Let the light shine in

Face it with a grin!

Do you ever hear God talking to you? Sometimes you just know it is God. Sometimes things just happen that you know God is using to speak to you. And other times you just don't realize it is God talking to you until later.
That pesky hindsight.
Donnie lost his wallet last night. We were kind of freaking. We searched all the normal weird places Donnie sets it. (he has a reputation of putting his wallet in "safe" places and forgetting them)
We followed the trail, praying God would help us find it. He even went to the scene of Drew's flat tire, thinking it could have fallen on the ground. Nothing.
This morning we searched the cars in the light. Nope. Not even at the last store he had it at.
I prayed and prayed.
So I just kept working and cleaning. I felt the urge to open my blinds in my room, which I never do. But I decided not to because Donnie might want to take a nap, he didn't feel well.
I kept working but didn't find it!
So I sent out an email prayer request to an email group I belong to. And right away some women started praying.
We searched our room where Donnie had been napping last night. Finally we gave up. Donnie just leaned into a doorway defeated. We'd have to cancel everything and order new ID and everything. I sat on the bed defeated.
"Oh, Lord Jesus, we need to..."
What is that? Right there behind the window blind? That looks like the snap on Donnie's wallet!
"Donnie, you put your wallet in the dumbest places. But I guarantee you didn't lose it for good."
"THE WINDOW!!!!" That is what he said. He figured it out from that. He was exhausted when he laid down and just didn't remember doing that. LOL

If I had just listened to that prompting from the Spirit to let the light shine in, I'd have faced it with a grin!

We're getting there!

Mom is delayed a bit, and definitely won't be here until tomorrow afternoon, I'm guessing. We have a bit of time to finish up!
All the kids are moved now, carpets moved. (they couldn't live with the carpet in the room they were moving too..... )
All that is really left is for Devon to finish sweeping the basement, which he is being a pain about, and to do regular cleaning. Well, that and the enormous pile of toys. We couldn't keep the toys in Kaytlin's room, and we don't want to overwhelm Hope-Anne and Trinity's room with everything, so the toys from the nursery joined the toys in the living room. And clearly we have too many toys.
I want to go through them and throw out some things, donate some things, and put away the baby toys. However, I don't know if I have time now, I'll have to see when I get done cleaning.
The thrift store asked us to stop donating things for awhile. Really. Not kidding. So we have probably 2-3 more trash bags of clothes to donate. Then the toys...... whew!!!

What is the source of the sound?

A man is driving down the road and his car breaks down near a monastery. He goes to the monastery, knocks on the door,and says, "My car broke down. Do you think I could stay the night?" The Monks graciously accept him, feed him dinner and even fix his car.

As the man tries to fall asleep, he hears a strange sound. A sound not like anything he's ever heard before. Mystical and spiritual, full of beauty. The Sirens that nearly seduced Odysseus into crashing his ship comes to his mind.

He doesn't sleep that night. He tosses and turns trying to figure out what could possibly be making such an intriguing and seductive sound.

The next morning, he asks the Monks what the sound was, but they say, "We can't tell you. You're not a Monk." Distraught, the man is forced to leave.

Years later, after never being able to forget that sound, the man returns to the monastery and pleads for the answer again. The Monks reply, "We can't tell you. You're not a Monk."
The man says, "If the only way I can find out what is making that beautiful sound is to become a Monk, then please, make me a Monk."
The Monks reply, "You must travel the earth and tell us how many blades of grass there are and the exact number of grains of sand. When you find these answers, you will have become a Monk.

"The man sets about his task. After years of searching he returns as a gray-haired old man and knocks on the door of the monastery. A Monk answers. He is taken before a gathering of all the Monks.

"In my quest to find what makes that beautiful sound, I travelled the earth and have found what you asked for: By design, the world is in a state of perpetual change. Only God knows what you ask. All a man can know is himself, and only then if he is honest and reflective and willing to strip away self-deception."

The Monks reply, "Congratulations. You have become a monk. We shall now show you the way to the mystery of the sacred sound."

The Monks lead the man to a wooden door, where the head monk says, "The sound is beyond that door."
The Monks give him the key and he opens the door. Behind the wooden door is another door- it is made of stone. The man is given the key to the stone door and he opens it, only to find a door made of ruby. And so it went that he needed keys to doors of emerald, pearl and diamond.

Finally, they come to a door made of solid gold. The sound has become very clear and definite. The Monks say, "This is the last key to the last door." The man is apprehensive to no end. His life's wish is behind that door!

With trembling hands, he unlocks the door, turns the knob and slowly pushes the door open. Falling to his knees, he is utterly amazed to discover the source of that haunting and seductive sound...






But, alas, I can't tell you what it is because you're not a monk .

What if an Oyster didn't make Pearls?

My soon-to-be-former step father is a commercial fisherman. Sometimes when be pulls in the nets he'll find Gulf oysters in his catch.
Can you imagine how much fun it would be if you opened an oyster and instead of a pearl (or nothing, which is typical of what I'd find) you found something you really wanted?
What would I want to find in an oyster? I'm more of a diamond girl than a pearl girl, so that would be fun. But maybe not what I'd want to find.
Money would be great! But I'm not really into the whole world having one currency thing, and an oyster would have to not be partial here, you know. So, not money.
Car keys?? No.
I think I would rather find a diamond. They are a girl's best friend, after all, and you can sell them and get money!
And if it is empty, you can just eat it, or eat it after you get that diamond. But you need to Be Oyster Aware. Eating raw oysters can cause illness in susceptible people. People with diabetes, liver disease, cancer, stomach issues or a weak immune system, make sure your oysters a cooked.

Getting ready update!

This is the last day I have without my mom living here. I can't wait until she gets here! But I am also not ready yet.
I still need to do a little organizing in the basement, though not much. I have to move Kaytlin from her room to the former nursery. She wanted to paint first, but there is no time now. (she was going to do it tonight, but mom will be here tonight, so have to get her things in there.) I need to clean out the former nursery, removing all toys and dirty clothes and an old dresser, then take the bunk beds apart and leave one for her. Then we have to move Kaytlin's furniture downstairs.
Then, then, I have to CLEAN the house. I have bags and bags of clothes I am getting rid of. I have gotten rid of TONS already, and have lots more to go. It isn't even funny. I'm talking 6 trash bags and some boxes, then there were more that I had in a garage sale area that my friend and I got rid of this week, too. Plus I have a huge box, too. AND I am not done going through the laundry that Drew did at the laundromat yesterday!
I am obviously going to go insane today, lol.

Closer Than Your Skin book review and giveaway!

Closer Than Your Skin by Susan D. Hill

Summary: Author Susan Hill traces her discovery of a vibrant companionship with God and shows how it can become an everyday reality for anyone. Through stirring
stories from her life, she assures readers that knowing God is more than spiritual rhetoric; it’s reality for those who learn to recognize His voice.

Something that really saddens me is when people, even Christians, profess that God doesn't speak to us today. There is nothing like hearing from God and knowing it is God who is speaking to you! That is a relationship that every Christian can and should have and embrace.
In Closer Than Your Skin Susan Hill shows just that, God IS speaking to us, even today!
I had a hard time getting in to the book, it starts slow, but then I loved the book.


Author Bio: Susan D. Hill is an award-winning feature writer and a leader of interdenominational women’s groups, where she has sought answers to the common longing for a more authentic spiritual experience. She also serves on the board of the Uganda Orphans Fund, a non-profit Christian relief organization building orphan homes for victims of AIDS and war. Susan and her husband, Duncan, have three children and live in Montana.

Would you like to win a copy of Closer Than Your Skin?
Just leave a comment by March 9Th.
You can purchase a copy at Amazon here.

Update** Winner is Daisy! Contact me with your mailing address, please!

Wordless Wednesday #56

My new hobby!

I combined two of my favorite things: knitting and baby legs! I made these for my neice that will be born this week.
Sam is graciously modeling them, and he loves them, lol. I will make him a pair next.

Really! I made them myself!!!

Oooo, Date Night!

So last night Donnie's sister decided she was in horrible labor while at work. Not horrible enough to stop working, but bad enough that she needed her mom to get there to watch her first son when she goes to the hospital. We drove her mom to her house.
We decided that since we were in the Twin Cities we might as well make a date night out of it. So I took my restaurant.com gift certificate and found a restaurant. It sounded like fun, a steak house with just the two of us!

We went to Lindey's Prime Steak House in Arden Hills.
The place was really rustic looking inside. It reminded me of my grandma's old place, Donnie thought so too, since the place apparently used to be a house, it is entirely easy to see.
So we sit down with a nice view of the fire place, which was very nice, btw. After awhile the waitress comes over and says "Here's your menu." and plops this giant sign down in front of our table and walks away.
Yes, that was our menu. Do you want steak, steak or steak? A side of hash browns? You don't like hash browns? Sorry, that is all we make. You want Ranch dressing on that salad? Sorry, we only have one choice. The only option you had was which steak and how done you wanted it. You don't even get your own hash browns, the table shares a plate of them. But let me tell you about the steaks. They were HUGE. They looked like roasts. Seriously. Mine was cut into 3 steaks to cook it well done. Donnie's was cut in two at the table. Donnie was in heaven eating this meal. Me, not so much. I'd have preferred a hamburger and I hate hash browns. Oh, and please believe me when I tell you that pickled watermelon rind is the nastiest stuff ever. It was like pickled apple cider hunks.

I was one of two women customers the entire night. Seriously. Every other table was a group of men. So weird!

Then we decided to go to a movie. Do you think that after being subjected to a man's meal we got to see a chick flick? Uh, no. But I can pretend!

We actually saw Jumper. Not a bad movie, but save your money to rent it. Some of it was pretty lame, but over all it was a good movie.

And now, Donnie owes me big.

Next date night we get my choices!

We have a New Years Resolution that we CAN keep. We are going to eat out at a new restaurant each month of 2008!

Speech Meet

Drew is a speech geek. I went to his meet on Saturday and found out that being a geek is a prerequisite to being on the speech team. At least if you took a look around you'd think so. It was like Geekville in there.

Drew's coach will not let the kids participate if they do not dress professional. There is a dress code, but it is more like not being obscene, or immodest, and you can't dress for your piece.
I had to get a few pics of the kids, so Drew asked these kids from another school if I could put them on my blog. He posed with them. He is on the right end. His suit coat is somewhere. They guy in white was hysterical, I had to get him on here. His hair is all wacky and cool. But there were horrors in the dressing department, too. This girl looked so bad I wanted to cry for her. What you can't see because of the blur (I didn't have permission to get her on here.) is that it isn't just too casual, it looks bad also because it is not in good condition. That isn't a skirt with biker shorts, it is a long shirt with biker shorts and a sweat shirt over it. And her colored hair was barely more than brushed.
There was so much of that. People who obviously hadn't washed their hair in awhile. I understand the casual clothing, some people just can't afford a good outfit. (though we got a suit for like $12 at a thrift store) But the lack of grooming was so bad.

One girl was dressed really, really nice. All professional, great hair and make-up. But she paired it all with mismatched socks and brown plaid slippers. With a suit dress. (I love mismatched socks! But not with a suit dress, she needed nylons and dress shoes!)


The fun was in watching the kids, though. Two kids that I SAW picked their noses. With hundreds of kids all around them them. One was even a girl.

The conversations were fun, too.

"Oh my gosh, like, the judges are all 'You did great!' and then give you a bad score. Why don't they just say 'You suck' and get it over with?"

"Really, I hate that!"

"No kidding."

(up walks another girl)

"Ugh! This judge just said flat out that I am NOT funny! Seriously, she just said it like that 'You are not funny, it is just annoying.' Can you believe that?"

"Oh, that's mean, I can't believe that."

"Yeah, why would she be like that?"

So I said:

"Didn't you guys just say how you wanted the judges to just tell you when you suck?"

"Yes, and we think its funny what the judge wrote, she hates her piece anyway."

Is there anyway to understand teens? LOL

I would post the video of Drew's speech, but it won't upload, even to youtube. I want to do a vote on whether or not Drew should find something else or if other people think it is funny. I think it is horrid. I'll keep trying.

And the marathon begins, sort of

This week is marathon organization week at our house. Donnie has the week off. (he was going to keep the kids all week while I was going to Maine!)
He has car repairs to work on, and we are going to do major laundry at the laundromat and get rid of all the clothes that don't fit or are not worn. Make lots of room.
We have to move furniture around and get mom's room ready. Get the basement organized to fit her things. And get through the garage....... that is bad. My girlfriend and I had a garage sale last summer and we were going to do it again, but it didn't happen, so all the stuff is still there ready to be put out on display.... and the kids like to have all night video game parties in the garage, so tables and stuff are still set up.......... and my own junk I haven't gone through in years is there.......
Never mind, I may skip the garage. Sorry, mom, it would be faster to shovel more of the driveway to fit an extra car, lol. (I won't be able to get out of that one. Donnie wants his garage back and he bought a garage heater so I couldn't use the cold as an excuse.)

Drew has a speech meet today, so I have to go watch his match today. He does the same speech like 3 or 4 times at the same meet, so I am only watching one round. I may have to record them so you can see/hear some of the really lame ones, lol. OK, no, I won't do that since I'd have to get their permission, and then they'd want to show their family and they'd see me calling it lame. So, I'll just put up Drew's lame speech. Normally he is good, but this year he has stunk up the joint more than done well. I think he needs a new speech. Cody thinks it is funny. So, if his judge is 12 years old, he will do well.

Hey!!! Blogger got the spell check working!!! Now I won't make so many mistakes!!

Sad things

I am not going to Maine to get my mom. Partly because I need to get my house a little more ready for her, partly because our vehicles need expesive repairs, and partly because I am not all that up to a week long Looney Bin reunion trapped in moving vehicles.
Then I lost my job this morning. Not for anything I did, but because her neighbor wants my job. So, that is that.

I am trying to process that and see what God has planned for me. I am very sad not to see the boys anymore. I've cried a lot. Not to mention going out of my way so much for them only to lose it because someone else wants it. No warning. No discussion.

There is hopefully a bright spot to my day coming up. It could be nothing, it could be exciting, I don't know. But for now I am sad.

But I will be posting more and have more time for 10 articles I have been commissioned to write. (secret stuff???)

Nap time!

(when is blogger going to fix the spell check????)

Sam is a maniac!

I went to put him down for a nap today and I saw a new side to Sam. He flipped out! Not just screaming, crying, fighting, he went all out NUTS.

He was doing this gutteral groany scream like thing that freaked me out! For 45 minutes! I held him in my arms, which was not easy, but the turd was a fighter! He started reaching out and pulling my hair with this evil look in his eyes.

After 5 minutes I would offer him a drink, and his eyes would go to normal and guzzle and then he'd throw the cup on me or dump it on me, and start his gutteral freaky voice again.

One might think it would be good to just let him get up at that point. But no, I don't lose battles. He is now napping peacefully and will wake up a nice person again.

I hope I don't see that side of him again.

Have you ever found a scarey creature living in your child before?

Is your identity protected?

My in-laws receive social security checks in the mail. I worry about them and their identity. So many social security checks are stolen these days. A friend of mine saw a pile of paper in the ditch and went to clean it up and found it was a bunch of empty envelopes of what appeared to be social security checks and child support checks.
Then, with all the very easy to get credit card offers that come in the mail, I get worried about my identity being stolen. How easy would it be to get a card from someone else and just change the address?
There are companies out there, like lifelock, that help you protect your identity. They do frequent checks of the credit bureaus, and put out a fraud alert on your accounts.
I love that they have a wallet lock program where if your wallet is stolen you only have to call them, and they will contact all your banks and credit card companies for you. How great is that?
Donnie lost his wallet in a public bathroom and just one card was stolen out of it, plus the cash, but they did try to use the card! I could have been bad news for us.

If you use a credit protection company, make sure you get one with a gaurantee. If your identity is stolen while using them, they should do everything to help you restore your name, including hiring a lawyer and investigators, some will even give you back the money that was stolen. The only company that I have seen with that much of a guarantee is LifeLock.

Whoa! Life is moving fast here!

I just, just today decided to drive to Maine and help my mom move here! I'm leaving Saturday.
So, all my plans for giveaways is going to have to wait. Or I'll get them up and let them run while I am gone.

I'll see about getting some posts up while I am gone. Maybe my replacement at home will blog for me, wouldn't that be fun? Donnie's view of the qtpie home? Anyone who would like that, leave comments, maybe I can convince him!

Wordless Wednesday #55

Oh, Really?

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Have I been MIA?

I'm sorry I haven't really blogged in awhile. I am busy researching and writing some articles. Plus life with kids. And here is a little teaser, head over and check it out.......

WiggityBang launched
their company in 2005 with the crazy, wacky new party
game sensation that is Quelf. Their
philosophy is that a sense of humor is
the key that unlocks the universe. And
their game is funny. Pee in your
pants funny.
In 2007 they launched a
children’s version of Quelf called
FlapDoodle. FlapDoodle is a game of creative non-sense.

You can find that review written by me, of course, at The Opinionated Parent.

Several friends of mine have recently discovered they are pregnant. And one of them just happened to have babies at the same time as I did. So now people are asking me if I am pregnant. No, I am not pregnant. Probably won't be any time soon. It would be funny to have a third child with Nikki, though. And to be pregnant with 4 of my friends would be neat.

One week until my mom starts her trip here! I will have to remain on my blog sabatical so I can get things ready. I have to move the girls into one room, make room in the garage, rearrange some things in the basement, and clear out the family room so she has her own place.
All that while maintaining my house, running a couple of giveaways, and researching and writing articles. No stress here! (and we wonder why I am not pregnant? Ok, well, Sam is in my bed all the time, too.)

Kaboost Winner!

Wow, that was a great giveaway! I love how many people stopped by, and followed the rules so I didn't have to eliminated them.
The winner is a fellow Minnesotan, Canoearoo, who said...
I would love this so my dd2 wont have to sit on her knees every day to eat.

Congratulations, I will be in touch to get your info to Kaboost!

Sam doesn't share

I recently received a sample of the new Yoplait Kids yogurts from MomCentral. Both the regular and the yogurt drink. I am not a big yogurt fan, but my kids are nuts about it. I buy yogurt in 5lb tubs just so it will last 3 days.

Just for fun, I recorded Sam drinking Yoplait Kids yogurt for the first time.

You can see that it is way too yummy to even share with mom. I had to go buy some more.

I prefer Yoplait Kids for my younger two kids because it is low in sugar and has calcium, vitmins A and D, protein AND Omega-3 DHA for a healthy brain.

The 3.1 ounce yogurt drink is just the right size for Trinity and Samuel, who are 4 years old and 16 months old.

The yogurt is smooth, so little ones cannot choke on berries. Plus it is thick enough that it won't fall off the spoon, so Samuel can learn to use a spoon with much less mess. Oh, how I love that feature! "I do it myseff, mommy."

Would you like a coupon for a free package of Yoplait Kids yogurt? Head over to Yoplait Kids and sign up for one. You can also see all the delicious, toddler-friendly flavors and some great feeding tips for your little ones.

Samuel says to go get your coupon, your kiddo wants some yogurt of his own. He isn't sharing.

Thursday Thirteen #53

Happy Valentine's Day!

Thirteen gifts I have gotten over the years.

1. 
   
   Card and Candy, the most popular.


2. 
   
   Necklace.


3. 
   
   Bracelet and earrings.


4. 
   
   A baby. (conceived)


5. 
   
   A message in a bottle.


6. 
   
   Exercise outfit. (yes, he nearly died)


7. 
   
   Fantastic supper.


8. 
   
   More candy.


9. 
   
   Stuffed animals.


10. 
    
    Just a card.


11. 
    
    1lb chocolate heart!!!


12. 
    
    Dozen roses.


13. 
    
    Nothing.

This year, Donnie planned ahead, thanks to a coworkers wife who sells jewelry and emailed all the guy's friends with a sale to get presents in time for V-day. I got a sweet black cameo necklace and a gold chain with a gorgeous slider!

Oh, and for you guys out there that haven't been shopping yet, go get a few roses and one fake one. Write a note telling her how you will love her until the last flower dies. She'll swoon. Trust me.

That is what I was going to do for Donnie today, but he begged me to let him buy a bow from a friend, so that is now his present.

Wordless Wednesday #54

I don't know how Devon gets so lucky, but he has gotten the only double yolk I have ever personally seen. He wins everything, and good things and cool things always happen to him.

ROFLOL

My friend has been doing some reviews of some super cute toys and I wanted to have her contact. She is so busy that she hasn't given it to me yet. Well, we figured out that I was referred to the same person through another company, so we are both working with this lady, Lisa.

Well, Lisa saw that I read Sarah's blog and left a message or two on those products and emailed me.

Sarah started IM'ing me and this is what happened....

Sarah says:
r u on?
(1) Lisa says:
yes
(1) Lisa says:
LOL Lisa
just figured out that I read your blog, lol.

A little later in the IM Sarah fesses up to something:

Sarah says:
when you first started chatting with me, I thought you were
Donnie, and I was freakin out!
(1) Lisa says:
ROFLOL!!!!

If you notice that Lisa and I have the same name... and she thought Donnie said that I busted him reading her blog.........

I thought it was super hysterical! She thought it was freaky weird.

What's up in the Qtpie household?

Sam got some gum stuck in his mullet last week. I don't think you can see the gum in the picture, but it is there. This sparked the decision that Sam would get his first haircut. I wasn't really ready to do that because he is still my baby Sam, but Donnie wanted it cut. He was going to use the buzzers on him, but I said no, I would cut it with the scissors when I was ready.
So, I'm talking on the phone with a friend when Donnie sees an opportune moment to snag Sam and shave his head. With the buzzers. And Sam didn't mind a bit.
Before:

After.

Next we found a way to help Sam sleep through the night. It was getting so hard to have him cry so much at night, and Donnie felt he couldn't breathe well through his nose. So, we started slipping him a mikey before bed. Don't worry, it is a kid-friendly mikey called Triaminic Strips.

This is how hard he sleeps, he can sleep sitting up.

Last night he actually slept the whole night and not in our bed! That is a first. Usually he at least gets up around 5 to come in our bed. This morning it was around 8am!

The other news in our house is that our family size is about to grow. We are going to be a household of 10 instead of nine! We are all so excited about it.

My biggest fan is coming to live with us. I know that some of you all are big fans and read my blog daily, but none of you are as big of a fan as my mom, she prints out my blog posts, even.

Sadly, she is getting a divorce. It is not a great situation, and I am sad for the end of her marraige, but I am so happy that she is coming here to live!

She could move to her own place, but we hope she doesn't do that. She plans to stay a year or two, and we are hoping she will stay longer.

So, the last week of February we will have a new family member in the house!

OH, and I have some more giveaways planned for the rest of the month. Whew! I love this job!

How to Be a Budget Fashionista

I am a frugal person. (my family would lean more toward calling me a mean tight-wad)
I came across this website about being a budget fashionista and I couldn't resist reading her book.

How to be a Budget Fashionista is written by Kathryn Finney.
I was expecting to find great shopping tips and how to look good for my body type on my budget. Some of that was in there, but our idea of budgets is completely different.
Getting a very popular purse on sale for $200 is not my idea of a good deal. However, there were so many great ideas in there that helped me out.
I have a tendency to go to the thrift store and buy a bunch of clothes that I may wear only once, if that. Kathryn says "Buy what you love and love what you buy." Her list of must haves is small, and then have one big splurge item. If I followed her advice I would not have a problem keeping up with laundry.
Not everything was expensive, for example, some must haves are the t-shirts from Old Navy. Have a couple different colors and they go under everything, from sweaters to blazers.
This book would be especially good for you if you know what a Prada bag is and who Donna Karan is. But even a thrift shopper like me can learn some things with this book.

Can I give you a boost?

This giveaway is now closed! The Winner will be announced shortly, thank you all for entering.

I have this little problem. I have little kids. That isn't the problem. The problem is that in order to reach the table they need booster seats. I don't have room for high chairs, either.
So, I have two booster seats. It works out well for the kids to be able to reach the table and eat with us.
They have to be strapped to the chairs for safety, of course, which makes them difficult to move. And sometimes I want to move them.
When we have friends over to play games or eat we need to remove the boosters for extra chairs. Do you know why that is a problem? Do you??



Well, take a look at what is inside and under the seat. This was actually a pretty good day. Sometimes liquid gets spilled and then all those crumbs turn to cement on my chair.
Cement that I have to scrap off in order for my friends to have somewhere to sit. That is gross, difficult to clean and embarassing!
Sure, I could take it apart and clean it every day, but have you seen my header? I have 7 kids, I don't have time for that.

I have seen reports of a cure for this problem. But I just couldn't believe it could be so wonderful. I had to test it for myself. Do you see something different about my dining room? Something besides the large amount of chairs around the table? Or the huge sheet of paper taped to the window by the kids?

Do you see that one chair is taller than the others? Look under the chair. That is a Kaboost. That invention is saving me from the attack of the crumbs!

The Kaboost easily attaches to almost any chair. And it folds up much smaller than a booster seat or high chair, so you can store it in a cupboard or closet so easily.

The Kaboost also has skid resistant bottoms, and your child can't push the table and go sliding. This is a very nice feature, but I think they could be a little less resistant because it is difficult to push the child in close to the table.

The Kaboost is rated to hold over 300 pounds. We tested that out. I sat on my husband's lap while he was sitting on the chair, and, well, together we are over 300 pounds. Neigher of us could slid the chair back while sitting on it. It is secure.

The Kaboost is also grows with your child. There are two heights on the Kaboost. Just flip it over and it is higher or lower.

We have Sam on the higher setting. He feels like a big boy sitting at the table on a chair just like the rest of us. He does act better, but we also can't strap him in, so there is good and bad with that, lol. Trinity loves it, she enjoys being able to sit with us normally and to be able to reach easily.
Kaboost comes in three colors: green, chocolate and natural. We chose chocolate to blend well in our formal dining room.

Kaboost would like to give one of my readers a Kaboost!

So can I give you a boost? I can give one of you lucky readers a boost up.

Just leave a comment telling my what a Kaboost would do for you. What benefit would you gain from one? (if you don't leave an answer you will not be qualified)

You may leave an anonymous comment and find out who wins at Fetched. Just make sure you have a unique nickname so there is no confusion!

Contest ends Sunday, February 17.

US, Canada and Military are included.

Watching our children in secret

Edited to add that apparently it wasn't in Ham Lake, but maybe somewhere in Canada. But it doesn't change the rest of my post.

A man in Ham Lake, MN took these pictures.

This mountain lion came up on this deck.

He/she does not look peaceful and kind to me, or like he's looking for a warm place to lay.

The lion was watching the man's children playing on the floor.

When I saw these pictures I immediately thought of something I heard one time. Maybe a sermon? I don't remember.

Mountain lions will sit in bushes and such hiding from you, watching your children play. They know when you are no longer watching your children. They run in and snag a child and they are gone, dragging your child away to kill and eat it.

This is how satan is. He watches and waits in hiding. He waits until we are not watching and he slips in and tries to destroy us and our children. We often times don't even know what got our children. We don't see the enemy lurking.

1 Peter 5:8-98 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around
like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

It is scary stuff.

Be wary. Watch what comes and goes into your home. Watch what your family is exposed to. Hang out in the light and stay away from the shadows where the enemy is lurking.

"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep." (John 10:10-11)

Get your daily fruit intake!

All you gotta do is slip those kids a fruit roll-up and you are good to go!

Or maybe there is a lesson in the power of being a famous blogger. See, the other day I made a comment about eating my fruit roll-up winnings so I could get my daily fruit intake, and I may have said something tongue in cheek about them being healthy.

Pastor Chad forgot whose blog he was reading and told his wife that the fruit roll up that she was eating was healthy, she was getting her fruit intake. She didn't believe him and asked where he heard that. He couldn't remember. Until today at church when talking to me.

And then I had to let him know that, um, I joke sometimes. I'm not all factual on my blog. I know, I am usually a wealth of serious and important facts, but sometimes I break in little jokes.

Hope you cleared that up with Nikki, the Goddess, Pastor Chad!

Raising Your Son in True Godly Manhood

Sentinel, City of Destiny by Landel Bilbrey is a Christian fantasy novel. A modern day allegory (Think The Chronicles of Narnia crossed with Pilgrim's Progress). It's story is aimed primarily at boys ages 8 to 12 and it is encouraged that they read this book with their fathers.

Sentinel is a fantasy book full of suspense and temptations and battles with creatures. It captures the attention of young men in a big way. Just the entertainment value makes the book worth purchasing, but there is more to this book. It is a resource for parents in helping raise Godly men. In the back of the book there is a study guide that makes the boys think about things so they get the meaning in things. The points are backed up with scripture.

I really do not want to give away the story, but the book is about two brothers searching for 4 keys to the kingdom. Allegorically, those keys are the Four Keys of Mettle (manhood) and are: Vision- God's plan, Courage- never give up, Integrity- in thoughts, word and actions, and Service- using personal resources for God and others.

Bilbrey covers many topics that are missed in this day and age. He encourages, using scripture for a basis, boys to think about things like how the media and entertainment industry affects our lives and how it makes us feel about God, does it push to toward God or away from Him? Also, he uses scripture to teach about how you treat others, how not to treat them, and how men should treat women before and after marriage.
Tattoos, piercing, body building, and drugs are all brought up.

I don't know how he managed to fit so many important things for boys to learn into a great story, I believe he was Spirit driven when he wrote it.

Cody was my reader for this book, and from the very first page he was excited and running to both Donnie and I and showing us the cool maps and telling us what was going on. He was just on fire for the story. (he is a slow reader though, so it took awhile to get through it) Cody gives it two thumbs up!

I highly recommend the Sentinal for all boys ages 8 on up. You can pick it up at Amazon.

If you would like more about the plot line you can read my friend's review at Daisy Crazy.

Tax time humor?

Unlike most people, filing our taxes is a joy, and we always do it early. We actually waited kind of long and just did it today.
But this year it was pretty funny. We gathered our documents and headed up to the tax prep place. While doing our taxes I notice the guy has enormously long nostrils. I'm sure you could slide a quarter in there. Right on the end of his strangley long and oblong nostril there was a crusted booger. And the side that we got to see most of.
He was new and had to go ask a question. I told Donnie that the guys booger was driving me nuts. He hadn't noticed. LOL
"Well, now you will."
"No, I haven't looked at him yet, not really planning on it."
"Whatever."
Pretty soon he is nudging me with his foot and laughing under his breathe. He mouths to me
"Why did you have to tell me that?"

So now I am snickering. He is trying to hold it together.
And then we have to sign things. But we keep messing up the dates and giggling.

Somewhere along the way the poor guy got rid of the booger, and we didn't shake hands with him.

Adventures in Odyssey DVD Game

One of my favorite parts of being a blogger is getting the chance to review and share fantastic products and services with other people. Word of mouth is the best way to advertise because you know that someone like you enjoyed it, that you probably will, too.

Digital Praise sent me a couple of products to try out and review for them. Dance Praise 2 is fantastic, we love it! But they also sent us a DVD game featuring the Adventures in Odyssey series, it is called Answer That!














Answer That! is a DVD Trivia game for your family ages 6 and up with up to 4 players. I love that the game board has three levels of play so you can choose to have a short game if you want to. Focus on the Family has been publishing Adventures in Odyssey for 20 years now with radio programs and movies.


When you play this game you will need your remote to choose the answers and to run the program. Even your young ones can work it.



There are menus to help choose who is playing and what kind of game you are doing this round.




Here are some of the trivia examples:

This is a fun and challenging game, however it was not too hard to get for my children who have had less exposure to AIO than the older kids because you can use on screen audio and video hints. My middle shoolers had the most fun with Answer That! My teenagers were really not interested in playing it.

Digital Praise was founded in June of 2003 and is a developer and publisher of interactive Christian games for kids, teens and adults. They create games that promote virtues like cooperation, forgiveness and kindness.

You can purchase this fun game from Digital Praise for $39.95. It is also available at Amazon.com and most Christian book stores.

Some days I hate being a mom

'Nuff said.



Look for a couple of reviews and giveaways coming up, including an ipod nano! Seriously!

MmmhmmmmMmmmm

Now that the noxious odor has died down and we can breathe easy I am happy to say that something arrived at my doorstep a little bit ago.

I am happily eating my personalized Fruit Roll-Ups. Mmm, they are soooo good!
Healthy, too, gotta get my daily fruit intake in, ya know.

AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

I went to the basement to get some curriculum I had packed away.
I was trying to find the box that I told someone to put in the closet down there. It wasn't there. I did find a box with a little bit of stuff in it. But I don't care anymore.

I started smelling something weird. What is that? I look up and see.....
NO!
Oh, no, not again.
Not again!!!!!!

So, I open the deep freeze. Oh, yes. Someone who "cleaned" down there by moving boxes from on top of the counter to next to the freezer had bumped the plug.

And there was venison and a huge turkey in there.

I started gagging. I nearly lost it and puked on the floor down there. I grabbed Sam and RAN up the stairs. But it is filling my house with odor!!!!!!!!!
The furnace is spreading the smell all over my house!

Oh my gosh we are gonna die!

Thursday Thirteen #52

Finally! The parenting manual!

Thirteen things not to do in parenting.

Found at Funcollector.com.

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