Monday Morning Mirth

Workout at the gym

At the Gym For Christmas this year my wife purchased me a week of private lessons at the local health club. Though still in great shape from when I was on the varsity chess team in high school, I decided it was a good idea to go ahead and try it. I called and made reservations with someone named Tanya, who said she is a 26-year-old aerobics instructor and athletic clothing model. My wife seemed very pleased with how enthusiastic I was to get started.

Day 1
They suggest I keep this "exercise diary" to chart my progress this week. Started the morning at 6:00 a.m. Tough to get up, but worth it when I arrived at the health club and Tanya was waiting for me. She's something of a goddess, with blond hair and a dazzling white smile. She showed me the machines and took my pulse after five minutes on the treadmill. She seemed a little alarmed that it was so high, but I think just standing next to her in that outfit of hers added about ten points. Enjoyed watching the aerobics class. Tanya was very encouraging as I did my sit ups, though my gut was already aching a little from holding it in the whole time I was talking to her. This is going to be great.

Day 2
Took a whole pot of coffee to get me out the door, but I made it. Tanya had me lie on my back and push this heavy iron bar up into the air. Then she put weights on it, for heaven's sake! Legs were a little wobbly on the treadmill, but I made it the full mile. Her smile made it all worth it. Muscles feel great

Day 3
The only way I can brush my teeth is by laying the tooth brush on the counter and moving my mouth back and forth over it. I am that I have developed a hernia in both pectorals. Driving was okay as long as I didn't try to steer. I parked on top of a Volkswagen. Tanya was a little impatient with me and said my screaming was bothering the other club members. The treadmill hurt my chest so I did the stair monster. Why would anyone invent a machine to simulate an activity rendered obsolete by the invention of elevators? Tanya told me regular exercise would make me live longer. I can't imagine anything worse.

Day 4
Tanya was waiting for me with her vampire teeth in a full snarl. I can't help it if I was half an hour late, it took me that long just to tie my shoes. She wanted me to lift dumbbells. Not a chance, Tanya. The word "dumb" must be in there for a reason. I hid in the men's room until she sent Lars looking for me. As punishment she made me try the rowing machine. It sank.

Day 5
I hate Tanya more than any human being has ever hated any other human being in the history of the world. If there was any part of my body not in extreme pain I would hit her with it. She thought it would be a good idea to work on my triceps. Well, I have news for you Tanya, I don't have triceps. And if you don't want dents in the floor don't hand me any barbells. I refuse to accept responsibility for the damage, you went to sadist school, you are to blame. The treadmill flung me back into a science teacher, which hurt like crazy. Why couldn't it have been someone softer, like a music teacher, or social studies?

Day 6
Got Tanya's message on my answering machine, wondering where I am. I lacked the strength to use the TV remote so I watched eleven straight hours of the weather channel.

Day 7
Well, that's the week. Thank goodness that's over. Maybe next time my wife will give me something a little more fun, like free teeth drilling at the dentist's.

Sometimes this is the way I feel about working out. The hardest thing for me is getting up in the morning and going. In fact I forgot to set my alarm. I really need to start going to bed earlier in the evenings as well just so I can get out of bed.

Travel Games

We will be taking our summer vacation trip to Florida in a couple of weeks. In prepration for this trip I am trying to come up with some car games and activities. Since we are going to be in the car for over 8 hours on the first leg and then an additional 5-6 hours for the second I don't think just the T.V. will keep them happy. We are packing breakfast and lunch for the road and then will eat dinner when we stop for the night in Prattville, AL. If anyone has any suggestions of car games or activities to do in the car I would really appreciate them. The kids are really good travellers but it would be nice to be prepared.

Lost Tooth #3

Yesterday Gabriel lost one of his top front teeth. It really wasn't quite ready to come out but Gabriel messed with it so much that it ended up coming out anyway. I called Matt when Gabriel got hysterical about the blood, it really wan't that much, and the fact it was hanging by the root. I didn't have the stomach to pull it myself, I do for a lot of things but I just couldn't do it. Matt told Gabriel to either leave it alone until he got home and he would pull it or to twist it and move it until it comes out. Gabriel did what his daddy told him to do and by late that afternoon it was out. Now Gabriel has that cute toothless lisp and has money in his pocket, the tooth fairy messed up and gave him more money than she was suppose to, what can we say, it was late. Oh well, we just told him we thought the tooth fairy meant for him to save it for something special.

Elizabeth Says

The other night I was putting Elizabeth to bed for the night. I was rocking her in the rocking chair and started to rub her back. She holds out her hand and says "STOP!" I stop rubbing her and then she places each of my hands on the arm rest. A few minutes later I rub her again and she does the same thing. She was happy to rock as long as I was not doing anything that might relax her too much. I finally had to give up and just lay her in her crib.

Gabriel Says

Now that Gabriel has started reading this is what I get everytime we are in the car.

Gabriel: "Mom the speed limit is 35 you need to drive 34."

I would like to say, "Thanks Matt." and please put as much sarcasm into that as you possibly can. Now I have to deal with two backseat drivers everytime both boys are in the car with me.

Gabriel Says

This evening Matt and the kids were swimming in the pool. I had already been in twice so decided to just watch. Here is a conversation that Gabriel had with Matt.

Gabriel: "Daddy, I am going to swim to the deep end. When I get there I am going to call you and you can leave Elizabeth with mommy and come to the deep end with me. Okay?"

Matt: "Uh, Huh." (I noticed that he wasn't even paying attention to what Gabriel was saying.)

Shortly afteward Gabriel calls for Matt. Matt looks at me and says, "yeah, I'm swimming over there." I tell him that he had agreed. He looks at me sheepishly and says "Did I really? I guess I better go then." and swims down to join him.

Thanks Tank Thursday

We've had a busy week week this week with so many activities, appointments and events. It seems like the weeks are just flying by. Part of me is glad for that and then on the other hand I would like to be able to enjoy them more. Lesuirely Summer does not seem to be a phrase that can describe our summer. I didn't sign the kids up for a lot of camps because I wanted them to enjoy the summer and just have fun but it still seems like we are doing a lot anway. Anywho, it's time to give thanks for everything big and little going on in my life.

Books on Tape: We've been borrowing books on tape from the library. The great thing about it is that you can borrow them for 3 weeks at a time. We've been using them for car rides and for rest time. Gabriel doesn't really need naps anymore but he does need somedown time as do I and books on tape have been a life saver for us all. He enjoys listening to the stories and I am able to get work done while the girls are napping and he is resting.

Cooking with the kids: I started trying to cook with the kids at least once a week. This week we made pudding popscicles. We just mixed the pudding and put it in the popscicle molds. It was easy and fun. Abby also helped me make a pie.

Grocery Shopping: This weekend I took just Gabriel to the grocery store with me. He is such a good helper. He helped to find things on the list and mark them off. Though sometimes he did get pen happy marking off more than we had bought. I also invited Gabriel to choose one fruit and one vegetable he had never had before. He chose Rainer Cherries and Summer Squash. The kids have enjoyed eating both. On my next trip I will be sure to let Abby choose something.

Girl Talk: Last night I had some wonderful conversation with some good friends and new friends. It was nice being able to relax and enjoy myself.

MOPS Cookbook: At the end of MOPS I put together a cookbook with recipes that everyone had sent me throughout the year. The cookbook has been wonderful. I am so glad to have so many delicious recipes that are family friendly. And some of the brunch recipes are wonderful as well. I am planning on taking this cookbook with me when we go to Florida since we will be cooking our meals at the house.

The Kids Excitement: Last night I hosted BUNCO at my house. The kids and Matt left for dinner and everyone showed up to play. We set up out by the pool. At some point Matt and the kids came home and got ready for bed. I caught the kids peeking out through the blinds of my room. I waved and they both started bouncing with excitement. It was so cute and such a joy.

I hope you are able to take the time to look for the little things in life that you are thankful for. Enjoy your day and your weekend and remember that God has given use so much and he never places anything before us that we can't handle with his help. Have a Great weekend.

Wordless Wednesday

Chores and Allowances

This week I posted a poll on allowances. I thought I might explain how I feel about allowances and chores. so here it goes. I feel it's important for kids to help out around the house. They are part of the family and they make and can clean up the messes they make. I have them do things everyday to help around the house. On a daily basis they make their beds and pick up their rooms putting away toys, clothes and books. They bring dirty laundry and empty hangers downstairs for me to take care of. During dinner they are expected to help set the table and then help with the clean up afterward, i.e. taking their dishes to the sink, rinsing them, wiping off the table, sweeping the floor, etc. These things are expected of the kids. They don't get an allowance for these things.

Now with that said I also think it's important that children learn how to save and spend money responsibly. So we will give an allowance for specific jobs. The Chore Chart we now have on our kitchen wall are jobs they can do to earn money. Usually a quarter a job with no more than $2.00 earned during a week. These jobs include cleaning the bathroom, vaccuming the living room, vaccuming the steps, sorting and starting a load of laundry, sweeping and mopping the kitchen, helping to fold clothes, cleaning the storm door or sliding glass door and cleaning the bathroom. I feel like these are things they should learn to do and can help me and earn money at the same time. They can also earn treats for helping out spontaneously at other times. Right now we have a chore time when we do our chores together. Later after they have learned how to do the jobs I will assign specific jobs to be carried out during the week. If they do them they get paid if they don't they won't. I probably won't start that for a while though.

So that's how I feel about chores and allowances. Oh, and when they tell me they are bored they get a job helping out around the house. I'm not trying to punish the kids just showing them there are plenty of things to do.

Tasty Tuesday

This is a recipe that has always been a hit. I even had people who would look forward to this whenever we would have a get together. I don't know how many times I have given out this recipe over the years. It is also fairly easy to make.


Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts

1 pkg. bacon, cut in half
2 cans water chestnuts
Sauce:
1 cup catsup
2/3 c. sugar (I usually use a little less)

Wrap bacon around whole water chestnuts and put toothpicks through to hold bacon on. Bake in pan at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Take out and drain. (I usually place in a clean pan.) Make a sauce out of 1 cup catsup and 2/3 cup sugar and put over drained chestnuts and bake another 25 minutes or until brown.

Peanut Gallery

Tonight as we were eating dinner Abby started talking with her mouth full of food. I told her to wait and talk once she swallowed. Gabriel started to comment on our conversation when I stopped him saying.

"You are the peanut. And I don't need comments from the peanut gallery."

Gabriel looked at me confused. I glance over at Matt and catch him smirking.

Monday Morning Mirth

A Mother's Dictionary

Bottle feeding: An opportunity for Daddy to get up at 2 am too.

Defense: What you'd better have around de yard if you're going to let the children play outside.

Drooling: How teething babies wash their chins.

Dumbwaiter: One who asks if the kids would care to order dessert.

Family planning: The art of spacing your children the proper distance apart to keep you on the edge of financial disaster.

Feedback: The inevitable result when the baby doesn't appreciate the strained carrots.

Full name: What you call your child when you're mad at him.

Grandparents: The people who think your children are wonderful even though they're sure you're not raising them right.

Hearsay: What toddlers do when anyone mutters a dirty word.

Impregnable: A woman whose memory of labor is still vivid.

Independent: How we want our children to be as long as they do everything we say.

Look out: What it's too late for your child to do by the time you scream it.

Prenatal: When your life was still somewhat your own.Preprared childbirth: A contradiction in terms.

Puddle: A small body of water that draws other small bodies wearing dry shoes into it.

Show off: A child who is more talented than yours.

Sterilize: What you do to your first baby's pacifier by boiling it and to your last baby's pacifier by blowing on it.

Storeroom: The distance required between the supermarket aisles so that children in shopping carts can't quite reach anything.

Temper tantrums: What you should keep to a minimum so as to not upset the children.

Top bunk: Where you should never put a child wearing Superman jammies.

Two-minute warning: When the baby's face turns red and she begins to make those familiar grunting noises.

Verbal: Able to whine in words.

Whodunit: None of the kids that live in your house.

Whoops: An exclamation that translates roughly into "get a sponge."

I enjoyed reading and findng this one. Most of these I can totally agree with. I love the Top Bunk one. Gabriel has never done it but he has come close. My nephew has though as my mother will attest to. I personally use first and middle as a warning or to get attention and if that doesn't work I switch to full name when the kids are in trouble. Puddles are like magnets to my children and the preschool parking lot has tons of them on a fairly regular basis in the winter so telling the kids to stay out of the puddle became a habit as well as the consequence of having wet shoes once they got into the building. That must be why Abby and Gabriel always wanted to wear their rainboots. Instead of "Whoops" it should be "Uh, Oh" at least in my house.

Thanks Tank Thursday

Colossians 3: 15-17 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

With this passage in mind and having a thankful heart I am thankful for all of these and much, much more. I am thankful for my faith and for God's compassion and love. I hope you have a great week and take the time to be thankful and give him praise.

Swimming- This week we were able to enjoy some pool time with some of our friends. It was really a lot of fun even if it was a cooler than we would have liked but the kids had fun anyway.

Library Reading Program- I have been taking the kids to the library for their summer reading program. For every book they read they get specific points and then are able to pick out prizes. And some of the prizes are really worth the reading like free kids meals, pool passes, and then there are some not so cool one like toys.

Sunny Weather- With all the rain we got last week I am so happy that we are getting lots of sunny weather this week. Though we do have the occasional thunderstorm that is to be expected of summer time we have had lots of sun to enjoy.

Matt's job with Cummins- I am so thankful that Matt has such a wonderful job with a gret company. Cummins is providing support to their employees who have been affected by the flood. It's something they didn't have to do but are doing it anyway. They also were affected by the flood by having two of thier buildings and one of their plants flooded.

My Parents- I am thankful to have such loving, kind and generous parents. They have always been there when I have needed them. I can't thank them enough for everything they do for me and my family.

Outdoor Playtime- I am thankful that we have such a great backyard play area. We finally got the sandbox put together and the kids have really been enjoying it a lot in the past couple of days.
Pool Fence- Last year my dad came up and helped install a fence around the pool. I am so thankful that he took the time to do that. It has made outdoor time that much more enjoyable for all of us. The kids are safer and I can relax a little more. This has made such a tremendous difference in everything we do out in the backyard.

Clean Kitchen- I have had a clean kitchen almost all week long. I have been trying hard to make sure everyone cleans up after themselves and helps out around the house so that we can all enjoy playing instead of cleaning. Have a clean kitchen calms me.

Chores- Our chore list is wonderful and I even figured a way to make it more fun. They get to pick a flower and read what is on the back. I had a friend who couldn't believe some of the jobs I gave may kids to do. I just explained that with the right tools and supervision they can do anything you ask them to do. And all of these are things they will need to know to do when they get older. And hopefully their spouses will thank me for teaching them.

Compliments on my children: We met Matt for lunch at a local downtown diner today after we went to the library. While there one of the other customers gave me a compliment on how well behaved and beautiful my children were. It's always nice to hear from someone that you are doing a good job.

Wordless Wednesday

Everyone Has a Father

Last week as we were purchasing a few craft items to make Matt (Daddy) his Father's Day gifts Gabriel asked the cashier if she had a father. She looks at him and says no that she does not. My response was going to be that everyone has a father. And boy was I was glad I didn't say anything when she gave that response. But later I thought about God. He is our father in heaven and so therefore everyone does have a father wether they believe in God or not he believes in them. God is our father and he is loving us, there watching over us, and we can turn to him at anytime and he is there and he will listen. I hope to always remember this so that I can share these thoughts.



How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 1John 3:1



I offer you more than your earthly father ever could. Matthew 7:11

Tasty Tuesday

Today I thought I would share a recipe that my family and I have been enjoying for a while now. I didn't make it for a long time because it called for green chilies and I thought it would be too spicy. I then had it at a friends house one night when Matt was out of town and we all loved it. Now we have it every couple of weeks, especially during the cooler months. So here is that recipe. I hope yu enjoy it.

Green Chile Soup
1 ½ pounds skinned and boned chicken breast halves, cut into 1 inch cubes
3 (4.5 oz.) cans chopped green chilies, untrained
1 (15 oz.) can pinto beans, untrained
1 (14 ½ oz.) can stewed tomatoes, untrained
2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
Toppings: sour cream, shredded Cheddar cheese, chopped avocado, sliced green onions
Place first 10 ingredients in a 3 ½ or 4 quart electric slow cooker. Cover and cook on High 4 to 6 hours or on Low 8 hours. Serve soup with desired toppings. Yield: 10 cups.
I also serve this with fresh baked corn bread.

Monday Morning Mirth

Child sent to bed

A small boy is sent to bed by his father...
[Five minutes later]
"Da-ad..."
"What?"
"I'm thirsty. Can you bring me a drink of water?"
"No. You had your chance. Lights out."
[Five minutes later]
"Da-aaaad..."
"WHAT?"
"I'm THIRSTY...Can I have a drink of water??"
"I told you NO! If you ask again I'll have to spank you!!"
[Five minutes later]
"Daaaa-aaaAAAAD..."
"WHAT??!!"
"When you come in to spank me, can you bring me a drink of water?"

Thanks Tank Thursday

Here are the many blessings I am thankful for this week.

1. Very little flood damage: We had a major flood in our small town of Columbus, IN this past weekend, it was enough for it to be declared a Federal Disaster. We had a lot of water come in through our windows in the basement and caught it in enough time to move most things to safety. That is our blessing. Others were not as fortunate and that leads to my second thankful thought.
2. Helping Hands: The call went out for help to the many flood victims. And the help just poured in from all over town. Not only were the churches, Red Cross and variuos organizations who usually help on call but complete strangers offered up there services. Cleaning is happening and lives are slowly getting back to normal.
3. My Husband: He provides us with a wonderful life. He is loving, kind and generous. Loves his kids and is completely devoted to providing for them in the best way he knows how.
4. My Father: My father has always been a rock for me to lean on. He has always provided help while letting me learn and grow from my experiences. I have always known how much he loves me and the rest of his family.
5. Gabriel's Birthday Gift: Yesterday for my birthday Gabriel helped me plant the last of my flowers we brought back from our visit to Tennessee. It was my birthday gift from him.
6. Chores: Jane Anne over at Gravity of Motion reminded me how important chores are to children. I knew this but in the attempt to get things done quicker I had started doing everything myself. This past week the kids have all been giving help around the house and enjoying it. Gabriel will ask what he gets to do that day. And often if I say who wanted to vaccum the steps I have 2 kids yelling, "I DO!!"
7. My Yard: We have been doing a lot around the house lately and if I do say so our yard looks great. I am thankful that I can enjoy it now that we are finished.
8. Our Pool: When we bought this house we were not looking for a pool but every summer I am so thankful for it. Now I don't have to lug all the pool stuff to the community pool all the time. We just walk out our back door and enjoy. Last night swimming was the topper to a perfect birthday.

Wordless Wednesday

Columbus Flooded

I've been trying to do this post all weekend long and just haven't been able to figure out how to make people understand. If I were a photographer I would take pictures and show them to you but I'm not and I am sure many of the people who have lost everything would not appreciate someone taking all those pictures. We had a very small flood in comparison to some of the neighborhoods two city blocks away. And because we were without phone, internet, and cable we were not aware as to how bad things really were. It wasn't until Sunday when we talked with a neighbor who's husband is a firefighter that we found out. Driving to Lowe's today proved to be a real eye opening experience for all of us. As we drove we saw whole neighborhoods emptying their houses onto their sidewalks and into their yards in an attempt to save their belongings and their homes, but unfortunately most of it will be gone. Several people I know had severe damage to their homes. Some had 3 to 4 inches of water in their basements, others the same in their main living areas, and some even had to be rescued by boat. Most of these people don't have flood insurance because they were not in flood plains. This was a flood that is being called a 100 year flood, the last one of the magnitude being in 1913. The clean up has begun and many people are opening their homes, wallets and heart in an attempt to help those who have lost everything. I am at a loss as to what we can do to help. I have volunteered to cook meals, babysit and help in any other capacity I can but it still doesn't seem like enough. I hope you will keep these families in your prayers as they deal with the mess the flood has caused. Here are some pictures that have been taken from around town.