When Girls go WILD

Now, I'm not talking taking clothes off and being crazy drunk, although, I kinda am. hee hee. I have determined that having a girl makes everything different!! EVERYTHING! They aren't like boys. They don't react to things in the same way nor do they expect things in a similar manner.
Take my sweet and sometimes hard to tolerate Monkeypants. I adore her, don't get me wrong. I'm blessed to have a little girl that I treasure and love, but she IS going to be the death of me!!! Let's talk specifics here.
In just the past month, she has managed to run away 2 times, climb three shelves up on her built-in bookcase to get and spread lotion throughout her bedroom (and cleaned it up, mind you), pour a 5 lb bag of flour on herself, the dog and the dog's bed, dump every box of baking powder or soda (I can never tell the difference between the two) all over the floor in front of the pantry, put sprinkles in every nook and cranny that exists in my house, drink enough hand sanitizer to get drunk but not sick and deleted the $4.99 app from my iPad that she plays the most. All of this accomplished with an adult somewhere close by and present. SERIOUSLY!! It isn't like we leave her alone for an extended period of time. We have found that we can't.
She can undo any child lock you put in front of her and has been the reason for the newly purchased iron gate that stands above my waist in my hallway and the antique door newly installed and locked to prevent her leaving this one space. And yet, I maintain that the child will be the death of me. Even when everything is removed from her grasp, she still manages to trash things. And when she has nothing to trash, it's cool to climb all over Mommy as if she is a jungle gym preventing her from getting a single thing done. As she is doing this very minute. I've learned to type under some certainly extreme situations-- my editor will appreciate that one day. ;-)



I believe that God has a really good sense of humor. My children show me that. The 9 year old who refuses to smile for a picture until I tell him to think of something funny in which he bursts out laughing so hard I think he's going to cry. When asked what struck him so funny, he replies, "you, Mom, in skinny jeans." REALLY! Or my dear 6 year old, who cannot possibly go through a single day without making me laugh so hard my face hurts. With his over dramatic hand motions as he tries to explain his point or his point in general that tends to be just slightly off kilter. And my precious Monkeypants.... all 2 years of ornery and sweetness rolled into one. If I didn't laugh at her, I would probably cry.
Just when I'm about to meltdown or need a Mommy Time Out, God throws me an insight that makes me have to smile and remember, I have to be flexible because that's what it is like to be a Mommy. Forever cleaning those messes that we didn't anticipate or cuddling because that is just what is needed at that time, despite the busy lives we lead and the "to do list" that never gets done.
Just remember.....
Psalm 127:3

Children are a heritage from the LORD,
   offspring a reward from him.

Thank you, dear Jesus for such blessings and such reward. I am forever grateful for the gifts that you provide.

For the Love of Flowers

When I moved into this house almost 6 years ago, I had hopes and dreams of keeping a beautiful flower garden in all the flower beds. There were hostas, black-eyed Susans, some big bushes that I couldn't even name, some purple flowers the previous owner had had in her wedding that I TRIED to kill but still haven't died, lots of different varieties of flowers.
My dream quickly faded as some of the best, sturdiest plants became overtaken by weeds. Man, I tried. I really did. But with 2 small children at that time and life's devious plans to move forward faster despite my need for time to slow down, it became completely impossible to keep up with those weeds. At one point, I actually couldn't tell the weeds for the flowers and was sure I would be fined by the city for not trimming them. I actually had that conversation with Wade. We decided it was time to do something about it and spent an entire month, it seemed buckled into that front flower garden getting rid of the weeds. It took every effort we had, only to find more weeds the following week. I thought we were doomed!!
But I saw a light at the end of the tunnel and was okay with the disaster that was my front yard, so long as my dear neighbor, Nick, did not improve his. Despite the fact that my friends and family joked about turning me into the HGTV show, Desperate Landscapes, I still knew that it could have been worse. I mean, I watched that show all the time. There were some pretty desperate lawns on that show. Yes, I was in some serious denial at that time.

Then one day, the horrible happened, not only had Nick done a little work in his yard, it looked better than mine!!!! And THEN, something that was spectacular but detrimental happened. Angela. My sweet and precious friend that I truly love and loathe at the same time. She has a green thumb. The greenest of all. She had hopes and desires, not different than my own when I had moved into our house. She was going to turn Nick's flower beds into something beautiful. Let me back up. Angela, Nick's girlfriend, had come to visit from India (and I can't wait until she lives her permanently because I miss her more than I would miss my left arm!). Angela was putting a great female twist on Nick's life, but we won't go into the smile that she put on his face and all that lovey-dovey stuff. It's about the flowers. The plants. That is why I say loathe. I don't have ill will for her whatsoever; I just cannot believe the awesome work she put in.
I would see her each day, out in the garden, weeding and planting new seeds and making a work of art. I even saw Nick out there doing work like the new paver patio and knew I was in trouble. So, I buckled down and began to work as hard as I could on my front flower bed. Rearranged things, bought some new bulbs, tried to take out those stupid blue plants again (they have already started coming up this year, so I'm doomed to keep the ones I do not like), put in a new bush at the end as I had taken out the big ones that were up there before and put in new weed cloth and mulch to finish out the bed. Then to top it all off and make it even better, I put a new border of stones around the front and a little fence to frame the back. Everyone in the neighborhood would come around and comment if we were out on how great it looked (which only goes to show they were surely talking about it before :-\)

Angela's Daffodils

Why do I mention this today? Well, I weeded my flower bed this morning with Angela on my mind. Thinking how proud she would be of me. I have a jump start on the season and am going to get mulch by the end of the day so that I can cover the hostas and protect them from the cold weather over the next few weeks. As I stood with my glove on pulling out weeds, I glanced over to see Angela's beautiful daffodils. And the start of her new tulips that she planted knowing she would not get to see them this year. I couldn't help but feel sad. I have been thinking of her gift of friendship to us and how she makes us better people. And her gift to Nick, her flowers. Last year as we planted together and decided what flowers should be there, she planned those flowers that she knew would come up when she went back home. And each time they came up, I'm sure they made Nick smile because they made me smile and my children who love her so much. This beautiful woman has come into our lives from halfway around the world to give us love in flowers.They are wonderful reminders that she will be back to tend them before we even realize it. But in the meantime, we will send her pictures and make sure the flowers are tended to because God gives us precious friends to remind us of the kind of people we should be. So today as I look to getting mulch, I will think of Angela's flowers and smile knowing the joy the pictures will bring her until she can come home again.

Beautiful Firsts

So yesterday, we treated the kids out to McDonald's and since they had been so good, we let them have ice cream cones.
This is a first for Sofia. Yeah, my 2 year old has never had an ice cream cone. So Wade took the kids up to get them and each had theirs to carry. When he hands hers to her, her little eyes were suddenly as big as ever and her grin matched. Oh what a great look on her face. Then she took her first bite. It was so cute to watch her eating that thing and being so happy. You could see she felt like such a big girl.
Imagine our surprise when she spit out a tiny bite of the cone. She kinda freaked and kept saying broken. I realized she didn't realize it could be eaten. It was just a vessel for her. So, I asked Alec to show her it can be eaten. She looked at him as if he were crazy at first, and then took her first bite. She looked at me like WHAT. hee hee. It was so darn cute.

These are the first that lighten my heart. I love all my babies first moments, but this is one of those different kinds. It's not like she'd been trying to do something and finally achieved it. It's a first cone, one of many more in her beautiful life I'm sure. I love the moment it created for us as a family as we giggle and enjoyed her personality each moment of that little cone. I praise the Lord for those moments... as those are the ones I treasure the most.

Living your Passion

So many of us live our lives never realizing our one true passion in life...that one skill in our lives that God has given us to provide us with a meaningful, truly happy existence. If you do not combine your work with your passion you will never achieve excellence and fulfillment. 

What blocks you from finding your passion, even integrating it into your current work? Is work meant to be boring, only a paycheck? Is fulfilling God's Will always sacrificial of your passions? If you follow your passions, will your income drop dramatically? No, I don't think so.

Do you know someone who is a person of passion? Can you think about their qualities and what makes them so passionate?
During a tough battle in World War II, General George Patton, one of the greatest military leaders of all time, said about battle, "God, I love it!" King David, also a warrior,s aid, "God, I love you!" Who would you like to be associated? Think about it for a minute. No, seriously. King David was a passionate warrior as can be seen throughout 2 Samuel. (2 Samuel 5:18-25, 21:15-22:4, 22:29-32 and in Psalm 18:2-3, 18:30-40, 60:10) How did David express his passion for God and what did that do for him?
What can it do for you? We are in a time where most of us are not in the military. We go to work every day and spend our 40 hours doing what? What kind of passion do we find there? Why is our passion so infrequently seen at work?

David's world of work and his passion for God were integrated. He said, "God is my rock...my stronghold, my refuge, and my savior" (2 Samuel 22:3). If your world of work (or school or everyday living) and your passion for God were integrated, chose the words you might use to complete this sentence: "God is my ...


I answer that saying inspiration. I am living my passion of writing and truly loving life. Time with my children and husband. Fulfilled by the Holy Spirit in a very fulfilling work. What is your passion? Do you live it?

Outrageous

I have waited out typing this emotional blog for a few days because my heart wasn't ready to face the insane truth in life. People do not care about other people, even children. And on top of that, they are teaching their children not to care.
Ignorance angers me beyond words. Ignorance scares me beyond words. Ignorance frustrates me to words. As I sit here typing this there is another mother praying over her child who is sick because of a deadly allergy to peanuts.... There is a mother praying over her child who is living with a deadly allergy to peanuts... There is a mother praying over her child's grave because of a deadly allergy to peanuts. I am not writing this for anyone but those mothers who walk this line with me. Please read on if you don't live it though as you deserve to not be ignorant.
As I prepared for bed the other night, the news teased me with a story. Let me allow you to read it for yourself.....http://www.cfnews13.com/article/news/2011/march/216839/Peanut-allergy-panic-at-Edgewater-school-has-peeved-parents-protesting
Now let me vent, dear friends. These parents are the ignorant that bring me to tears. I sit listening to stories like this and can't help but think of that battle I prepared for when I started the process of entering the schools. My little Owen needed an advocate, and we are his parents, the only true individuals in this world that give a crap about his life or death.
I have dear friends that i know think me crazy. I have friends who believe life must include peanut butter and their children might die without it. I have friends who say they understand who can never fathom the depths of what could happen. And I love them all, but until i educate them and others i haven't done my true job of protecting my child or living the destiny that God has given me.
Children with peanut allergies live their lives knowing that at any minute, it could be their last. Wanna know how severe, have ONE conversation with Owen about his allergy. Last week he came home from school and said, "Mom, know why I am wearing my fanny pack (he carries his epipen on him) on my hip?" I replied, "No, bud. Why?" His reply just shows how young he truly is. "I can unzip with this hand (left) and grab my pen like a gun in those things and stab my leg in seconds. I can be the hero and the hurt guy all at the same time."
How very sad that he lives in a world in which there are parents teaching their children that it is okay to pick on kids like him and parents who think washing their hands and mouths are an interruption into their children's school day. My response to that is this, "Do any of you care that a child can die in the hands of your own child because of your carelessness? Do any of you understand the interruption in the day should a peanut allergy child actually be exposed at school? Do you understand the emotional damage to a child who has to witness another child going into anaphylactic shock? Do any of you truly care about the life of a child and how can you possibly live with yourself and your ignorance knowing that you are fighting against a child's life!!"
I can tell you stories upon stores, but i will save that for my book. Yes, I am working on that as I have time. In the meantime, I urge teachers, parents, children even to educate themselves on this. Educate yourself on what your schools are doing. Those in our school district, know that there are safeguards n place for kids like Owen and if the severity increases, so do those safeguards. Anyone who has the nerve to tell me to my face to keep my kid home because their children deserve an education of convenience over my child, you will get my opinion. I love to educate and I will fight to the end of MY life educating those ignorant because if we keep going like this, no one will ever learn....

Another Blessed Day

I am so blessed. I could say that and be done with this post quite honestly.
I'm not going to tell you all the hopes for my birthday (like my voice to come back) and all that boring stuff. I don't want to brag about my amazing husband. I don't want to invoke crazy jealousy about that stud. It just wouldn't be right.
Today, I just want to share in my joy of The Lord.

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from the beginning to end.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 NIV

Trials Help Us Grow

Well, the week has been very trying and unfortunately, when that happens, it's so very easy to fall into old habits. I didn't eat as healthy this week as I did my first week. My weigh in this morning was 260.4. While that is still a loss of .4 pounds, that seems so insignificant to me. I am not in the slightest bit ready to quit or moving into my frustration zone as far as the weight loss. I know what I did wrong. I spent the week frustrated about this and that and overwhlemed by the million tasks I had put on my plate (excuse the pun). This week isn't any easier when it comes to work things, but I have Dad around to help relieve some of the burden. Although this morning, he was quick to tell me that I'm just like my Mom running myself in a million different directions. I will choose to ignore that like my Mom reference. Despite loving her, I am not ready to be like her. ;-)
I have felt that God has given me these weeks for trials, and I won't say that I failed because I didn't. I still lost some weight (albeit small and probably more water weight than anything). I will say that I succumbed quite a bit to the pressure. But it is another new week and another opportunity to do His Will. We have made efforts to improve the organization around the house, with doing extra toddler proofing to prevent future episodes of Sofia dumping out baking soda or drinking hand sanitizer or toothpaste. I believe that will help us to be able to do what we need to do to be successful and feel better about things. I do ask for your continued prayers and support as we keep going. And again, I invite those who are interested to walk with me. Wednesdays and Fridays at my church 10 am until we are pooped.
Well, as I finish this, Owen just poked Sofia in the eye. She is screaming. He is fighting back and it's time for lunch and Mommy needs some serious quite time!!! Love and Prayers to All.

No use crying over spilt lotion

My daughter is notoriously known for being able to cause incredible mass destruction in a matter of seconds. This morning is no different than any other with her powers of insanity in high gear. She got up at a decent time and was calmly watching tv in her room when I decided to go make breakfast. Mind you, my kitchen isn't in China or even further than a few rooms away, but seconds is all it takes. Her room was what we considered childproof.
Unfortunately, my sweet monkeypants figured out early how to undo the child lock on anything that we had locked up. She trashed the room yesterday by getting everything out of every toy basket and every door, which is no surprise and happens all the time. That is the reason that hadn't gotten cleaned up yet. Well, this morning to top it all off, she decided that it would be a great idea to get the big bottle of lotion that was 3 shelves up on her shelving unit. 3 shelves up!!! That required some climbing, of course.
Imagine my surprise when I went to her room to find her and most of the room covered in lotion. We are talking the radio, the shelves, the toys. THE WALL. I'm still trying to figure out how she got it. I seriously was gone the length of time it takes to take a bowl out of the cabinet and put cereal in it. That's it. No milk. nothing. Just cereal. 3-4 seconds max. And in that time she climbed and dispersed an entire bottle of lotion everywhere.

While this is very frustrating, and I hope she and I both learned a lesson (not sure what that one is yet) I'm trying to be positive and not think of the time it is taking away from other things I need to get done. I am thinking of the quality time with my monkeypants. Working together (only cause I've locked us in the room together until it is cleaned up). Just to give you an idea of the destruction, I have taken a photo because no  mess like this should go without a picture (reminds me of the time Owen dumped out an almost full gallon of paint in the kitchen..... hmmm must run in the family). Off to finish the cleaning! How exciting to get this memorable moment with my daughter. hee hee. ;-)

Drum Roll Please

I am quite pleased to say that I sit here typing this blog 6.6 pounds lighter!!! Official weigh in is 260.8 pounds.
YEAH!! Great victory, but I can't just be excited and not admit my faults as I go through this cycle or it will never end.
"At the same time the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we don't know how to pray for what we need. But the Spirit intercedes along with our groans that cannot be expressed in words." --Romans 8:26 (God's Word Translation)
We all have moments of weakness in any sin that we encounter, but God is with us. The Spirit is there to guide us by giving us strength to bear those weakness and exciting us to make efforts to sustain them and allowing us to endure those trials by ministering to us consolations and truths.
There aren't always words appropriate for situations. Sometimes we know what we need, but we just cannot express those needs. Even writers get writer's block. The Holy Spirit is the spring of all desires toward God, which are often more than words can utter. The Spirit who searches the hearts, can perceive the mind and will of the spirit, the renewed mind, and advocates his cause. The Spirit makes intercession to God, and the enemy does not prevail.
How is that associated with weight loss? Remember my first blog.. this is a sin. At least it is for me. I have sinned and fell short. Saying it isn't easy. Knowing what to ask God for is something I'm finding this week to be challenging to say the least. Is it selfish to pray for God's help? Am I asking the right things?  I also find it challenging to not only know what to ask for, but to feel strength in those moments when chocolate used to fix the situation.
I cannot say that I feel alone in this battle. I am almost overwhelmed by the strength that I can only attribute to my precious friends who are with me, no matter what their size. I, quite honestly, didn't realize how many people were reading my blog. I thank you guys. It is truly awesome to feel all of your hands on my shoulder as I go through the day making good decisions about health and nutrition.
I did have meals this week that weren't necessarily the best choices, but a meal here or there did not hurt the end results. I found that I couldn't think about that meal and stress out over it when I had another one to plan for the next day. So, I take on this second week with renewed strength and lighter feet with a thank you to all those who had encouraging words and an extension of fellowship to all those who need this journey as much as I do. Walk with me friends. Literally and figuratively. We walk at our church while we have cold weather, if you are local and wish to join us, let me know!! We welcome the fellowship. If you can't be here, awesome, do what you can. Park further out when you go to the store. Walk around every aisle at Walmart. (DO YOU KNOW HOW BIG THAT STORE IS!! hee hee). Take some extra steps with me and please, any healthy and easy recipes are more than welcome. Through God, all things are possible!!