So Thankful

I'm back. The kids and I survived each other while driving back from our trip to Modesto (the one that almost didn't happen). Praise the Lord it did happen!!! That's all I have to say.

Well, ok, I'll elaborate a little more, just so the record will show how great God really is! Is there no other reason greater than that anyway?! Nope.

Ok. So I had decided last week to absolutely not go to Modesto this summer. Of course that just opens the door to a complete change of mind. So late Friday night I decided to go to good ol' Mo-town the next morning. I did this knowing full well that I would need to depend a lot on the Lord to get me through. A lot! In fact, He would be the only force able to keep 'the ugly person' from coming out during the journey North and back. (the ugly person, you ask? well, the ugly person comes from the ugly place, remember?). And the trip up went really well. The kids were great (and even napped, gasp!) But I wasn't surprised because it is the return trip that is always the more difficult travel day.

After enjoying a few days with family, it was time to return home. I did this with much prayer and trepidation. I fear the appearance of the ugly person just as much as the kids. And it didn't look good as we pulled out of the driveway and toward the main road when one of the kids let it be known that their water bottles for the trip had been left on the counter. The ugly person was out and lashing in moments! I quickly drove around the block, ran inside (seething), and tossed the retched water bottles in the car.

Not good. Oh, so not good. I was ugly and I felt ugly. As I drove to the freeway I began to unwind from ugliness and was repentant, and as I prayed I asked and hoped that it would be the last time that The Ugly Person would makes her appearance. Thankfully, she pretty much stayed away. Again, I give all credit to the Lord for His moment by moment strength and wisdom as I chose my words and reactions carefully. If I had a penny for every prayer and supplication I made that day, well, I'd be so stinkin' rich!

So by the grace of God, the kids and I reached home and the ugly person was rarely seen or heard from again!

And they all lived happily ever after

The End

**to those who prayed, I am so thankful! please know how grateful I am for your prayers on our behalf. may crowns of glory be lavished upon you on the day of glory!!!!

I Lied

I changed my mind. I'm taking the kids to Modesto today. My mind, as it would seem, is not impervious to various thoughts and whims of fancy. So, the kids and I will pack our bags (now that all the camping laundry is done and put away, of course!) and head out once again to the land of grandmas and cousins.

Why?

Because I'm crazy. That's why.

Ok, ok. The real reason is because Tuesday is my dad's birthday and I really want to be with the family when they gather to celebrate. That alone trumps all reasons of insanity, yes? Yes.

But to tackle the inevitable monster of ugliness I will arm myself with much prayer as the kids and I head into the wild blue yonder that is the I-5 and 99 through central California. Yes indeed, by the grace of God go I.

*please feel free to join me on my quest through central California. Prayer is the only way the kids and I will survive. So if you are a prayer warrior then now is the time to arm yourselves and join me in battle!

The Ugly Place

I've decided not to take the kids to Modesto this summer. It's such a difficult trip to take with myself being the only adult with three kids. The trip is just too long and I tend to go to the ugly place when there is no accountability to keep me in check.

The ugly place, you ask?

Yes, the ugly place. The time and place when traveling alone with three kids becomes too much for all involved. The time when the kids are tired and reach the threshold of togetherness but the road still looms ahead for too many more hours. The place that mama goes to when the kids reach that threshold and turns into an ugly monster and begins to spew forth words of meanness and daggers shoot from her eyes.

That ugly place.

This is why I will not be taking the kids to the land of grandmas and cousins. The kids (and I) don't need me to go to the ugly place. So, we will just hang out here in good ol' So Cal the week before school starts. The pool is just around the corner, so maybe we'll just grab the new torpedoes and a friend or two and spend the rest of summer break there. That's much better than the ugly place any day!

Thursday Thirteen

Things I am thankful for today;

1. My son cleaned his room last night before going to bed. I had mentioned to him as I was tucking him in that he would need to clean his room today, and he took it upon himself to put things away when I left his room but before he went to sleep. He did this all in the dark (because it's lights off at bedtime!) and is so proud of himself and happy to let me know. Thanks Bud for cleaning your room!

2. Living in Southern California. There really isn't much room to complain where we live. The weather is great and the beach isnt' too far off!

3. Sandals.

4. Dishwashers. I love that I haven't had to wash the dishes since we moved here. And guess what is running right now?!

5. Friends, old and new. The Lord has blessed me with friendships that have survived our being apart, as well as new ones in new places.

6. Boogie Boards. We bought the MaeLeb boogie boards the other day and took them to the beach to try them out. What fun!!! (although I think I need to get at least one more so Mama won't have to share!)

7. My bed. There's nothing like a camping trip to make me love my bed all over again!

8. Cable T.V. I am enjoying so many shows right now all because we got cable last year. My favorite right now.....So You Think You Can Dance (dance, dance, dance). Runner ups.....Design Star, Next Food Network Star, and The Mole. The ones I'm embarrassed to admit to watching....Wipe Out, I Survived A Japanese Game Show.

9. DVR. This little feature in our cable box allows me to record and watch shows (and fast forward through commercials!) when I would normally have to miss them. I love you DVR!

10. Craigslist. I love being able to sell things that we no longer need. The best part is making money off our crap unneeded items. The latest item sold was the dishes I had to replace. Money made: ten bucks! After my sales, I put aside my money until I have need for something. Lately I have bought desks for MaeLeb, more drinking glasses, and boogie boards. I love having this little bit of extra cash for things like that!

11. My Monday night bible study. It's great to continue to meet with a friend or two and talk about the things we learned in our study. I always go home refreshed and ready to live another day for the Lord.

12. Summer break. Although it has it's moments of impatience while waiting for school to resume, I am thankful for the lazy days of summer. It's great to not have things to rush off to.

13. Swimming lessons. Mae and Caleb dide great with their lessons this year and both are doing so well in the pool. Mae started out the season being tentative in the water, while Caleb was still in floaties. Now Mae is confident and is even venturing into the 'deep end'. Caleb is also making strides as he is now floatie-free! He is a little cautious but still has his element of fearlessness. I am thankful that they were able to start the summer off with swim lessons, now they are using their skills throughout the summer and enjoying the pool even more.

Back to Reality

We're home. We survived our camping trip and are now about to engage in the daily routine that is our life. I have a certain song that comes to mind each time I come home and return to 'normal' life. If you grew up in the 80's you may recall the song. The first few lines of the song are what is most appropriate and what runs through my mind as I re-enter normal life.

So all you children of the 80's, sing with me now....



More of camping and pictures to come later.

On The Road Again

Tomorrow we will pack ourselves up and hit the road for a camping trip. The best part is that we will be meeting up with some old friends and pick up an annual camping trip that has been put on hold for many years due to our being too far away. I'm beyond excited to spend a few days with these great friends! I anticipate staying up way too late as we talk long into the night as we try to catch up as much as we can in the limited time that we have. I also look forward to seeing all our kids (9 in all!) playing together and getting to know each other once again. In a way, I feel like this is like a family reunion.

For now I am just trying to get things done and ready before we load up and leave tomorrow morning. But I had a few minutes to spare to devote to a little post, and of course I found an appropriate video (or song) that will be the theme for tomorrow.



I already have the song running through my mind, and it'll most likely stay there as we head down the road. At least until the first toy is hurled from the back seat and hits me in the head! Aside from the inevitable squabbles that will occur behind me as we're on the road, it is going to be a great trip and I can't wait!!!

The Big '3'!

Isabel, how did you get from this



to this so quickly?



Seriously, that was waaaaaay too fast. Can we slow down this whole growing up thing? This mama is having a hard time keeping up!

Happy birthday my sweet Isabel!!!!

Duh! -or- Not Very Smart -or- Whoops, I Did It Again

Genius and brilliant are not words that accurately describe me.

Not today.

Maybe when this sunburn fades and peels away.

Maybe then. But not today.

The kids and I took my parents to the beach this afternoon. You'd think that after my last beach outing (or the day after that) that I'd have learned to apply a little sunscreen knowing that even though I already have a nice tan that it isn't enough to protect myself from the sun. You'd think. But if you're me, well, some things take a little bit longer to sink in.

Twelve Years Ago Today

Today Ryan and I celebrate 12 years of marriage! Twelve years? Seriously, really? Oh yes!

The video is one of the songs we had sung on that day. It always make me think of our wedding. So it is perfect as we celebrate another year and our continued life together.

As a side note, I have to add that as I searched YouTube for an appropriate video for this post, I remembered this song and as I began to play the first video I found of the song, Ryan heard it and said 'hey you should use that one, we had that at our wedding!'. I give him props for remember such a detail. Way to go Ryan!!!



Happy Anniversary my love! You rock!!!

My Reality

Ever have one of those days where you feel like your living your own reality show? Today I feel like I'm on Survivor.

And it's down to the final four. The team? Well, there's me

Then there are the other three (also known as 'The Others', but that's a whole other show)

Don't let the sweet little faces fool you. They can be brutal when it serves their purpose. I fear that the alliances out there are about to vote me off. But they can't! Why? Because I'm the one who makes their food!

But then the tide of the game takes a turn. Just as I am about to outwit my opponents, wham! I'm sabotaged. But by whom? One of 'the others' is helpful, another is compliant and the other is suspiciously absent.

Maybe I'm not on Survivor......maybe one of 'the others' is The Mole?

Pro-nun-skee-a-tion

Caleb still has some residual babish type words. Mostly, it just a matter of how he pronounces certain letter or sounds. For example, Caleb will use an f sound in lieu of th. Take the word think, for example, in this case it sounds more like fink. I don't mind that he does this, in a way it's still cute. Caleb will grow up soon enough so I am holding onto these sweet little words as long as I can.

However, the other night, Ryan decided to help Caleb with his pronunciation of the word think. Here is how it all went down:

Ryan: (enunciating and drawing out the th sound while he says the word slowly) Thhhhhhh-ink. Now you try.

Caleb: Thhhhhhh-ink.

Ryan: Good! Now, thhhink. (as he said it a little faster)

Caleb: Thhh-ink.

Ryan: Good job! Now, think. (said quicker or at a more normal speed of talking)

Caleb: (tries to say it faster but it doesn't come out) I fink I'll just say fink.

All this talk of pronunciation makes me think of Popeye and the way he spoke in the movie back in 1980. I love the way Robin Williams portrayed Popeye with all his mucked up speech! So in the spirit of pro-nun-skee-a-tion I leave you with this clip of Popeye....I Yam What I Yam! Enjoy~

I Remember.....

Back before we had kids, when we lived in Portland, and I was working at a property management company in a very small accounting department. Most times there were only two of us, but on some days there were three or four. The owners wife occasionally worked in the office next to ours when she upgraded the computer systems and fixed bugs here and there. Julie was not a stodgy owner's wife, but rather laid back and fun. In fact she was often the source of much conversation and slacking off when she was around. She would tell us stories of when her girls were young (they were tweenage at the time) or on special days she told us of when she and The Boss were dating (hee hee hee!).

When I announced that I was pregnant (with Mae), Julie was so excited for me and began to reminisce of days gone by. She told many personal stories of pregnancy and babies and little kids. On one such occasion of her brief appearance at the office, she told us how she and her friends would call each other at night when the kids were down and set up a rendezvous at Rite-Aid. They would meet at the store and enjoy walking the isles while finding fun little things on the shelves and giggle and chat. I didn't get it. I mean, come on, how exciting is Rite-Aid?! But now, years and three kids later, I understand. What a great way to get out of the house, with no kids, and see friends! And finding little tid bits from the shelves would be fun too!

Anyone up for a late night rendezvous? Say CVS, at 8:30? But not tonight, So You Think You Can Dance is on.

Dishwasher Issues

I have a question for all you dishwasher people out there. Or maybe I should rephrase that...a question for those of you who have a dishwasher and use it and may know anything about them. That's better!

Before I get into my question, I think I should relay my dishwasher story (my story of woe). Lately, after the dishwasher is finished it's load, a few dishes/glasses/utensils have some soapy, sorta gunky spots on them along with some filmy residue.

So here's my question; is it my dishwasher or the detergent?

I'm inclined to think it's the dishwasher, but I'm not sure. The bottle of dishwasher gel stuff is not new, in fact it's getting low so I need to get a new one. Since the dishwashing detergent isn't new and this is a new occurrence, I'm inclined to blame the washer itself. The funny part (funny as in odd, not ha ha funny) is that just few things get icky after the wash and not the whole load.

So there you have it. My dish washing dilemma. What say you? What do you think the problem is? Help!

Six More Weeks!!!

Can I survive it? Will the kids live to see the start of school? At this point I'm not sure if Caleb will ever experience kindergarten or beyond. The outcome doesn't look good.

I remember, as a kid, looking forward to summer vacation. But now that I'm a stay at home mom, a part of me really dreads it. And now I am left counting the days until school resumes. Six weeks.

Actually, once this weekend hits then the rest of summer should skate by little easier. My parents will be in town as well as my brother and his family. We have a few things planned and that will help a lot. After that, then we will go camping. When we get home then we have about a week or so before VBS. After VBS I am thinking about making a trek to Modesto for a week. Then the following week school begins!

So if I can just make it to this weekend then I think we can survive. Maybe. We'll see.

I Heart 'Craig'

I love Craigslist. I just love it! I love being able to get rid of things and make a few extra bucks. The emails may be one of my favorite parts of listing things with 'Craig'. I post my item then wait for the suckers people to bite and send inquiry emails. I get giddy just thinking about it! My other favorite part is when I make a profit off an item. I did that last year when I bought, then sold, a desk. hee hee hee Look at me!....I'm getting giddy all over again!

Tuesday was another one of those days. Remember when I mentioned that Isabel is no longer using a stroller? Well, I tried to sell our jogging stroller at our garage sale last weekend but there were no takers. So I listed it with Craig. And the first person to respond came to look at it and bought it. We bought it back in Michigan for seven bucks at a neighbors yard sale. And I sold it for twenty!!!

Now, Ryan thinks I ripped the lady off. Me, on the other hand, I say she made an informed choice. It's not like I made her buy it, or that I forced her to put it in her van and give me a twenty dollar bill. Nuh huh, nothing like that.

My listing had details of what it had, what it didn't do, as well as pictures. It's not my fault that she didn't read the listing that the stroller didn't fold up. It's not my fault that the she didn't like the little rust spots on the wheels or the stain on the material (I did point out that the material easily comes off with the handy little velcro straps and can be washed). But she kept asking for a lower price, and I kept insisting that I would not accept it. I had only listed it that afternoon and she was the first 'looker', so I didn't feel I had anything to loose. She even went as far as to walk toward her van while asking one more time for the lower price. And yet I was unmoved. The lady walked to her van and opened the passenger door and figured out a way to put the stroller inside. Then she paid me and left. See? Informed decision!

Now I look around the house for more unused items to add to my list of things to hand over to Mr. Craig. I love you Craigslist!!!

Random Acts of Kid-ness

I was tagged by Amanda for a meme. And as I haven't done a meme in a while, I thought this one was easy and wouldn't take much brain power to make it work. Also, I've hit a wall when it comes to things to blog about. So, here's a list of seven random things about my kids:

1. Mae was a thumb sucker up until last year. We gently tried to get her to stop, but it took the dentist telling her, and showing her pictures, of the damage that thumb sucking can do to get her to stop. (why does it sometimes take someone other than mom or dad to get kids to do, or not do, something?)

2. Isabel is a thumb sucker too. But she only sucks her left one, never the right.

3. Caleb got scratched by Isabel yesterday, poor guy! She scratched him on his face and left a Locke-like wound (think of the gash John Locke had after the plane crash). Of course it doesn't show up too well on camera, but yesterday you could really see the scratch on his forehead above his eye. Anyway, Isabel is no girly girl. She can hold her own, that's for sure! Oh, and Caleb, well, he's sort of a sensitive guy.


4. Isabel can, and often does, do the taco tongue. When in the truck the other day, she says 'Wook mommy! Wook!' I turn around and there she is sticking her taco tongue at me!

5. Caleb confessed to me yesterday that he was thinking about bad things. Bad things like kicking and hitting, because he thinks those things are fun. (he's five and I'm still not used to having a boy! what's up with that?!)

6. Mae is just like her mother, she's a pack rat. I sold her desk last weekend at our garage sale so I could get her a smaller one to fit the room better. Now that she has a 'new' desk with smaller drawers, she is having a hard time fitting all her stuff inside. And throwing things away is not an option. *sigh* (note: I no longer consider myself a pack rat. moving six times in ten years had a way of bringing out the purge in me!)

7. Mae and Caleb are different in their approach to things that they don't understand. Mae will ask incessant questions until she gets it. Caleb, on the other hand, will think about it until he thinks he's figured it out, then he will explain it to you in what we call a proposal. His proposals aren't always correct, but you can tell that he's thought it out. Here's an example....'airplanes have wings so people can walk on them'. See, he's thought it through, but unless he's thinking of a wing walker on a bi-plane, then, well, I don't think they were intended to be walked on.

There! That wasn't so bad. Thanks Amanda for the tag and reason (or the idea) for a post! Now what shall I post about tomorrow??.....

June Movie Review

Wow, we watched eight movies last month! Considering that we only watched four the month before, I'd say that's quite a feet! Although I know why....our regular tv shows are on break (but here's the odd part, aside from Lost I can't remember what the shows were!). Anyway, here are the movies we watched last month:

1. Much Ado About Nothing - This was the 1993 version with Emma Thompson and (her then husband) Kenneth Branagh, oh and let's not forget (Mr. Wonderful!) Denzel Washington! Anyway, I've always enjoyed this version of Shakespeare's play. It's one of his humorous plays and is fun to watch (once you get into the groove of listening to old English speech). Of course I recommend it!

2. Twelfth Night - Another Shakespeare play. The synopsis on Blockbuster Online said it was a humorous play, but we didn't quite get the humor. The main plot line is about mistaken identity, about brother and sister twins that are separated during a storm while at sea. As I said, the humor escaped us. It was more strange than funny. Let's just say, I don't find humor in a woman thinking she's attracted to what she thinks is a man but really is a woman disguised as a man. Ewe. Overall the movie was ok.

3. A Midsummer Night's Dream - Yep, another Shakespearean play. But the trend ends here. We have seen this on an actual stage and I read it back in my high school drama class. It was entertaining in it's strange way of storytelling. What else can I say? It's Shakespeare with big-name actors!

4. In America - This one caught me by surprise and Ryan and I both liked it. It's about a family of four that immigrates to America from Ireland and end up in New York. They struggle to find housing and jobs as the couple raise their two girls. The family meet colorful characters in the building they live in and people they work with. I enjoyed the character developement and storyline. I would recommend this one. (although I did have to glance away from the screen for one scene - so you've been warned, if you choose to see it).

5. On Golden Pond - A classic! I had never seen it but always heard it was good. Didn't it win awards the year it came out? I'm sure it did, it was good. I always enjoy a film that developes its characters so you feel like you know them. I enjoyed watching Katherine Hepburn and Henry Fonda. Their characters were like watching a real couple bicker! But the movie isn't so much about thier relationship as the one they have with thier daughter who purposely stays away as much as possible. So the daughter shows up with her boyfriend and his son. Let's just say that Fonda's character makes it difficult for anyone to get along with. Well, I'll just leave it there, you go see the rest to find out what happens (if you haven't already seen it).

6. The Count of Monte Cristo - Ahhhh....good movie! I've seen the older version with Richard Chamberlin but thought I'd give a more updated version a try. I'm glad I did. This one had James Caviezal as the main character, and I think I like him. It's about a man who is betrayed and locked in an island prison never to be seen or heard from again. This happens right before he is to be married to his love. How tragic! After a few years in prison, a tunneling would-be escapee takes a wrong turn and ends up in Caviezals cell. They join efforts to tunnel out as the other man educates him (sword fighting, reading, reasoning and just plain makes him smart). Meanwhile, unbeknownst to him, his fiancee marries his best friend! The plot thickens after his narrow escape. After that....well, you'll just have to rent the movie to find out!

7. Everything Is Illuminated - We saw this movie back in October of 2006, remember? It was one of those movies where we picked up a couple humorous lines and repeat them to each other to make the other laugh. We felt it was time to see it again. It did not disappoint.

8. Definitely, Maybe - **Caution, spoiler ahead** I thought this would be a lighthearted romantic comedy. No harm in that, right? By industry standards that is what this movie was, and although it did have humour and romance, in the end I fail to see any of it. Basically, the movie is about a father (who is recently divorced) telling his daughter about how he and his now ex-wife (the daughter's mother) met, fell in love, got married. He decides to tweak the story a bit and changes the names of three ladies he dated as well as a few details so that his daughter would not know who her mother was in the story. He makes it a mystery for her and she has to figure out who she was/is. After he is finished with the story and doesn't tell her which of the three ladies he married, the daughter figures it out. Just when you think that maybe the retelling of the story will soften his heart to his ex, he walks away from his daughter and his ex (a custody drop off of the child situation). Later, the daughter decides that her dad really loved another woman all along, so she helps him seek her out and mend the broken relationship and all is happy. The whole time I'm thinking/hoping that the movie resolves itself with a restoration of the marriage. It doesn't. And they say that the daughter is happy about this. This is so far from reality. I don't know what child would ever be happy in a situation like that! Divorce is destructive and hurtful to everyone in the family, especially children! In reality the daughter would be angry with her father for loving another woman, let alone having a possible step-mother in the future. It's wrong and a load of crap! Ok, I'll just stop with that, because I could go on and on. Do I recommend this? Um, no.

On that happy note, this is the conclusion of our June movies. Hopefully July will be a more uplifting month. Stay tuned!

YouTube Tuesday - Robo Kids

This last Halloween, my brother made the costumes for his two boys. They were robots and my brother did an awesome job with the costumes! Steven also enjoys his video camera and likes to tweak the videos into something even more fun. Here, take a look at his latest project, Robo-Kids:



I'm not sure, but I think Steven may have had more fun than the boys!