Tag, I'm It!

Okay, so my friend, Jamie, tagged me for a little Meme. Yesterday I said I blew off a large portion of my day doing computerish stuff and my adorably preggo buddy, Emily, asked me if that meant I blogged. Nope, sadly. So, here is a no-brainer. (Right up my alley.) Actually though, I'm trying not to repeat what I've already said here , here , here and here. Hmmm...

Here are the rules:

1. Link to the person or persons who tagged you. (Good, aren't I?)
2. Post the rules on your blog. (Seriously, I'm so on top of this.)
3. Write six random things about yourself. (Will do.)
4. Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them. (Readers beware.)
5. Let each person know they’ve been tagged and leave a comment on their blog (Mental note.)
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up. (Jamie, I am doing a Meme. Just FYI.)

Six Random Tara Facts...

1. When I was little, my brother and I used to play "trucking company" together. He would haul (I have no idea what) around the house in his play semi truck and I would stay in my room. We had a phone that was disconnected, so I'd use that and I had a spiral. I would take messages for him and make appointments for him to take things to various parts of the country. I wonder if he remembers that. I always had fun. (Probably because I was bossing him around and telling him where to go, when to go, and what to take.)

2. I put deodorant and perfume on every single time I take a shower. Even if it's midnight and I'm going to bed. I just do.

3. I talk in my sleep. Chris has had some interesting conversations with me before (actually - more like conversations with me where he thinks I'm an idiot), only to find out that I'm asleep. I used to take orders in the middle of the night when I was a waitress.

4. I love tractors. Never been on one. Not sure why I like them, but I just do.

5. I love to dip fritos in cottage cheese. I know it sounds gross, but seriously - YUM. I blame my mom -- she introduced me to this little snack gem. (By the way, we never have fritos in the house, so I would say I eat this about twice a year.)

6. I could probably make an entire meal out of the relish tray. Olives, pickles, peppers, etc. Those empty, salty calories -- yeah. I am all about the relish tray. And my grandma used to make these things called watermelon pickles...I didn't like them so much when I was growing up but I would like to try them now. I wonder if she still has her recipe somewhere? I should ask!

Okay. There ya go. If you haven't blogged in the last two weeks, now you have something to blog about because I'm tagging you!

If ya don't like poop stories, come back later.

Hey. I warned you. Right up there on top. I mean business.

Last night I made dinner. Yummy dinner. Chicken manicotti, garlic bread, and salad. Even oatmeal raisin cookies for dessert.

By the way - can anyone guess why we had such a well rounded dinner? Yes, MOPS mommies - you probably guessed it. I took dinner to a new mom and made the same thing for us. It's like the only time I include a dessert. Anyone else do that or is it just me?? Anyway...

Chris got tied up (not literally, don't worry) at work so I was had the kids eat early and figured I'd wait and eat with my hubster when he got home from work. Yum, yum - everyone eats and Miss G decides she's done.

So.

I say "Are you ready for me to clean you up so you can get down?"
She says "Ummm, I got some poop."
I say "No problem, let's just change your diaper then."

I walk over and whoooooooooooooo. She sure did have some poop - it was stinkin' to high heaven in that little pink booster seat of hers! So, I put the changing pad on the floor in the living room, grab the wipes and go get her. She starts FREAKING OUT when I'm trying to take her pants off. I'm like what is the deal??? (Oh, and I hear the garage door go up right about this time, so he hears her getting all nuts.) I get her calmed down, assure her everything is okay and she's fine.

So, I lay her down -- looks like a mini-blowout. You know the one. Slightly on the waistband of the pants and a tiny bit on her lower back. No biggie. I've seen worse.

(Ha, ha, ha, ha. I can hear my husband laughing at me right about here.)

Take her diaper off and ohhhh, my word. The stink. VERY stinky. UNUSUALLY stinky. As in gag stinky. My hubby walks around the corner right about now and brilliantly says, "How's it goin'?" Yeah. I think I managed to lock eyes while rolling them at the same time, and possibly may have grunted in his direction as well. Mitchell is a doll and runs upstairs to get her pajamas for me so that after I'm done washing off her back she can just jump in her jammies.

Mitchell comes back downstairs and says "Hey, Mom - is that poop on your shirt?" I look down and see a little spot where I was attacked by my spoon when tasting the sauce for the manicotti. I say "Nope. Just spaghetti sauce." Chris says "It really does look like she pooped on you." I say "Nope. Just sauce." Meanwhile I'm thinking that he's the one who gets pooped on in this house.

Back to the massive cleanup. Luckily it was trash night so Chris was on his way out to the curb with the trash anyway, so I just added the toxic grocery bag to his collection. Georgia is fresh n' clean, in her jammies, so I squirt her hands with the antibacterial stuff that I should buy stock in -- and she gets up to go play. I go toss her clothes into the washer on the soak setting and then head to the kitchen to wash my hands. Wash them up and am drying them when Chris comes back in.

I said to him "You know, I must really have been bothered by that stink because I can still REALLY smell it!" He said "It's fresh in your mind. It'll pass." Two seconds later, as he's helping me clear the table, he says..."Well, I think I know what you're smelling."

Yeah. A nice little pile of poop on her booster seat. DIS-GUS-TING. It was so gross. *By the way, I figured out this is why she was freaking out. She must have felt the poop come out when I picked her up or something.* SOOOOO, he goes to get the lysol for me while I scoop the poop. Together we manage to get all of the straps out of the chair so that they can join her clothes in the washing machine. I remember that there is another set of clothes that could use some soaking so I ask Chris to grab those for me.

He comes into the laundry room and I say "You know, I can STILL smell that poop! It just WON'T leave my nose!" He says "Well, why don't you just toss your clothes in there, too. Maybe that's it?"

Okay, just so you know, I'm literally sitting here giggling as I type this.

I take off my shirt and OH. MY. GOODNESS. There are two HUGE smears of poop on my shirt!! One is under my big ol' left nursing boob and one is on the sleeve of the left arm. My boobs are big enough at this point that they hid the poop from my sight...how sad is that? I started cracking up and said "Oh my gosh! There's poop all over my shirt!!"

Chris says "We tried to tell you that, but you said it was just sauce."
I laugh and point to my tiny little smear of sauce and say "THIS is the sauce. THIS (big, giant smears) is the poop!"
My hubby says "Well, I know you - and being in the position you were in, I wasn't about to argue with you about what spaghetti sauce looks like. I figured you probably wouldn't like that."

Smart man, that Cabana Boy! I hope you got as big of a laugh out of this as we did. I was about crying I was laughing so hard. We both agreed that this was another of life's very bloggable moments.

Ahhhhhhh.... (that's me breathing, by the way)

That's my new strategy...Breathe.

Breathe again.
Breathe some more.

Physically, I feel pretty good. I get tired, of course, from growing a little person in here - but for the most part, I really can't complain. I mean, my left hip is killing me and the heartburn stinks...just kidding! Seriously, it's been a pretty easy pregnancy so far. By the way, the new little baby thing on my sidebar - sort of wacky how (s)he floats around in there like a little slow-paced pinball, don't you think? I mean, I know this one's floating too - that one just looks like it's on the moon or something. And also - I put that there so you can know how far along I am even when I'm flakey and don't post for a month or something. I get that "when are you due??" thing a lot, so thought this might help!

Anddddd...because it's my blog and I can interrupt myself if I want to - I will tell you that Mitchell felt the baby kick for the first time today! Oh, goodness - that is for sure in my top ten Mommy moments right now. I got all welled up because he just got so, so, SO excited! He is a bit on the impatient (or five year old) side of life, so before today when the baby has been kicking he hasn't managed to stay still long enough to feel it yet. However...about half an hour ago I was sitting here putting pictures from his first ever soccer game onto the computer and the baby was ripping off some good ones so I called him over and wouldn't you know it -- BOOM. His eyes grew so big and just absolutely lit up! He said "Mommy, was that the baby? Did it kick me?" When I said yes he got the giggles and was just over the moon. He felt about three kicks, I think. I can still see his face and hear that laughter -- oh, goodness. It was magical. When I was pregnant with Georgia, he was still pretty young so he didn't really "get it" but this time, he is definitely hooked up with what's going on, so it was a wonderful moment. I just wish my camera's memory card wasn't in the middle of moving those soccer videos so I could have taken a picture of his face!

Oh, and speaking of soccer: (ummmm, yeah - can you tell how nicely this will flow today?) I have to tell you that this whole thing of him being on a team has been hysterical. Our little wallflower has decided that he is just going to jump in with both feet and his personality is coming right on out of his ears! The team's practices are Sunday afternoons and we didn't know it (wouldn't have gone anyway) but the team practiced on Easter. The sad thing for Mitchell is that they also gave their ideas for a team name at that practice -- he was SO excited to throw out the idea of "The Buffaloes". I mean, his heart was SET on it. So, when he found out that they could only vote for three previously suggested ideas, well - that just was not gonna fly. (I was at home with Miss G for her nap, so Chris relayed this story to me, just so you know.) Apparently, the coach asked him for his vote and he said "Well, I'm just gonna call myself 'The Buffaloes' then!" The coach said "So you don't want to vote?" And he said he didn't. Then two seconds later, he did. And the winning team name?

The Fighting Machines.

I am pretty sure that was not the idea of the one little girl on his team, but I don't have proof. Other than, well - the name itself. Proof enough that it's not the work of a five year old girl, don't you think? Anyway - during his first game last night he apparently growled on the field the whole time he was playing. (Again, information from Chris. I was in the car with a sick baby girl.) I asked him about that this morning and he informed he that he was pretending to be a tiger. We agreed to maybe not growl during any more soccer games.

Anyone who knows Mitchell is probably not all that surprised that we had to make such a request.

Okay, so - back to me and my breathing. Physically, pretty good. Emotionally - well, it depends on the exact moment in time that you ask me. Yesterday, count yourself lucky that you didn't ask me. My husband did and whoooo - I bet he is still regretting that one.

BUT. My new strategy: breathing. Why breathing? Because. First of all, I have to, right? Second of all -- does it get any more simple than that?

Breathe in.
Breathe out.

I've been trying to be grateful for the little things in my life. The small joys. And breathing is one of them. So, when I get overwhelmed with it all - I just try to breathe and be grateful that I can. I just focus on being still, chilling out, and seriously - just being. If only I had a dollar for every time the scripture, Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God..." has come into my life lately.

Seriously. All over the place. So, I decided to listen to that and give it a whirl.

Guess what? It works. It seriously works. It's really given me some peace and calmed what I can only describe as an inner restlessness that I've felt lately. So, it's my new thing. I breathe.

Okay - I will leave you with a little snippet of Georgia cuteness. Yesterday (the day she was deservedly a crankpot) I heard her on the monitor waking up from her nap. She was talking and calling me, so I came up and opened her door. It appeared that she had fallen back asleep as I was coming upstairs, so she was laying on her tummy, facing away from me. When I opened the door, she picked her head up, turned and gave me the biggest two-year-old glare you have ever seen. She then stood up with her hair looking like she'd just walked out of a wind tunnel and loudly proclaimed "You no wake up ME!!!"

I couldn't help it. I laughed.

Which made her even more mad, which made me laugh even harder. One mention of finding some juice made her smile and say "Okay, Mommy - get me outta here!" Ohhhhhh...that girl is cute even when she's spitting fire, I tell ya!

Thanks for putting up with my randomness today. Feels good to just let it all hang out again. And oohhhh baby, is it ever hanging out! :) I added two of my fave crockpot recipes to the sidebar today, by the way. They are super yummy!

Ummm - definitely need some work.

Not really time for a big post, but as I previously mentioned -- I'm in the process of digging out in many areas of life. I've been trying to find time to put back into my time in the Word and in prayer. Well, yesterday I tried (not so bright of an idea in retrospect) to do my Bible study lesson while the kids were playing quietly.

Quietly lasted about 2.2 minutes.

I have to laugh this morning because looking back, the lesson I was in the middle of was about balancing priorities, making wise choices, and spending time with family. I was really enjoying what I was reading and learning and thinking about.

When quietly ended - so did my patience. I ended up getting pretty testy with the kids. Yes, right smack dab in the middle of my Bible study lesson.

What a nerd!!

So, yeah -- I've got my shovel out and I'm digging the best I can, but there is much work still to be done around here. (Oh, and by the way, I know that pobody's nerfect and all of that - it's just so humbling to think of the fabulous timing I have.)

Hope you're all well...I'll be checking in again soon. I promise! I will even try to get a picture of my ever-growing belly. It is starting to freak me out size-wise -- it's something to behold for me as I'm much bigger than I was with the other two at this point. (I know that's typical for a 3rd baby - but whoooeeee...a little intimidating to think that I still have 25 more weeks for it to grow!)

Toodles, my friends.

Tag, I'm It!

My buddy, Jennifer, tagged me for a Meme -- 8 Random Things. If you have read any of my blog at any time, you will know that I specialize in randomness. I know I just did 7 things about me a while back, but this time, I will NOT be consulting The Cabana Boy so it is all me.

1. I was bald until about the age of 3. Then I was a toehead. Now I'm back to being a brunette (natural color) with blonde highlights (a little help with those) and have more hair than I can handle. (Seriously - it takes forever and a day to dry because there is SO MUCH of it. I am not intentionally whining, for those of you who are about to tell me to count my blessings because you have thin hair and hate it. I'm just saying - it's REALLY thick and some days, it stinks.)

2. I am the only person in my house who likes pickles.

3. My nickname when I was little was (hold onto your hats, friends -- it's gonna blow you away)... Motor Mouth.

4. I have never, ever been able to consistently sleep through the night.

5. My husband and I had our son named before we were married, let alone pregnant.

6. I have always really, really, really wanted to go to Italy.

7. I am uber clumsy. As in, my college roomie nicknamed me "Ouch" for awhile.

8. I can do this funky thing called the 5-toe-spread where all of my toes spread out like fingers. Speaking of things The Cabana Boy just can't get enough of. *snort*

Tagging people -- hmmmmm...if your name starts with the letters A-Z, you are reading this blog and need something to blog about...I tag YOU! You're it!

Thoughts galore...

This will be a totally random post, so if you are expecting a logically sequenced stream of thoughts, you might wanna keep on shopping around.

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I am having a very productive day -- and it feels so good! I had our dinner made and in the fridge by 8 am, if that tells you anything! Today was my day to take dinner to a woman from my table at MOPS as she's recovering from surgery, so I made a pan for her and a pan for us. It makes a 9x13 casserole, so I just made two 8x8 dishes instead. (Here's where there would be a lot of clicks on the remote if I were a tv show, huh?) I know she got a meal last night and will get one tomorrow, so I figured on Thanksgiving week, leftovers probably wasn't a big deal -- besides, the only disposable pan I had was 8x8. (That way she doesn't have to wash or return the dish.) I felt even better about my choice when I got there and her hubby had me leave the food on the table because he needed to make room in the fridge for it. Plus, now we have dinner ready to heat and serve, too! Score! Oh, and in case you're wondering - I made White Sauce Chicken Enchiladas. We're also having refried beans/cheese, brown rice and fresh green beans. (They got the same, except for I gave them one of the steamer broccoli bags instead.)
Yummy!!

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So, I just got off of the phone with my husband a few minutes ago and our conversation prompted him to say the following:

Hubby: You need to add that one to the list.
Me: What list?
Hubby: The list of random things about you.
Me: You mean the one that quickly grew into a list of crap that bugs my husband?
Hubby: Yeah, that one.

What was he talking about, you ask? My need to clean by hand our self-cleaning oven. Apparently, his label for this sort of issue is (and this is a direct quote) "There's clean, and then there's 'Tara' clean."

Ummmm, yeah. I have a few issues. But, to be fair -- the man was cleaning his bathroom with dish soap until I came into the picture, so ladies -- let's consider the source, shall we?

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I so totally did NOT want to work out today. (Like, totally dudes. Gag me.) However, I managed to scrape up just enough motivation and did a quick 30 min dvd during nap time. I feel good about that one!

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Did I mention that my oven is clean? And I love it that way?

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Yesterday at the pediatrician's office, we graced a P.A. that we'd yet to meet with our family goo. Both kids have snotty noses and coughs -- and for the past 4 years, that has meant a good possibility of an ear infection, so I took them both in. Mitchell had just started to fall asleep in the car on the way there, and I'm sure I don't have to explain the resulting demeanor to those of you moms with preschoolers who don't nap anymore. When they do fall asleep, and it's only for a few minutes -- whoo---eee, look out now. Or is that just him? Not sure.

Anyway -- so we're in there tearing up magazines and other fun stuff (uhhh, yeah - good times) and in walks Mark, the P.A. that we've never met. Georgia immediately shows off by blowing a snot bubble out of her nose and Mitchell literally crawls under the table.

Me: Hi! Welcome to our little world of fun.
Mark: *blinking like a deer in headlights* Hi, guys!

No, really - he was super nice and quite the trooper. In my defense, it was 2:45 and we'd been waiting for a while. Mitchell quit the shy act after about 2 minutes and Georgia did her normal charming act and all was well.

I think the highlight for me was when Mark used his little plastic hook tool to get a chunk of wax deep out of Mitchell's ear so that he could see the eardrum. He cleaned the tip of the tool off with a tissue and set it down to pick his otoscope (the little ear looker thing) back up. Mitchell saw the tissue sitting there and blew his nose with it.

Mark looked totally grossed out.
I just laughed and said "Well, at least it's his, right?"

I'm pretty sure we made an impression. Oh, and by the way - Mitchell does have an ear infection, and Georgia's was pretty close. (Even with tubes.) *sigh*

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I'm making out my Christmas list (of things to buy, not receive) and can I just tell you right now how LOVELY the whole "scaling back" effort feels right about now?? Not just the money we won't be spending, but the stress of shopping, wrapping, etc. for stuff that I am not so sure people will really use or love. I *know* that each and every thing on my list will be appreciated and I think it just might mean more, not getting lost among a pile of other "things." I feel so good about it -- and the shopping I'm really looking forward to is with the kids and Chris for our soldiers at war that we sponsor, and for the angel tree families we will sponsor this year as well. I can't wait!!!

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Alrighty then, I'm off to make sugar cookie dough. We're making football and turkey cookies for Thursday. In my very clean oven. Did I mention how clean it is?

Thursday Thoughts - and a recipe!

So, if these are the opposite of deep thoughts -- does that make them shallow? Hmmmmm... hope not, just they're not anything to really chew on...know what I mean?

• I am probably the only person on the planet who is capable of cutting her thumb with celery. Yes, CELERY. (And by cut - I mean, blood was drawn.) I was trying to scrape a yucky part off with my thumbnail and the rib went under my nail and cut it open! ...Welcome to my world, friends. Welcome to my world.
• Okay, so check out the poll. Those of you that selected "Other" -- what is it that you like? Is it pumpkin bread? I just realized I didn't put it on there. I'm dying to know what else is left? Pumpkin ice cream? Pumpkin mousse? Help me out "other" people!
• I bought some Weight Watchers English Toffee ice cream bars yesterday. Uhh, YUM! Ice cream is ice cream, let's face it -- but when I have enough bread and fat exchanges left at the end of the day for TWO of them (they're like popsicle size) -- that makes for a Happy Tara. Have I mentioned that I love ice cream?
• So, I have still been thinking (ouch!) about the whole control issue. It is SO good to know that I'm not alone, and it seems to be a general theme in a lot of people's lives. Alana mentioned in her comment that a lot of us bloggy friends seem to have the same problem. It made me think about that a bit. Is it that most bloggy people are control people? Or am I in the middle of a freakish little subset of control addicts? Or are we just able to say "Yep, I struggle with that?" Or does EVERY person struggle with control? Are there some people who struggle to actually get a tighter grip on things instead of trying to let go more often? Can you imagine that one??? I can't, but I'm sure it exists. (Don't ask me why my mind does stuff like this. I should be exercising it with Sudoku puzzles or something, but no -- I ponder things like this.)
• Speaking of wanting more control -- I actually did take control of something that I've been wanting to for awhile now. Well, Tuesday I sat down and started making a Menu Plan for the whole month! I think that I have been talking (to myself) about doing this for at least a year now. Yesterday was the day that I finished it up and I feel so good about that! I know I am a total nerd here, but it was so much fun (seriously, it was!) that when I thought about what to make for dinner yesterday at about 4:00...I went to the fridge, checked the calendar and saw that the decision was already made for me. I even wrote on there when to pull stuff out of the freezer to defrost for upcoming meals. Seriously. It was awesome!
• In conjunction with that, I'm trying my hardest to save us some money so that when we eventually move, we have more money to spend on the new house for decorating, etc. See, I'm going to add up how much I've spent in the last 6 months at the grocery store every month and get an average. Then, I'm going to see how much I have SAVED based on that number this month with my big effort and put the difference into our savings and keep track of how much is in the "decorating fund." I am a SERIOUS spender at the store, girls. Big, big spender. I know I can tone it down and I think that's why my little monthly menu thing feels so good!
• Speaking of possibly moving! (Do you like how this is pretty much one big "and", "and", "and"...) I had two friends come over for a walk yesterday morning after we all dropped our kiddos off at preschool. One of them asked how the house selling thing was going. I told her that we'd had about one showing a week usually, but not for almost 2 weeks now. I added that if we had a showing call today that I would really be up a creek because I had been feeling sort of apathetic that morning. Uhhhh, YEAH. We got about 1/4 mile away from home and the cell phone starts ringing. I just KNEW it would be the realtor and it was. It was 9:30 and they wanted to show the house between 9:45 and 11:45. Uhhh, not so much. I said I could pull it off by 10:00 so we walked home at the speed of light. Can I just tell you -- I love my friends. I seriously have some GREAT friends, and these are two of them. They didn't ask if they could help, they just asked where stuff was. One ran the vaccum, the other one swept/swiffered while I cleaned up the kitchen sink/counters, made the beds, wiped off the bathroom sinks, etc. Georgia and her little same-aged friend just looked at us like we were nuts. I'm not kidding. Those girls saved my hopefully-shrinking-bootie. And the best part? We laughed through the whole thing and still got our walk in! Thank you, Lord, for my amazing girlfriends.
• We are having a TV-free week over here. Mitchell was quite full of sass and vinegar (that's my version of the old catchphrase) last week so we decided to just axe the ol' boob tube for a week. I have to admit, I was a bit nervous about this because it almost felt like more of a punishment for me than for him, and I know that many of you know what I'm talking about. Mr. Boob Tube helps Mommy check her email in the morning and make dinner in the evenings. Well...it's actually been great and I know that we will now have at least one TV free day every week. I think he would watch it in a heartbeat if I let him, but he's actually been great about it. As far as thinking about his behavior more -- Monday was the same -- a horrible day. Tuesday was marginally better. Yesterday was a truly awesome day. He was SO good. (He's 4, so of course he had his moments -- we all do -- but for the most part he was just a delight.) I am sure that I am a more attentive Mommy this week, and that is probably the biggest reason for the change. I'm hoping it lasts for more than one day! Thank you, Lord, for my sweet, sweet boy.
• I am so, so, SO proud of my husband. I can't really get into details on here, but can I just tell you that he is seriously kicking some lawyer bootie at work!!!! He recently won an appeal that he'd worked on for over a year and won it in a huge way. It was a pretty remarkable case, so much so that yesterday he was contacted by a law publication and they will be publishing the case because it is such a rare situation. I am bursting with pride at his efforts and success. In addition, a judge that he appeared before for three years recently announced his retirement from the bench due to health reasons. My husband hadn't appeared before him for seven years but sent him a letter expressing his admiration, thanks, and respect for the man. He indicated that this man had truly mentored my husband and that he is the reason he is where he is today. Well, this week he received a reply from the judge. He let me read it -- and it brought me to tears. Apparently, my husband's letter had a much bigger impact on this man that Chris could ever have anticipated. The judge's eyesight is failing him -- that is the reason for his retirement. Chris sent the letter in large (24 point) font and double spaced...the judge indicated that not even his clerks that he works with every day think to do that. The day that he received the letter, he'd been at a conference all day and he was unable to read even one more word that day so he had his wife read it to him. He stated that she put it down in the middle of reading it and they both began to sob and hug each other, for it meant so much to them to read the words that Chris had written. He was so touched and so grateful for Chris' thoughts and efforts -- he was actually brought to tears, and brought together with his wife. Can you imagine??? This man does not want to retire, I'm sure he feels like somewhat of a failure, and is devastated to have to end his career so much earlier than he ever dreamed of doing. It sounds as if he was feeling hurt, lost, and very regretful. And then Chris' letter arrives and turns the tide of emotions. Absolutely breathtaking. I told Chris that this whole situation was definitely a God Moment. It was a case of "Holy Attraction" if I'd ever heard of one. I still get goosebumps thinking about it. I could not be more proud of my man, even if I wanted to be. I love him so much -- and I can assure you -- this is so very typical of him. I'm so blessed to call him my husband. Thank you, Lord, for my amazing husband.

Okay -- is that a long enough ramble of random thoughts for you? As a reward, and in the spirit of Mari's Slow Cooking Thursday, here is the recipe that I'm using for tonight's dinner. Happy Thursday, friends!

Tangy Pulled Pork Sandwiches
From Light & Tasty

1 pork tenderloin (1 pound)
1 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons plus 1-1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons plus 1-1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon plus 1-1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 kaiser rolls, split

SERVINGS 4
PREP 10 min.
COOK 240 min.
TOTAL 250 min.

DIRECTIONS
Cut the tenderloin in half; place in a 3-qt. slow cooker. Combine the ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and pepper; pour over pork.
Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until meat is tender. Remove meat; shred with two forks. Return to the slow cooker; heat through. Serve on rolls. Yield: 4 servings.

NUTRITIONAL INFO
Nutrition Facts: 1 sandwich equals 402 calories, 7 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 63 mg cholesterol, 1,181 mg sodium, 56 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 29 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 3-1/2 starch, 3 very lean meat, 1/2 fat.

Control...

It seems to be major theme in my life most days, which I'm sure you've noticed if you've read anything I've written before.

I'm a control addict, and I readily admit that. Losing my tight grip on everything within reach is a big struggle for me. It's something that I'm very motivated to do, but I'm finding it to be very difficult.

I want to control everything - and this is becoming more and more apparent as I truly start to dig in and address the issue. I want to control my physical environment, the people in my home, people in my family, anything I interact with, basically. It's pathetic.

The thing is -- I really thought it would be so easy. Like "Hey, this is a problem. I'll just pray about it and it will get easier." Bing, bam, boom - end of story.

Ohhhhhh, Tara. You nit wit.

Obviously God has some lessons in here for me -- things to learn about myself, about others, about the way I want to be treated, about the way I treat others (vs. how I think I treat others), and how I prioritize my time. I can already feel the Enemy creeping in -- using some slip-ups to whisper in my ear that I'm not good enough, that it's a lost cause, that I'll just fall back into old patterns again. It's a familiar tune; I have heard it so many times before.

I'm determined to stay focused. I know that I'm far from perfect so I'm trying to accept imperfections along the way because, well, helllooooooo? It's par for the course.

I'm encouraged by something I read in Praying the Scriptures For Your Children today. It says:

"The most effective prayers stem from the belief - the unshakable certainty - that God is absolutely, totally, one hundred percent in control."

So, remind me why I fight so hard to drive? I'm so NOT in the driver's seat. Never have been, never will be.

Lord, help me surrender my selfish, arrogant ways and just give it all over to You. You're already IN control. Help me realize that so I can spend my energy in happy, productive ways, rather than tugging on the end of a rope that will never budge my way. Be my strength, be my hope, and give me the peace that I should already possess knowing that You are without a doubt in control. In Your Name, Amen.

One of those days...

So yesterday was most definitely a Monday, from start to finish. Nothing seemed to go the way I wanted it to or thought it would.

It started with me being way too tired from our road trip. (Yes, we survived - and all things considered, it went better than expected.) I wanted to get up early and work out, which I was disappointed about since I was really looking forward to getting back on my exercise horse. Oh well, I figured that I could squeeze in a long walk or a short video during Georgia's naptime, so I wasn't that worried about it.

I decided to make all of the beds and straighten up the house while the kids were doing their morning TV thing. (They like to chill out with some cheerios and juice while they lay on our bed or the couch and wake up.) I would end up being very glad that I had done this.

I wanted to thank my friend (who is also my neighbor) for coming over and turning on the lights, opening the blinds, etc.) for us this weekend when we had a showing, so I told her I'd meet her at preschool with a Starbuck's as a thank you. I was prepared to leave 10 minutes early (8:35) to make that happen and everything was going well until the phone rang.

The realtor.

A showing?

At 10:00?

Ummmm, sure.

This meant that I had to quickly run the vaccuum, sweep and swiffer the floors, find a spot for the two bags I'd not yet unpacked for our trip, and wipe down all of the kitchen counters before we left since I had plans to take some things to a friend and have a playdate with our youngest girls after I dropped Mitchell off.

No problem, but that also meant no Starbuck's. Bummer!

Of course, about 3 minutes before we were ready to leave, Georgia decided to stink the place up. Good thing I'd already lit my Christmas Cookie and Caramel Pecan Pie candles. I decided to change her in the van so that the stink would stay mostly outside of the house. (And stink it did, whoooo-eeeee!! That was a serious stink.) I think that non-parents are the only people who would ever not buy someone else's "they pooped just as we were leaving" reason for being late somewhere. Being on time seems to be some sort of laxative for my kids or something.

Okay - so poopy diaper taken care of. Blinds open. Lights on. Jazz station playing softly. Two kids fed, dressed and in the car. Lunch packed and in the car. Jackets for everyone. Check - for all of it.

I back out of the driveway and - DOH! - the box of clothes I'm supposed to take to my friend is still in the basement. I pull back into the garage, turn the car off and put the door down. This makes Mitchell very loudly question what I am doing and Georgia cry. I dash down to the basement and grab the box, toss it in the car, and try the whole leaving thing again.

My cell phone rings as I'm driving Mitchell to school and it's my friend telling me that her baby has a cold, so she's not sure a playdate will be the best thing today. I tell her that I'll still drop off the clothes because I can't go home due to the showing. I think that it will also give me the chance to exchange some shirts for Chris since I'll be way south at the mall I purchased them at. Score!

We pull into the parking lot about 3 minutes late (which was the inspiration for this week's poll, by the way) and hustle Mitchell in the door. As I'm waiting in line to sign him in, I look at the dry erase board for messages about this school week and see that the fall fundraiser starts on Wednesday.

Fall fundraiser? Wednesday? This Wednesday? Uhhh, yeahhhhh. Guess who's in charge of that and completely clueless? Mmm-hmm.

I get up to the sign-in book and tell the director that my friend, Joan would be picking up Mitchell (oooh - hope Chris remembered to put the 3rd carseat in the back of the van for me!) and um, by the way could she please give me a bit of info about the fundraiser?

So, ten minutes later in the parking lot, I'm hoisting a big cardboard box full of Otis Spunkmeyer cookie dough order forms (uh-oh!!) into my van and pulling out the 3rd carseat (thank you, wonderful hubby!!) so I can put it into Joan's van. I'm in the 3rd row of her van, her baby is screaming (I'm sure because some big, strange rear end is crowding her personal space - can't blame her there), I have what I can feel to be a huge case of plumber's crack, and my hair is hanging down in my face so that I can't see anything. I'm also slightly out of breath due to fighting with the latch system to get the carseat nice and tight and hear someone else say "Hi, Tara." I had finally gotten the seat in securely, so I parted my "Cousin It" hair to see another friend of mine standing next to us in the parking lot. We move out of the way to let Joan leave and she asks if I'd like to go get some coffee.

Coffee? Me? Today? That would be a very passionate YES. I managed to keep myself from tearing up and hugging her and casually said "Sure. That sounds great!"

We meet at Starbuck's, both of us with little girls in tow. Grande, decaf, nonfat, sugar-free caramel latte for me and soy milk for Miss G. (By the way, the baristas tease me every time I order it because it takes forever to say and they can never remember everything when they're repeating it back. Kind of embarrasing, but I like what I like, ya know?) This turns out to be where rubbing elbows with me spreads the glory of my Monday morning -- they forgot to make my friend's latte. We had a nice visit and she got me caught up on what I missed from our MOPS steering meeting on Friday. She is one of those people that I am really glad I have the chance to get to know better...what a sweet, sweet woman. Starbuck's or no Starbuck's -- getting to chat with her was one of the highlights of my day for sure.


So, we leave the parking lot and head to my friend's house. Our arrival has the dog barking, which wakes up the sleeping baby. (Nice to see that I am continuing to spread the Monday Joy around to my friends.) Drop off the clothes and chat just long enough for Georgia to rearrange her living room toys in time for the cleaning woman's arrival. (Seriously, Miss G is a one-woman-wrecking-crew.) Georgia throws a huge fit because she doesn't want to get off of the pink riding toy and leave, so we exit with a bang.


The sight of her milk is enough to settle her down so I can get her strapped back into her carseat, and we are off to the mall. We pull into the parking lot, I get the stroller all set and ready to roll, only to discover that -- ACK!! I had taken the bag with the shirts I needed to exchange out of the van before we left on our trip.

Awesome.

I won't torture you with the details of the rest of the day -- just know that the afternoon went much like the morning. Oh -- and the realtor who scheduled the showing never came to the house after all, which really made me grumpy for a few minutes. Then I decided that it just wasn't worth it, and that kind of stuff is all part of the process -- it's just annoying and, in my opinion, rude.

So, now I'm off to do laundry -- which means that I need to take the newspapers and junk mail out of the dryer.

What? Doesn't everyone have that kind of stuff in their dryer?

My 200th Post - And A Giveaway!!

Wow! 200 posts! Can you believe it? Mari celebrated her 100th post recently, and it made me realize that I'd never even really paid attention to how many posts I had. I checked it out that day and was surprised to see that I was almost to 200. I started laughing because I couldn't belive I'd actually come up with 200 random things to write about. (I know my husband wouldn't be surprised at all. My guess is he thinks I'm probably babbling my way to 500 by now!)

Tonight I couldn't sleep (ohhh- shocker!) so I just spent about an hour re-reading my previous blog entries. As I waded through forgotten moments in time, feelings, and experiences, it struck me just how much I treasure this outlet. I've grown so much in the past two years -- as a wife, as a mother, as a person, but most importantly as a Child of God. I'm so grateful that I have it all in print and that I've left footprints of this journey that I've been on.

One thing that's been truly wonderful for me is that this is a safe place for me to share my faith. My struggles, my questions, and my reflections about this blessed life the Lord has given to me...I love having a place to express myself about what is becoming a bigger and bigger part of me each day. I read this passage tonight (you know, since I've been up all night) and it immediately made me think of my blog.

Psalm 63: 6-7 "I lie awake thinking of You, meditating on You through the night. I think how much You have helped me; I sing for joy in the shadow of Your protective wings."


Many of my God moments seem to come in the middle of the night - -and it's nice to have an outlet for those thoughts. It's also nice to be connected with people who know what I'm going through, who have been there, and who are able to offer support, love and encouragement. I never would have thought that a blog would be such a blessing in this way!

I have to laugh that my very first post was also written at 5:00 a.m. In fact, I think that at least half of my entries were written between the hours of 12 - 6 a.m. -- I try to make good use of that insomnia thing. By the way, Kim - you were my inspiration to start blogging. I loved reading yours and decided that it would be something fun to try -- and here I am now!

My 100th post celebrated my love of autumn -- of sweater weather, all things pumpkin (how did I forget to mention my beloved Pumpkin Spice Latte, by the way??) and leaf peeping. Today we had a chilly morning here, complete with a cool, autumn rain -- I was in heaven! Who knew 100 posts ago, I was in that same state of mind?

This crazy bloggy world has offered me the chance to get to know some amazing people and to make some new friends. It's also given me an opportunity to get to know people in different ways, and on a much deeper level. It's such a blessing that with the click of a mouse, I am allowed to share such personal and touching parts of people's lives. So - to all of you, my bloggy friends...thanks for letting me come into your worlds each day, and for all of the support, laughs and encouragement you've shared with me in mine. I never would have dreamed I would have so much fun or learn so much about myself and other people this way.

SO...since I've enjoyed this little part of my life so much, I want to celebrate a little bit with my 200th Never-Dull-Moment! Leave a message today telling me about one of your favorite bloggy moments -- it can be a memory you wouldn't have preserved any other way, a friendship you've discovered, a comment from a reader that really touched you...just any moment that makes you glad to be part of this crazy little bloggy world!

Anyone who plays along today will be eligible to win my little prize pack of Colorado goodies! If the random number generator picks the number of your comment -- you win! How easy is that?

What's in the prize pack, you ask?

• A packet of Aspen Mulling spiced cider mix
• A packet of cinnamon chocolate hot cocoa mix
• Some chocolate aspen leaves
• Mexican pinto bean dip mix (which, by the way will support The Women's Bean Project)
• A "Colorful Colorado" coloring book (for any little ones that might enjoy it!)

And because you've been fairly warned that poop may be involved when you enter my world...

• A package of Big Horn Sheep Doodles (double-dipped chocolate covered peanuts)

So, there ya go...200 and counting. Thanks for coming along for the ride!

A few little gems from an insomniac...

So, here it is -- early morning/middle of the night. Again. (I do this quite often.) Miss G screamed her little head off at about 2:45, and even though my wonderful husband got up to get her settled back down, I've been awake ever since then. I was in bed praying for awhile and then I decided to get up and tackle a task I've been putting off for months. And I mean months, people.

Yes, that's right -- I finally cleaned out our email in-box.

1262...that's the number of emails we had in there. Can you believe that? I've been weeding through them for months and months because I couldn't get myself to just sit down and go through everything. Here's how I spent my time:

• I unsubscribed from several things that I'm not sure I ever subscribed to in the first place.
• I looked at some friends' pictures again before deleting them.
• I saved pictures people had emailed me of the kids before deleting them.
• I finally put some phone number and address changes into our email address book. It will be so nice not to spend that extra 3 minutes digging through emails to find the one that contains the new contact information.
• I read every single Mom-E-Mail from MOPS. The little stories are all so good and such good things for my heart. I really should try not to digest 32 (yes, 32) of them in one sitting from now on.
• I deleted shipping notices for things that I've bought online, including things I bought in February.
• I saved all of the things my hubby had emailed himself for work into his own special little folder. I don't know what's clutter and what he still needs so he'll have to do that one himself.
• I saved documents for M's preschool, my work, MOPS, etc into the folders that have always been waiting for them in My Documents.

I actually sort of got semi-addicted to the feeling that de-cluttering my house gave me as we were staging it before we put it on the market. I just got that exact same feeling as I de-cluttered our inbox. I'm sure that sounds silly, but it's true. It's easier for me to breathe when I lose the clutter.

I thought that as long as I was going through all of that random stuff, I would share a few favorites that I stumbled upon. Nothing earth shattering, just things I enjoyed reading. I figured better to share this way than to clutter up my friends' inboxes, right? Off to work out and THEN I'll go back to bed for a little nap. I am willing to bet my sweet hubby will get the kids up and fed. Happy Saturday!

"My mother was the making of me. She was so true and so sure of me, I felt I had someone to live for." - Thomas Edison

"You may feel guilty about leaving your children for your work and guilty about leaving your work for your children. You will no doubt also feel guilty about feeling guilty." - Harriet Lerner

"There is no such thing as a non-working mother." - Hester Mundis

"Fortunately for children, the uncertainties of the present always give way to the enchanted possibilities of the future." - Gelsey Kirkland

"A mother is a person who, seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie." - Tenneva Jordan

"Before I got married, I had six theories about bringing up children; now I have six children, and no theories." - Lord Rochester

"Where we love is home; home that our feet may leave, but never our hearts. The chain may lengthen, but it never parts." - Oliver Wendell Holmes


Okay, and a little humor at the end. FYI, I am definitely feeling like a "Maxine" in most of these things!

Martha vs. Maxine

*Martha's Way*
Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of a sugar cone to prevent ice cream drips.

*Maxine's Way*
Just suck the ice cream out of the bottom of the cone, for Pete's sake! You are probably lying on the couch with your feet up eating it, anyway!

Martha: To keep potatoes from budding, place an apple in the bag with the potatoes.
Maxine: Buy Hungry Jack mashed potato mix; keep it in the pantry for up to a year.

Martha:When a cake recipe calls for flouring the baking pan, use a bit of the dry cake mix instead and there won't be any white mess on the outside of the cake.
Maxine:Go to the bakery! They'll even decorate it for you.

Martha:If you accidentally over salt a dish while it's still cooking, drop in a peeled potato and it will absorb the excess salt for an instant "fix-me-up."
Maxine:If you over salt a dish while you are cooking, that's too bad. Please recite with me the real woman's motto: "I made it and you will eat it and I don't care how bad it tastes!"

Martha:Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator and it will keep for weeks.
Maxine:Celery? Never heard of it!

Martha:Brush some beaten egg white over pie crust before baking to yield a beautiful glossy finish.
Maxine:The Mrs. Smith frozen pie directions do not include brushing egg whites over the crust so I don't.

Martha:Cure for headaches: take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away.
Maxine:Take a lime, mix it with tequila, chill and drink!

Martha:If you have a problem opening jars, try using latex dishwashing gloves. They give a non-slip grip that makes opening jars easy.
Maxine:Go ask that very cute neighbor if he can open it for you.

Martha:Don't throw out all that leftover wine. Freeze into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces.
Maxine:Leftover wine??????????? HELLO !!!!!!!

Correction...

So, my husband was curious about my latest bloggings (is that a word?) so together we were reading through some of my recent posts. He got a kick out of the "getting personal" post but made me aware of something.

The "Most Admired Trait" section is a bit -- well -- incorrect.

See, I'm a bit ding-dongish sometimes. Here's how our conversation about that section went:

Chris: "Integrity? Hmmm, really? I would have thought it was your loyalty or sense of humor."

*long, akward pause*

Me: "Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. So, what trait of mine do others admire most?"

Chris: "Yep. Think so."

Me: "Yeah. I so totally didn't get that."


So, to recap, while I like to think that I have a somewhat decent level of integrity, clearly my ginormous brain isn't the answer.

My real answer is probably my sense of humor. I'm goofy and people seem to enjoy that. I do tend to go overboard sometimes, though with age, that's gotten better. (I'm sure my 4th grade teacher is relieved as I distinctly remember her being less than amused by my sense of humor.)

Okay, I feel better now.

Getting Personal...

Sarah posted this on her blog today, encouraging her readers to do the same. Oh, happy day! I love stuff like this, I wasn't sure if I had any bloggy ideas today, and I'm also TOTALLY procrastinating right now (we have a showing this afternoon and I need to clean), so it was a huge score for me in all three areas! It would be fun to read even more of these -- so to anyone who is game -- Tag, you're it!



Accent - I think I'm from that part of the country that people say doesn't have an accent. I will say that out here, people tend to say "warsh" instead of "wash" and it bothers me, so I have not adopted that little gem. (I also tend to tease my parents about it.) My mom told me that when I was as young as about three years old, I would start speaking differently after spending a short amount of time with people who had an accent. I started on my professional pathway early on! Hee hee.

I Don't Drink - Sweetened tea. Okay, all of you Southern ladies -- pick yourselves up off of the ground now. I like my iced tea with real lemon but no sweetener of any kind. At all.

Chore I Hate - I really can't stand dusting. It just irritates me to think about doing it. In fact, I would much rather be doing a random bloggy survey than dusting my house. I love the way the house looks after I do it, but yuck.

Pets - None, currently. My husband and I are both big dog lovers, so I can't see us never having one. Or two. We just don't have them yet.

Essential Electronics - Maybe I'll do my top three...that would be...hmmmm... (1) Computer, (2) Radio, and (3) Telephone. Not that I like to communicate or be connected with the world, or anything. My husband would probably be just fine with a rock, chisel, and a pigeon. Me? Not so much.

Perfume - Oh, yay! I get to talk about my beloved "Heart" again! It's made by Garden Botanika and I've worn it forever. If I was Oprah, it would be on my "favorite things" show. I love, love, love it!

Gold or Silver - Depends on what I'm wearing, but I prefer silver. Incidentally, the chain and cross I'm wearing today are made of both silver and gold. What are the odds?

Insomnia - Ohhhhhhh, insomnia. We're well acquainted. I've always been a horrible sleeper and still have trouble sleeping at least one or two times a month. I pretty much never slept in grad school -- stress does that to me, and well, it was sorta stressful.

Job Title - 90% of the time I'm a wife and Mommy. 10% of the time I'm a speech-language pathologist. Right now I am doing some private practice and have four children that I see weekly in their homes. I love it, but I really miss working in the schools. I miss my team, I miss the kids, I miss working in classrooms and with the teachers, but I sure don't miss all that paperwork!

Most Admired Trait - I think I'm going to say integrity. Each and every day it seems like there is less and less of it to discover in this world, so I appreciate it more and more.

Kids - We are parents to two little blessings! Mitchell is 4 1/2 and Georgia is 18 months. Good thing you didn't ask if we were having more!

Religion - Hmmmm, that's pretty open-ended. I grew up attending a Lutheran church. I sort of did my own thing (which was pretty much nothing) in college. Now, I am married to a catholic man and attend a non-denominational church, so I guess my answer would be...I'm religiously eclectic? I will say that my faith and passion for the Lord is stronger now than it ever has been, and so many parts of my life continue to change for the better as my faith grows.

Siblings - I have one brother (Tim) who is a year and a half older than I am.

Time I Wake Up - Most of the time, no later than 7, maaaayyyybbbbeeeee 7:30. I am starting my get up early to work out/have quiet time though, so it's going to be 5:30 several times a week now.

Vegetable I Hate - I really like pretty much any vegetable, really. Oh, I know. For some reason, pearl onions really gross me out. A lot. I won't eat those, but I don't hate them...they didn't do anything to me!

Worst Habit - No one is likely enjoying this little survey more than my mom, if she's reading it. I bet she is getting a good giggle out of some of these! I would have to say it's a toss up between picking my cuticles (I hate that I do it, but I do it all of the time, and half the time I don't even realize I'm doing it!) or procrastinating. I'm pretty good at both of them, and they're both pretty sucky habits to have. You decide which is worse.

My Favorite Meal - Probably a big, huge dinner from my favorite local mexican restaurant, El Parral. I love to get a chile relleno (soft, not crispy), a guacamole tostada, and a cheese enchilada (no onions). Yuuuuummmmmm!!!

That's it? Really? Dang. Guess I better get back to cleaning!! I'll look forward to reading some more of these! Thanks, Sarah!

Yuck.

Pretty much, you have now just become a fly on the wall when I look in the mirror these days. (Just what you've always wanted to be, I'm sure.) I look and I think (and often mutter) "yuck."

I have had a struggle with my weight for many years now, and currently it's a full on war. I have bounced up and down and all around with my weight but right now, I'm up, and I'm not happy.

I'm not just unhappy about the weight itself and the fact that my fat pants are now my everyday pants. I'm not just unhappy about knowing that my health is suffering because of the extra pounds that I carry. I'm not just unhappy because my knees are bothering me again, due to the weight I've put back on.

I'm unhappy because there is no one to blame but me. I am responsible and I am so, so, so disappointed, angry and upset with myself about the whole thing. I could honestly type pages and pages of excuses. Reasons why it's happened, but it boils down to this:

I'm an emotional eater. I need to stop excusing and change the behavior. Period.

If you read my buddy, Earen's blog, you'll know that she posted about the very same thing today. I had to call her and let her know that I'm in the same boat, and that I honestly could have written most of what she wrote myself. I decided I'd join her in her Monday update to the world about how the whole thing is going, so look for that on Mondays.

In addition to having the entire internet world be able to see if I'm actually following through on my plans to better my physical health, I've taken what I consider to be a huge step for me. In my previous weight loss successes, I've done it with a partner. Either a roommate, my husband, a friend, etc. but never in an organized manner. This time, I decided that I needed something more. I needed to kick up the accountability a few notches.

I joined a group called First Place and I'm so, so excited about it. I have done some big time growing in my faith this year and I think that having my walk with the Lord be intertwined with my weight loss journey is exactly what I need. When I first found out about the group (which provides child care - yay!) I hopped on the internet and just bought the stuff I needed so that I couldn't back out later.

I finally am at a place where I'm ready to surrender ALL of it to Him...not just my present condition, but the things that led up to this point. I obviously am doing quite the sucky job of handling it on my own.

So, here I go...I'm on my way!

By the way, I've changed my signature again. (For the 3rd -- and likely not last--time.) So fun!

Earworms...

Just wondering if anyone has any idea when the songs that echo in my mind all day will be actual grown up songs again?

Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

I wander around all day singing things like this...

"Oh, Mister Sun, Sun, Mister Golden Sun...Please shine down on meeeeeeeeeeeee."

"If you like to talk to tomatoes...."

"I'm gonna color my world Crayola..."

"God's green earth is not just green, so many colors in between."


I was just thinking about this as I was humming "Winnie The Pooh" to myself while washing the dishes this morning. I used to hum along to my own favorite songs, and they're still in there somewhere, but they are definitely buried under a tremendous pile of kiddie faves. I can't remember the last time they surfaced for a little humming along time.

One of the cd's I don't mind having invade my memory are these great Bible song cd's. (We have both of them, but I prefer Vol. 2, if that review means anything to you.) My kids love them and I'll tell ya - I now have several verses swimming around my head during the day, which is never a bad thing. It's also fun to hear Mitchell randomly singing the songs, knowing that he has just tucked some very powerful words into his heart and mind. Many days, those are actually the cd's he chooses for car rides and quiet time in his room. They have even edged out The Wiggles!

In closing, I will throw a word of thankfulness out there that my children are not obsessed with the Doodlebops. I think that one might send me careening over Sanity Ridge.

Playing Along Today...

Okay, so I decided that since there are some things I am very loyal to and love to pieces, I would take part in the "Works For Me Wednesday" with Rocks In My Dryer. I love finding out about new stuff to make life easier, clean cleaner and tastes good. Play along if you want!

1. Easy Off Bam Power Stain & Drain Cleaner - I have actually been meaning to talk about how much I love this stuff. It's by far the best toilet bowl cleaner I've ever tried. It also took some sort of mystery smell out of my sink. Give it a whirl -- it's my find of the summer!

2. Shout - This is nothing new to those of you that have talked laundry with me. Nothing does the job like my beloved Shout for stain removal. It really does kick some serious laundry bootie.

3. Soft & Dri, Dri Gel (Cool & Clean scent) - I haven't used anything else for about 10 years. It's definitely something that you either love or hate...I've had people borrow my deodorant and be grossed out by the gel part of it, but it dries clear and really does a good job.

4. Garden Botanika's Heart Perfume - I'm such a whacko, I even put it on after my shower if I'm just going to sleep. I love, love, LOVE this smell...it's so clean and fresh. Occasionally, I have people ask me what kind of shampoo I use and it always ends up being my perfume that they smell. I don't know what I'll do if they ever stop making it.

5. Bath & Body Works Handsoap - Our favorites are "Warm Vanilla Sugar", "Key Lime Verbena", and "Mandarin Orange". Yum! I love it when it goes on sale 5 for $15.

6. Ken's Steakhouse Salad Dressings - If you haven't tried these yet, you are missing out! The Blue Cheese is our favorite. Sooooo yummy!!

7. Celestial Seasonings Herbal Tea - I love the Cranberry Zinger. Mmmmm!

8. Starbucks Coffee - Did you really think I wouldn't put it on here? Seriously.

Random thoughts on a Tuesday...

*Warning* Blogger with no direction!!

I just got home from getting the kids' haircuts. I brought home two handsome little boys. Seriously - that's what it looks like. The Cost Cutters lady and I did not communicate very clearly because Miss G looks like Mr. G at the moment. Her hair is WAYYYYYY shorter than I wanted it. Oh well -- it will grow, right? Bows, ponytails, barettes -- a MUST these next few weeks! (Ummmm, I have a bit of a "hair" thing with her, does it show?)

* * *

I think that Mitchell must be in the middle of a growth spurt or something. All he does is ask me to eat. And eat. And eat. He is a bottomless pit.

* * *

I bought this goofy little pink terrycloth babydoll dress thing at Walmart recently. (My middle of the night run with Miss G during her refuse-to-sleep-thing while we were out of town.) I love to put it on after my showers, and have been seriously tempted to wear it all day long a few times this week.

* * *

Rocky Ford cantaloupe and Palisade peaches --- August in Colorado! Yum!!!

* * *

Joke of the day from Mitchell:
"What do you get when you cross a duckie, a race car and a fan?"

"Daffy Duck that floats away and crashes into trains!"

Welcome to my world, friends. I don't get it either.

* * *

I had about 10 extra minutes the other day in between seeing clients, so I cruised into this little consignment store that is in the neighborhood, just to see if they had any good jeans for the kids since they both need some for the fall. No luck in the jeans department for Miss G, but I scored about 4 pair for Mitchell and I also ended up buying Georgia a pair of pale pink knock off crocs. See, she went crazy over some twins' shoes at the ped the other day. They both had on pink crocs and she lost her mind -- kept bending down (doing that kid squat that makes my knees hurt just watching) and pointing at them saying, "Oooohhhhhh, SHOOOOOOZ, Mama! SHOOOOZ!" I tried some crocs on for myself at a store a while back because I was curious what the big deal was, and really - they didn't do it for me. They didn't feel very comfy, and (no offense to croc lovers) I think they are less than cute, so I never really even thought about getting some for the kids. Well, when I saw the little pink ones for $2.99 the other day in her size, I thought I would give them a try.

Oh. My.

There were tears getting into the tub last night. She didn't want to part with her pink shoes. Guess what went on her feet the second her diaper was changed this morning? Yep, the pink knock offs. So far, this is the best $2.99 I've spent in quite some time.

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And I'll end with a knock-knock joke since he just walked up and asked if I wanted to hear one.

"Knock, knock."
"Who's there?"
"Train."
"Train who?"
"Train on a dragon when he says RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR."

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Happy Tuesday!

Priorities...

I'm slowly figuring some things out.

(By the way, is it possible that this is the "30's" thing I've always heard about? Where your 30's are all about finally becoming YOU and figuring out who that is?)

Prioritizing...I can do that. That's what I've always thought about myself, but I'm finding out that maybe that's not exactly as true as I've led myself to believe.

If I'm so adept at prioritizing, then why have I *consistently* knocked taking care of myself to the bottom rung of the ladder? As in, when life gets stressful, it's the first thing to go?

When I'm pressed for time, do I say no to playdates? No, but my workouts are the first thing to go.

When I'm emotionally drained, do I stop answering the phone or listening to my friends when they are having problems of their own? No, and instead of turning to people - I many times turn to food (and don't realize it half the time.)

When I'm stressed out, do I back away from commitments for a short time? No, but my own Bible study and personal reading gets shoved aside.

Stuff like that. Why is that? I'm working on the answer and hoping to change some things.

I guess for me, it's like anything else in life. I'm still searching for some balance...giving of myself to others generously without giving so much that there's nothing left in the tank for me at the end of the day. Or the beginning of the day. Or the middle. I do often find time for myself in the middle of the night though -- you know, when I can't sleep because I'm so stressed out. Ha!

Oh, and the key? Losing the guilt. I'm big. Big. On self-induced guilt. I need to just build a bridge and get over it.

This is definitely something I'm beginning to pray about and I'm trying to build some concrete things into my life and daily routine to help me along. It's a very daunting task.

Vacation Bible School...

It's this week. I was initially worried about how things would go since we have taken the summer off of school. My little buddy used to have a serious separation issue so I wondered if I would have to deal with that again, but he did great.

The theme is some sort of "ranch" thing, and he has decided that it is "Cowboy School." Okay. Cowboy School it is!

We got there right when it started on the first night so most of the kids were already in the sanctuary. I hadn't previously signed him up so I had to take Miss G to the table and get him all checked in. I took him into the sanctuary to help him find a seat and expected that to be problematic since none of his friends from school were in there. He just found a spot by himself -- in a pew with other kids but not necessarily near them -- and hung out. They started to sing some songs and I watched as he just sat back and chilled out, taking it all in.

After I got him signed up, I went to tell him goodbye. All he said was "Mommy, I don't know this song." I said "Well, I bet if you listen you'll know it tomorrow when they sing it again." He said "Okay. Are you leaving now?" I said "Yes, we'll be back to pick you up later." He said "Okay. See you soon!"

Astounding. And pride swelling. And semi-heartbreaking. All at the same time.

Why is that I simultaneously want him to be so grown up and such a little guy at once? Bittersweet would be a good word here.

Anyway - it is so fun when he surprises me. I go to pick him up and not only is he now with the crowd, he has a huge orange bandana with his name on it around his neck and he is dancing around and singing at the top of his lungs. Usually in situations like these, he'll sit quietly and clap his hands but be too shy to sing, even though he's wild man at home when music is on. I loved seeing him confident enough to get in there and express himself in front of others like he does at home.

Then I got even another surprise. The pastor asked the group if anyone remembered any of the special stories they heard at VBS that night. Big pause. No hands. Until...my "shy" little guy jumps (literally) to his feet, waves both hands around and shouts "Oh, I know! I know!" I couldn't believe it, but what he said next was a really cool thing for me to hear him say.

"We heard stories JUST like the ones that Mommy reads me out of my special Bible story book before bed every night!"

I just about fell over. See - yeah, who wouldn't like their kid to make them sound like Supermom? Nice, right? Well, for me -- THAT day was anything but a Supermom day. More like Grumpymom. In general, it was a day where I didn't feel like a good mom at all. Yet, at the end of the day, there's my little guy jumping to his feet and waving his hands around to remind me (forget everyone else in the room) that I it all balances out and that I do manage to make him feel special in important ways. I'm sure I don't have to say that I got all teary - I'm sure that's a given.

The funny part about VBS though is that when it was over and he came to find Miss G and I towards the back, he greeted us with a "Howdy" and a "Yippee-ka-yay Partners!" It was so funny. When he found out that my hubby was working late, he started to cry and said "But I wanted to tell him Yippee-ka-yay, Partners!" So, after I strapped him into his carseat, I dialed the office and gave him my cell phone. When he greeted my hubby with it, there was a long pause, so it went something like this...

"Yippe-ka-yay..................................................Partners!"

Sounded so funny on the phone. When I got the phone back after they were done chatting, my husband revealed that he had a mini-heart-attack when Mitchell said that. When I asked why he said "All I could think of was that line from Die Hard." I didn't know what he was talking about at first until he reminded me that Bruce Willis says "Yippee-ka-yay, mother...!"

I reminded him that it wouldn't come out that spicy. I believe he has learned "freakin" from good ol' Mom as he was struggling with his carseat buckle the other day and used it appropriately and in context. It is among my non-cussing, yet still apparently cussing words. (I see that as I don't at all like it coming out of my 4 year old's mouth.)

Uh, YEAH. Don't quite have that "perfect mom" thing down yet, do I?

8 Things You Probably Don't Know About Me...

Okay, Casey - I told you I would, right? Here ya go! Anyone else with a blog - have at it, I'm tagging you to be next!

1. I lived on Easter Place growing up and therefore thought that the Easter Bunny would always visit my house first.

2. Strangely, even though I believed this up to about -- oh -- 6 or 7 years old, I spilled the beans about the whole Santa thing to my friend when I was 3 years old. Yes, 3. My mom got a very irate call from his mother and I had to tell him that I was just teasing him to make him cry. I was a little verbally, um, advanced? for my age, I'm told. Shocking, yes?

3. I am PHOBIC about lightning.

4. My left foot is a half size bigger than my right foot.

5. I am a picker. And a popper. Of zits and things like that. Just ask my husband.

6. When I was 6 years old, right before we went on vacation to Disneyland, I developed a horrible skin rash after running through the sprinklers with my neighbor. The water was hitting the trees in his backyard and then coming down on us and apparently the trees had just been sprayed with something. My mom said it looked like I had some raging contagious illness and while we were at Disneyland people were awful to me. They would talk about "that nasty little girl" and tell their kids not to sit next to me or touch me and I guess it made me just bawl my eyes out. My amazing mom took me to the t-shirt store (this was the 70's so the rage of making your own t-shirt was big) and made me a yellow t-shirt that said "It's An Allergy" in big black letters on it and they washed it out in the sink for me so that I could wear it EVERY single day for the rest of the trip. I distinctly remember my mom putting a positive spin on it for me by saying that at least we'd have the pool all to ourselves. And we did!

My point in saying this is that I to this day I can still remember being horrible to a girl named Jill in kindergarten because she had a skin disease and then the next year I got my own. (Oh, that God!) Even as a 30-something woman, I wish I could find Jill and say I'm sorry.

7. I always wanted to be in a spelling bee but never was. Probably worked out for the best on that one.

8. My first car was a poop brown 1981 Toyota Carolla hatchback. I wrecked it two weeks to the day after I got my license.

How is that for a random list?? Can't wait to see some more!