Dear Boys: It’s Shower Time

My dirty, stinky boys who are always in need of a shower, we really need to talk.

Yes, you have to take showers. I know that kills you because you’d rather be doing something else, but they’re required!

Now, the issue comes in with the order of these showers. Is there really that big of a difference who goes first? In the grand scheme of things, who cares which one of you gets clean first?

When it comes to sibling rivalry, how does taking a shower fall into this category. So you went first last week and now you have to go first again? Everyone run for cover because the world must be coming to an end!

I know there will come a day when you actually WANT to take a shower, especially because girls will like you much better. I’d just like that day to come a little sooner than I know it will.

Until then, when I say it’s shower time, I want you guys to rush to be first, ok? Let’s all live in mom’s little fantasy world, at least for a short time. Thanks.

Love,

Your Squeaky Clean Mama

PS Boys, Mimi from Screaming Mimi brought up another point that I thought is important to share. Once you get in this shower you're trying to avoid, coming out 20 minutes later (Buddy) with that little body is a bit long dontcha think? Doodle, your 5 minute showers in no way constitute a full shower. In and out in 10 minutes. You can do it! Don't forget those dirty ankles!

Wordless Wednesday: Not Our Christmas Photo

Be sure to visit all these other great WW participants: A Beautiful Mess, 5 Minutes for Mom, and Mama to 4 Blessings.

Inlinkz.com is changing how they do their links so from now on my WW links will only be text starting next week. Sorry. I just can’t pay for the photo links. =)

UPDATE: As of tonight, the above photo HAS become the cover to our Christmas card! Thanks for your comments!

Feel Good Friday ~ Smooch Is Heading To Training Camp

Laura at the girl next door grows up hosts the weekly Feel Good Friday. You are given 5 prompts to use each week. This week I've got lots to smile about! My oldest son, Buddy, turned 11. But the most exciting thing is about my girl.

So my 2nd daughter, Smooch (17, in the black shirt), is heading to Training Camp in S. IL this afternoon.

Training Camp for what you may ask?

Smooch is heading to India this July with Royal Servants, part of Reign Ministries. She will be gone July 5-31.

Training Camp is basically a boot camp for anyone going on a mission trip this summer with Royal Servants. From what I've heard, it's super intense, but amazing. Smooch enjoys taking daily showers. Well, she better enjoy stinking because their hygiene is tossed out the window for the week.

It's all good and very enriching. They will learn about the skits they will do, how to share the Gospel, etc. It really is a camp in every sense of the word! They stay in tents and use porta-potties, and get nice and nasty! Ah, the great outdoors!

When she is in India, they will be working with orphanages and schools. This will be so good for Smooch and the rest of the team. Royal Servants hasn't been to India in 10 yrs!

I'm excited and scared all at the same time.

I know that this is where God wants her to be. It's just not easy as a mom. I've seen the Lord provide through friends & family the over $4000 to take this trip. Those funds were raised in about 4 months. I figured with this recession, there'd be no way. But, He provided and she's going. Even tonight as she was getting packed, a gal down the road that Smooch has babysat for brought her money for the trip! Isn't that spectacular?

Over 4th of July weekend, Baby and I will be heading down to S. IL for Family Day. We'll get to see her one more time before she leaves. We're hoping Smooch's BFF will be going with us, but with work one never knows.

If you are so inclined, I would be more than happy to have you praying for her while she is at training camp and in India. My prayer will be that Smooch comes home with a heart that is healed and ready to be loved.

God's will be done!

St. Cloud Riverbats & A 7th Birthday Party

I had to come up with a quick idea of what to do with my son, Doodle’s 7th birthday party. It comes during the last week of the school year/1st week of June. It's hard not to be distracted as we get to the end of the year..

Some of the kids had gotten free tickets to go to the Riverbats (summer college players) game the Friday after school was out. So, it became an easy choice, we were heading to the Riverbats game. Sent the invitations out to 6 boys and we heard back from 4. That meant we all fit in one vehicle and Buddy could go with us.

All the boys showed up at 5:30pm and I tried feeding them pizza and pop. I got a few pieces into a couple of the boys, but they were too distracted by each other! Off we went, piled into the van.

I couldn't hear myself thinking. My 10 yr old kept trying to talk to me, but he was being so quiet, I couldn't hear a thing he said. I wish I could've hung my head out of the window while I drove!

As soon as we go to the Stadium, the boys rushed through the ticket takers. First thing we saw was the Riverbats mascot! I travel everywhere I can with a camera, so out it came! The boys all lined up and were so good with "it".

We go grab our seats in the General section, which has been improved since the last time we visited, and run into a lot of people from the school district.

As soon as they “sat” down, well, we choose where we’d be, is more like it, they were all over the place. Down to the fence, back up to me. Playing some cards that they got for free when they came in the gates. Nibbling on some sunflower seeds, and watching them being spit onto the bleachers (ugh, it was disgusting).

The game started and the boys couldn’t care less. They were bouncing off the fence. One here, two there, one back to me constantly saying, “I’m hungry, can you buy us something to eat?”

I needed a break so I left Buddy in charge while I grabbed some grub. Thankfully there were a ton of people from school that were able to keep an eye on them as well. A few boys ate the hotdogs and chips.

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After the 3rd inning, I knew I was losing them. I’d say by that time, they’d watched a total of about 15 minutes of the game.

I love being at live baseball games and watching the plays! It’s so invigorating. Apparently I haven’t passed that excitement on to my boys. Sigh…We ended up leaving at the top of the 5th inning.

When we got out of the park, I figured it would be a great time to have Doodle open his presents. Then we’d go back to the van and have cake as we headed home.

On the grass outside of Joe Faber Field, Doodle busted into his gifts. One of his friends, who he’d just given a Nerf Gun for his birthday, gave him the same exact thing! (Doodle had given his friend his gift when his dad dropped him off!!) Then he got a cool Toy Story 3 Lego set. Doodle is into sports and one little dude got him a football that whistles as it’s thrown! And lastly he got an awesome Iron Man 2 glove that shoots little bullets, because we need that in our house!

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We got back to the van and I cut up the birthday cake. I was dreading the ride home. LOL I knew that the 30 minute drive was going to be as loud as the ride up! Again, Buddy tried talking to me over the deafening loudness of the boys. I finally just ignored him because he kept trying to have discussions with me!

At one point he told me when he has his birthday party in a few weeks they wouldn’t be like these 7yr olds! hahaha We shall see!

Gardening With My Son

When I set out to put some tomato plants in my garden this afternoon, I didn't expect my 6 yr old to come out and help me. I had an idea of how I was going to put the tomatoes in and wanted the help I was going to ask for.

Doodle had some of his own plans and seemed to think he knew exactly what he was doing. I was content with him just helping me dig. Then he wanted to take the already started plants out of their containers. Well, okay. I showed him how to put his hand over the opening and have his fingers gently around the stem, then to pat on the bottom of the cup.

Then he wanted to move on to his own holes while I was still filling in the hole he'd dug previously. Doodle was on a roll. He knew all about gardening. "Yep, this hole is deep enough. I got the next plant mom." "Alright, that one's done. I'm going to plant the next one here."

I explained to him that plants grow bigger and need room for their leaves & stems. Reminds me, I need to grab my tomato cages. I tried to keep an eye on him as he went on his merry way and I kept myself in check. This happens every year. And every year, he understands a bit more about the gardening process, although I'm still quite the novice.

In the end, I was bright enough to grab my camera before the entire moment was lost to us forever. I wanted to be creative in my photographs, but my brain was 1/2 asleep because all I wanted was a nap. Snapping these photos captured this precious moment with my little Doodle who will be 7 yrs old next week. He's growing like a weed, or a well taken care of tomato plant.

What a blessing.

Nationals In California ~ Feel Good Friday

Just over a month ago I announced on a Feel Good Friday that my 17 yr old daughter and her team had won the State competition in their division for Business Professionals of America!!

Well, she flew out on Wednesday with the team and instructor to California. They competed today, Thursday. Now I think they have tomorrow to do whatever they want. I believe during these 4 days they'll be going to Disneyland and Universal Studios.

The last time my daughter went to Disneyland she was about 4 yrs old. We had a really good time. The weather was gorgeous and the girls had some great character encounters. I wonder if she'll bother this time without mom saying, "Wow, look, there's Ariel, go stand next to her Smooch so I can take my 100th picture of the hour." I can only hope!!

I would love it if you would pray for my daughter and the team while they're gone. Please pray they'd be safe while traveling and that they'd have a great time no matter the results. If they win my prayer is that they will be ecstatic yet humble. If they don't make it in the top whatever that they would be proud of what they have accomplished!

Saturday is the day they find out what the results are. I'm not sure if the instructor will find out ahead of time like they do for Regionals and State. I'm excited and nervous all at the same time! I'm proud of my girl no matter what!

Feel Good Friday: Beginning of April

If you'd like to participate in the Feel Good Friday, head to The Girl Next Door Grows Up and learn how you can share about your week! The following is my Feel Good Friday...

Today being April 2nd is a fantastic day, even if it’s only today to celebrate my 2nd daughter’s 17th birthday! Happy Birthday SMOOCHIE! So crazy that my girls are in their late teens. It goes by so fast!



My boys and I went to visit my oldest daughter at college. They had never been to her dorm before. We got to meet a group of her friends and they were AWESOME! They were so nice to us. The battery is dead on my camera so I can’t download our campus visit. =<( I’ll do it for a Wordless Wednesday.



It’s Spring Break for my boys. They were able to spend time with friends they haven’t gotten to hang out with for a while and it was good! I think we’ll go to the movies today so that I get to do something fun with them during Spring Break.



Today is Good Friday. We’re getting ready to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer. What could be more amazing and exciting than that? Ok, I know the Easter bunny is NOT what Easter is about, but I’m using old computer and it has no up-to-date photos or clip art so you get my son hugging the Easter bunny from a few years ago during our trip to Chicago.



Buddy received a guitar from his Uncle. It’s a belated Christmas present that we’ve been working on. Trying to find just the right guitar for a price that’s reasonable and appropriate for a 10 yr old isn’t the easiest thing in the world.



Have a blessed Easter!

SAD: Seasonal Affective Disorder

Alright, I'm no doctor, but I've been living with myself for 40 yrs now. I have a feeling I know myself better than anyone. I think I'm being affected by SAD. It's a phenomenon I'd never heard of until a few years ago.

I know many say that living in Seattle would depress anyone, but having lived there for 15 yrs, I can honestly say, the rain never got to me emotionally. At least not enough to give me a disorder. In fact, I love rain. Sigh...love it!

I've now lived in Minnesota for 12 yrs, which is nearly beyond baffling to me. I feel like I've been here 1/2 that time. I know it has to do with the fact that our lives speed up the older we get. You would think that after being here for over a decade I'd begin to get used to the depressingly long winters. Well, I haven't. Until last year, I had never had what I called the "winter blues" or "cabin fever".

SAD hit me for the first time pretty hard last year about this same time, starting in February. From WebMD here are some signs of SAD:

• decreased levels of energy


• difficulty concentrating


• fatigue


• increase in appetite


• increased desire to be alone


• increased need for sleep


• weight gain

I want to state for the record that WebMD says we should not diagnose ourselves and that we should see a specialist! I completely agree.

I think I have a hard time during this time of the year for a number of reasons. Work is cut back significantly. The last 3 yrs I have worked 3 days a week through the winter, but this year, I'm cut back to 2. Thankfully last week I worked a full week working in a different department. But, 1 week out of 5 isn't helpful to my brain, my body, or my checkbook!

This year I have definitely gained weight. Not a lot that people can tell by looking at me, but my jeans can tell. I can feel it and it's not a good feeling! I haven't felt this way for years and years. I've been eating out of boredom and sitting at home I seem to be hungry more often.

Definitely having issues with fatigue. I took a nap today that was an hour and a half and when I woke up, I wanted to keep sleeping. Of course, but then 1/2 my day was gone. I hate wasting mornings to sleep.

And the issue I'm having the hardest time with is my desire to be alone. I have no desire to call anyone, do anything, or be involved in any activities. When I look back at my time when my girls were little, I was so active! I was volunteering at the elementary school constantly. I knew all the teachers, knew all of their friends. It was so much fun. I have all of this time on my hands and you'd think I'd do something with it. Nah, seems I'd rather sit at home in my pajamas and on the computer getting absolutely nothing accomplished.

What I do know is I can't continue this way. I will end up a 200 lb blob with absolutely no friends and depressed 24/7/365 if I don't do something. The hard part is finding the desire to do that something! Yesterday I went and did some running around and I was exhausted by the end of the day. How ridiculous is that? Tomorrow I'm going to my son's school to make pancakes to celebrate "If You Give A Pig A Pancake".

I've learned over the last couple weeks that I probably won't do well with retirement unless I keep busy. I always thought, "Oh, I can't wait until I retire. I'll sit around reading books, watching tv, and just doing nothing in general." Surprise, guess I don't know myself as well as I thought!

Reality: A Teaspoon Dose At A Time

Dinner, a meal in our home that I actually dread. Yes, I understand that dinner time is supposed to be a time of families coming together, sharing about their day, catching up with each other, and bonding in general. Yep, not in this All -American home!

Dinner time around here is probably more like the average home than not. I am not a planner. I'd like to be, but dinner options in our home are extremely limited. First of all, before I go any further, let me explain that I love to eat! Italian, Mexican, Thai, Chinese, you name it, I probably eat it. I've always wanted to make great meals, but unfortunately, none of my kids has ever agreed on an entire meal. NEVER!

Sigh, this must be my week of honesty. Our typical "meals" during a week will consist of:

Grilled Cheese sandwiches & canned or fresh fruit & milk
Spaghetti with sauce or cheese and fruit & milk
Pancakes & fruit & milk
Pizza & milk
Mac & cheese & fruit & milk
And who knows what else

Do you see an item missing completely from that list above? VEGETABLES!! I ♥ Veggies! My boys, not so much. Hence, the writing of this post. I continue to try and find new products to introduce to my kids so that they'll try a veggie in a different way.

Tonight I grabbed a bag of Green Giant Broccoli Cheese & Rice that I could microwave. Made the Grilled Cheese, pulled out some left over pears and doled out the food. It was time to call the boys and hope that my patience would hold out. My 10 yr old has gotten better with eating what I give him. I don't overwhelm him with a food I think he might only eat because he knows I want him to.

My 6 yr old on the other hand (Large roll of the eyes) is a food freak. The broccoli cheese & rice only occupied about 1/2 a teaspoon worth of space. Unfortunately, it is the item that consumed the most amount of time and drama. I've been here before with him. Many times like this have ended with him throwing up. Not even kidding. He sits there staring at his food and working himself up mentally. I encourage him to just take a bite and get it over with. I tell him he's just thinking too much about it and give him some suggestions on how it would probably be easier to eat. Then I leave. Tonight the food sat on his plate and on his fork for about 5 minutes. I knew this was heading to a blow out, literally, and I needed to leave the room so I didn't get upset with him.

I headed down to do the laundry and as I did, I heard some hurling noises and Doodle saying, "Oh, that's just great." I kept walking to the laundry room. I couldn't deal with it right then. The psychological place he works himself to is so beyond what I can comprehend. I mean, will he have an eating disorder? Where did this come from? I've never heard of this before and find it somewhat disturbing. How can a 6 yr old get there? I offer these kinds of foods so rarely I don't think it's child abuse! The amount I offer him is so minuscule that I think it should be manageable to at least give it a try. Any ideas?

What would I love to have for dinner? Pot roast with red potatoes (which the boys don't eat), green beans (which neither boy eats), onions (again no boys), etc. How about some Chicken Parmesan with scalloped potatoes (which the boys won't eat), and peas (no boys here). Mmmm, a homemade Chicken Pot Pie. I'd be the ONLY one eating any of that.

Back To Square One ~ Worst Mom of the Year Award

Let me preface this post by saying, "I'm not in the mood for sympathy. I just need to blog!" I hope you've felt that way and will understand why I've made that statement. On top of that, welcome to my world of PMS! This will be a disgustingly long rant about myself as a mom and won't contain a single photo. It's 1:30am and I'm pretty much done with this post. This post will probably garner me a spot on the Today Show as the Worst Mom in America, but such is life.

Let's start at the beginning, a week ago today, Sunday. I get up in the morning & my 6 yr old Doodle isn't feeling well. Unfortunately, that means we miss church. Guess it's a day to stay in our jammies and hang out. He never actually gets sick that day, but has no appetite and has a fever off and on. Oh yeah, lots of sneezing. So I chalk it up to a cold bug.

Monday is pretty much the same so Doodle stays home. Since he'd had a fever on Sunday, I figured I'd keep him home anyhow in case he's contagious. No reason to contribute to the spreading of an illness.

Tuesday-Friday early afternoon, all is good. I finally have some hours at work, although I'd missed Sunday since Doodle was sick & I wouldn't ask someone to watch my sick kid. Friday, 2pm, I'm handed the phone. The only time I'm handed the phone at work is when I have a sick child. Buddy, who is 10, has been in the nurse's office 2x not feeling well. My brain starts whirling and after a few phone calls, the nurse agrees to let him stay the last hour of school if my friend's daughter will pick him up. That way I could grab a few essentials: Gatorade, soup, applesauce, etc. My original plan after work had been to go grocery shopping since I hadn't been for over a week & we had nothing! So, I dashed to the store and grabbed a few items.

Turns out, my friend had to go pick Buddy up because he'd been in the nurse's bathroom for some time with it coming out of both ends. Her daughter drove to my house to make sure Doodle could get in. The next day, holding back tears, I told my friend that I was so thankful she and her family were in our lives. I wouldn't have been able to get through the last couple of years without them!

Friday night turned out to be a night of puking for Buddy. He refused to take any medication. Alrighty then. I wanted him to take some Tylenol to bring the fever down and hopefully help with the puking, but no, he wasn't having any part of it. Fine, puke your guts out.

Saturday shows up and I want the boys to pretty much stay away from each other. Here's where my PMS starts to kick in and being fed up with the boys follows. Here is also where I'm going to get very real!

I ask the boys OVER and OVER to stop messing around. I want Buddy to rest because of the puking the day & night before. I tell Doodle to get away from Buddy because he's been sick. HELLO, am I the only one in the house that was home Friday night?! I've had it up to here with these two boys (picture me whacking my forehead with the side of my hand).

Finally, after they continued to ignore me, I got up, walked past them and like the wretched mom I am said, "I hope you get sick. And when you do, you can take care of yourself because I'm not going to do it." Then I went and shut myself in my bedroom. Yes, I said that, to my 6 yr old. Was it right? No. Do I feel terrible? Yes. Even felt terrible when I was saying it.

SIDE NOTE (but not an excuse): For weeks now, they have become these stinky little boys that I just don't want to be around. Buddy refuses to share even the most minute thing Doodle asks about. He does these little mean things just to egg Doodle on, make him upset, or just does something physical (a flick, small slap, etc) because he feels like it. I consider him a bully in those times and it's not acceptable in my home. Doodle on the other hand whines and complains about EVERYTHING! Oh, and his tattling is ready to send me through the roof. It's time to implement some Growing Kids God's Way because we all three need it!

Back to my story. The rest of Saturday went fine. Buddy didn't get sick at all. My 18 yr old daughter came home at some point and I was at work. Sunday was gorgeous. We went to church, had lunch and Baby went back to her dorm. The boys went to bed at their normal time and I just enjoyed my quiet time doing whatever.

A little after midnight I decide my eyes can't stay open much longer and I have to lead Moms In Touch in the morning (ha! Me leading a mom's prayer group. What a joke, eh?). I need to go to sleep! Enter 12:30am. I hear a huge cough. I didn't hear anything else with the cough, but it was a cough any mother would know. So, I waited a moment and I heard Doodle, yes, my 6 yr old whom I'd warned, call me and tell me he got sick.

Now, I walk into his room expecting to find some puke on the bed. What I hadn't anticipated was the amount. And not only was it on his bed, it had all gone down the side. He has a Little Tykes Twin race car bed. If I thought it was going to be cleaned up with a few swipes, I was in crazyland! I get a couple towels and Doodle wipes himself off. I am pissed off! I'm looking at this mess thinking, this "effing" didn't need to happen (yes I'm a Christian, but I'm still a sinner). If he had just listened to me. Now, in my head I'm telling myself to not say a word and just clean up the mess. Be a good mom, send him to the couch and keep your lips shut. Unfortunately, I'm not that good of a mom. I say, "Did I tell you that you were going to get sick? Do you think you might listen to me the next time." I know!! I will NEVER claim to be a good mom. In fact, if I had a parenting license it would be taken away from me.

I send him upstairs after I gain control of my mouth. I start moving the mattress. Then I realize the puke is on the box spring. I had surgery on my shoulder in Oct and it hasn't recovered enough to be lifting heavy stuff. The mattress is awkward and hard to lift because of my shoulder. I want to start crying. I'm SICK TO DEATH of doing this all alone. I'm SICK TO DEATH of these boys not listening to a fricking thing I say. Let me rephrase that, they listen they could just care less. I'm no good at parenting and even worse when doing it alone! Just being honest.

I want to NOT clean the puke, but who else is going to do it? NO ONE! It's me, always me. (welcome to the pity party, DO NOT join in!) I'm so sick of cleaning up puke. Some days I just want to leave. Drive off and not look back. (Wanting and doing are 2 completely different things and I could never walk away). Maybe an extended vacation for a few years in the Bahamas? But I digress...

I pull the box spring up and then the plank of plywood to find a HUGE puddle of puke on the carpet under the bed. Can you tell I want to crawl into a ball and start weeping pity party tears? I go get more paper towels and keep my composure because what good will crying do? Tears won't clean up the rest of the contents of Doodle's tummy. I climb inside the frame of the bed and pull out the wood strip that has puke on it. Then I tackle the carpet. What a flippin' mess.

The puke is finally gone and everything is just sitting scattered around his room. I look around and know I'm not putting the bed back together tonight. I'm thankful I had a mattress protector on, but what about the box spring that has a side full of puke germs? What do I do about that? Just let it dry and it'll be ok? I have a couple loads of laundry to do now on top of the huge pile that's already sitting in front of my washing machine.

I'm just weary. Hormonal and weary. PMS is not my friend and it amplifies my emotions like you wouldn't believe. I say things I normally wouldn't say. I react irrationally when other times stuff would pretty much roll off my back. And anything negative to do with the boys is at a magnitude that I absolutely can't handle it! One more argument or tattle from either of them and you'll see my head flying into the air because I've exploded!

Nights, or mornings, like this make me glad I have some place to vent. I had to get it out and there's no one to talk to at this hour. I mean verbally. I should've gone to the throne of God, when I was going over the deep end, but I decided to wallow. I wonder what it would've been like if I had turned to Him to begin with. Wonder if the pity party wouldn't have lasted as long or if I wouldn't have felt sorry for myself as much. Maybe next time. And yes, there will be a next time, much to my chagrin.

These Are The Things I Love...

I'm piggybacking off of Ree from The Pioneer Woman who made an amazing list of the things she loves. There are many that I would copy such as: John Denver, The Carpenters, Cat Stevens, the smell of fresh ground coffee, etc.

Well, here's my non-exhaustive (tho it may exhaust you) list:

• Baby, Smoochie, Buddy, and my Doodle


• my horse Winston


• playing catch with Rugby


• cuddling with our kitties


• a long bubbly bath


• piles of books (especially historical fiction)


• Big Red


• Drumsticks


• Olive Garden


• The Twins (love going to the games)


• my friends


• my family


• my church


• puppy breath


• my camera


• the Lord


• Ground Hog Day (with Bill Murray)


• handmade gifts from my children


• creme brulee


• Bath & Body Works


• eco-friendly products


• clean sheets


• jeans that fit (no crack here)


• So I Married an Axe Murderer (with Mike Meyers)


• Casting Crowns


• manly men who love the Lord


• pick-up trucks that are really tough


• bras that fit properly


• winning giveaways


• visiting family


• Jeremy Camp


• a man on horseback


• sunny days


• my perennial garden


• my raspberry bushes


• surround sound (at my parents house)


• blogging


• having the batteries I need when I need them


• worship music


• classic cars


• The Sound of Music


• a dude in Carharts (wink wink)


• birthday parties (& doing a surprise party!)


• any guy (from 3-?) who holds the door for me


• when my scrapbooking page actually looks good (haven't scrapped for years)


• when my boys get a long

What do you love? I would love for you to share this Valentines Day.

Wordless Wednesday

"I want to fly like and eagle..."

This is my first time participating in Wordless Wednesday. Probably the only reason I'm able to do it was because I finally had a "great" picture! This was the first game Buddy has made any baskets!!

Starting Out The 2010 On A Jim Dandy Note

I am so thankful my friend's had pity on me and invited me and my boys to their home to share the evening with them and our mutual friends. They are one of the neatest couples! We had all kinds of amazing food: crab legs, smoked salmon, pork chops, and baked goods too numerous to count.

I brought a movie for the boys to watch since there aren't typically other kids at the party. We had a nice bit of time while we watched that. I think we spent the time trying to get the food to digest so we could go gorge ourselves a bit more!

We played Catch Phrase, where at the very end I decided to cheat so that we'd stop playing and watch the ball drop in Times Square. heh heh heh I kept giving my group misleading descriptions that had nothing to do with the word I was given. I did this to my pastor's wife last year and handed it to her right as the buzzer went off. Well I was able to do it again, to our friend sitting next to us, but not everyone thought it was close enough to midnight. We had nearly 10 minutes left!!! Our pastor's wife took away a point, which our pastor tried to sneak back after we won the next round. tee hee hee

We turned the tv on to watch the ball drop and I had to shield my boys eyes from what was on regular tv. All kinds of making out in some promo for a movie coming out or something. It was ridiculous!! No one could believe that it was Jennifer Lopez on stage with that guy from American Idol. She was all of a sudden the talk of the room.

The boys and I headed home about 20 minutes later. We got here and let our 1 1/2 year old Border Collie into the rest of the house from the entryway where I have him boxed in so he doesn't destroy anything. When he was even younger he would've spent the time we were gone in his kennel.

As he got older he received more privileges to the rest of the house when we were gone. Then he got bored, even with his chew toys and bones. He started taking things off the shelf and destroying them. So, back down to the entryway he went.

When I went down to let him out, I found he'd shredded the bottom step carpet!! We had the carpet replaced back in May, and he'd destroyed that first step also. I thought we were beyond this!! I mean, there was a pile, yes, a PILE of pieces of carpet. I was so upset because I have no idea when I can get this fixed!!

Not exactly how I wanted to start off the new year/decade. Things must get better from here, right?

My 6 yr Old and Communion

At our church we practice open communion. What that means is, if you profess a faith in Christ then no matter what denomination you belong to, you are welcome to take communion. Our children are to be taught by their parents as to the meaning of communion.

Our church bulletin tells parents that we need to make sure our children understand why they are taking communion and it's up to us if they partake or not.

I have my children expain to me why they are taking communion. If they can't explain it, then they need to wait. I only do this when they are little. Buddy, who is 10 is allowed to take it without explanation. Doodle on the other hand is 6 and I have him share with me each month we have communion why we take the bread and then the juice.

Doodle has had a sweet spirit toward the Lord for, well for as long as I remember. So, I know that he understands who God is in his life. His heart is truly affected when he's done something "wrong" and thinks of how the Lord sees it. It truly breaks his heart. This is just who he is, not something I've done or not done.

This past Sunday we had communion and I asked Doodle what the "bread" meant to him and he answered me. Wish I could rememeber now what he said. Next came the juice and he said to me, "didn't I already say this?" and I told him, "kind of with the bread," but I said that we need to remember that Jesus's hands and feet were pierced and his blood reminds us he died for our sins and we can live with him in Heaven. Then as I do after we discuss I tell him he needed to take the time to thank God for Jesus and to ask God to forgive him of any of the "naughty" things he's done like fighting with his brother or something along those lines, and help him to do better.

As we pray during church, I check on my boys to make sure they are taking the time to "pray" also. When I say pray I mean it differently for my kids than I do for me. At their young ages I just hope their eyes are closed and they are being respectful of that prayer time. There's no way for me to know if they are actually praying. I wish my eyes could've recorded what I saw next so that I could share it with you. I looked over at Doodle and the sight was seared into my mind. His eyes were closed, his brow furrowed and his lips were moving. He was fervently praying. Of all 4 of my kids, he's the first I've seen pray so earnestly.

I just sat there watching him. I wanted to nudge the people around me and say, look at how precious this is. Not because he was my child, but because it was so amazing. if it had been someone else's little one, I may have nudged the gal next to me. A childlike faith, is there anything like it? Jesus's disciples tried to prevent the children from being near Him and He responded by saying, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." Mark 10:14-15


Here are some other scriptures that remind us of Jesus' thoughts of children:

Matthew 11:25 "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to the little children."

"Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them , for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Mattew 19:14

Mark 9:37 "Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me."

When My Son Sings Songs From My Youth

I don't watch much daytime television like I used to in years past. I have become somewhat busy in the last several years and didn't care to watch it. Well, since this fall all the time off I had from work and extra blogging I was doing, I had the tv on for background noise. Yes, I can't stand silence.

My boys came home one day and Oprah was on. Somehow I saw that she was doing a special on the new guy who sings for Journey. Does that band ring a bell for anyone who's at least over 35? I loved them when I was in Junior High. Sheesh I'm old.

Typically, I let my boys decompress from school before I make them do homework. They get to watch some cartoons while they eat their snack. This day though, I wanted to hear about the new guy. Let me just qualify what's to come in that my boys love to play Rock Band with the rock music.

So, we listened and the guy was a dead ringer for Perry! I couldn't believe it. I also was surprised that my 10 yr old enjoyed the music. He enjoyed it so much, he YouTubed Journey! Man did we hear those songs over and over again!! Turns out this song is from X-Men.

So, tonight after I tucked the boys in, Buddy starts singing some random song. Next he says, "Hey mom...Just a small town girl. Living in a lonely world. She took the midnight train goin' anywhere. Just a city boy. Born and raised in South Detroit. He took the midnight train goin' anywhere." He sang it in pitch and in tune! I nearly fell over. Do you know how many decades it was before I knew Steve Perry was saying, "Born and raise in South Detroit"? Yes, decades! Oh, admit it, there are words to songs you love that you don't know either! My dare for you is to try and not sing along! :0)




I had headed downstairs and Buddy says to me, "What was it called that you used to have that you used to listen to this on? Was it a different kind of CD player?" Ah, sweet child no, that was back in the day of cassette tapes! Do you have ANY idea how strange it is to hear my 10 yr old singing a song I was in love with nearly 25 30 yrs ago?

Don't Stop Believing is off the 1981 album Escape. This was one of my favorite albums for years. I mean, I could sing every single song (minus a few words here and there). How many albums can we truly say that about? Do you remember these songs:

ESCAPE by Journey

1. Don't Stop Believin'



2. Stone in Love



3. Who's Cryin' Now



4. Keep on Runnin'



5. Still They Ride



6. Escape



7. Lay It Down



8. Dead or Alive



9. Mother Father



10. Open Arms

Those songs are still so fresh in my mind. I remember when I was in my sad place, "Still They Ride" was there to help the tears flow. And what girl didn't want to dance with her sweetheart to Open Arms?

Parenting (or Not) My Now Adult Daughter

My oldest daughter, Baby, who I took to her first year of college this past August was home for the Thanksgiving weekend. I was so thrilled to have her here because I've never been separated from her for more than a week her entire life. Now I had only seen her 1x in the three and a half LONG months she'd been at school.

Now you might think, "Well, she's at college, it's far away, etc etc etc". Yah, she's only an hour and 15 minutes away. There are 2 other girls at the same college who come home pretty frequently. Hello, Baby, are we chopped liver? Actually, she works a lot and has tons of school work, so I understand.

I was very disappointed that I didn't get to spend much time with her. I had to work all 3 days after Thanksgiving. :( I felt even sadder that she didn't get to see many of her friends and the few she did she only saw for a couple of hours. I hope it's different when she comes home for Christmas.

On to the reason for my post. I have NO idea how to "parent" an adult child. Seriously, 3 months ago I had some say in her life as a parent. Of course it wasn't the same as when she was a 5 year old. And it's not that I had to do a lot of parenting while she was here. She's always been a responsible kid so I never had to do much with her.

Unfortunately, a money issue came up and I didn't know how to respond. I just responded like I normally would as if she were still living under my roof. Baby had worked for a retail store that she loved shopping at. Not so much the working though, so she found a new job that she loves. It sounds like she's not getting paid really until she's done with the training. The training seems to last a couple of months.

Well, she had never picked up 2 of her checks from her retail job and hadn't gotten a small check from the new company. On the other hand, she'd be spending all kinds of money. The first night she was home, Wednesday before Thanksgiving, she opened a letter from the bank and found out she had at least 5 overdraft fees. She forgot about getting her checks. I asked her about balancing her check book and she told me, "I'm not good at it." WHAT??? I nearly fell off my rocker.

I was stunned to say the least. When she lived at home she worked at the local grocery store for 2 yrs and was amazing with her $. It seemed as if the Lord multiplied it while she slept!! She also did everything with cash, not using a checking acct. She had a consumer class in high school where balancing a checkbook was part of the course. Honestly, she did well.

Friday, after Thanksgiving, we got another letter from the bank. She had another set of overdraft fees!!! This was adding up fast. I had no idea how she would recover in the 30 day period they give to pay these fees. On top of that, Christmas presents purchased by her wouldn't be an option now. I was frustrated with her and feeling terrible for her all at the same time. How was I to help?

Friday when we got home from my aunts house I called the bank to see if they would reduce the charges. Thankfully they agreed, but she still has a lot to pay back. When she comes home for Christmas break, I'm going to have her sit down with a friend of mine to go over a budget. I did see some of the purchases she had been making over the last couple weeks and was floored. That girl is well dressed and well fed!!

Yes, it's her money, but that doesn't mean she can blow it however she wants. I understand that she wants to stay up-to-date on the latest fashions, but she has car mainenance, gas, school loans, phone bill, and car insurance that she needs to be taking care of, and she has so far. I just want her to be more aware of how she's spending her money and start looking at what budgeting is all about. I should be her blazing sign as to why she should have a budget!! We have done so poorly financially all her life that I should be her reason for having a budget and saving plan in place.

Now, since she is 18 and living at college, I can't force her to do anything. In fact, she hasn't responded to my email or txt message about talking to her employer about having her checks automatically deposited or if she's going to live on a cash basis, or the fact I suggested she get together with a friend for budgeting info. Kind of frustrating, but I have to somehow let it go.

Any parents out there with older kids who you've had to let go and let live? How do you know that without getting frustrated? Do you ever tell them what to do? Do you just give suggestions? How do you not get annoyed when the don't do what you say when you know it's sound wisdom? Grrr we don't want our kids to get hurt, but we have to let them learn from their mistakes. This is not an easy task by any means!!