They've Stolen My Heart. Yes, They Have.

I had the wonderful privilege of being selected for the coveted position of chaperon for our sixth grade field trip to Baltimore Inner Harbor. I really didn't know what all the hula-ba-loo was about until I actually went. We had coach buses, admission to the aquarium with the mammal show (aka dolphins) and a tour of Camden Yards, which I can hardly believe I'm typing this....was my most favorite part of the day (besides spending it with some really cool kids). And, they gave all of us $15 each for lunch! I was in shock. I was thrilled and then understood the bitterness from the parents that for whatever reason were not chosen (probably because it was the only thing they signed up for all year while the rest of us slaved away in the conference room for a week counting magazine orders!). Yes, at our school you gotta earn your field trips!

The funny thing is that I really don't find middle school kids to be annoying. I enjoy having them at my house and for the most part (and, there are exceptions) if you treat them with kindness and respect you'll usually get it in return. Even from the kids who act like they could care less. I find them staring at me when they think I'm not looking. Maybe it's my moles or maybe they are trying to figure me out. Who knows? Speaking of my awful moles, I could entertain you with an entire post dedicated to funny stories of little kids and their comments on my moles.

Ewww...side note here...as I'm typing I'm eating strawberries I bought from a roadside stand near my house and there is a big hair in it and it is not the color of mine.....I think I'll be done now.

Okay, enough about my hairy strawberries and moles, I'm talking about teenagers now. Well, almost teenagers officially, but if you ask my opinion 12 is the new 14 (just like 38 is the new 26). Some of you are probably like, HUH? What the heck is she talking about?? Nevermind. God is so good at basically EVERYTHING that He takes us to places in our life we could never imagine ourselves and then REDEEMS us through those circumstances. For example, I feel so blessed to pray for and mentor young people now to make wise, Godly choices in their lives because I did not do that when I was their age. I was a wild child and desperately needed a mentor and someone praying for me growing up. Now, I can help young girls from making the same mistakes I made. That is redemption, people. Can I get an AMEN??

God is just so good like that!

(Dread) Locks of Love

#3 is sporting a new hair do! We have experienced various hair trauma over the years as I have begged her to let us cut her hair short. She screams when I come at her with any brush besides her "purple one". And, the "purple one" is worthless.

So, after seeing some friends at school with cute summer hair cuts, she asked me to take her to the beauty salon to get hers cut. I tried my best to brush through it this morning, but ended up doing what we all do on bad hair days. I threw it in a ponytail and hoped the lucky lady who wound up cutting her hair wouldn't have a nervous breakdown and quit her job on the spot.

I offered some lame explanations as the lady tried to run her fingers through her hair. I told her we have been using a clarifying shampoo to get the chlorine out and it dried out her hair. Blah, blah, blah, blah.....I know the lady was thinking exactly like what I was trying not to sound like. This mother must never brush this child's hair. Her teeth are probably rotting, too. And, I must admit, if I only had one child there is no way the lady would have had to tell me that my daughter had begun to form dreadlocks in her hair and the only way to get them out was to cut them.

Oh shame on me! I was horrified! Thankfully, the worst of it was closest to her neck so when she cut all but a half inch of her hair off there, the other layers cover it up nicely. I tried not to notice that as her hair was cut and falling to the floor it looked like a chunk of a rug or a muskrat or something hideous that a child should never have growing out of her head. I was having one of those lame mommy moments until the Holy Spirit reminded me that she may have dreads, but she is one happy kid. And, other than this unfortunate hair drama I take relatively good care of her. You know, for being the third one and all.

A Dream Come True!

I had a dream. It was amazing! In my dream I was in bed, pulled back the sheer curtain with my foot and this is what I saw as a warm breeze blew over me:


Then, I climbed out of bed and walked out onto the balcony:


I was dreaming that I stayed at a 3 million dollar beach house:


Okay, pinch me! I really wasn't dreaming! I seriously walked in the front door and you may as well have had Ty Pennington yelling to "move that bus" because I was freaking out just like those people on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition! I could not get over the magnificence of this house. I felt like Ivana Trump and Mrs. Thurston Howell the Third all rolled into one, Dah-ling.

Now, I will just keep boring you with all the pictures of this 6 bedroom palace we stayed in with a total of 21 of us. We had met up in North Carolina to celebrate The Husband's pa-paw's 90th birthday. It was so memorable...here are a few of my favorites around the house (notice The Husband sleeping...he did that a lot because he would get up at like 5am every morning):






We even saw a wedding on the beach and cheered them on from our balcony (which looks to have annoyed the bride a bit?):

I drove a golf cart to the one of the only places there was to go....the t-shirt shop. This was a highlight each day for the children. So was riding the elevator in the house; however it didn't always open up for the kids and it was the size of a small closet. I was a little nervous about it by the end of our stay after having to free them several times. From the elevator. Not the golf cart.

Our pool was heated to the temperature of bath water. Until the heater broke on the last day. I was the lucky one who discovered it when I did a running cannonball at about 9am and found the water to be a bit....ummmmm.....frigid. Did anyone hear me screaming back in PA? This is a pre-heater breakdown picture when the water felt like a comfortable 85 degrees.

Beach pics and family photo shoot to be continued......

Coming Soon.....

I have a screaming headache and a house full of suitcases that are still packed, but I can't wait to share with you.....

• My first middle school chaperon experience (don't worry...it was a good one!)
• Our amazing trip to the North Carolina beach where we stayed in a 3 million dollar beach house
• I'm pregnant (nah....I always like to throw that one in there to liven things up a bit).
• My brother's surprise visit from Michigan (which took place most of the time we were out of town, unfortunately)
• My PTA angst

I know you'll all be waiting on the edge of your seats for the details.....LOL!

Good Times

I am anxiously awaiting this Friday. We will be leaving to meet a bunch of The Husband's family at the beach in the Carolina's. We are renting a beach house that sleeps 24! How cool is that? The Husband's pa-paw turned 90 so it is a celebration of his life, as well as the first time we've all been together in about 2 and a half years. Pretty much all of my in-laws are somewhere in Florida. Many of our friends think that is pretty cool, but it is harder to visit then most people think. First of all, the question always arises whether we should fly or drive. And, they are all spread throughout the entire state! We've decided the ideal is to buy an RV and just tour Florida to visit one month out of each year! But, alas, our surplus check won't stretch to accomodate that plan, not to mention we are using it to supplement me not working this summer!

So, it will be good to spend five days with most of them over the holiday weekend. I love, love, love and adore my sister-in-law (who is a frequent lurker on this blog!). I didn't write that just because I know she'll read this either! My SIL is one of the sweetest people I've ever met. She is usually smiling and very calmly and patiently mothers our 4 nieces and nephews. Speaking of nieces and nephews, including our girls, there are 8 cousins and mine can barely sleep at night because they are so excited to be together.

I'm ready to just relax, eat and laugh for a few days. Of course, I'll be working on my savage tan (HA!). I'm looking forward to posting lots of pictures when we get back.

FREE Dinner

This may be a little last minute, but I figured I'd throw it out there for you....

On May 20th at 6pm, Herd Chiropractic will be hosting a FREE dinner talk at the Hoss's in Mechanicsburg. They will be doing another one on June 16th. I am the "hostess with the mostest" at these talks and they are very informative....and, I don't get anything for you showing up! I just figured I'd spread the word (and have some people there that I actually KNOW)....but, here are the details...

• It is for you and 1 or 2 adult guests (no kids)

• They will be drawing a door prize for a $200 gas card giveaway (tomorrow is the last date they will do this)
  

• You should not already be under chiropractic care anywhere else because....duh, they are hoping to get new business and not steal it away from someone else!

• Did I mention it is free? They buy your dinner and some of the chiropractors will talk for a few minutes about maintaining a healthy spine and how it affects your overall health.
  

• Just leave me a comment if you or someone else you know can attend tomorrow evening or on June 16th.

That's it! Pretty simple. By the way, just a little plug....I threw my lower back out last weekend and suffered in pain all week. I got adjusted on Friday and immediately felt better...the pain is now 90% gone and I didn't need any medication or other doctor appointments. Praise the Lord!

Way to Go, Honey Pots!

Last night #2 and #3's softball team won their first game! And, even better, #3 scored her first run. We were all screaming....you would have thought she had 11 sets of parents! She is the only 6 year old on an under 9 team and most of the time provides the comedy relief. All her friends are playing tee-ball and we're not exactly sure how she ended up on a fast pitch minors team?? But, last night she got a base hit, stole second base, stole third base and ended with a big jump on to home plate and the biggest smile her face could hold! And, #2 pitched for part of the game and one inning pitched a no hitter! I was so proud!

Their team is officially named the Yellow Hornets and they are sponsored by a septic company (aka Port-a-Johns). The coaches have affectionately nicknamed them the Honey Pots! Get it? They're yellow like honey and .....well, you get it, right??? It took me a little while......

Raising the Bar

It can be hard.

I am trying to go back in time and remember being a 12-year old, 8-year old, and 6-year old girl. The problem is that I did not have a relationship with Jesus at those times in my life. There were lies I believed and experiences I had back then that I still deal with the repercussions now. On the flip side, I don't want my kids to think they have to be perfect all the time. Yet, teaching them that almost invites an attitude of getting away with stuff because "I'm not perfect. I'm only human".

So, I'm learning to parent them with a message of mercy, grace and forgiveness. However, the bar is set very high. Things that most people think are no big deal (crude language, complaining, discouraging others) are a huge deal at our house! Sometimes when I am explaining to #1 that it is disrespectful to the teacher to pass notes in class, I can't help but wonder if I am the only parent telling their kids this! Or, are the parents talking and the kids tuning out? Again, I am a firm believer of lots of prayer and seeking wisdom from God on this whole "parenting trip" we're on! Thankfully, I see a desire in my kids to please God, which in turn pleases me. And, to be completely honest, most of their negative behavior is a reflection of The Husband's and my own weaknesses! I can tell you that when there are re-occurring problems, I need to start looking in my mirror and not just in my Bible for some answers. Many times I find my heart isn't in the right place and it sets off the rest of my family. Again, it is time to raise the bar, not just with my kids, but in my own life, as well.

Who Likes Their Produce a Little on the Creepy Side?

I'm not certain I'll ever be able to eat lettuce again....

....or, watermelon.

Dolphins aren't so bad....

...but, this is just freaky!!

Again, I'm disturbed....is this a picture of suicide by juicer?? I prefer to think of it as hugging the toilet because he has the flu. You know....a lemon having the flu?? Or, is it an orange?

I'd better get to bed.

Happy Mom's Day!

It's Mother's Day weekend and I feel the need to take a few minutes to break my blogging fast to ramble about being a mom. Because most of you reading this are probably moms or will be a mom one day.

While taking a break from blogging I'd love to tell you that I have deep spiritual revelations burning inside me to share with the internet world or I had the most hilarious thing happen to me at Kohl's. I've had some amazing revelations and encounters over the last few weeks, but really they are personal and not something I feel led to preach on the internet! No, the best I can do is tell you with coupons I saved $40 on my grocery bill at Giant. So, here I am back to talking about being a mom so that one day when my kids read this it will somehow convey the depth of my love for Jesus and for them.

One thing I have been learning over the last few weeks is that apart from God, we are like hamsters on a wheel. Running and going no where and then being frustrated (I don't know if hamsters get frustrated, but I do!). And, despite being madly in love with Jesus, I've found myself on the hamster wheel in a few areas. Some aspects of my parenting feel like I'm striving and getting no where in my own strength.

I began to really listen to our family devotions and prayer time. I wondered if the angels were sitting around yawning and checking their watches. One night after my kids intently watched the Disney Channel for an hour, they goofed off and talked while I was trying to pray and I literally stopped praying mid-sentence and sent them to bed. They were shocked and I was disappointed. Since when does the God of the universe deserve less respect than Hannah Montana? But, I had allowed it to get to that point....and, I felt hopeless and wondered if they were being immature or rebellious?

Excuse me, Lord, can you please help me climb off the hamster wheel?

I realized that I needed to pray more and preach less. Sure, I try to walk the walk and not just talk the talk, but, boy I can TALK the TALK, people! It was time to ask for the power Jesus promised us. He said we'll do greater works than He did on the earth. Hello! Greater miracles than walking on water, feeding 5000 and raising the dead??? Praying for a "good" day just seems kind of tame and safe to me. So, we talked to the girls about our repetitive, vague prayers and devotions.....and, oh my word....they have some fire in them now! And, ultimately it isn't about getting all pumped up on God's power and keeping it to ourselves. I absolutely believe with all my heart there is a call on our family, a mantle, an anointing to break down strongholds the enemy has set up in our region. We are called. And, by the way, so are you. But, you probably already know that.

As I watch my girls grow, I am proud. There is so much I could say about each one. I almost feel like they make every day Mother's Day for me. They are all affectionate and fill my life with so much laughter. So, these tough times we go through only bring us closer. I love that they were all willing to increase the intensity of their prayer time and take their callings a little more seriously. And, I am more grateful then ever before to be blessed with these three precious treasures!

One Week Into My Blogging Break

So much happens in a week! I've enjoyed reading my Bible EVERY morning. It has made such a difference in my outlook for the day. I highly recommend it. When jealous, critical, insecure thoughts began to nag at me, I knew this was not the voice of my Father and I could proclaim His truth instead.

I wrote some letters, went on a field trip, and am playing Mama Rabbit, along with #2 and #3, to a precious pack of baby bunnies The Dog found in an old pen we use to store our summer patio furniture in our yard. Today I noticed some flies buzzing around them and I thought that was odd. Sadly, I had to pull out a dead bunny from the bottom of the bunny hole. But, the other five are holding strong and their mama must be coming at night to feed them because they look healthy. We were a little worried since one of them actually got outside of the fence and had a bunch of flies on it. I wasn't even sure if it was alive, but #3 found it and rescued it and it seems to be fine now. We have bunny on the brain. I hope and pray they all make it. Meaning, I hope The Dog doesn't get to them when they decide they are old enough to leave the safety of the pen!

The Bunny Whisperer

I also got to the gym three times, which is good since I discovered my latest food obsession. OH MY WORD!!! Insanely delicious, I tell you. Click here. I've already eaten 2 of them today and I cannot allow myself to even drive in the vicinity of this fat-laden temptation. But, if you go...get the OC Sand. That's all I'm going to say.

The Husband broke his nose yesterday playing baseball with the girls. Ouch. He is also working a crazy schedule at work. Some days he goes in for 6 hours and then other days he works 14. I feel so bad for him right now.

I will admit that my thinking is starting to return to normal versus trying to think in my mind how I'm going to turn every funny or spiritual account into a blog post. Freedom!