Missing Virginia

I think it has been about 6 years since we moved to Minnesota from Virginia. It is starting to get cold here now and I am missing Virginia. The warm weather is still there!
I miss being on the beach with the kids. I don't miss the jelly fish, lol, but I do miss the fun they had when they were young. Trinity and Sam are not getting to experience that. Sure, they get lakes here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, but it isn't the same as ocean front beaches.
Now that the kids are older, I imagine they would want to do more than just build sand castles and catch jelly fish for the moats. I think they would love biking on beach cruisers and playing beach volley ball.
We miss our friends, too. We stay in contact, but it isn't the same. Thankfully we have made so many great friends here to make it easier.

What do you miss about your former home?

One week to go.

Drew is leaving for his grown up life next week.
Of course I am sad to have him leave, but I am also rejoicing! It is time for him to move on, but I am worried about him running his own life. Crazy, huh?
I worry that he will be just like his dad and marry the first psycho girl that comes along and then not go to college. (yes, I called myself a psycho girl, I knew myself back then, lol)
I want Drew to get a degree and marry someone who is spiritually his equal. I want him to have fun for a few years and travel and go on mission trips and grow spiritually before he marries.
I trust God, though, and I know that His plans are for Drew's good and not harm. I have to trust that Drew will FOLLOW God like he has been taught to do. I also have to let him make mistakes and learn from them.

Not an easy thing to push let your baby walk out the door without you. I do think Drew will do fine and do wonderful things.

New medical advancement!

Have you ever thought about saving stem cells for your children for their future health? I have, and would love to do it, but cost prohibits it.
I want to see medical advancements that will cure diseases and save lives.
What if you could get stem cells from a perfectly safe and easy way? Wouldn't that be amazing?

There has been some new research that has shown stem cells from menstrual fluid. (easily collected in a cup) C'elle has this to say about it:

These menstrual stem cells are unique because they have many properties and characteristics similar to both bone marrow and embryonic stem cells; they multiply rapidly and can differentiate into many other types of stem cells such as neural, cardiac, bone, fat, cartilage and possibly others; demonstrating great promise for future use in clinical regenerative medical therapies.

Isn't that exciting?! There is potential that the cells will be usable for family members, as well.

I am amazed at the price, it is way out of my league, but I would love to be able to do this. If you would like to do this, they have a place to order the collection kit right online. You can also gift this to someone who has young children just in case of problems in the future. Right now there is a coupon code for a significant discount, look for it!

Still not done!

Donnie finished painting Batman last night. Trinity and Sam love it! (I am not looking forward to painting over that one day) I think Donnie did a fantastic job, again. Without looking at a picture, he just drew that on the wall and painted it! I don't think I could have even painted it after he drew it, lol.This is the last wall we need to do something with before getting the beds put up. What would you do with these two green stripes? They are a dark hunter green.
Mom was thinking she could turn them into bamboo and put vines around them, maybe some animals clinging to them.
What do you see? Maybe your idea will end up on the wall!
I wish I had time to do a contest on this, but I don't. I want the room put together by Friday night.

Looking for a new web host?

I made a decision about a year ago now that I needed to be off of blogspot and have my own website for my blog. Overall it was a great decision for me. However, I wish I had spent more time researching webhosts in order to get the best price and services for what I need.

I found a great website that rates web hosting services. What I like about it is that it not only rates them by function so you can find what is the best in the area you want (like blogging), it is also rated by the users, not someone being paid to list it. So you get honesty from actual users.

They also have articles on interesting and relevant topics, such as understanding domain name issues.

A Book Meme

I've been tagged by Yofed of The Land of Cheerios, Sticky Fingers and Muddy Shoes to do this meme.
Here's the rules:
Grab the nearest book.
Open the book to page 56.
Find the fifth sentence.
Post the text of the next two to five sentences in your journal/blog along with these instructions.
Don't dig for your favorite book, the cool book, or the intellectual one: pick the CLOSEST.
Tag five other people to do the same.

I have nearly 100 books that I can just reach out and touch without moving my chair, so I grabbed one.
The Healing Choice
Job was innocent, and he knew it. Why would God disappear on him and leave him to writhe alone except for a few well-meaning friends who stuck around to jab at the integrity of his heart? Job knew that his high moral character and purity in heart and spirit should have set him above such "punishment." He didn't have a secret sin, which left him certain that even whose who were innocent before God could fall victim to disaster.

I tag:
sassyfrazz
DaisyCrazy
I'm Losing It
Heart of the Prairie
and the book lover Babysteps

Have fun!

Look what I found.........

on my computer..........
I am pretty busy this whole week, so I thought I would put up a quick post with pics I found on my computer yesterday. Then I am off to Bible Study.
This is Drew and his friend, Ben.
Drew being his normal geeky self at the Ren Fest.
Dorks?
Obviously.
Let's just say it is confirmed, he IS his father's son.

What is Quiverfull?

I know that many people do not understand what I mean by being Quiverfull, and others just can't understand why we'd have seven children. (and would love more!)
God's Word states:
Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.
Psalm 127:3-5 (KJV)

Children are God's reward! How can that ever be bad or too much?

There are so many verses that can lead a person to the understanding that God wants you to have children and not restrict them. Go forth and multiply, anyone? That is still relevant for today.

But, honestly, it wasn't a Bible verse that led us to being quiverfull. It was the Holy Spirit. It was a long road for us, but we believe that we should not restrict our fertility, but leave it in God's hands. We have been walking this life for probably 8 years now, nearly 6 since the reversal surgery, and have never been happier!

We worried about being able to afford more children. The more we trusted God with this, the more blessed we became, both spiritually and financially. They have never gone without anything they needed, and have rarely been denied things they want, within reason. God is good!

We worried we'd be popping out babies left and right. That hasn't happened. God has spaced our children out until we are begging for another! We have gone from not wanting more to begging for more children! What a turn around in our hearts! Strange how having more children would make us crave more children, isn't it? The change in our hearts, and the change in our children's hearts and characters, the happiness that we now have, and the amazing trust and love for God we now have are a result of the decision to leave our fertility in God's control.

I highly encourage everyone to pray about and seek God's desire for their fertility, but I don't make the judgement call that this life is for everyone. I ask the same respect from you; don't judge me on my choice.

Does this mean I want as many children as I can have? Nope. Quiverfull means leaving it to God. Eighteen children or none, it is God's choice. You can't find a better way to learn to trust God! Or to learn your flaws, lol, children are a mirror to your worst flaws.

Wanna see pics?

We are not done yet, but here are some pics of the room.

You might want to enlarge the Spiderman pic and see the details. My husband did a great job. He's not entirely happy, but it is good enough to make the kids happy. I think it is fantastic! (remember, we are not done, I still have to get rid of the pencil marks)
Now we have a drawing of Batman to paint and another mural to do on another wall. Kaytlin had painted two big stripes on her wall, and we are going to turn them into something for the kids. It is actually easier, and cheaper, then priming and painting it at the moment, lol.
Yesterday was rainy and we all got lazy and did nothing, so the room isn't done and the kids are still not sleeping in there.

Getting there!

I don't have pics yet, but the kids' room is turning out soooo cute!
I was finishing the paint job in Kaytlin's old room and ran out of paint. All the walls are covered, but I can still see the old paint through some spots. We knew we were going to paint some type of mural on the wall, but decided we needed a tree in the corner to cover the lack of a second coat over there. Oh, the wall is so cute! There is a huge tree with flowers and bugs, galore. Mom did a great job on it.
Donnie took a different area to do a little something for Samuel and he made a Spiderman slinging a web. So very cool! Tomorrow he will finish up with a building for him to be clinging to. Sam loves it! We all love it!

Well, another exhausing day over with. (it is exhausting sitting on a chair watching other people be artistic)
Hopefully tomorrow the little two kids will have their furniture up so they can sleep in their own room. Then I can start work on MY room, then the craft room.
Sounds like I am nesting, lol.

One down........

Whew! Getting the girls moved in together was quite the task! But we did it in one day. I am sore! Thankfully I have strong, strapping sons to do the heavy lifting now, but it was still a lot of work for me, too. We are ALL glad Kaytlin decided to give up her heavy armoire so noone had to get that back up the stairs.
Now I need to focus on Trinity and Sam's room today. Getting Kaytin's junk out is the first thing to do. Then, finish painting that Kaytlin left undone. (and paid me to finish but I left undone) Then my mom is going to paint some fun things on the walls for the little two. Trinity wants caterpillars. Sam doesn't say, of course, but I know he wants the Justice League on the walls. I just don't think they go well with caterpillars. We need to find all the pieces of their beds and buy screws for them. It will be an all day job, but no hard work.
Devon and Cody are working on picking a paint color for their room. I see that as progress. Devon says it is his room and Cody is just staying in there. Donnie says it is HIS room and they are both just staying in there.
Devon doesn't take change well. It drives me crazy. He is the only person, besides Donnie and I, who haven't changed rooms at least once in this house. He just freaks at the thought. Adding people to his room throws him for a loop. Talking of moving to a new house, state, city, anything rocks his world. When we were moving from Virginia to Minnesota he couldn't handle it, so he would throw trash all over our yard so people wouldn't want to look at the house, lol. That didn't work, so he'd kick out the For Sale signs.... But now, now he is happy we are in our town, he loves it.
I better finish my coffee and get dressed for the day. It is going to be a long one.

Reverse List?

I think I should try a reverse TT list today and try to list 13 things after I get them done! Most of it will be in Hope-Anne's room, though.
By 7:45am this is what I've done today:
1. Rolled up the carpet and taken it out of the room.
2. Swept the room. (will need it again as the furniture comes out, stupid hamster! Anyone want a hamster?)
Plus I've started putting dishes away for Mom. She is our dishwasher. It is the single most wonderful thing she can do for me! I hate washing dishes. With a passion. It is rent worthy in my eyes! And Donnie loves it, too. Mom doesn't mind doing them. Except that we all leave dishes in other rooms over night, we'll get them cleaning the next day, but it is her pet peeve.



Update at 2pm***

3. Got dressers out of Hope-Anne's room.
4. Removed beds.
5. Swept, darn hamster.
6. Painted the room. Yes, I did!!! The whole room!
7. Cleaned up the paint, partially.
8. Mopped the floor.

And I have been sweating up a storm! What happened? Summer was cool, now fall is here and it is incredibly hot!!!!
Drew took Sam with him to his DEP call so I only had Trinity to worry about, so I got all that done. I am so happy!
In an hour Kaytlin should be home and we can decide if we need more touch ups on paint and if she wants to get some stripes on the wall done before she moves in. If we can finish that tonight, we'll be on track. If the girls want to settle in the room and see where things fit and stuff before doing the decorative painting, then we can move furniture in tonight.
Now I am off to rest. And try to cool off some. Whew!


It's after midnight now, but I'll update the rest of the day.

9. Checked laundry, but it wasn't dry, so I didn't get anywhere.
10. Got Kaytlin's bed upstairs.
11. Got her dresser upstairs.
12. Got the matching bed up for Hope-Anne and put her dresser back in the room.
13. Got Trinity's dresser and bed downstairs, but not set up.

Now, I didn't move the beds and things, I just harassed, cajoled, threatened, manipulated and bribed the boys to get it done. That is nearly more work than doing it myself, lol. But I made their favorite meal and told them they could eat when the girls' beds were put together. They moved quick then.

After all that work, I showered and went to karaoke night at church. Wow, it was crazy fun! Everyone was in a singing mood and had wild and fun songs. We were quite entertained! If I could get ahold of the video of Donnie, and two of my friends' husbands singing Bohemian Rhapsody I would put it on here, lol, it was hysterical. Almost as funny as them singing Time Warp.

Got milk?

Reading the news today got me to thinking.....
Is it a requirement to join PETA that you be insane?

All the things they have done in the past have made me realize they are not in their right minds, such as putting mutilated toys in kids meals, but now they have gone crazy.

PETA send a letter to Ben and Jerry's suggesting they substitute breast milk for cow's milk. In all seriousness, because it is cruel to cows and the milk is bad for us. Even admitting they have no idea where the milk would come from or how that would work out, but it is better than drinking cow's milk, for crying out loud!

Are you serious? How is anyone going to take them seriously when they are so outlandish and absurd? Standing in to make sure that animals are not abused is a good thing, but they have bordered on needing to be committed for some time now. I no longer have any respect for anything they do anymore.

Here is the article. PETA

Yikes!

I can't believe that I got so little done today. Well, I can believe it, but I hate when I have lots to do and can't get anywhere. With mom and Drew both gone, I couldn't leave Sam and Trinity unsupervised, and they really are NO help with cleaning, lol.
But I did manage to do a few loads of laundry, finish sorting the baby clothes to give away, clean Hope-Anne's room pretty good, and have a chat with Devon that I hope helped him a bit with girl problems. (not girlfriend problems)

That's about it, though. And no, Michelle, I didn't manage to get dressed, lol.

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Things I could be doing today, but probably won't do.

I am in the process of making my kids share bedrooms and making a craft room for my mom and myself. The oldest two who will still be living at home are not happy, but I don't care.

1. Clean Cody's room out and move him to Devon's room. (no furniture moving needed!)

2. Clean Trinity and Hope-Anne's room. (not going to be fun or easy)

3. Empty the furniture from her room.

4. Paint her room.

5. Finish painting Kaytlin's room in prep for the little two.

6. Move Kaytlin's furniture out. (she will freak!)

7. Put bunk beds up in Kaytlin's room to make it a little kid's room.

8. Keep doing the 600 loads of laundry from Drew and Devon's room.

9. Add the 300 loads from Cody's room to the mix.

10. Make sure Sam and Trinity do not destroy the house while I am busy cleaning.

11. Feed the little ones.

12. I want to clean out and rearrange my bedroom, too. Even paint it, but won't happen.

13. Turn Cody's room into the craft room. Lots of work, though, including a bit of sheet rocking, mudding, painting, moving cabinets and things up from the basement to the top floor, all the craft boxes, and unloading and sorting and organizing.

I was going to have this all done by next week. But my mom, who lives with us, got a temp job starting today and going through next Friday. So I am on my own. The kids do NOT want to do this, so getting them to help will be torture. Oh, well, they already hate me, so what is adding some work on top of it?

So, where should I start? Devon's room is ready for Cody, all I have to do is move his clothes to Drew's old dresser and add his bedding to the spare bed.

Update** It is raining here, so the little two are being monsters and I am getting nothing done except a little laundry. And breaking up fights. Who knew an almost 2year old and an almost 5 year old could be so mean to each other? Ugh!!!

Not so wordles WW # Good Grief!

This morning found me curled up in a ball on my bedroom floor a big mush of tears. Crying for I don't know what. Honestly, I am not sure why I was crying but I know what started it.

Drew is leaving in 2 weeks, so we need to get his things stored away. I won't be leaving a bedroom set up for him, he won't be back to live, just visit. He needs some tubs to store his clothes and things in while he is gone. That means I needed to do some sorting to make room for his things.
What tubs could I use for him? Oh, how about the baby clothes? I don't need them, and I have friends with both girls and boys, so they can all go.


Easier said than done. I was doing great. Then I found this........And I lost it. I don't know what I was crying for, grieving, maybe?
Here is what I remember, though it is with his red version, not the blue.
This is what I have now.....

I don't have a baby any more. And none on the way. I'm fine with that, really, but that hat just brought the grief of being at the end of my fertility to the forefront of my mind, maybe?
Where did the time go? Just 19 years ago I was still in the hospital and had barely even held my newborn son for an hour total. He was in a different hospital for 2 weeks and we didn't get to see each other. For 16 days. Now, my baby is preparing to leave home and be a man.
I'm sure that didn't help the grieving over Sam's hat!

The Rest of the Story

Samuel is doing fine. The test results were all fine, nothing major that will need surgery, which is good. And Sam has been doing great for several days, even sleeping! I am hoping that it is healing from all the prayers and not just one of the times he is OK, then gets bad again. I claim healing!
The pediatric urologist didn't know what the problem could be, except maybe Sam is just noticing the feelings of going to the bathroom, the full bladder and the need to get it empty or the feeling of releasing it and just doesn't like it. Maybe he will potty train early. (HAhahahahaHA!!! His son is 18 months old, he doesn't know enough about boys yet, lol)

On the hatred front, all is quiet. Too quiet. The moves haven't completely taken place yet, and I think they are trying to NOT rock the boat so I maybe will forget about it. They are both very quiet and staying out of the light. I am hoping to get a start on Cody's room today, which will get him into Devon's room. Drew already moved to the living room couch, so maybe he is trying to make it easier? Or maybe Cody did sleep in Devon's room last night.

This whole thing has gotten me thinking. Obviously I HAVE to have them share rooms because both of them are quite selfish and need this. It isn't even an option now, it must be done for their character. You think you are giving them something special for as long as you can, and suddenly they feel entitled. Most of the kids are not like that right now, but those two have gotten there. OK, Devon has pretty much always been like that, but Kaytlin hasn't. Part of the benefit of having a large family is that it teaches you to think of other people and not only of yourself. They are missing the boat on that one. Between chores and rooms and cell phones they think they are entitled to have it all and not have to do anything for it.
I was thinking even more than that, though. Obviously my mom deserves a space to work on things, and not just a bedroom. (which is not private as even Devon just unlocks the door and goes in there and gets on her computer without asking) But what about me? I am 37 years old and I have NEVER had a space to myself. I gave up privacy and my own hobbies to have kids. Now I can afford to make crafts, but can't do them because the kids destroy things if I leave them out. I can't work on making cards with rubber stamps at the dining room table because Sam gets into the stuff while I am working and the older kids can't and WON'T keep him out. I can't even do my Bible Study because I don't have a room to myself. I am never alone in the main part of the house, there are always kids up while I am up. (don't tell me to get up early, I have to stay up late with some kids and other kids get up early, I need to sleep) I don't have my own room, I share that, lol.
We have the room, we have the money, I can have a room for myself, well my mom and myself. I don't care anymore if the kids get mad. They will share a bedroom just like I do, and I will have a place where mom and I can do our crafts and the little one's cannot destroy them. Hopefully I will also be able to go in there for some quiet for Bible Study.

Safe so far......

Well, they didn't off me in my sleep.

I'm taking Sam to the University hospital to see his specialist. They didn't find anything on the tests on first glance, so I don't expect them to have found anything. I have no idea if we will find answers or not.

Sam does seem a lot better the last couple of days, so maybe God has answered all the prayers for him and healed him. I really want him healed, but I hate to go to the doctor and never find out what was wrong, lol. Healing is better, though.

Hopefully the kids haven't cut the brake lines on the car, lol.

If I disappear..........

Please call the cavalry!



My kids now hate me. I'm the mean, horrible mother of step-mother proportions. I hate them and don't care about their feelings or needs and wants and I don't love them and I lie and I treat them horrible. Among other things.

I am making them share rooms.

That is it.

Actually, most of the kids think it is great. But I think Devon and Kaytlin may put their paychecks together and hire a hit man to take me out. They are furious. I don't understand how they need time to themselves and privacy. (funny, I gave both of that up years ago to give them life) But you know, I don't see them paying rent or bills, or even doing chores willingly, correctly, or without being harassed to do them. I don't remember the law changing to parents being required to provide each child with their own room. Just basic food, clothing and shelter. I do that in abundance, they don't need their own rooms.
For awhile there we spoiled them and all 6 older kids had their own rooms. (well, Drew had a corner of the basement) But now the basement isn't so attractive (we found some water leakages occasionally) and Grandma moved in with us, so that cut the rooms down by two. I think that since Grandma contributes to the house she is entitled to not only her own room, but a craft room as well. So that is down 3 rooms. Drew, Devon and Cody are going into one room, but Drew will be gone in 2 weeks. So, Devon and Cody in one room. Kaytlin has her own room, and Hope-Anne and Trinity share a room. Sam is with us. Sam needs out, and putting 3 boys in one room while Kaytlin gets her own is just wrong. So, since Trinity will not stay out of Hope-Anne's things, I am moving her and Kaytlin in together and then Trinity and Sam together. Two to a room. I think that is reasonable, fair and good for them.
They think I am evil.
Hope-Anne is thrilled to be with Kaytlin over Trinity. Kaytlin even wants to be upstairs. (though she says she'd rather be in the basement than to share a room) Cody doesn't care if he is sharing, he is only in his room to sleep. Sam and Trinity don't like sleeping alone in a room, so they will be fine. Kaytlin and Devon are mad.

So....... if I should disappear..................... you know what happened.

Who knew?

Who knew how refreshing a good nights sleep could be?

Sam has been waking up either, fussing, crying or full-on screaming almost every night for the last year or so. I don't remember when it wasn't going on. We have had a few nights where he slept, but they are rare.

Last night Donnie and I went to bed and left Sam up with Cody watching super hero cartoons. Usually Sam will follow close behind me because he misses me. But last night Sam and Cody ended up watching TV upstairs and sleeping on the loveseat together. (weird when you think downstairs they had two couches and a loveseat to sleep on) Sam never got up and came to me, crying or otherwise.

I slept. And it was nice! Except for the bad dream. My local friends will get a kick out of this.

Dave F. murdered a teenager, whom I didn't know. But Drew and Dave R. witnessed it, even took pictures with a Sparkies digital camera. Drew told me, and I put a blackmail note and the camera in Dave R's house somewhere, having become confused about which Dave did it. Then talking with Cindy, Dave R's wife, I realized the mix up and tried to get the blackmail note back, but Dave must have already found it. But I couldn't find Dave R to talk to him. Which was strange since I was at a birthday party for his kid.

Then Donnie rudely woke me up wanting clean clothes. (which were all in the washing machine)

Is it Monday?

It sure seems like a Monday here. I woke up even more sick than I was yesterday, AND my computer has absolutely no power. Doesn't even try to turn on. The power light just blinks and blinks and blinks.

This should be fun. At least I have another computer to work on. But no pics on there.

Thursday Thirteen # A Lot

I have a cold that is preventing me from being creative, or caring about being creative. So I am going with 13 keywords people have used to find my blog this week.

1. backup piano lessons and free piano lessons, for a person over 65 which led to this post: Free Piano Lessons Online.

2. maternity acupressure points which led to Natural Ways to Start Your Labor.

3. quiverful kansas city (3 hits, and I am not in Kansas City) and quiverful how to handle many kids, the first led to my main page the second led to a Thursday Thirteen post I did about large families.

4. sleeping around the lion analogy which led to Watching Our Children In Secret.

5. manwhich is blasphemous which led to Funny Christian Comedian. But I don't remember it being about that at all.

6. love letter child, a very popular search term that I get hits for almost daily, and it leads to Love Letters to a Child.

7. The Banana Splits show. It really makes no sense, except maybe the humor part.

8. couples retreat games which led to my post I'm back from the couples retreat.

9. Nursing Woes. I'm glad I'm way past that now!

And now I go to page 2 of 3 pages of keyword search terms, lol.

10. overheard in the public toilets which led to a VERY FUNNY post about something I overheard in a public bathroom. Make sure you are not drinking when you read this one. Overheard in the Bathroom.

11. drank all my soda which led to a cute post Too Much of a Good Thing.

12. diapers smell like fish, foods that make poop smell fishy, cloth diapers fishy which may have lead to a pretty funny post about Something Smells Fishy Around Here.

13. my son drank windex which led to Here, and mr clean poison drink that led Here. My oldest and my youngest each drank one of those cleaners. And both were perfectly fine.

Happy Thursday Thirteen, everyone!

Completely and utterly exhausted.......

Sam had some medical tests done today and the were at the University hospital in the twin cities. I got up at O'dark thirty to go to work with Donnie, then I needed to occupy myself and Samuel until he could leave at noon.
Donnie works so close to the Como Zoo, so we decided to go there. (it is supposed to be free, but they ask for donations now, still very reasonable, and free if you don't want to donate)
We got there a little before they opened so Sam ran around for 10 minutes. When we got inside we went to the bathroom and the gift shop and then headed to the animals. Sam went full steam ahead and we got through the entire zoo in 45 minutes. He ran the whole time. I did want to wear him out, but I think it was harder on me than him.

But it was a nice day, the weather was perfect, if a bit warm, the animals were all around to see, Sam was well behaved. We were having a great time together. Then we sat down for a snack. I bought him a giant swirly sucker and an ice cream sandwich for me, and sat down in the shade to eat. About a minute later the sprinklers turned on. And the stream sprayed straight across the path in front of our bench. And then right over the bench. With us on it. Even if I could have grabbed Sam, the diaper bag and our food fast enough, I really had nowhere to go. We got drenched.

Yep, it was time to leave.

I was thinking that was how Sam's day was going to go, only worse. What a great day for him! He got a new juice from the gas station with Batman on it! Woohoo! Then we went to the Zoo and he got to run and run and run without someone making him stop or come back. Plus he got to see some animals, the few he bothered to stop and see.

Then he got a fantastic sucker, and even got to play in the sprinkler! Then he got to go to Daddy's work and play on the pool table! Yippee!

Then Mommy and Daddy take him out for lunch, Batman and Spiderman got in a cool fight, and Sam falls asleep.

When he wakes up (after his ultrasound) he is in a room with some cool new toys to play with and pretty girls who talk to him and give him things to play with. And then they shove a catheter in him and pin him to a table for 20 minutes waiting for him to go to the bathroom.

The poor kid! He was so mad! He kept getting his arm free and would push the x-ray machine out of the way, and they'd have to align it again. And then the doctor peeked around the x-ray to smile at him. "Are you SMILING at me? Seriously, are you SMILING at me?!" Then Sam got an arm free and took a swing at smiley doc.

Sam took the opportunity to show his dad how much his vocabulary has grown. "Let go! Stop it! Noooo! Ouuuuch! Get off! Go away! Stop it! All done! No more!" Yes, the kid can get his point across.

The tests all turned out well, nothing showed up wrong with him.

But I am exhausted.

Got Organic Milk?

Horizon has got to be my favorite brand of milk. I am very unhappy with having to put antibiotics and growth hormones into my children's bodies when they are not needed. I also am not really keen on pesticides being transferred to our bodies through our food supply.

I don't have a choice with my children eating lunch at school, though. Even if I were not too lazy to get up and make lunches for my kids, they would forget to take them, so mostly they eat the school's lunch.

However, Kaytlin has gotten sick and tired of eating chicken patties with ice crystals and soggy tator tots and dealing with nasty lunch ladies who have no reason for the attitude they give the students when turning in their lunch money. She has decided that this year she is going to pack her lunch.

I was delighted to receive a package from Horizon with samples of serving size boxes of organic milk! They even come with chocolate, vanilla and strawberry flavors and do not need to be refrigerated, so I can store them and just put a few at a time in the fridge for lunches. Convenience, healthy choice, and delicious flavor in one little container!

Kaytlin is normally skeptical of my review products, but she jumped right on the band wagon with this one and was delighted to try them. She not only thought they were fantastic, she even said the low fat un-flavored milk was delicious, too.

Horizon carries many other products, as well, and I really love the DHA added to milk for the young children. But you will also find organic cream, butter, yogurt, cheese and sour cream. I appreciate the healthy options, and only wish it were raw milk instead of pasteurized.

Head over to Horizons website and get some coupons and find where their product is sold near you.

Get back to the table month

When I was growing up we almost always at supper at the table together as a family. Eating in front of the TV was a special treat. But as I've grown older, eating together at the table as become much more rare for families. I'm not sure if it is the growing amount of TV shows, or the extremely busy schedules that families are taking on, but it is a declining practice.

Eating together as a family in the dining room, not the living room, is something we are trying to do much more of, even if several people are not home. Libby's is sponsoring a "Get Back to the Table Month" campaign. It is such a wonderful idea to bring attention to this family activity, especially as fall schedules are starting back up distracting people from what is good.

There are so many benefits of eating together as a family. For us, we get so much information from the kids that way. They love to talk and get attention, and we all love to play and tease and have a good time at the table.

But now there are some proven benefits for eating together that should encourage us all to make time for this important family event several times a week.

1. Research shows that children who eat dinner with their families five or more times a week are more likely to have higher grades in school – regardless of gender, family structure or economic status.

2. According to the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, frequent family meals have been linked to a lower risk of smoking, drinking and using marijuana. When you spend more time with your kids at the dinner table, it’s easier to spot changes in behavior and develop a better relationship with them.

3. Researchers at Emory University found that pre-teens whose parents tell family stories at dinner have higher self-esteem and get along better with their peers during their teen years.

4. A University of Minnesota study found that kids in families who watched TV while eating meals together had a poorer diet than children whose families ate together around a table. Boys who watched TV while eating ate fewer vegetables and grains and drank more soft drinks while girls who watched TV ended up eating fewer dark vegetables and more fried food.

5. Studies show that teenage girls who ate five or more meals per week with their families were less likely to resort to extreme dieting measures such as self-induced vomiting, diet pills or laxatives. This was true regardless of socioeconomic status, body mass index or family connectedness.

Those are pretty strong reasons for making it a tradition to eat together every chance you get! It has made a difference in my motivation to eat together as a family.

If you head over to Libby's website you can find coupons, recipes, and shopping tips to save you time and money. You can also head over there and enter the contest to win a dinner backstage with Sara Evens! Now, I am not a music fanatic, so I don't know who she is, but Kaytlin confiscated the Sara Evens CD that Mom Central and Libby's sent me, and Kaytlin is a huge music buff, so if she likes her, she is good.

Happy Birthday, Drew!

Drew turned 19 years old today!
I didn't get to spend much time with him, but we did go have a nice steak dinner.
When we did finally all get in the house at the same time, we ganged up on him and managed to give him his 19 birthday spankings. Let me tell you, I need both hands to get through all 19 swats, because my hands were so sore and red afterwards. Donnie and Devon pinned him this year, so I didn't end up with any bruises.

I have a lot to blog about, but it will have to wait, it has been a busy weekend and I need some sleep. Friday, Ladies night out, Rock Band allllllllll night, Saturday trip to Mankato, and a nieces baptism (including a theology debate with the pastor) on Sunday.

Because my friends can't believe it

Last night was Ladies Night Out and I told them about the burnt tator tots, and then what I was doing. (singing with a video game) My friends can't believe that I was singing with Rock Band. This is for them. And it was after 3:30 am.

I am being brave. I can't sing. I know I can't sing. But I did do well on the song according to the game requirements, and that is all that matters, right?



Oh, and all the "Woot"s are part of the game to spark a bonus type thing. Or to save someone else from being kicked off the stage, lol. So, I'm not being freaky and randomly inserting "woot" into the song. I promise.

Please be nice to me and lie about being a good singer. If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all, m'kay? Thanks!




OK, I redid the video with the lights on, lol. There were two babies sleeping on the couch behind us, so we had the lights off. I could see the vid on my computer, but not once it was on youtube. Sam woke up, so I put him to bed and then we played with lights on. Now you can see and hear. I still don't have sound on my computer due to a missing driver, but everyone else should be able to hear it. (this vid was done a little after 5:30am, cause Cody and I are gluttons for punishment)

Saturdays with Stella

This is one of those books that I wish I had asked for giveaway copies! I did not expect to find such a gem of a book in this one. I was blown away.

In Saturdays with Stella, Allison Pittman shows us some amazing insight to our walk with our Master as she goes through obedience school with her dog. I have to say "WOW" about it! Some things I was struggling with emotionally that just disappeared while reading this book. I learned to SIT at the feet of Jesus and to DROP my own agenda.

Even though this is not the best writing ever, I would still give this a high recommendation. I am also going to be passing my copy around. (In fact, it is on the second person right now)

If I gave QTpie ratings on things I would give this a 7 Qtpies.

If you give this book a try, here is what is in store for you.........

Summary:

Sometimes your best four-legged friend is also your best teacher.

When you bring a new dog into your home, a wash of great joy can become a trial of perseverance as your furry pal chews, digs, yaps, and yes, piddles her way through every room in the house. Allison Pittman learned this all too well when she adopted a “tiny, shiny puppy of indefinable breed(s).” Stella wasted no time in turning her home upside-down as only a pup can.

As could be expected, six weeks of obedience school covered the much needed basics–sit, stay, come, and down. What Allison didn’t expect was the spiritual benefit she would receive as each Saturday lesson revealed a fascinating metaphor.

In this heart-warming, thoughtful, and often hilarious tribute to her beloved Stella, Allison Pittman shares how she came to understand what it means to follow the ultimate Master, including how to:

Sit!–at the feet of Jesus and listen for His voice

Drop It!–and let go of personal agendas

Come!–when it’s time to run in the right direction

Stay!–in God’s presence

In Saturdays with Stella, a slightly neurotic yet curiously adorable canine will not only capture your heart–she’ll show you how captivating you are to God.

Author Bio:
Allison Pittman is the author of the three books in the popular Crossroads of Grace series. Before her life as a novelist, Allison spent sixteen years teaching high school English. A founding member and copresident of the Christian Writer’s Group of the Greater San Antonio area, she devotes her time inspiring other writers to work toward their goals and sharpen their skills. Allison lives in Universal City, Texas with her husband Mike, their three sons, and Stella.

You can purchase Saturdays with Stella on Amazon.com HERE.

Responsibility Project

One of the main goals parents have across the board, whether they are Christians or atheists, old or young, upper class or lower class, is to teach our children responsibility.
Mom Central told me about The Responsibility Project from Liberty Mutual. Liberty Mutual made a commercial on the "pay it forward" concept and they got so much feedback from it that they started the Responsibility Project. There are many resources on there to share with our children on how to be responsible and also to just spark some lively discussions around the dinner table about what it means to be responsible in different situations.

Some short films:

The Lighthouse: In this animated short, a community comes together to help an elderly lighthouse keeper when he accidentally shatters the beacon as a ship approaches land. This film is appropriate for kids as young as age 4.

The New Boy: A tough move to a new country gets a little easier when boys who start out as enemies come together over a shared moment of laughter. Elementary-aged kids will especially appreciate this short film.

Father's Day: Despite past differences, a mother reconnects with her estranged father for the sake of her daughter. Directed toward an older audience, this film is best for middle school students.

The films all have some discussion guides on the site that you can use to spark conversation after viewing them. I like that they provide that because sometimes I just don't get things, lol.

How do you teach responsibility to your kids? Do you have dinner time discussions about it? Do you point out examples when you see them?

Oops!

When you are cooking tator tots at 475 degrees, you most certainly should not start playing Rock Band with the kids.

Too Young?

So, is 21 months too young to be hitting the bottle?

I was washing dishes while the oatmeal was getting thickened. I turned around and saw Sam drinking the syrup. And he liked it. A lot.

Poor Sammy!

I haven't been blogging much the last couple of days. Sam has been going through some rough times and we have been searching out a reason. So far, two doctors appointments this week.

Sam wakes up crying or screaming almost every night. And he has had some issues with going to the bathroom, sometimes the whole for pee is plugged up and he can't go. Plus he almost always has to stand up to pee. He doesn't pee at night very often, even when he sleeps for 12 hours. (by sleep for 12 hours I mean he tosses and turns and cranks and cries until 5am and THEN sleeps for a good 5-6 hours)

Sam has to go for some tests next week, the earliest they could get him in anywhere, and then see a pediatric urologist the following week. He will have his kidneys ultrasound, and then a horrid test where they catheterize him and empty his bladder, then fill it up and then watch him urinate via ultrasound or something ON the table, which won't happen since he won't be standing up.

We think his night crying is his bladder being full and uncomfortable and him unable to relieve himself until we get up with him. Poor guy!

Do they learn?

Sometimes your kids learn "woulda, coulda, shoulda" on their own. And sometimes it seems they will never learn.

Like today.

Yesterday Drew said he would wash the dishes and clean up the living room before he has a friend over. He also was babysitting in that time frame, which he knew before he offered to do those jobs. Well, he didn't finish them. Sam was his excuse. I told him that Sam would nap and that he should lay down with him, it wouldn't take long. I know he heard that because he said "Hey, that will work out great with having Ben over." He did not put Sam down for a nap, finish the living room or finish the dishes. But he did have Ben over and played games.

So today, Donnie told him he wasn't going to be using our cars to go to his DEP call until he did the dishes he said he would do. Drew refused and decided we are being ridiculous. (we are also ridiculous because we don't accept a chore as done if he is the 3rd person to do that chore that day, um, sure, someone made a little mess in it after it got cleaned, but you don't get credit for a 2 minute chore)

Donnie told him do the dishes or find your own way. So, he hung up on Donnie and stormed out of the house. He spent 45 minutes getting his car running and took off. Soon he called needing OUR AAA number to tow his car. If he had just spent 45 minutes on the dishes he wouldn't be in that predicament, now would he? He hung up on both Donnie and I. Donnie asked him if he was going to tow the car home, and Drew didn't know because some guy said the part was probably only a $20 part. He ended up hanging up on Donnie a second time.

And then he had the nerve to call home to see if we had money to spare to fix his car that he did NOT have towed home. (and didn't apologize first) Now he is stuck 45 minutes from home, doesn't have his bank card or a working car. And he hung up on both of his parents a total of 3 times tonight.

Now, lest you think we are being harsh, even Grandma agrees that he is doing a horrid job of lazing out on chores and is being disrespectful. When grandma isn't on your side, somethings wrong, my friend. Especially when grandma is a pushover.

Don't you think doing the dishes would have been easier? (for an adult working person who doesn't pay rent, utilities, food, and rarely even pays his car insurance?)

Ohhh!!!! I could just scream!

Today I called the grocery store to talk to the highest manager. Apparently they discussed it in a meeting they were at when I called. So I asked them to have Ron call me after the meeting and the gal that answered the phone said, "I'll have the billing department call you." Ron not only said he didn't believe they wouldn't let me talk to him, but he also said the manager I talked to that evening said he offered me a refund and that I REFUSED it! I told him that I was never offered a refund by ANY person that night, and that they are flat out lying about that. They may have assumed I would refuse as I said it was not about the $.04, it was about the principle of the thing, but I did not refuse a refund. He also absolutely did not believe that the checkout girl said she knew it was happening to everyone and that she wasn't about to take it off each order!

I am so ticked off! And did he offer a refund? Not at first. He did finally say "I guess we owe you some money." To which I responded there were many people that they owed. He didn't feel that way. It was just a glitch and no big deal.

I am thinking I will take this to the local paper and have people bombard them with refund requests. They are not going to advertise that they had a glitch and if you have a receipt with that glitch that they will refund it. Wouldn't that at least show they were concerned about it?

All Fired Up!

So, I went to the local grocery store tonight and did some shopping. They always have great buy one get one free coupons and other great deals. This week they had a buy one get one free General Mills cereal coupon and a buy two Kemps milk and get 1lb bananas, 1 bottle of Hersey's syrup, AND 1 container of Kemps ice cream ALL for free! Amazing, right?!

Except that when I looked at my receipt because I didn't see an itemized coupon listing at the bottom of the paper, I noticed that I was charged $.01 for each "free" item. They would ring it up, then remove the entire price with the coupon, then several items later they would charge me one penny for the "free" item. And it listed it as a price for the FREE item.

Isn't that theft? Fraud?

Sure, how many people will even notice it? And if someone does notice it, are they going to bother complaining about $.04? Really? What are the odds of getting caught? Hundreds of people using the coupons, and our branch charging for them.........
It wasn't the $.04, it was the PRINCIPLE. It is the LAW. They cannot do that, it is absolute outright theft. Like I've been mugged.
Would I file a police report if someone mugged me and all I had was $.04? You bet I would!

So, I went in to point out the theft to them. The teller was agast, she bought the same deal as I did! She photocopied it, even. I made her call a manager up. He didn't know what the deal was. He called a check out person up, and she said that it was doing that to everyone, not just me, but that she wasn't about to take a penny off the total, it was too much work. (umm, so you KNOW that your job is stealing for people, and you are a willing accomplice?)

They didn't even OFFER to give me the $.o4 back. The did take my name down for the assistant manager tomorrow. But he won't be enough for me to be satisfied. Not even the manager, most likely. I am taking this to the attorney general. (isn't that who should be told?)

Think they will offer me hush money? LOL What would be enough? A year's worth of groceries? LOL Just kidding!

Would it be crazy to inform the paper, too? This would be HUGE in our dinky town, lol. Maybe I'll do that, and get famous. My kids think I am going to sue them and then get famous like the McDonald's suit over hot coffee. "Woman sues Grocery chain over $.04!" Yep, that's me. And you all knew me before I was famous.

Love your computer?

Thank you to my friend, Shelly, for sending this to me! Love it!

For all of us who feel only the deepest love and affection for the way computers have enhanced our lives, read on.

At a recent computer expo (COMDEX), Bill Gates reportedly compared the computer industry with the auto industry and stated, "If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25.00 cars that got 1,000 miles to the gallon."

In response to Bill's comments, General Motors issued a press release stating:
If GM had developed technology like Microsoft, we would all be driving cars with the following characteristics:

1. For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash........Twice a day.
2. Every time they repainted the lines in the road, you would have to buy a new car.
3. Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason. You would have to pull to the side of the road, close all of the windows, shut off the car, restart it, and reopen the windows before you could continue. For some reason you would simply accept this.
4. Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn would cause your car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case you would have to reinstall the engine.
5. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was reliable, five times as fast and twice as easy to drive - but would run on only five percent of the roads.
6. The oil, water temperature, and alternator warning lights would all be replaced by a single 'This Car Has Performed An Illegal Operation' warning light.
7. The airbag system would ask 'Are you sure?' before deploying.
8. Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle, turned the key and grabbed hold of the radio antenna.
9. Every time a new car was introduced, car buyers would have to learn how to drive all over again because none of the controls would operate in the same manner as the old car.
10. You'd have to press the 'Start' button to turn the engine off.

PS - I'd like to add that when all else fails, you could call 'customer service' in some foreign country and be instructed in some foreign language how to fix your car yourself!!!!

The Greatest Show On Earth

I think everyone over 10 knows what that is. The Ringling Brothers Circus, of course!
Do you have fond memories of it? Well, I do! I was able to go when I was a preteen in Arizona. And it was so memorable for me, and I wish I had the opportunity to take my children. So far we haven't had one near us since we've had children.
The circus is an exciting rush for a kid. The noise just reverberates through your body and builds up that adrenaline and emotional excitement!

When I would watch the girls on the flying trapeze I would dream about being able to do that one day. To be able to fly through the air with such grace and beauty! (now I just wish I could fit in the outfits, lol)

I think the motorcycles in the ball were so amazing! The rush of the engines blaring sending chills through my spine! It was so dangerous, you just knew that one wrong blink and they'd be dead. What a rush! (so glad my boys are NOT going into that field!)

Didn't you just love the elephants!? How often do we get to be near just a huge beast? I went on an elephant ride and even though it was not fast and a rush, it is still cool to be able to say I've done it.

They are in its second decade of Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Center for Elephant Conservation®. I like that the Ringling Bros are so conscientious about their animals and are well known for treating their animals so well.

Did you know that they have a Baby’s First Circus program where babies can receive a free ticket voucher that can be exchanged for a free ticket to any Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey performance, anytime, anywhere. No expiration date!

If you are lucky enough to live where there will be a performance of the Ringling Bros Circus you can receive a 20% discount with the code MCC.

The code is valid for the circus shows in the following cities:

Indianapolis, IN - Sept. 4-7, 2008

Kansas City, MO - Sept. 10-14, 2008

Grand Rapids, MI - Sept. 18-21, 2008

Denver, CO - Oct. 2-13, 2008

Boston, MA Oct. 8-13, 2008

Cleveland, OH - Oct. 24 - Nov. 2

Chicago, IL - Nov. 6 - 30, 2008

St. Louis, MO - Nov. 6-9, 2008

Auburn Hills, MI - Nov. 12 - 16, 2008

Highland Heights, KY - Feb 27 - Mar. 1, 2009

Cincinnati, OH - Mar. 4 - 8, 2008

Go to their website to find a show near you. Ringling Bros.

Bye, bye baby!

I was holding onto all the last pieces of babyhood for Sam. He talked baby talk, wears diapers, sleeps with mama, gets what he wants without having to ask nicely, and looked like a baby.
Well, he has started talking a lot and we are starting to force him to say please when he wants something, and today, he stopped looking like a baby. (except for the diaper, and we are working on that one! Still sleeping with mama, too.)
This was Sam, playing "Doggie" a week or so ago. (he crawled in the kennel after licking up spilled milk off the floor like a dog)


Doesn't he still look like a baby? So sweet and little and innocent looking! Well, except the food all over his face, lol.
Well, today I cut his looooong hair.













I also found out how extensive his vocabulary has become.














While wiggling all over he would make me poke him with the scissors and he would yell "Owww!"
and "Let go a' me!" Four word sentences! That is HUGE!
My mom lives with us and recently went away for 3 weeks. She returned on Wednesday night and when she picked him up he left her a present on her white pants. Yep, a big, runny, stinky pile of poo. Did I mention it was on her white pants? She put him down and then he saw it and said "Oh, man!" LOL

Tonight I took him for a walk to the pharmacy, probably 5 blocks away. He RAN the whole way there. And then walked all they way home. I never once had to carry him. No stroller. (he crashed big time when we got home, hehe)

He is getting so big. No more baby.

Just when you think you are a horrible parent

Last night was a pretty bad evening with the kids. The house was trashed and I had set the rule that they can't watch TV or play games/computer until their homework and chores are done each day. Every day this week I have had to tell them to do chores. And they act like it is new or something. "We never have two chores when we cook!" (umm, look at the schedule, it's been that way for 6 months) "What!? I've never had to thaw out meat for my night, it is always just there!" (umm, no, you just don't pick and then we have to go to the store every night to get supper fixings) "We never clean good enough for you, if five of us can't please you, maybe it's YOU and not our cleaning!" (or maybe when you are done cleaning and then I go and mop after you and I blacken THREE disposable mop pads, it isn't clean enough!)

So, yeah, last night was a lot of screaming and tears and grounding and such. I was mean mom extraordinaire.

Then tonight, Devon, my strange Devon, asked me if he could go to the football game.
Not a problem, if you have money. Well, he didn't and would appreciate $4 for it. I can't spare it this check, I have $80 to feed 10 people for the next 7 days. (thank goodness I don't need meat!)
And Devon says
"Thank you. You know, for all you do and stuff."
And I asked him "Are you being sarcastic or sweet?" So not like him!
"No, really, I was thinking about it last night. You guys do so much for us and everything. And I've seen other parents and they aren't good, they don't get it. And you guys are what parents are supposed to be."
"Even though we are horribly mean?"
"Yes, you are supposed to be mean, you have to do it."

Who are you and what have you done with Devon?

Just last year, just 13 months ago Devon was having a fit about us not letting him hang out at the fair that turned into a tantrum about us being "poor" and him not having name brand clothing and all the latest games and such, it even ended with Devon and Drew in a fist fight. (Drew defending me)
Really, what happened? Devon has matured this year and I am just blown away over and over and over this summer. Earlier this week I had someone compliment me on how polite and kind Devon is. If you have any idea of the trouble we've gone through with him, you'd know how that moves me so.
I was shocked enough that it dawned on him this week that when he follows the rules he has lots of freedom, and when Drew broke the rules he had NO life, so he plans to have lots of fun following the rules. He also said he plans to keep his "lipginity" for an indefinite period of time, I'm thinking he meant at least through high school, not sure if he meant until marriage or not.

OK, I'm done, I will start bawling soon if I don't stop!

Aloha Friday

Aloha Friday is the day Kailani at An Island Life hosts Aloha Friday, based upon a very popular term used in Hawaii when island residents take it easy and look forward to the upcoming weekend.
So here is my easy question for the week:

Now that the kids are back in school, what are you doing with your free time?

I don't have all the kids in school, but since I am down to TWO at home, I am thrilled to have some peace and quiet that I can work on blogging reviews. It is nearly 9am and the kids are still sleeping so I can blog, read blogs, write reviews, or clean house. Guess what I DON'T want to do?

They just hand it to me on a Silver Platter!

Really, I just wouldn't have a blog without these kids. Drew just this morning told me he thinks that there must be a 5 kid minimum to have a good blog, lol. The more kids you have, the more blog fodder. I don't agree, all kids are blog fodder, lol, some just a bit more bloggable than others, so maybe someone with one kid can have a great blog, too.
Anyway, what happened already, right?
This story comes with a laugh and a lesson and a Praise God!

I'm busy cleaning the house last night, yelling at the kids for not cleaning, being yelled back at that they did clean as I go about cleaning after them. (did I digress already?)
Kaytlin comes running into the kitchen screaming at me.
Mom! Mom! How could you? That is so gross! Why would you leave this out where I can touch it?
What are you talking about?
This! This "ovulation microscope"! So gross! And I opened it and touched it because you left it out on your desk! Why don't you keep it put away?
First of all, I keep it out so I can USE it. Secondly, what do you think it does?
Umm, it says OVULATION right there, gross!
Yes, what do you think it does?
It checks your OVULATION! Oh my gosh, that is so gross, why don't you keep it put away! I thought it was lipstick! Lipstick!
That's what you get for snooping in my "lipstick." Keep your nose out of my stuff and you won't have an issue. What do you THINK I do with it?
You check for gross stuff.
Kaytlin, I SPIT on it. I put my SPIT on the lens and let it dry, then I shine a light on it. Oh, how gross is that?
Well, well, it says ovulation, it could be from down THERE.
I can't get that tiny little microscope all the way up to my ovaries, dear.
Well, you got 7 babies out of there, surely that little thing can fit.

No, I truly can't make this stuff up!
Here is a picture of it. It comes in a little case that looks like it would hold lipstick. It has a cap that comes off like a tube of lipstick.
But you put saliva on the lens and let it dry. When you are ovulating your body produces fern like patterns in the saliva! Isn't God amazing? It gets even better!

The beginning of your cycle you have higher estrogen. As it gets higher and peaks, your body releases an egg.

As that peak goes up and the egg is released, your temp drops then it starts to rise after the egg is released because then your body switches to raising progesterone levels. Isn't God great? He made so many ways for us to know what our body is doing! (I could keep going, but then it may hit the TMI area, because there are two more, gross ways of tracking this)

So, with the microscope I can watch my body go from non-fertile, to fertile, back to not fertile. Then I chart it all and my magic little chart takes all the information and tells me when I am fertile or not and what day I ovulate.
This information is great for people who want to naturally avoid a pregnancy, or to achieve a pregnancy. Or, in my case, to know what your body is actually doing when it starts going wonky.
This is all stuff I am wanting to teach Kaytlin, but as you can see, she is not very cooperative.

I love learning all this. It just confirms to me that no way are our bodies created by a big bang, we were created by a God who is a genius! Every detail is so amazing that I can't help but to recognize my Creator. God is amazing!

Game Night!

Game night is always fun for everyone. Except the little kids. They are always too young to play. It is sad for them, they can't really play and everyone is having so much fun.
Hasbro's new Noodleboro games for preschoolers solves that problem! Sure, there are games for preschoolers out there, but these new games teach values that we all want to teach our kids. Learning through play is one of the best teachers for preschoolers, so I am very happy to share these games with my little ones.
We were able to try out the Share Fun Park Game. You play several carnival type games and earn tokens. When you get one you've already won, you can earn stars by sharing the tokens with other players, so everybody wins! Making it fun to share, and even winning because you learned to share, makes Trinity happy. She loves this game! So does Hope-Anne, at age 11. I thought it was a bit dull, but she begs to play, and lets face it, the game is not geared towards me, but towards her, so they hit the mark on it. (I have a low tolerance for kiddie stuff after 19 years of playing it, lol)
There are 3 new learning games from Noodleboro:
1. Learning to Share Fun Park Game
2. Learning About Manners Picnic Basket Game
3. Learning to Listen Pizza Palace Game

I really appreciate the values themes because these are all issues that moms have to deal with daily.

You can check out the demos HERE and see if the games are a good fit for your kids.

Also, if you enter through this link and sign up with Mom Central, you have the chance to win one of the games. Mom Central is raffling off 200 of them. Good luck!!