Lovin' Life

Ok, so it's been a while since I've blogged. And although I'd love to write an opinion piece about how dumb it is that the Missouri primary doesn't technically determine our delegates, or how surprised I am at the number of God-fearing people I know that don't support Prop 8 in California.....those topics will have to wait for something much more important...photos of my youngest. 

Priorities, people.

I just think these are so stinkin' cute....

This girl loves chicken noodle soup. LOVES, I tell you. (Or at least she did on this day. Who knows about next time.)

She also loves...

 ....reading books
(aka completely destroying books)

...playing on the iPod
(aka messing my iPod up) 

...pink milk
(aka mooching off of someone else)

...riding the vacuum cleaner...obviously she really loves this one--just look at that face! She's even drooling! 

...and pretty much making a total disaster out of every meal. Hey, when you're 1, that's your job.

...not sure if she enjoys the food or the mess more.

And of course she loves...

...her Daddy.

This girl loves life. And we love her to pieces, too.

The Best Birthday EVER (JOIN ME!)

In just a few days I will turn 39, but I've already begun to celebrate! (And I hope you'll celebrate with me!) After reading this blog post a few weeks ago, I decided that I would do the same sort of thing, except spread my acts of kindness over the entire week! This started yesterday.

My oldest had an Orthodontist appointment yesterday morning, so on our way we went through the McDonald's drive thru and we paid for the gentleman's breakfast in the car behind us. I'm quite sure that was the most fun I've had in the McDonalds Drive-thru.  Ever. And it might have slightly reminded me of TP'ing houses in my high school days...it might have, you know, if I ever did that sort of rebellious thing, which of course I assure you I would never ever admit to. (Surely none of my high school coaches read this blog...)

So anyway, this week I will be completing 39 random acts of kindness (or more) in celebration of my Birthday. I've already completed 4 and it has been a blast! Would you like to join me? I'm inviting my friends and family to help me celebrate by doing something simple, kind, and random in honor of my Birthday! I would LOVE it if you would! If you're game, read on!

In case you need some ideas, I'll list some below, but please feel free to do something as circumstances present themselves, or as God leads. And I've found people are more receptive to kindness if you tell them it is in honor of your (or your friends') birthday. (Sad how we've become so cynical to kindness...but that is another blog post for another time...) In fact, some of the ideas listed below should be accompanied by a note of some sort. This is a business card I've printed to help me:

Lastly, if you wouldn't mind leaving a comment here (or on my facebook post) about what you did, that would make this my most amazing Birthday ever. I'm so excited!

Now, on to the ideas....although some of these require money and some of them time, some require very little of either. Be creative, be generous, and have fun!!

• give away balloons
• tape some quarters to a vending machine
• buy some fresh flowers at the grocery store and then turn around and hand them to the person in line behind you
• donate blood
• help someone at the grocery store load their groceries into their car (although don't freak them out)
• tape microwave popcorn to a redbox machine
• pay for the person behind you in the drive-thru
• put dollar bills in a few library books
• give away hot chocolate or coffee to people working outside (utility/street departments, etc.)
• read children a book at a bookstore or the library
• leave change on the ground or at a playground for the children to find
• hand out bottled water to someone who never gets appreciated (nurses at the hospital, security guard at the mall, etc.)
• hand out suckers to children at the mall (ask parent's permission first, of course) OR
• hand out stickers to children at the mall (or offer both--gives an option to parents who are hesitant to accept candy from a complete stranger!)
• buy a small gift card and immediately give it to someone in that establishment, like the person in line behind you or (if in a restaurant) someone at a table. This is a fun one at department stores where most people are grumpy....no names, but you know....
• deliver a hand-written note and snacks to a local police/fire station
• take needed items to a homeless shelter
• pay for someone else's coffee at Starbucks
• tuck happy notes on car windshields wishing people a good day full of God's blessings
• take art supplies to waiting rooms (hospitals/Dr.'s offices, etc....would be a good idea to ask them first)
• leave quarters at a laundromat
• give a phone card to someone in need
• give coffee to a toll-booth worker and pay for someone else's toll
• deliver candy bars (or something else) to workers in a local business you believe in (like a Crisis Pregnancy Center)
• give a car wash token to someone who looks like they need it. :)
• Do you know a business that keeps their bathroom really clean? Write a thank-you note and give it to the person in charge of that.
• pump someone else's gas at the gas station
• feed busy parking meters
• let someone else in front of you in line

The fam

Here we are....new family pic, such as it is. Hey, it's a miracle I made it in FRONT of the camera, and you want all of us to actually be looking AT the camera?? Maybe in about 5 years.

This was taken on the old man's my sweet husband's 40th Birthday. I shouldn't poke fun because I'm not too far behind...but I'M NOT THERE YET....

This was a fun day (despite the depressed husband) and a beautiful day, which you can't always guarantee in mid-October.

Irony

Going swimming while preparing for a flood. There just seems to be something wrong about that.

Of course Baby doesn't seem too bothered by it.

What On Earth Were You Thinking??

Since stepping on a nail in the barn, Brother has been taking oral antibiotics--thick, cold, pink stuff that apparently doesn't taste real great. He takes this nasty dose 3 times a day, so he's getting pretty tired of it.

Yesterday, I handed him a syringe of the delightful stuff and he acted like I just handed him a syringe full of pond slime. So I told him if he plugged his nose, he wouldn't taste it.

He didn't believe me.

So I reached up and pinched his nose shut and encouraged him to "just do it." After a little arguing about it, I pinched his nose and said, "Ok, get it done, ready? 1.....2.......3....."

And at that point, he pushed the medicine out of the syringe as fast as he could. He just forgot one thing. HE FORGOT TO PUT THE SYRINGE IN HIS MOUTH.

He has it pointed at himself, but holding it about 8 inches from his face.

He shot it out with so much force it splattered off of his neck and shoulder onto a sizable portion of the floor and THREE walls.  I just stood there, baffled by what just happened.  He looked up at me, shocked by what just happened.

And although I didn't find the humor of it at the time, now I see...IT WAS REALLY FUNNY!!

Let's just hope he doesn't have aspirations to become a doctor someday....

MAY-HEM

What did we do in the month of May?

The kids started to mow the yard this year, and although they are doing a great job, it did engulf in flames....ok, not really, but the clutch did burn up and bunches of white smoke started coming out of the back of it while Brother was mowing. That prompted a discussion about fire safety that started like this:

ME: Brother, do you know what to do if your clothing would catch on fire?

BROTHER: (with an "I can't believe you don't know the answer to this question, Mom" look on his face) Uh, take them off?

The discussion didn't get much better when he decided it would be best to run as fast as you can because everyone knows when you blow on a candle really hard it puts the flame out....

We've been going on whole-family bike rides lately, but DH thought the best place for Baby would be in the backpack carrier. I'm not too thrilled about it, but I must say she sure did enjoy herself. (And we have another child bike seat now.) 

 

We (ok, not me) added another swing to the swingset so all 4 kids can go at the same time. There's officially no more room on the swingset, so I guess no more children for us.

The kids had been studying about the Underground Railroad, and earned a trip to the Mayhew Cabin, a stop on the Underground Railroad. We went with some other homeschooler friends and they all had a blast playing there and going thru the tunnel a gazillion times that afternoon.

We saw this brilliant rainbow just to the East of us and the kids wanted to go find the pot of gold. For a while there were 2 rainbows, but of course I wasn't fast enough to catch that on film.

How do you know when you've put off doing the laundry too long? When your children are buried alive by it. Seriously. Drama Queen fell asleep on the floor next to the hamper in our bedroom, and apparently the mountain toppled over on top of her. (She didn't even wake up...although we didn't want her to smother so she got pulled out in short order. Just imagine that coroner's report, "Victim was smothered by a pile of dirty laundry...")

If the kids wake up before me, they will climb into bed with me and I will read them a book. On this morning, I had to get out, but Brother decided he could read one to Baby. Aren't they precious?

How do you know when Chatterbox is driving us all crazy with her non-stop talking?? When your 4-year-old comes to supper like this. Yes, she enjoyed her entire meal in silence...a rare occasion at our house.

The weather was barely 80 and the kids couldn't wait a second longer to get out the Slip and Slide. They played all afternoon and came in with a S-U-N-B-U-R-N.  Oops. I suppose any responsible Mother would have thought about sunscreen. 

One of the highlights of the end of the school year for our kids is our Homeschool Track and Field Day. This year was no exception. For some reason my kids seem to be particularly skilled in the Sack Jump. Do you supposed there's some life-skill that will translate into??

Officially, my parents are now empty-nesters as my youngest sister got married. Boy does that make me feel old--she was my flower-girl...she was 2 and a half. Yes, I got married when I was 12. (That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.)

I got a good picture of my kids at the wedding...I just don't know why people say all of my kids look alike........lol

DH is finally seeing his dream of building a shop become a reality this summer. But he's finding out even when you hire most of it done, there's still a lot of managing that needs to be done.

Brother is playing T-ball again this summer, and loving it. They won their first game, and when I told him it doesn't matter who wins, it's just about having fun, he responded with, "Well, Mom, the other team can just have fun, but I want to win."

And last but not least, our most exciting event of May was when Brother stepped on a nail in the barn and nearly drove it thru his foot. Of course this happened on Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, so on Sunday when it kept swelling and the top of his foot felt hot, we took him to the ER. I think he's on the mend now, but he has enjoyed milking the attention for all it's worth. (And yes, this is the nail, although that is NOT blood, it's actually red paint. Looks pretty realistic though, doesn't it!) 

And that's been our May. Hopefully June will be a nice, quiet month....although around here the chances of that are highly unlikely. And with the threat of widespread flooding here looming again this year, I'm betting June will be interesting one way or another.

A Happy Home (and Mama)

Last weekend I went to homeschool conference. This is like the 4th time I've gone and each year I love it more. It is so refreshing to spend two days with some of my best friends, with no children, and learn something in the process! I always glean at least a few new ideas to try either in our homeschool process, or my home. This year, I came home with a whole BUCKETFUL of ideas, thanks to Carol Barnier.  And the most brilliant in the bucket is this...... (That's ok, click on it for a closer look if you need to.)

Yes, TIE the scissors TO the spot they are supposed to stay. Nothing makes me more frustrated than when my son cannot find his scissors....and in Kindergarten, you need your scissors A-LOT.  So, THANK YOU, Carol Barnier. And not just thank you, but rise-up-and-call-you-blessed thank you!  You have made our home and this Mama much happier!

PS: Yes, I have threatened his life if he EVER cuts that ribbon. And we all know how well he likes to cut stuff....