Let's get it started....

So here it is monday afternoon and you know what, I actually sat down with Noah today and worked on writing his name....he surprised the heck out of me and wrote most of his letters really good. The "n" is the hardest, but he didn't do half bad. I also used some flash cards to work with him on his alphabet recognition and sounds. He rocked on that one, because he loves to play his Leapster phonics game. It only took 15 minutes, but it felt so good to be productive with him. He loved it because he received a cookie and a video when it was over....I think I am on to something here. I decided that on the days he does not have preschool he will have to play on starfall.com {http://www.starfall.com} and work on writing his letters for a half and hour. I would really like him to be successful in his kindergarten education and if I work with him now, he should be ready and enjoy it next year. Let's see how far I actually get with it, but for now, I have one day down.

How did this happen?

So I was watching Noah the other day and I realized something.....somewhere along the way I stopped teaching him. I think that as a stay at home mom you take your first child and you teach them everything you know....how to put their socks on, tie their shoes, recognize their alphas, spell their name...but the second child, watch out. I see my son, who is almost 5 years old and the baby of the family, throw a jump up and down fit if I ask him to get dressed. What is up with that? The number one sentence from his mouth is "but I want you to do it" okay maybe that is not a sentence, but you understand. Seriously how did this happen? I think I am so proud that I made it through the first one that I relaxed on the second. Noah came home monday with a sheet from school and he had attempted to spell his name...it was brutal. I remember all summer thinking "I cannot wait for his teacher to show him how to spell his name." Sad but true. I think I just don't know how to motivate him....daughter not a problem. I think this is a common problem with moms or maybe I am just trying it make myself feel better. I can see a whole learn how to "spell your name" teaching thing coming to our home shortly. and maybe a get yourself dressed and well the list could go on and on for him. The real truth is we never stop teaching our kids, my parents still show me truths today in my life. So I guess I better settle into this role, because it lasts for a long time.

A little shameless plug

So I have this amazing sister in law {Leslie Gould...http://www.lesliegould.com/index.html}who is a wonderful author and her third book is releasing next week. I just finished reading a copy of the book and wanted to write a little something to entice you to go buy a copy.

The book is titled "Scrap Everything" and it made my heart happy and my mind think on the "fears" in my life that make me hold on too tightly. I loved that Leslie incorporated lots of different real life elements into this story about powerful relationships and what happens when we let go and let God. When we trust in Him as our creator, savior and planner. The relationships explored in this book are heartfelt and full of honesty. Have you ever found yourself afraid to open up? To explore a new friendship or hobby? To admit that it is okay to be afraid?

Of course one of my favorite lines from the book is when Rebecca the shop owner is explaining the art of scrapbooking and refers to dressing her children in outfits that match a specific piece of scrapbooking paper that she has in her stash......now I wonder why I would like that?

Seriously you have to go and pick up a copy. It releases on October 10th on Amazon, Barnes and Noble or go request it from you local Christian bookstore.

I wanna be a rock star...

well, not really. but my kids do now. my friend called and asked if the kids and i wanted to go to the david crowder/third day concert for free....thad was already taking the high school kids, so this way we could tag along and take the kids to their first true rock concert, the wiggles don't count. they had a great time dancing to the music and clapping their hands. at one point noah was on his air guitar and sydnie had her hips shaking with her hands up in the air....how adorable is that. we got a lot of laughs and "how cute" from the families around us. it was a super fun night. i love introducing the kids to good music and they loved the lights and all the high schoolers jumping up and down. I did miss being able to enjoy the music without someone crawling all over me or hanging from the railing, while i watch with concern. Good times last night, can't wait to do it again. Rock on.............

normal is good

I love normal...I love school. I love the routine and the feel of fall in the air. I love that Sydnie had her school pictures taken today. I love that Noah drew a picture of the world today in school. I love that Sydnie got to buy her first ever hot lunch at school. I love that I got to go to target all by myself and enjoy a pumpkin spice latte....ahhh fall. I love that awana is starting tonight and that we get to memorize scripture on a daily basis. I love that the kids are playing with their new clay right now, creating, experiencing, enjoying. normal life is good. bring on the normal.

Healing Fields

My hometown was fortunate enough to host a 9/11 memoriam called the "Healing Fields." A breathtaking display of over 3,000 flags that move in the breeze, as you recall the images and emotions of that day your mind recalls it all over again. will never be forgotten. You cannot help but be moved as the tears come to the surface...you slowly let them fall, not bothering to wipe them away. for there is no shame in tears for the fallen, all around you people are grasping for some meaning, some sense of closure. Just as Pearl Harbor is for several generations, so this will be our reminder that freedom does come at a price. As you walk away from the wreckage of your emotions you start to feel a little peace, a little healing. Knowing that God has a plan for all of us, He cares for us. Even when something like 9/11 does not make sense to us, He knows.

This evening I walked with my son, who was not even born when this tragedy occured. I tried to show him what honor and respect are. That we should always remember that firemen and policemen and so many others willingly gave their lives that day to save others. I just pray that in the years to come the next generations will be able to know what honor and respect are all about.

to find out more about this organization go here: http://www.healingfield.org/index.php

or

http://www.flagofhonor.org/

We Will Never Forget

As the nation went to work on the east coast and woke up on the west, a terrible event in America's history was unfolding. Two hijacked planes crashed into New York Cities World Trade Towers and decimated Life, Liberty and our sense of Security. Within an hour each building collapsed, taking with it the lives of many of our firefighters, policemen and civilians. The Pentagon was next on the list and was also attacked by a hijacked airplane. Many American servicemen and women lost their lives while working at their desks. No one could have foretold this tragedy, but from it we see our nation rising to the occasion. Flags which are normally only seen in July, are now flown with Dignity, Pride and Rememberance.




I woke up early that morning and turned on the news. I could not quite comprehend what I was seeing. I went into the bathroom to tell Thad that the WTC was on fire, but seconds later realized that this was more than a passing issue. I viewed the Pentagon with smoke billowing out and ran into let Thad know that "we were being attacked". How true those words ended up. We both watched in horror as the first tower collapsed. As Thad went to work, I was mesmarized by the coverage. We called each other continually throughout the day to share our feelings and what news we heard. The week took its toll on us emotionally as we realized we were at WAR, but not a war like any we knew.

Journaling September 2001

The end of summer

So this was our last camping trip of the season and I had a hard time getting in the camping mind set this time, but we ended up having a great time as usual. We swam alot and went for this amazing hike at Salt Creek Falls. Good to be around family and enjoy the time. My parents just bought a new trailer, so we hung out a little bit in there when it was cold. It was fun to have my brother and SIL along with their little one. It was chilly at night so they had to bundle Ryen up so much that she could not even move....should have taken a picture of that one!!! Now it is time to pack up all the camping supplies and head into my favorite time of year, Back to School. Thanks for the memories summer...cannot wait to see you again next year.

Real

So you know that moment where for the first time you sit down and have a real conversation with one of your kids. They are listening and responding like you are talking to a friend and you are thinking to yourself, wow when did this happen. I got to experience that last night. Seriously could not understand where my daughter had gone. It was one of the best moments of my life. To feel connected and it took our relationship to a whole new level. It had started earlier in the evening with my 6 year old telling me that I just don't understand what she is trying to tell me.....she stomped upstairs and slammed the door (enter mom, calm voice explaining it is okay to be mad, but not to slam doors). Then as the evening went on we were back on track, so when it was time to read books and go to bed I made extra time to sit and talk to Sydnie. Holy cow!!! It blew me away. She was telling me that she really enjoys talking to me like this, but she understands that life is busy and we just have stuff to do sometimes. Makes me realize how much time I actually spend doing other things, rather than sitting down and having a real conversation with my kids. Goal for this year....work harder on building a future with my kids, one where we communicate and share together. So I guess that means I better stop blogging and go talk.

Heart of Gold

Okay I just have to brag at how amazing my DD is. She can drive me absolutely crazy, but she has a heart of gold, which is why one of my nicknames for her is Goldie. So yesterday morning Dh took us to Starbucks to relax and enjoy some family time. As we were leaving I told the kids to pick up the coffee grounds (you know the ones to add to your flower beds or garden...free to anyone) so Thad picks up a bag and we head out the door. We are about 6 steps outside and Sydnie says "here mom I picked up a bag of coffee for ya." I turn around and notice a full bag of coffee beans, the kind you buy!!! I grab the bag and say oh honey you cannot take these, they are for sale. Run back into the store and notice 4 big construction guys at there table laughing so hard they were ready to fall on the floor. I smile and leave the store. Thad and I laughed the whole way home, which Sydnie was not happy about. Love that kid, always willing to help and wants to please me so much. She certainly has a heart of gold and the mind of a klepto!!!!

hello world

okay so i have been away from the computer for awhile..well that is not true i have just not posted for a long time. my DH has filling in at our church for the high school group and he has been monopolizing the computer. life has been fairly busy. just trying to enjoy the summer with the kids and be a family. i cannot believe that it is already the middle of august.

i have a secret to share.....everywhere i turn people are having babies or adopting babies and i want one. i want to feel the little chubby baby holding on, the sleep depravation, the first smile, the first food tasting. i want it all...but it is not in the plans for us. i will just have to take my fill of everyone else's babies for now and pray that God will take away this longing in my heart.

well maybe i don't want the sleep depravation because my almost 7 year old was awake half the night with an earache and i am super tired and emotional right now. maybe more coffee would help. enjoy the rest of the summer and hopefully will have something more to say when i am not a blubbering idiot.

Letting Go

okay seriously did not think I would have a hard time with my kids growing up and getting so big, but I dropped my daughter off this morning for her first ever day camp. She is going to be gone every day this week, all day long. Just that look on her face this morning as she got on the bus...you know the one, it says "I am growing up now mom...and it is okay." Anyway I was reminded of this song I heard on 104.1 (the fish) the other day about our kids growing up and finding their wings. Of course it was a tear jerker, kind of like butterfly kisses (cry to that one everytime). I cannot wait to hug my little girl when she comes home and just sit with her and hear all about her day. Funny how that happens, when there here you want them to be gone for awhile and when they leave you want them around. okay enough of my ramblings about growing up...I am so excited for her and I know that after this week is over she will be one step closer to becoming a grown up.

Responsibility

So I know that first born children are usually the ones that are full of organization, responsiblity and a general good head for planning it all out. But let me tell you something....my little six year old is the queen. Because we are involved in ministries at our church, she has been around a lot of events and I am usually helping in some capacity. When I organized Teddy Bear Picnic, she created her own at home with games and crafts for all of her stuffed animals to do. She likes her toys just so before she can fall asleep (even though her room is still a mess). This last weekend before we went camping, she made a list of things to do before we headed out for camping and then she made a list of everything to bring. . She sat at her desk for quite awhile thinking of all of these things...not once asking for help on spelling the words, most of which are legible. Yesterday I asked her to help pick up some toys that her brother and his friend had left out...she turned to me and said "they just made me responsible to pick them up - and they don't even want to help me!" WOW. She totally gets it. She will always be the responsible one, the one to help her brother, to organize ideas and projects, the one to make sure that everyone is on time and ready to go, she is becoming me! Poor kid. There are some great things about being organized and resposible, but hopefully she will learn to go with the flow and live a little at the same time. Good luck sweetie....I will always be there to guide you thru this grand adventure called life.

A Little Slice of Heaven

Love this. Love camping. Love the lake. Love the good times. Love waking up to the sounds of boats on the water. This was a super fun weekend of family, friends and good times. Went to Crescent Lake this weekend with a bunch of friends and had just the best time ever. The kids are super tired and they are covered in dirt, but they had a blast. The first night we froze to death, but then the weather turned around and it was so hot and we spent a lot of time in the lake. The water is a little cold, but when you have the mountains with a little snow on them, the white pumice beach and the crystal clear water...amazing. I just love the photo of Sydnie with her cute wavy hair and brown little body, she decided to that she was going to dig a channel to the shore with a paddle and she worked so hard. Perseverance. Seriously good weekend.

The Swarm

One evening a family of four set off for camping at the last minute...not a lot of planning, but happy to be together. The kids started to get antsy after about an hour of driving and then one had to potty. The father stops into Hoodoo to check for bathrooms and discovers they are closed...so the family stops on the side of the road, since no one is about and piles out of the car, dog in tow. As soon as the doors to the minivan open what should appear, but thousands of mosquitos ready to munch on sweet little children. The screaming starts loud and non-stop!!! The fear is evident in their eyes and faces. The parents scoop up the children and throw them into the van where at least 200 of the little creatures are flying about looking for something to eat. The crying intensifies to the point where the only reaction from mom is laughing (and killing mosquitos). With the windows rolled down and the sound barrier breaking the family drives for a half and hour to the sweet sound of terror. Eventually all the mosquitos are killed off and the children realize we are almost to their destination, when suddenly the sweet loving daughter asks..."Are there bears where we are going?"

aaaahhhhhh.....

I am not skilled to understand, what God has willed, what God has planned. I only know at His right hand, stands one who is my Savior.

I take Him at His word and deed, Christ died to save me; this I read and in my heart I find a need of Him to be my Savior.

That He would leave His place on high and come for simple man to die. You count it strange so once did I, before I knew my Savior.

My Savior loves, my Savior lives, my Saviors always there for me.
My God He was, my God He is, my God He's always gonna be.
My Savior loves, my Savior lives, my Saviors always there for me.
My God He was, my God He is, my God He's always gonna be.

Yes, living, dying let me bring my strength, my solace from this spring;
That He who lives to be my king, once died to to be my savior.

That He would leave His place on high and come for simple man to die.
You count it strange so once did I, before I knew my Savior.

My Savior loves, my Savior lives, my Saviors always there for me.
My God He was, my God He is, my God He's always gonna be.
My Savior loves, my Savior lives, my Saviors always there for me.
My God He was, my God He is, my God He's always gonna be.

My Savior lives
My Savior loves
My Savior lives
My Savior loves
My Savior lives


http://aaronshust.com/v4/watch.html

Perfect Goodness

To qoute from my favorite tv cook - YUMMO! I mean seriously look at these red juicy slices of heaven. There is not a more perfect fruit in all the world. My daughter asked me last night what my favorite fruit was and I told her strawberries, she said "yep, those are my favorite too". Love this time of year, strawberries in the morning on waffles, for a snack, strawberry shortcake and well...everything in between.

Perfect. Good. Sweet. Love.

Dune Adventures

This is a tale of 15 awana kids who went on a sand dune adventure. This was the year end trip all the Truth and Training kids who finished their books this year. We took them to Florence to ride the miles and miles of dunes on the oregon coast. We piled into a converted bus dune buggy and off we went. Now let me say this was not the fastest ride out there, but we did have a great time. The little kids who came with mom and dad enjoyed every minute and loved to see the motorcycles and atv's poppin' wheelies. There was lots of yelling and screaming and begging to go down the big hills. My son sat there yelling and punching his fist up into the air everytime an atv went by us and at one point he was humming the theme to star wars very loud, that must mean he was ultra excited. My daughter said to me afterwards that we should invite grandpa to go and ride the fast one that was catching air as it came off the dunes. What a little daredevil. It was a great day and I am so glad that we got to tag along for the ride.

A Piece of History

It is not often that our children think of the liberties that we have in this country. They take for granted all of the "things" that they can do and own. But today I took the kids to tour a couple of WWII bombers (B24/B17) that were sitting out at the airport. We had seen them flying last night, but you could actually walk thru them and take pictures. What an important piece of our heritage as Americans....something that every child should have the opportunity to witness and show respect for. I had to explain to the kids what these bombers did and what they meant to us as americans in WWII. They had a hard time showing respect, because they are kids they wanted to run and play and noah was fascinated with the machine guns. It was amazing to see how tiny these planes actually are inside. They are such huge machines that carried such brave airmen, but to be in one and picture the men trying to run around inside, it was overwhelming. I only hope that one day my kids can look back at the pictures and remember that they had the chance to walk through these amazing pieces of history and that they will remember and honor the men and women who fight for our freedom everyday. To check out more about these planes visit: http://www.collingsfoundation.org/menu.htm

Country Roads

if you were born in the 70's you remember John Denver....bowl cut, country boy,glasses and most of all you remember him on the Muppets Show singing along with Kermit the Frog. But did you know that there might be a cult revival of his songs happening. We went to our nieces 8th grade graduation last night and for one of there theme songs they sang country roads by john denver...not "time of your life" by green day, which they originally picked. Now picture this, parents were asked to sing along, the roof was shaking and people were really getting into this song...my husband just sat there staring at me, apparently he did not even know the song. I knew every word. My dad listened to a lot of country when I was a kid, Alabama, Roger Williams, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings...and a little bit of John Denver. That was some pretty cool times last night.

Busy Weekend

WOW....it has been a crazy weekend. I had a garage sale on friday. Had a decent turn out and earned a little extra cash. My girlfriend came over and hung out all day...the boys played so well together that we hardly knew they were there. My daughter lost her third tooth this weekend and the next one is hanging on by a thread. I spent the rest of the weekend in portland scrapbooking with a friend. We scrapped from morn to night (1:30am) and only left the house once. I was still in my jammies at 3:30pm, how great is that? it was a weekend of good laughs, good food, not a lot of sleep and good conversation. Sunday afternoon we packed up early and met the rest of the gang at Chevy's for lunch. This is a group of friends that has been going strong for 12 years. We got to know each other in different ways, but eventually all landed in a care group together and started monthly Olive Garden meals together. We saw each other through boyfriends, job changes, engagements, marriages, babies and moves. Even though we are now scattered (belgum, colorado, salem and portland) we will always remain friends. This photo is missing krista ,our ex-pat friend maybe I should photo shop her into the picture! Thanks for the memories gang....OG lives forever!!!

Friends make memories...the heart preserves them

I have a graduate

Look at this cute kindergarten graduate. A little singing...a little magic 1st grade wand...a little job future "I want to be a princess" and a little coldstones. The crazy thing...she still has 5 days left of school. nuff said.

Really Pumped

Okay so I was on Jamie Waters blog tonight and she posted about Spirit West Coast, which they were at handing out flyers about her husbands DVD - Angel Wars. If you have a son you have got to check these out. It looks right up Noah's alley and it has a positive and biblical message. Need to find one so I can check it out.....maybe the lightsaber noises will go away for awhile! Here is the link for http://www.angelwars.com/

Just reading about Spirit West Coast made me nostalgic for when I used to go to Jesus Northwest. Good times had there....early-90's. But it was so much fun. Got introduced to some great new bands (at the time) and it was always fun. If you notice the cross necklaces that we have on...the first year we went this kid was making these to pay his way thru college. He was there for years and you can still buy them in several christian bookstores in the area. Crosses by Brian. I still have mine, never wear it, but good memories attached to it. I was just sorting thru pix this morning for a scrapping weekend and thought I would post some "great" pix. No kidding about the hair ladies, okay maybe a little.

3 Cousins sitting on a tractor

Child of My Child

Heart of my Heart

Your smile bridges the years between us -

I am young again discovering the world

Through your eyes.

You have the time to listen

and I have the time to spend.

Delighted to gaze at familiar, loved features, made new in you again.

Through you, I'll see the future. Through me, you'll know the past.

In the present we'll love one another, as long as these moments last.

Pictures on Sydnie, Noah and Ryen all on my dad's "tractor". Ryen had her first tractor ride this weekend and loved it...well, at least she did not scream. My kids being 6 and 4 can actually drive it themselves. It was fun to see a new little one on it. Found this poem about 4 years ago and love it, thought is was perfect for these pictures.

Normal Doesn't Live Here

okay you think I am kidding, but it is so true. the only thing that we know around our house is drama!!!!!!!!!!!! (like the drama) so this morning i walked Sydnie to school and we get into her classroom and i look at her neck which is completely red and nasty looking. her teacher comes over and we decide she is having a reaction to her antibiotics, we head to the school nurse which informs us we need to go to the doctors immediately. we head home and jump into the van to head to whichever doctor will take her, pediatric or ENT. on the way there are repeated questions...can you still breath okay, swallow fine, does it itch at all? all of which sydnie answers with the "mom, i feel fine really." finally one of the doctors calls back and says to stop her antibiotic now (which does not help the dose she took this morning) and continue to watching her throughout the day. holy cow, nothing can just be normal (hey i am going to take my meds for tonisilitis and be just fine). the whole house cannot stay well enough to even just like each other right now. drama finds me wherever i go. there is no way around it. I just want a little dose of normal...that is all a woman wants. I just want days of laundry and cleaning and cooking...not running to docs offices and making children take antibiotics. The good news about all of this, is we saw the doc yesterday (which of course this did not happen then) and he said sydnie will not have to have her tonsils our right now, but sometime in the future she will. so at least we don't have a surgery looming in our future.

Pieces of Home

So I took the kids down to my parents house yesterday for a little R&R...we all needed to just hang out with a little TLC comin' our way. It is funny how sometimes you visit your home and become nostalgic for the things you remember most about what the house was when you were growing up. I was struck that someday these things that I know, will not be here...the house will be the same, but the things that make it up will be gone. So I had fun taking some photos of things that when I think of my parents house, say welcome. My dad loves to garden and growing up we always had a huge garden in the back, now my kids get to help grandpa plant the garden and tend to it throughout the summer. The boat is a reminder of all the camping and fishing trips we took as kids....but it doesn't run anymore. The windmill is a fairly recent addition, something they purchased on their 30th wedding anniversary.

I also took some of my dad's photos that he had taken with his Nikon SLR...beautiful photos of flowers and animals in their yard, and put them in an album for them to look at thru the winter. My dad took some amazing photos but my favorite was one of his pear trees.....I mean it looked like a postcard. I had fun devoting one full page to the animals that visit...deer, rabbits, quail, and woodpeckers....so cool. I told him he needed to practice some more and we could add more pages later.

Great weekend!!! Much needed escape and a chance to remember family.

frustrated

okay....so when I started this blog, my daughter had been diagnosed with mono (see 10 days post) but as it turns out after five hours spent in doctors offices, she really had tonsillitis, periabsess tonsillitis. So after 8 doctors visits, we finally got to go to an ENT who put her on antibiotics and we have to revisit next week to determine if the tonsils have to be removed. Now to top it all of I had to take my son in today and he has strep throat!!! I am super frustrated that doctors do not listen to what you are telling them. as a mother we know when there is something wrong with our child....not just a virus!!!! I was treated poorly for trying to protect my daughter and sons health, by "professionals" who are there to "help" you. Because the doctors didn't listen to me a month ago when I told them it just did not seem like a virus or why did they not prescribe and antibiotic when they claimed she mono and tonsillitis the first time, Sydnie may have to have her tonsils removed. That means that my beautiful, sweet 6 year old will have to go under the knife. WOW....I am mad. Good place to vent...gotta let it go and move on, because I will just keep getting madder and madder which is not going to do any good. I just know now that when we go to the doctors office I need to know and question everything that they are saying and doing. Sad state of healthcare. Well it's time to go serve antibiotics to the kids. Have a great weekend.

Yay Taylor

Okay....I am so glad that Taylor won!! I really enjoyed Cat, but Taylor just rocked the house...of course so did Chris D, but you can't have it all. I loved the fact that Carrie has done so well with her career. I watched her last night on the ACM's. Great voice. Can't wait to download Taylor's song.

How could a person choose between Idol and Lost. I have to say that JJ Abrams is a master story teller. He is amazing. Just finished Lost and I went back and forth between the two for the first hour, so I will have to watch Lost more intensely tomorrow, but what the heck was that? If they killed Locke I will be so mad. First "Locke" is written out of Alias, now Lost? Which I know cannot be true, but you never now with JJ. Love his theme's of choice vs fate. okay...enough about tv and now a little shut eye.

rain rain come and play

It is no suprise that it rains alot in oregon...the weird thing is my kids do not like to play in the rain. They never have, even though they have rain boots and umbrellas and rain jackets. But this week it has been pouring down rain and suddenly my son decides that his camoflauge umbrella is super cool and he wants to walk in the rain. Next thing I know the kids are outside in flip flops with their "cool" umbrellas running around in the rain. I of course think of the awesome scrap pages I could make so I ran and got the camera. The shots are not fantastic, because I was thinking of all the times when I was a kid and played in the rain and mud. My brother and I would be covered from head to toe in mud, but we were always so happy. Maybe I will have normal kids!!! (he he) Of course they were cold when they came in to change and they sat down to a warm bowl of soup, just like out of a campbells commercial. I think I will stay inside in the warm, cozy house and play on my computer...oh how times change.

New Passion

I so love the David Crowder Band. I have been obsessively listening to their cd's this weekend. Oh my gosh...how come it took so long to get into them? My brother and sister in law told me to listen to it a couple of years ago, but I was in the height of letting my kids listen to their Veggie Tales. Now I am laying down the law and in the car from now on it gets to be mommy music. The kids love all of my music...jack johnson, reliant k, newsboys, aaron shust, faith hill. This is a little slice of heaven just for me. It probably does not hurt that I am scrapbooking as well. Seriously got to check out this http://www.davidcrowderband.com/index2.php3

What would you do for sleep?

So noah came running into my room this morning at 6:15am asking to go out to the car and get his bear! Needless to say I rolled over and went back to sleep. I heard him then go run into sydnie's room and wake her up. From there it was quiet playing in the hallway with their magnetix. Suddenly at 7:30 I realized they were being awfully quiet...that is when the feeling of dread came over me...what were they doing? I walked quietly to the playroom and realized that they were in the closet playing. Which is off limits by the way. I knew something was wrong, they are not this quiet...I happened to look down and saw lots of little styrofoam beads, the kind you put into bean bags. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that they had opened a newly acquired bag (still waiting to buy covers) and were playing with it. I go to the door and they had locked themselves in, went to find a key and told them to start cleaning up. Needless to say, I did get to sleep in, but I have spent the last two hours "helping" them clean up all the tiny beads. They lost their privilege of going to watch the Keizer Iris Festival parade this morning and we will have to see about the birthday party. So what would you do for a little extra sleep....let the silence continue or go investigate?

A Mom's Salary

Analysis completed by Salary.com reveals that today's 5.4 million stay-at-home moms would earn $131,471 in annual salary, including overtime pay, if paid in cash in addition to the steady flow of rewarding hugs and kisses from their children. Salary.com consulted with a representative sampling of stay-at-home moms before finalizing a list of the top seven job titles that fit the average mom's job description. Ranked in order from most time-consuming to least time-consuming, the list includes the titles of:
Daycare Center Teacher
Van Driver, Housekeeper
Cook
CEO
Nurse
General Maintenance Worker

Stay-at-home moms and working moms have a tremendous responsibility in raising their children and in the spirit of the upcoming Mother's Day holiday we recognize all moms and grandmothers for a job well done," We found it extremely difficult to put a true price on an annual salary for stay-at-home moms because they are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week with only a few, if any, chances to relax."

Finally a validation that we can never, ever be paid enough for all of the work we do for our families. I was online one day and found this article...I thought it would make a perfect scrapbook page about mothers day and all that we do. I enjoy being a stay at home mom and at this point in my life I would be very difficult to go back to work...how do you manage both when your kids need you so much? I have worked part time at a LSS a couple of times, but in the long run, my kids are more important than anything else. No one can tell you what is the right choice for you, but my decision to stay home has been the best decision I have ever made!

My Day

This is one of the first Mother's Days that was totally relaxing...just me and the family...I loved this day. We spent the morning at church and then took a picnic lunch down to riverfront park. Kids played on the play structure and rode on the carousel. The weather was perfect, amazing actually. It does not get any better than today. The kids took me to Al's Garden to buy some plants for my patio. Picked up some cool plants and now I have to actually do the work to plant them (he he). We barbecued this evening and sat on our patio while the kids jumped in their new trampoline. It was so hot that we turned the sprinkler on underneath and they would run back and forth...eat a little, then jump, eat a little then jump. I seriously loved this day.

Pavement Hurts

Is that not a true statement? This week has been one of mortal danger for my son. He has fallen off his bike, crashed into his sister on his bike and fallen down while running in flip-flops....we have gone thru a whole container of bandaids in one week and we might have to invest in the company pretty soon. I was at Old Navy yesterday and found this awesome t-shirt on clearance - "Pavement Hurts". Well of course that went in the basket quicker than you could say what was on it. Noah proudly wore his new shirt today and even posed for some pictures of his bum knees. I know this is the beginning of many daredevil, boy things...Band Aids here we come and a little prayer for mom's sanity would be good too.

Do you Java?

A couple of weeks ago my friend posted on her blog the chance to be a taste tester for Boca Java's new line of coffee just for bloggers. I was intrigued so I went to their site and signed up. Well my coffee arrived yesterday. This company is awesome. They have these incredible names on their coffee, great tag lines! like - Life is short, blog hard. I could not wait to get up this morning and make my first cup of blogger fuel. I broke open a bag of Bloggers Boot up Blend, the perfect breakfast blend. WOW. I must say that is some awesome coffee. It was so incredibly smooth. I was in coffee heaven. The taste was superb, this will be my morning staple for years to come. The best part about it, my DH, who is not a drinker tasted some this morning and he loved it. I think I am hooked.

Camp Daddy - What a great time

Holy cow...I cannot believe it, my husband went camping last weekend with the kids and another friend and his kids. I had the whole weekend to myself. It gets even better, it was national scrapbook day and I got to celebrate. I scrapped down at our church with some friends, visited my LS and got only about 16 pages done. It just felt so good to hang with the girls and talk about everything and nothing. But back to the kids and daddy. They went to the beach for the weekend...it was nice weather, they played on the beach, went for a hike, roasted marshmallows, and rode their scooters. They had a blast...check out the pix.