That Kind Of Night...

Ever have one of those nights when the kids ask politely to stop watching television and go to bed? The kind when they quietly climb the stairs, take off their dirty clothes and place them gently into the laundry basket, put on their pajamas, use the restroom, brush their teeth, and climb into bed? The kind when they wait patiently for you to come tuck them in without screaming, crying, fighting, jumping or any number of other disruptive behaviors?

Yeah, me neither!

How about one of those nights when the kids won't settle down and stop egging each other on so they can get ready for bed? The kind when you say things that you REALLY don't mean because they just slip out? The kind when you threaten to do things that you'd never do because in the heat of the moment you don't know what else to say?

Yeah, me too... Tonight was THAT kind of night.


PS. Santa, if you're reading this, I don't REALLY want you to bring me kids who listen and behave... I love my rambunctious monkeys WAY too much for that! I'll keep 'em! THANKS!

Thanksgiving Weekend

Ahhh... Thanksgiving... The final stop before we all jump on the Christmas train! A day to spend with family, a day to reflect on what you're thankful for, a day to eat until you couldn't possibly eat another bite, a day to watch football, a day to sleep so that you're able to get up at 3 o'clock the following morning to participate in 'BLACK FRIDAY'... Thanksgiving means different things to everyone. To me, it was a day to spend with family and a day to reflect on the many blessings that the Lord has given me. What did Thanksgiving mean t0 you?

On Thanksgiving morning we headed over to my parents house fairly early. The kids rode bikes and 'helped' Grandpa while my mom and I started dinner and B went on a wild goose chase around town (THANKS, B!) to find me a copy of the Press Democrat so that i could peruse the Black Friday ads to find out if there was REALLY anything out there worth getting up at 3 am for (since my shopping was pretty much done, I was figuring probably not...). When B returned with my paper (and finished checking out the ads himself) he and my dad took the kids to an empty parking lot to ride bikes while my mom and I finished preparing dinner.

Taking the training wheels off...

After bike riding and a quick stop at Starbucks, the troops returned and B went to work (SORRY, B!) while the rest of us rested. Soon we were awakened by my sister and brother-in-law and cousins Joe and Matthew. Joe and Matthew immediately took Big A and Little A and went off to play. They were SO good with the kids! They played in the barn, in the dirt pile, on the swing set, in the back room, and in the bedroom, and never once complained or treated the kids poorly, or anything. Joe and Matthew, YOU ROCK!

My sister wanted to take a picture of her boys for their Christmas cards but they wouldn't stand for it so I kind of tricked them into letting me take a picture without them really knowing what I was doing (SORRY, GUYS!). I told them I wanted a picture of them with A & A, but then went on and took one of A & A by themselves and then one of the boys by themselves. Sly, huh? I can't wait to see their Christmas cards!

There's something that gets me about meals in general, but Thanksgiving and Christmas, especially... You spend hours shopping, prepping and cooking and you start out with a BEAUTIFUL table that looks something like this...

You gather everyone around, say a blessing, pass the food, eat, drink, talk a little and within thirty minutes, you have this...

I just don't get it... We could order KFC, save TONS of time, money and effort, and STILL be able to enjoy the company and the spirit of the day... Just a thought!

During dinner Little A put olives on all of her fingers. I'm sure you've done that, right? I know I have! But that's not the funny part... The funny part is that as soon as she had them on all ten fingers, she folded her hands, bowed her head and started in... "Dear, God... Thank you for...." TOO CUTE!

After dinner we cleaned up, ate dessert, visited a bit more and said our goodbyes. I had tired kids and a RAGING headache and couldn't wait to get home and crawl into bed.

It turns out that there was nothing I couldn't live without in any of the Black Friday sales, but Little A and I did get up around 8 o'clock Friday morning and go shopping. The beauty of shopping with Little A is that she's still young enough that I can get away with buying things for her when she's with me. She's kind of a tough one to shop for because she never asks for things and even when she does, she plays with it for a second in the cart and then says, "I'm done. You can put it back." On one hand this is a blessing because she never argues about not getting things in the store but on the other hand it makes it difficult to buy gifts so I was happy when she found a baby and a couple of Littlest Pet Shop things she actually wanted to keep with her.

After shopping with Little A we picked up Big A and B and did a bit more shopping, then headed back to my parents' house so my mom and I could do some MORE shopping. Friday was pretty much a shopping day! Saturday on the other hand... THAT was a play day! We spend a few hours playing at our friends' house then came home to nap. After naps we met the same friends for dinner and ice cream then did a WEE bit more shopping before returning home and ordering our Christmas cards.

Today was like most Sundays... Church in the morning, relaxing afternoon, and Grandma and Grandpa coming over for dinner. Wait... Did I say relaxing afternoon? In THIS house? Are you kidding? Today we tried to "Christmify" our house both inside and out but never quite got there. I now have a half decorated house and boxes piled everywhere. But you my friends, are more important than finishing my Christmas decorations... I couldn't leave you hanging for two days so I chose blogging over decorating. Whatever, sue me! But don't tell my kids I was blogging instead of decorating, okay? Deal? GOOD!

And remember that dinner I mentioned? The one where my parents came over for a home cooked meal? Yeah... That kind of turned into ordering pizza when the new recipe I was trying didn't cook QUITE as fast as the recipe said it would. So that meal has now traveled home with Grandma and Grandpa where I will reheat it for dinner tomorrow night. One of the reviews said the meal is better the second day anyhow, so we shall see!

All in all it was a GREAT weekend and I feel like I accomplished SO much!

Quote For The Day

Today we had to go to Cost Plus to pick up some Christmas gifts. Since the party store is right next door, I told Little A that we'd go see what they had in the way of Ariel party supplies.

When she heard we were going to the party store she said, "MOMMY! Can we see if they have an Ariel hitter?"

Come on, all of you are smart people! I KNOW you can figure that one out if you try!

Blessed Be Your Name

Just a little something to think about today... Through good times and bad times, happy times and sad times, the Lord is always there with you, always there for you, always accepting of you.

Whatever you're doing this holiday weekend, may you do it safely, have fun, and enjoy it! Oh... And a couple of extra days off work isn't bad, either!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Today I Am Thankful...

Okay... In reality I am thankful EVERY day (I know I am, but sometimes I get so caught up in the moment that I don't realize it) but today I am especially thankful.

Today I am thankful for...

* My family, both immediate and extended. I have a wonderful husband and the two greatest kids in the world. We also have our parents and tons of extended family that we enjoy spending time with as often as we can.

* My faith and the major role it plays in my life and in shaping who I am and who I am yet to become.

* My friends. Neither B or myself remained close to many of the friends we had growing up but since having children, we have created a whole new circle of friends and we love each and every one of them.

* Good health. The kids underwent successful surgeries this past summer that really made a difference in the number of ear infections and colds they've had, mom's knee replacement surgery was successful and she's well on her way to being fully recovered, and we are overall just healthy.

* My job. Although like most I have my share of day to day struggles and frustrations at work, at least I have a job.

* A roof over our heads and food on the table. We may have a small house, but it's bursting at the seams with love!

See! I told you I had a great deal to be thankful for! What are YOU thankful for?

Hope To The Hungry

We were motivated today... Motivated to give hope to another human being... Another mom, dad, child, grandparent or friend. You're probably wondering what the heck I'm talking about, right?? I'm talking about K LOVE's Hope to the Hungry Campaign.

K LOVE is a Christian radio station that broadcasts all over the United States and is the radio station that our family listens to most often. Today K LOVE hosted it's annual Hope to the Hungry Campaign. Per K LOVE's website, "Hope to the Hungry is a cooperative effort between K-LOVE, Rescue Missions and other Homeless Ministries to help feed and care for the hungry and hurting." And do you know what one of the neatest parts is (Besides the obvious... Helping another human being...)? When you make a donation, you are able to select which shelter you want the money to go to. With our donation, we were able to help the local shelter right here in our home town.

Did you know that just $2 will provide a meal to someone in need? Think about that... TWO DOLLARS! You can't even get a coffee at Starbucks for $2! All day I listened to their campaign and I listened to people calling in. I started thinking about the economy and the huge number of people who are homeless. I realize that we are in tough economic times, but I thought about our Thanksgiving table filled with food and family and warmth and I realized we couldn't pass up this opportunity to help.

This holiday season, I challenge you to take a minute to look outside of yourself, outside of you home, outside of your family, maybe even outside of your comfort zone... I challenge you to help a person in need. Maybe you're not able to make a monetary donation, but the shelters need more than just money. They also need volunteers to serve meals, deliver meals, etc. Maybe all you are able to do is take a can of food to your local food bank. EVERY LITTLE BIT HELPS!

So this holiday season, will you join us in providing Hope to the Hungry?

(If you'd like to give through K LOVE's website, click here.)

I Love Playdates!

Playdates... Are they really for the kids, or are they for the moms???

Every Monday when I pick the kids up one of the first things they ask me is, "Who's coming over to play today?" Many Mondays we do not have playdates, but the last three Mondays we have and it's been great!

Today we had a playdate with one of Little A's friends. The kids were SO excited when I told them they were having a playdate, and so was I! I think playdates are as much for moms as they are for kids. We get adult conversation while the kids wreak havoc on the house play quietly in the other room!

One of my friends and I have agreed that we need to set a standing date for once a month dinners/playdates. Who else wants to join me?? Anyone up for a playdate?? Have your people call my people, we'll set something up!