This is a real quick post, but I just couldn't go to bed without sharing. Our two nieces are spending the night tonight and the three girls often get up to no good. So when I heard them close Megan's bedroom door and they were quiet for a few minutes I thought I had better go see what they were up to. I crept up the stairs (trying to be sneaky of course) and as I tip toed to her door, I heard Megan reading the Bible to her cousins. I was overcome with joy that my little girl was sharing God's word. Is that not just awesome? :)
G'night!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Clutter
Today it occured to me that I have a lot of clutter in my life. I was looking for a book - I spend at least ten percent of my life looking for a book. I will remember there was a book somewhere in my house that at some point I decided that I would read later and stuck in some random place, so I look for it. Sometimes I find the book and sometimes I realize that I probably donated it to charity or gave it away and I quit looking. It is the same with cords - you know, the ones that we need to connect our cell phones, cameras, video recorders, etc. etc. I spend another five percent of my life looking for these cords. I can't tell you how frustrating this is!
So anyhow, today I was looking for this book (and really wanting to read it I might add), when it dawned on me that I need to purge the clutter from my life. I can't tell you how bad this scares the heck out of me. Okay, maybe scares isn't quite the right word, but I do get a sense of anxiety whe I think of the monumentous task de-cluttering will be. Where do I start? What method do I use? What stays and what goes? There is a lot to think about folks. So please pray that I can figure out a starting point and a plan. I welcome any ideas and suggestions you might have too!
So anyhow, today I was looking for this book (and really wanting to read it I might add), when it dawned on me that I need to purge the clutter from my life. I can't tell you how bad this scares the heck out of me. Okay, maybe scares isn't quite the right word, but I do get a sense of anxiety whe I think of the monumentous task de-cluttering will be. Where do I start? What method do I use? What stays and what goes? There is a lot to think about folks. So please pray that I can figure out a starting point and a plan. I welcome any ideas and suggestions you might have too!
Monday, May 25, 2009
Blogger really bugs me sometimes!
So I had this nice post ready to go with several photos of our Memorial day fun and Blogger had a glitch and now I can't find my post or my pictures! Grrr! Anyhow, I'll try this again.
Today was really cool! I went to work for a few hours then came home to help with the cookout preparations. We had some really good food! Mike loves to cook (I don't, go figure) and so he was in charge of the grill. Honestly, I like that he enjoys cooking, because he's much better at it than me. In any case, he made these really good burgers from one of our Rachel Ray cookbooks. They were called Goucho burgers made with pico de gallo sauce and all kinds of seasonings and spices topped with pepper jack cheese on a big sour dough bun. Is your mouth watering yet? They were GOOD!
Mike's mom came over and so did his brother, Ben. The kids love to see Ben and Mimi so much. Ben is a big kid himself so he plays around with them more than mom & dad! Mimi loves to love on them so they eat that up too!
After we had dinner Mike, Megan and Uncle Ben (she used to call him Uncle Bean & I'm trying to get Peyton to call him that now!) played some Guitar Hero while I gave Peyton a bath. The pictures are from all of the above and you can probably figure out who is who. We had such a good time. I love being with family and feel so blessed to have such good people in my life. I love that my kids will grow up very close to their extended family and this is so important to me. I have such fond memories of being around my grandmother, aunts and uncles a lot - not just for holidays. I have always wanted that for my children. Anyway, enjoy the pictures!
Side note: I'm totally proud of myself for updating this blog for a whole week or so now.. woo hoo!
Today was really cool! I went to work for a few hours then came home to help with the cookout preparations. We had some really good food! Mike loves to cook (I don't, go figure) and so he was in charge of the grill. Honestly, I like that he enjoys cooking, because he's much better at it than me. In any case, he made these really good burgers from one of our Rachel Ray cookbooks. They were called Goucho burgers made with pico de gallo sauce and all kinds of seasonings and spices topped with pepper jack cheese on a big sour dough bun. Is your mouth watering yet? They were GOOD!
Mike's mom came over and so did his brother, Ben. The kids love to see Ben and Mimi so much. Ben is a big kid himself so he plays around with them more than mom & dad! Mimi loves to love on them so they eat that up too!
After we had dinner Mike, Megan and Uncle Ben (she used to call him Uncle Bean & I'm trying to get Peyton to call him that now!) played some Guitar Hero while I gave Peyton a bath. The pictures are from all of the above and you can probably figure out who is who. We had such a good time. I love being with family and feel so blessed to have such good people in my life. I love that my kids will grow up very close to their extended family and this is so important to me. I have such fond memories of being around my grandmother, aunts and uncles a lot - not just for holidays. I have always wanted that for my children. Anyway, enjoy the pictures!
Side note: I'm totally proud of myself for updating this blog for a whole week or so now.. woo hoo!
Saturday, May 23, 2009
So today totally makes up for yesterday morning!
We had an amazing and eventful day today! And busy, did I say busy?!? The morning started off slow, but this after noon Memaw (my mom)came to visit - presents in tow. Actually she brings the kids little trinkets and things, but they LOVE getting presents from Memaw! She brought Megan a bag of balloons and some cheese crackers. She brought Peyton a keychain with one of those stretchy things you can wear on your wrist (he likes to chew on them) and a little plastic whistle. It was really sweet. She brought me a belated Mother's day gift - a shirt that did not fit. :(
After my mom left we walked over to my Friend Jayne's church where they were hosting a community festival. It was really, really neat. They had 3 bouncies, games, food, magician, dog tricks, music, and drawings. There were community organizations there as well as the church. It was really cool. I only had one person try to get me to check them out after I told them I already belong to a fantastic church that I love. It was all good though, because the people were SO NICE!!! I found out after I left that my name was drawn to win a home made aphaghan. I can't wait to get it!
Later this evening the kids and I went with my friend Margaret and her son Kord to the Zoo. Some of the other families from our church were meetin there for a movie that was being shown there for zoo members only. I was a bit skeptical because I dind't know how Peyton would do that close to his bedtime (we didn't get there till after 6 and he goes to bed usually at 7), but he did surprisingly well! We didn't end up staying for the movie, because Kord and Peyton were starting to get tired and a bit cranky, but we had such a good time for the time we were there. Here is a picture that someone made for the Encounter church group that meets at the Zoo. You can check out Encounter Church here.
After my mom left we walked over to my Friend Jayne's church where they were hosting a community festival. It was really, really neat. They had 3 bouncies, games, food, magician, dog tricks, music, and drawings. There were community organizations there as well as the church. It was really cool. I only had one person try to get me to check them out after I told them I already belong to a fantastic church that I love. It was all good though, because the people were SO NICE!!! I found out after I left that my name was drawn to win a home made aphaghan. I can't wait to get it!
Later this evening the kids and I went with my friend Margaret and her son Kord to the Zoo. Some of the other families from our church were meetin there for a movie that was being shown there for zoo members only. I was a bit skeptical because I dind't know how Peyton would do that close to his bedtime (we didn't get there till after 6 and he goes to bed usually at 7), but he did surprisingly well! We didn't end up staying for the movie, because Kord and Peyton were starting to get tired and a bit cranky, but we had such a good time for the time we were there. Here is a picture that someone made for the Encounter church group that meets at the Zoo. You can check out Encounter Church here.
What's a mom to do?
There are days when I just don't know what I'm going to do. Have you ever had a day when you just want to throw your hands up and exclaim, "I QUIT"? Do you ever just want to throw in the towel and go to bed? I had a day like that yesterday.
Yesterday morning started like any other in our home. I woke up to my alarm clock (this would be Peyton babbling then screaming for me to come get him out of his bed) at about 6:30 a.m. So I get up and poke my head into Megan's room and tell her it's time to wake up and that I'll meet her downstairs. I go into Peyton's room and in the most pleasant voice I can muster at 6:30 and before any coffee, I said "good morning, Peyton!" I kid you not, he stuck his tongue out at me and blew a rasberry! I thought it was kinda cute so I reach into his crib to lift him out and what does he do next? He BIT me! Hard!
Peyton has been biting, pinching, scratching and pulling hair for many months now and I've done everything I know how to stop the behavior, but instead of getting better there are days that I think it's getting worse. I can understand part of it is a sensation-seeking behavior. He needs stimulation and he knows that is the quickest way to get it. However, there are times when I KNOW he's doing it as a means to show he's angry. Sometime's he'll let out this shrill scream and then sink his teeth in. The kicker in all this is that he seems to only do all this to Mike, Megan and me. I've tried time out, smacking the hand/thigh, putting him in his room - everything short of biting/scraching/pulling/pinching back (which I will not do). So does anyone have any NEW ideas for me???
So back to the rest of the morning. Megan enjoys watching cartoons while she eats her breakfast and I'm okay with that. Lately though, she has been playing on the computer while watching TV and eating her breakfast. I have a problem with this. I feel like she is getting way too mch stimulation and cannot possibly focus on eating her meal under these conditions. So yesterday morning I told her that she needed to stop playing her computer game and bring her bowl to the table. Now I don't know when my nine year old daughter decided it was okay for her to disrespect me, but she didn't even bother to look at me when she exclaimed "No." I said "excuse me?" and she said she didn't have to choose. I told her that she needed to turn off both and come to the table and if I had to tell her again she would get privileges taken away. She did turn everything off and came to the table but she was stomping and back talking me the whole way. AND, she was talking this slang talk that she knows makes me crazy. I told her that I would not be giving her the $1 for snack day at school that I told her I would earlier. She started to cry and although I wanted to give her the money I stood my ground, knowing that if I caved then it would be all over. This isn't the first time Megan has been disrespectful to me, nor is it the worst. I just don't know where we went wrong in our parenting. I do know that I want to reverse her behavior before it continues to get worse. So once again...any ideas?
Now I have to say that my day did get better later on. I was amazingly productive at work. The VIPS Family Retreat Weekend is next Saturday so I have a LOT of work to do still yet, but I made a lot of progress yesterday. When I came home both of the kids were there and so happy to see me. This made me feel so good. They met me at the door and both of them grabbed me for a hug. I do feel so blessed to have two children who love me, who are bright and talented and who have good natures despite their sometimes crazy behavior.
I'm going to leave you with a picture of Megan and her dad at the dance that her schol hosts for fathers and daughters each year. I love this picture and it makes me smile every time I see it. I hope you like it too.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
The sweetest thing
Today I was an emotional wreck. I don't know what is wrong with me lately, but I cry at the drop of a hat. I cry at commercials, I cry at songs, movies, TV shows... I can cry just THINKING of something sad, sweet, endearing, etc. So I feel as though I need to carry a pocket full of tissue with me always these days. I think it's horomones - is 35 too young to be perimenapausal (did I even spell that right?) I know I'm not pregnant, but for the life of me I can not figure out why I've been so emotional. This seems to have started about a year or so ago. I never used to cry 'this' easily.
Anyway, so today I woke up around 6:45 and I look in Megan's room She's my nine year old) and she's still sleeping. I stop for a moment and listen to her breathing and just watch how peaceful she is. I got a huge lump in my throat thinking how she's growing up too fast. I'm getting kind of moist in the eyes writing about it. I mean she was born just yesterday, right? She was so tiny not so long ago and now she's almost as tall as I am. She's growing up in so many ways. She told me the other day that she thinks she's a "tween." I told her she wasn't allowed to be a tween yet. She told me that age 9-10 are tweens and 11-12 are preteens. This can't be right, is it? Hasn't someone invented a pill just for parents to sneak in our kids food that will make them stay young and sweet forever?
So as I watched Megan sleeping I thought about her as a little girl and how much Peyton really seems to look a lot like Megan when she was his age. I went downstairs and made coffee and as I piddled in the kitchen and listened to the radio the tear jerker song of all songs came on the radio - "I Hope You Dance" by Leanne Womack. Seriously. Have you all HEARD this song? It would make even the toughest person get a little weepy. I'm listening to this song and tears start just rolling down my cheecks. I'm thinking "C'mon Melanie, get it together", but no such luck. I was boo Hoo-ing all over the place by the end of the song!
After I recovered from the song and after Megan woke up in the snottiest mood I was not in a crying place any more. I was more in a yelling place! There's something about me that just can't stand when my child is so absorbed in the television show they're watching that she doesn't even HEAR me ask her what she would like for breakfast 3 TIMES! Anyhow, I was in no danger of crying at this time.
Later on today Peyton and I were home alone and he was plaing while I was cleaning. He would follow me into a room then he'd go someplace else. It was as though he just wanted to check in to make sure I was still there. So he would come in and out wherever I was. Well, it got really quiet in the house all of a sudden. I mean I didn't hear anything. I thought he was probably in his room playing quietly with his toys (bear in mind that Peyton is almost 2 and he never does ANYTHING quietly). So I start wandering around the house. Our house isn't big, so about 30 seconds into my search when I didn't see him anywhere and he wouldn't answer my calls I started getting concerned. Again, we were the only ones home, but you hear about these kids getting taken from their homes, so I was getting antsy. I kept calling him and no answer. I looked under beds and desks, behind doors...I thought i had looked everywhere. Just as I was about to look outside (on the off chance he was able to pull the door open), here he comes popping his head out of the kitchen cabinet and with the biggest grin on his face he says "Boo, mommy!" I lost it.
I cried like a baby. I scooped him up and held him close and just let the tears fall. I told him I love him and that I was scared when I couldn't find him. He laid his little head on my shoulder and said "Awwwww". Seriously folks, I'm sniffling right now. My little boy is growing too fast too. When did this happen? I feel lie I went to sleep one day and woke up with a toddler. I'm not ready for him to grow up. He's so sweet and such a mam's boy. I just want to keep him this size forever.
So my day just gets more and more emotional. Tonight I went to the VIPS preschool graduation ceremony. Oh my goodness, let me just tell you, those kids are ADORABLE. Of course it made me remember when Megan was a VIPS kid and went through the graduation. Once again, you guessed it, I cried. Ugh! Don't know what's wrong with me and this crying business. The graduation was so sweet and the parents seemed to really love it. The staff at VIPS do such amazing work and I think we all kind of feel like these kids are our own to some extent.
Well, I'm done today. I'm going to bed and I hope that tomorrow is less emotional for me. I don't know what's wrong with me, but I don't like how easily I cry. I could work on a soap operah as a cryer. I always wonder how they get those actresses to cry - do the think of sad stuff or just use artificial tears? Well with me they would be paying for the real deal! LOL Here are a couple of cute pictures to leave you with.
Peyton just being Peyton, what can I say. He does funny things like this all the time. I don't have any idea why he likes to put things on his head and wander around, crazy kid!
Megan holding Peyton when he was just a day old.
This one is a tear jerker for me - Megan's kindergarten graduation. She seems so mall in this picture. She'll always be my baby.
Anyway, so today I woke up around 6:45 and I look in Megan's room She's my nine year old) and she's still sleeping. I stop for a moment and listen to her breathing and just watch how peaceful she is. I got a huge lump in my throat thinking how she's growing up too fast. I'm getting kind of moist in the eyes writing about it. I mean she was born just yesterday, right? She was so tiny not so long ago and now she's almost as tall as I am. She's growing up in so many ways. She told me the other day that she thinks she's a "tween." I told her she wasn't allowed to be a tween yet. She told me that age 9-10 are tweens and 11-12 are preteens. This can't be right, is it? Hasn't someone invented a pill just for parents to sneak in our kids food that will make them stay young and sweet forever?
So as I watched Megan sleeping I thought about her as a little girl and how much Peyton really seems to look a lot like Megan when she was his age. I went downstairs and made coffee and as I piddled in the kitchen and listened to the radio the tear jerker song of all songs came on the radio - "I Hope You Dance" by Leanne Womack. Seriously. Have you all HEARD this song? It would make even the toughest person get a little weepy. I'm listening to this song and tears start just rolling down my cheecks. I'm thinking "C'mon Melanie, get it together", but no such luck. I was boo Hoo-ing all over the place by the end of the song!
After I recovered from the song and after Megan woke up in the snottiest mood I was not in a crying place any more. I was more in a yelling place! There's something about me that just can't stand when my child is so absorbed in the television show they're watching that she doesn't even HEAR me ask her what she would like for breakfast 3 TIMES! Anyhow, I was in no danger of crying at this time.
Later on today Peyton and I were home alone and he was plaing while I was cleaning. He would follow me into a room then he'd go someplace else. It was as though he just wanted to check in to make sure I was still there. So he would come in and out wherever I was. Well, it got really quiet in the house all of a sudden. I mean I didn't hear anything. I thought he was probably in his room playing quietly with his toys (bear in mind that Peyton is almost 2 and he never does ANYTHING quietly). So I start wandering around the house. Our house isn't big, so about 30 seconds into my search when I didn't see him anywhere and he wouldn't answer my calls I started getting concerned. Again, we were the only ones home, but you hear about these kids getting taken from their homes, so I was getting antsy. I kept calling him and no answer. I looked under beds and desks, behind doors...I thought i had looked everywhere. Just as I was about to look outside (on the off chance he was able to pull the door open), here he comes popping his head out of the kitchen cabinet and with the biggest grin on his face he says "Boo, mommy!" I lost it.
I cried like a baby. I scooped him up and held him close and just let the tears fall. I told him I love him and that I was scared when I couldn't find him. He laid his little head on my shoulder and said "Awwwww". Seriously folks, I'm sniffling right now. My little boy is growing too fast too. When did this happen? I feel lie I went to sleep one day and woke up with a toddler. I'm not ready for him to grow up. He's so sweet and such a mam's boy. I just want to keep him this size forever.
So my day just gets more and more emotional. Tonight I went to the VIPS preschool graduation ceremony. Oh my goodness, let me just tell you, those kids are ADORABLE. Of course it made me remember when Megan was a VIPS kid and went through the graduation. Once again, you guessed it, I cried. Ugh! Don't know what's wrong with me and this crying business. The graduation was so sweet and the parents seemed to really love it. The staff at VIPS do such amazing work and I think we all kind of feel like these kids are our own to some extent.
Well, I'm done today. I'm going to bed and I hope that tomorrow is less emotional for me. I don't know what's wrong with me, but I don't like how easily I cry. I could work on a soap operah as a cryer. I always wonder how they get those actresses to cry - do the think of sad stuff or just use artificial tears? Well with me they would be paying for the real deal! LOL Here are a couple of cute pictures to leave you with.
Peyton just being Peyton, what can I say. He does funny things like this all the time. I don't have any idea why he likes to put things on his head and wander around, crazy kid!
Megan holding Peyton when he was just a day old.
This one is a tear jerker for me - Megan's kindergarten graduation. She seems so mall in this picture. She'll always be my baby.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
I did it! Woo Hoo!
I just imported my other blog to this blog! The other blog had much less 'stuff' on it (links, pictures, etc.) and I like the look of this blog better. So now I have one place where I can talk about everything. Wow, that was surprisingly easy! Woo Hoo go Me! Now I need to come up with a new blog name... it needs to encompass my whole family, but not stray from the focus (which is I am the one writing it and sometimes it's more about me and my life & issues.) So, be on the watch for a new blog name!
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