Trying something Old but New

I stumbled across this book a longggg time ago.  I think I've read it twice with Sweetpea and at least once with Peanut...never with Little Munchkin. 

I was reminded today that God deserves our "firstfruits"...the best of what we have...and that's not just money...it can be relationships, time, our marriage, school, mothering...you get the idea...

The problem is that LIFE (or pride, or facebook, or pack rat-ism, or the TV, or friends...) gets in the way of me giving my "best" to whom it belongs. 

With that reminder...along with the observation that Italian Stallion and I can't handle the bickering, arguing, and often selfish spirits that seem to creep up into our household on an almost daily basis...I decided to start fighting back...and starting with giving the best of ourselves and arming our hearts and minds with truth...

My girls know Bible stories...they've been read to since they were babies, we have felt/flannel board stories, pop up books...they hear it at church and AWANA...but, the one area that is really difficult for me to role model is that of just using scripture in everyday life...

ENTER:  My ABC Bible Verses...

I love that there is a letter associated with each verse...and the kids have a goal in mind with memorizing the verses...

We stick the verses on the wall (and lest you think I have a yellow wall somewhere...um, NO, my white balance was completely off and that's what I get for taking a picture in low light)  Anyway, our goal is to learn all 26 verses! 

There is a little story associated with each verse...an application if you will...

And then, some little discussion questions and an opportunity to talk about circumstances and situations where we can put it into practice. 

We've started working on this at dinner time...when we're all sitting down together...I'm hoping that this sticks...I'm hoping that I keep it up...for the sake of my kids...as well as reminding myself that I need to give my best and not just my leftovers...

It's like American Idol,but in miniature

You all know that I'm a "performer"...I love me some spotlight...

However, my girls have not inherited this quality and have their daddy's more reserved, gracious, behind the scenes type fervor when it comes to gatherings...

So, when both of my older girls informed me that they wanted to participate in the school Talent Show...like, in front of PEOPLE...I was overjoyed! 

"yay...perform...be known...be loved...yay"

I wanted them to be successful and to enjoy the evening and so I urged them to do something they were confident in and something perhaps "under" their ability so that they could feel at ease when faced with the crowd. 

Both girls chose to play the piano and perform a couple of songs from old lesson books from about 2 years ago (not that they've actually had lessons regularly between then and now, but still...it was familiar)

And so, Italian Stallion took them to their audition early on a Friday morning before school started. 

Shortly thereafter I received a phone call from him...
"Um, honey, do you realize what we've gotten ourselves into?"

"Whatever do you mean sweetheart...of course, our darling girls want to be in a talent show, in front of people, for FUN!"

Italian Stallion: " You do realize that that means that we will then need to sit through the other 30-40 children who are also participating...we're going to be here for hours!"

Me: "It can't be THAT bad...how did they do?"

Italian Stallion: "They timed Sweetpea at 40 seconds and Peanut at 10 seconds...at this moment, I'm watching a riveting rendition of the Celine Dion song from the Titanic sung by a first grader...I find it hard to believe that she understands how her heart will go on and on..."

Me: "Hmmm...well, we'll add another song for Peanut...it will be fine"

Fast forward to the performance just a few nights ago:
After my dear Italian Stallion sat cross-legged, in a suit, on the gym floor with Little Munchkin watching 3rd graders create dance moves to "I whip my hair back and forth", 5th graders doing a few "risque' " cheer numbers, followed up by a poem about a hippo sandwich...

all I can say is ...

nothing...I've got nothing...I'm rendered speechless...

I did make sure that I documented the moment for my daughters though...they were spellbound as their classmates performed and each of our girls went up with ease and confidence to do their numbers...

There are a few images that I'd rather not keep repeating in my head, but all in all, it was a sweet endeavor and the kids were courageous to get up there in front of everyone. 

I will look forward to next year with fear and trepidation great expectation!

toots, burps and other bodily functions...

We picked up a new movie this week from red box...

My girls like it...perhaps it's all the references to bodily functions...or maybe it's just the fact that it's about 3 sisters...I don't know...but, to hear them go from giggles, to laughing to howling in just an hour...

makes me smile!

Ahhhh the basement

I’m still working on the basement.

I thought I had made more progress than what it actually looks like down there.

I said something to that effect to Italian Stallion, to which he replied, “Sweetheart, we’ve only thrown out about 6 bags total and most of that has been trash” … “ You know I can take care of all this for you if you want?”

Punch me in the gut why don’t you…

Trash? Excuse me? I know how you’d “take care of it for me”…

I have tossed some memories buster! My calculus tests and some old passed notes in high school…all my old lesson plans and countless folders of old study units that took HOURS to put together in the first place…I’ve put books, (yes you read that correctly) BOOKS into the “sell” pile…books, that I remember reading for the first time, where I was and the “movie” in my head as I read…

And yet…with all that…it doesn’t really look like I’ve made much of a dent down there..which only tells you how MUCH of a mess I’ve managed to store over the years…

It’s really a sad state of affairs…

I suppose I could look on the bright side…that I “have” stuff, that my house hasn’t burned down, that I don’t have long-term memory loss (or at least not enough that I can’t remember when I’m faced with an object to trigger it)

But OH the mess that still is my basement…long hours on the weekend, I sit on that cement floor and contemplate what I can pitch and what I must keep for future generations to go through and savor..er, umm…well, they’ll probably laugh and then pitch it themselves…but I say, power to ya cuz I just can’t part with some of those things until I can tell their “story” to my grandchildren…I keep telling myself that they will love me for it…

That is…unless they get their “Grandpa’s” sense of nostalgia..and in that case, they’ll look at me with a confused face, pat me on my hunched, wrinkled back and say, “That’s okay, let me take care of that for you” …

Little devils…Hmph!

Last weekend we took a break…

With Daddy being gone to meetings every night and Mommy taking pictures and the endless chores that they make the children do…the pain of it all…

We skipped church and had a fort-making day…

I don’t have a lot of pictures, because, as I stated earlier this week…I’ve taken enough pictures of people’s behinds that I was ready to set the equipment down for a bit…there’s only so much you can take people…but, not until I at least got a snapshot of the monstrosity that my dear Italian Stallion created in the playroom.

When I think of children’s forts, I think chairs and blankets and pillows as stabilizers…

Apparently this is another area where Italian Stallion and I differ…

He would rather obtain the tent rods (minus the tent) and some balls of yard in order to string up the room like a spider web ready to strangle you at any given moment and then throw over the sheets using chip bag clips to keep things in place…

Oh well…to each his own…

We enjoyed the day reading, coloring, playing puzzles and napping in our “fort”…lots of together time for sure.

Guess What...

SOMEbody got to pick a prize from the prize box...

A "prize box" you say?  Whatever do you mean?  Where is this prize box?  What meaning doth it have? What signifance therefore cometh from procuring a prize from hence wherein?

(I just got a Jane Austen book from the library...trying to get myself back into classic and OLD literature...whoa...need some help there)

Anyway...Little Munchkin...after 60 minutes of walking around the house, playing simon says and the hokie pokie, jumping on the potty every 5 minutes only to "hold" it once again, more walking, some jumping and a few spins...she FINALLY let it go!

We have had one BIG OLE deposit into the potty...for the very first time...and I swear her waist size shrunk about 2 inches! 

Daddy (and Mommy for that matter) has had enough with the diapers...and so he suggestd I take her out shopping for some major "prizes"...some tantalizing treats...some tempting toys...(better stop now, the aliteration is coming forth...)

So, we did...

We bought all manner of things Princess and sugar and deposited the "prizes" into a special box that she isn't allowed to touch, but sits at the base of the toilet in the bathroom...IF and only IF she poops IN THE POTTY, does she get a prize...TONIGHT was the night!

Afterwards of course we make a HUGE deal of it...there are the high fives, the flushing, the calling of friends and grandparents...however, as you'll see in the video following (which PLEASE try not to get dizzy watching...you'll see what I mean...) why we didn't get to call too many people...she spent most of her time discussing the value of the prizes within and wearing out the carpet...This is Little Munch talking to either Grandma, Auntie or Papa, telling them the good news...

by the way, if you're wondering where all her curls went...well, she asked Mommy to straighten it because she wanted to look like Rapunzel:)

Did you think I was on my death bed?

I'm not...athough I did call the doctor to determine if all my symptoms were related to mini-strokes, a virus or…holy crap quit working out so hard in the evening! In my expert opinion, with all my knowledge of all things medicine…I think it was probably some weird virus or just a really bad migraine..My body tends to have a delayed reaction within stressful situations…For example, it wasn’t until 8 months after my sister passed away that body finally gave in and decided to break out in massive hives all over for about 4 months…guess it’s the way I’m wired…


Anyhoo…

I’ve had a busy week…no busier than anyone else I’m sure, but I like to lament about it anyway Italian Stallion’s office hired me to take some photographs of their “kick off the year” meetings and then taking pictures of them bowling…I will say that I have had my fill of editing pictures of people’s behinds as they throw a 10 lb ball down an alley…whew!

In other news…and drastically changing subjects:

My husband likes to remind me how I married “up”… It’s a running joke we have between us…

I mean, how else would I have gotten myself to Hawaii, Cobos San Lucas, Grand Cayman, and now….

Yes, he has earned another trip…

And though I am sooo looking forward to some sun and one on one time with my hubby, I also know it comes with all the fear and trepidation that I possess when it comes to leaving my girls behind…I guess it just comes with the territory…

I’ll get you up to speed with all the details..but I’ll leave it for another blog…I need me some “blog topics!”

And now that my brain seems to be stable and not sloshing in my head making me dizzy and nauseous…and headaches seem at bay…it’s just me, my basement and some random editing on the computer…so, I hope to be a bit more “regular” with regards to blogging in the near future…

I'll be back soon!