Saturday, December 31, 2011

Hello 2012!

So... I am not one to stay up until midnight.  Those days are looooong over.

However, I couldn't let Lulu ring in the new year by herself so we got all dolled up and celebrated in style!  I was surprisingly awake the whole time! {{and I didn't even get a nap today}}

My favorite quote of the night?

Ahem...

As we helped ourselves to sparkling cider Lulu ran to get a "cocktail ring."  She announced, "Always accentuate your large drink with a cocktail ring."  I almost fell over when she said it.  She told me that she got the tip from Style Network.  Yikes!  



What is your favorite quote thus far???

Happy 2012 everyone!

Sunday, December 25, 2011

It is merry, isn't it?


Check out the ornament that I spent 4 hours making on Christmas Eve Santa brought for the kids.  I can't wait to give you a full report on our whole day.  Until then, I leave you with this verse.

Luke 2:11
Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; 
He is the Messiah, the Lord.

My favorite Christmas verse is Luke 2:12: This will be a sign to you.  You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.  However, since you can't see the baby in this ornament, Luke 2:11 will have to suffice.  

Merry Christmas!!!!

Monday, December 19, 2011

Sanity Update: Week 1 of 4

My moms group met on Wednesday for our last get together of the year. 
boo hoo hoo.  {{please pass the tissues}}

I skipped the mom's group, for the first time ever, because there was a last minute email sent out (well, it came through on Monday) saying that the plans had been changed and the next meeting would include (1) a white elephant gift exchange and (2) snack to share.  Since I got the email after the weekend had passed and I worked late on Wednesday, I was not appropriately prepared for the moms group meeting.

What did we do instead?  We sat at the couch with a big ol' bag of popcorn and watched Survivor - one of our favorite shows.  Some of us (ahem... me) have watched all 23 seasons.  Yes indeed!

Are you keeping track of my week?
So far, we took out the moms group meeting but added in a tv night with the family.  Sanity is still in tact.

Here's a list of other things that were working against me this week (don't worry - I will get to some good stuff):

Driving:  This past week was especially packed because my oldest daughter (who spends two weeks with me and then two weeks with her dad) was with me this week.  Cheerleading practice started up as well.  I estimate that I spend an extra 560 minutes driving her to and from school and practices on the weeks that she is with me.  I am not complaining.  I am just stating where my time goes.

Volunteering:  Each parent at church volunteers in Sunday School twice a year.  This week was my week to volunteer.  They needed help... in the baby room of all places.  Um... I not real keen on holding my own babies much less someone else's baby.  Babies are a lot of w-o-r-k.  This experience was as pleasant as it could be.  The facility is more than equipped to handle these babies... plenty of bouncy seats and swings and such to keep the babies happy.  But, babies still eat and cry and poop and stuff.  So, it was a very busy morning.  Since Sunday School takes place during church service, I did not get to go to church.  Yes, I could have stayed for the late service, but there was no time for that.  No time.

So, we added in 560 minutes on the road and took out church and added in babysitting.  You with me?  Sounds like a recipe for disaster if you ask me.

School party:  My youngest two had their school party last week.  For 13 years, I have been making creative, fun, and special treats for school parties.  I RACE to the sign-up sheet so I can sign up for something fun (cupcakes) and don't get stuck with something totally boring (juiceboxes).  This year I looked at the list of things to bring and called Bro over to the list to see what he wanted for his party.  Guess what?  He picked CHIPS - Doritos in fact! SCORE!!!!!

So, we took out spending hours of time detailing cupcakes for preschoolers and added in one-bag-of Doritos!  He was totally proud and excited about his chips!  Chips = happy child with no effort.

Reading:  I am reading a book for my book club, Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption, by Laura Hillenbrand, but NOT a parenting book that I had hoped to read.  Either way, I enjoy reading and I am enjoying the book very much. 

The highlight of the week was when we added in gingerbread house decorating at my mom's house.  She totally did all of the work.  There was candy everywhere when we left.  The kids had a fabulous time!  This is an annual tradition and the first time that Bro participated.

I love looking at the pictures of Bro squeezing out the icing...


... compared to the pics of Lulu squirting out the icing.  Clearly, there is a difference.


Then we have Lulu's roof...


... compared to bro's roof.  It just cracks me up!


One of my favorite parts might be the before shot and after shot of Bro's front door.

Here is the "before."


And, here is the after.  He kept insisting that Santa belonged in the house.  Since none of the adults would help him get Santa in the house, he did it himself. 


I adore Lulu's sweet cottage of pink and green in her winter wonderland.


These houses are so festive and I know that Christmas is almost here when I see gingerbread houses displayed at home.

Sanity Week 2 Schedule:

Moms group:  Nope.

Family event:  Lights on the Bay on Wednesday

Reading:  Still in my book club book – need to move to a parenting book.

Cheerleading has been cancelled for the week.  DOUBLE YAY!

I need to wrap the teacher gifts.  Easy enough.

There are a few things purposely missing here because I don't want to stress myself out. 
make nativity ornaments for each child
make a stocking for Bro and Bri
set up Bro's leappad so it is ready to play with when he opens it

Our gingerbread houses are so sweet.
What holiday event in your life
signals that Christmas is nearly here?

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Blue or Beige?

I started the baby Jesus ornaments.

The clips come in packs of 12 so I am making 12 Jesus babies.

The template was for a light blue blanket.  The craft store was sold out of blue so I went with a beige.  Baby Jesus is never wrapped in a blue blanket anyway.  It's always beige or white.


Someone... ahem Grandma... suggested that perhaps his mother made him a blanket from the same material as her dress, which is often portrayed as blue.

Bee and I travelled to the fabric store (not the craft store this time) for some light blue felt. 


Note:  Felt is way cheaper at the fabric store than at the craft store.  Just sayin'.

I started making some babies with blue blankets and soon realized that I did not like blue blankets at all.  To me, throwing the blue blanket on baby Jesus felt like I might as well give him a Mickey Mouse print blanket.  The baby in the stable did not have a blue blanket!


I got this far and couldn't decide what to do:  keep making blue blankets or go back to making beige blankets. 

I did what any reasonable person would do... I asked my facebook friends to decide.  This is how they voted:


What?  Look at all of those blue votes! I was shocked at the number of people who voted blue.  Really?

It's a good thing I asked.  I would have finished in beige.

What is it about the blue that is so appealing?
Clearly I am in the minority.


Tuesday, December 13, 2011

I think I can. I think I can.

It is no secret to those who see me often that I have been in a phenomenal mood for the past few months. 

I can only think that this new found attitude is a result of (1) going to church on a regular basis and (2) attending a weekly Growth Group support group for moms of school-age children.  I don't know exactly why these events make me feel better but I do know that these two events recharge my soul and keep me motivated throughout the week.

Specifically, the moms group has taught me so much about being a better mom.  I cannot pinpoint why this is so helpful.  We are a group of about 15+ moms who get together weekly and discuss a topic of interest.  The group leader selects the topics and usually gets a mom to come in and speak to us about the topic.  We also have small-group discussions about the topic and moms bring in snacks.  I sooooooo look forward to this meeting.  I leave this meeting so full of energy and inspiration.

Most recently we discussed "Joy."  The speaker for Joy, whose children are now in college, could relate to me (and the other moms in the room).  She started off with, "I know you are all dragging.  I know you have lots of gifts to buy.  I know you have lots of obligations.  I know the laundry is piling up.  I know that your kids have been sick and not sleeping through the night.  I can hear your colds and see your tired eyes as I am standing here."  Hello!  Does she spy on us when we are at home because she totally hit the nail on the head.

She led us into a discussion about Joy, the joy of mothering, and a discussion about joy busters.  You know what joy busters are.  Waking up with your kid in the middle of the night is a joy buster.  Chauffeuring the kids to all of their events is a joy buster.  You get what I'm saying?  However, we talked about joy busters and ways to make them more positive or think of them in a more positive light.  Talking with other moms about ways to bring joy to some of our least fun experiences is highly motivating.

This speaker also remind me to "be present" with my children.  "Being present" does not involve browsing facebook while the kids watch tv.  "Being present" involves actually sitting with them and sharing with them and being present with them.  Do you know how "present" I have been with my kids since this mom's discussion?


Another example of "being present":  Lulu, my teen, asked if she could straighten my hair.  This came at a time when I had one million things to do.  Nonetheless, I spent a half hour in the bathroom with her while she straightened my hair.  She loved straightening it and chatted the whole time.  Do you have any teens at home?  Do you know how difficult it is to get them to talk to you?  I feel like this half hour in the bathroom with my teen just chatting away was a mini-miracle.  In the end, I came out with a gorgeous new look {{my husband actually said that it was sexy}} and I had great bonding time with my teen.  None of this would have happened if I was browsing facebook.   

So you see... finding the positive side of joy busters and "being present" are just two great mothering tips I took away from my moms group.

This bring me to the point of my post.  That is, I just came to the realization that moms group is taking a break for the holiday and will not be meeting until mid-January.  UGH!

I feel like an addict... or maybe a person who was just told that their therapist is going away for a month.  I'm more than a little bit apprehensive about how I can function without my moms group.

I'm made a Moms Group Break Survival Plan.  This survival plan involves (1) taking the time that I would be at moms group to browse facebook do something fun and special with my family and (2) reading some of the suggested parenting books that I have not had a chance to read because I have been so busy.

Moms Group Break Survival Plan

Wed, December 21 - Drive through Lights on the Bay with the family.

Thur, December 29 - Go to the movies with the family.  Maybe get a sitter for Baby Bee.  {{Sorry Baby Bee}} 

Wed, Jan 4 - Go to local coffee shop or library to do some reading.

Daily:  Continue to read my parenting books.

The object of my plan is two fold:  (1) create special memories with my family and (2) continue to be inspired through the suggested parenting books.  I really think that I can make it through the break if I have this little plan in mind.


Here is the list of suggested reading from my moms club. 

Note:  The list was created from a little widget creator on goodreads.com.  I'm not sure what will happen if you click on it. Maybe it will link to goodreads.com or amazon - not sure.  

Moms Club Recommendations



I don't know which one to read first.  The 5 Love Languages of Teenagers and 5 Conversations that You Must Have With Your Daughter are calling my name.  I feel a sense of urgency to get these started.  Parenting with Love and Logic will help with all of my kids, not just one.   

Many of you could benefit from Boundaries by Drs. Cloud and Townsend.  It's not just for moms.

What is a joy buster in your life?
How you can make it more positive?

Do you have any suggestions for my
Moms Club Break Survival Plan?

Friday, December 9, 2011

Baby Jesus Ornament

Yay!  I am so proud of myself!

Look at the baby Jesus ornament!

Idea from:
http://jennicanknit.blogspot.com/2011/11/baby-jesus-ornament.html

Now I just need to make about 11 more.

I almost forgot to tell you.  I'm also going to make this ipod holder for Lulu too. 

You are right - I don't think I'm going to have time to make the cookies. {{sad face}}

Dear Husband and I are going to finish Christmas shopping tonight! 

How much shopping do you have left?

Friday, December 2, 2011

She's Crafty!

Yay!

Have you heard that Christmas is coming? Yes! Great!

I have a few crafts lined up.  Tell me what you think?

1.  I need to make one additional large Santa Sack per kid.

What's a Santa sack? It's a large fabric sack that Santa puts his gifts in (you can make them or buy them).  The kids set the sack out on Christmas Eve and Santa fills them while they sleep.  The Santa Sack is not only ecofriendly but it really keeps down on the clutter and mess to clean up after opening the gifts. Providing Santa Sacks for Santa to place his gifts in is a secret that needs to be unleashed. We will always provide sacks for Santa. There was a noticable difference in our morning because of the lack of mess, paper, and general clutter. Plus, this makes it much, much easier for Santa to "wrap" the presents Christmas Eve {{wink, wink}}. 

They are selling Santa Sacks at Michaels your local craft retailer for less than $3 each.  Get one!


2.  I want to make these Nativity cookies.  I might make a plate of each set for my aunts for Christmas.  I'm not sure how well they will travel in the car.  I think I could "glue" them in place with icing and the scene would still be presentable after a 2-hour car ride.  Right?


This picture and idea comes from CatholicIcing.com.  She made her own colored sugar (simple and thrifty) and still captured the essence of the characters without piping in all of the details with icing. She's my kinda gal.

3.  I also want to make this baby Jesus ornament.  Instead of hanging it from the tree, I am going to put a clip on the bottom so I can nestle him atop a tree branch.  Yes, I am making extras.  {{Yes, I am sending one to you Grandma!}}

jennicanknit.blogspot.com made these adorable ornaments and took this picture.
4.  Lastly, I have all of the pieces to make these Nativity blocks


I have not put up my tree, pulled out our elf, or hung any lights.  I have a lot of work ahead of me, I know.

My craft ideas might be overambitious and I might not get to them all.

Which one do you think I really must do?
1. Santa Sacks
2. Nativity cookies
3. Jesus ornament
4. Nativiy blocks

Thursday, December 1, 2011

NABloPoMo Recap

On November 1, I set a goal to blog once a day in November, as part of National Blog Post Month (also known as NaBloPoMo - who thinks of this stuff?). 

I didn't quite make my goal, but I almost hit an all-time high of November blog posts (see chart).

What happened in 2010?  I had a new baby and was somewhat recently back to work.  I guess I was really busy. I can't really remember - it was a whirlwind of a year.

Clearly, things are running a bit more smoothly now. Thank goodness!

Thanks to everyone who came in and checked on me (RooLily) and for the new friends I met... ahem Pursued by a Bear.  I had great fun.  Let's do it again next year.  Shall we?

Tomorrow:  Come back tomorrow and see what crafts we are prepping for this season.
Coming soon: Parenting book recommendations for moms with school-age children

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Best Buy Ever

Wow!  I ordered this preschool busy bag a few weeks ago.  It was on some crazy sale and I had been wanting to create something like this for Bro, but the time and expense to make it would probably not be worth it.  So, I ordered it.

The busy bag includes 20 preschool-friendly activities to keep your preschooler busy.  I imagined that we would use the bag: on a rainy day, to keep Bro quiet during church, on a long car ride, and so on.

Soon after I ordered the bag, I had buyer's remorse.  I envisioned this ratty bag showing up at my door with lackluster appeal and mediocre artistry.  I could not have been more wrong.

Note:  If you have a preschooler in your house then this is the busy bag for you.

Each of the 20 activities is perfect for little Bro: counting activities, letter activities, color activities, lacing activities, sorting activities, pretend activities... and more and more.  Each activity comes in its own ziploc bag with easy instructions for mom and dad.  Every bag contains all of the items needed for the activity.  The lady who put them together even took the time to round of the edges of the papers and laminate the cards that would clearly get lots of use.  This is such a sweet set.  It is clearly handcrafted and I love that part too. 

I went so far as to order a Christmas bag from the same lady because it not only includes Christmas activities but has some "winter" activities as well.  I am hoping that this will help get us through some tough days that we are stuck inside the house, hiding from Old Man Winter. 

We took our busy bag with us to an evening doctor's appointment. 

We were sorting...


and lacing... as we waitied.  We had great fun!


The lady who makes these bags also holds a busy-bag swap each year.  The idea is that each mom makes 30 sets of one bag and mails them in.  When the lady gets all of the sets, then she divides them up and sends them out to the families.  Cool huh?

How do you keep your kids occupied at the doctor's office,
while you make dinner, or on a rainy day?

Monday, November 28, 2011

Thanksgiving Recap

I did not blog over the Thanksgiving weekend.  However, here is a quick photo recap for your viewing pleasure.

Thursday, November 24

The kids had a great Thanksgiving.  Bro asked for "more turkey please."






Friday, November 25

Bro did not play while we were outside.  When we went inside to eat lunch he started screaming and fell to the floor with stomach pain.

We took a visit to the ER which has its own pediatric wing.  Yay! It's new and I forgot all about it until I got there.

They said that his colon was probably spasming.  They gave him Motrin and a popsicle.  He watched plenty of SpongeBob too.


Saturday, November 26

We went to the Smithsonian museums.  I was so delighted to see that the Air and Space Museum has a baby changing station in the men's bathroom.  Yes, this is the only picture I took all day long.


Sunday, November 27

Pioneer Woman's Turkey Tetrazzini is a great way to use leftover Thanksgiving turkey.


What did you do over the break?

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

JUICE!

My little Bro-man is rather inflexible at times.

For example, he gets a sippy cup of juice each morning.  There is hell to pay if he does not get his juice immediately when he arrives to the living room.  I'm not kidding here folks.

Recently, we were out of juice.  I was giving Bri her bottle and Bro was still sleeping.


While I feeding Bri her bottle, Bro walked out into the living room.  I could feel the hairs on my neck stand up.  I knew what was coming.

"I want my juice Mommy."

I was in a predicament.  Bro was gonna have a fit if he did not get his juice, but Brielle was going to have a fit if I sat her down in the middle of the only bit of cuddle time we get each day.

I know I can multitask but I cannot make juice and feed a baby a bottle at the same time.

So, I took a gamble and asked, "Bro, Mommy needs to make new juice.  Can you give Bri her bottle while I make juice."

He replied, "Yes" and he did.. and Brielle didn't fuss. Oh my gosh - he even let me TAKE HIS PICTURE!!!

This is his I-just-woke-up face, not a grumpy face.




He really is mommy's little helper.

Don't the kids just surprise you sometimes?




Monday, November 21, 2011

Books

Recently, I spent a few days sitting around the house holding his little gem.

She threw up all day long.  Good times!

Actual picture of terribly sick baby Bee.

The best part was when she was supposed to be taking a nap and instead stood up at the corner of her crib and threw up into the basket below... the basket that holds 4 of her favorite baby books.

What did I do?  I'm not kidding folks.  I rinsed them and set them in the bathtub to dry.

Is that awful or what?


At $9 a piece, we are looking at about $40 of books here.  These are the bulk of her favorite board books.  We cannot live without them.  Luckily, the Barney lift-the-flap books were not in the basket.  They are out of print and the replacement cost is not in our family budget.  The Barney books are her top favorite books and she asks for them by name.

Was I able to save the books?  Well, Brown Bear, Brown Bear was beyond saving.  {{sigh}} It has been part of our collection since Lulu was a baby.  {{tears}}

Please tell me that someone reading this blog would have tried to save the books.
I couldn't just throw them away.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Paper Hornets

Lulu is learning the art of creating and shooting paper hornets.  We have hornets and targets all over the house.  It's best to both hit the target and leave, gaping hole, and make a loud noise. 


Here is a small paper hornet and rubber band launcher.


She informed me that you can make 14-20 paper hornets from one piece of notebook paper.

She learned this technique during school on Friday.  The kids who take Spanish were on a field trip and this left the few French and Chinese language students in school for the day.  The science teacher let them make and shoot paper hornets... including setting up barricades in the classroom.  She says it was a great day!

She's teaching every member of the family to shoot paper hornets.


What wholesome activities are you enjoying with your family? 
 

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Do It All. Who me?

Wow!  What a night! 

First, Lulu and I went to the movies together and saw Footloose.  It was the bomb!!!! That is, I really liked it!  I couldn't stop smiling almost all night long.  The dancing and music were great.  I think I never saw the original Footloose, but the music from tonight's movie seemed like remakes from the first movie.  I'm not really that into music, but I'm sure I would love to have the soundtrack to listen to.  It really was great!

What was my favorite line from the movie?  "A parent's job is to worry."  {{Geez.  Isn't that the truth?}}

After the movie, we stopped into Barnes and Noble... one of my all-time favorite stores.  I saw this Do It All Mom calendar for sale. 


I had to immediately walk away.  I've taken a Zen-like approach to life lately.  Well, I'm trying to be calmer, okay?  This calmness doesn't come easy for me.  Chill. 

Is it just me or does this Do It All Mom calendar make you feel pressure to be perfect?  Admittedly, the calendar was cool; but the title is awful.  I'm sure they will sell tons of these calendars because every mom wants to feel like she can do it all.  Here's a tip:  You don't have to do it all.  mkay?  You will feel tons better if you stop trying to do it all.  mkay?  I promise.

Next Lulu and I buzzed through the beauty supply store.  We found Justin Bieber's perfume set – front and center in the middle of the store.  Did you know he has his own perfume now?


Apparently Taylor Swift has her own perfume too.  Who knew?

To top of the night, when we got home we opened a letter saying that Lulu was accepted into National Junior Honor Society.  Everyone else most of her friends got their letter on Friday.  So, we were starting to assume that Lulu didn't get accepted.  Seeing the acceptance letter was a nice surprise and a great topper to a wonderful mother/daughter night out.

Finally, I need to take care of a little blog update.  So, here goes.

Speaking of the do-it-all motto.  I was attempting to be a do-it-all blogger for the month of November.  I'm sure that on November 1, as on previoues November 1s, I promised to blog every day for the month of November.  I don't think that I have ever made this goal and it looks like this year will be no different.  However, you might notice that I am on track to blog on more days in November than any other month in 2011.  So, I think that's a bit of an accomplishment... only a few more blog posts left to go.  I think I can do it.

Do you feel like you need a Do It All calendar or
does it create too much pressure?

To be honest, I probably would have bought the calendar if I had seen it 6 months ago. No offense to you if you have one.  I'm learning to set boundaries.  One of my boundaries is that I don't have to be perfect.  Is this starting to sound like my own online therapy session?  I apologize.

Monday, November 14, 2011

Pumpkin and the Power of Stickers

Oh gee!  I promised that pumpkin was ONLY for October.  Then, my mom gave me some pumpkin butter from Trader Joes. 

I had no idea what to do with pumpkin butter until I found Tis the Season for Pumpkin Butter on a Trader Joe's cooking blog. 

I made both the Harvest Glaze Carrots and the Pumpkin Turnovers. The carrots could not have been more of a hit.  It's no secret that I prepare vegetables for every meal. In return, no one eats the vegetables.  They rot as leftovers in the refrigerator.  Then, I throw them in the compost pile.  Repeat.

Not this time.  My whole family inhaled the harvest carrots.  Bonus: they are crazy easy to prepare.

Run to Trader Joe's and grab a jar of Pumpkin Butter.  They are running low and will not restock again until next year.

Speaking of Trader Joes... it's amazing what kids will do for a sticker.  Teachers use stickers as rewards.  The doctor hands out stickers after the visit.  Even Trader Joe's offers a sticker station for the kids to visit on the way out the door. My kids never complain about going to Trader Joe's with me because they know they will get a sticker before they leave.


Why are stickers so powerful?

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Naps and Ninjas

Sometimes the starts align and I get to take a nap.

Napping is my favorite activity EVER.  My best days are days I take a nap.

Bri will still take a nap but Bro has given them up.

So, I set him up with some TV and his favorite toys.  I make sure he is well fed AND has gone to the bathroom... and then I settle down for a nap.

I use the term "nap" loosely here.  Let's face it, I can't get a deep sleep with a preschooler running around the house... even if he is "quiet as a ninja" (as he puts it).

Inevitable, he sneaks into my room and leaves gifts for me on my child's school desk nightstand.  It is hilarous to listen to him sneaking in to leave these gifts. 

Today, I turned over to find this little gem waiting for me.

 
Oh my gosh - I could just squeeze him for being so thoughtful!

So, I didn't get a nap, but I did get a delicious snack to share with my little guy.

How do you unwind on the weekends?

Friday, November 11, 2011

Bounce Zone

Wow!  I asked a friend of mine for suggestions of activities for my two youngest kids on a State Holiday when the daycaare was closed.

I am finding it hard to keep the two of them occupied as the weather gets colder.

My friend suggested a local indoor bounce place specifically for little kids.  I have been to the bounce places for older kids and I knew that would not work for us.

We met some friends at the bounce place and both of my little ones had a great time.

You know what happens when you try to get the kids to pose for a picture at a place like this?

You get the backs of their heads!



Someone with a winter birthday (poor guy) wants to have a Bounce Zone party this year.


Do you have any suggestions for a winter birthday party?

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Humanity

I sleep. I do not stay up late.

However, I was in shock and awe about why PennState University students were supporting Joe Paterno. 

The support and adoration of Paterno after everything that has been disclosed and his own statement that he "should have done more" has sickened me. I was physically ill after hearing and witnessing the support. This has never happened to me before.



I prayed that I would hear and read some different stories in the morning.

I found these great quotes online:
•Colleague Mark Schlabach: "Finally, adults with backbones and courage made a prudent decision at Penn State. Paterno was fired because he failed miserably while making the biggest decision of his life."



•The Philadelphia Inquirer's Bill Lyon: "The irony is, the tragedy is, in trying to keep his beloved school from suffering harm, Paterno had a hand in causing that very harm. When the scandal was brought before him, he reacted, but it was only the bare minimum, superficial, a shocking cover-up that flew in the face of all that he, and Penn State, had come to stand for."
Then saw these two posts from friends on facebook:

As a Penn Stater, this entire thing is sickening and heartbreaking. And it's about those young kids. They did not deserve that abuse and will have to live with it for the rest of their lives. Paterno, and every single one of the administration that knew about what Sandusky did needed/needs to be fired over this. And charged under the law. That small portion of the 45,000 students up there rioting does not represent MY university. Not one of my fellow alums thinks Paterno et.al should stay. This is not about football and wanting a winning football team. When it comes to PaternoStaters get that and are sickened and upset just like you are. It's that 1% that can't see beyond the confines of their own small world and/or can't articulate their anger that do these stupid things. And of course, the media finds them.
as well as, 
To add to what Shane said, there are very few things in big-time college football or in life for that matter that are good and true. And, up until a week ago, Joe Paterno was one of those things. If people are upset, it's because it is har...d to accept that Joe Paterno, the pinnacle of all college football coaches, could let everyone down like he did. It's another sad example of a hero taking a terrible, yet deserved, fall.
 
Today I am thankful that there are
some loving and sympathetic human beings out there;
I was starting to get scared.
 

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Not Here

This Napmom is not posting today because she is at her mom's club.

However, I leave you with this snapshot from my evening.

This is Brody, running an errand to the grocery store, with me, to get milk.

He says that he is Spiderman and Spiderman can carry heavy things.  However, he informs me that Spiderman does NOT smile for the camera.  So, this is the best I can do.


Nighty-Night.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Finds

This isn't a very long post but I have to share my latest grocery store finds.

First up... allow me to introduce "Gripe Water."  The name just kills me. It makes me think that I should give this to my kids every time they start to gripe, complain, or whine. Hey!  Maybe I should buy a few cases of this stuff?  Can you overdose on it? {{Just kidding.}}  You have to admit though... wouldn't it be great if they had medicine to keep the kids from whining?  "Fusspot Elixir" = Give me some!

Alas, Gripe Water is for infant "stomach discomfort & gas."  Oh.


Secondly, please say hello to Peppermint Sugar Cookie dough.  {{Hello!}}


I had it in my hand, and then I put it down.
Then I had it in my hand, and then I put it down.
Then I had it in my hand, and then I put it down.

What silly items have you seen in your grocery store lately?

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Prayer

Time for a little honestly.  You wanna know something?  I pray with my eyes open - all of the time - even in a crowd - no matter what.  I have always done this.  There are times when I try to pray with my eyes closed but I get distracted by the "stars" in the dark of my eyelids.  If my eyes are closed, I have no idea what the prayer is because I can only think about... having my eyes closed... it's so weird.  So, I pretty much stopped trying to pray with my eyes closed.  I just bow my head and look down.  So, now you know.

Also, Bro taught me a neat little prayer that we have been praying each night.  It is to the tune of Frère Jacques and it goes like this:

God our Father.  God our Father.
Once again.  Once again.
We thank you for our blessings.  We thank you for our blessings.
Amen.  Amen.

So guess how excited I was when I saw this post on facebook this week.

What if you woke up today
with only the things you thanked God for last night?

I was worried at first.  Wow!  But, then I remembered our nightly prayer - "We thank you for our blessings" - and I was like COOL - dude - I don't have anything to worry about.  Right?  I just thanked Him "for my blessings" - that means all of them right?  Sweet! {{Do a little happy dance here.}}

Ok.  In all seriousness, I am very strict about my requests to God.  It goes like this... you see... you might believe in Him and you might not.  Either way... I don't want to wear out my welcome.  You know?  So, when the time comes that I REALLY need something... I don't want him to think... Who is that?  oh is that YOU again?  What do you want THIS TIME???  I need Him to take my request seriously.  Right?  I know I might not get the answer that I am looking for {{thus I have not won the lotto yet}} but at least I want Him to know that I am serious.

In fact, I am so serious about this that I did not ask God for a single request, via prayer, for 36 years {{up until about 3 months ago}}.  The ENTIRE time I was young I had the same nightly prayer.  "Dear God.  Thank you for this day.  Amen."  What I really meant was, "Dear God.  Even if today was awful, I am going to thank You for it so You can remember this in the future if I ever come to You with a real need.  mkay?  Amen."

Then, I grew up and had kids.  I am ever-so-blessed that I still do not have a real need.  However, I know people who are seriously struggling; thus, I find that I do have to throw some requests into my prayers nowadays.  Mostly I am praying for Peace.  I know that God is going to do whatever He is going to do but I really pray that those who are suffering can find peace with the outcomes in their situations. I prayed for these friends this week:

I have a friend of a friend whose husband just died in Afghanistan.... wife... 4 kids.  Ugh.

I have a friend who was stationed overseas and had to have an emergency evacuation to come back to the states for exploratory surgery on several lumps in her breast.  She has a toddler at home.

I have a friend who has fostered 2 brothers for the better part of the past year.  The brothers came from a home that we would all probably consider to be awful.  The brothers have been and ARE part of her family... and just this past week they transitioned to a new home.  My friend, her husband, and her biological daughter miss them terribly. The details of this story pull at my heart strings.
So, I pray that these women, men, and families can find peace.  This is awful stuff... can someone please just give them the peace to get through this?  Please!

Since I am starting to get the hang of this prayer thing,
feel free to send me an email or comment below
if you want me to pray for you.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Sunday Activity

Some of you may know that I made the decision to start going to church again over the summer.  This post is a little update on the church that we are going to, how it is working out for us, and other little tidbits about our new... ahem... Sunday activity.

History:  Many of you {{being strangers and all}} do not know that I was raised in a Christian home.  No one forced me to be Christian any more than they forced me to eat spaghetti and like it.  Christianity was just part of what we did.  I went to a religious-based school and I was raised by my grandmother who was the church organist, and treasurer, as well as a Sunday School teacher.  "Church" was just part of every day life.  

Somewhere along the way I went to college, got married, and had kids {{not necessarily in that order}}... and stopped going to church because I was too busy.

Sometime during the late summer of 2011 the Spirit moved me {{well... more like hit me over the head with a club}} to start going to church and this is probably the single best parenting decision I have made EVER.

Although I was raised and baptised Lutheran, we allowed our teen-aged daughter to find a church for our family.  We felt like one of the main requirements was that she needed a place with peers whom she felt comfortable with and so we let her have a big say in where we went to church.

She found this Baptist church right down the street from our house and it has been the great fit that we have needed.

Here are some things that I like about our church, in no particular order.

1.  The songs are great.  They use real words that we all know.  They are catchy.  They are thought provoking and inspirational.

2.  The sermons, albeit 30-45 minutes long, are inspirational as well.  The pastor is a great speaker and I walk away with good information every single Sunday.  My apologies to my past pastors - I am sorry for the glazed over look I had during your sermons; you started off great but always lost me mid-way through - sorry.

3.  The kids can go to Sunday School WHILE I go to church.  This might be the single best thing about this church and the main thing that keeps me going back.  I don't have to work to keep my kids quiet during the service.  They have their own Sunday School lesson while I get my lesson and we all leave recharged and re-energized at the end of the service.  SCORE!

4.  My kids -- all of them -- enjoy going to church on Sundays.  Let's face it, it's no fun dragging your whole family out of bed bright and early for a bummer activity.

5.  Our church offers tons of activities during the week to share with other Christians.  We have traditional Bible study as well as a runner's group, a knitter's group, and so on.  My kids and I all participate in the Wednesday evening activities.  They have youth group and kids club while I... wait for it... go to a Mom's Group.  The purpose of the mom's group is to encourage and equip moms to be the best moms that we can be.  We have guest speakers, good food, and plenty fo tiem to chat.  I feel like such a rejuvenated and re-energized mom when I leave my mom's group.  Think about it?  How do you feel on a mid-week night at the end of the night?  Worn out?  Exhausted?  Tired?  Like giving up?  I used to feel that way but now I am totally re-energized for the rest of my week.

6.  Over all, I feel a different vibe and a different energy in my home.  There is a greater sense of calm and unity and fun that is just a tad bit different than it was before. We are spending more time together as a family... laughing and playing... it's just great.  I don't know if all of this wonderfulness is a result of going to church but I'd like to think so.

So, now you know a little bit more about my church and how going to church is impacting my family.

Does Dear Husband go to church with us?  No.  He does not.  He was raised in a very strict Catholic church; although he does not want to go to a Catholic church, he says that this contemporary church feels more like a cult than a church.  Ouch!  He says that he would compromise and go to a Lutheran church.  I still pray that he will attend church with us every so often.

Any advise on how to coerce my husband
into going to church with us is greatly appreciated.