LATE NIGHT RAMBLINGS

I'm sitting on my bed, showered and jammied, when I should be sleeping. Except I can't sleep. So, I'm eating leftover muffins and dried mangoes. Random combination, I know.

Swimming - I just signed the boys up for swimming lessons! They've never had them before and are pretty excited. We wanted to do it before we head to my dad's in July, so now's the time. We'd budgeted Devon's lessons out of our tax refund and Silas' lesson are being paid for out of the money we earned when he drowned. Two kids getting lessons and we're paying for less than one kid out of our own pocket. Good deal, huh?

The weekend - My dad comes up every year in May to rototill our garden. He was supposed to come tomorrow, but a staffing crunch at work meant he had to cancel. Evidently our family traditions aren't the top priority for his employer. Imagine that! Anyway, we're going to take advantage of the opportunity to have a plan-free weekend. I want to watch a movie, do yardwork and read books. I may go to a Partylite open house on Saturday, but I'm not sure yet. I'm trying to decide which I want more - free candles or a day without leaving the house. Hmmmm .... Actually, if any of you want to go, then let me know and I'll get you the info. It's in Tigard at the home of a childhood friend.

Crying - I didn't cry at all today. This is a good sign. We've still got quite a bit of work to do though.

Swagbucks - I'm loving the referral bucks! I'm tellin' ya ... you need to use Swagbucks as your search engine and you need to refer people. It took me a while to earn my first Amazon gift card, but the pace picked up tremendously when I started referring people. I'm currently trying to decide what prize I want to cash in on next - a few Amazon gift cards, maybe one from Barnes & Noble or Starbucks, or hold out a little longer for a Target one. I think I may hold out for Target. We'll see.

Apple dippers - Tonight the little Ws cashed in the last of the McDonald's coupons they got during the Sonlight Valentine swap. Apple dippers all around. Can't beat free snacks. Especially when they include caramel!

Hannah - She's the person who is living with my sister's family and teaching my nieces. She started a blog to document her time in the Philippines, but only posts sporadically. However, she regularly posts pictures on Facebook. Great pictures of the Moffits and people in the village. She's a wonderful photographer!! Unfortunately, people who aren't on Facebook are missing out on all those pictures. So, here's what I think you should do. Go visit her blog. Then leave a comment on her most recent post that says something like "Bethany says you have great pics on Facebook, so please post some of them here". If she gets twenty comments that all make the same request, then she'll clearly have no choice but to post some of those great pictures on her blog for the whole world to see. So, will you do it? Will you go leave a comment? Pretty please?

Well, now it's about 11:15. I should try going to bed.

4/30/09 THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful that I have a new rule of not turning the computer on at all in the morning.

I'm also glad that I can post-date stuff on my blog, which I'll remember to do next week so that I don't have to get online on Thursday mornings like I did today. (I promise I'm not going to SL, FB, or checking my e-mail. I'm out of here until later!)

MY MID-LIFE CRISIS

Well folks, it's time for some transparency. Apparently my mid-life crisis decided to come early, perhaps making up for the fact that my "rebellious phase" never happened.

I'm having a hard time. In fact, I spend quite a bit of my time crying and wishing I could get a one way ticket to somewhere far away. Or that I could spend a month in bed. I know that desire to stay in bed and hide from the world sounds like depression, but it's not. I've spent a few years in that state before and this is not the same. Nevertheless, I need to work through some stuff mentally, emotionally, physically, relationally, and spiritually. I'm sure there is some other "-ally" that I'm forgetting, but you get the point.

Now, I don't think there's any benefit to me hashing out everything I'm feeling and thinking. I don't want sympathy. I don't want advice. I don't want to be asked twenty questions about what's going on.

I know what my struggles are. Tim knows. God knows. That's all that matters.

I do want to get through this season (and the sooner the better!), to come out a better (or at least slightly more mature) person on the other side.

So, scattered among my regular and random posts will be some that we'll call .... hmmmm, what shall we call them? I don't know what I'll call them, but I'll be sharing some of the things that are encouraging me through this struggle I'm in. Maybe they'll encourage you in whatever you're facing.

Meanwhile, feel free to pray for me. I could use it!

THE GIFT THAT KEPT GIVING

I wore a new shirt last week. I love the color, the length, the cut. I really love the price. It was free to me! Here's what happened.

Gift #1 - Daniel (that's one of Tim's brothers) gave had a bunch of coupons for a percentage off a total purchase at Kohl's.

Gift #2 - I gave one to Heidi (that's one of my neighbors). She went shopping.

Gift #3 - The lady in front of Heidi in line didn't have a coupon. Heidi asked the checker if they could use Heidi's coupon for both Heidi and the lady in front of her. The checker said yes. Heidi gave the other lady a discount through her own coupon.

Gift #4 - The lady spent over $50, so the register kicked out a coupon/gift certificate worth $10. The lady gave it to Heidi.

Gift #5 - Heidi gave it to me.

Gift #6 - I went shopping and bought two shirts on clearance. The total was $8.60. There was $1.40 still left on the coupon. I gave it to a checker as I walked out and asked her to put it toward the purchase of the woman she was ringing up. She immediately scanned it in.

A lot of people benefited from that initial coupon!!

BLANKET #2

Remember a month or so ago I mentioned that my grandma said I could use her sewing machine to make baby blankets? Well, it's about as basic of a project as you can do, but basic is good. I like basic.

Four weeks ago I gave my first homemade blanket away to Becky. It was ... ummmm ... a first blanket. Super cute fabric ... crooked sides and some messed up seams. However, one of the perks of a good friend is that you don't have to impress each other. Plus, Becky and Brandon's kids have a moral obligation to love us as much as our kids love them. Which is a lot. And she knows I'm a total sewing rookie. All those facts add up to Adler getting the "trial run" blanket. Lucky guy.

I forgot to take a picture of blanket #1, but perhaps that's a good thing. However, I figure that instead of viewing it as an obvious "first", we can consider the option that someday it will be "vintage". That sounds much better, doesn't it? I mean, when I'm a world famous baby blanket designer, then little Adler's blanket will be worth millions. I'm sure of it.

Yesterday I gave away blanket #2 to Tamie. Still basic, but the sides are straight and there are no blatant errors in seams. Plus, I even trimmed it out in a contrasting color. Pretty impressive, right?

Come on. Play along with me. Act like a baby blanket is the most complicated thing a person could ever make. Okey dokey?

Anyway, here is blanket #2. This bug fabric was the first thing I purchased in a fabric store. I love it!!

LAST FRIDAY NIGHT

About a year ago Silas was telling us that he wanted to go to "regular school". Obviously where our kids attend school is up to Tim and I, but we certainly want to hear their opinions on the matter. After a few mini-conversations here and there we discovered that what Silas really needed was something to do that wasn't a family event, something that didn't involve Tim and I. Well, being part of the grade school class at church has been the perfect way to meet that need. Once a month he has some event to attend and he loves it!! I'm so thankful for the adults and teens who just love on the grade schoolers - teaching them the Word and just goofing off with them. It's a huge blessing!

Anyway, a week ago Silas attended a Friday Night Frenzy. And, as usual, he can be spotted in some of the blog posts. In this post you can see him watching tug-of-war (first pic) and raising his hand (second pic) for something that was probably very important, like who wanted to tug next. You can also see him demonstrating that shoving your tongue into your bottom lip gives you extra strength in tug-of-war (second pic). Sometimes he watched from the sidelines (first pic) and other times he posed for the camera (second pic). At times he rested (second pic) and then he ran (third pic). He was front row in a mob (second pic) and part of a circle (first, second, third pics).

And that's a recap of what Silas was doing one week ago.

4/23/09 THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful that I do these posts each week because sometimes I just don't feel very thankful. It forces me to shift my attitude, if only for a brief amount of time. Like today. I usually just stick with one thing I'm thankful for, but today I'll list some extras.

* I don't have to leave the house today for the first time in at least a week
* digital cameras, instant messaging, and e-mail that allow me to have easy contact with my sister, who lives across the ocean
* that I have my kitchen sink back after two days of not being able to use it
* that Susan was willing to bring Silas home last Friday so that I didn't have to wake up the other two kids to go get him
* older women who are like extra moms and grandmas to encourage, challenge, and pray for me
* that I've been able to cross off several things on my "to do" list this week
* a week off of school
* Benadryl
* that my grandma gave me her sewing machine (I simply asked to borrow it) and taught me how to use it so I could make some baby blankets
* that we rent a house in a great location
* my girlfriends

What's something that you're thankful for?

A COUPLE GOOD DAYS

We've go this week off of school and the last couple days have been beautiful!! I generally have some things I plan on accomplishing during our weeks off, but I scrapped my "to do" list yesterday. The kids and I spent the morning at the zoo. The last time we went it was 28 degrees outside, so going when temps were in the 60-70s was nice! Everyone went down for naps when we got home and I spent that time working on a puzzle. Then it was dinner (Rice cooker mac & cheese - one of my favorites!) and a meeting for Tim and I to attend. I didn't get a single thing done, but it was a fun day.

Today was much more productive! We picked up Granny and took her with us to Target and the library, I made a baby blanket, chatted on the phone with a friend from high school, purged a bunch of magazines, worked on our next curriculum order, folded laundry and walked to the fabric store.

The one thing I didn't do today? Dishes. Our sink is backing up and the pipes are leaking under below. So, we're piling up dishes and looking forward to seeing the plumber tomorrow. That little drama landed us some Papa Murphy's tonight though, as we didn't want to add more dishes to the pile we currently have. That's a definite silver lining!!

Now I'm in jammies, comfy in bed, and I'm going to read for a bit before konking out. Perfect way to end the day.

And as much as I've loved a couple days of summer weather, I'm looking forward to the upcoming rain. I love spring and the fact that the weather doesn't stay the same for more then a couple days. Maybe I'll get some baking done later this week!!

NEED A BIG DOSE OF THE LITTLE Ws?

This link is always in my sidebar, but I want to make sure those who just use a blog reader aren't missing out on the major cuteness our offspring display. Without further ado, a ton of pics that are updated every Sunday night!! Feel free to comment on how cute they are.

E-MAGINARY FRIENDS

Do you have any? If not, then I highly recommend that you get some!!

Don't know what they are? They're friends that you met and developed a relationship with online.

I have a lot of e-maginary friends from the Sonlight forums, though over the last three years I've met many of them in real life. We've had meetups, they sent baby gifts to Naomi, some threw me a surprise baby shower, I spent a weekend in Huntington Beach with several of them, I've used tons of their recipes, prayed for each other, sent gifts back and forth, laughed about stuff, and on and on and on. When I first bought curriculum from Sonlight I had no idea I'd gain so many friends in the process!!

Anyway, one of them was going to be visiting from Idaho this week. So a meetup was planned for tonight. I was totally excited to go and have some girl time. Then, due to circumstances beyond my control, I had to cancel. I can't tell you how bummed I was. I've been grumpy, royally grumpy, about it all week. I was ready for some girl time anyway, plus I was way overdue for some time with these girls specifically.

So, I was at home tonight. Tim's gone. Silas was at a grade school event. The other kids were sleeping. It was about 10:00. There was a knock at the door (actually, there was someone doing a dance outside my front window) and all five of the meetup crew were at my house!! And they all came in jammies, knowing that's how I'd be dressed. And they brought candy.

We spent 2 1/2 hours laughing and talking and laughing and eating and laughing. Did I mention that we laughed? I love these girls!! I'm so blessed that they went out of their way to include me in their post-dinner portion of the evening, knowing how bummed I was to have to cancel my involvement in the meetup.

So ... Robin, Denise, Cheri, Toni and Heidi ... THANKS!! You truly made my day.

And now it's 1:00 in the morning. So, I'm going to bed.

4/16/09 THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful that Tim has a job.

What's one thing that you're thankful for?

A GREAT MORNING

My dad, "Papa" to the little Ws, should be stepping foot on Medford soil any minute. He's spent the last two days travelling home from my sister's house in Lapok. We were happy to find out that he had a lengthy layover in Portland this morning and met him there. Our morning was spent eating nutritionally sound food at "Old McDonald's" and spending tokens at Chuck E. Cheese with him. Plus, the kids all got two souvenir t-shirts (one from my dad and one from my sister), Tim and I each got one t-shirt (from my dad), and there were some cracker nuts and dried mangoes that I'm sure were meant for me to hoard all to myself (from my sister). What a fun morning! Oh, one more thing. We saw no less than a gazillion airplanes, all identified loudly and simultaneously by all three kids.

The quote of the day, from Silas - "I'm so excited that Papa is here that I just want to scream."

If you'd like to see pics and hear stories about my dad's trip, then head over to his blog where he posted during his time in the Philippines.

HAPPY EASTER!

From all 5 Ws - including these three, who miraculously all looked at the camera at the same time, even though one is trying really hard not to smile.

WHO WON THE CHOCOLATE BAR?

Kristal!! I know this lady from the Sonlight forums and you can meet her over on her blog.

Be sure to read all the comments that people left in order to enter the contest, particularly Bri's lovely poem.

FREE CHOCOLATE!

I'm giving away a bar of chocolate identical to the one pictured above. It was a freebie, but I know there are others who appreciate chocolate more than I do. As much as I love sugar, I would never choose chocolate over another type of dessert. So, this bar may become yours!!

I'm willing to ship it anywhere in the United States, so internationals can only play along if they have an American address they'd like to ship it to. In order to enter the contest, you must leave a comment telling me something about your relationship with chocolate - how much you like it, the last chocolate thing you ate, the chocolate you're craving, etc. The contest closes at 11:59pm PST tonight. Anonymous comments are allowed, so you don't need a Blogger account to enter the contest. Just be sure you leave your name so that I can contact you if you win.

4/9/09 THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful for the people who encourage and challenge me when I'm discouraged and overwhelmed about some aspect of parenting.

What's one thing that you're thankful for?

PICKY EATERS

There were no picky eaters in the family I grew up in. That's not the case in the family I've created. So, we've had to figure out which battles to fight on the issue.

Ultimately, character is most important to me. I don't really give a rip if my kids are picky - that's their problem. However, it's very important to me that they not be rude. Rudeness becomes everyone else's problem.

There are about three meals I make that we all love equally, but that's fine. Our home is not a restaurant and I'm not here to cater to each person's personal culinary preferences. My job is simply to provide affordable, healthy, tasty meals. If you are hungry, you may eat what I serve, whether or not you like it. If you'd rather give preference to your taste buds over your stomach, then you're welcome to skip the meal and go hungry.

I've shared the following rules with several people over the last few months and thought I'd post them here. The rule is bold and our reasoning follows it.

* If there is something new, you have to try it. You never know what you're going to like, so you'll try everything that is served. I know a lot of people use the term "'no thank you' bite" with their kids, but it drives me batty. It assumes the child won't like the food. The negative implication just bugs me. Plus, we prefer to just cut to the chase when instructing or training rather than using cutesy words or phrases. That's just personal preference though. So, we just say "this is new and you're going to try a bite".

* If you know you don't like something, you don't have to eat it. This does not mean a child who's convinced they won't like a food doesn't have to try it. At our house, this rule is used in only one situation. One of our kids has virtually been a vegetarian since birth. They only like hot dogs (is that really meat?) and sausage. So, we don't make them eat meat in dishes they've tried before, as it's firmly established that they don't like it. However, the first rule trumps this one, so if a new dish includes meat, then they still have to try it.

* You are not allowed to complain about the food you don't like. There is absolutely no reason to volunteer the fact that you don't like what was served to you. It's rude, plain and simple.

* If I ask whether or not you like a new food, one that you don't like, then you may say "it's not my favorite". While I don't want my kids to be rude, I also don't want them to lie. They are never allowed to complain about a food, but I generally ask them what they think of a new recipe. I wanted them to have a polite and honest way of answering my question if they really didn't like what I made. This also works well in settings where someone else has cooked for them and asked if they liked it, perhaps at a friend's house.

* You serve your own portions (starting at 3yo) and eat what you serve. The kids have to learn portion control anyway and there will be no complaining about what's on your plate if you put it there in the first place. For ages under 3 we serve small portions. They can always have more, but they're less likely to end up with leftovers if we dole out a little at a time.

* If you choose not to eat what was served, you will not be allowed to have any snacks before the next meal. The only exception is if you choose to eat leftovers from the meal you skipped. I provide enough food for my family. If my kids choose to turn their nose up at something I've prepared, then there is no way on God's green earth that I'm going to let them choose a more enjoyable snack when they get hungry before the next meal. I just toss their uneaten food in the fridge. Sometimes they finish the uneaten food as a snack, other times they wait til the next meal to eat again. It's their choice.

*You may be picky, but you may not be rude. This is the most important one. Character trumps culinary preferences. The end.

3/30/16 UPDATE - I pulled this old post up after reading what Jess had to say about picky eaters and it was interesting to read it several years (and one kid) later. The almost vegetarian no longer skips any meat. They still don't love most of it, but they don't mind it and willingly eat it. Also, we started using a scale of 1-5 for everyone to rate new recipes. That gives everyone a chance to give me useful feedback without being rude if it's something they're not particularly fond of. Other than that,we're still handling food now the same way we were (almost exactly) seven years ago. With kids who are currently 13, 11, 8, and 4, this approach seems to be working out well.

STINKIN' CUTE? NOT ALWAYS

SEVENTY & SNEEZY

Our house got up to 70 degrees today!! The windows and doors were opened for hours, we ate ice cream outside and even got the outside of the cars washed. Hopefully the insides will get done later this week.

The downside to this lovely weather is that my allergy season officially started. The inside of my head was so itchy during church. Then I spent the whole afternoon sneezing and blowing my nose. Oh well. You can't have it all in life.

Tomorrow is supposed to be nice too. Can't wait!!

FAMILY REUNION

Well, it's not a complete family reunion, but a little one still counts. My dad zipped over the ocean a couple days ago to spend some time with my sister and her family. He'll be blogging about the trip while he's over there, so hop on over to his blog to check out pics and read about what he's up to!

4/02/09 THANKFUL THURSDAY

I totally spaced this today, but I really need an attitude change. So, better late than never.

I'm thankful that the sun is shining.

What's one thing you are thankful for?

BOOKS I FINISHED - MARCH 2009

On Call In Hell: A Doctor's Iraq Story, by CDR Richard Jadick

This is one man's story of how he came to be a military doctor and his experience on the frontlines in Iraq. There is frequent profanity, several descriptions of injuries, and one reference to someone masturbating. If those things would offend or bother you, then skip the book. I expected to come across stuff like that, so I was able to still enjoy the book. It was interesting to get an inside glimpse of what goes on in the thick of war from the perspective of those who are treating the wounded. Jadick, who volunteered to go, was not behind the scenes at regular aid stations, but heading right into the middle of street battles to recover the injured and bring them to makeshift aid stations on the front lines.

Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, by Betty MacDonald

We read this one for school. A fun read about a woman who gives practical parenting advice to clueless parents.

 

The Paper Bag Christmas, by Kevin Alan Milne

I saw this book mentioned in the Oregonian (the author is local) and got it from the library. It's a quick, easy read that I finished in just over an hour. I loved it. A neat story of friendship, serving others, and keeping priorities straight. A nice "feel good" book between two heavier books I read in March.

Little Pear: The Story of a Little Chinese Boy, by Eleanor Frances Lattimore

Another school read about a little boy that lives in China. He's always off on an adventure, getting himself into mischief.



A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, by Ishmael Beah

The author spent time as a boy soldier in Sierra Leone. This book spends a lot of time talking about the time from when his village was attacked to the point where he became a soldier, his life on the run. A smaller portion is about his time on the battlefront. He's pretty frank about the drugs the kids are given and the violent acts they commit. It's a tragedy that kids are being forced into brutal warfare around the world. It's awesome that this particular kid lived to tell about it and has turned his life around.