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?

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!.

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...

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".

Support

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

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!

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!

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.

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!

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".

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!

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!!!