Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thankgiving everyone. It has so busy I haven't really had time to gather my thought enough to blog. I has been quite week.
Alan worked on Monday which messes up my day at work because Monday is my long day.
Tuesday I went with Jody (our area marketing director) to Louisa County High School. The school won free Chick-fil-A for the whole school because of a school spirit contest. This school was so amazing! The faculty was so gracious and the students were amazingly well behaved. They even had a skydiver.
Tuesday night we went to Williamsburg and had dinner with Karl Bastian. He is the Kidologist. He has Americas largest website for children's minister, so you can only imagine how excited Alan was to meet him.
Can I give a shout out to Tori for all the help with the kids this past few days, not to mention they love her to death.
Wednesday was half day of school and now on Thursday they are already sick of each other.
I am going to Home Team Grill today to help feed the less fortunate and then we're going to our neighbors for dinner.

Happy Holidays?

I am so not ready for the holidays. I thought I had another week before Thanksgiving and here it is. Wow. This is such a crazy time of year and its really hard to stay focused on the "reason for the season".
Alan told me a story about Bill Hybels. He said he met with a man from his church and the man presented him with a million dollar check and Bill Hybels pushed the check back across the table and said that's not enough, you can do better. And he did.
I think that is what God is asking us to do, better. He is pushing our traditions, and our once a year volunteerisms and our holiday hoopla and telling us to do better. So will we?

Kid Conversations

I always think its funny to listen to my kids when they are deep in conversation. Today in the car I had interject into their conversation to explain why being a pirate is not really a viable career option. Later this evening in the car Noah says out of the blue, "Mom, should I say penis in public?" I said no, and he says, "that's what I thought." Well, at least he asked. They each have their own area of expertise that they get advice about from each other. And of course I don't know what I'm talking about. It's interesting that the older they get the dumber I get.
They are so funny.
We are now doing homework. I hate homework! I think if it can't be done at school then don't do it. It feels like all we do is homework. Then we still have to study for various tests. I read the book Ending the Homework Hassle. It was very helpful but teachers don't care that we are trying to get the kids to take responsibility for there work and face the consequences of not doing it. Living in the bubble most parents wouldn't dream of letting a 3rd grader turn in 3rd grade calibur work.

What Are You Smokin?

Today at work I was thinking about someone and I thought, what are you smokin'? Seriously, why is it that people seem to make decisions that make no sense to every one around them and they just don't see it.
Then I started thinking about why I would be in this persons life and visa versa. God made me the way I am for a reason. And he made that person the way they are for a reason. So am I exactly what that person needs in thier life right now? Is this person the thing I need in my life right now? Are the words I say to them going to make an impact in their life or do I let my own feelings and agenda skew what God has already orchestrated? It can be really hard. I have to be careful not to let their words altar what I know about who I am. I know I'm direct, outspoken and seldom take crap but can I be vulnerable enough let grace show through, because when I need grace I expect it freely, don't we all.
It's amazing how relationships not within our family can effect us. I hope 20 yrs. from now when people look back on thier relationship with me they say, "Thank you God for crossing our paths."

Should This Be Easier?

Yes I am blogging before 7:00am. The kids don't have school today and with the time change my body still says its time to get up, even when I could've slept in, lucky me.
We watched Evan Almighty for family movie night on Friday. As I watched this guy nearly cut and pound his fingers off trying to build an ark I thought back to Noah (from the Bible). I thought how we burn these cartoonish/iconic images into our brains of what it was like to do what God told him to do. We make it seem like it was easy. It was not easy, it couldn't have been. It had never even rained before the great flood. Could you imagine trying to tell people its going to do something they had never even heard of?
It makes it more real, God doesn't call us to do things because it will be easy. In our culture we are at a huge disadvantage because pretty much everything is easy for us. So when God tells us to do something that's not easy we feel like we are martyrs. It's like I told the ladies at Bloom, God never said we would have a stress free life.
And then in this movie God kept trying to tell Evan what he wanted him to do and he saw it but wouldn't see it. Which is what alot of us do, we know what God wants from us and we just keep pushing it to the back burner, or acting like we're clueless and can't figure it out. The thing about God is he thinks big picture, unlike us alot of times. He knows why he's telling us to do certain things because of the ripple effect it will have. Who knows he may call you to do something that won't make sense until your dead. Think about Moses, I can't imagine what was going on in his mind when he never reached the Promiseland after being in the desert for 40 yrs. Talk about second guessing yourself.
But the nice thing to remember about these people is they were just that-people. They had issues just like all of us. They had family issues and problems just like you and me. God doesn't say we have to be perfect to be useful. Thank Goodness!

Busy, Busy

I know I haven't blogged in a while. It has been so busy! I will go one thing at a time. As you might have seen I had a poll up getting votes on where we should go on our date. We went back and forth on several options. We ended up at Texas De Brazil and it was really good. But if you have ever been there you know you feel like you just ate an entire side of beef when its all said and done. We also had total down pour that entire day and evening.
After our date I came home and went straight to sleep so I could wake up at 5:00am to be at the convention center by 6:30am. It was time for the Chick-fil-A Charity Dodgeball Tournament. It is the largest dodgeball tournament in the country! It was so really fun and raised alot of money for two charities. No I didn't play in the tournament, I don't like being hit.
Then on Monday I had to work and then we had a spirit night at the store. Another 12 hour day!
Now it's time for Fall Fest. Thankfully I have a really flexible job and can take off most of the day to help Alan get setup for this event.
The kids are totally excited.
Then I have Bloom on next Wednesday. Whew!!! I tired just typing about it.

To Much!

As I cleaned up the dinner dishes Iwas once again sick over the amount of food we wasted. Either Icook to much or my kids don't eat it. Probaly a little of both. As I watched all that food go down into the garbage disposal it reminded me of the mission trip I took to Guatamala, which feels like a lifetime ago now.
There were kids who would stand in lines for hours to get a bowl of mush. Many of them were left to care for younger siblings while their parents went to find work. There were young girls with varicose viens from the weight of carrying babies that weren't even their own. Usually siblings. The kids seemed so thankful for this bowl of stuff that was some sort of bean conconction. They loved the missionary family that lived there full time and made sure they kept the food line going everyday. Usually the only time they ate.
It also really struck me how the kids smiled. Their smiles were very genuine and seemed soul deep, not superficial. As Americans we automatically think if I could take them all home and take care of them how happy they could be and how great their little lives would be. So I pose the question, how happy are our own kids? Are they genuinely thankful? Are their smiles soul deep? Have we done a good job showing them how lucky they truly are? Do we just try and buy their smiles with gifts and their happiness with lazy parenting? Letting things slide we know we shouldn't?
I might as well tell you about Russia while we're abroad. I often joke with my kids, they will ask where are we going and I'll say to the orphanage. Every single time I say this the Russian orphanage comes into my mind. I also think how lucky they are that this is not really an option for them.
Are we doing our kids a disservice by raising them in utter comfort? Not that I would want to experience pain but the major moments in our lives that shape our character and test us are almost always painful. How awful to grow up and be broadsided by the fact that everything isn't always easy, everything isn't always handed to you on a silver platter and we all fall and bruise our knee.

Ben & Jerry's

There is a new Ben & Jerry's in Careytown. Sat. was the grand opening and all the icecream was a dollar. Plus they have thier own parking lot, which if you know Careytown you know that's a big deal.
We have been trying to find free or close to it activities to do with the kids on the weekends. Luckily we live in a great part of the country and there is always something happening. I have to make a deliberate decision to not worry about the messy house or undone laundry while we're out. I know there will come a day when keeping up with everything won't be so hard, and child labor laws won't be so easily enforced (just kidding). But as soon as they are tall enough they are doing thier own laundry! My future kids-in-law will thank me for how much my kids learned to clean and do on thier own. So today I say YOUR WELCOME!

Stickered Up

Wouldn't it be nice if we could occasionally act like a little kid and it be cute. If I covered my underwear clad self in stickers, it would not be cute, but grounds for a short stint in the looney bin. Funny maybe.
I also saw a kid at a restaurant asleep in his food on the table. It was cute, but if an adult does that it's creepy.
I'm watching Greys's Anatomy, doesn't Meredith keep getting uglier? Random!
We had a spirit night at work, I saw a man, maybe in his 40's. His pants were pulled up so high! What's up with that? Is this the onset of aging? Your pants just keep getting higher? I feel a song coming on.
(Tune: Lift Jesus Higher)
Lift your pants higher
Lift your pants higher
Lift them up for the world to see
And they be lifted up they will make you look creepy.
I hope that's not sacreligious on some level.

Cold & Flu Season

I hate hate hate getting the flu! And I hate it even worse when my kids get it so I'm listing ways to stay cold/flu free this winter.

1. Wash your hands throughout the day.
2. Every time you shake someone’s hand, wash yours. You don't know where their hands have been.
3. Do not use hand disinfectants with isopropyl alcohol, use running water and soap.
4. When you use the bathroom, flush the toilet before you use it, don't touch anything with your hands. 80% of the people who use public restrooms don't wash their hands. That means there is probably urine and fecal materials on all public surfaces including toilet seats, stall handles, toilet handles, sink knobs and exit handles. Use a towel to touch these objects.
5. Avoid touching your face with your hands. A cold or flu virus can easily be transmitted through your eyes or nose.
6. Dip your toothbrush in hydrogen peroxide regularly. This will kill potential germs plus if you have a cold or flu, it will help you not to re-infect yourself. Remember to rinse your toothbrush in water before touching any fabric. The hydrogen peroxide will bleach out your towels.
7. Increase your vitamin C to 2000 mg daily for adults and 500 mg a day for children. I use Vitamin C Ascorbate.

Hopefully this help. Oh yeah don't send your sick kids to church on Sunday!