Penmanship

Some have said that you can tell a lot about a person by looking at their handwriting.  I am not so sure about that, for when I look at my own handwriting, I read "organized", "neat", "anal-retentive", and "by-the-book."  And for those of you that know me well, I am none of those things!  However, certain evil college professors had the brilliant idea of making us elementary education majors practice our cursive writing (on a chalkboard, no less!) for two hours every week.  And thus I have pretty perfect penmanship (egotistical, isn't it!), and no matter how hard I try, I cannot write sloppily.  It is ingrained forever in my brain.  I have tried the "dot my i's with hearts" technique or "imitate my husband's ridiculously horrible writing" technique, but I always end up reverting to the penmanship pounded into me by my teachers.  I do agree that nice handwriting is a dying art!

Inspired by Nikki, Angela is hosting a handwriting carnival, if you will.  Since we usually get to know our bloggy friends through their typing skills (or lack thereof), this is a chance to see everyone's unique handwriting.  And so I present my entry:

I attempted to write bigger, but hopefully you all can still read it.  Of course you can - it's great penmanship! :)  Good handwriting is still a valuable habit - stop groaning, all you former students of mine!  (By the way, The A Beka curriculum teaches cursive to kindergardeners first before printing!)

And speaking of habits, I have also heard it said that it takes 28 days to form a habit or break a habit.  Today is the 28th day I have not had ANY soda (pop, whatever!)  My major vice has been two or three Pepsi's a day, and I am pleased to say I have not had a Pepsi since the first of the year and do not desire one either.  Perhaps that's why the pounds are dropping off a little bit faster this time around. . . 

Easy Ways to Decorate Birthday Cakes

Hey everyone!  Remember this?

It's being featured along with several other fantastic birthday cakes made by moms at the Birthday Cake Roundup at Life as Mom in an effort to demonstrate how easy it is to make special and unique cakes for your kiddies' birthdays (also affordable!)  Go check out all the great designs and comment to enter a giveaway there as well!

In the meantime, here's a little peek into my journey of birthday cake decorating:

I began to have an interest in cake decorating and all things sugary after I had my first child.  I wanted her to have a special first birthday cake.  Here is my first attempt at "real" cake decorating:

For my hubby's birthday later that year, I decided to get a little daring and tried my hand at fondant.  It was surprisingly easy and the perfect medium in achieving this Super Mario cake:

As usual, I quickly ditched the conventional cake decorating books and began making up my own techniques.  This birthday cake for the in-laws was decorated with white flowers and then I used a toothpick dipped in yellow food coloring to tint the centers.  Mostly because I was lazy...

Last year Gabi really wanted a school bus cake (I have no idea why?) for her birthday so this is the sad result.  It would have been a lot better if the cake plate hadn't cracked all the way down the middle, causing the bus to cave in slightly.  It tasted really good though and we all fought over who got the Oreos:

Here's a sunflower cake decorated with chocolate chips for seeds and marshmallow peeps for petals.  I cannot claim originality with this idea though - I believe I saw it in a Taste of Home magazine:

And David got his animal train for his first birthday!  This took agonizingly long to do so I would not recommend it as a quick and easy birthday cake.  It also didn't help that Gabi kept snitching gummy bears and M'n'M's off the cake when I wasn't looking:

Our Sunday school teacher is a big Yankees fan, unfortunately for him.  :)  I "cheated" by printing out the team logo on a piece of paper and then cutting it out to use as a stencil.  Wouldn't want to offend the team or anything:

And here's two random birthday cakes for people in my music group - note that Chuck's music notes are actually tiny footballs:

And now I am so inspired by these other decorators as well!  I refrained from showing you my baby shower cakes, because I already did that here; and besides, this is a BIRTHDAY cake roundup!

Go on now, check out some cakes and get inspired!  

OR get a craving for some sweet buttercream frosting spread on extra thick. . . 

Wordless Wednesday - who needs the real thing??

(apparently no real racetrack is needed when you can make your own with a chair and some books! )

Go see some more wordless fun at 5 Minutes for Mom, and don't forget to enter the customized artwork for your kid's room giveaway here!

There are monsters in our house!

There are monsters at our house.

I know, because my daughter told me so.  And she is the authority of all things monster.  Apparently.  Although I am pretty sure the only monsters of which she has been informed are Cookie Monster and his buddies on Sesame Street.

Regardless, we were awakened at 2:00 am Friday morning by terrified screaming in the kids' room.  Sobbing , my daughter said, "Don't let the monsters eat my hand, Mommy!"  I calmed her as best I could and tried to get her to tell me where the monsters were.  It seemed the jackets and bags hanging on the rack above the crib were the culprit.  We removed the offending items and gently encouraged her (and David, who was now crying for a glass of milk) to go back to sleep.  

Obviously we did not have the "clever monster eradication parenting techniques" down, for she screamed and cried for most of the remainder of that night.

So, we being good conscientious parents, put into play the following "clever monster eradication parenting techniques":

Clever Monster-Be-Gone Trick #1:

I reassured her that Jesus was with her and that Mommy and Daddy were right in the next room.  We prayed and asked Jesus to take the monsters and scary feelings away.

It didn't work . . .  apparently we still need work in the spiritual department.

Clever Monster-Be-Gone Trick #2:

I trudged downstairs to make a bottle for Michael, who was wide awake by this time.  I also filled two sippy cups with warm milk and brought them up for Gabi and David along with some teddy bear graham crackers.

It didn't work . . . although David seemed to be getting his second wind and began running around the room.

Clever Monster-Be-Gone Trick #3:

I got out a few toys that she hadn't seen in a while to distract her.  I told her to hold them tight if she got scared.

It didn't work . . . and David wanted to know where some "new" toys were for him.

Clever Monster-Be-Gone Trick #4:  

Daddy gave her a glowing seahorse that is actually Michael's toy.  It plays soft lullabies and he thought it might comfort her.  She liked it, but. . . 

It didn't work . . . and Michael no longer had his seahorse to cuddle with.

Clever Monster-Be-Gone Trick #5:

Daddy used everything he could think of to "kill" the monsters - the vacuum cleaner, the broom, etc.  While these methods induced giggles and teary smiles, they did not achieve a permanent result.

Clever Monster-Be-Gone Trick #6:

His heart broken by his baby girl's cries, Daddy decided to sleep in the kids' room for the rest of the night as protector.  I thought he was doing a great job and went to her own much more comfortable bed to get some sleep.

By the third night, I was beginning to have suspicions that we were being played.  I noticed that all of the monster hullabaloo was giving Gabi extra attention and extra time to stay up before bedtime.  I thought that perhaps it was time to put an end to the nonsense.  Daddy was not so sure.  He felt that maybe because he had been working so many nights lately that Gabi did want more time with him and was scared of the dark.

On Sunday night, I convinced him to let her cry herself to sleep.  This was hard on both of us, but I was pretty sure that she was not afraid of monsters.  After all, the past few nights, the monsters had apparently switched locations from the coat rack to the hamper to the drawers under her bed to David's bed to the toy box and so on.  She (and David, since he is a very sympathetic brother!) cried for about thirty minutes and then they were out.

So, yes, there are monsters in our house.  They are very real, and I just finished cleaning up their breakfast dishes. . . 

(don't forget to enter the giveaway at my craft blog, The Scrappy Frog!  All you have to do is leave a comment here!)

Even when. . .

Even when David pulls down the entire bag of M'n'M's and shoves two fistfuls in his mouth...

Even when Gabi says "No, I don't think so" when I ask her to do something...

Even when Michael screams for an hour solid, takes a minute to breathe, and begins screaming again...

Even when David sings the only line of "Jingle Bells" he knows over and over again...

Even when Gabi takes every crayon out of her crayon basket and snaps each one in half...

Even when the kids team up to produce mass destruction on a nuclear level...

I still want to hold them close and kiss them and hug them and thank God that they are mine!

So then when David tugs on my skirt and says, "Momma, love you more!"...

Then when Gabi sings "Jesus Loves Me" to her dolls...

Then when Michael offers up one of his "whole-body" smiles...

Then when David chants "I will obey right away" as he marches around the room picking up toys...

Then when Gabi says "Momma, Jesus is my favorite!" and hugs me spontaneously...

Then when Michael gets a case of the baby giggles and sends the other two into bouts of hilarity...

I know that I have been blessed by God more than I could ever have imagined or hoped.  God had a special plan as He put each one of these unique souls into my life.  It is mind-boggling and certainly a little intimidating that He finds me capable of guiding these young minds and hearts in this life.  Truly I must lean on Him daily to accomplish that task.  Mrs. D's posts on guarding your children's hearts and being a good example to them have rekindled the desire to do this whole mom thing right and have reminded me that many of the things I am already doing with my children will eventually pay off some day.  

Something else has caused me to think much about the precious blessings that God has given me.  What if I considered my children "punishment", as our new President has termed unwanted pregnancies?!  To take the intense and incredible miracle of new life and somehow twist it into a meaningless, irritating intrusion is against God and His whole plan for us.  It angers me and simultaneously saddens me that taking innocent life has become so commonplace now.  The change that Obama is calling for is destroying homes, families, and most importantly, thousands of little but viable lives.  And so I hold my children a little tighter and pray each day that some woman, somewhere, will make the decision to keep her baby even in the midst of uncertain circumstances.

(On a much lighter note, go to The Scrappy Frog to see how to make these little cuties!)

A Rocking Horse to Love

5 Minutes for Mom is hosting another photo contest, this time sponsored by A Rocking Horse to Love.  This website sells adorable rocking toys, even a rocking frog! (and for all of you who know my love of all things froggy, well, this is just too cute!)

Anyway, the contest is called "Horsin' Around" and bloggers (and non-bloggers) are encouraged to post their best photo representing this theme.  You can read all the rules here.  The prizes (there are three of them!) are the cutest rocking horses from A Rocking Horse to Love.  

Now my daughter already has a rocking horse of her own; so I am entering this contest on behalf of a friend of mine.  She has two little girls and is going through a tough time right now.  I know a rocking horse would definitely bring smiles to those little girl's faces.

So please go over to 5 Minutes for Mom and enter the contest or at least comment on the photos already posted.  You can tell them how great my photo is, if you want. :) And don't forget to let me know if you enter a photo - I want to come to your blog and see it!

Contest and such

I have a lot of things on my mind lately (what mom doesn't?) and one of these days you are going to hear all about it in a brilliantly written post.  But for now, since I have just finished working out and need to hit the shower before the kiddies destroy the house, I will refrain.  

(by the way, for those of you that have a Wii Fit, try the aerobic boxing - so fun!)

Anyway, in case you missed it in my post yesterday, I am hosting a contest on my craft blog The Scrappy Frog in which you can win customized artwork for your kid's room or baby nursery.  It's super simple to enter so please go check it out here.  The more the merrier!

And with that I bid you a happy Thursday and just can't wait to dive into the piles of laundry and other fantastic activities that I have planned for today.

Wordless Wednesday (almost!)

(if any of y'all need an explanation, refer to Monday's post!  :)  I didn't get any more detailed pics because I was too horrified!)

So check out more wordless fun at 5 Minutes for Mom and please check out the great contest at my other blog, The Scrappy Frog.  You can win customized artwork for your child's room or baby's nursery!

Tackle-It Tuesday - (ok did it Monday!)

My project this week is the kids' room.  It has been in need of better organization for a while now, and certain recent events have prompted me to get it done now.  If you have no idea what I'm talking about, please refer to my last post. :)

I don't really have any before pictures - they would be horrendous - but I made some good headway into organizing the kiddies' room.  Keep in mind that this is a room that THREE little ones share - a 3-yr-old with a twin bed, an almost-two-year-old with a toddler bed, and a baby with a crib.  Space is a little tight!  Also keep in mind that organizing is not one of my strong points.  Give me something creative, and I'll run with it!  Tell me to organize my home into a functional and beautiful living space, and I'll probably just stare at you blankly.

Ok, so here's what I did:

Little children I have found have very short attention spans, and so I went big!  Here are their two major toy tubs, labeled "Big Toys" and "Stuffed Animals."  And in case my kiddies aren't geniuses, they can look at the pictures to put their toys away.

Here is Gabi's bed.  The drawers underneath are now exclusively used for bedtime books.  Note the color bursting underneath the mattress.  Those are all the big fold-up tents the kiddies got for Christmas, finally out of the way!

Here's the Little People corner.  My kiddies are addicted to playing with Little People and all their tiny accessories.  I labeled the drawers and put photos on them as well so the kiddies would know where to put their play food and Little People.  

Here's Mikester's crib.  I hung a few of Gabi's bags with Gabi-only toys in them (fashion dolls, etc.) on the rack above his crib.  Out of reach for a certain wily fellow named David. . . 

And lastly here is David's bed.  The box underneath is for storage; for what yet I have not determined.  But the box's very presence helps to keep little toys from rolling into the wasteland, never to be seen again.

Wow - I am just blown away by my organizing!  Look good and hard folks 'cuz this only comes around once in a while!

and check out more tackles at 5 Minutes for Mom!

It Hit the Fan!

It's Saturday morning, and all is relatively calm in the Frogster household.  My man has let me sleep in since I'm not feeling well and is downstairs wrangling the kiddies.  We decide to scrap our plans to get some organizing and other household duties done and instead plan to spend our Saturday afternoon with our new Mario Kart Wii game and several Tivoed shows.  Not wanting to share this blessed lazy afternoon with the kiddies, we banish them upstairs to their room with fruit snacks, lots of toys, and a reminder to "keep it down up there!"

About an hour passes, and the Mikester starts to fuss.  Realizing his dire need for a diaper change, I hand the Wii control over to Chris and tote the little guy upstairs.  Our changing "station" is located in the upstairs hallway just outside the kiddies' room.  It makes for some very convenient middle-of-the-night changes when i don't want to wake the other kiddies. . . But I digress.  I start to undress Michael when a horrible and very unwelcome smell assaults my nostrils.  It was NOT coming from the sweet little child on the changing table.  I grimace as I realize it is drifting out from the kiddies' room.  "Oh, Lord, please let me not be too late!" I silently pray as I swing open the door.  

Squeamish folks may want to skip this paragraph, although words can scarcely describe what I see next.  The beige carpet is liberally dotted with brown.  Brown smears gracefully swirl across bed headboards and crib railings.  All bedding is covered in random streaks of the foul-smelling stuff, and dozens of Little People are stoically smiling at me underneath their crusty covering.  The curtains, books, and toy kitchen have not been left untouched.  I look at the two grinning children standing at the door - faces, arms, hands, and feet smudged with poop!  "Momma, I make a mess!" David says proudly.  "Oh my . . . " I weakly step back, shut the door, and shout, "Chrisser!"

A grunt comes from the man furiously trying to conquer the next track.  "Chrisser!" I shout again.  "You are not going to believe this!  Come up here!"  My man abandons his game and joins me at the kiddies' door.  Together we stare silently at the impossible mess.  Gone is our afternoon of relaxing.  It's go time!

I herd the children into the bathtub while Chris starts sorting things into "touched" and "untouched" piles.  After scrubbing off a few layers of the kiddies' skin, I put them in the corner with grave admonishments of "don't move a muscle!"  Then I tackle the endless pile of soiled toys and books while Chris drags out our carpet extractor and proceeds to work on the room itself.  Three hours later, we are exhausted and praying that the carpet dries in time for the kiddies to go to bed.

But it doesn't end there . . .

Sunday morning arrives, and although the Mikester and I are still not up to par healthwise, we manage to get the entire family out the door and to church in time.  After church, we make a quick stop at CostCo for formula and some lunch and then head home.  The kiddies fall asleep in the van, making it easy to transition them into their room for an afternoon nap.  Chris hits the computer while I curl up on the couch, hoping against hope that the Philadelphia Eagles might pull off a win in the National Football League Championship.

Periodically I check in on the kiddies, who miraculously revive from their van nap and are now playing enthusiastically with the remaining toys in their bedroom.  At a quarter to five, Chris heads upstairs to get ready for the evening service.  "Please check in on the kids - it sounds like they're fighting again!" I call up to him.  I watch as the Eagles tie up the score and then surge ahead.  I yell "Touchdown!" and then realize I am not the only one yelling.  So is Chris, and he does not sound happy.  I race upstairs to see whatever is the matter, and I kid you not, folks, it had happened again!  Only worse!

My group was singing a special in church that evening, so I frantically bathe the kids at record speed.  Chris comes into the bathroom and announces that he will not be going to church with us.  The cleaning would take too long.  The kiddies and I arrive home from church a few hours later to find him still cleaning their room.  Unhappy doesn't even begin to describe what that poor man was feeling at that moment. . . 

And guess who has a mountain of brown laundry to do today??  

If I didn't actually see it, I would have never believed it. . . 

too much craftiness!

I've been in the midst of so many arts and crafts projects lately.  There are an abundance of them to post about, and so I decided to start a new blog devoted to just arts and crafty things.  

So if you want to check out my latest creations or attempts at creative stuff, go to The Scrappy Frog.  I've got a button on my sidebar, or just click here.

In other news, the Mikester has a severe earache with high fevers and lots of crankiness.  Thankfully the nurse was able to get me in today so that I could get the poor guy started on his antibiotics.  I myself am battling a head cold; we are just having a fabulous day!

anyone want to come over and make me dinner?  My man is working tonight so it's just sick old me and the kiddies...

Gabi-isms

Ever wonder what three-year-0lds are thinking about?

Maybe this conversation will give you a clue:

Gabi:  Momma, why do you have glasses?

Momma:  Because they help me see better, sweetie.

Gabi:  So do you always NEED your glasses?

Momma: (starts to murmur mmmhmmm, then starts having a sneaking suspicion that the three-year-old is about to try to take her glasses)  Well, they really help me see better but I could take them off if I wanted. (translation: Lies!  I can't see a foot without my glasses!)

Gabi:  OH.  Well, you can keep them then I guess. (thank you so much!)

Gabi:  Momma, did you have glasses before?

Momma:  Before what?  Oh, do you mean when I was a little girl?

Gabi:  No, I meant when you were a boy.

(Don't be too shocked if you see our family on Dr. Phil one of these days!)

and just the other day she told me that my hair looked "rectangly."  How sweet!

Wordless Wednesday

for more wordless fun, mosey on over here.  

When you give a girl a cake...

Three years ago yesterday I was walking out of my OB-GYN's office, 37 weeks pregnant, stunned, and a little tearful.  What was supposed to be a routine visit turned out to be scary and a little nerve-wracking.  Everything had looked good to my doctor, although he was pretty sure that my baby was in the breech position.  No matter - they could turn the baby around, right?  He did an ultrasound to make sure and then noticed that my amniotic fluid was low.  Dangerously low.  He consulted with some other doctors and before I even realized something was wrong, I found myself going through another series of detailed ultrasounds.  The baby was in danger of being strangled by the umbilical cord since there wasn't enough amniotic fluid for protection.  The solution?  Emergency C-section - the very next morning!

So three years ago at 8:11 am I delivered a tiny baby girl and we named her Gabrielle Sue.  The whole family was greatly surprised that it was a girl, and I was absolutely thrilled!  The 6 lb. 3 oz little charmer with white blonde hair quickly took hold of my heart (and most definitely her daddy's!)

Gabi is my only daughter and lives up to her name daily, chattering my ears off and astonishing me with her observations and unconditional love.  I love you, sweet baby girl!  You are growing up way too fast, and I daily thank God for the blessing He has given me in you.  

Well, this year Gabi had very definite ideas of what she wanted for her birthday party.  Her favorite book is If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff, and we set that book as the theme for her party.

Here is her cake (and chocolate chip cookies, of course!).  Mommy was very relieved that Gabi thought it "looked just like the library book!"

And here is the birthday girl, wearing her new dolly pocket dress that her great-grandma made her.

Instead of all her little friends bringing her presents for the party, we decided to have a book exchange.  Each guest brought a gift-wrapped book, and the little girls drew numbers to pick a book to take home with them.  Here Gabi is unwrapping her choice - a book entitled Pinkalicious.  Gabi, whose favorite color is pink, was completely enamored with the book.

Making bookmarks seemed to be a hit, especially with the birthday girl.  Last I counted, she had put 6 layers of stickers on her bookmark...

Always a Daddy's girl. . . now you know why she always squints at the camera when she smiles!

And to top it off, Grammy sent her a pile of books, including the coveted If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, If You Give a Pig a Pancake, and If You Give a Moose a Muffin.  I sense some long reading sessions coming on!

For us, it was the year of the games.  Now that she is old enough to play some board games, we gave her such classics as Candy Land and Cooties.  

Uncle Tim and Aunt Paula gave her a fantastic little Play-Dough kit, which she promptly got out and made several artistic creatures.

It was a great little party and this mommy is relieved that another party for the year is done. :)  Got to go and get some quality reading time in with my little (big!) girl....

I'm It!

Well, I've been tagged to dig out the files in my computer by my good friend MyKid'sMom.  Basically, here are the rules:

1.  Choose the 4th folder where you store your pictures on your computer.

2.  Select the 4th picture in the folder.  

3.  Explain the picture.

4.  Tag four people to do the same.

5.  No Cheating (cropping, editing, etc.)

I was a little confused by the directions - maybe a blondie moment.  We have four major picture folders on our computer - 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008.  And then there are lots of little folders in each one.  So I decided to choose the 4th folder in 2005 in order to "go back a ways."

Well, here I am - about four months pregnant with my first child.  Look at me trying to stick out my belly to show that yes, I am indeed pregnant!  Sigh . . . I was so much thinner then.  Of course, that was three babies ago!  The backround of the shot is our dinky apartment and naturally I am wearing a shirt that says "I Love Nerds".  

Anyway, enough about me.  (although it is MY blog!)

please pay attention people to see if you've been tagged:

1.  This Girl Loves Starbucks (otherwise known as My sister!) - I hope this is not a picture of your cat - teehee.

2.  Cherish the Moment (otherwise known as classmate I last saw in first grade?!) 

3.  Hostage Negotiation (otherwise known as girl who could practically be me, seeing as we have three tiny ones and insane blog titles!)

4. One Life to Love(otherwise known as classmate from college, mommy of 2 wicked adorable kiddies, and exceptional coupon lady)

So let's get on it and see what you guys come up with!  

Happy Thursday, y'all!

Wordless Wednesday

for more wordless fun, go to 5 Minutes for Mom.

The War of the Cheerios

It is 10:00 am Monday morning, and a forlorn little boy is sitting at the breakfast table, his tears running down his cheeks and onto the table.  In front of him is a small bowl of Cheerios, which he has refused to touch for the last two hours.  His mommy's patience is wearing thin (ok, maybe the patience was gone long before that!) and finally she decides that enough is enough.  He can't sit there all day after all, and she certainly does not have the time to sit and supervise him.  The sad fellow is disciplined and sent off to play, which in the course of two minutes he completely forgets the whole experience.

Mommy does not forget however, and determines that this is one battle she is not going to lose!  The little guy absolutely loves Cheerios, and so she knows that he is refusing to eat them only to be in control of the situation.  Lunchtime comes around, and Mommy makes hot ham'n'cheese crescent sandwiches.  Both the little boy and his sister eagerly devour the tasty treats as Mommy brings them their side dishes.  The little girl is tickled that she gets to have potato chips and pickles, a rare treat;  but tears begin to fall again as the little fellow realizes that he is once again facing that bowl of Cheerios.  Every crumb of his sandwiches is eaten, but the Cheerios remain untouched.  Grim-faced, the mommy disciplines her son again and sends him off for his nap.  Miraculously, on a mostly empty tummy, he manages to fall asleep.

Battle two of the Cheerio war is over, but Mommy is busy preparing for the final conflict.  At least she hopes it is final.  AT dinnertime, she finds that her reinforcements (Daddy!) are working late, and she is left to face the enemy alone.  Still resolved that her little guy obey and eat his Cheerios, she sets them out alongside his tomato soup, while his sister gets cornbread.  Again the tears and the stubborn "no"s, and this time he is very distressed.  He is so hungry, but he ups the ante by refusing to eat his soup as well.  Mommy is at a loss.  All tactical plans have failed.  She bathes her young children and tucks them in bed.

Ahhh...retaliation of the enemy!  The little boy is not ready to go to sleep, and cries loudly, asking for milk, juice, spaghetti, cookies, anything BUT Cheerios.  Mommy's will falters slightly:  should she cave to his requests?  After all, she really doesn't want him to go to bed hungry, and he certainly does have the most pathetic "I'm suffering" look ever.  She finally brings him a small cup of milk and insists that he go to sleep.  Two hours later, he finally drifts off into slumber.  The mommy wishes that it had happened a lot sooner since it prevented her from getting her evening to-do list done.  She stays up late to finish her tasks.

Very tired, the mommy arouses her children on Tuesday morning and marches them down to the dining room for breakfast.  Although cranky and desperately wanting some "me" time, the mommy resolutely places the bowl of Cheerios in front of her son.  Once again, war wages.  he is NOT going to eat those Cheerios, and she is NOT going to let a 21-month old control the situation.  

Two hours later, she releases him from the table with firm discipline and begins blogging about the war.  She so wants her son to be happy, but even more desires that he obey.  Perhaps she is seeking tactical advice from her readers...

And just so you know how pathetic indeed this child can look...

Through Christ

Each new year our pastor comes up with a theme for that year and several goals for the church to meet (and hopefully exceed!) during the year.  Last year, our theme was "Get Connected'"; and it focused on not only getting new families into the church but also getting everyone involved in some sort of ministry at the church.  The morning service yesterday was the "big reveal" for the new theme and for Pastor's vision for the year.  It was exciting to see how God had worked through our church the previous year, with over 3,000 salvations and 80 new families added to the church!

Grand View Baptist Church's new theme this year is "I can do all things THROUGH CHRIST which strengtheneth me."  The words "through Christ"  were emphasized and got me thinking about my goals for the coming year.

Anything is achievable - through Christ!  Nothing is impossible - through Christ!  Good intentions can become reality - through Christ!

So here are my 2009 goals that I am going to accomplish THROUGH CHRIST:

Spiritual:

1)  TO as always be more faithful in my personal devotional time and not give up when I start sliding

2)  TO "let it go" when things start stressing me out and leave it to God

Personal:

1)  TO be healthier overall, destroying one bad habit at a time (first one is kicking the Pepsi habit to the curb!)

2)  TO be more self-disciplined in the cleaning and organization of my home (making headway on that thing we call a garage already!)

3)  TO learn to be a more patient and calm mother (to be the best mom I can be!)

4)  TO make my hubby feel like a king and not forget him in the craziness of rearing three little ones!

Family:

1)  TO have our family devotion time more frequently

2)  TO make the time to do family things together

3)  TO spend more time with each of my children:

     A.  With Gabi, teaching her to read and having her help out more in the kitchen

     B.  With David, teaching him his letters and numbers 

     C.  With Mike, making sure he doesn't get lost in the shuffle and working on his baby "signs"

Finances:

1)  TO sell the things we don't need in order to make headway on our debt

2)  TO continue to stick to the budget each month and communicate regularly with hubby about the state of our finances

SO, that's about it.  It's a lot to swallow - but that's why they are called goals, something to working for and striving towards, not something to be achieved in one day!  The world sets New Year's resolutions each year and then quits sometime in the middle of February because they are relying on their own strength and ability to achieve their goals.  I choose to seek Christ first and daily so that these goals might be attained through Him.  

Speaking of which, I have a lot on my plate today;  I had better make another cup of coffee and get busy! (that's right people - I am quitting Pepsi but not giving up on coffee! )

I Dare You Not to Smile!

2009 has already been full of smiles and love and laughter for me.  Here's just a few reasons why:

1)  Michael here is absolutely loving being entertained by Gabi.  He just adores his big sister!

2)  Next smile contender is Gabi, who thoughtfully proclaims: "Mommy, you can see all the way up my nose!"

3)  Not to be outdone, Mikey offers up one of his "whole body" smiles.  It's pretty contagious!

4)  David gets down and dirty to win "Best Smile" overall.  I'm wondering how much chocolate actually made it into his mouth...

5)  "Sure I'll watch the baby for a while."  I guess there's no harm in Daddy getting in a little extra Wii time while babysitting. :)

6)  And if you still aren't smiling, watch this video of the Davester discovering that his cousin has a bunk bed with a sliding board.  Positively giggle-inducing!

(I'm bookmarking this post so that when my kiddies start driving me absolutely nuts, I can refer to it and remember their cute moments too!)

Christmas Version 2.0

New Year's Day brought another Christmas for us - this time with the Foster side of the family.  The celebration had been postponed due to the crazy snow and ice we had last week.  It was great to get together with family members we don't see that often and eat a LOT of food and of course open up a multitude of presents.

Besides the actual "dinner", we had spritz cookies, peppermint brownies, tiger butter fudge, sugar cookies, filbert snowballs, fudge pie, cherry cheesecake, mini brownies, and mini pecan pies.  Apparently quite a few of us bakers weren't willing to give up the season yet! (Good thing I decided that any weight-loss resolution can wait until tomorrow!)

Our white elephant gift exchange was as usual filled with much thievery and conniving, all in the spirit of Christmas of course.  It was a heated battle, and although I did not get the much-coveted Starbucks package, I was content with a quilted NOEL banner that Grandma has sewn and some matching serving platters.  Chris was not quite so fortunate with his MnM's dispenser, but the children were delighted with that!

Then the kids received their gifts - I was thrilled to see that we would be carting home several more bags of STUFF to add to our tiny condo. :)  Grandma made Gabi the sweetest little jumper with a dolly pocket on it.  As soon as she wears it, I will post a picture as she is bound to look adorable in it!  And Uncle Scott and Aunt Micheal gave the kids a Sesame Street town - which apparently is a set of three huge pop-up buildings to play in.  The word "huge" here is NOT an exaggeration:  when unfolded the buildings literally take up our entire living room!  Which of course the kiddies thought was ingenious and wonderful and subsequently cried bitter tears when I attempted to refold and return the buildings to their carrying bag.  Note the word "attempted" - it took me and one frustrated husband several attempts to refold the buildings and put them in the bag.  It would not surprise me in the least if during the night I heard an exploding sound as the buildings burst out of their bag.  We might just have to learn to live with a giant Hooper's Store and Bert and Ernie's house permanently camped in our living room.  Maybe it would increase the real estate value of our place...

Anyway, it was a great day overall, especially when my over-tired and over-sugared children FINALLY stopped sobbing and submitted to sweet, precious sleep.  And here I am, about to get under the covers myself when I realized I haven't figured out what specific goals I want for 2009.  Oh well, tomorrow is another day (to eat chocolate!) before I make some important decisions for the future.  Writer Chic's post on choosing joy has got me thinking...

What Will You "Underfong" This Year?"

Last evening we were playing some games with some good friends of ours to help ring in the New Year.  One of my favorites is Balderdash!  if you aren't familiar with the game, basically for each round of play, a strange word is read off a card, and everyone has to come up with their own definition of the word.  Then the moderator for that round reads everyone's definition and the correct one, and all the other players try to guess which definition is the correct one.

Last night, one word that came up was "underfong."  It means "to determine or resolve," so I thought it fitting to include in my title for today, this first day of the New Year.

I have some goals myself for this coming year, but haven't actually coherently written them down anyplace yet.  I'm still not sure what those goals will be; after prayer and a lot more coffee hopefully I will be able to share them.  

I hope you all had a good New Years' however you chose to celebrate it.  I am looking forward to what 2009 will bring us this year (maybe a new niece or nephew from my favorite sister?!?)  :)  

We'll see...