Homework-This is why I don't homeschool

Here are some pictures of my baby from last night's asthma episode:

Let's move on to HOMEWORK and why I could never homeschool:

Reason #1

I have NO patience!

Reason #2

There's that whole full-time job thing.

Reason #3

Homework...

I have NO idea how to even do second and third grade work, let alone teach my kids how to do it! And let's not even start talking about Math or Science.

Katherine had a project where she had to study the phases of the moon. I had no idea there were phases of the moon. Don't get me wrong...now that I think about it, it makes sense. But I didn't know how many there were, let alone what they were called. So, I was helping my 9 year old look up the most recent phases of the moon and she is the one explaining to me what they look like. I had to Google 'phases of the moon' to really figure out what her project was all about and what she was supposed to be doing.

Now, on to my 7 year old's homework. I am still not sure I understand his homework. And yet, as he and I were trying to figure it out, Katherine is looking over my shoulder explaining it to him. Apparently he was supposed to color in the dark part of the earth?? What? And then, he was supposed to match the location of the person to the time of day. I kinda get the midnight and morning. The other two though...I just can't wrap my head around it.

So there you have it. Maybe I'm the only person out there who can't decipher 2nd grade homework!

Seeing as how I have mentioned my other three kids above, in all fairness to Abbey I thought I would at least share something about her too. And with that funny girl, there is ALWAYS something to share. My kids like my cooking. Most people do...which of course makes me feel great. Why wouldn't it? Abbey told me tonight that I should work at a restaurant because she loves my cooking. She then went on to pay me perhaps the greatest compliment one can hope to receive. She told me that my cooking was better than Steak 'n Shake fries!!! Trust me, you might not enjoy Steak 'n Shake fries, but that is the highest compliment one of my kids can give me with regards to my cooking!

Veggie Tales are good for the heart

I have always loved Veggie Tales. Even before I had kids. When I was in high school, my friends and I would sit around watching Veggie Tales, because we were cool like that. That being said, in honor of Top Ten Tuesday I decided to focus my top ten on my favorite Veggie Tales silly songs, complete with videos. I've done all the work for you so if you haven't experienced Veggie Tales, turn the volume up, sit back, and enjoy!

10 - Monkey


9 - The Hairbrush Song


8 - Pirates Who Don't Do Anything


7 -The Yodeling Veterinarian of the Alps


6 - My Baby Elf/The Elf Song


5 - The Dance of the Cucumber


4 - I Love My Lips


3 - Endangered Love


2 - Do the Moo Shoo


1 - Oh Santa!

Post It Note Tuesday

Here is what I have to say today, in the form of post its:

Idiots...a RANT

There are parts about my job, or rather companies that I work with, that just infuriate me. I just don't understand why you would be in business with human beings if you didn't want to actually WORK for them. And how can a company have a word like "Thorough" in their title if they can't complete anything you ask them to do in a thorough manner? ***Name has been changed to a synonym so as to protect myself the company involved.*** How hard is it to do what I have very specifically spelled out for you at least 3 times to do?? And if I ask you for my claim number, and I tell you that it is six digits and you reply back telling me that my claim number is only 5 digits, and you do so in a very hateful manner, you are just ensuring that I will not continue to do business with you! I know how many numbers are in my claim number!! Perhaps next time you could just look at the assignment sheet that clearly shows the entire number and just email me back with that number, not the number you THINK is right. Though apparently the particular company that has frustrated me today (and last week, and the week before) doesn't seem to care whether they work with us or not...but they need to at least FINISH what they started. I am not rude or sarcastic to the vendors I interact with, let alone my client! It's just bad business. I do not understand how some companies continue to be successful when they have such poor customer service skills.

On a less angry note, here is my Mommy and Me Monday picture:

Me and my oldest, Katherine, age 9

Hosted by Krystyn

The best pain reliever: WATER?

I just realized as I am sitting here that I haven't had any water at all today. I've been reading that if you have chronic pain (this is true for headaches/migraines too), it can worsen if you aren't drinking enough water. As I think back, since Friday, I haven't been consuming nearly as much water as I should be, let alone the amount that I HAD been. I am not sure why I didn't drink as much on Friday at work. I keep a large 32oz hospital cup at my desk and am usually diligent about INTENTIONALLY drinking it-I'd say on a typical day I drink at least 96oz. Yesterday and today...well, there isn't really any excuse. I just haven't thought about it. I wonder if the intensity of the pain is due to a lack of water. Why couldn't I remember this two days ago??

I've been busy cleaning and cooking today in an effort to distract myself from the pain, which hasn't lessened at all. But on the bright side, my house looks a LOT better than it did! The clean clothes that have been decorating our living room have all been sprayed with Downey Wrinkle Releaser and are now hanging or put away. I HATE ironing. In fact, I refuse to iron, unless I'm working on a quilt. After hearing friends talk about the Downey Wrinkle Releaser, I kept thinking "I need to get some of that." I kept forgetting. Well, finally a couple of months ago, I remembered and picked some up. That stuff is great!! So, our clothes that have been sitting clean in baskets for days are now wrinkle-free. Now my kids won't look like they just rolled out of bed when they go to school!! At least, not because of their clothes!

You know, I don't think I'll ever be one of those people who get contacted to try products and review them. Why would they give me a product to use when I'll review it for free? :-)

Does anyone else out there have a child who gets hurt (even if it is very minor, especially if it is minor!) that acts like their arm has just been cut off? Kaleb is that way, and it drives me crazy! I have a really hard time conjuring up sympathy when he is rolling around on the ground and shrieking like a little girl screaming. Katherine has been acting out physically lately whenever she is upset. I'm tired of it. She is 9 years old and she knows better! Apparently Kaleb was throwing grass/gumball seedlings up in the air and they were going down the back of Katherine's shirt. Kaleb insists he wasn't intentionally putting them down her shirt, though I have trouble believing he is being 100% truthful. But in order to retaliate, Katherine took her plastic jump rope and began hitting him with it. He has a large welt on his arm! But I'll tell you what...it is so annoying how dramatic Kaleb is when he gets hurt. I don't even want to care about his injury while he is writhing in exaggerated pain on the floor.

Tonight my mother-in-law is coming over after church to watch LOST. We're two episodes behind and I am determined to watch the finale 'live'. I don't want to get on Facebook the next day and see everybody's statuses that will inevitably appear without knowing what happened. That's the downside of watching our shows online. I always know who has won The Biggest Loser before I have a chance to watch the finale.

In the time I started to write this and the time that I finished it (about 20 minutes at most), I finished two 25 ounce water bottles. And I am not making this up...while my neck still hurts really bad, some of the stiffness has actually lessened. So, if you are experiencing headaches, back or neck pain, try drinking more water and see if it makes a difference. It doesn't seem right or make any sense. It doesn't seem likely even...but I really think there is some truth in that.

Blah...

I'm in a funk today. I'm not sure why. I'm going to blame it on the sugar I consumed earlier today at the kids' school carnival. I'm tired and just feeling...blah...though I'm not really sure if you can constitute blah as a feeling. Do you know what I mean though? That casual 'I don't care about anything' attitude...it came on quickly and I have been down for the count the rest of the day. It doesn't help that my neck is killing me and I can't find any relief for it. I think the frustration of living in constant pain is taking its toll on me. I'm contemplating Chinese acupuncture. At this point, I'll try anything. The neurologist told me that he wasn't sure if the degenerated discs in my neck were the cause of the pain and they never could really figure out why it hurt...and so I guess they gave up. The last time I saw the neurologist he wanted to put me on Amitriptyline. He said that it is used to treat depression but that it can also be used to treat chronic pain. Call me crazy (please don't!) but it just doesn't seem like a good idea to take another anti-depressant to control pain when I am already taking one to control depression. Beyond that, I find it hard to believe that an anti-depressant will take my pain away. It's not all in my head...there is real, physical pain and an anti-depressant isn't going to magically take it all away. If Dolotin administered through an IV in the ER didn't completely relieve the pain, a pill not meant just for pain relief is not going to help. I'm really down and frustrated right now. I am so tired of living in pain. Most days it isn't debilitating. This weekend however it has been intense almost to the point of unbearable, though fortunately not enough so to warrant a trip to the ER.

I've been playing with Gimp the last couple of days. It is a free program that allows you to do...well...I have no idea what the possibilities are. I just know that it is free and it is difficult to use! ;-) I have managed to do a couple of things in it now though. Unfortunately, I can't remember how to do it again! So, without further delay, this is my own 'button' I designed using Gimp. I don't know if this will be the final product. But seeing everyone else with buttons on their blogs made me a little jealous! Let me know what you think, good or bad. As I said, it's not necessarily a final product. Oh and I don't know if you noticed or not, but I updated my blog title-it needed to be more concise, yet still carry the same meaning. I'm pleased with it. OK, seriously (I got a little distracted)...here it is:

So I need to know:

1. Is it too much on the eyes?

2. Do you like the font?

3. Is my first attempt completely horrible? ;-)

Now that I am looking at it again, hours later, I just realized it won't 'match' my current blog background. So I am not set on this color scheme, but I do really like the font, so don't hate too much on that part in particular.

OK...ready to voice your opinion? GO!

The "Ladies"

Livvy was sitting with me during the movie tonight and she looked over at me and started looking at and touching my...um...breast, boob, insert word of choice here. And before I go any further, I'd just like to point out that this is sadly not the first conversation we've had about "these". My tiny, inquisitive four-year-old likes to ask too many questions about nipples as well. She seems to be fascinated by them...she'll grow out of that right?

So, she's pushing down on my shirt and a dialog ensues...

Olivia: "Mommy it looks big right there."

Me: "That's because it is big."

Lifting up her shirt and staring at her nipples: "I have tiny ones. These little tiny ones on the kids that means they're kids. On the mommies and daddies they are big."

Then in typical Livvy fashion, she abruptly changed the subject and became very "Elf-like".

"I like to smile. I think you lost a tooth. I think I lost 4 toothes..." and on and on and on she goes...

I asked her jokingly the other night "Do you ever shut up?" Her reply? "No." Surprise, surprise...

Wrapping up the week

Reflections on this past week

1. I have LOVED participating in the UBP 2010.

My only complaint? I had to work all week and couldn't just sit around reading 24/7, which I totally would have done! I had already mentioned two of my new favorite blogs earlier in the week, but they are worthy of re-mentioning. I'm pretty sure I just made that word up. Here are three of my newest favorites:

2. I need a cool button like those listed above.

Who's going to share with me how to make one of those? Can I make my own or am I going to have to pay beg someone to do it for me? Maybe I should just have my husband figure it out for me. He's so much more nerdy tech-savvy than I am.

3. My neck is NEVER going to stop hurting.

I need House to diagnose what is really wrong with it since my old doctor, a new neurologist, a physical therapist and a chiropractor can't seem to figure it out. We're going on a year and a half now...some days are better than others, but no day is good. No day is pain-free. I've adjusted my posture, added a keyboard tray, got a new bed and pillows, and I stretch, stretch, stretch...all to no avail.

4. Giving up one girl for another boy makes for an interesting evening.

Katherine has gone to spend the night with Grandma. Tomorrow is the spring carnival at their school and Kat was going to help her make posters and signs. Last minute my friend called and asked if her son could come over for a few hours so that she could go to a school function for the parents. So, as if I wasn't crazy enough, I said "Why don't you just let him spend the night with Kaleb?" Now we have 2 girls and 2 boys. It's an interesting dynamic. And LOUD (it isn't)! Really though, it's not too bad. Tyler is a good, (a.k.a QUIET) kid and Kaleb doesn't get to play with other boys very often. It's a good opportunity for both of them; Kaleb since he is usually surrounded by girls and Tyler because he is an only child (with the exception of a much older brother who is grown and out of the house). So I guess technically he isn't an only child, but he doesn't have any other younger siblings in the house.

5. Family movie night will go smoother once Olivia is older.

My older kids are at an age where the Disney cartoons just aren't interesting enough. They want to watch the 'real' movies. OK, I say "they". It's really just Katherine and Kaleb. Abbey will watch whatever is on. But Olivia is just too young still to tolerate 'real' movies. We usually let her go play on the computer so the rest of us can watch the movie without her incessant chattering. But that just really seems to detract from the idea of FAMILY movie night. I know in a couple of years it will be better...if I could just find a way to stitch Livvy's lips shut on Friday nights we'd be set!

6. Working out should be done on a consistent, regular basis.

We went almost two weeks without going to the YMCA. We finally went back Thursday night. The elliptical is still an enemy. I managed 10 minutes at a 3 resistance (hey don't laugh-I usually keep it at 1!) before I had to switch over to the bike. I really wish that I could tolerate the elliptical for longer. Some days, after we have actually been going consistently, I can make it to 15 minutes. I'd LOVE to get to a point where I can go for 30 minutes straight on the ellilptical without my willpower knee giving out.

7. I have NO idea what "meme" is.

I've seen this on a number of blogs and have been too lazy to look it up. Seriously people...does that stand for something?"

8. Summer = shaving = sad Jamie

I hate shaving. Why do we have to have two legs and why do they have to be so long? And why I silently tolerate the arm pit shaving, only because it takes just seconds. But the legs? It's like shaving 1000 arm pits and I have very little patience for that (or pretty much anything else). And yet I still do it...because I love my husband and I know he appreciates it. Though for some reason...he doesn't seem to return the favor with his face. Honey I know you'll read this eventually, so now that I have sold you out...I will tell my readers that you have made great effort this last week to shave on a regular basis and I really appreciate it! And just to give you a heads up, I think I'm going to base my shaving schedule off of yours. You shave, I shave. ;-)

9. I earned a really cute pink and black apron!!

And I'm going to make about $140, for doing very little actually! Being the shy hater of public speaking that I was in high school and college, I never thought I would fall in love with entertaining people and cooking for them!! But I did. And I'm in my element doing it...and though this is difficult for me to admit (because of the whole low self-esteem thing), I've come to realize and accept that I'm actually very good at it. I know I am being extremely vague here, so for those of you who don't really know what I am talking about, if you really want to know, leave your email in the comments and I will send you a message. There are strict advertising rules and so I don't want to do anything that would go against policy here.

10. I think that my knee is FINALLY getting better.

I have noticed this week that my knee hasn't ached as much as it has in past weeks. I'm 3 1/2 months post-surgery, so according to the statistics, it SHOULD be back to full strength by now. However, I think it is really hanging on right around 75%. I don't know if the break from working out helped it (that doesn't seem likely) or if it is just finally healing. I'm hoping that it is finally on the mend and I will soon be able to walk, sit and stand without pain. At least in my knee. Because I know that the aforementioned (look at me using a big word!) neck pain isn't going anywhere! Too bad you can't get 14 letters in Scrabble...I'll bet that word would score well...

What about you?

How did your week go? Anything interesting, frustrating or funny happen? As you can see, my week was extremely boring. Just another day in the life of The Bishops!

24

Hey CTU! When will you learn??? There is ALWAYS a mole on the inside. I swear every season you get stupider and stupider. Why do you always seem so surprised to find out there is a mole?

COPY THAT!

Sorry lovers of all things Jack Bauer, but I have issues with 24, especially this season. It's all background noise now. Except when Chloe talks. Chloe is one of the only reasons I tolerate this show! You think I say mean things to my husband? I've got nothing on Chloe! And I already made it known that I have issues with Freddie Prinze Jr. being in this show. In my opinion, he has not made the show more appealing. Moving on...

No smoking allowed on my blog. Got that? Just kidding.

Yesterday we went to Quiznos with the kids before taking Abbey to speech therapy. Inside the restaurant there was a sign with this picture (see above) and it said "Smoking is not allowed." My four year old can't read yet but she apparently is well aware of what that sign means. Katherine came up to me while we were waiting on our food and told me (in a high-pitched whiny voice that was eerily close to Livvy's) Livvy just said "There's definitely no smokin' in here, right? So if Grandpa came in here smokin' he have to go out, right?"

And as if I didn't have enough new ideas this week, I'm trying one more. If you're just visiting for the first time, I hope you will sit down and stay for a while. I'm having so much fun meeting new crazy moms! I'M NOT ALONE! ;-)

Getting to know me

I know that I have many new readers these days, so I thought I would take a moment to direct you to some OLD posts so that you can get to know me and my family, or in some of these cases, just get to enjoy some of the funny/odd/unusual things that tend to happen to the Bishops.

Has your child ever done this?

7 year old Missouri boy charged with theft, forgery and fraud

Surely you're not THIS irresponsible as a parent!

I'm the *best* mom ever...

And just a couple funny stories from our 10th anniversary vacation to FL.

I can't stop laughing

Oh the romance...

Wow...what a day!

Today has been insane! We got up at 6:15am (I asked my son to literally drag me out of bed so I'd be sure to get up since he has NO problem getting out of bed). Taking me at my word, he came into my room to get me up this morning. He started smacking my face-this did not last long after I told him to stop. It hurt! I told him "Come back in 10 minutes." He said "No! You need to get up." Then he grabbed my hand and started dragging me out of bed. It was rough...but it worked! I got up and while we still didn't leave the house any earlier than we usually do, at least I was up and able to get the kids ready and shower and shave and all of that nonsense.

The rest of the day was just a whirlwind. Staff meeting at work. Left work early for a doctor's appointment. Picked the kids up from school. Took Abbey to speech therapy. Went to the grocery store. Picked up prescriptions from Walgreens. Finally...we made it home just before 7:30pm. We ushered the children into bed and then Kris went downstairs to work. That left me to participate in my first "Willpower Wednesday". You can read more about that here.

I really had more I wanted to write about...but it is almost 1am and I really need to get to bed. I spent an hour and a half longer working on my Willpower Wednesday activities than I had anticipated. The most important thing I wanted to write tonight though is about how proud I am of this girl that I have never met. Not too long ago, I wrote about how people dress these days (Just Like Her Mother...). I get so concerned and angry when I see people, especially young girls dressed to look like they are ready to hit the street corners. Sorry but I am not sure how else to put it. Recently I came across a blog written by a teenage girl. She loves the Lord and isn't afraid to 'speak up', and I personally admire her and think that she is wise beyond her years. She had a post today that floored me and I just wanted to share it with you. Check it out here:

The post in particular I want to draw your attention to is called "Two Scoops, please. I'm only a SENIOR in high school!"

Your husband might be cheating if...

...ALL of the following things happen:

He received this book in the mail (nice cover up for his torrid affair):

AND

THIS inscription was in the book

AND

his name is NOT Matthew

AND

to your knowledge he does NOT have a sister named Latisha

AND

to your knowledge he is not currently engaged to some unknown woman

LESSON TO BE LEARNED FROM ALL OF THIS:

None really. I just thought it was funny. Kris got a book in the mail today. I asked to see it. He handed it to me. I opened it up and saw an inscription I can only assume (hope?) was meant for someone else. Maybe it's not as amusing to some as it is to me, but I just couldn't resist putting it on here.

Oh and while I am talking about my husband...while holding my friend's 5 hour old baby girl, I told Kris I wanted to get my tubes untied (technical term-tubal reversal) so I could have another tiny little baby. He told me that all I had to do was go to the temple. Pray with my lips moving, but make sure there was no sound coming out. And that if the priest thought I was drunk, I would have a baby. If you have no idea what I am talking about, read 1 Samuel 1-20, paying particular attention to verse 9 and on!

There really IS a difference

When we've gone from one high internet speed to another, I can't tell a difference. I swear some of these companies just make up numbers and speeds and tell you it's faster so you will pay them more money. I can't tell a difference. It's either dial up or high speed. So, when my technology-loving-geek friend husband told me about Google Chrome, I was thinking "Oh this is just another gimmick." Granted, it's free and c'mon, it's GOOGLE! But still...I had my doubts.

Kris told me that Google Chrome would be a faster internet browser. Because Google was backing it, I jumped on board. I downloaded and installed Google Chrome and you know what I found out? Kris was right. Google Chrome IS faster. So much so that I get extremely annoyed whenever I have to use Internet Explorer or Firefox. It's like going from dial up to high speed. I am pretty sure I am not exaggerating-sometimes (hard to believe I know) I DO exaggerate, but not this time.

Where on earth am I going with all of this?

Well...my younger sister is starting her very own blog. If you'd like, you can show her some love and encouragement here: Home Is Where We Learn. She's a lot like me:
--almost in her 30's (though I've passed that up)
--4 young kids that a super close in age
--a little crazy unique

One difference though (don't hate me Bonnie!) is that where she is somewhat inexperienced when it comes to navigating the computer/blogosphere, I am an EXPERT, which is a very deceptive way to say I married someone who knows all the ins and outs and I forced him against his will to help me! So, my sister asked me tonight for some tips/advice on how to link things to her blog, connect with Facebook, etc...I was excited and more than happy to help, as this little blogging venture is somewhat of an obsession (renewed now by the UPB 2010).

I began to send her an email telling her how easy it is to share a post on Facebook or Twitter, add things to your Google Reader; until I realized she doesn't use Google Chrome or even Google Reader *gasp*. That led me to open up Internet Explorer which took FOREVER to load (probably truly only 20 seconds--see, sometimes I do exaggerate!). And that is as far as I got because I was annoyed with how slow it was. Then that small part of me that has A.D.D. got distracted and I still haven't sent her an email. Instead, I am entertaining myself by writing all of this. I really am seriously entertained by myself right now. This happens often.

Since it is still Tuesday,

I have just shown you why it was necessary to make myself a post it. I have NO idea where I was going with this post, though at the time I began, it seemed really important; and upon reflecting, I may or may not have actually written about that which I intended to!! But the medicine I take at night to help me sleep but doesn't work (so why on earth do I still take it??), is messing with my brain. It's either that or it was the crazy rushed morning because I can't get up on time, then working all day, going to see a friend's brand new baby girl after work (she was adorable and I wish my tubes would untie themselves), picking up the kids from school finally at 7:00pm (don't worry-this time Grandma was watching them-it wasn't another IRRESPONSIBLE PARENTS FORGET KIDS HAVE A HALF DAY incident!), grabbing a quick dinner, shoveling said dinner down while driving home, putting the four crazies in bed, watching GLEE, catching up on reading and Facebook that led me to completely lose my focus - I have NO idea how to make that sentence grammatically correct, nor do I care. OK, that's not true. I'm a little OCD with grammar and spelling but sometimes it's just not worth the effort. I'd rather just finish up and be annoyed with myself for making a mistake than figure out how to fix it! If you followed that, congratulations and can you explain it to me?

Oh, and my husband has now shown me how to do the whole my blog looks so cool strike through thing that every other blogger seems to know about! I'm so hip now.

***Google is not paying me in any way to advertise their product(s). I just love all things Google. If someone high up in the company sees this and chooses to bless me with a super cool phone with Android though, I wouldn't complain! And I would write you the BEST review ever!!! How good do you think my chances are?

What a great concept! I'm loving all of these new fun, fresh ideas!

So here are mine Post Its for today:

You are not alone...

There are times in life when you just need a friend. Someone who understands you. Someone who shares your interests and understands the heart of who you are. Well, I have good news for you.

YOU ARE NOT ALONE!!!

I

ALSO

LOVE

Who's with me???

I am still trying to convince Kris that we NEED to watch Glee live tonight, instead of watching it on Hulu like we do most of our other shows (and by "still trying to convince" I mean I haven't talked to him about it yet!).

I just don't want to wait until it posts tomorrow now. All my other fellow Gleeks will be posting statuses galore tonight and tomorrow and it will be like a secret I'm not in on. So...if all goes well, I will be watching along with everyone else who has come to love and adore Glee. I've got to say that is one of the only shows I watch that has me smiling from ear to ear throughout the entire show.

Giraffes and God

It's amazing to me sometimes how God chooses to work and speak to His children (though after 31 years of God astounding me, I should have learned by now!). For as long as I can remember (back to about age 5/6 is as far back as I can *easily* go), my mom has always read Our Daily Bread.

We used to read it growing up as well but I have gotten away from it since I moved out on my own. My mom called me this morning to tell me about the devotional for today. She knows I'm an avid lover of all things giraffe; she had recently been on my blog as well and saw the new layout, so she just had to share it with me-and I'm glad she did! The link above goes directly to today's devotional, so I am hoping it is OK (with regards to copyright laws) to paste some of the content here. What a cool new fun fact about giraffes and it's awesome how the writer ties it in with a God that never sleeps. Keep in mind, (my newest readers you may not know this yet), I don't sleep well at night either! The giraffe really IS the perfect animal for me! Thanks MOM!

"Giraffes have the shortest sleep cycle of any mammal. They sleep only between 10 minutes and 2 hours in a 24-hour period and average just 1.9 hours of sleep per day. Seemingly always awake, the giraffe has nothing much in common with most humans in that regard. If we had so little sleep, it would probably mean we had some form of insomnia. But for giraffes, it’s not a sleep disorder that keeps them awake. It’s just the way God has made them.
If you think 1.9 hours a day is not much sleep, consider this fact about the Creator of our tall animal friends: Our heavenly Father never sleeps."
--you can read the rest of the devotional here.

Some new favorites

God has really been working on my heart the last couple of weeks. Two weekends ago, we had an event called "Redreaming the Dream" at our church. While I learned a little bit about myself with regards to spiritual gifts and talents, what came shining through it all was God very clearly convicting me and telling me that I needed to be praying fiercely and diligently for my husband. And while it is something that I have yet to figure out how to implement or how it should 'look' in my life, I know that it is vital.

In addition to that, I've come across so many blogs lately that talk about marriage-Godly marriages at that. There are tips and practical advice, challenges, etc...and I am excited to jump into some of these and see what God can and will do through it. I just thought I'd take a moment now to share with you some of my new favorite blogs that I think will make a difference for any married woman, whether you've been married for 6 months or 30 years.

If I had to choose just one favorite, it would be

There are two posts in particular that just really made me think and are things I would like to start implementing. Kris, if you are reading this, don't click on the links-you wouldn't want to ruin any surprises! For quick and easy access to those specific posts, check out the following links.

Recipe for a Warm Heart

Organ Enlargement

**Just to clarify, don't be turned off by the second title-it is really a very enlightening post.

Another blog I have discovered and am enjoying is My Marriage is My Job.

"Mommy and Me Monday"

I can't even begin to count all of the great new ideas I've learned and all the new friends I've met in the last few days! People out there are doing all sorts of fun things on their blogs that I never would have thought of on my own. I was reading through some new blogs I found through the



and came across this idea of "Mommy and Me Monday". You can find out more about that here:

Hosted by Krystyn
I wasn't necessarily planning on doing it. I just happened to be reading about it out loud and my one and only son thought it would be a great idea! In case you didn't click the link above (shame on you!), the idea is to get mothers in more of their pictures. So, here is my first Mommy and Me Monday picture-it's me (of course!) with Kaleb (age 8) and Olivia (age 4).


Too many times I know that I also find myself behind the camera, taking the pictures. What a great way to ensure that as my children grow, they will have pictures with Mommy! Please forgive the quality of this picture. We just took a quick picture and it is a little blurry. I tried retaking the picture, and then I tried having Katherine take one but none of them looked better than this one. Maybe next week I should have Kris take the picture. Katherine has already begged to be in the picture with me next week so I know they are excited about this too! I think this will be a great memory for the kids and for me as well. I'm so excited to have come across this!

Abbey the...um...unique?

My 7 year old Abbey Rose is unique. That word isn't even big enough to encompass all that Abbey is. Ever since she learned how to write and spell, she writes these notes to us. They are usually quite repetitive and center around the words she knows best. Like "I love you Mom. I like you. I love you Dad. I like you. Do you love me? Do you like me?" and so on...

Last week the kids were sitting with us in church because it was Easter Sunday. Towards the end of the service, Kris passed a note to Katherine asking if she wanted to go to O'Charleys for lunch. Of course she did-it's one of her favorite places to go! So I passed the note down for Kaleb to see and then Abbey. All of them were excited and shook their heads indicating that yes, they did want to go there. *Pastor Jeff, if you are reading this, I don't think it was actually DURING your sermon! ;)

After finding out we were going to O'Charleys, Abbey proceeded to write me a little note on the prayer request card. Oh, before she started writing she asked me how to spell "peek" though I had no idea how she was going to use that word in a sentence.

My latest little note from Abbey reads as follows:

"Don't peek at O'Charleys Mommy
because I love you and like you too.
So don't peek.
You my best mom too.
Don't peek for me ok.
Jist don't peek.
If you don't peek
you can be a Cross Bishop too.
I will tell you when you can peek.
Jist let me tell you when you can peek."

She handed it to me and after I read it, I laughed and smiled at her, all the while thinking "Man I love that little girl!" She looked at me expectantly and when I didn't say anything she said "You have to answer yes or no." So I wrote "yes" on the card even though I wasn't quite sure what I was answering yes too. And then she never mentioned it again. When we got to O'Charleys, I think she had forgotten about it because peeking never came up.

What a funny girl!

Extreme Makeover

Something I learned from the UBP 2010 sponsored by 5 Minutes For Mom is that my blog was severely lacking visually. Hopefully this is a little bit better. :) One day I WILL learn how to design my own templates. But this one was perfect for my little space here because a little known fact (at least to those who don't know me) is that I LOVE giraffes.

Did you know that each giraffe has it's own thumb print? Humans have their own unique thumb print and giraffes have their own unique coat pattern. No spot pattern on a giraffe is the same on another giraffe. Pretty cool huh?

The lion is the only animal that poses a significant threat to a giraffe. Giraffes defend themselves with some serious karate moves--according to Wikipedia, "a single well-placed kick from an adult giraffe can shatter a lion's skull or break its spine." If I could be any animal, it would most definitely be a giraffe. Plus, I like to be in control at all times, so it seems to me that giraffes would have a pretty great vantage point.

Just needing to vent...

Yesterday what started out as a chaotic, draining morning turned out to be a very discouraging day; but thanks to an amazing husband who loves me very much, I think I am going to be OK.

If I were to go into all of the details, this would be a long, tiresome post that would take you back over the last 11 years of my marriage. And while the story is actually quite interesting, I'm afraid it might scare some of you off! This is already going to be long enough, considering I am trying to keep it short.

Yesterday I found myself facing a situation that I really thought was in the past. But apparently it is still haunting me. I will say that this time around, the person who brought it to me took probably the most Christian-like, mature approach and confronted what they thought was a problem in a manner that was not gossip or just downright hurtful. This person came straight to me to confront a concern they had and I think they had good intentions. However, I also think that this person doesn't really know me very well and does not know how Kris and I interact.

I've written previously about the things I say to Kris sometimes that would sound horrible if taken out of context. Yesterday I said something else to him that made him laugh and so he told me I should post it on Facebook. Which I did. It was this: "Everything's going to fall because you're horrible at putting things places!" Kris responded with "I've heard you say I'm horrible at lots of things but never that!" He had set his laptop down in the van on top of his coat and his laptop was sliding around everywhere. That is what prompted my comment. I was teasing him, like always, and we both got a good laugh out of it. Again, HE told me to post it on Facebook.

Later that day, I got an email from someone who I would consider a friend, though we don't know each other well at all. This person had seen my most recent status I assume (as well as others where I have shared the funny out-of-context things I've said to Kris). The email was done in love, I really believe that, and I don't think this person was trying to hurt me or upset me. This person was concerned that I was disrespecting and degrading my husband by saying these things to him and then probably taking it one step further and having the gall to post it on Facebook. And this person implored me to think about exploring my heart and a man's need for respect.

What this did, as it did when it was happening 11 years ago in the form of gossip about me, was leave me feeling like a horrible wife to Kris, and like I had spent the last 11 years disrespecting him. 11 years ago gossip was flying about how I wasn't good enough for Kris and how I was disrespectful to him. People that Kris was close to hated me. Maybe hate is a little strong, but I can't really speak for them-it sure felt like they hated me. But they loved Kris and they were worried that I was going to be the worst person for him to marry. And instead of talking to me about it, rumors were flying all over church and Kris' friends were confronting him, basically telling him that I was disrespectful to him and not good enough for him. It was devastating for me and for months Kris kept having to reassure me that he didn't feel the way everything else assumed he must.

First of all, I truly believe that respect and submission do not look exactly the same in every marriage. What is defined as respect in your marriage may not be the same as how Kris and I define it. And this is an issue that is very dear to my heart. My husband is a patient man who lets most things roll off of his shoulders. He is not a perfect man (I don't mean this disrespectfully-none of us are perfect) but he has never been the kind of man who expects dinner on the table at a certain time, expects the house to be spotless and the laundry to never overflow. He's not a man who thinks that a mother's role is to be the sole caregiver for the children and he is certainly not a man who expects his wife to sit back quietly being subservient and never voicing an opinion. There are people out there like that, even within Christian marriages (and I'm not saying that is wrong). Because of the different individual personalities and views on respect and submission, not every marriage looks the same and not every couple defines respect and submission the same. I do not believe that there is just one picture of respect and every marriage should look the same. I love my husband and would never willingly do anything that would be disrespectful to him, especially in a public manner.

Kris and I have discussed respect and submission so many times throughout the course of our marriage. What should it look it? What is disrespectful and what isn't? What were his expectations for respect and submission? We have had in depth conversations about this because if something bothers him or he feels disrespected, I do not want to continue doing it. Kris and I banter back and forth sarcastically. You know how every couple has their 'thing'? THAT is our thing. It is something that both of us love about our marriage. We have fun and laugh together about me saying things that would sound horrible to an outsider if they didn't know us and know how we interact with one another. The last thing I would ever do is demean him or say hurtful or disrespectful things, especially in public. Kris does not believe that my little sarcastic comments, said with much humor, are disrespectful. And if he did, let me assure you that we would have a very, very boring marriage. He said yesterday that what we have is unique and not a lot of people understand it. But the teasing banter we share is one of our favorite things about our marriage.

So when I was confronted with this again yesterday, it really just sent me spiraling into a pit of doubt and confusion and hurt all over again. And once again, Kris and I had a long conversation about what respect is and how it should look in our marriage. I do disrespect him...at home. When we are fighting or I am upset about something, I am edgy and sarcastic. My body language is withdrawn and I know that my voice carries a mean tone. It is something that I struggle with and will openly admit. In those times when I can't figure out how to effectively communicate what I am upset about, I am not respecting him. And when he responds in kind because of how I am treating him, he is not loving me as Christ loves the church. We don't have a perfect marriage. Shocking right?

And as I am crying, fearful that I have spent the last 11 years doing nothing but disrespecting him, he comes to my rescue to reassure me once again that it just isn't true and people just don't understand us. And I find myself wanting to shout to the world that my husband is absolutely amazing! He is the one who pointed out that what we share with our teasing, sarcastic banter is unique and something he loves about our marriage. Thinking about this, I too realized that it is one of my favorite things about 'us'. It felt good to hear him assure me that he hasn't felt disrespected. That should be all that matters. But for the next few weeks, I will question everything I say and do and constantly need reassurance from him that he is not hurt or upset by the things I post on Facebook. I will eventually move past it, as I have so many times before but it will take me some time. I'm not angry at all with this person who confronted me. I'm frustrated that I am left having to struggle through these emotions that I thought were far behind me. I'm angry with myself that I can't just look back to the past and know that what Kris and I have and share is solid and that nobody else's opinion matters. I'm frustrated that my doubts and fears about this particular topic (respect) leave Kris in a position where he has to reassure me that he loves me and doesn't believe the way others assume he must.

I'd be interested to hear some other thoughts and opinions on what respect looks like in your marriage, or what you think respect SHOULD look like. Do you think it can be defined the same for every relationship? Do you think that my marriage should look like your marriage?

Oh the screaming!

You can always tell when the kids were up too late. Kris and I are given a hard time because we put our kids to bed between 7:00-8:00pm. But if we don't, we have mornings like this morning. And like last Saturday. And it all seems to culminate right about 8:30am. Kris is working on Saturday mornings and that leaves the children with me. And for whatever reason, they insist on fighting and screaming the entire time he is gone-it's all part of their master plan to drive me away an inch at a time. Kaleb has had a severe meltdown already this morning. He was told to stop playing the Wii so he threw the Wii controller down (which is a BIG no-no and he is going to LOSE the Wii for at least two days now) and ran to his room screaming. He proceeded to slam his door shut and bang on the walls with who knows what (it could have been anything-an object, his fists, his head). I'm hoping he didn't destroy anything. I'm pretty sure he was throwing things around too. In between banging on the walls he screams at the top of his lungs in random intervals. And then, all of a sudden, he comes out of his room, calm as can be, asking for AAA batteries.

Abbey and Livvy accidentally ran into each other, leaving Livvy crying. I asked Abbey to apologize because she accidentally stepped on Livvy and she yells "I'm sorry!!" She sounded really sincere...

Livvy said "I forgive you" as is the custom in our house. Abbey either didn't hear her or chose to pretend Livvy said nothing and began yelling "I SAID I'M SORRY!!" to which Livvy responds in an equally loud angry voice "I SAID I FORGIVE YOU!!!"

I'm beginning to rethink this day trip to St. James MO to see Kris' dad. Kris is now home to lay down the law...hopefully the day will just get better from here. It's barely 9:30am!!

Ultimate Blog Party 2010

And we're off! I'll admit that I am a bit frustrated right now. I have been really excited about participating in the Ultimate Blog Party 2010. I had my post to introduce myself ready 2 days ago. I posted it this morning. I 'linked' it, and then somehow I screwed it up. I accidentally deleted the post and now I can't retrieve it...so I am somewhat annoyed that I am now having to start over, especially when I am SUPPOSED to be working!

So this will have to be a quick intro to who I am and what this blog is all about. My name is Jamie and I am 31 years old. Not quite 11 years ago I married what has to be the world's most patient, loving and forgiving man. Any man who puts up with me HAS to be all of those things, and I considered myself beyond blessed that every day he chooses to stick with me!

We started our family young...AND FAST! In October of 2000, we had Katherine Grace. In August of 2001 (re-read that and do the math-it comes out to 10 1/2 months), Kaleb Lee joined our family. 13 months later, along came Abbey Rose. Life suddenly became extremely chaotic; we were broke college students and somehow managed to have 3 children in just 2 years and 5 days. WHO DOES THAT??? Apparently we do.

In November of 2004 I found myself pregnant again. This time I miscarried right before Christmas and yet managed to get pregnant again as soon as my body recovered from the miscarriage--THAT'S HOW GOOD AT THIS WE ARE! Olivia (called Livvy) Morgan joined us in September of 2005. I then promptly had my tubes tied!!

My life revolves around my kids. They drive me crazy, make me angry, push my buttons until I want to hide in a hole. And yet somehow I love them with all that is in me. While raising children is one of the most difficult things I've ever done, it is by far also one of the most rewarding. Yesterday, for example, my son had been pushing me and pushing me. And unfortunately, most of the time I do not even realize he is doing it until I've exploded and felt like a crazy monster! But out of the blue last night he said to me "Mommy I want to tell you something." I turned to him and could see that it wasn't going to be easy for him. Then he said "I'm sorry for everything I was doing. I really love you very much." If we weren't in the van, I would have taken him in my arms and held him. THOSE moments are what I cherish.

What you will find here will vary. Some days I rant and rave about whatever happens to be annoying me at any given moment--and if you know me, you know that most things annoy me!!! Some days you will find me sharing funny stories about things my kids have said or done. And there are even some days that I break down and share my utter despondency if life finds me at a weak point! I never know what I am going to say until it's said (written), so you never know what you will get if you choose to visit me here. But I hope you stay and can find some joy or amusement from my suffering and whining...because let's face it. It sure feels good to laugh at someone else sometimes!

That being said, I hope this post actually STAYS and I can get back to work! I hope everyone has a great day and to all of you participating in the Ultimate Blog Party, I can't wait to get to know you!

Kids say the darnedest things

Too many times I want, no I need, a way to 'record' what my kids say. I can write it on here and you can possibly appreciate the humor or profoundness of what they say but what you just don't get is HOW they say it. But alas, I do not have that ability so hopefully you can appreciate the great humor in the wise words of my four year old simply by reading what she said last weekend. Sometimes I wonder what her teacher is teaching her!

Last weekend we were driving around and Livvy just started in, like she always does. That girl chatters NON-STOP. I think she adores hearing her own voice. Sometimes I want her to just be quiet for 5 seconds, but that never happens unless she is asleep and even then she chatters away...seriously! I am not sure how we got to the color pink but Livvy stated "I love pink and God more than anything else! But I don't love Satan cause he scribble scrabbles." Through fits of laughter, we pressed her to explain more about this. Oh and just so you are clear, for some unknown reason our kids have always called SCRIBBLING "scribble scrabble". So Livvy proceeds to explain to us that Satan lives in the sewers and scribble scrabbles on all of his stuff. The walls, his t.v., everything he has. I asked Livvy "Do you like Satan?" To which she responds "No, because he scribble scrabbles." Good reasoning, right?

So, if you ever have questions about good and evil or God and Satan, my 4 year old can clear things up quite simply. Satan lives in the sewers and scribble scrabbles, which of course means he is a bad, bad person.

Easter Sunday 2010

I am sure that blogs every where today will be posting about fun Easter outings, egg hunts, time with family, and the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I am pleased with how our Easter turned out. We began with church. I always want to get the kids something in the traditional candy/Easter bunny tradition, but first and foremost, I desire for my children to know WHY we really celebrate Easter. Katherine needed no help in this. At school, they did these Easter eggs that had small items in them, each with a different purpose, to represent the different reasons we celebrate, or the things that Christ endured on the Cross. There was a coin, which I think was to represent the price Judas accepted to betray Christ. There was a sponge, to illustrate when Jesus asked for a drink and they gave put a sponge with vinegar to his lips. There was a croûton, and probably because it creeped me out that Kat had a really old croûton just lying around, I missed its meaning. I believe there were a total of 12 items. Katherine really wanted to put them in eggs and hide them around the house, so the others could find them and we could talk about the REAL reason for Easter. It's not about the bunny. Name that tune: "The bunny, the bunny, ooh I love the bunny. I don't love my mom or my dad just the bunny."

So Katherine hid her eggs throughout the house yesterday and today she conducted her own little egg hunt. In each of her siblings' rooms she hid a few eggs that had candy in them. Then throughout the house, she hid 12 more eggs, her "Jesus" eggs. Once everyone found all of their eggs, she sat the kids down in the living room and told us what each one represented. It was so cool to watch her do this. She has a lot of initiative and she really beleives deep down in her heart that Jesus is real, that he died for her sins, that he rose again, and that she has a place with him in Paradise! Childlike faith is a true blessing to witness.

I was on Facebook last night when I stumbled upon a friend asking for suggestions on what to put in Easter eggs that didn't include high fat, high sugar candy. Someone on her friends' list suggested buying a puzzle and putting the pieces in the plastic eggs. Once all of the eggs were found, the goal was to work the puzzle together as a family. I thought this was one of the greatest ideas I've ever heard! And fortunately, my mom had given me a box full of puzzles I had and loved when I was a kid. So I found a Charlie Brown puzzle and promptly divided all 249 pieces between 42 eggs. We gave the kids specific instruction on gently putting the eggs in their baskets, as I didn't want them splitting open and the kids finding out about the puzzle too early. So they did as they were told, for once! They gathered all of the eggs and then we allowed them to dump the contents of their eggs onto the table. At first they were like "Puzzle pieces?" Then I told them that we would work together to make the puzzle. We didn't let them see the box so that they wouldn't know ahead of time what the puzzle was of. We thought this would be a little more challenging for them and add a little more fun. It was great to hear them reasoning things out and one of them discovred early on that there was at least 1 balloon in the puzzle, though I couldn't figure out how they knew that. They're just really smart I suppose!

So we worked the puzzle to near completion. It was then that we realized we were missing one piece. Grr! That's what I get for #1. Not counting them beforehand and #2. believing that somehow a puzzle that was well over 20 years old would actually still have all of its pieces! I think everyone had a good time and we agreed that this should be a new yearly tradition. So, every Easter, we will have a puzzle egg hunt and then spend time as a family putting together the puzzle! I'm looking forward to Easter next year!

Here are just a few pictures of our fun. As you will see at the end, there was indeed one piece missing. But it still looked good and was just a really enjoyable time with the family.

Think before you speak

That should be my motto: "Think before you speak." Many times though, I tend to speak before I think, especially when I am talking to Kris. A month or so ago we were having a conversation about driving and I happened to say to Kris "I'm not like you. I'm not stupid." The conversation went on after I said that and I explained what I meant and why I said what I did, but Kris said that he should write a book or 'collection' of all the random things I say in the course of a day that sound horrible when taken out of context. Granted, most of what I say sounds horrible in context, but there are some things that I say that I don't mean quite the way they sound.

Tonight was probably one of the funniest ones yet. When it came out of my mouth, I knew I'd have a lot of explaining, but I also knew it was worthy of sharing with others. My poor poor husband. He loves me so much and he tolerates me remarkably well-sometimes I don't know how he can stand it. Because he loves me and he knows me so well and knows that I only say things like that when I am being silly or teasing, he laughed instead of getting upset with me tonight when (through the course of a conversation about him shaving his face) I said "Sometimes I think about coming over there and kissing you and then I see your face." Now imagine if you overheard someone saying that, but didn't know the context in which it was said!

See why I should think before I speak?

So funny story...

Kris and I went to lunch at Taco Bell today (shut up, that's not the funny part!).

When we first walked in, there was this old man talking to a very young man. The first thing I clearly heard was the older man say that he is really into eating healthy, from the earth. Natural foods.

Okay, my first problem? HE'S IN TACO BELL...eating!!! How in the world is that healthy or 'from the earth'??

The next thing I heard him talking about is how healthy he is now (because of how well he eats), and how he has lost weight over time eating this way. He then went on to say how he is 59 years old but people think he is in his 30's or 40's. Um...he looked MINIMUM of 65 years old. I am not kidding you. How on earth could people say he looks like he's even in his 40's??? I was shocked. Then he went on to say how he was ex-military and loves his country but doesn't like what it's becoming or something like that. I had to get Kris to stop staring at this guy!

I was seriously afraid this man would try to strike up a conversation with us-he really looked like he wanted to but we diligently avoided eye contact. In addition to all of that, he had this other man with him and said something to him about how he had to have "kahunas". Yes, he said "kahunas". And then he said, "Do you know what that means? That means 'balls'." Um...no it doesn't. "Kahuna" is a Hawaiian word for 'priest' or 'shaman'. What I think he MEANT to say was "cojones" which does translate to "balls". It was interesting, to say the last.

I really didn't want to go to the YMCA tonight. I knew I needed to, because my knee feels better when I go, but I was out of energy. I managed to drag myself there, though I can't say my knee feels much better. But I was blessed to witness yet another interesting sight. What I wouldn't have given to have had a camera tonight. There was a very tall, thin man on a treadmill. At first I thought he was just stretching out his shoulder while he walked quickly on the treadmill. I thought maybe it was hurting and he was trying to get the kinks out. But then it just got WEIRD!! The man started turning around and walking backwards. But there was something so 'light' about how he moved. I felt like I was watching a ballerina on a treadmill. It was...unique. He kept doing different things, turning one way and sliding his feet one moment and then turning the other way and somehow managing to glide. I couldn't decide if he was a ballet dancer or a figure skater, but if he wasn't either of them, he was just plain crazy!!