Wordless Wednesday - Mini Mol (Agree or Disagree?)

Take Time To Smell The Roses... And Give One More Kiss Goodnight...

I recently read a book called Choosing To See by Mary Beth Chapman. If you're not familiar with the Chapmans, Steven Curtis Chapman is a Christian music artist and Mary Beth is his wife. They have three children of their own and they adopted three children from China. In May of 2008, the youngest child was hit by a car driven by her older brother and was killed. Choosing To See is the about the Chapman's life and about the tragic accident that their family has been struggling through.

Something that really stood out to me in this book was when Mary Beth was talking about how busy their lives were and how looking back she wishes she'd spent more time playing and less time working, more time snuggling and less time worrying about the house, one more kiss, one more hug, one more...

I've really been thinking about this a lot lately as I go about my busy life running kids here and there, throwing dinner on the table, rushing through showers and bedtime routines, etc. I get so caught up in the day to day stuff that I don't take time to stop and smell the roses or to give that one more snuggle, one more kiss or hear one more story.

I've been making a conscious effort at bedtime every night to try and slow it down... To make sure that both kids get all of their kisses, hugs and snuggles and all of their 'mama kisses' and not just to go through the motions, but to actually ENJOY those moments. Those are moments that could be taken away at any time (although I pray every day that they're NOT taken from me) and moments that I can never get back.

I'm not moving mountains or stopping the Earth from spinning but I *AM* trying to capture more and more of those moments a little bit at a time. Every time I find myself rushing, the words from Mary Beth's book fill my head and guilt overcomes me. I'm trying... I'm trying...

Who Is God?

This was written by an 8-year-old named Danny Dutton, who lives in Chula Vista, CA . He wrote it for a third grade homework assignment, 'Explain God'. I wonder if any of us could have done as well?


EXPLANATION OF GOD:

'One of God's main jobs is making people. He makes them to replace the ones that die, so there will be enough people to take care of things on earth. He doesn't make grownups, just babies. I think because they are smaller and easier to make. That way he doesn't have to take up his valuable time teaching them to talk and walk. He can just leave that to mothers and fathers.'

'God's second most important job is listening to prayers An awful lot of this goes on, since some people, like preachers and things, pray at times beside bedtime. God doesn't have time to listen to the radio or TV because of this. Because he hears everything, there must be a terrible lot of noise in his ears, unless he has thought of a way to turn it off.'

'God sees everything and hears everything and is everywhere which keeps Him pretty busy. So you shouldn't go wasting his time by going over your mom and dad's head asking for something they said you couldn't have.'

'Atheists are people who don't believe in God. I don't think there are any in Chula Vista... At least there aren't any who come to our church.'

'Jesus is God's Son. He used to do all the hard work, like walking on water and performing miracles and trying to teach the people who didn't want to learn about God. They finally got tired of him preaching to them and they crucified him. But he was good and kind, like his father, and he told his father that they didn't know what they were doing and to forgive them and God said okay.'

'His dad (God) appreciated everything that he had done and all his hard work on earth so he told him he didn't have to go out on the road anymore. He could stay in heaven. So he did. And now he helps his dad out by listening to prayers and seeing things which are important for God to take care of and which ones he can take care of himself without having to bother God. He's like a secretary, only more important.'

'You can pray anytime you want and they are sure to help you because they got it worked out so one of them is on duty all the time.'

'You should always go to church on Sunday because it makes God happy, and if there's anybody you want to make happy, it's God!

'Don't skip church to do something you think will be more fun like going to the beach. This is wrong. And besides the sun doesn't come out at the beach until noon anyway.'

'If you don't believe in God, besides being an atheist, you will be very lonely, because your parents can't go everywhere with you, like to camp, but God can. It is good to know He's around you when you're scared, in the dark or when you can't swim and you get thrown into real deep water by big kids.'

'But... You shouldn't just always think of what God can do for you. I figure God put me here and he can take me back anytime he pleases.'


'And... That's why I believe in God.'


AMAZING! I couldn't have said it better if I'd tried... And believe me, as a Sunday School teacher, I'VE TRIED!

Blessing Of The Backpacks

Today the kids had their backpacks blessed. Yes, they're being sent back to school with big blessings on their backs.

Our pastor has everyone (adults and kids alike) bring their backpacks to church. He calls everyone with backpacks to gather around him at the front of the church. He gives a short lesson (almost like a children's sermon) then has everyone put their backpacks on the alter. He then says a prayer and gives every backpack a sticker.

It was a bit chaotic with kids and backpacks flying everywhere, but it was cute and the kids were all excited.

After the Blessing of the Backpacks we had our first day of Sunday School. There were thirteen kids there yesterday. I know that doesn't sound like many to a lot of you, but to me it was an army! We're lucky if we have six.

The unfortunate thing is that I won't be there to teach next week which means there will be no Sunday School. It's a bummer to start off so strong and then have to skip the next week but all last year I taught Sunday School and put on all of the Children's Youth Group events with very little help and I'm not in a place to be able to do that this year. For one thing it's too much work and for another thing it makes me begin resenting church and the activities and that's not good.

So... At this point we're taking it slow and we'll see what happens but I'm hoping that in the next week, someone new steps up. Any takers??

Growing Up TOO Fast!

Here's what happens when you let your almost 7 year old go shopping with daddy....

If you can't tell, it's a 12 pack of beer and two bottles of beer. Lord, help me!

Zucchini Boats

This time of year brings a bounty of fresh fruits and veggies up for grabs at my work. People have gardens and orchards and can't eat all of the produce they harvest. This is GREAT for me, because we love the garden fresh zucchini and tomato!

Tonight I tried something new with zucchini... ZUCCHINI BOATS! They were a hit! The kids didn't eat the 'boat' part of the zucchini boats, but I didn't care because there was zucchini cut up in the filling as well. Sneaky, I know!

Zucchini Boats

* 1 largish zucchini, cut in half and then halved lengthwise

* 1 lb ground turkey

* 1/4 c onion, chopped

* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 Tbsp butter

* 1 medium tomato, chopped

* 1 can of corn, drained

* 1 Tbsp parsley

* 1/2 tsp salt

* 1/4 tsp basil

* 1/8 tsp pepper

* 1/2 cup bread crumbs

* Parmesan cheese

Remove pulp from zucchini pieces; chop and set aside. Parboil zucchini boats in boiling water for 1 minute. Spray a shallow baking dish with olive oil. Drain the zucchini boats and place them in the baking dish. Melt the butter in a large skillet. Saute turkey, onion and garlic for two minutes. Add zucchini pulp, tomato, parsley, salt, basil and pepper. Saute about 5 minutes longer or until the zucchini is tender and the turkey is completely cooked. Add the corn and breadcrumbs. Spoon the mixture in to the zucchini boats. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Top with Parmesan cheese and bake an additional five minutes or until the cheese is melted.

YUM! And yes, my kids ate it! I wonder what tomorrow night will bring...

First Days of School

First days of school... Again... ALREADY! I can't believe how fast the time passes. Before I know it my 'babies' will be off at college.


Little A is in Junior Kindergarten this year. She goes to school three hours a day, five days a week and is loving every minute of it. Hopefully this year she will make huge progress in her writing and letter recognition. My girl is a little backwards... She knows the sounds, but not the letter names. She'll probably be reading proficiently before her brother.


Big A is in first grade this year. He was excited that 3/4 of the kids from his kindergarten class are in his class again this year. My hope for him this year is that he will work hard on controlling his actions and being a good listener, and also become a SUPER reader. I'm not sure if he gets bored, or what, but he can be a handful.

I'll say it again because I still can't believe it... They're growing up TOO FAST! *SIGH*

Here's to another great year!

Confessions Of A Slacker Mom - Blogging

All right, all right... I'm a slacker. I'd rather catch up on mindless reality TV at night after the kids go to bed than stay up and blog. I'd rather read books or play Words With Friends. Our computer is painfully slow and I hate doing just about anything on it. We're gone camping every other weekend. The dog ate my homework. I can come up with a million more excuses if you want to hear them!

I'm getting a lot of grief about not updating my blog. Thank you to my loyal 'fans' (Hahaha.... You know who you are!) for keeping me on my toes. I must confess... This is TOUGH! I have the ideas and I know what I want to write about each day. I usually even start the entry so that I can go back and REMEMBER what I wanted to write that day.

But... It takes me forever to go back and FINISH the entry, and I apologize. I will TRY to do better. Maybe if I put it out there for the world to read, I really WILL do better. (Hey... It's worth a shot!)

Thanks for sticking with me, even if I'm a slacker! You're the best!

Fun Times With God Mother And God Father

This weekend we had a visit from God Mother and God Father! God Mother and God Father are my Aunt Marilee and Uncle Larry from Southern California who also happen to be Big A's God Mother and Little A's God Father as well as the bringers of all things gooey, sticky, sweet and made for spoiling. I can't imagine WHY the kids get so excited about their visits!

They arrived late Thursday night and stayed until Saturday morning and we had a blast hanging out, catching up, swimming, shopping, laughing, eating (lots of eating) and just being together. And don't forget the trip to the car wash... I'm SURE that was the highlight of their trip!

Thanks for coming to visit us, guys! We're glad that you did and can't wait to see you again! We hope we don't have to wait until Laughlin to see you. That's a LONG ways away! Love you!!

A Smattering Of Kidisms

Big A saw this jar on the kitchen counter and said, "OH, MOM! You bought CHOCOLATE JELLY!?!?"

_______________________________________________

A couple of the local movie theaters in our area do a summer movie program where they show kid movies at 10am on certain days of the week. This is the first year that we've participated in this program but B took the kids to 3 or 4 of the movies this year. When telling me about their day they excitedly said, "Today we saw Diarrhea Wimpy Kid!!"

_______________________________________________

While driving home from a particularly long car trip I had heard enough bickering from the backseat so I said, "Let's play a game. Who's the first person that can find a horse?"

Big A replied, "That's easy! And when I see it I'll say, "Hey, I see a horse!"

Maybe you had to be there, but it was SO funny!

_______________________________________________

We were driving through a neighborhood where one of our friends lives and we had just passed their house. Little A asked, "Where is DF's house?"

At the same time Big A and I answered, "It's back there," then I said, "Jinx, you owe me a coke," and explained to Big A that when two people say the exact same thing at the exact same time, you say, "Jinx, you owe me a coke."

It was quiet for a minute and then Big A asked, "Who's Jinx and why does he owe you a coke?"


I'll tell you, these two keep me laughing and keep me on my toes! I love them SO much!

A Little Day Brightener

I've been going through some tough times lately... A lot of 'stuff' going on in my life. It's difficult for me, because I'm usually the one who is so together and with it. I'm upbeat and things are usually going well. But we all have those times in our lives where things seem to be sort of crumbling around us, right? (This is where you agree with me because to not agree would make me feel even worse...)

Today we were out running errands and I didn't feel much like going in and out of stores. I opted to stay in the car and read a book on my Kindle. As B was getting the kids out of the car, Big A said, "I'll stay here and take care of Mommy." Talk about one of those 'melt-my-heart' moments.... He and I stayed in the car and snuggled and talked and enjoyed each other's company.

And to aid in the cheering process, B and Little A returned to the car with a beautiful bunch of brightly colored flowers...

I LOVE MY FAMILY! Thanks, guys! I needed that!

Let The Games Begin!

Soccer season is here again, and this year both kids are playing!

Little A plays in the U6 division. Games are played four on four with no goalie on a small field for 4 five minute periods (or something like that) and the focus is a little on learning and a lot on having fun. Big A plays in the U8 division. I'm not sure how the games work, but I do know that they have goalies and referees and they are starting to learn the positions and what it means to be 'off sides', etc. The focus is a lot on learning and not as much on having fun.

This 'not as much on having fun' thing is a bit of a problem for Big A. He commented to me the other day that, "I really want to play soccer when it's sign up time but after I start playing I wish I hadn't signed up." Oh, kid... Welcome to life!

I can't wait to see these guys in their first games! Good luck, Shooting Stars and Black Cobras! Here's to a great season!

Another One Down!

Tooth number 5... GONE! While I knew that Big A had 4 loose teeth, I didn't think any were loose enough to come out... Guess I was wrong!

The darn Tooth Fairy REALLY makes Big A work hard and use his brain. This time the Tooth Fairy left $1 in all mixed coin. Call me mean, but I LOVE watching him count the money and I think it's a great math lesson! Keep those teeth coming!

You've Heard Of Blackberries?

You've heard of blackberries...

But have you heard of new smart cookies? The new chocolate chip appears to be the favorite! They have all the capabilities of a regular phone... Talk time, texting... You name it!

Yes, my children DO have great imaginations!