I love the fact that my kids think of each other.

Yesterday my son went to the music thing at church, they had a mini party to celebrate the end of the year, their was a present pile. My son chose a bouncy ball and a mini maze. He chose the ball for himself, and then he chose the maze because his sister had one and it broke, he got her a new one, with his present he chose one for her..that is soooo adorable!

Then today while we were coloring he found one of the scrap papers that had a picture of a picnic basket on it complete with utensils for a meal, he immediatly told me that JC would like it....I asked if he thought he could find something for his daddy, he pulled up a case of money . Then I asked the tough one, something for UE, he found several things UE would like, but we owned them or a version of them already!

I decided to ask if my daughter could do the same, and thought it was an adorable learning experience, and any good grandparent/parent would love a 'gift' from a child, even if it wasn't real, the thought from a heart of a child was there..and cute!

Oh yeah and my 'writing challenged' son, GMC, had to make thank you notes today..he wrote out the whole thing, not just 'thank you' but 'Thank you for the new game' without me asking him to! I love when they show you they mastered a skill (at /ew/ in new he asked "is that 'oo' or 'ew' or 'ui'"? and I thought he would never spell!

I was asked to write an essay about faith today...the day of the 'must be nice' and it took all morning ot go from anger to blessing, but when I finally did I wrote my essay on it, dunno that it will be what they want, but hey they asked a non writer, can't expect much!

Not a luxury but a blessing.

I am frequently told it 'must be nice' to have the luxury of staying home...Today was another day of hearing how 'lucky' I am. Don't get me wrong I do like staying home, but line drying clothes isn't exactly my idea of a pampered life. As the anger rose in me, I composed retorts for the next to tell me of my 'nice luck' I listed sacrifices my husband and I have made over the last 5 years to realize this 'luxury' I ticked off reasons so and so could do it, and figured the budget for them. But then I realized it was pointless, and in fact harmful. And I realized instead of focusing on how hard staying home is, I shoudl focus on the blessing of staying home. It is not really a luxury to me (a nice hot bubble bath on the other hand is!) but staying home is a huge blessing. God has truly blessed our family in many ways. To me the phrase 'there but for the grace of God' applies. I may not be able to pinpoint all that He has done in my life, but I know if it were not for Him I would not be able to stay here with my children every day. (without His grace and forgiveness I am not sure I would want to!)

I am blessed with a husband who understands and shares my desire to stay with the kids.

We are blessed with many reminders of why we choose this path.

We are blessed with new information on how to make pennies squeak as our family grows.

Each time I am told it 'must be nice' I feel insulted that someone thinks I am a spoiled princess...But that is what I am, oh sure I miss out on some fun luxuries (pedicures, daily meat) but in general I am spoiled in what counts. Love, family, and an opportunity to see, and help, my children grow each and every day

God's many blessings for our family are more than enough, my cup does overflow..and it IS nice.

Staying home, yet again the stay at home is a luxury struck..I soooooo wanted to point out that it is HIGHLY unlikely either of them make less than 30K (what we made last year) and so luxury is a bad word, choice, we choose to have one of us stay home.

grr, #$^%&%$# @#)(%*^ @(#&%^& snarl, fume@$$#^$*$%(

So lets just say I consider my HOT shower a luxury, I consider staying home a choice, not a luxury, a choice, and yes I feel it is the best one, or we wouldn't have made it. We thought about it, we weighed and measured our options, and we came to the best choice for us......

Saying that 'staying home is a luxury' is the most demeaning thing to me, my sacrifices are lost on these folk.

Yeah I know, those folk shouldn't matter...and I shouldn't swear either...I'll work on it.

Well, yesterday some things got done....not everything, but I am not sure everything will ever be done.

My son was adorable at the store using some of his money to buy a toy for his sister.

Really when he isn't misbehaving he is adorable!

We spent a small fortune on food (110-Extra baking and such for Christmas) but well, this is what we save for, so we can spend it now.....Unfortunatly we need mollasses still (I promised molasses cookies Sunday, and I have none left)

But other than that we shouldn't spend any more money for the week, milk is good till the 24th, though I do expect to go shopping before then, we need steak and a turkey..unless we go to PA, FIL is in the hospital awaiting surgery..that will be an interesting trip to go there hopefully to be ba k just in time ofr out of town guests here...

Oh well, I played games, I ate cookies, I had a good night..now I have to go back to work....

We have errands to run (po box, mail couple packages, and get stamps-also recycle center-groceries, and the kids want to spend some gift money)

plus things to bake (fudge, pumpkin bread, mollasses cookies -which I lost the recipie too, and had to call my mother, then call my aunt for it! family recipe frotunatly, hopefully peanut butter fudge-if I can find the recipe, and soon stuff for Sunday)

Plus company tonight (hope they like baked goods!)

Plus cards to address, (I lost my address book, so I am sending them as I get them, I love hearing form others, I especially like the picture cards and the letters...though word to all who write...umm, upbeat is more seasonally appropriate....)

Anyway, think we can be back in time for company? we havn't even left yet and it is 1pm!

I made my bed..yeah ok silly I know, but one time poking around flylady.net I found a comment on what to do if you were sick, and flylady said..make your bed.....

But if I am sick I want in it! I don't want to make it!

Well, after I made my bed (yesterday) I decided I could prolly manage to pick up some miscelaneous things too..and while I did have to take breaks, mostly to blow my nose! I managed to get my whole room clean. K, so the dishes were piled high in the kitchen, the livingroom was suffering from only being cleaned by the kids the day before (and while good, they have limits) and the laundry was piled sky high... but I had a clean bedroom..I felt soo much better just having that one clean sanctuary for me.

My nose was still a bright red rudolph drippy stuffy, sneezy mess, but I felt calmer about the upcomming company (friday, and overnight Monday) and the extra baking I have to do (for said company both times, and for Sunday) because since I had a calm place to rest, I could retreat in between working.

Now don't go thinking it is all done..I wish! but some is done, and I had a wonderful nights sleep, in a peaceful room to start my day fresh.

Only trouble, you never know what you are advertising to different people.

Take your shoes..while one person might think 'cool wish I had a pair' the same pair of shoes might elicit 'ugh, those are soooo ugly, I would never wear them' and yet a third will think 'err shoes..she had shoes..umm guess so'.

Which for me means I wont waste time on what shoes I wear (though man mine are uncomfortable! I gotta do something about that)

On the other hand, I homeschool, I stay at home, eat healthy (ish), reduced consumer, and I am a semi tree hugger..

What do those immages bring to mind to you? all good? all bad? all prolly based on your experience and reading...not a terrible thing to base stuff on..but...are you getting the whole picture? maybe that person with twinkies in the cart had a science project on what twinkies do to the arteries...not actually planning on eating them? Or maybe they were..you just can't tell...but that person buying them should be thinking that they are advertising/supporting twinkies by buying them....

Or maybe you are one of the few and far between, the 'whatever' folk, folk who don't think anything of anybody, really you are a rare breed. And while you may not make judgements, others are making them of you, so if you have a cause..are your daily habits that others can see supporting it? if not....what are you telling the world?

The immages you and others have about any 'lable' may or may not be true, but they are there, and they are hard to fight.

Every time my kid throws a tantrum in public, I am faced with some people seeing me as a bad mother, every time My kid doesn't know the answer to a question I am faced with some people thinking my homeschooling is failing, everytime my kids or I are sick I am faced with healthy (ish) eating being a waste of time...Everytime I buy useless junk I am faced with some others thinking my money is supporting a wasteful industry...and everytime I use a disposable wrapping I am faced with 'treehugging' being to hard to keep up. (or other immages, who knows what people think)

None of this will stop me from trying to be the best mother and possibly more environmentalist I can be, but all of it is something I try to consider when I walk out the door (after I get the round of diapers, pottys, coats, food packed, and such taken care of)

So what are you advertising?

Oh and while you really may not care about strangers..what are you advertising to your kids? drinking pop while they drink water? they will likely grow up to drink pop..insisting they read while you watch the latest sitcom? condeming lying, while telling a 'great'story of youthfull lies?

I once read a sci fi story where the cure for a cold was deep sleep for 5 days, I assume with IV fluids and nutrition.....

Unfortunatly we don't have that option, and even if we did, who would take care of the kids?

So instead I have learned a couple ways to save on klenex, meds and lost time.

--Nothing monumental but FLUIDS! lots of them, and clear..like water..not only for the sicko but for the rest of the house....Oh I could find you tons of articles stating fluids are important but do you really need one more expert? go get a glass of water and google em yourself

--An old soft t-shirt...for the drippy snots..it feels better to a sore nose than all but the most expensive brands of kleenex, but please wash on hot to kill the germs....and no yuky snotty klenex to take out (common you know the kids use a ton and overflow the can, leaving you to pick up and touch the icky snot that never really gets absorbed..if it did the snot would go thru to your hand when used..eww!)

--Soap! wash your hands...and dry them..damp snotty hands not only carry your germs to others, they invite others germs to you...last thing you need is multiple colds in rapid succession!

--generic meds, generic Ibuprofen works fine on me..though no med lasts the full time stated ('take every 4 hours' means 'will wear out in 2-3 hours') generic decongestants work to..read the big long scienticic 'active ingredient' on your favorite brand then look for it in generic....preferably do the reading when you are not sick..and but when convenient..try not to wait till in the midst of a cold..when you are in a akened state and likely to buy more than just your medicine.


there has to be more too.

K so yeah I am sick..but at least no money was lost in time off work (husband on the other hand went in sick...)

K so yeah I we are looking at upcomming surgery and time off for husband..but at least we have some money set aside....

K so yeah we have not much family nearby to help..but at least we do have a BIL who will drive him to the hospital....(though no one is making us chicken soup right now .)

K so yeah we have a small house, but it has plenty of floor space for company (cause there ain't much furniture .)

K so yeah we have a limited budget..but at least we have one!

And weather or not the grass is greener over there, at least it isn't any browner here.

First the great news..the fever went away, we called of the DR, and while he is not quite his normal self, he also is sleeping well, and eating well, and no fever..not really sure what is wrong..Anyway thanks for all the well wishes and prayers, it seems to be working, so keep it up please!

Second the not so happy news...never try to print a tri-fold card on a printer that prints crooked! Take fifty billion is awaiting printing now....

Third the ironic news...my high blood pressure, half jewish, half just plain ironic mother sent us a ham, with 27%of your sodium intake per minute serving....thanks, but umm yeah, ironic!

Fourth the good news! We are done shopping for Christmas! ok well I forgot one thing (toothbrushes for kids stockings), and we will pick up some chocolate closer to christmas (if it was in the house we would eat it, and we need it for the grownup stockings....yeah, they get toothbrushes, we get chocolate...sorry .)

Fifth the bad news...it cost over 100$ to finish up! sheesh, ah well it was all budgeted...and did I mention it was done?

err do we have a happy dance smily? I think it would be perfect right now!

why get a real tree?

course scrolling down the site offers some interesting typos..never a good thing for creibility...

But on the other hsnd the points make sense

recylable...
while growing they 'make' oxygen...


and if you wanted one stop lyrics and tree advertising: lyrics

I got this in my inbox today..slightly more chain and less poilite:

3 men were hiking through a forest when they came upon a large,raging violent river. Needing to get on the other side, the
first man prayed, "God, please give me the strength to cross the
river."
Poof! God gave him big arms and strong legs and he was able
to swim across in about 2 hours, having almost drowned twice.

After witnessing that the second man prayed, "God, please give
me strength and the tools to cross the river."

Poof! God gave him a rowboat and strong arms and strong legs and he was able to row across in about an hour after almost capsizing once.


Seeing what happened to the first two men, the third man prayed, "God, please give me the strength, the tools and the intelligence to cross the river."

Poof! Lightbulb moment. He checked the map, hiked ten yards up stream and walked across the bridge.

Strenght, tools and inteligence alone wont cut it....you gotta have all three.

Fortunatly I don't feel the situation is lifethreatening, but my gut does tell me UE has an ear infection...

He got a fever last night, after taking three naps..for a 1 year old who hates to sleep that is weird! The fever is still there today (I gave him some tylenol, it worked for an hour) He is also 'pestering' his ears, and complaining when I try to clean them (kid has the dirtiest ears I have ever seen!)

Anyway I will be calling the Dr, and prolly getting an apointment for tomorrow (husband is off)

But in light of the recent bus vs million dollar deal thread, it does make me greatful for what I do have...

yeah ok so it is early, but hey you can print it out and add to your collection
It is a three fold card, so you have to imagine opening it to get the middle then fully to get the letter

sorry bout the missing picture of the kids...I am just not that trusting



and the part all about us err well all about the kids anyway.


Well there you have it, SA gets our Christmas card before the family...no printer access...

grown chair

it comes with a suggestion that you grow your own, instructions for frame availible on request...but errr you have to be kidding, me grow a plant? noway..

But it looks cool, and I would love to own one..so how much do you think 5 years of patiently training 3 trees costs?

I can see it now, your walking along some girl sholders up to you offering a scent of fried donuts...you shake your head 'no' even as your mouth waters....

She brings a covered tray closer, lifting the towel covering it, tempting you with even more delightful smell of fresh donuts.

"common, just one bite, try it" only 20$ for a donut...



Of course it will take time and effort to set up black market bakeries, but you know no fake food will ever equal the taste of real transfat...Though

New York seems to think one and a half years is plenty of time for bakeries to research alternatives. I wonder how long before they ban caffeine, sugar, salt, alcohol, whole milk and any other ingredients...

Will we one day be asking around to find a 'speakeasy' to get our cup of 'java joe'?

(don't get me wrong..I avoid transfat..)

edit to add: editorial on the 'nanny state'

Only I can't get it in time for Christmas, which means my husband will have to wait a whole year...

terrible, but really it will be the perfect present....

Though I think knowing early what he will get next year is pretty cool.

Truthfully the idea came to me after I filled his stocking, so I don't need anything for this year, though nothing he is getting is amazing, but I think he will like all of it.

Err..I may be cheap, but I find cableprices rediculous, sure I like some shows..junky or otherwise, I like mindless entertainment.

but 75$ a month to watch mostly ads?

Even the so called no ad shows are full of ads...for their own stuff! Ads for movies, ads for other shows, ads for music, and radio, not to mention ads for their 'brand' which of course they are capitalizing on by selling plenty of dolls, and such with the name, face, or whatnot on it.

And as opposed to the internet, there is no 'popup blocker' and no internal 'only look here' (dunno about you , but on my favorite sites I have to hunt for the ads, I just don't look at them)

Anyway, just posting my shock.

lol video

very funny IMO

1. Bell ornament that my brother and I 'fought' over hanging up..I still will not let the kids do it! I wont even hang it on the tree, I place it way up high out of reach, it is already been broken and repaired once. (broken by my mother)

2. Steak for Christmas dinner..last year we went to the ILS and missed it, this year we may have to do the family thing again, but if so, we are moving steak to Christmas eve. (I want my steak!)

3. Stockings..the best part of christmas morning presents would be the stockings..we also fill one for my mother and mother in law.

4.

Advent book, my mother bought me one several years ago, it has a door for each day with a part of the Christmas story. We start December 1st and open just one a day, reviewing old days. It is a wonderful way to review the story each year with the kids. I think if I had older kids making one would be cool, actually I think when mine are older we will make one with them as a gift....could be a cool tradition itself....

5. Placemats, out of last years Christmas cards..gives me something to do with them, and I think the grandmas like them.

6. Decorating two trees..we started this last year, one is 'itty bitty' and is in a pot, the other is a larger normalish sized one, though still small..husband of mine doesn't like large tree hassles..and it is a good thing, I have pared down my ornament collection every year, keeping more important ones and ditching the barely remembered (never mind that the man who wants a small tree is the man who doesn't want to get rid of the ornaments....) Some day we will have a row of cute trees out back

7. Filling a shoebox (or three), I did this when I was a kid and we are helping the kids do it now, operation Christmas child sends them overseas, The kids love to be able to get several things to fill a box, and we all like knowing some kid will have a box of fun to open.

8. Christmas music with all company sorry yes you get bombarded with it here too...though in my defense, I do not do much shopping after thanksgiving, so I don't get it, I also do not work with it..so the only time I hear it, is when I put it on intentionally..or at church.

9. candlelit service....I absolutly love thise, Christmas eve..though NOT at midnight! nice and early, so we can get the kids in bed.

10. Christmas eve book..you gotta have some good reason to go to bed that night! (I used to get one, so this is a continued tradition)

11. pass thru the neighborhood any time we come home after dark (for us that isn't often) to see all the Christmas lights.

12. Fudge! and Pumpkin bread, and Molasses cookies (cookies are Grandma Boo's recipie)...I make some every year, the only things I bake that are consistantly requested by all who know if em.....except my mother in law.....she hates my cooking...

13. Make our own card..ever since we had kids we have included a 'year in review' of some form for Christmas..and we print it on the computer..then we print lables..and don't think I havn't thought most times that it would be easier to hand write them afte trying to mail merge and lables croocked and ect...sheesh..have the card done, but my computer doesn't print..and DH works till late..hopefully before christmas it will happen..I'll edit out full names for a copy to all here if you want.

Living so far away from family the only traditions of my childhood that I truly regret is not seeing my grandmother on Christmas.........and the other side of the family always does Christmas in January..the time of ice storms and unsafe driving for NC...so we never see them either....oh well.

In general I avoid crafty gifts unless I have a backup, I do not want the midnight dash to finish!

Plus with kids I do not want a fun craft to turn into a fight.

But now I have a kid pestering me to do some!

"I need to make my ornament, Grandma will have a tree and she needs an ornament for it!"

actually she doesn't need it, but if she is going ot get one, he does need to work, so fine, guess I might work on one of mine too.

Thanks to Jeffrey forcing me to sign up for Digg, I have found a new way to kill time while trying ot get my son to sleep..digg junk.

Tonight I came across way to much adult language and information (bleatch), plus an interesting puzzle

Petals around the rose

Unfortunatly after a short time I headed to wiki for the solution (not gonna make it easy, if you want the solution you'll have to google it yourself!) When I read it I decided it was not very cool, oh sure it makes sense, but it looks nothing like a rose..should be called something different, even just petals around the flower or something...rose makes you think of 'rows' like columns which is totally wrong. (and rose-red is wrong too, color is not important)

Anyway it reminded me, I never did like that sort of puzzle, code breaking kind. I like jigsaw puzzles and word puzzles..not code breaking, which is prolly why I hate programing!

I am sulking.....it doesn't matter why, there is no good reason to sulk..it doesn't help, it only wastes time...but here I am sulking.

Why is it that we avoid fixing things we know perfectly well are wrong?

I say I need to lose weight..while I munch on fudge..DUH!

I say I need to get more work done less goofing off..while goofing off online...DUH!

I say I need to spend less...while fixing fish from a bag for dinner...DUH!

There is more, but let me keep some bad habits to myself

K so if the right thing is perfectly obvious..what is so hard about doing the right thing?

Real live people, real live chips..well ok the chips are not alive, they are clay I think..heh and stamped with a skeleton..nothing live about that!
Now that I have ruined any 'good girl' images anyone may have left....

I was about to say how much I love having company over, and I find it pretty cheap..oh sure a really good hostess would go out and buy pop, or beer, or better, and have fancy cheeses and stuff..but my friends don't drink/eat when I do..so I don't.

muffins, fudge, and BYOB that is the rule of thumb here. (ok the muffins and fudge change occasionally...)

unfortunatly for lazy me, I do have to do a bit more cleaning for company...I swiffer the floor before they get here, instead of after the kids are in bed (when 9 times out of ten I can convince my husband to do it instead of me..oh well, it is worth it)

only 4 more hours! (starts at 7pm)

Generally I have a terrible memory, but last Christmas was the most memorable present wise.

I recieved rosepetals from my husband..some other stuff too, but I only remember the rosepetals....

The sheets and napkins I asked for from the ILs...and a way cool breadbasket with warming stone from my brother in law.

On the one hand that is a very materialistic post, but I thought of it because I try to get gifts that are useful, fun, and not junk...remembering the gifts a year later, and hopefully more is a goal of mine when I give. I want to give presents that will be remembered and loved. and bring a smile the day of unwrapping. Trouble is I am not to good at it! But I guess having a goal to aim for is better than nothing.

(On a non-materialistic note my strongest memory is my son opening his game, and playing it, for hours....we aim to make time for the kids to play with the gifts...no rush to open the next one, I don't care if it takes all year.)

We made it, the kids picked colors and directed, I did the flash work. Nothing fancy..think ugly ashtray but I figured if I can't get the stickie paper to print at least I can post it for everyone to enjoy. (so long as you like ugly ashtrays by well meaning kids)

This year I have lots of things bought, some made, and tons more to do...I don't seem to be getting things 'wrapped up' I seem to have lots of ideas, but not the stuff done!

I decided today to try and make a window stickie with the printable papers we have, a nativity scene..because I want one, and I thought the moms would like one too.

I also talked to my husband about not getting me anything other than a stocking...I honestly do want a curtain rod, but if I gave him permission for a presant he would get one cool one and the curtain rod. (Mom is making the curtain)

I sent the aformentioned mom off on a quest to buy the stuff for his stocking...weird as it may be, I cannot buy online, I never got around to registering my checkcard, and the only time I think of it is when I want something for my husband, I need his help (his is the other name on the account) so to do it I would have to let him know I am buying something! Ah well, Mom is always glad to fill in (I do have a CC I can use in case of emergency)

Mostly what I need is time, time to make the stickie, time to help DS with his gift projects, time to work on my gift projects! Oh and time to bake, clean, wrape, decorate, make christmas cards, ect...sheesh!

Didn't we just do this?

Well we are back, the washer has not stopped since we made it in, well ok, we got in at 2am, I didn't start laundry till 9am (was sleeping .)

I discovered I am a health nut...now honestly I do not think I am, but apparently others do.

We do eat whole wheat over white as often as possible, we do eat a fruit or veggie with almost every meal, (or as a snack over half the time), and we do drink ostly water or milk. But we also eat chocolate, chips and ice cream...

One day was spent at a museam. The kids loved it, GMC got to dig up a fossil. I think it was buiried plastar casts of fossils, but the concept was the same, he chiseled out and brushed away for almost an hour...Mommy lost interest much sooner! oddly enough the main Dino exhibit was closed, and so was the gem exhibit! The two main interests of my children. But the hissing cockroach and hyroglyphic stamps seemed to make up for it. The cost wasn't free, but the trip was worth it.

I again heard the 'wish I could stay home' from someone who makes the same as my husband, with a spouse making the same, and NO kids! sigh, really I wonder just what we are doing so wrong...or right, depending on how you look at it.

The trip cost no vacation time because my husband was working longer days, bit of a pain to miss him, but I think getting to see more of the extended family was worth it.

So the whole thread online got me thinking,

Do I drink water to be healthy, or for my prettier skin??

Do I eat whole wheat for heart health, or beauty?

Do I eat bananas for health or to avoid the white flaked nails?

Do I eat yogurt for the digestive aids, or the skin?

Do I eat fresh fruit and vegetables for health or vainity?

Do I try to workout for a strong heart, or trim figure?

Do I stretch to relieve tension or to keep from being a hunchback?

Do I wash up to stay healthy or sanitary, or to stay attractive?

Do I wear sunscreen for skin cancer or to keep my color, lessen new freckles?

Did I stop smoking to keep my kids safe, or skip the wrinkles?

Did I cut back on alchol for the kids or to keep my skin softer?

Maybe I do put a rather high price on beauty... I can't think of one healthy habit (and there is more not on that list) I have taken up that has NOT resulted in better looks.

Not that I am a top model or anything, just that I look better and feel better today than I did 6 years ago when I decided to 'grow up' and eat/act like I wanted to be around for eons to come (and eventually great grandchildren)

I recieved an email about a nifty cool new Widget today. Seeing as how I am not going anywhere, I actually read it. The gadget is shiny, it does all sorts of tricks,and folds up into a little pouch! It even comes in cool customizable covers! Now that I know all about it, I want one

Which is the thing about advertising, rarely do we wander out hunting for a widget without having heard how wonderful the widget is, and of course how it will make our lives easier, or save us money, the big huge pull (if we are all saving so much using there products how come we are still in debt?) Very few go in search of a widget without knowing if one exists. should such a rarity occur, we would invent it, make a nifty infomercial, and try to convince everyone else they need it!

And that is the prime reason I do NOT like TV, radio, and exploring the internet for the latest gadget, it only makes me want something, the last thing a girl with no willpower needs is a new want!

(now about that widget...I may put it on my christmas wish list .)