Quick family update

Mom is still fighting. Dad, against his will, has been forced by reality, to move mom to a nursing home. She goes this Monday. We had some really really high drama in the last month at their house (mostly thanks to my younger sister and her misguided attempt to help). I think my dad is finally willing to let mom go. That is all she is waiting for.

Grandma, my dad's mom, passed away. Her funeral is next weekend up in Illinois. We decided I would go by myself.

I'm stressed. Dealing with my family by myself is not going to be fun, however, my MIL says I can come stay with her. That will be good. I love my MIL.

MB is doing great. He graduated Kindergarten with 98.7%. The only exception was that he still writes a few letters backward. No biggie, lots of practice. We are preparing a 6 year old pirate party for his birthday. Argh!

That about wraps this up.

told you it would be quick.

A moment of silence

A moment of silence for those lost at Virginia Tech.











God help us all.

Wow!!! I am one happy momma!

We were in church last Sunday and MB tells me he wants to take communion. So I start talking with him about what that means.

He says 'I know mom, it's the blood of Jesus'. yeah, I swear that is what he said. Then he asked if it was really blood. I explained the last supper and the bread and the wine and that grapes make wine, and we drink grape juice here. He asked more questions. I answered.

So, since he "got it" I let him take communion.

Then he started asking me A LOT of questions, so we went into the hall and sat at a table near the coffee station and talked ...and talked... and talked.

I asked him if he wanted to let Jesus be his Lord and Saviour. He said yes. So we prayed...rather he prayed. I cried. LOL....then the pastor gave the invitation and he went forward and prayed with the pastor and told him he wanted to be baptized.

So my baby is being baptized on Easter Sunday!!

Our pastor is beside himself happy that he is baptizing MB. He loves MB! He was actually giggling about it on the phone when he called to be sure we could do it this weekend. When the filled out MB's membership form the elders asked me if MB knew what he was doing. The resounding answer, yes. He knew exactly what he was doing. He said so, to them, himself.

God has big things planned for this little man and now MB admits that he is God's boy.

Rejoice with me. My baby is being baptized after he makes his proclamation of faith that Jesus is Lord on Easter Sunday.

Wow!!

Take a deep breath.

In the midst of everything mom, we had a MB scare that I did not mention because I was firmly believeing it was nothing.

I did not mention it, but when we had his labs a week ago they came back with uric acid crystals in his urine. The Nephrologist called me and said....it could be nothing, just dehydration, but what elses causes uric acid crystals.

Wait for it.....
Bueller????

I answered kidney stones.

She TOTALLY one up-ed me.....

she says "it could also be lymphoma".

but she prefaced it with "I don't want to worry you" yeah, spoken like a woman who has no children. OF COURSE YOU WORRIED ME!!!!!

So we made him DRINK like CRAZY over the weekend and re-drew labs yesterday.

The nurse calls me today and assures me all is back to normal.

So, counting the new gray hairs from "not worrying" I still worry because we seem to have a puking issue that is unresolved. I did ask the nurse to look into that for me. She will ask the doc.

So, PRAISE GOD, not lymphoma.

I wonder if this will ever get easier.

How do you say goodbye..

when you don't want to? I know that death is a part of life, and we begin dying the moment we are born. That does not make losing somebody you love any easier.

My mom is dying. We are talking end of it dying, any day now dying. I'm losing my mom. This is not so much about that as it is about telling you about how cool my mom was. Believe me, she made mistakes (as I am quite sure I do as a mom too), but I think people should know how cool they are before they die, not after when only the stories are left for those who survive. Here are a few about my mom.

When we were little kids, I'm talking 4,6,7,and 8, my mom took all 4 of us on a vacation while dad was on a trip. Dad was a truck driver and was gone a lot, but that did not stop mom. She took all of us to the beach, rented a motel room, and sunbathed on the beach while we kids tested the water, built sand castles and basically tortured one another. Now, this was before sunscreen was all the rave, and all of us got sunburned pretty badly. We all slept in a motel bed, mom and little sister and me and big sister and brother got the cot.....
that is one brave lady.

I also remember when we all got the chicken pox at the same time. LOL....poor mom. She had 4 kids, one bathroom and calamine lotion to soothe a small army. How she kept us all alive when I struggle with one, I don't have a clue. She tells stories of us walking up to her and saying "mom, I think I am going to..." blaaaaach....yup, we all, at one time or another, have puked on my mom. Yet, she still loves us. There is her sainthood.

Then there was the time we went grocery shopping in Indiana because they don't have sales tax on food (Most progressive state in the nation people!!...in this at least). We had a car full of kids and food and I was leaning on the car door. I don't know how, but while we were getting on the interstate, the door popped open. My sister held on to my legs while my mother pulled over and gathered me in the car. I tell you what, being a mom...I don't know how she survived that.
My mom...my guardian angel.

Then, when I was in high school, I took mom's car and went to Great America when I was not supposed to. While I was there, some drunk 13 year old hit my mom's car. Wendy and I were okay, and, from the outside, mom's car was okay. By the time we got home, the car was having trouble. When I hit the driveway, the car died and I coasted into it's regular parking spot. The next day the car would not start. I told mom somebody backed into it in the parking lot (hey, half true). My friend Wendy came along and said "hey ma, (*everybody calls her ma) did Mommaria tell you about the kid that hit us last night at Great America"....yeah, she said it. Mom came into my room and asked for the truth. My mom...the lie detector (I have never lied to her since then).

Mom, you didn't do things perfectly, you did them the best you could. You always did what you thought was right by us kids. You always made sure we had what we needed and an awful lot of what we wanted. You were always a friend. You were always strong. You are still strong.

I am so excited that you have prayed and allowed Jesus to be your saviour. I know that cancer may take you, but I will see you whole and happy again when my turn comes. I hope my son has good things to say about me at that point too.

It's just a shame more people don't know you like we do.
You were mom to all. Thanks for the open door.

I love you.
I will continue to love you.
When you go....I will miss you.

"This is the bug that never ends....it just goes on and on my friends"

Remember the song from Lambchop? The song that never ends......yeah, this winter and sickness in this house is just like that song....only a lot less clever but just as annoying.

I swear, if MB is not sick I am...if I am not sick MB is. My real question here is "how does DH not get sick"?

I'm about to do some hidden immuno testing on him if this doesn't stop soon.

Before I can do that I have to be able to walk from the pile of blankets on top of my shivering self in the living room the 12 steps it takes to get to the bathroom without shaking my bones to pieces from chills.

Ugh.......Spring spring already, please.

Shameless Clep from another blog (see my blog list and you will see it)

Stole this from a friends blog (honestyrain, thanks! LOL) It's a shame how few of these I've actually read...how bout you.

KEY:
bold italics=have read the book;
italics=want to read the book;
crosses=own the book;
asterisks=unfamiliar with the book.
and this one i am adding…
~ comments after author name=extra comments i could not resist making
1. The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown)~ no desire to read. I tried. not interested.
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)†
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)~ Look I sat through the movie once, it was enough.
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien) ~ Nope, but the Hobbit, yeah baby!
6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)~ LOVE it
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)~again, the movie was enough
10. A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)*
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling) † love it
12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)*
13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix(Rowling)
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Rowling)
17. Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)*
18. The Stand (Stephen King) I like SK, I don't care who knows it.
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rowling)
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)† ~one of my all time favorite books
21. The Hobbit (Tolkien) †
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott) †
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel)*
26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams) ~ hated it
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)~nope, not for me
28. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)† ~loved the series
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell)
35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. Bible †
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)~own it, want to read it,why dont' I read it.
48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb ~as a fat girl, I hate this book.
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)†
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrew Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolstoy)
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davies)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding)
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
76. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According To Garp (John Irving)
79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White)
81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen)
86. Watership Down (Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding)~hated it
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton) ~adored this book
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce


so, what are your favs from here.

thought you should see My Flyboy.

Give him wings and he will fly...

We got back from Texas (and apparently brought the cold with us!!)and MB did GREAT flying. In fact, whenever we drive he throws up. I now declare that whenever we travel over 3 hours away, we must fly (bwahahahahahaaa ....sure).

On his first flight from Nashville to Austin, the flight attendant found out it was his first flight, scooped him up, introduced him to the pilot who let him sit in the cockpit, showed him all the bells and whistles, and let MB wear the captain's hat. *insert whistle here* I thought for sure after 9/11 nobody did that anymore. MB ate it up.

They gave him wings and a certificate for flying. Man, I love Southwest!

We flew then from Austin to Midland and then a 2 hour night-time, full of "deer in the headlights,literally" fear to Middle-o-nowhere, Robert Lee, Texas to visit Grandma and Grandpa.

We drove over bumpy roads. We drove over winding roads. We drove over bumpy, windy narrow roads. Did I mention I get car sick really really easily too?? I spent most of the drive with my eyes closed and head back so I didn't yap in the car, especially when my dad drove. No offense dad, but you drive kinda fast. Good to see I come by it naturally.

So, we visited and we left.

On the flight back from Midland to Houston, we were on a 737 with only like 45 people on the flight. We could have sat one person on a row and still had room on the plane. So DH, MB and I sit in a row, DH on the outside, me in the middle and MB on the window seat.

SOMEBODY COMES AND SITS IN FRONT OF MB. Assigned seats? Nope, we fly Southwest. No assigned seats. All the seats full. NOPE....plenty of seats on the plane. Only window seat left? Nope.

But guess what she does the WHOLE flight????

Give me dirty looks when MB talks, kicks her seat (but I don't think he really ever did other than moving around bumps) and when he asks for my coffee.

Lady, there are about 100 other seats on the plane. You don't want to sit next to the whopping 2 children on the flight.....PICK ANOTHER SEAT.

Seriously people. MB was great on the flight. We argued a little about getting his homework done, but he did not kick, scream, etc. He just told me what he did and did not want to do and I told him there is a bathroom on the plane I can adjust his attitude in. *heheehehe*

Somebody tell me why skunk eye lady chose to sit in front of a 5 year old??

"Sounds like somebody has a case of the Mondays"

If you know the movie that comes from....you are familiar with my life today. Office Space will go down in the annals of Classic Movies that get you right where you live.

So, today, as you know, is Monday.
My "case of the Mondays" actually started on Sunday evening.....a great thing happened and therefore the cosmos must play a nasty one on ya. Nope, not blaming God. He's just giggle at all of this today. Testing. Watching. Waiting.

The BEARS won the game and, for the first time in 21+ years the Bears are going to the Superbowl. Does God really care about the Superbowl? Probably not. Though He cares about the guys playing. That's beside the point here...I'm being a little more shallow than that.

So my team wins, good thing. We get some really nice dressers for my sister off of Freecycle, good stuff again, we got rid of the old bunk beds on Freecycle to a really neat couple (the husband of which wants to be a FIREMAN...how noble is that!). Another good thing.

All is at peace.

Then the counter balance.

Suddenly, it seems young master MB has a fever. Not just a little fever, but his usual 102. This, coupled with a nasty cough, Doctor Mom diagnosis it as his first real nasty cold with fever, body aches and cough. The works. Nothing Dr. Mom can't handle. Right. Right, except Dr. Mom has a job she has to go to. What to do. We planned on being wrong and taking him to school and making them send him home. But I could not bring myself to do it. I would not want a mom to do that to me (though plenty do), so I kept fever boy home. Now, what to do with a 5-year-old while mom goes to work. Ponder with me.

pondering?

I IM my supervisor when he gets in, let him know what is going on and ask for permission to bring him to work with me until my sister gets off her job to come take him. Problem #1 solved. The gracious employer wants me in the cubicle, so away we go. We pack MB, a bag of stuff including thermometer and Tylenol, Leapster and books, and away we go.

As we go up the nasty hill to get off of our street MB says, "Mommy, why does the car sound funny and is so bumpy?" Mommy figures we got some dirt in the tires (after all we have a nasty gravel drive and it has been raining) so I wait for the sound to stop. Then I feel the "bumpy". Yup.......

flat tire.

So I get to the top of the hill and find level ground on which to jack up the van and change the tire in the cold rain. brrr. Did I mention I never wear my coat because what am I outside in a given day for, about 2 minutes?? Sooooooo in my nice light tan pants I'm trying to figure out how to use this jack I have never seen before, how to get the spare out from under the van and....where is the thingie you turn the lug nuts with??? The neighbor lady comes out and offers to help....but she only helped me to realize I don't have all the equipment to change a tire in my van (better to find this out 1 block from home rather than middle of night middle of nowhere!). So, I de-jack (yes, I know that is not a real word) the van and hobble down the hill in the van, praying not to ruin the rims, back to the house. MB and I get up to the house and he's mad because he can not go to work with me. I'm petrified because I can't get to work!!

So I get in the house and call my sister, talk her into coming to the house when she gets off and loaning me her car so I can go for at least half a day at work and not get put on "disciplinary action" (point system...we can discuss later). She agrees. I call my boss and let him know what happened. His reply "we'll see you when you get here". I'm not sure I like the tone...you know what I mean??

So, now I'm in a near panic, MB is asleep on the couch in minutes and I am trying to find a service that will come change my tire for me. (I should mention DH is at work already and can't leave either).

I think....I pray.... I remember. Remember what? I remember our Pastor is a car guy. Yeah. Maybe he can help. So, I call my pastor. And you know what. In this day of nobody caring or helping, he tells me.......
wait for it.


wait for it.......


He tells me it may be 40 minutes, but he is on his way. I love this man. What a heart!!! What a spirit. What a gentle man. Don't get me wrong, this guy is no sissy. He knows a woman in distress when he hears one.

While I wait, I IM a guy at work. Turns out HE is willing to come get me. So he comes and gets me and MB and drives us to work. THANK YOU BRIAN!!!! What a gentleman. He USED to be my supervisor, but moved to a different department, but is still willing to help. He understands where I'm at and volunteers to help. I call the pastor back and tell him never mind, but you know what he says.


in all seriousness......

I'm coming anyway and I'm gonna fix your tire for you. I'm gonna grab Robbie (another guy from church) and we are gonna fix it so you don't have to worry about it. Am I a blessed woman or what???

So I get to work. My sister comes gets MB and takes him home so he can rest. My sister IM's me later in the day to tell me the pastor went out and purchased a tire for me. SERIOUSLY!!!
He said there was a 3" slit in the tire (we think the plug we did last time finally gave out) and he didn't want me to have to use my spare tire, so he purchased a new one for me. When I called him to find out what it cost, he would not take the money. Told me to tithe it back to the church.

I tell you what...it started out a nasty old case of the Monday's and turned into a blessing. What the world considers evil, God uses for good..... Always!

So what if I forgot my house keys and car keys at work today.
So what if MB still is not fully well, he's a bit better tonight.

The world is a better place and God is still on his throne. I didn't even break down and cry or blame my DH for the trouble. Nope, it was all "chance" turned to Choice turned into an opportunity to give thanks to God for good, honest, upright, godly men.

To everybody who helped me today, thank you. To those who prayed for MB, thank you. To those who say there are no honest preachers in the world... I beg to differ. My preacher may not be eloquent, but he loves God, and shows it, and that's what it takes. And Brother Lane, for giving time on your day off. May God truly bless you.

THE BEARS ARE GOING TO THE BOWL!!!

It has been my mantra all season....I even have MB sininging it all over the house.

The song goes like this:
"The Bears are going to the bowl...
the Bears are going to the bow....
we don't know who they'll play yet,
but the BEARS are GOING TO THE BOWL!!!"

Monsters of the Midway, I salute you!

This year, I may actually host a super bowl par-tay!!!

Whoo Hoooooo (and a sound spanking to the Saints !! bwahahahahaha)

Family.

What a wrong dynamic in my universe.

The current situation:
Mom is dying of recurrent breast cancer in the lungs, bones and anywhere else it wanted to go. The docs are using nice words like "comfort measures" and "2 days, 2 weeks, 2 years....we just don't know". So, while she is still here, we are making an effort to get my MB down to Texas to visit grandma while she is still "healthy" (really the wrong word here. Better words, "not scary yet"). So we are going soon to see her. I tried to go by myself so nobody has to watch me melt down, but mom said I can not come without MB.

She is beyond the 2 day mark and we will see her post the 2 week mark as well. Mom is a fighter. She will hang on for us.

The DRAMA:

The Siblings:
Sibling #1: Recently moved out of our house into an apartment with her daughter. Sibling #1 is not happy that we are going, but she can not, because she can not afford a ticket nor the time off, and I can't afford to bring her along for the ride this time. She is happily watching the pets at our place for us while we are gone. Thank you sissy.

Sibling #2: Sibling #2 had mom living with him for a few weeks when the cancer first popped it's ugly head back up. Sibling #2's LOVELY wife kicked my mother out of their house while she was undergoing treatments. Dad had moved to the great state of Texas while mom was in the hospital because their house had been sold and they had to be out, so Sibling #2 said he would take mom in because Sibling #1 sold her house as well and had nowhere to go (hence moved to Tennessee) and Sibling #3 has a LOT of issues including a teenie tiny house and some other issues best not discussed here and Tennessee is too far from Indiana to come here when you ar sick and the daily treatment option was out of the question from here, the commute would have done us both in. So now Sibling #2 wants to run down to Texas to see mom before she passes, probably to assuage his guilt.

Sibling #3 is the youngest of us 4 children. Sibling #3 is a big P.I.T.A. Sibling #3 has called my father, who has quite enough on his plate being as he is not entirely healthy himself, and pretty much tells him that he needs to buy her tickets for her, her ignorant jerk of a husband and her two teenage sons who do nothing but play computer games all day. Dad called me yesterday and asked me if I had the same parents as her. LOL.....um, dad, that would be more of a question for you and mom...not me. So we talk about it, leading me to tell him how much it is costing us to come see mom. Got a good rate, but it's still expensive. Traveling at crazy hours and days to get there as inexpensively as possible, then there is the car rental and food so mom and dad don't have to feed us. So dad got a ballpark figure. He calls Sibling #3 back and tells her, pretty much, to stuff it. If she can't manage to get her husband off his rump to pay for it, it's not gonna happen. Then he spells out how much airfare would be, plus a rental car (to which she replies that HE should drive the 100 plus miles to pick her and her brood up and pay for the gas to do it) and then he adds the food thing in (now she is irate that they are not willing to feed her). All in all, it would cost her about $2000 for the trip. So now the brilliant Sibling #3 is mad at me because I'm going. Yeah. Like I asked mom or dad for anything.

What have I asked my parents for? I asked that I see their lawyer friend while I am there (so I can help make real arrangements for when mom, and subsequently dad, do pass). I asked if I can go grocery shopping for them and cook some meals and freeze them so when mom can't cook all dad has to do is thaw and warm a dish I made for them.

Talking to dad tonight he flat out asks me "What are you going to do if you mom does not die? You are all going to be mad at me for getting you all to come down here aren't you?". Um......
no. "Dad, if mom does not die right after I come down it means I still have my mom!" Hellooooooo where does he get this crap from??? I then explained to him that I have a 5-year-old monkey who does not need to see death. If mom is "healthy" (see above) then my son remembers grandma "not scary" and has a good memory. You see, it's not just about mom, dad, sibling #1, #2 or #3, not about me, not about death and dying. It's about trying to let my son see his grandma one last time and have a good memory of it, not a scary tube filled, coma thing. This whole thing is hard enough. I don't need trauma on top of it.

Is that wrong?

Prayers going out to my favorite peripherial muser today.

You and your family have been in my thoughts and prayers all day PM.....

Please have your Copper update us when he can.

God bless and protect you!

Christmas is over.

I understand that a lot of people get depressed after Christmas. The celebrations are over. No more parties. No "fun" stuff. Family all leaves (more of a relief for some, sadness for others). There is nothing to do. The weather is frightful in a lot of places (sorry Colorado).

But here, it means the decorations have to come down. The only thing that depresses me about that is that I have created more work for myself.

I took the tree down last night and realized a few things about myself.

First, I did not get the kids their ornaments this year. This has become a tradition in our home that we individualize an ornament for the kids every year and mark it with their name and year. When they get their own places, they will have a bag full or "special" ornaments that are uniquely them. That's the plan anyway. I'm a slacker mom after all. Ebay, here I come.

Secondly, I think I will let DH get a real tree next year. Of course, I will probably make him get one in a bag so we can PLANT it, not trash it, when we are done celebrating. We'll see how that goes.

Finally, to anybody who has ever done a craft project with children that involves their face and the year (and possibly Santa), I need to thank you.

Thank you for preserving what I have never had the understanding of the significance of. I found MB's picture from pre-school when he was 2-1/2 with Santa and the one his Kindergarten teacher took this year next to the class Christmas tree. I sat there and cried like a baby. I admit it. I am a total sap when it comes to MB. I have never realized how awesome these little snapshots are. They are taken around the same time of year so you see a full year of change in a face. In this instance, a 3 year difference. I was so touched at the changes in my baby that I just sat there crying. Good thing DH was outside working in his shed or he would have freaked at the odd display of emotions from a woman who, 2 hours earlier, was talking about MB driving her absolutely crazy by talking non-stop.

So to all of the Sunday School teachers, Day-Care workers, grandmas, teachers, moms etc. who have taken the time to do a picture project at Christmas with a child......

THANK YOU.

You touch mom's hearts when we think the celebration is over.

Next year, I'm not putting the ornaments with MB on the tree. NOPE. I am creating a "MB Christmas tree" in my room, for my enjoyment, of my sweet boy and the celebration of all the sweet people who have thought enough about children to realize "this is special" and worked the project with them or for them.

So next year, if you are in the neighborhood, stop over and say hi, have some coffee, and visit our Christmas trees, one which celebrates the Tree to come that my saviour hung upon and one that celebrates my boy, my gift from God.

Oh My GOODNESS!!!

If you want to laugh your head off, go to www.elfyourself.com and pop in a few headshots of yourself, your family and the crabbiest person you know...

I gare-on-tee you will giggle yourself silly. I just spent almost 1-1/2 hours playing with this.

Oh, and share your giggles, you can email it to the person you elf-ed.

bwhaahahahahaa..

Merry Christmas!

If I could have a do-over

Stealing a post idea from a good friend. (thanks Tracy)

I like the idea of no regrets, only things that "maybe I would have done differently".

My list includes:

Getting married younger. Waiting till 30 was hard. Though sometimes I think I am still not ready to be married and we are 7 years into this thing callled life together.

I would have had children younger and more of them. That harkens back to the first issue. If you "wait" till you are married, as I did, you have to "wait" for the little blessings. I would like to have had more kiddos of my own and been younger to get around with them more.

Study something differen in school. Yeah. You're right momma. I should be a teacher, but really, how do I jump to that track now with the whole family/house/car/dogs/cats etc. Or maybe I should be a doctor, or a nurse...but definately not this claim stuff. I'm bored.

NO dogs in the house...ever. Seriously. If a dog is over 10 pounds, it belongs outside, with it's fleas.

well, really, that's it for now...seriously, I think.

Christmas

Christmastime can be a strange time of year. I grew up in the cold North with promises of way too much snow and no school and sledding. Now I live in the "South" and it's hot, not just warm, but down right hot today.

"What, today is not Christmas". Yep, I hear ya. Yesterday was. At our house at least. It sounded something like this from my bedroom.

MB to older brother: "my alarm went off, but the front is dark still. There is NOBODY out there."
(Unfortunately I could not hear which brother he was talking to so I missed half of the converstaion, but my vivid imagination fills it in because then I hear MB say, "But nobody else is awake". (mommy was smart enough to set MB's alarm so he would get me up and I could give him his meds and I would not have to reset my alarm clock, yet I could get an extra hour of sleep).

Finally I hear the patter of MB feet down the hall into the living room where I hear him exclaim:
(insert big sucking sound here and then a REALLY REALLY LOUD VOICE) "SANTA CAME ALREADY!!!!!"

and he had. We have my stepsons for a week, and rather than letting them open stuff and then leave, I figured I'd give them something to play with (other than the Xbox) for the time they were here.

So we had Christmas yesterday. I did inform MB if he is very very good, maybe we can sprinkle the "reindeer food" out front and Santa will come back on Christmas day.

Am I worried about Santa? Not at all. Ask MB why we celebrate Christmas and he will tell you it's when we celebrate the birth of Jesus (and then he will follow that with "my mommy needs to have another baby. I swear, I didn't bait that. The kid wants somebody to play with all the time).

The kids gleefully opened their gifts. Searched for their names on little tags. Grinned in delight as things they had NO expectation of were received. Each gift joyfully received and joyfully given. (Mommy likes finding the right thing, even when she is not sure what that is). Daddy basking in the moment and the discovery of what was chosen for each child.

No, I'm not worried about Santa. The kids in our house know what the season is all about. Giving and recieving. Ask MB about Santa and he will tell you of St. Nicholas. He understands that the star on the top of our tree is a reminder of a star over a town called Bethlehem over a baby in a barn sleeping in a feeding trough. That is how our Saviour, the love of our life, the one true Prince of Peace started his life. MB knows that this is a miracle. He LOVES the story and, thanks to a nifty product I saw last year called "What God Wants for Christmas" he knows that the gift we can give is ourselves, completely and without hesitation, to God. God WANTS us. There are people who feel unwanted and unloved or unlovable. That is not true. God WANTS you, deeply and truely and completely.

This Christmas, whether you celebrate early, late, or multiple times, remember the true gift is yourself given with the enthusiasm of a child finding the presents on Christmas; not concerned with brushing his teeth, combing his hair or even taking off the nasty pull-up until the last gift is received and the "afterglow" of Christmas is in the room. Not worried about "cleaning up" to come and recieve a gift. Just coming to the moment and making the choice to give into it. When you find yourself in that moment, I urge you to give in to the One who has wanted you from the beginning of time..

Merry Christmas, every day, every year.

Bad FORM people

We have a congested coffee area at work (Don't even get me started on the whole ice maker thing...blech)...
we have one of those cool machines that you pick your pouch of coffee and slap it into the machine and wait like 35 seconds (too long sometimes) to get a pippin' hot cup-o-joe or tea or whatever is your fancy from a pouch. Not the best, but when you are desperate for a fix, it'll even brew you an espresso.

But it's in a corner, next to a toaster, a water "purifier" and a regular coffee pot next to the sink and said blechy ice machine is on the bottom.

Flanking coffee station on the right are 3 gross refrigerators that everybody forgets they have food in.

So here's the problem. People who stand directly in front of the blechy ice maker and the coffee station, blocking the water "purifier" and the other coffee pot....FOR NO APPARENT REASON...and don't move when you say "excuse me".

COME ON PEOPLE, when there are 3 people standing there looking at you like "GET out of the WAY!" and one finally says "excuse me, could you move".....

M O V E!!!!!

Don't glare at us
Don't look at me like I'm stupid.

MOVE YOUR BUTT, you're blocking the motivation for work.

It'd be different if you were waiting on a somewhat tasty coffee or even being brave enough to gag your way into the ice machine (It's a scoop thing...and I've seen the scoop hit the floor and the rude dropper just hang it back up like they didn't just drop it on the GROSS floor.....really ppl...and we won't talk about bathroom hands.....blechy!!!!!)

But if you are standing there for attention, I guarantee the attention you are getting is not what you want.

Wanna talk on your cell phone privately, I guarantee that is not the place.
Wanna look important? NOPE.

Just
Move
Out
of the
Way.....and maybe, get yourself some ice so we can have a few days without ya.

The tale of the apple and the tree

I am reminded today of the simple saying "The apple does not fall far from the tree".

That being said, all things that grew with a "stem" need a few more lessons in manners and behavior in my house.

Yeah, read into it all you want, good and bad. It's true.

Oh man the holiday's are upon me and I realized

I'm FAT. Not just Phat or cute oompa loompa fat, but way too big for my britches fat.

It's depressing. I have always been a big girl, but lately.......yeah.

I need to do something. Is it like AA where you admit you are powerless over your fat and bad eating habits and seek your Higher power (In my case God) to help you get rid of the bulge? I am the size of two people. TWO.

Bitterly depressing. I know a lot of the factors in my seeming inability to get rid of the bubbling fat deposits on my body. First there is dissatisfaction with the "state of my life". I am not where I hoped I would be. Not even close. Did I have a lot of plans? Nope, but how do I achieve at least one of them?

Secondly there is the fact that, though I enjoy my job on most days, it is completely sedentary and you are encouraged to NOT leave your cubicle because there is too much to do and only a 30 min lunch to do it in. For me, that's like an extended coffee break, not a work break. Maybe I can get them to change my schedule back to 8 to 5:00, especially since I come in at 7:30 every day anyway after I drop MB off at school.

Thirdly, my house is too small for all the people living here, and all the people, myself included, like to eat crap. That and everybody else is so picky I'm burned out on cooking. I eat because it's there and tastes better than fish and baked chicken.

I need pointers, tips, advice, a chastity belt for my mouth.

Help me dear blogger friend before I blow up like Harry Potter's aunt in The Prisoner of Azcarban. (Don't flame me, I know I probably spelled it wrong. I like Harry Potter).

help