What better way to spend a beautiful day than with friends!

What's Black and Red All Over?

If I would have had the presence of mind to take a picture, I would have. My son came to me and said, "come." No explanation; nothing else. DH said that can't be good if he won't tell you why. So I follow him to the basement...down the stairs. Then I see it. PAINT. EVERYWHERE! Black oozing paint puddled on the carpet. There stands my dear little girl hands bright red envision a surgeon. Red paint puddled on the table. Smeared on chairs.
I pick up DD holding her away from my body and shoot upstairs to wash her off. My neice following seems to have a little bit of black on her hands but nothing major. I wash hands. Take off clothes. Notice that neice had paint on the bottow of her jammies. Put them both into the bath tub. Paint had found it's way into their hair.
I go back down to try to clean up. I sop up as much black ooze as I can. Thank God I still had the steam cleaner I am borrowing. I get that set up and plug it in...nothing. I call DH onto the scene and he takes over with the steam cleaner. I finish getting little girls cleaned up. Washing their hair. With them safely out of the tub. I resume clean-up. I took a box of baby wipes; wiping down chairs and table. Many, many wipes later. It was done.

Now I need to find the key to the art supply cabinet...that baby is going to be LOCKED.

Sharks

While Jaws places fear about this fascinating creature, my son and I have begun to respect them. Last night before bed we read a book about sharks. We have read it many times. Then this morning there was an article on Snopes about the picture above. At first glance it looks like yet another fabricated shark photo. This one is real! Read the Snopes report here. For those intersted in learning more about Great White sharks click this article here from the Africa Geographic(Sept 2005)r. This picture is from that magazine and the research they are doing.

We fear the unknown...so don't be ignorant...learn about that which you are afraid.


Photograph by Thomas P. Peschak

Park with Friends

Memorizing The Word

Memorizing the Word is important to me. Sometimes I am faithful in setting aside a scripture and really commiting it to heart. Other times it happens by accident where one sticks out and I meditate on it enough that it takes root and I know it. And still other times there is no verse that I am working on. So my desire is to be more dilegent and diliberate in my memorizing. To do so I need more accountability. The plan is simple. I set aside at least one if not more scriptures to be memorized. I will post it. Then I will follow through with working on it that week. Feel free to ask me how it is going, which verse I am working on or review past scriptures when you see me. This will help me grow. Soon you should find a Scripture Review on the sidebar. Please feel free to do this with me.

Phillipians 4: 6-7
6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving make known your request to God. 7And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Chist Jesus.

Taken By My Kids

So I finally downloaded March's pictures. There were 115 of them. Over half of them taken by my children. Here is some of their work.


"Me take pi-tur mom" -DD 2 years old


What's mom doing? Oh Yeah...she's at the computer. -DS


Isn't she cute? DS thinks so he took about 20 of her in a row.


Mom and little girl. Taken by DS age 4

Rockin Good Food

Lately I have thouroughly been enjoying my food. Not the oh this is good. More like oh my goodness this is rockin. Savoring every bite.

Saturday night with the ladies I had a gordita shell filled with beans, taco meat, lettuce, gaucamole, cheese, salsa and sour cream. Oh YES it was delish.

Sunday evening Orange chicken served over rice garnished with snow peas. So beautiful I should have taken a picture. And oh YES it was delish.

Tonight I made a reuben loaf. Bread dough filled with 1000 Island, corn beef, saurkrat and swiss cheese. Baked. And oh YES it was delish.

I am enjoying my food so much it can only mean one thiing. I am definately NOT pregnant.

New Game

New game. Braun. Slingshot tetris style.

Brackets and Other Things Basketball

This year the NCAA tournament has had some crazy twist and turns. Out of good fun DH and I each do a bracket for the tourney. Usually I win. This year I had hope in Michigan State...I am a fan. So when they went out in round one my brackets took a huge hit (so sad.) Then more upsets. And others brackets took a dive as well. Then go figure in the year of the upset no #1 seed made it to the final four. Who would have thunk it?

So both DH and my brackets are dead for this year. Dead; done. And I won. With a grand total of 36 whopping points.

My hubby and I enjoy the spirit of the tournament. Our favorite year was 2000. Michigan State was a number one seed. They were having a great showing. Then came a great oppurtunity. A friend got tickets to the final four. Two tickets. The tickets were actually a final four and final game package. And they were pricey. Our friend wanted one for the final game but needed to sell the others. He called me to see if my dear hubby would be interested. To which I knew he would be. But I didn't tell him about the offer. Instead I bought the ticket and told the friend it would be a total suprise. The morning of the game happened to be April Fools Day. I picked up a t-shirt from a corner vendor. Laid out the clothes then woke him up.
ME: Wake up
DH: Why?
ME: Your going to the game.
DH: Whatever I am going back to bed
ME: No really your going to the game...wake up...get dressed ...he's going to be here soon
DH: Whatever...haha...April Fools
ME: Get dressed...he's going to be here any minute
DH: Who is he?
ME: Mike
DH: Really??? (slight glimmer of hope)
DH: Whatever (still doesn't believe me)
ME: Call him...(throwing phone onto bed)
To which he called...and Mike confirmed the good news.
DH got dressed the whole time saying really, how, where did you get tickets, AM I REALLY GOING TO THE GAME??
He did indeed go to the game. The guys had a great time. Michigan State won and hubby was living it up. Exiting the game they found some tickets for sale from fans whose team had lost...ahhh so sad...no not really. He got a ticket and got to go to the big dance as well. History will tell you that in 2000 Michigan State won the NCAA tournament under the direction of our beloved Tom Izzo and led on the floor by Mateen Cleaves. I can still see Mateen doing his little hoppity dance on his injured ankle. And that SMILE.
That year I won the wife of the year award in the eyes of my man. Good times good times.

Not Too Late

The day has arrived for our monthly Ladies Night and it is not too late to get in on it.

Dinner and a movie beginning at 5:30pm. Get ahold of me if you need more details.

Hope to see you here.

Self Potty Training

I am a laid back person in general. And it is so with my potty training technique. My boy was almost three when he decided he wanted to potty train. One night he had literally 20 questions. Why do people use the potty? Why do we flush? Where does our poop go? Why underwear? Why do babies wear diapers? ....you get the point. I answered each one the best I could. I even took him down to the basement and showed him the pipes that carried stuff out of the house and into the sewer system. He took it all in and was very interested. The next morning he woke up and declared that he was not wearing diapers anymore; only underwear. And it was literally that easy. He potty trained himself. I gently guided but it was his desicion. He had a couple accidents that first month but really it was only a couple. He was dry from day one at night and naptime. I remember that first night asking him about a diaper for bedtime and he said "NO only underwear" and he meant it. I figured why not try...and low and behold...dryness. That is my boy.

Now my girl. She is 29 months aka almost 2 1/2 years. I thought it would be awhile before she was really ready. But no. She woke up Tuesday requesting underwear. See post BigGirl?!! Wednesday I did not ask nor did she ask for underwear so the whole day she wore a diaper. Then Thursday she woke up and first thing asked for underwear. So I gave her a pair. With the understanding of one pair a day. We went out of the house that morning and I was nervous. She insisted on no diaper. So I grabbed a bag with a change of clothes and we went out the door. She stayed dry the whole time out. WooHoo. Then later had an accident and went back to a diaper. No fuss. Friday, same deal, one pair of underwear. This time I went out with my mom and half way to our destination realized I forgot the bag. Doh. We were out for 2 hours and we visited three different bathrooms; thankfully we arrived back home DRY. WooHoo. Yesterday she went 11 hours before she had an accident. I think she truly did not realize her warning sign for #2. Doh. We talked about it. She seemed to understand. Back to a diaper for the rest of the day. Today is a new day. She is wearing the underwear. We shall see how long she makes it today.

The thing I love is she is doing it on her own. As long as she is interested and wants to do it. We will. I do ask every so often when she is wearing her underwear if she needs to go. But she is not on a schedule for going to sit on it. Also last night wearing her diaper she took it off twice to go use the bathroom. Pretty cool. If she continues her interest for a couple more days I will take a more incentive approach. Stickers and such. So time will tell.

Kids Karaoke

Apparently I deleted this prematurely. I thought it was last weekend. Oops. In case you were looking for something to do. Here you go.

Kids Karaoke
+ Fun & Games!
Sunday, March 26th, 2006
2:00-5:00 PM
IM Sports West - MSU Campus
(next to the MSU Football Stadium)
Come and Enjoy.
-Kids Karaoke Singing!
-Meringue Dancing!
-Jumping in the bounce house!
-Face Painting!
-Spartan Soul Dance Team Dance Clinic!
-Fun & Games!
Costs:
Admission - $3/person
Bounce House is $1/child for one jumping session or $2/child for unlimited bouncing sessions
Concession items available for purchase!
Proceeds will go towards scholarships for students with children.
Parking:
Free! West of the football stadium
Questions?
Contact the Family Resource Center at 432-3745 x146

Blogging Article

Check out this article from BabyTalk Magazine. Blogin Mama's

Past Your Past

Tonight was good. I shared my testimony with an amazing group of people at our church. After I shared there was a small group meeting time to share struggles and "ups." It was incredible being in that room and hearing the things people shared. Good stuff.
On the drive home I was reminded of a very clear moment in my healing process. I was a courier and spent many hours of my day inside a car transporting stuff from point A to point B. Needless to say I listened to the radio A LOT! At that time in my life I was listening to quite a bit of Family Life Radio. There were many days that ministered to me and I felt the exact words and songs were programmed JUST FOR ME. But there was one day that sticks out crystal clear.

The song that played was Past Your Past by Kirk Talley
A couple of the lines are as follow.
You can get past your past you can walk away from painful memories. Past your past you don't have to be alone. You can stand on the Word of God your yesterdays can be gone He will see you past your past and then you can go on.

That's from memory! I just found it and it played the chorus and that is it. Click that link and go listen to it. The whole song is incredible. I remember weeping. For there were parts of my past that I need to get past. People I needed to forgive. Things I blamed. I was still wounded. And this song really ministered to me. And it showed me a way to get through.

Healing comes in many ways and God uses some incredible things to guide us, teach us, minister to us in brokenness. And on that night it was a song on the radio. And it changed my life.

Beloved God is big enough to see you through whatever it is your facing. Be it present or past. He can heal you in your innermost being. I know...I've lived it. And today I am past my past. Halleluia!

Deal or No Deal

My dear son came to me with an offering of 17 cents. His little hand holding it up for me to see. "I will give this to you if you will let me stay up." Nice offer but getting out of a nap will cost more than that. I cherish this time. I should have emphased that more. I CHERISH NAP TIME.

DS "What will it cost me?"
ME "Your whole piggy bank!"
DS "My whole piggy bank?"
ME "Yes"

He scampered off to think it over. A couple minutes later he handed it over.

ME "Do you really want to give mommy all the money from your piggy bank?"
DS "All but a penny"
Then he shook out the contents. A mound of riches.
DS "Maybe I will keep the quarters"
ME "All the money or back to bed"
DS "OK all but a penny"
ME "Deal"
DS "I can stay up?
ME "Yes"

I have not counted but it looks like I made off with somewhere between 5 and 10 dollars.
And I could have buckled for 17 cents.

Poem by Langston Hughes

This poem by Langston Hughes is one that has stuck with me over the years. It was a school assignment in my ninth grade English class. We had to memorize the piece. As I was trying to nap today parts of it kept turning around and around in my head. So after a quick google it was found. Enjoy.

Mother to Son

Well, son, I'll tell you:
Life for me ain't been no crystal stair.
It's had tacks in it,And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor --
Bare.
But all the timeI'se been a-climbin' on,
And reachin' landin's,And turnin' corners,
And sometimes goin' in the dark
Where there ain't been no light.
So boy, don't you turn back.
Don't you set down on the steps'
Cause you finds it's kinder hard.
Don't you fall now --
For I'se still goin', honey,
I'se still climbin',
And life for me ain't been no crystal stair.

Langston Hughes, "Mother to Son" from Collected Poems

4 * 11

First four jobs you have had in your life:
1. Baby Sitter
2. Pizza Flyers
3. Pizza Prep
4. Courier

Four movies you would watch over and over:
1. Midnight Madness
2. Goonies
3. With Honors
4. Dreamer (It came out yesterday)

Four places you have lived:
1. Parents Home
2. Apartment
3. Current Home
4. Summers at my Aunt's
I have only moved twice in my life. Hope to keep it that way.

Four TV shows you love to watch:
1.Survivor
2.Myth Busters
3.Modern Marvels
4.Extreme Home Makeover

Four places you have been on vacation:
1. Florida
2. Maryland
3. Kentucky
4. Texas

Four of your favorite books:
1. Bible
2. Mitford Series
3. Purpose Driven Life
4. Biographies

Four hot celebrities:
1.
2.
3.
4.
I am sure there out there. Just not paying much attention

Who would you would like to have lunch with (alive ordead):
1. Jesus
2. Benjamin Franklin
3. Beth Moore
4. My Grandparents

Four websites you visit daily/a lot:
1. momteacherfriend
2. bloglines.com (this includes 20+ sites)
3. biblegateway.com
4. blogs, blogs and more blogs

Four of my favorite foods:
1. Mexican
2. Italian
3. Orange Chicken
4. Hot Chocolate with vanilla creamer

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. Somewhere warm
2. Camping
3. Picnic
4. Swimming

Four friends I am tagging that I think will respond.....
1. Mindy
2. Kari
3. Sooze
4. newmommy4god

Big Girl!???

DD woke up this morning...took off her diaper AND...
decieded on her own to use the potty. She then proceeded to want underwear. So far she is still dry. She just told me "I am doin a great job!"

Here's hoping. Self-directed...it could work out today or be another 6 months. Time will tell. In the meantime I am excited for her. She IS doing a great job!

Update: It is almost 2pm and she is STILL DRY. so 5 hours in and woohoo.

Homemade Art Supplies

Check out this link. Some great ideas for making art supplies.
http://blessingsforlife.com/crafts/homemade_art_supplies.htm

Age of Testing

I haven't read many parenting books on the subject but I have been reading a dog book. I am beginning to think there are ages of testing. At least there are in dogs. Where they test limits. I think we have arrived at a new age in my son. While pleasent and cute...most of the time...he has started a new delayed reaction. Inwardly questioning "does mom mean what she says?" The answer to that question is Yes...most of the time. I consciencely think about what I say to my kids knowing that I will need to follow through. Yet there are times when I am occupied (be it the phone or computer) that they sneak things by me.
The last week I have been aware of this simmering defiance. Last night I had to take a stand. Rudeness and disrespect had reared there ugly heads. After a request to straighten up. He did. For about two minutes. Then he hit his sister. My follow through was to go to bed early. To which he cried and screamed and pleaded. He even pulled out the sympathy card of "I only want to spend time with you." (SIGH) Then all was silent. Which we all know can mean one of two things. 1. He fell asleep 2. He is brewing some trouble. My motherly instinct said to check it out. As I approached his door he was trying to walk out. Then he laid it on thick. The I love you's, I want to be with you, I will be good, please let me stay up. Tell me you have been here people. With a breif hug I told him I loved him too. Then I followed through. He cried some more. But then he came to a point where I think he realized that I did mean it. Because I did.
This morning we cuddled on the couch. Today is going to be better.

One last thing: Pastor Brad shared this with us on Sunday
Delayed obedience is disobedience.