Tuesday, November 22, 2011

I've moved to wingingiteveryday.com

Hi!  I've moved to wingingiteveryday.com, please come find me there.  I am putting a great story on about the time I drove into my house....

Friday, November 11, 2011

18 Seconds of Amazing Dancing

I can't think of anything to say about it, my kids are weird, and that's about it...

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Funny for me, but Gross for Steve...

2006
Warning: This story is gross, but it was very funny too....

Every parent has horror stories about potty training,. That rocky initiation to parenthood that you never imagined when your sweet baby first entered the world. I hope you don't mind, but I love to tell those stories. It turns temporary trauma into legendary laughs...

We were on a family vacation in California and visited Newport Beach. We packed up and left late in the evening to go visit Grandma and Grandpa. We didn't have very good directions because we thought we knew the way, but of course we got confused in the dark and were driving around totally lost for a while. We were so lost we accidentally turned into a parking lot, which we thought was going to be the road home. We escaped the parking lot and were in the middle of three lanes of traffic when our 3 1/2 year old son needed to pee. We didn't know where we were, we didn't want to stop, so Steve just grabbed an empty water jug and set him up to go. It all went well until Steve asked if he was all done, and then removed the jug. Guess what, he wasn't. Poor Steve, he got sprayed full in the face, in the mouth, the whole works. I couldn't breathe I was laughing so hard. You should have seen the look of horror on his face! He just yelled AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! It didn't taste good. Steve wasn't happy, but he couldn't help laughing in disbelief at the ridiculousness of the situation. There was nothing to do but keep driving. We eventually found our way to Covina, and Steve took a shower... :)

Monday, November 7, 2011

Joy and Misery

I am grateful to be able to be a part of the worship team at my church. I honestly don't know if my voice is any good or not. I just do my best for better of for worse. The reason I love to be up there is so that I can see the faces of my church family while they are praising God. There are some out there who totally inspire me. One look at them, and I am reminded about what it is we are doing. The very Glory of God shines in their eyes, sometimes tears of joy, and it stirs me to envision heaven. It will be just like this. Here in the presence of our Savior.
But looking out into the crowd there is sadness too. I see a few young men who, no doubt are only there at mom's request. Their faces are cold and their lips are silent. They are unmoved. I remember the days when my heart was hard in this very room. I want to show them what I see. I lift my hands, but they continue in complacency. "All power, and Glory, Dominion are God's." I smile a little as I think to myself, "You can run, but you can't hide!" God will bring you back here some day, when you are ready. I know that I am powerless to show you the way, but HE is not.

Glory to God!

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Living With a Bunch of Boys

Today started with music floating up the stairs.
"Driving down the highway, highway 64,
when Jack let a fart, and blew us out the door!
The wheels started shaking, the engine fell apart,
all because of Jack's supersonic fart!"
The funny part was that Jack was singing this song about himself. This tune is a great picture of what life with boys entails. I love it. All three times I was pregnant I hoped for a girl. Sigh. It's a boy, it's a boy, it's another boy. .... I couldn't be more grateful. Do you know there is something I am really bad at? Vibrating my cheek in such a way that it sounds exactly like a machine gun. I cannot do it at all, I try sometimes. Instead of shopping, we all go to the range and shoot big guns. Hey, I'm trying to fit in here ok?
There is a part of me that wishes I could buy a little Tinkerbell costume and tiny tea-cups. Oh, and it would be so neat to set up an awesome doll house. Instead we have camouflage and legos, and being ridiculous. "Hi, I'm Swineman" James comes up to me and says. I guess that's what you become when you are too big to be Spiderman.
The other crazy difference is the technical jargon. "Mom I can't find my Springfield!!!!!" "What??" "My Springfield!" "I don't understand the question." "I mean my big brown gun." "Oh, I think its in the basement." They constantly quiz each other on weapon model numbers, airplane numbers, P58, F28 etc... (I made those up cause I have no clue, and I can't bring myself to want to know...) Anyway, all this to say, its fun and I wouldn't trade them for anything.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

How I learned to Run at age 36

One year ago I was running like the wind, I was grinning at my new skill, just flying along with no pain, no gasping for air, no grabbing my side at the sudden cramps. ..... Oh that's right, this is how I recognized that I was in fact sound asleep. The only place I could run more than 1 block was in my dreams! I wished I could do it, but faced the facts that for me it was impossible. My only real exercise was an occasional walk with the fam.
Last spring I was inspired. I went to visit my sister and while we were making dinner my brother in-law who relatively recently picked up the sport was out for a run. He was gone a LONG time and when he came back he said he had run 7 miles. 7 MILES! I couldn't believe it! How was that possible? Two years earlier he was just as non-athletic as I. He lent me the book "Born to Run", and after reading it I was willing to find out it there may be indeed, a runner inside me after all.
Here is how I did it.
Rule # 1. No big goals. I will try to run, and when I am tired I will walk. I will walk for as long as I want, and when, if ever, I feel like running a little more I will. I don't have to run 1 mile, I don't have to train for a marathon. Seize the moment, no strings attached.
Rule # 2: Keep repeating rule #1

My first day I ran about a block and half, but I was not discouraged because it was infinitely more than the "nothing" I usually ran. Slowly, I improved. A month later I was running 2 miles, (always with my comforting walking breaks.) I stretched it to three, faithfully following my rules.
My new goal was to be able to run without thinking about how hard running is, and trying to make it to my next walk break. This just took time and consistency. I just kept on doing it, and about 4-5 months later I could run 4 or more miles without thinking. My husband said he flashed his lights at me the other day and honked the horn, but I must have been thinking about my day or something because I didn't even notice him. I still don't care if I'm fast enough, I've no desire to run a marathon. I'm just glad that if a bad guy were chasing me I'd have a better chance of getting away!
Anyway, I am writing this in hopes of inspiring you to give it a try sometime. You never know, little by little, step by step, you may just get there too!

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Attitude Adjustment Miracle



I am a first and second grade teacher, and my youngest son is in my class. It is such a joy to have him, to see how silly he is when he is around his classmates. The challenge that I have faced with him is dealing with his instantaneous devastation whenever he makes a mistakes or receives correction of any kind. It has been so bad that I cringe at the thought of helping him with anything, because I know how poorly my help will be received. Well today we were having our usual struggle, and he was telling me how he was having such a terrible day, and "I don't like today" etc.
I grabbed him in a hug and told him. Of course its a horrible day. You get so mad over nothing, that it would be impossible for you to have a good day. I let it go at that and a couple of hours later he was smiling and saying, "this is a really good day!" My eyebrows shot up a bit, curious about this unexpected change. Later in the day I received a beautiful card from my son. It said "mom I love you so so so much. but you are right I shood have a good atitood" and he drew a big decorated heart. I cannot even express the warm blanket of joy that crept over my heart when I read his note.