What did we do? Well, we played a lot of games & had a lot of family time. My mom & I regularly played "double-sol". I did lots of drawing & playing & using my IMAGINATION (something lots of kids are lacking these days).

Now I realize the sacrifice this takes. And Jeff is probably reading this & going, "what??!!" And I'm not saying we will do this but it is definitely in my mind right now. I don't want advertising to target my children. And the thought of a scary, violent, or sexual image to be seen by my kids just makes me want to puke.

So why am I taking the chance? I don't know.

Yesterday the tv was only on 2 hours (not bad out of 18 hours we're awake & HERE). We didn't turn it on 'til bedtime. And today, I turned it on briefly for Curious George & Calliou. And that's it for today.

Remember Cassette Tapes?

What's Better Than a Binky?

TWO binkies.

We've been trying to SLOWly begin the weaning process, to end the days with the binky.

In the morning, we "give the binky to the stars", meaning drop it down into the bed which has star sheets. He's supposed to be limited to using the binks during sleep times -- nap & bedtime. We also bust it out when we're going somewhere as we know in quiet situations (aka church), we'll need a tool in which to plug him up.

Now he knows how to retrieve the binky from the stars by sticking his long skinny arm through the slats on his bed & reaching it. Then he emerges from his room, grinning from ear to ear with his beloved binky in place.

The other day, he found both binkies (the only two "original" binks that have not been swallowed by the mysterious "binky black hole")... in his mouth.

BOTH of them in his mouth.

My personal goal is to have it gone by TWO.

He has other plans.

Indescribable

Melts my Heart

That Gabe...

For a couple of weeks now, we've been wondering what in the world he says when you're leaving.
When one of us would leave for work, he'd wave, but what he'd say WITH the wave was odd-sounding, "woo-woo."
We're like, "WHAT?"

When I left him Thursday for work, Grammy said he stood at the window forever saying it at my car, which drove away.

Finally, (& I'm ashamed not sooner, as I AM the mom!!) it dawned on me. We all always say, "I love you" when we're leaving.

THAT'S WHAT IT WAS...
He says I love you EVERYTIME ANYone leaves.

Melts my heart.

Letter to the Groundhog

Dear Groundhog,
You are a liar.
I look out my window, there are snowflakes falling down!
Early spring. No shadow. Baahh!
Forget the sunny days of us frolicking through the grassy meadows.
I'll do nothing but kick you in your hairy larynx.
Come February 2nd next year, I won't be listening to your lies.
You're nothing but a fat, over-grown & over-glorified rodent.
Good Riddance to you.

Put Me in the Zoo

If Dinosaurs Roamed the Earth

Deep Thoughts 3

Flynn's really struggling w/ her asthma, which means red cheeks & heavy eyes (accentuating the lashes); which basically equals instant beauty.

She woke from her nap just now & loves to get up in my lap. I said, "Do you know you're beautiful?"

She said, "God made me beautiful."

Score one for the creator.

SPRING has SPRUNG

And so has Flynn's asthma...

Summer Boo-boo's & Bugs

Gabe officially got his first outdoor's boo boo ever. As he was leaning over the ball, his momentum never stopped... velocity got the best of him (as well as the weight of his big noggen) & over he went. Landed square on the top of his nugget, right onto the rough concreted patio.
Ouch.
It bled a teeny bit & now he has a battle scar. For most kids a tuft of hair would've been some protection.
But not from our mini Kojak.

And, oh! the spiders. They're taking residency in our house. There was a quarter sized bodied spider walking down the hall today. I think I saw him carrying a suitcase.

Which got me thinking...

When Flynn was about 10 months old, I was making her lunch. She was toddling around (walked at 9 mos) & was peering out the window over the cul-de-sac like the nosey ones like to do.

It was nearly fall & apparently that's some kind of season for the lady bugs. Mating, marrying, dating, or something. All I know is that they invade us like one of the plagues. And the sills are their favorite hang out.

She swaggered up to me like there was something she needed to report. When I bent over to look closer to her, I noticed legs.
Legs.
Hanging
out
of
her
MOUTH.
That's right.... bug legs.... as in ---- the rest of the bug was INSIDE her mouth.

I did the first-mom panic....
Did the finger sweep, got her over the sink to attempt at some sort of rinsing out.
But she'd swallowed most of it.

I had no idea what to do. Do you call the Children's Hospital Hotline for something like this? The Dr.'s office? What would I say? "Hi, my 10-month old just ate a ladybug."

I didn't really want that in her file.

Besides, you know what they always say.

Protein.

Digging for Gold

Between the city & home, just on 55 actually, we saw THREE people digging for gold.
I think it's a Shel Silverstein poem that talks about sticking your finger up your nose for fear your finger might not make it out?
These people had not read that.
This one lady, in a green pontiac, was even steering with her KNEE because she was using BOTH hands to do the job. She used on finger on one nostril. Then switched hands for the other nostril (I guess for agility's sake). Then, had to pick out from under one nail with the other nail. That's when she relied on other limb's for driving.
That's when I starting gagging & almost puked up the whole row of thin mints I had just eaten.

It's a "Gammy Night"

Since soccer season has kicked back up, Gammy has subbed in for Daddy for Mommy's long work night.
And this is not sad news for Flynn!
For Gammy Nights are full of tea parties, & hide and seek, and other fun things.
And you can be sure that when Gammy comes over, her arms are loaded down with something for everyone!

Deep Thoughts By FJ

Last night, we segregated... girls stayed home & the boys went to a PAT meeting, 'Out of the Box', where they crawled through & did lots of other fun things with boxes.
Since Flynn is such a social butterfly & prefers the fun to be had AWAY from home, I was sure to have an evening chalked full of activity for her here, including a grand tea party, complete with tea (lemonade) & biscotti (Scooby graham stix). We spread it out on the livingroom floor, something we normally can't do w/ Bubby home, invited her babies, and even had music.
After that, she used her brand new finger paints, used brand new markers, ate ice cream (soy) sandwiches & even some 'guckers' (gushers).
Despite all this fun, she still kept on eye on the door & was wondering 'where' Dad & Bubs went.
In they came after their outting, and Daddy filled us in on all the great fun they had.
Flynn says to me,
"Can I go there when I get little?"

Bambi and Thumper - Anytime You Need A Friend

Bambi... a rite of passage

I was cleaning last night when I found a brand new VHS of Bambi. I bought it probably ten or so years ago - I think as a gift, but never gave it away. I've been doing some purging of sorts, in that I either use stuff or we give it away, no more storing!! So, I opened it up last night & we watched it.

Flynn was mesmerized. She was in love with Bambi, Thumper & Flower. This of course brought about questions of death (Bambi's mom) & the seasons & romantic love (remember the scene where they all find girlfriends??).

Some people don't show their children movies which have viewer-sensitive content. And I did have to resist the urge to shield her eyes from the mommy-dying scene. But it's all a part of life, and I can't shield them from that. And there are so many fabulous parts of the movie.

It was so fun watching it with the kids. Gabe fell right to sleep, but Flynn asked lots of great questions & made several comments.

One great comment (which perhaps I should've posted as 'Deep Thoughts by Flynn') was while watching the scene where Bambi first lays eyes on Faline. Bambi 'stumbles' over to a clear pool of water, where he's startled by his reflection. Flynn quickly said, "He sees his shadow." Which of course gave her science teacher dad the opportunity to explain reflection.

In the words of the great Thumper...
"Eating greens is a special treat, It makes long ears and great big feet. But it sure is awful stuff to eat. I made that last part up myself."

Sam's Club

Jeff & I have been dying to get a membership at Sam's. So imagine our excitement when the church signed me up to do some purchasing for the children's area.
We talked about it all week. Heck, I even dreamed about it.
We planned our whole day around it yesterday & on the way, Jeff said, "I'm so excited."
I pictured it in my head...
the kids behaving because of being entertained at all that's going on, us eating samples, finding fabulous deals that we could afford, etc., etc.
But it wasn't that way, at all...
It was Bubby throwing his binky down on the dirty concrete floor. And none of the samples were safe for Flynn. And unless we had the space to store a 100-pack of toilet paper, not much was going to work for us.
But, I was thirsty, so the 74-oz drink was worth it.

Reasons I Should Not Go to Walmart

I have a hard time even capitalizing walmart....
I hate it that much.
My standing joke at parties, is that I'd rather get a pap smear than shop at walmart.
After my a.m. visit today, there are other examinations I'd add to the list.

Herego reasons I'd rather be anywhere else:

• it makes me strongly dislike others in the human race
• it makes me make ugly faces & be mean
• it makes me throw things & talk sarcastically to people
• it makes me say obvious things, outloud, even tho I'm alone, like, 'why are you stopping in the middle of an aisle, for no reason?' OR 'whose cart is this?'
• I want to trip or push down people

People, I don't mind moving over.... sliding my cart, stopping for you, waiting for you to decide IN THE MIDDLE OF AN AISLE if you want elbow, spiral, or shell shaped pasta.... just please, acknowledge that I did so...and Maybe, just MAYBE, say thanks or excuse me?

Since adjusting my blood pressure meds, I'm a new woman. I'm not tired all the time & dizzy & I actually hop out of bed in the am & go! So, at 10 'til 6 this morning, that's what I did. If I *have* to go to walfart, I do it at the crack of dawn. Becuz, if I have to be in that armpit of a place, I want it to be when most of the people I have a hard time being around, are sleeping it off.

I needed to buy fabric for church. So, I went to the fabric dept. No one was there. I was a buzzer to ring w/ a note, "Ring Bell for Service." Wow, how accomodating I thought! So I rang...and rang... and rang...

no one.

for miles.

So, I went to the auto dept, just adjacent to the fabric dept. Where I saw a man older than dirt. And I said, "Is anyone working in fabric?"

"huh?"

"Can you page someone to assist me in the fabric dep't?"

Apparently, that wasn't on his to-do list, and that bothered him. Tremendously. So he very hatefully & very Jeff Foxworthyly paged, "A customer needs help in fabric."

So I went back to my 'post' to wait for my help.

That never came.

Ever.

So, I strolled over to Layaway. Lights on. No one home.

So, I strolled back to my 'post.' Again. To wait. Again. No one.

So, I walked around like a moreon...aimlessly, looking for someone who worked there. Or who was working I should say.

Again. No one.

So, I heard some conversation coming from a hall by layaway. So, like a private investigator, I parked outside of the doorway & as soon as I saw a blue vest, I jumped all over them like I do when I buy bubblegum ice cream (see previous post). They kinda laughed & said, "I doubt anyone is scheduled in fabric 'til 7."

I looked at my watch, it said 7. So I muttered something hateful about 'how it would be nice if there was a little sign that said that....as most people assume that since the STORE IS OPEN 24 HOURS, THAT IT'S ACTUALLY OPEN' through my superglued glasses. Tightened my ponytail & begrudgingly wheeled my loaded cart back to fabric.

I rang the bell again. Just for the heck of it.

Here came the 5th golden girl. Her trademark would be the penciled in eyebrows. She was sweet tho & it wasn't her fault that no one bothered to tell me that she would be my white knight - not scheduled 'til 7. So she helped me. And I smiled & talked about my kids, and acted like there wasn't 45 mins previously wasted, trying to find help...

That I won't get back.