Friday, December 30, 2005

She's Alive!

This morning Callah came up to me with a new sweater she wanted me to put on her. So I did. Then we went into the livingroom where Matthias was playing.
"Hooray! Hooray! She's alive! She's alive!" he said.
I thought to myself, of course she's alive, I just put on a sweater for pete's sake.
Then he tried to run her over with a doll stroller.

Wednesday, December 28, 2005

The Best Christmas Gift

The best Christmas gift I received this year was having my son toilet trained. Finally it just kicked in!!!

Thursday, December 22, 2005

Merry Christmas

I know it's still a couple of days away, but for us, it starts today. The mother-in-law is coming today and she's staying overnight. Which should be ...well....all sorts of things, but I'm trying to be nice here, so I won't say anything bad...good(?). She's leaving tomorrow, then we leave to go to my parent's home down in Regina. I know what you're thinking. Steve thinks the same about his in-laws. No, not really. I honestly believe that he gets along with everyone in my family. He has had a few tiffs with my Mom, but they've talked about it and worked it out. His family on the other hand...well, I don't want to get into it right now. Happy remember? So we'll go to Regina for a few days and then come home, carrying all our goodies that we've collected. 2 days break then it's the New Year! More food and drink. Thank goodness I got that gym membership!

So as I pause and think about the anger and impatience I felt yesterday, while out doing some last minute Christmas shopping, I think of all of you and pray that you will not honk at too many cars as they cut you off for that parking spot you've been waiting for for 15 minutes. Or you will not loose patience with your kids as they knock off another whole bucketfull of pine needles from your Christmas tree. And you will not flip out at the person in the checkout line in front of you who can't decide whether or not to buy the blue or green fuzzy knit sweater. I pray that you will remember what Christmas is all about. The birth of Christ. Hope you have a blessed Christmas with loved ones. Stay safe and happy this holiday season!

Merry Christmas!!

Tuesday, December 20, 2005

Something Fun

Okay I admit it, I'm a complete sucker for these things. This is one of those add a #, subtract a # and it gives you a really cool # that has to do with your life. Anyway, follow the steps one at a time. No cheating by jumping ahead!

1. First of all, pick the number of times a week that you
would like to have chocolate
(more than once but less than 10)

2. Multiply this number by 2 (just to be bold)

3. Add 5

4. Multiply it by 50 -- I'll wait while you get the
calculator

5. If you have already had your birthday this year
add 1755 ....If you haven't, add 1754.

6. Now subtract the four digit year that you were born.



You should have a three digit number
The first digit of this was your original number
(i.e., how many times you want to have chocolate each week).
The next two numbers are YOUR AGE! (Oh YES, it is!!!!!)

Monday, December 19, 2005

a story or two

Tomorrow there is no Mom's Morning Out. It seems like it's the first time in a long time, that I haven't gone. In a way I'm glad. I just keep thinking about all the people I forgot to phone about possible session ideas for the Spring. Some programmer I'll turn out to be!

This evening Matthias and I were sitting on the couch. He reached over and started playing with my hair. He'd throw it in my face, and then back, then in my face and then back. He repeated this several times, each time laughing. Suddenly he got up and went over to his art drawer. He pulled out his scissors. "I'm going to cut Mommy's hair. Okay?"
"No, it is NOT okay!" I don't think his little crayola scissors could even cut hair, but I'm not going to let him try either. This is when the "do not cut your hair" lesson came into play. Somehow I doubt he'll remember this little conversation. But I hope that he does.

A friend sent me this via e-mail today. I've heard it before and thought it was kinda cool.

The University Professor challenged his students with this question: "Did God create everything that exists?"

A student bravely replied, "Yes, he did!"

"God created everything?", the Professor asked. "Yes, Sir," the student replied.

The Professor answered, "If God created everything, then God created evil. Since evil exists, and according to the principal that our works define who we are, then God is evil."

The student became quiet before such an answer. The Professor, quite pleased with himself, boasted to the students that he had proven once more that the Christian faith was a myth.

Another student raised his hand and said, "Can I ask you a question, Professor?"

"Of course," replied the Professor.

The student stood up and asked, "Professor, does cold exist?"

"What kind of question is this? Of course it exists. Have you never been cold?" The students snickered at the young man's question.

The young man replied, "In fact sir, cold does not exist. According to the law of physics, what we consider cold is in reality the absence of heat. Everybody or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (-460 F) is the total absence of heat. All matter becomes inert and incapable of reaction at that temperature. Cold does not exist. We have created this word to describe how we feel if we have no heat."

The student continued, "Professor, does darkness exist?"

The Professor responded, "Of course it does."

The student replied, "Once again you are wrong, Sir. Darkness does not exist either. Darkness is in reality the absence of light. Light we can study, but not darkness. In fact, we can use Newton's prism to break white light into many colors and study various wavelengths of each color. You cannot measure darkness. A simple ray of light can break into a world of darkness and illuminate it. How can you know how dark a certain space is? You can measure the amount of light present. Isn't this correct, Sir? Darkness is a term used by man to describe what happens when there is no light present."

Finally, the young man asked the Professor, "Sir, does evil exist?"

Now uncertain, the Professor responded, "Of course, as I have already said. We see it every day. It is in the daily example of man's inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing but evil."

To this, the student replied, "Evil does not exist, Sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is not like faith, or love that exist just as does light and heat. Evil is the result of what happens when a man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light."

The Professor sat down.

The young man's name -- Albert Einstein.


Christmas is officially "just around the corner". I hope you've begun your shopping. This is the time I love. The anticipation of something. We don't put any presents under the tree until Christmas morning. Last year he was speechless when he woke up and we told him to look under the tree, and he saw all these presents that weren't there the night before. It was pretty cool. I'm sure it'll be harder and harder to do that as he gets older. But for now, it's priceless.

Friday, December 16, 2005

Campground Humour

I know I get these crazy forwards all the time. I thought this was cute tho'.

A very proper lady began planning a week's camping vacation for her and her Baptist Church group. She wrote to a campground for reservations. She wanted to make sure that the campground was fully equipped and modern, but couldn't bring herself to write the word "toilet" in her letter. So, she decided on the old-fashioned term "Bathroom Commode." Once written down she still was not comfortable.
Finally she decided on the abbreviation "B.C." and wrote, "does your campground have its own B.C.?"

When the campground owner received the letter, he couldn't figure out what she meant by "B.C." He showed it to several of the campers, one of whom suggested the lady was obviously referring to a "Baptist" "Church" since there was a letterhead on the paper which referred to a "Baptist Church". So he sent this reply...

Dear Madam:
The B.C. is located nine miles from the camp ground in a beautiful grove of trees. I admit it is quite a distance if you are in the habit of going regularly. No doubt you will be pleased to know that it will seat 350 people at one time, and it is open on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday of each week. Some folks like to take their lunch and make a day of it. The acoustics are very good, so everyone can hear even the quietest passages.

It may interest you to know that my daughter met her husband there. We are also having a fund-raiser to purchase new seats, as the old ones have holes in them.

Unfortunately my wife is ill and has not been able to attend regularly. It's been a good six months since she last went. It pains her very much not to be able to go more often. As we grow older, it seems to be more of an effort, especially in cold weather.

Perhaps I could accompany you the first time you go, sit with you, and introduce you to all the other folks who will be there. I look forward to your visit. We offer a very friendly campground.

Yours truly,

Camp Director, Hector Collins

Family, Take 2

It's funny. Family can be both a good thing, and a bad thing. Depends on how you look at it. Yes, people can live their lives trying to keep their families together. There are those, on the opposite side, who spend their lives keeping their families apart. I wonder sometimes at my husband's family. If they 'try' to keep their family apart. They have so many problems, that if they really looked at the problems and tried to solve them, it might work and they could be a 'family' again. It's almost like they choose to create more problems tho' instead of fixing the existing ones. Drives me crazy how much problems they have, that they refuse to look at.
Then there's my family, and my Grandma goes out of her way to accomodate my uncle and his family (who want nothing to do with my family) just to try and keep us together. Does my uncle even notice how hard she's trying? Doubtful. He doesn't even care.
Where do we draw the line? When do we stop working on our 'old' families and work on the new ones we are creating and neglecting? Or do we ever? Do we constantly work at keeping (or breaking) them all?

Some friends of ours are taking in their niece-in-law. I think it's a cool thing. Someone in their family is having a rough time, so they've offered to help out and take the toddler in. I know they'll be great at it. They deserve kids of their own. They're creating a different family. Then there are those whose friends are more family to them, then their actual family is. What do you do when you want to keep your family together, but they want nothing to do with you?

Family...it's so complicated. This Christmas, I pray that visiting your families is very uncomplicated and that your able to just enjoy being around them. Enjoy the times with your family.

Thursday, December 15, 2005

Political

I'm not one for politics. But when I hear of something that directly involves me, I will read up on it. Here's something for us Mom's to read.

Monday, December 12, 2005

Family

Last night Steve and I watched Cinderella Man (with Russell Crowe and Renee Zellweggar). It's a true story of a boxer thru the Great Depression of 1929-1933. I thought it was really good. One of those feel good movies. For some reason there seems to be a couple of those boxer feel-good shows. I also recommend Million Dollar Baby too. Anyway, without ruining it too much, I hope, James Braddock looses everything when the stock crashes in 1929. Not making ends meet, they loose the power and heat to their little apartment. They can no longer even afford milk. But James promises his young son that he'd never send him and his siblings away. No matter what James would keep the family together. The story goes on, and his wife ends up sending the kids away without James knowing causing James to beg for money to pay-up the power and heat guys. Then James, who had been down on his luck in the ring, took one last fight with a payout of $250. During the fight, he gets hit pretty hard, but at the last second as he's going down, he remembers what it was like to come home and find his kids gone. The house empty. He remembers seeing the empty milk jars with a "PAST DUE" notice on them. He will NOT let that happen again. So he comes back and ends up winning the fight.
Later on in the movie, at a press junket, a reporter asks him why he's fighting again, or something. James simply says, "Milk."
What is it that drives you to keep your family together? Seeing a movie like that, I can't imagine how desperate I'd feel if I were in their position. Trying so hard to keep my family together, like so many hundreds and thousands of others during that time. Family is so important. Being a mother now myself, it puts a whole different perspective on it. What would you do, to keep your family together?

I found out about this yesterday. Sad.

Sunday, December 11, 2005

Bad Mom

Is it bad, when you hear your kids screaming, but you continue to hide downstairs?

Saturday, December 10, 2005

A Little Forgetful

Thursday we took the kids with us to do some shopping. Thinking they're still too young to remember stuff well. So we bought them Mr. Potato Head. Matthias picked it out and carried it to the checkout and paid for it. Then when we brought it home, I said, "Give it to Mommy and you can play with it later."
"Later?" he asked slightly worried.
"You have to wait till Christmas."
"Christmas?"
"Yeah, now give it to Mommy."
"Okay".
I "hid" it downstairs with their other presents in the spare bedroom. 2 days later, he's totally forgotten about Mr. Potato Head. Either I'm too clever for him, or he's a little forgetful.

Oh and before I forget, if you're reading this from PA, don't forget about the Mom's Morning Out Christmas Potluck this Tuesday. There's always TONNES of food and lots of laughter. See you there!

That's me, Mrs. Pessimist

We were suppossed to leave to go on our annual Christmas Tree Hunt half-hour ago. We've previously done it on our own. This year, we're "suppossed" to do it with Steve's brother. He hasn't left Saskatoon yet. He wants to have a weiner roast. We have a Christmas party to go to tonite, kids have to be bathed and fed before the babysitter comes. Somehow I don't see this working out good. It's already 2 pm.

Thursday, December 08, 2005

Mystery Solved

Last night I made scalloped potatoes for supper. When I was peeling them, I noticed there were little bite marks taken out of quite a few of them. Now we're not a big potato eating family. We prefer rice, so my first thought was "oh dear, we have mice." However, never seeing droppings of any sort, the mouse theory didn't have much merit. Then this morning, as I'm sitting here checking my e-mail, my daughter comes over to me and plops two potatoes, with fresh bites taken out of them, on the desk. Aha...and yuck!

Wednesday, December 07, 2005

7

There's this thing going around the inter-web, reminds me of a chain letter, which growing up, I always thru away. But before I threw them away, if they were questions, I'd tell myself the answers first. So I'll fill out this "questionaire" b'cos if nothing else, it might give some insight to myself, and b'cos I'm bored. So thank you Dixie.

7 Things to Do Before I Die:
1. Go to Scotland
2. Be financially secure
3. Get a tattoo
4. bike/walk/canoe across Canada
5. Do a long-term mission somewhere
6. Go to New Zealand (adventure capitol of the world!!)
7. Raise self-sufficient, God fearing, loving children into adults

7 Things I Cannot Do
1. Stay emotionally calm
2. Sleep while someone else is snoring
3. Skate (altho' for the life of me, I'm trying)
4. Watch a western movie all the way thru at one sitting
5. Drink beer
6. Sleep past 10 am.
7. Resist the convenience of fast food

7 Things That Attract Me To My Spouse (when I first met him)
1. His dog Newt
2. His cool vehicle (1982 Landcruiser)
3. His love for God
4. The way his hair curled out from under his baseball hat
5. His smile
6. His voice
7. His love for music

7 Things That Attract Me To My Spouse (now)
1. His love for God
2. His optimism
3. The way he plays with my kids
4. His love for his job (even when things go crappy)
5. The way he can make me laugh even on the crappiest of days
6. His solid hugs
7. His singing (which is so bad, it's cute)

7 Things I Say Most Often
1. "Don't"
2. "No"
3. "Don't touch."
4. "Do you have to go pee?"
5. "Obviously."
6. "No he's not here. Can I take a message?"
7. "I said, don't touch."

7 Books I Love
1. Captivating by John & Stasi Eldredge
2. Little Women by Louissa May Alcott
3. The Complete Bartender (altho' I have never read it fully, I like having it on my shelf)
4. Jean M. Auel books
5. Maeve Binchy books
6. Guardian of The Balance by Irene Radford
7. Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller

7 Movies I Would Watch Over and Over
1. Braveheart
2. 13 Going on 30
3. The Day After Tomorrow
4. Garden State
5. Fried Green Tomatoes
6. Emma
7. Dodgeball

I'm suppossed to invite 7 people to join in on this bizarre fad, but I don't know 7 people who haven't already done this. So I'll just list a few people I know who haven't been "tagged" Steve, Gavin, Luke, Matt
If you read this blog and have time to spare, leave me your answers or e-mail them. I'd love to hear them!

This one's good...

Yet another quiz.

Your Personality Profile

You are dependable, popular, and observant.

Deep and thoughtful, you are prone to moodiness.

In fact, your emotions tend to influence everything you do.


You are unique, creative, and expressive.

You don't mind waving your freak flag every once and a while.

And lucky for you, most people find your weird ways charming!


I like how they say I wave my "freak flag" once in awile. That's funny, yet so true!

Tuesday, December 06, 2005

Poop

WARNING!! THE FOLLOWING POST IS NOT FOR THE QUEASY OF STOMACHE!!

So the kids and I were eating some french toast for lunch, when all of a sudden Callah's face turns bright red. You know she's pooping. The stench afterward was bizarre, you'd have to have been in another room not to notice that she had indeed, pooped. So fine. She had 2 bites left so I let her finish. When she was all done, I cleaned her off and carried her to the change table, where horror of all horrors, I noticed that the poop had gone all the way up her back. Yuck. I gave up cleaning her and just took her to the bath. I finally cleaned up her mess and laid her down for her nap. Then I went to clean up the table and dishes. What do I find? Poop. Little "crumbs" of poop on her highchair. Sick. I look at the table cloth. Gross. Poop is smeared all along the one side. I shudder even now remembering. If she poops again, I'll leave it so her Daddy can clean it up.

On the flip side, Matthias pooped in the potty today! Yeah!! Hooray!!

Not a fan of myself

Well I just took this BOOK QUIZ, and I must say, if I were on a shelf, I wouldn't want to read me.


You're Mother Night!

by Kurt Vonnegut

Nobody knows what to believe about you, and you know least of all. You

spent most of your time convinced that the ends justify the means, but your means were,

well, downright mean! And the end is nigh. Meanwhile all you want is to travel back in

time, if not to change, then to just delight in the way it used to be. You are who you

pretend to be. Oh yes, you're the great pretender.

Take the Book Quiz

at the Blue Pyramid.

Monday, December 05, 2005

Manly Man

I had a few titles in my head throughout the day, I'm not really sure why I settled on "Manly Man". Really, what is a Manly Man? Well, being as I just finished watching The Lord of The Rings: Two Towers no CBC, I'd have to say Aragorn (a.k.a. Viggo Mortenson). Now there's a manly man.
sigh.
Steve knows about this little crush ( He also knows about the Stetson man, Matthew McConaughey. But that's another story all in itself.) and he's okay with it, 'cos I know about his on Janet Jackson. Anyway, to me there's just something manly about a guy who looks good dirty. If you notice, not once, are Aragorn's hands clean. If they appear to be, they really aren't around the nails and in the crevices of his hands. He grows stubble very well too. Another manly trait. Steve looks very good in grubbies. Remember this is just my opinion. There's also something soft lurking behind that dirty exterior tho'. In Aragorn's case, there's the deep love he has for Arwen, played by Liv Tyler. This kind of love story reminds me of my favourite movie, Bravheart, and the love story that makes the whole movie (between William and Murron). The kind that I used to dream of as a kid. Where some big, masculine, tough guy (a manly man) would fall in love with me and nothing could break that love.
But that's just fairy tale. True love like that doesn't exist anymore it seems. It's harder and harder to keep a love like that together. Why?
Of course I have no idea. That's one of those questions that I'm just gonna throw out there. Not really expecting an answer. Just something to think about.

Tomorrow at Mom's we're doing a Christmas craft. A snowflake ornament I believe. Or you can bring your own artistic creation and work on it. I encourage you to attend if you live in the area. It's a chance to get out, and the colder it gets, the harder it will be to get out.

This past weekend Steve went to Edmonton with his Dad and brother to see an Oilers game. A dream come true for him, not necessarily with the Oilers, but an NHL game. The thing that I wanted to mention, was that it's funny how accustomed we get to having someone in the bed with us. I used to sleep with my dog on my bed growing up, a big dalmation cross. She snored like there was no end, mind you, now that I think of it, so does Steve. Another thing they have in common. Anyway, after I left home, I missed Sasha's (my dog) warmth. It took awhile to get used to. Then I married Steve and had to get used to having another (hairy) body all over again. Now, whenever he goes away, I have terrible sleeps. Not only do I miss his warmth (he's like a dutch oven) but I just miss having someone there, beside me. And a big pillow just doesn't cut it. Makes me think of how hard it'll be when they're gone.

20 days till Christmas. Have you started your Christmas shopping yet?

Thursday, December 01, 2005

A Thought on Being Loved

I'm just going to throw this one on here. Enjoy.

Update

I was right. Matthias threw up twice last night before 2 am. and was up again at 5 am. Callah cried out off and on all night. The good thing, I guess, was that Steve's truck didn't start this morning, so he got up with the kids, leaving me an xtra hour of sleep. What a great guy!

Wednesday, November 30, 2005

sleep

I know I shouldn't be on here. I know I should be sleeping, at least attempting to sleep. I have a really bad feeling that tonite will be a rough nite for the kids, therefore it'll be a rough nite for me. My husband and I have an agreement of sorts. He "lets" me nap in the afternoon in exchange for getting up with the kids during the night. I guess that's fair. Right? I let him sleep thru the night, so that I can get up with the kids in the morning. Wait. Oh yeah...but I get to nap in the afternoon too. Somehow I'm seeing awhole lack of sleep on my part here.

Anyway yesterday my son came down with his 2nd cold so far this season. Yeah...like I mentioned before he's TERRIBLE at taking medication, so it'll last awhile. Just tonite, Callah has cried out twice already, since putting her to sleep at 8 pm. So I'm about 85% sure she'll be crying out a few times more during the night. She sounded like she's getting congested. I set up the humidifier in their room finally. I hate colds. There's not a lot you can do for them, and they seem to last forever. I just hope they get over it soon, without giving it to us. Is that too much to ask for?

In case you missed it, CBC Saskatchewan did a story on Mom's Morning Out this evening (6:30 pm news). They interviewed a few Mom's. It was a nice story. Maybe it'll bring out more Mom's to our group and maybe even inspire Mom's elsewhere to get a group started. Someone said something like, you can get all the advice you want from books and stuff, where they seem to "know it all" or you can get help and talk to other Mom's who are going thru exactly what you're going thru. Which would you rather do?

Saturday, November 26, 2005

Silent Night

I have the Christmas carols playing in the background and I just finished writing my annual family Christmas letter. 30 days and counting.

While cleaning out my bookcase last week I stumbled across this handout we received from Mom's quite a while ago. It's full of activities you and your kids can do on cold winter days. Some of the ideas are easier than others. I'd say worth a look at.

Preschoolers:
-hide pennies around your home and have a treasure hunt
-play "volleyballoon" by batting balloons over a net made by tied-together plastic bags or a blanket
-make snakes with modeling clay or dough
-sit in a darkened room, listen carefully, and see how many different sounds you can hear
-cut out pictures from old magazines to give you ideas of things to pray about
-build a fort out of blankets and chairs and take a nap in it
-have a "pretend picnic" on a blanket on the floor

Elementary:
-make a pizza or ice cream sundaes and let your child choose the toppings
-get 2 books of jokes or riddles from the library and take turns reading them to each other
-make up obstacle courses and time each other as you navigate them. (outdoors-run to tree, hop on one foot to fence, run back and give me a high five) (indoors-touch that wall, get a napkin from the kitchen and return while flapping arms and counting backward from 20)
-tell each other how your day might have been different if you could have seen Jesus with you wherever you went
-turn cupcakes into spiders by adding legs made of pipe cleaners or tooth picks
-play a favourite board game, but let your child change the rules
-try using the wrong equipment for a sport. ex: tennis ball to shoot baskets, or table tennis paddle and beanbag to play baseball

Adolescence:
-rent a video of an old movie that looks especially dull. Watch it together with the sound off, making up dialogue as you go
-play"can you top this?" with the weirdest, most embarassing, most frustrating, most boring and funniest events of your day
-look over the calendar for the next month and draw a star on each day that either of you might be under more stress than usual. Plan to pray for each other on those days
-ask your teen to help you memorize a passage of Scripture, using any method they think will work
-go through your home and take turns snapping photos of the things you consider most valuable. Be sure to take pictures of each other before your finished
-ask your teen's advice about a problem you face at work, or their opinion about a change you'd like to make in your household routine
-go to the market together and let your teen pick our the food or beverage for supper. The catch: everything has to be the same colour.

The Anniversary

A Husband was in big trouble when he forgot his wedding anniversary.
His wife told him:
"Tomorrow there better be something in the driveway
for me that goes zero to 200 in 2 seconds flat".

The next morning the wife found a small package in the driveway.
She opened it and found a brand new bathroom scale.
Funeral arrangements for the husband have been set for the next day!.

Wednesday, November 23, 2005

Toothpick anyone?

This week has been a record for lack of sleep (I think). Monday I went for a walk out at the Little Red, one of my favourite places to walk, and I slipped on some ice. Bonus I didn't fall down, but I did hurt my knee. Steve (who is injury prone) thinks I pulled the muscle in my knee pit (the back of my knee) as it hurts, excruciatingly so, to straighten my leg. I'll give it a few more days until I wimp out and go see a doctor. So not being able to straighten my leg at night reminds me of being pregnant and NEVER finding a comfortable position to sleep. So that's why I'm looking for toothpicks...to hold my eyelids open. Steve says, "why don't you go lie down with the kids?" Well dearest, if I go lie down, then come bedtime when you are dead tired, I will be asking a million and one questions, trying to start up a conversation b'cos I'm wide awake thanks to my afternoon nap. No thank you, I'd rather be falling asleep on my feet now.

I missed Mom's yesterday. They had someone from the Jan Richards Salon come and talk. If you're like me and don't wear makeup and "doing your hair" means washing it AND combing afterward, you may be glad you missed it. If you're a more "civilized" person, you may be upset you missed such an awesome experience. I have no idea how it went, all I know is that Clingy Callah is gone. She did awesome yet again yesterday! I'm so proud! Now if only she'd stop eating kleenex.

I made a list of lucky people who get Christmas cards from us. Man, there are alot of people out there we know. I'm not looking forward to the big task at hand. But I'm dowloading Christmas songs as we speak, to get me in the mood, I have eggnog in the fridge and there's always popcorn close by. I think it's almost time to begin.

Now if only I could close my eyes...

Saturday, November 19, 2005

Language

Yesterday Matthias and I were counting to 10 on our fingers. After we were done practicing for a bit he said, "Good job! High five!" To which we did 'high fives'. This morning, while driving to a friends house, he says, "That's so cool!" I looked at Steve and we laughed. Last night Callah dumped Matthias' bowl of rice on the floor, to which she replies, "uh-oh".

Language is "so cool".

Thursday, November 17, 2005

Support

How do you show support to someone who doesn't want it?

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Tarzan

Yesterday Steve's Mom was in town for a doctor's appt. She stopped in for a few hours to visit the grandkids. Matthias wanted her to read a Disney book (One of the one's with little tid bits from a bunch of Disney movies). She thinks Disney is evil, and TV in general is evil. So the fact that my kid could rattle off all these Disney character names, made me blush in shame. But wait it gets worse. When they got to the Tarzan story, Matthias points and says, " Tarzon has boobs." To which she asks me, "What did he say?" I shrug, totally embarassed. He says it again. "Tarzan's boobs." She gets it now. "Yes, " she says. "He doesn't like to wear much clothes does he?"

Somewhere between utter embarassment and anger, I sat on the couch. I'm just thankful she lives over an hour away!

Tuesday, November 15, 2005

Barenaked for the Holidays

That' s gotta be one of my favourite holiday cd's. My previous favourite was a Sarah Mclachlan holiday cd, but it was tragically stolen and I've yet to replace it. And of course there's my John Denver and the Muppets Christmas cd, which funny enough, has been left behind 2x during previous cd klepto moments. So now it's inevitable. The snow has fallen, the temperature has dipped to the mid 20's and everywhere you look in stores, there's signs of Christmas. I love Christmas, there's something magical about it. Maybe it's the eternal kid in me that waits every year for the glow of the lights on the tree. It reminds me of my Mother's home. Warm, inviting, loving. We're heading there this Christmas. Good ol' Regina. I can't wait.

This morning at Mom's we had the Marriage Uncensored video and they were talking about honesty in marriage. Yikes. It struck a chord with me, not that Steve and I aren't honest. Sometimes I think we're too honest, that's the problem. Some of the questions raised (that you can ask yourself and if you dare...your mate!) were:
1) What are some areas in which you find it difficult to be honest with your mate?
2) Is there ever a time when too much honesty is harmful?
3) No one likes to be lied to, so why then do we hide things from our mate?
The video summary tips were: Build a culture of trust (right from the get go. They had a stat that said that 80% of 2nd marriages end in divorce, so if you're having trouble with the 1st, the 2nd will likely have the same problems...i.e. solve them the first time). Admit your failures/frustrations sooner. Cleanup the past. Be willing to forgive and extend patience. Don't be satisfied with shallowness. Authentic living leads to genuine love.
I can honestly say that I thought this video series was kinda lame, but today's episode caught my attention. Perhaps I'll pay more attention next time!

I still think it's amazing what kids pick up from people and TV. My children are suppossed to be sleeping, I have the monitor on in their room and all I hear are farting noises followed by laughter. They're 3 and 1!! The other day Callah was reading herself a book and everytime she came to a picture of a puppy, she'd make a kissy mouth and go "woof woof woof". It was so cute.

Well on this first night of many colder nights to come, I pray that you and your family are warm and safe. G'nite!

Wednesday, November 09, 2005

Hump Day

For some reason I'm actually enjoying today as a "hump day". This week is taking forever to get done and so it being Wednesday, and half over, seems like some sort of accomplishment. Yippee!! Yesterday at Mom's I was stuck in the Toddler room, this time by choice. So I can't really say how well the finance speaker went. I heard it went well. Any comments? What I learned about being stuck in the Toddler room was that they sure like Ritz crackers! There's also something to be said about a toddler's laugh and smile. It's like medicine for the soul. Bonus points if you get a smile on a kid with a runny nose and only 2 front teeth! They're so innocent looking (altho' some of us Mom's know the opposite!).

Both my children are all snotty nosed and coughing and hacking. I hate it when they're cold. For one thing Matthias HATES, no actually that's too kind of a word, LOATHES taking his medicine. To the point where he starts shaking and gagging and eventually makes himself throw it up (along with anything else that might be left in his stomache!). I love this part* about being a Mom! Callah isn't so bad yet. I can still hold her down and give it to her. Does anyone else have this problem? How do you get a child to take his medicine???

*taken from another blog :

The good husband

**RING!!!**

Simon: Hi Sweetheart.
(I have call display at work.)

Amy: Hey Si. So, what time are you getting home today? Still planning on leaving early?

Simon: Yes I am; pretty soon I guess. Why, any reason in particular?

Amy: Well, Dex has fallen asleep on the couch since he refused to go to sleep in his crib, and I've changed his bedding but I had to Febreze his room after he puked last night and his sheet is downstairs to be washed but, uh, could you take it out back when you get home and hose it off first? I don't want the chunks to clog up the washing machine.

Simon: You don't want Declan's puke chunks to clog the washing machine?

Amy: Right. I would, but I almost lost it myself when I was changing the sheets since the smell was so bad.

Simon: Well, how could I say no?


Story Time

with Pam Belair.

One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class was walking home from school. His name was Kyle. It looked like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, "Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd." I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friends tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on. As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him. They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him. He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes. My heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him and as he crawled around looking for his glasses, I saw a tear in his eye. As I handed him his glasses, I said, "Those guys are jerks. They really should get lives." He looked at me and said, "Hey thanks!" There was a big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude. I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived. As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him before. He said he had gone to private school before now. I would have never hung out with a private school kid before. We talked all the way home, and I carried some of his books. He turned out to be a pretty cool kid. I asked him if he wanted to play a little football with my friends. He said yes. We hung out all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him, and my friends thought the same of him.

Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again. I stopped him and said, "Boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books everyday!" He just laughed and handed me half the books. Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends. When we were seniors, we began to think about college. Kyle decided on Georgetown, and I was going to Duke. I knew that we would always be friends, that the miles would never be a problem. He was going to be a doctor, and I was going for business on a football scholarship. Kyle was valedictorian of our class. I teased him all the time about being a nerd. He had to prepare a speech for graduation. I was so glad it wasn't me having to get up there and speak

Graduation day, I saw Kyle. He looked great. He was one of those guys that really found himself during high school. He filled out and actually looked good in glasses. He had more dates than I had and all the girls loved him. Boy, sometimes I was jealous! Today was one of those days. I could see that he was nervous about his speech. So, I smacked him on the back and said, "Hey, big guy, you'll be great!" He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled. " Thanks," he said. As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began "Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years. Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach...but mostly your friends...I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them. I am going to tell you a story."

I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the story of the first day we met. He had planned to kill himself over the weekend. He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home. He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile. "Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable." I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment. I saw his Mom and Dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful
smile. Not until that moment did I realize it's depth. Never underestimate the power of your actions. With one small gesture you can change a person's life. For better or for worse. God puts us all in each other's lives to impact one another in some way.

Look for God in others.



A Baby's Hug


We were the only family with children in the restaurant. I sat Erik in a high chair and noticed everyone was quietly sitting and talking. Suddenly, Erik squealed with glee and said, "Hi." He pounded his fat baby hands on the high chair tray. His eyes were crinkled in laughter and his mouth was bared in a toothless grin, as he wriggled and giggled with merriment.I looked around and saw the source of his merriment. It was a man whose pants were baggy with a zipper at half-mast and his toes poked out of would-be shoes. His shirt was dirty and his hair was uncombed and unwashed. His whiskers were too short to be called a beard and his nose was so varicose it looked like a road map. We were too far from him to smell, but I was sure he smelled. His hands waved and flapped on loose wrists.

"Hi there, baby; hi there, big boy. I see ya, buster," the man said to Erik. My husband and I exchanged looks, "What do we do?" Erik continued to laugh and answer, "Hi." Everyone in the restaurant noticed and looked at us and then at the man. The old geezer was creating a nuisance with my beautiful baby. Our meal came and the man began shouting from across the room, "Do ya patty cake? Do you know peek-a-boo? Hey, look, he knows peek-a-boo." Nobody thought the old man was cute. He was obviously drunk. My husband and I were embarrassed. We ate in silence; all except for Erik, who was running through his repertoire for the admiring skid-row bum, who in turn, reciprocated with his cute comments. We finally got through the meal and headed for the door. My husband went to pay the check and told me to meet him in the parking lot. The old man sat poised between me and the door. "Lord, just let me out of here before he speaks to me or Erik," I prayed. As I drew closer to the man, I turned my back trying to sidestep him and avoid any air he might be breathing. As I did, Erik leaned over my arm, reaching with both arms in a baby's "pick-me-up" position. Before I could stop him, Erik had propelled himself from my arms to the man.

Suddenly a very old smelly man and a very young baby consummated their love and kinship. Erik in an act of total trust, love, and submission laid his tiny head upon the man's ragged shoulder.The man's eyes closed, and I saw tears hover beneath his lashes. His aged hands full of grime, pain, and hard labor, cradled my baby's bottom and stroked his back. No two beings have ever loved so deeply for so short a time. I stood awestruck. The old man rocked and cradled Erik in his arms and his eyes opened and set squarely on mine. He said in a firm commanding voice, "You take care of this baby." Somehow I managed, "I will," from a throat that contained a stone. He pried Erik from his chest, lovingly and longingly, as though he were in pain. I received my baby, and the man said, "God bless you, ma'am, you've given me my Christmas gift." I said nothing more than a muttered thanks. With Erik in my arms, I ran for the car. My husband was wondering why I was crying and holding Erik so tightly, and why I was saying, "My God, my God, forgive me." I had just witnessed Christ's love shown through the innocence of a tiny child who saw no sin, who made no judgment; a child who saw a soul, and a mother who saw a suit of clothes. I was a Christian who was blind, holding a child who was not. I felt it was God asking, "Are you willing to share your son for a moment?" when He shared His for all eternity. The ragged old man, unwittingly, had reminded me, "To enter the Kingdom of God, we must become as little children."


The Tablecloth

The brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned to their first ministry, to reopen a church in suburban Brooklyn, arrived in early October excited about their opportunities. When they saw their church, it was very run down and needed much work. They set a goal to have everything done in time to have their first service on Christmas Eve. They worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls, painting, etc, and on December 18 were ahead of schedule and just about finished. On December 19 a terrible tempest - a driving rainstorm hit the area and lasted for two days. On the 21st, the pastor went over to the church. His heart sank when he saw that the roof had leaked, causing a large area of plaster about 20 feet by 8 feet to fall off the front wall of the sanctuary just behind the pulpit, beginning about head high. The pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor, and not knowing what else to do but postpone the Christmas Eve service, headed home. On the way he noticed that a local business was having a flea market type sale for charity so he stopped in. One of the items was a beautiful, handmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth with exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross embroidered right in the center. It was just the right size to cover up the hole in the front wall. He bought it and headed back to the church.

By this time it had started to snow. An older woman running from the opposite direction was trying to catch the bus.. She missed it. The pastor invited her to wait in the warm church for the next bus 45 minutes later. She sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastor while he got a ladder, hangers, etc., to put up the tablecloth as a wall tapestry. The pastor could hardly believe how beautiful it looked and it covered up the entire problem area. Then he noticed the woman walking down the center aisle. Her face was like a sheet.. "Pastor," she asked, "where did you get that tablecloth?" The pastor explained. The woman asked him to check the lower right corner to see if the initials, EBG were crocheted into it there. They were. These were the initials of the woman, and she had made this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria. The woman could hardly believe it as the pastor told how he had just gotten the Tablecloth. The woman explained that before the war she and her husband were well-to-do people in Austria.
When the Nazis came, she was forced to leave. Her husband was going to follow her the next week. He was captured, sent to prison and never saw her husband or her home again. The pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth;
but she made the pastor keep it for the church. The pastor insisted on driving her home, that was the least he could do.. She lived on the other side of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn for the day for a housecleaning job.

What a wonderful service they had on Christmas Eve. The church was almost full. The music and the spirit were great. At the end of the service, the pastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door and many said that they would return.
One older man, whom the pastor recognized from the neighborhood continued to sit in one of the pews and stare, and the pastor wondered why he wasn't leaving. The man asked him where he got the tablecloth on the front wall because it was identical to one that his wife had made years ago when they lived in Austria before the war and how could there be two tablecloths so much alike. He told the pastor how the Nazis came, how he forced his wife to flee for her safety and he was supposed to follow her, but he was arrested and put in a prison.. He never saw his wife or his home again all the 35 years in between. The pastor asked him if he would allow him to take him for a little ride. They drove to Staten Island and to the same house where the pastor had taken the woman three days earlier.
He helped the man climb the three flights of stairs to the woman's apartment, knocked on the door and he saw the greatest Christmas reunion he could ever imagine.

True Story - submitted by Pastor Rob Reid

Who says God does not work in mysterious ways? I asked the Lord to bless you as I prayed for you today, to guide you and protect you as you go along your way. His love is always with you, His promises are true, and when we give Him all our cares you know He will see us through. So when the road you're traveling on seems difficult at best.. Just remember I'm here praying and God will do the rest. When there is nothing left but God, that is when you find out that God is all you need.


Monday, November 07, 2005

Kids Say The Darndest Things

Yesterday was a fun day for me, and I won't say it's necessarily b'cos my husband was gone all day. We went to church, which for some reason is always a struggle, no matter how early we get out of bed. That was nice, Grace Lanoie had her new baby there. He's so tiny, hard to remember that my 35 lbs-er was once that small. Almost made me want another one...almost. Church was followed by naps all around. An enjoyable Sunday past time. I love napping with my son. It's one of the things I look forward to, talking to him, or feeling his little arm wrap around my neck in a hug. It's all good. Well yesterday he says "Callah 1, Matthias 3, Luke and Charlotte 5 and Janet has 4". To fully understand this you'd have to know the Loseths. Luke is 16, Charlotte is 14 (i think) and I won't fully guess on Janet's age, but she's their mom. I thought it was cute.

After naps we took our dog Gus (who's female) for a walk out to the Red. We love going out there. There's this Nature Path that Matthias can walk all on his own, so I throw Callah in the back pack and away we go. Yesterday I decided to let Callah get some exercise of her own, so I let her walk a bit back to the van. The first thing she does when I get her out of the backpack is drop on all 4's and lick up some sand. Now if I had know she was going to do this, I would've kept her in the pack. She proceeded to do this 4x!!

Anyway, I had promised Matthias we'd buy a slurpee, so we stopped at home quickly to drop Gus off and as I was getting back into the van, I could hear Matthias talking quietly and a little "amen". I asked him, "were you praying?" He say's "yes" and grabs onto Callah's hand and begins praying again," Thank you God for the walk, for this food, and keep us safe. Amen." I thought how cute! At that moment I almost wanted another one...almost.

Tomorrow at Mom's we're having someone come and talk about budgeting and finance. I personally think this is a good idea. Steve and I have been budgeting since we got married, every month we look at where our money goes. Some months, you just scratch your head and think, what were we thinking? I think tomorrow could be interesting. So if your in the area, come give us a try.

See ya!

Saturday, November 05, 2005

pumpkin seeds

I can remember growing up, one of the things I used to look forward to was baking the pumpkin seeds after carving the pumpkins. One year I'd absolutedly love them, the next I couldn't stand the sight of them. This year I felt like making them for myself. A good wholesome snack. Right? Everyone but Matthias seems to like them. Callah eats them all the time. Today Steve asked if they were okay for her to eat. I shrugged and said " they don't seem to bother her". He then asked if she could choke on them. I said "she's chewing them 'cos she's been eating them all week and I haven't noticed them come out".

Friday, November 04, 2005

Links

The other night I was bored and decided to see what the rest of the world reads. So I started cruising thru other peoples blogs and I came across this one call Dooce. It's quite comical but there are some questionable entries, so beware if your faint of heart. Anyways check it out and see for yourself!

Mom's Gone Wild!

Last night was our second (we had one around this time last year) Mom's Nite Out and I, for one, had alot of fun! It's always nice to get away from the house and kids and it's also great to just talk with other Mom's. It's good to know that your son isn't the only one addicted to Mighty Machines, or still likes to play with his Elmo, or your daughter isn't the only one pulling attitude (at age 15 mos.). Your just not alone. It's always a great feeling to know that. Super Kim Dunphy wins the best bowler award! Lynn Leland wins best sportsmanship award! I think everyone did good and here's a tested and proven fact, being pregnant makes you a better bowler! The best part of the evening however was watching the brave take on the bumper cars! This is where Mom's went wild! I have never seen Mom's look so vicious! It was great! So thank you ladies for an enjoyable evening and I hope to do it again with you soon!

Tuesday, November 01, 2005

babies and chocolate

I just don't know if there is anything cuter than kissing your toddler, who has just eaten an AERO bar and now has a stream of chocolate drool coasting down her chin. It's almost like eating a whole bunch of chocolate and then asking a good friend if you have chocolate in your teeth?

A young lady, who used to be in our youth group, just had a baby boy this morning. I'm excited for her and I know that she'll need alot of prayer. Both mom and baby are doing fine. I can't wait to see him. There's always something exciting about holding a baby that isn't yours.

This morning at Mom's we had Dr. Dale Ardell talk about some women health issues. Kinda freaky all this cancer going around. If you have any history at all in your family, then your more likely to get it too. Some, like ovarian and uterian, cancer are hard to diagnose. So he said that basically if you have any sort of abnormal bleeding. Get checked right away. Don't wait, it could save your life.

AND the best part yet!! I didn't get called to pick up Callah! This was truly THE GREATEST MORNING EVER!!!

Monday, October 31, 2005

Happy Sugar High Day!

The kids are sleeping peacefully, bellies full of sugary goodness. The husband has a bunch of youth (the male variety) over watching a classic Arnold Swarzeneggar movie and I am sitting at the computer listening to some rockin' Jack Johnson and eating chocolate bars that will do nothing but add anguish and inches to my waist. Yes our day was pretty eventful. Started with a workout session for moi (in advance of the forthcoming sugar), followed by the creative carving of 2 pumpkins, lunch and naps for the kids while I made a batch of pumpkin sugar cookies, then came the costume creating! I must say that our little cowboy and his fair maiden of a sister looked pretty darn cute! The husband shaved off his beard leaving a handle bar mustache behind. We used some eyeliner (it is good for something!) to create a matching one on the boy and they finished their outfits with plaid cowboy shirts, vests, hankies, cowboy hats and boots, and a toy gun and holster. It was perfect! Callah had the cutest little long red dress with white full length apron and a little bonnet. So cute! Then of course we did the rounds by car, showing off their cuteness to their Great Grandma and the other ladies at the seniors place, and some friends from church. My two cowboys did rounds before supper and then I took the boy out again for a bit after. He made quite a haul. Should keep him nice and hyper for a few months! Oh joy oh happy day....

Tomorrow at Mom's should be interesting. Dr. Dale Ardell will be there answering all sorts of health questions from us Mom's. Should be a good one. This Thursday is the Mom's Nite Out. Don't forget to line up a babysitter if you already signed up! 6 @ BP's. 8 @ Minto. See you all there!

I have a few blogs I look at from time to time. One of them is my pastors (his whole family, minus one kid, has blogs. They're quite interesting and comical. You can link to them here) and one of his last posts is a religion quiz. This is how I ranked.



You fit in with:
Hindu


You ideals mostly resemble those of the Hindu faith. Spirituality is very important to you, and you value family, friends and life above other things. You have incredible faith, and will live a very worthwhile life.

80% spiritual.
60% faith-oriented.

Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com




I hope you had a good night and I'll be praying for you and your patience in the next few weeks as your kids complete their sugar highs. ;)

Friday, October 28, 2005

A Little Drool Goes A Long Way

Callah does this thing where she sticks her tongue (which I think is unusually long for a little girl) out as if to say "blah". She does it really fast, continually, over and over. It's honestly really hilarious, and when she's done, the bottom half of her face is smothered in baby drool. She was doing it yesterday while we were shopping and I laughed the hardest I have all week.

Kid's can be so amusing.

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

cold feet, wood chips and insulation

I can remember feeling really insecure, almost scared sometimes, returning to school after being home sick for a few days. Ever feel like that? I kinda feel like that now. Like I need to have something really relevant or important to say. I'm afraid, I don't have much tonite. The past week and half, my husband has been on holidays. Good for him, bad for me. It's like when he goes on holidays, somehow my "job" does double everything. Not only am I cleaning up after the kids, but suddenly I'm picking up things for him too. When is it my time to go on holidays? Well, as a side thought, if your reading this in Prince Albert, the Mom's Committee is planning a shopping/Sundog craft fair day in S'toon the weekend of Dec. 4-5. We're not sure of the day yet, but it'll be our time!! I'm already looking forward to it, and I'm not a fan of shopping or craft shows!!

So like I said, he's on holidays. I will give him credit tho' as he did spend a week visiting my family. True we were building a shed for my parents (and what a truly beautiful shed it is too!) but we all now how hard it can be visiting the in-laws. However, somewhere in the time span of last week he really hurt his back. He's been seeing the chiropractor since last Saturday. It's not getting much better. So now this long list of stuff we wanted to do on the 2nd week of his holidays hangs on my shoulders if I want them done. Monday went by and nothing got done. Tuesday went by and nothing got done. Today tho', we had arranged some help yesterday to re-insulate our attic. That went smoothly, and alot quicker too, which gave us time to cross off another item: wood chips. I think I can honestly say I'm not looking forward to doing that again anytime soon. So Wednesday is ending and we got 2 big items crossed off. Finally, I can sleep at night! :)

Yesterday's Mom's went pretty good. I had another case of Callah Cling. So I brought her in the Mom's room with me. I wasn't alone that morning as there were a few other "clingers". We're going to try something new next week.

I want to mention something. Monday was a really tough day for me. It seemed like Callah was eating EVERYTHING (I mean everything, dog poo, pine needles, paper, fluff, mud, etc...) and I constantly had to keep an eye on her. Matthias is starting to get a little jealous of the attention Callah needs, so I try to play with him as much as I can. Slurpee cups fell on the floor, I ran out of potatoes for supper and had no vehicle to get more. Things just kept adding up and I felt like I needed out. You can take the word "out" however you like. For me, I needed to get away, get away from the house, from the children, from the husband, everything. Luckily there was a prayer group that night that I could go to. If you ever feel like that, like your world is falling apart and you feel almost scared of what just might happen. Talk to someone. Phone a neighbour, friend, family, anyone and tell them how you feel. If they were ever a mother themselves, chances are they'll know how your feeling and help out how they can. Life's too short to blow it on a "really bad day".

Take 'er easy!

Saturday, October 15, 2005

Simply Captivating

This Tuesday at Mom's it'll be all about fashion! Ricki's and Reitman's will be putting on a fashion show featuring us Mom's as their models! If you're one of the brave ones modelling, GOOD FOR YOU! I'm kinda bummed I'm going to miss it, it sounds like alot of fun!

I've started reading this book called Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge. It's really good. I'm really enjoying it. One of the things I like is she uses quotes and clips from popular movies, something I can relate to unfortunately (or not however you look at it). I thought I'd copy a bit to let you see what it's all about. There are alot of good parts, I wish I could copy it all, but you'll just have to find a copy and read it for yourself.

"...Women love adventures of all sorts. Whether it be the adventure of horses (most girls go through a horse stage) or white-water rafting, going to a foreign country, performing onstage, having children, starting a business, or diving ever more deeply into the heart of God, we were made to be a part of a great adventure. An adventure that is shared. We do not want the adventure merely for adventure's sake but for what it requires of us for others. We don't want to be alone in it; we want to be in it with others. Sometimes the idea of living as a hermit appeals to all of us. No demands, no needs, no pain, no disappointments. But that is b'cos we have been hurt, are worn out. In our heart of hearts, that place where we are most ourselves, we don't want to run away for very long. Our lives were meant to be lived with others. As echoes of the Trinity, we remember something. Made in the image of a perfect relationship, we are relational to the core of our beings and filled with a desire for transcendent purpose. We long to be an irreplaceable part of a shared adventure."

It's really good. Like I said, I could write alot more, but that would take the fun out of it for you. I like how she says that having children is an adventure...ummm...can I change mine for a trip to a foreign country? Just joking. Hope you all have a great weekend!

Thursday, October 13, 2005

A Blur of Thought

The past week I've been thinking alot. Perhaps too much. There's been times when I thought about commenting on here about this or that. Like when I watched the movie "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood". I thought about how hard it is to be a mother and the mistakes that we make in raising our children could be passed on from generation to generation. Unless someone chooses to take action and stop the cycle, therefore creating a new path for her children to follow. Which lead me to thinking about my husband's family, and how he broke the mold of alcoholism and abuse. It is possible.

I also thought about how music can fit into any emotion your feeling. Whether you feel happy, sad, mad or even sexy. When I was a teenager I used to live in my music. It was the only way I felt I could express myself. Of course I've learned a thing or two growing up and don't take it that seriously anymore.

I think about my children. How blessed I am to have 2 of them when so many women I know can't have any of their own. How some women use their children for their own gain, leaving the children with no family that really loves them. How is that fair?

And I thought about the couples breaking up. There seem to be quite a few that I know of. Is there something in the air? In the drinking water? Sure there are times when my husband and I don't get along and the thought has crossed my mind, but I could NEVER leave my children. I could never bare the thought of breaking a vow that I made with God. It's sad.
So I leave you with many more thoughts in my head. Mainly about impending holidays coming up, where to go, how much will it cost, etc...and maybe even something to think about of your own.

Thursday, October 06, 2005

Getting Rid of the "Cling"

Anyone have any idea how to get rid of a little cling? I wish I was talking about clothing! My daughter has a case of the "cling" and right now, I don't know how to handle that. People keep telling me to just hang in there, one day I will wish she still clung. But right now...I keep tripping over her!
Anyway I had a great 3 days without my kids in Canmore. Refreshing in a way and yet I came home more tired than when I left. Here's a cute story I rec'd in my e-mail today. Hope you enjoy it!

A mom was concerned about her kindergarten son walking
to school. He didn't want his mother to walk with him. She wanted to
give him the feeling that he had some independence but yet know
that he was safe.
So she had an idea of how to handle it.

She asked a neighbor, Mrs. Goodnest, if she would
please follow him to school in the mornings, staying at a distance, so he
probably wouldn't notice her.

Mrs. Goodnest said that since she was up early with
her toddler anyway, it would be a good way for them to get some exercise
as well, so she agreed.

The next school day, Mrs. Goodnest and her little
girl, Marcy, set out following behind Timmy as he walked to school with
another neighbor boy he knew. She did this for the whole week. As the boys
walked and chatted, kicking stones and twigs, Timmy's little friend noticed the
same lady was following them as she seemed to do every day all week.

Finally he said to Timmy, "Have you noticed that lady following us to
school all week? Do you know her?"

Timmy nonchalantly replied, "Yeah, I know who she is."

The friend said, "Well, who is she?"

"That's just Shirley Goodnest," Timmy replied, "and her daughter Marcy."

"Shirley Goodnest? Who the heck is she and why is she following us?"

"Well," Timmy explained, "every night my Mom makes me
say the 23rd Psalm with my prayers, 'cuz she worries about

me so much. And in the Psalm, it says, 'Shirley Goodnest and Marcy shall follow me all the days of my life', so I guess I'll just have to get used to it!"

*May "Shirley Goodnest" and "Marcy" be with you today,
and always.

Friday, September 30, 2005

All I Can Do

Today my son wasn't himself. He's usually a VERY hyper little boy. This morning he was unusually tired. Later in the afternoon all he wanted to do was sleep. This evening he came down with a fever. All I want to do is hug him to me and rock him to sleep in my arms. Whisper in his ear that everything will be alright and he'll feel better tomorrow. That's all I can do.

Thursday, September 29, 2005

Happy Birthday!

This past Tuesday, my son turned the big 3! He sure was excited, even now if you ask him how old he is, he shouts exuberently,"3!" and holds up his 3 fingers. It's really cute. What can I say? He's a cute kid! I sit here now, and I look back at his little life. He's grown so tall, he can talk alot better now, he's peeing in the potty more regularly (if anyone has any pooh advice, I'd love to hear it!), he can dress himself and he can walk on skates! He's such a little man! There still are times tho', when he calls out in the middle of the night for a hug, or Pooh Bear's tummy is grumbling and it scares him (if only I had that kind of imagination!) or we're out walking and he looks so incredibly small. I'm reminded that he's still a little boy, who needs his Mommy (this morning the 50 million times he called out "mommy" is proof of that!) and Daddy. I thank God for the 3 years I've had him and pray for the many years to come with him. I know he'll grow up strong and pray that he'll grow up to be the man God intends him to be. Now if only he's sleep in a little longer...

I missed this past Tuesday again, thanks to my clingy daughter. Don't get me wrong, I love her with all my might, but I just wish she wasn't so clingy! There's gotta be a medium here, where she can stay and play with other kids, but not go wandering off with strangers. So I sat in the Toddler room again. Which is alright I guess. I'm sure she'll get used to the workers and other kids soon, then I can rejoin the Mom's "world". I hope you all learned something new about marriage that you never knew before, or at least reminded of something that you may have forgotten. Next week is the necklace craft. I won't be there as I'm attending a Pastor/Spouse Retreat in beautiful Canmore (or at least that's what I've heard...I've never been there) with NO kids. I can't wait! There are perks to being a pastor's wife!!

Mom's is also planning on organizing a Mom's Nite Out. If your interested in helping to plan or would just like a nite out, drop me a line. There will also be a sign-up sheet on Tuesday. I went to one before where we went to BP's and then went bowling. It was alot of fun and I got to know some of the Mom's better. It gives you a new perspective, meeting Mom's in the "outside world". We're all alot more wilder than we may think!

So until next time, have a great week and enjoy this sunny weather while you can!!

Tuesday, September 20, 2005

Crying Babies

Tuesday mornings always seem to be a mad house for me, from about 8 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. (with a good, relaxing hour or so inthere if I'm lucky). This morning was no different (add on a bit of mother-in-law anxiety...she was coming for a day visit). I woke up nicely after a good nite's sleep, and fed the kids breakfast. Realized it was 8:45 (we had to be out of the house by 9 and I still was in my pj's) scrambled to get EVERYONE dressed, loaded up the car, drove the husband to the dentist (he got his wisdom teeth pulled), remembered I had forgotten my camera at home, drove back home, retrieved camera, and continued to the Alliance Church. Upon arrival I talked my son into leaving his prized toy car in our van, loaded up the diapar bag, my purse, camera case and 2 kids, and entered the church. Dropped off Kid #1 downstairs, carried Kid #2 upstairs, then ran outside to retrieve the Mom's photos (on poster board) I had left in the van. Going back upstairs, I hear Kid #2 howling. So I drop off the photos, look for tacks and pic up Kid #2, saving the workers from her howlish screams. Finding the tacks I place Kid #2 on the floor so I can hang up the photos. She starts wailing, prompting me to close the doors between the hallway and the main room. I finally get the photo posters up, grab Kid #2 and go down the hall to the Toddler Room. We go in, I calm her down and she's starts playing. "Good," I think as I sneak out of the room and make my way to the main room hoping to catch a bit of the main speaker, Occupational Therapist- Christiana Lepage. I grabbed my hot cocoa, a muffin and some REALLY good bread, found a seat and sat down.

Sigh.

10 minutes later, if that (I was able to finish my food and drink) my # comes up on the little # thingy. I sigh again and head out towards Kid #2. Why does she torment me like this?? Can't she sense that mommy needs a break?? So I gather my wailing child and comfort her. I decided to stay awhile, first 5 mins., then 10, then 15, until it was 10:45 a.m. and Mom's were getting ready to leave. Gathering my precious Kid #2, I carried her down to collect our (many) bags and Kid #1, who is now also crying b'cos he fell. With a kid in each arm, my diaper bag, camera case and purse, we make our way back out to the van. We get ourselves buckled in, I drop all our stuff on the seat and I take a moment to breathe. The sun is shining, I can feel the heat on my back, the wind is blowing a fresh breeze to my nostrils and for a moment the rush of the morning is forgotten. Then I remember my husband is waiting for me (hopefully in pain 'cos he made fun of me when I had my wisdom teeth pulled!) so I get in the car and we head over to pick him up. It won't be long before we're home, where lunch will have to be made, kids readied for naps, Mother-n-laws to be entertained and many other things us Mom's have to do throughout our day. Yet as I sit here and write this, I remember that feeling of the sun and wind, and somehow I know I'll get by. I'll make it through another week...

...until next Tuesday!!

Sunday, September 18, 2005

to know or not to know...

It's funny. Last night my husband and I got talking and a question popped up that I wanted him to answer. He was hesitant to say the least, but he finally answered. Now I'm wondering, if it was better to not have asked the question in the first place, but also, to just not have known? So I ask, is it better to know or not know? For the wife/husband/girlfriend/boyfriend who's being cheated on, is it better to know about the affair, or not ever know and live thru it regardless? For the person who's being talked about behind their back, is it better to know or not know? I think that once you cross a line, you can drive yourself crazy wondering, so maybe it's better knowing. But then, after you know, and your life is changed however big or small, was it worth being so annoying to get the answer? In my case, I haven't figured it out yet. I'm still trying to process the information and figure out what to make of it. There was no way around the question once the topic was brought up.

Sex.

Funny how so little a word, can bring about such conflicting emotions. The past is the past, but how much of it do we all bring with us and still carry around? We started reading Dr. Kevin Leman's Sheet Music. One of the things he mentions is that men think about sex all the time. I thought what a stereotypical comment. Surely not all guys think about sex that often. That got me thinking about the MANY differences between men and women, and that lead to a thought about this bible study that I want to do called Love & Respect. And how men aren't geared to love like women love, it doesn't come natural to them. That's why we women, are always saying things like, "I don't feel loved." And where respect comes naturally to men, it doesn't to us women, that's why he may be saying stuff like, "I don't feel like you respect me." So if women always have "love" on their minds, why aren't we the ones with sex on the mind? Anyway, going back to where I sort of started, Dr. Leman says that a key to a good, healthy marriage is good sex. Funny, but after our first night of tackling this subject, I don't feel any closer. In fact, I'm wondering how long it'll take to bridge the gap created after the first chapter?

When I first started this blog, a James Taylor song was on. It's one of my favourites, so I wanted to add some of the lyrics.

Fire and Rain by James Taylor

...Won't you look down upon me Jesus, You've got to help me make a stand
You've just got to see me thru another day
My body's aching and my time is at hand and I won't make it any other way
Oh, I've seen fire and I've seen rain, I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end
I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend, but I always thought that I'd see you again.

Been walking my mind to an easy time, my back turned towards the sun
Lord knows when the cold wind blows it'll turn your head around
Well there's hours of time on the telephone line to talk about things to come
Sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground.
I've seen fire and I've seen rain, I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end
I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend, but I always thought that I'd see you baby one more time again...

(I wanted to post a link to this song or something, but have no idea how to do that. If anyone knows, can you tell me?)


Tuesday, September 13, 2005

Just Dance

Have you seen that movie "Napoleon Dynamite"? It's a funny, clean movie that, for our youth group, was an odd highlight last year. One of my favourite parts was when Napoleon's uncle throws a steak at Napoleon. It's just a funny scene.
So I'm in a pretty good mood this morning. Surprisingly. Last night my son threw up a couple of times. One of the things I REALLY hate about being a parent. I was never good with vomit, and I'm still no good with it. But really, who is? My 14 mos. old daughter has a bad cold, that makes her nose constantly drip. So she was in a rotten mood. My husband has a bad neck. He woke up yesterday and was hardly able to turn his head. But me...so far I'm feeling pretty good.

This morning was the start of Mom's Morning Out, here in Prince Albert. I think it went well. Not as many Mom's as past years, but a good turnout still. My job was taking pictures. I love taking pictures. I like the art aspect in it, looking for the perfect pose and composition. So that's what I did. The photos should be up next week.

Last week was a rough week. It's kinda funny, that when you feel crappy, people suddenly want to spend time with you and they ask you out for coffee. Where were they when you were feeling good? It's kinda like God, we all pray fervently when we need His help or advice, but when things are going smoothy, we kinda put Him on the back burner until we need help or healing again. So while I was out on a coffee break, a friend told me about this theory. She believes that husbands are all jerks. Or rather they all do jerkish things. Normally, we can handle the things they do, but for some reason, during PMS, our tolerance level goes down and we suddenly can't handle them doing those jerkish things anymore. And we blow up. For example, my husband has a romantic level of a slug. Very little. I can usually handle his lack of romanticism, but during PMS, it annoys the crap out of me that he can't hold my hand or something. Know what I mean? I agreed with my friend, but when I told my husband her theory, he just shook his head. What do you think?

Then at coffee with another friend, we made the observation that so many of us go about our days with other people, on committee's or groups or whichever, and we hardly even know each other. Sad really. Is that a society flaw that we're just to busy to care about the lives of our "friends"? Or is it a personal flaw? Should we even care? Sometimes I wish I'd have been alive in the day when people cared about one another. If someone saw someone else having a hard go at it, they'd take notice and help them out. Accountability. Webster defines it as: the quality or state of being accountable; an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility. I think that if more people held each other accoutable, things would be better.

Anyway while I was waiting for the webster page to download, my mind travelled to Matthew McConaughey. I have no idea how my mind travelled there, but it was alright. I don't mind thinking about him at all. There's this poster of him being the new Stetson poster boy at our local Shopper's Drug Mart, that I very much want to confiscate. I highly recommend the movie Sahara. It's something both you and your husband can enjoy. There's lots of action sequences, it's funny, and Matthew McConaughey is in it.

If you get anything from this post, let me know and I'll take you out for coffee!!

Wednesday, September 07, 2005

A Week Is A Long Time...

It seems like forever since I last wrote anything on here. And yet I think it was only a week ago. So much has happened. School has begun, youth stuff is beginning, Mom's starts next week. Before you know it, it'll be Christmas!!

Last week, at a friends house, I noticed she had a whole stack of these magazines called Today's Christian Woman.
So I checked it out, the magazine and the website, and it seems pretty good to me. When I first linked to it, I noticed a picture and story on Beth Moore. I just did a bible study of hers last spring. Really pumped and inspiriting woman of God. Worth looking into. I can't find the article I was interested in, but I found something similiar.
Here is a list of ideas for dates with your spouse. Summer is a busy time for everyone and, like me, you may not have had some personal time with your spouse. So check these out for some two-on-two time!!
-Sample a variety of cafes. Eat dinner at one place, then go for dessert at a different place. If they're close together, you can walk to and fro.
-Visit a zoo.
-Watch a ball game.
-Pack a lunch and head for the outdoors. There are plenty of parks around PA.
-Check out a museum or historical park.
-Go for a picnic. Not enough time to go anywhere? Enjoy a candlelight picnic in your backyard!
-Get together with another couple and make your own movie. Or get together with a few couples and create a video/camera scavenger hunt! These are a blast to film and watch!!
-Sketch your dream house.
-Attend an outdoor festival.
-Walk in the rain.
-Build a fire (indoor and out), sit back and talk.
-Go swimming in the middle of the night.
-Build a snowman together.
-Go for a bike ride.
-Share a milkshake with 2 straws.
-Fly a kite.
-Get all dressed up and go to your fav. fast food joint.

These are just a few, if you have any that you've done or would like to do with your spouse, that have been fun. Leave a comment!

I feel like saying this..."until next time!"

Wednesday, August 31, 2005

Belong

Webster Dictionary defines "belong" (verb) as 1) to be suitable, appropriate, advantageous 2) to be the property of a person or thing 3) to be an attribute, part or function of a person or thing 4) to be properly classified.

What is it about that little word that makes it so hard for us humans to do? Why does it seem, sometimes, so hard for us to belong? Growing up as kids, we always wanted friends. We (well at least I did) wanted to belong to the "it" crowd. To feel suitable, like we were one of them. I think, even as adults, we still feel that way. Maybe it's at church, there's that one group of friends that always laugh and go for lunch as a group. Or at work, there's that group of people that just work so well together and they go out for drinks after. Whatever it is, wherever it is, we will always want to belong to something.

So how do we do it? How do we belong? I have no idea. If you do, leave a comment at the bottom.

The first Mom's Morning Out is fast approaching. September 13. 9:30 - 11:00 at the Prince Albert Alliance Church. 13 more sleeps. The fall clothing sale is set for September 23, 2005. There's alot happening in September.

Thursday, August 25, 2005

Marriage

The "M" word. A few hours ago I would've said it was a mistake. "Muh...who needs it? You'd be happier without it." The dust has settled since, we've talked it out and now, really and truly, I could go either way.

"It takes two to make a marriage a success and only one to make it a failure." Herbert Samuel
Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. -Ephesians 5:21
I read somewhere that once you bring the word "divorce" into your vocabulary, it's always there, hanging around in the back of your mind. I've realized you can't be selfish in a marriage. There's no room for it. At all. "Submit" is also a REALLY tough word. I grew up in the women-era. I had a poster of a woman wearing a bandanna, with her shirt sleeve rolled up, showing off her bicep muscles, saying, "You can do it!" Needless to say, that's another lesson I'm still struggling with.

When my husband and I got married we rec'd this book "Bible Promises to Treasure for Newlyweds". That's what I'm reading from now. Whenever things just don't make sense, God usually does.

"Bless us, Lord, as we weather this family conflict. We all have certain needs to be met, certain ways of trying to fulfill our dreams. Yet each of us seeks this one basic thing in the midst of it all: Love. Simply love. " Gary Wilde
If only it was that easy.
"The genius of communication is the ability to be both totally honest and totally kind at the same time. " John Powell
"A teenage girl was examining her grandmother's wedding ring. The girl said, "Wow, what heavy and cumbersome rings those were fifty year ago." The grandmother replied, "That's true, but don't forget that in my day they were made to last a lifetime." Anonymous
Hmmm...for some reason that one hits me tonite. Why does it have to be so hard sometimes? I guess tho', like the old saying goes, nothing worth having comes easily. But still...man...

"A wedding is not a marriage. A wedding is only the beginning of an undertaking that may or may not, someday, develop into a marriage. What the couple have on their wedding day is not the key to a beautiful garden, but just a vacant lot and a few gardening tools." David & Vera Mace

(At the moment I'm incredibly perturbed. I had previously written beyond this point and somehow just lost it. Oh happy day!)

"Your home can be a place for dying or living, for wilting or blooming, for anxiety or peace, for discouragement or affirmation, for criticism or approval, for profane disregard or reverence, for suspicion or trust, for blame or forgiveness, for alienation or closeness, for violation or respect, for carelessness or caring. By your daily choices, you will make your home what you want it to be." Carole Streeter
I'd like to be one of those couples, some 50+ years down the road, that laugh, giggle and hold hands. The kind that, on an airplane the stewardess would ask if they're newlyweds. The kind that young couples, like myself, would look up to. I wish I could impart some words of wisdom. Of course I'm barely making it thru myself. So I guess you could take heart in the fact that your not alone. Unless of course, bizarely I'm the only one going thru this. In which case, I'll still take heart in not being alone. I have God.

"God gives burdens, also shoulders." Yiddish proverb
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honour one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:9-12

Tuesday, August 23, 2005

Heart full of Music

As I write this I'm listening to a song called 'soul singing'. Can you believe I actually had a good weekend? When in comes to the in-laws you always seem to worry more than its worth. Well any kind of worry is more than it's worth, but for me, I get headaches over the whole thing. And after the visits are over, it's never as bad as I thought it was going to be (with the exception of last Christmas). We had an enjoyable weekend. My son got to ride the horse a few times, both the kids got to play and hold kittens, they jumped on the trampoline, fed the chickens and collected eggs. It was a good weekend! As for my husband and I, we can't complain when we get free meals and we get to visit with friends we haven't seen in a few months. That's always worth the late nights and loss of sleep.
I also got to visit Scott's Parables bookstore for the first time. I've never been there before and was pleasantly surprised at how nice and cheap things were. I was looking for the book called Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge. They were sold out, so if anyone has it and is done reading it, could I borrow it?? I suckered my husband into reading Wild at Heart by John Eldredge and he really enjoyed it. So Captivating is to women what Wild was to men. It's suppossed to be really good. Anyway, there's my plug for the day.
Now we're down to the final week of holidays. Can you believe they're done already? I wish I could send my kids to school, but that's a whole lot of worry, that I'm definately not ready for yet. Does anyone know if you have to be potty trained to have your kid in the age 3-5 group at Mom's??
My best friend in getting married on September 9, 2005 in Kansas City, MO. I'd really like to go, but it's all sort of depending on whether or not we sell our vehicle. Does anyone want to buy a 1983 Toyota Landcruiser? We met in '96 on a mission trip to Bolivia and just bonded. She came up to Canada for my wedding in '01. The best thing about having a best friend like that, is that even tho' you may have lost touch for a few years, when you find each other again, you just pick up from wherever you left off and it's all good. Just like you never lost it in the first place.

Sorry ladies... this post is what it is. I feel like I didn't say anything profound. So I went looking and found this website called God is Groovy. Today's blessing is from Isaiah 58:11. 'The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.'

21 more sleeps.