We 5 Kings

A Plea For Help:)

2011-10-25T10:49:00.003-04:00

I finally got bored with the old template/background I had on the blog and decided to try to find a new one...only now I don't really like it either. I just don't have the patience or creativity it takes to make a cute blog. So...I'm asking for help. If any of you are tech savvy and love experimenting with design or know someone who is, I could really use a bloglift! If you have any pointers for me on layouts or templates, I am open to any thoughts or ideas you can offer.

Thanks:))

The Christmas Singing

2011-10-24T12:39:00.004-04:00

From the Publisher

After Gideon coldly broke her heart, can the warmth of the season revive Mattie’s hopes?

Mattie thought her childhood sweetheart adored her until he abruptly ended their engagement on Christmas Eve.

Three years later, will learning the truth behind his rejection restore her Christmas joy – or open the door to even deeper heartbreak?

Spend Christmas with the Amish in this story of love, romance, heartache, and restoration.

My Thoughts

I'm a huge fan of Amish novels and have read a lot, a lot of them. Cindy Woodsmall is one of my favorite authors so I was excited to have the opportunity to read this book. When I first ordered it, I debated over waiting until closer to Christmas to read it, you know so I'd be more in the Christmas spirit. When it arrived, I just couldn't wait. I had to get started on it right away. Cindy didn't disappoint. I was on the edge of my seat, so to speak the entire time it took to complete the book. I hated to put it down and couldn't wait to pick it back up again! This story is all about love, heartbreak, forgiveness and hope for the future. As a special treat when you've finished the book, there are yummy recipes in the back cased on the mouth watering cakes made by Mattie in the story:)

I received a free copy of this book from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Are you ready for some Football?

2011-09-20T12:15:00.000-04:00

Ready or not, it's that time of year again. Unfortunately, Alan broke his foot at a Youth Camp last Summer and missed the chance to try out for the middle school football team in 7th grade. This year he has done everything within his power to make the team. He attended weight training at the school over the Summer and was there with bells on for the first day of try outs. Alan has worked so hard to become a Jaguar. He practices for two hours EVERY day and is doing everything he can to improve his game. I am so proud to report that my boy made the cuts and is now a player for the Rockingham County Jaguar football team!! Yeahhh:)

I never pictured myself as the "football mom", in the stands at every game, cheering for my player and screaming at the referees, but I have turned into that mom! Football has become a passion of mine all because of my children! I love this time of year and am looking forward to a great season! Go Jaguars and #99!!!

I Felt The Earth Move...

2011-08-24T12:46:00.002-04:00

Yesterday at around 2pm, I was sitting at my desk, in my office at work when I literally felt the Earth move. I was one of the thousands of people on the East coast who experienced an earth quake for the very first time. The epicenter of the quake was approximately 185 miles North of me, but the ripples in the earth felt oh so close! The sounds and feeling of the earth's tremblings were very similar to when a very large truck passes by. You know that rumbling sound that a truck makes when the driver is applying pressure to the brakes? That was what I heard while I experienced the Earth's vibrations. The Great Earthquake of 2011 only lasted about 25 to 30 seconds, but honestly in that moment it felt like an eternity. My brain didn't immediately register what was happening. At first I thought it was an 18-wheeler, then I thought maybe it was a train. Finally, I realized that what I was feeling must be an earthquake. It was so strange, awesome, terrifying and amazing at the same time. As soon as it was over, I began receiving text messages and tweets from friends and family. I checked facebook and saw that people as far away as Maryland had felt the same things that I had. On the evening news they reported that the quake was felt as far north as Canada! I have a feeling this is the type of story that I will one day be telling my grandchildren!

A Mountain Day Trip

2011-07-18T12:19:00.009-04:00

Back in June, Father's Day Weekend to be exact, Robert and I woke up with a hankering to go somewhere and do something. So after a quick breakfast and minimal housework we loaded the little kids (Alan was in Arizona with my parents) in the car and took off on a scenic day trip to the mountains of NC and Virginia. We're lucky to live within just a few hours of the NC Coast and the mountains. For several years my family has made trips up to the Blue Ridge Parkway, to Stuart and Meadows of Dan, VA. Along the way it's a requirement to stop at Lover's Leap and enjoy the view and take a few pics!

Once you get into Meadows of Dan there are a couple of old country stores like this one.

Here you can buy homemade jams, jellies, fried apple pies, rock candy, pickled eggs, chow chow, country ham, hoop cheese, and anything in between.

((Maxton and Joshua enjoying their rock candy and their DVD players))

A little farther on down the road is Nancy's Candy. This place has wonderful fudge of just about any variety from Peanut Butter to Cheesecake. They make lots of different varieties of candies as well. My favorite is their coconut bonbons!

After filling up on hoop cheese and chocolate and buying some Father's Day gifts for my dad, we headed on down the Blue Ridge Parkway to Mt. Airy.

We drove through downtown "Mayberry", you know, the home of Sheriff Andy Taylor and his trusty deputy Barney Fife. If you watched the show any at all, you heard them talk about going to Mt. Pilot. If you've never seen Mt. Pilot, well here it is!

After our many stops and a long ride, we finally made it back home! Sometimes it's nice to get out and just ride, stopping long enough to enjoy the view and smell the ~~roses~~ chocolate!!

Pirateland

2011-07-14T09:10:00.005-04:00

As promised, I'm finally getting around to uploading the very few pictures that I took while on our vacation to Pirateland. Honestly, I was too busy swimming, sunning and having fun to take very many pictures. We're going back in a couple of weeks so I will try to do better next time!

We had a blast on our very first RV Camping Vacation. The RV sleeping arrangements all worked out fine and really other than sleeping and preparing a couple of meals we didn't spend much time inside. Our campsite was oceanfront so we had a nice breeze the whole time and enjoyed spending a lot of time outdoors. Pirateland has so much to offer that we wouldn't even have had to leave the resort if we didn't want to. We spent our days out on the beach, in one of the pools, in the game room or playing putt-putt. One evening we took in a new dinner show, Pirate's Voyage, presented by Dolly Parton. If you've ever been to Dixie Stampede it was a lot like that, only with Pirates! It's actually located in the Dixie Stampede Building, so if you're in the Myrtle Beach area you should check it out. I so wish I'd had my camera with me the night of the show, because Maxton and Joshua both took part in a Pirate Makeover that they offer for the kids (for an additional $20 per child, of course). They got all made up with beards, mustaches, earrings, hats and swords. They thought they were part of the show!
On Friday night the inhabitants of Pirateland decorate their Golf Carts, (which is the preferred means of transportation while inside the resort) and cruise down the main drag, which just happens to be ocean front, running right in front of our campsite. The littles were already tucked into bed while we adults were outside in our Zero Gravity Chairs (best chairs ever invented, in my opinion) lounging while watching the never ending line of golfcarts cruise by. Some were decorated, some were not. Some were driven by Elderly people, while others were full of teenagers. Some were playing loud country music and some played Elvis Presley. No matter their age or choice of music, they were all having fun and we really enjoyed the show!

We enjoyed Pirateland so much that we decided to store our RV there, atleast for the remainder of the year. That way we can go back anytime we get ready without having to pull the RV down there. The staff actually sets it up at our campsite while we are headed down there! We've got 2 more trips coming up in the near future, one with the kids and the one that maybe I'm most excited about is a trip for just Robert and myself! (woohoo)

The RV on our campsite

Our campsite at night

The dining area, which also converted to a Queen bed that Robert and I slept in each night.

The kitchen area, bunk beds behind and the bathroom door and don't forget the Krispy Kreme donuts!! We stopped by and bought two dozen on our way in from dinner one evening! Also, pay no attention to the clutter. In an RV there's just never enough storage space!

The RV's Master Bedroom

For some reason, I didn't get a picture of the Living Room area with the Entertainment unit and sofa which converted into Alan's full size bed for sleeping.:(

Joshua on the beach

This was really the only view I had of Maxton the whole time we were out on the beach. He loves digging in the sand and finding clams and whatever other treasures are buried.

Alan aka Beach Bum!

Toes in the Water...

2011-05-26T12:26:00.002-04:00

If you know that song by Zac Brown Band, then you know the rest of the story. I can't wait to get my toes in the water down at the beach. I absolutely love the beach and would definitely move there, if I could just take my whole family with me:)
As far back as I can remember, my family has always vacationed in a little rental house on Oak Island, NC. A friend of my mom's oned the home and it became our little home away from home several times a year. Even since Robert and I have been married we've gone down to Oak Island a couple times a year, but just a few months ago, my mom's dear friend passed away. The family has decided to do some other things with the house, so we've had to find a new vacation spot. Typically, Robert, the kids and I, along with my parents will head down to the beach together, so we started exploring different options of things we could do and places we could all stay together. In our brainstorming we all seemed to come up with a fabulous idea at about the same time. We done a little shopping around and actually purchased a C Class RV that needed a little TLC. My dad completely remodeled it and had it in tip top shape, then we decided maybe we needed something a little bigger, so we sold the RV, made a little profit and headed to a new RV dealership with thoughts of what we wanted. We found the perfect pull behind Camper that has a Bedroom with a queen bed, a full size sleeper sofa, a Queen conversion and two bunk beds. It has a great kitchen with stove and refrigerator and all the space we all need! Robert already had a Chevy Silverado 1500HD with electric brakes so there was no need to purchase a new vehicle to tow the camper. We're all excited and ready to get started on our adventures. We're planning a few trips for this summer. We hope to explore a few new areas and campgrounds. Our first trip is planned for PirateLand at Myrtle Beach near the end of June and I CAN. NOT. WAIT! We've reserved an ocean front lot with a shelter and picnic tables. We're considering storing the camper at PirateLand once we've made a few other trips. If we choose to do that, the staff of PirateLand will pull it onto our chosen spot and hook everything up for us whenever we want to go down. PirateLand is awesome and they have other rental properties if you don't own your own RV. The kids are going to love the paddle boats, putt-putt, playground, arcade, lazy river, pools and all that PirateLand has to offer. Heck, we're all gonna enjoy it:) Be on the lookout for pictures and stories from our many camping adventures this Summer!

The Secret of Indigo Moon

2011-04-25T13:16:00.001-04:00

From the Publisher

From best-selling author G.P. Taylor comes the highly anticipated second installment of The Dopple Ganger Chronicles, a series that combines art and traditional text to help "reluctant readers" discover the wonder of books.
Erik Morissey Ganger, famed explorer and detective (well, in his dreams), and his mischief-making sidekicks, twins Sadie and Saskia Dopple, didn’t go looking for a secret tunnel beneath the school. They never intended to make the acquaintance of a shifty private eye with a nose for trouble. It wasn’t part of the plan to come face to face with an old enemy, one with an agenda of his own that could destroy them all. And unraveling the "secret of indigo moon" was the farthest thing from their minds.
At Isambard Dunstan’s School for Wayward Children, these things just seem to happen.
In The Secret of Indigo Moon, confirmed troublemakers Erik, Sadie, and Saskia plunge headlong into a new and perilous mystery, one that challenges everything they thought they knew about their lives, themselves, and whom it’s safe to trust.

My Thoughts

Since this wasn't exactly my style of reading, I offered the chance to read and review this book to my 12 year old son. He looked the book over and was excited to get started on it. With school work, sports and friends to keep him occupied, it has taken him a couple of weeks to finish, but he really enjoyed the book! This book is the second installment in a series, but A decided to go ahead and read this one without reading the first one. He was able to pick up on the story without feeling completely lost. He really enjoyed the action, adventure and graphics to go along with the story. The book is definitely geared toward pre-teens and teenagers with some of the situations the characters find themselves in. A says at times he couldn't wait to get back to the story to see what trouble the kids had gotten into while on their mystery solving adventures. Overall, The Secret of Indigo Moon receives 4 stars from my son, the critic!

Tyndale House Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book for the purpose of this review.

This Little Prayer of Mine

2011-04-22T12:30:00.000-04:00

From the Publisher

I know you're up in heaven, God,
and can hear my voice from there.
I'm just a little child.
Will you answer my short prayer?

So begins this delightful book that affirms God's readiness to answer our prayers, no matter what our age.

With engaging rhymes and beautiful illustrations, This Little Prayer of Mine assures children that God is always near--watching, listening, caring, and eager to respond to their requests. They'll also learn that prayer isn't just about asking for things, but about sharing their feelings of sadness and uncertainty as well as of thanksgiving and joy.

Most importantly, This Little Prayer of Mine reminds children—and those who love them—that they can trust God to tenderly care for them, no matter what the future holds.

My Thoughts

This is a really sweet poetic book that's a great way to teach younger kids what praying is all about. The best time for our children to learn about having a healthy prayer life is when they are young. This Little Prayer of Mine tells them to talk to God about all kinds of things, not just to pray solely to ask God for things. The book encourages children to talk to God throughout their day, as if they're talking to a friend, to tell Him about their feelings and to thank Him for His goodness. God desires for us all to have that childlike faith, to wholly trust in Him to take care of us and to love us. This book is short enough that it makes a great bedtime book to read over and over again. The illustrations by Mark Elliot are fabulous. This Little Prayer of Mine is actually endorsed by the National Day of Prayer and I highly recommend that you add this sweet book to your child's library!

I received a free copy of this book from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

The International Baccalaureate Programme

2011-04-12T12:39:00.004-04:00

I recently attended an information session about The International Baccalaureate Programme. A few students are selected and invited to join the IB programme every year. The students must possess a strong work ethic and have higher than average test scores. I'm so excited that Alan has the honor of being one of the students from his school that was chosen to enter the IB Programme in the 9th grade. Alan is in the 7th grade, so he has one more year of middle school and must maintain his grades and continue to have high scores on the end of grade testing to remain a candidate for the IB Programme. Once he enters high school he will have a standard course of study for the 9th and 10th grade. In 11th grade he will begin taking IB courses. High School Graduates of the IB programme receive an IB Diploma, not just a regular High School Diploma. The advantages of graduating with an IB Diploma are too many to name, but you can click above to read how colleges and universities view applicants who hold an IB Diploma.
In Rockingham County where we live there is only 1 high school that has completed the requirements to offer the IB Programme. Unfortunately it is not Alan's home school. When he enters 11th grade he will have the option to transfer to the school that offers the IB courses or stay at his home school and have virtual classes with other IB students. The school that offers the IB Programme is Reidsville High School, the city school. Uggh. The main reason that I chose to live in the county and not in the city is for the county schools. I do not want my children attending the city schools for a number of reasons, but worry if Alan does not transfer he may not have the same advantages with virtual classes as the students who are actually in the classroom with the IB instructors. I voiced my concerns to the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction and to the Principal of RHS during the information session and was strongly urged to transfer Alan to RHS when the time comes, but also told that if we choose not to transfer that he will have all the same advantages that the IB students attending RHS have. In support of transferring I was told that Alan would only be in classes with other IB students. But he will still have contact with the other students at lunch and during class changes. It's really not that I think the students at RHS are such bad kids, but I don't have the confidence in RHS that I have in Rockingham County High School. Thankfully a decision does not have to be made today. We still have some time to think about it and see how well Alan does in the next couple of years before we decide to transfer or not. (You can click on the names of the schools to read some statistics about each school.)
Back when I was in school, we weren't offered IB classes, so I am just now familiarizing myself with the program. I would love your input if you know anything about it. I'd also love to hear your thoughts on the possibility of transferring schools in the junior year.

They're gonna name a room after us!

2011-04-06T10:25:00.003-04:00

I have been SO looking forward to Springtime. I despise cold weather, but that wasn't even the biggest reason I've been anticipating Spring and warmer temperatures. It's because of all the germs and sickness that I have longed for warmer weather and the chance to get outside. Had I only thought about it a little more, I would have realized that being outside brings the chance for skinned knees, bug bites and bee stings.
Saturday it was a reasonably warm day here in NC, although it was VERY windy. Even so, we took advantage of the sunshine and spent most of the day outside doing yard work and transplanting some of my favorite plants and flowers from our old yard. Since we were mowing the back yard and going in and out of the gates, we had Gunter's doggy door on the back porch closed off so he couldn't come outside and possibly run away. Once the work in the back was done, we opened the door so he could run free. The kids were out front playing basketball while Robert and I were outside the fenced part of the back yard down near the barn looking at some old cement pavers and discussing possible ways to use them, when we heard Joshua screaming. We both immediately ran toward the house, and found the kids all in the backyard with Gunter. Apparently Gunter was so excited to have the kids come play with him that he jumped on Joshua catching Joshua's ear with his claw, ripping it open. Joshua was crying and holding his ear. When I realized it was was as bad as it was and needed medical attention, I ran him over to my mom and dad's house so they could have a look, we stopped the bleeding and Robert and I headed to the ER. Thankfully, once at the ER we didn't have a very long wait, the doctor came in pretty quickly, examined Joshua and prepped his ear for stitches. The stitches and dermabond should begin to come out in a few days and hopefully Joshua's ear will heal up just fine. Thankfully the laceration wasn't deep enough to damage the cartilage.
I know I told you all about a little incident that Joshua had last September with an allergic reaction to an unknown allergen, but if you don't remember you can read about it right here. Since that incident, Joshua has an epi-pen that we carry with us everywhere he goes. I'm grateful that I've never had to use it, but on Monday I really thought I was going to have to. Monday Joshua and I left school and headed to pick up his older brothers, when we got home, my mom was outside with her poodle so Joshua headed right on over there. He went inside with my mom so the other boys and I headed in our house to get started on their homework. We'd only been inside a couple of minutes when my mom called to tell me to get over to her house right then! I took off over there and when I arrived saw that Joshua's upper arms, legs, belly and bottom were red and covered in welps. His face was really red and his lips were swollen. I immediately realized he was having another allergic reaction like last Summer. I got his epi-pen out of his bag, and got a little upset. I did NOT want to give it to him. If you know anything about epi-pens you know they are VERY painful to receive. I talked to mom and dad about it and told them that even if I give the shot, we still have to head to the ER. Joshua didn't appear to be having any trouble breathing yet so we just decided that I would drive him to the hospital myself and my mom would ride along and closely monitor him. If he began having any difficulty breathing or if he got any worse, my mom would administer the epi-pen to him. We arrived at the hospital, they took us right on back just as before and pumped Joshua full of antihistamines. Within just a few minutes he was doing better and the redness and welps were going away. After they monitored Joshua's condition for a little while they discharged him and let us go. The Doctor gave me firm instructions that if Joshua has a reaction like this again and has swelling of the mouth or any trouble breathing that I must administer the epi-pen and call 911 without hesitation. Again, we do not know what caused the allergic reaction. To our knowledge Joshua had not been bitten or stung by any insects, nor had he had any new foods. I called Joshua's pediatrician and have scheduled him an appointment to discuss allergy testing. As bad as I don't want him to go through the pain of allergy testing,(and it is painful. I had it done a few years ago) I think it's important for us to know what he is allergic to and what might be causing him to have such dangerous reactions.
I feel like we are keeping the ER in business. I asked Joshua on his second trip if he enjoyed coming to the hospital and he said "yep". I guess he does like all the attention, watching cartoons, stickers, teddy bears and juice cups! No matter how much he enjoys it, I don't and hope to not go back anytime soon!

Bad Girls of The Bible

2011-04-05T10:25:00.001-04:00

From the Publisher

Women everywhere marvel at those “good girls” in Scripture–Sarah, Mary, Esther–but on most days, that’s not who they see when they look in the mirror. Most women (if they’re honest) see the selfishness of Sapphira or the deception of Delilah. They catch a glimpse of Jezebel’s take-charge pride or Eve’s disastrous disobedience. Like Bathsheba, Herodias, and the rest, today’s modern woman is surrounded by temptations, exhausted by the demands of daily living, and burdened by her own desires.
So what’s a good girl to do? Learn from their lives, says beloved humor writer Liz Curtis Higgs, and by God’s grace, choose a better path. In Bad Girls of the Bible, Higgs offers a unique and clear-sighted approach to understanding those “other women” in Scripture, combining a contemporary retelling of their stories with a solid, verse-by-verse study of their mistakes and what lessons women today can learn from them. With her trademark humor and encouragement, Liz Curtis Higgs teaches us how to avoid their tragic mistakes and joyfully embrace grace.

My Thoughts

When I decided to review this book I started thinking about some of the women that I have read about in the Bible who I would call "Bad Girls". The first to come to mind was Eve. Eve tends to get a bad rap because humanity wants to blame all fo their sufferings on her. She was the first woman and she did disobey God, but in reality what did she do that's any different from the many sins we commit each and every day? I then thought about the woman at the well. The woman who told Jesus she didn't have a husband, but indeed had been married multiple times and was even living with a man she wasn't married to. Again, what is this woman doing that a lot of people in society aren't also doing? Liz Curtis Higgs takes a closer look at these two women and several more in this book. She gives us a little insight into what might have made these women choose the paths that led to destruction. She encourages us to look at our own lives and to see what we can learn from the mistakes that these ladies of the Bible made. We have all made decisions that we regret. We've all disobeyed God and not followed His will for our lives. We've all been a bad girl at one time or another. As Liz says you may have been Bad to the Bone, Bad for a Season, or Bad for a Moment. Either way there is hope for tomorrow. It is never too late to change, to make a difference in your life. You can choose today to turn your life over to God and to live for Him.

I received a free copy of this book from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Math Blasters Winner

2011-04-04T08:02:00.001-04:00

Last week I held a little contest for a 3 month membership to MathBlaster.com. It's a neat little place for kids to learn and practice their math skills. All that was necessary to be entered to win was to leave a comment on that post. Lucky for the commenters they had a 50/50 chance of winning because there were only 2 comments! Random.org assisted me in choosing the winner. Congratulations to..........

The Mommy from McMillan Miracles

I will be forwarding your info over to my contact at Math Blasters and you will receive an email with further instructions on activating your membership! Hope that lucky child in your life enjoys Math Blaster as much as Maxton does!!

Stolen Pictures?

2011-03-29T07:59:00.001-04:00

I've heard a lot of talk recently about people having their pictures copied and used on other sites. As much as we hate to admit it, there are bad people out there, so I felt the need to protect myself and my family by disabling the ability to copy the pictures that I post to my blog. I knew this could be done, but had no idea how to do it. I began doing some research and found a blog with super easy instructions for disabling right-click-copying. If you're interested in adding this feature to your blog just click right here!

Math Blaster

2011-03-28T07:34:00.001-04:00

I was recently contacted by Math Blaster to do a review for their online virtual world. Math Blaster was created by the same folks who created Jump Start. Here's a little background on their company.

For more than 15 years, Knowledge Adventure has set the standard in kids’ software by creating the finest educational products for use in the home and the classroom. In addition to www.JumpStart.com, we have launched our next browser-based virtual world at www.MathBlaster.com for kids ages 6-12. Kids can create avatars called Blasters for themselves as they become the newest cadets at Blaster Academy . After completing arcade-style math challenges and racing through high-speed missions, they become members of the Intergalactic Space Patrol and explore a futuristic world, voyage to strange new planets and discover wacky alien races, all while practicing their math skills.

I was so excited at the chance to review this awesome site. I just knew that it would be something that Maxton would enjoy. Not only is it fun, it's educational too. But that's our little secret:) Playing the game does require installation of their game player, but it is a safe download and I haven't experienced any problems at all. Younger kids will need parental supervision and help learning to navigate the site, including which keys to use on the computer. Once you launch the math game, there are so many places to explore. Math Blaster functions similarly to an arcade game. Kids get to create and name their very own avatar called a Blaster. Blasters can build their math skills by visiting the Academy and the Job Board, and there are other fun games in the Space Port as well. Maxton's favorite game is Alien Wrangler, which is kind of like a rodeo. The object of the game is to stay on the alien as long as possible, you do this by answering simple math questions as quickly as you can. You can choose from addition, subtraction, multiplication or division. B-Force Blaster is like a carnival ride where you shoot moving targets to accumulate as many points as you can. You can choose from a training session or even challenge other Blasters to a head to head competition. In Galaxy Grand Prix you can race other Blasters or even build your own race track! Hyper Blaster is a fast paced obstacle course. You have to avoid the obstacles and shoot to earn points. you must answer the math questions correctly to contunue and move to the next level. There are many more games to choose from, so until you learn your way around you can go to the Quick Launch to choose which game you want to play. Maxton and I have had a really great time playing and learning together. I can tell that Maxton's speed at answering math questions has improved since starting to play Math Blaster, so it really is a great tool to help build math skills. The only negative thing that I have to say about math Blaster is that it is a little slow to load and the game freezes up once in a while. The Math Blaster site was just launched in January so I'm hopeful that this will improve with more use and feedback from users.

When you're finished playing and learning on Math Blaster you can hop right on over to Jump Start via the shuttle. Jump Start is another browser based virual world for kids ages 3 - 10.

Don't just take my word for it. Go visit Math Blaster or Jump Start today to see for yourself. Leave a comment to this post and you will be entered for a chance to win a 3 month membership to Math Blaster! The winner will be randomly chosen on Friday April 1st! So enter once daily up until then!

Rules for entry:
You must be a follower of my blog. Leave a comment with your first and last name and your email address. You may enter once daily until Thursday March 31st. For an extra entry, you can tweet or facebook about this giveaway. For 3 extra entries blog about this giveaway on your own site and link back here! Remember to leave your email address in each comment!

Disclosure: I was provided with a membership good for Math Blaster and Knowledge Adventure at no cost by Knowledge Adventure in order to test the products’ abilities and give my own personal opinions on it. The opinions I have given are mine and may differ from others but were not influenced by the company or the free product provided.”younger kids. Maxton is in Kindergarten and is working on simple addition and subtraction.

Getting Real About Weight

2011-03-23T12:08:00.005-04:00

I am more than just a number. We all are. However, we often judge ourselves based on what the scale says. We base our self worth on if we fall somewhere near our ideal weight. I know this is true for me anyway! But, shouldn't we just want to be comfortable in our own skin? We should feel sexy about ourselves and realize that we ARE hot mamas!

Hey, who are we trying to impress anyway? I will never walk down a catwalk or be a swimsuit model, but my husband loves me even with all of my curves! So today I choose to embrace that!

Go HERE to read some awesomeness about Real Women who are choosing to get real about weight.

The Daughter's Walk

2011-03-21T11:39:00.004-04:00

From The Editor

A mother's tragedy, a daughter's desire and the 7000 mile journey that changed their lives.

In 1896 Norwegian American Helga Estby accepted a wager from the fashion industry to walk from Spokane, Washington to New York City within seven months in an effort to earn $10,000. Bringing along her nineteen year-old daughter Clara, the two made their way on the 3500-mile trek by following the railroad tracks and motivated by the money they needed to save the family farm. After returning home to the Estby farm more than a year later, Clara chose to walk on alone by leaving the family and changing her name. Her decisions initiated a more than 20-year separation from the only life she had known.

Historical fiction writer Jane Kirkpatrick picks up where the fact of the Estbys’ walk leaves off to explore Clara's continued journey. What motivated Clara to take such a risk in an era when many women struggled with the issues of rights and independence? And what personal revelations brought Clara to the end of her lonely road? The Daughter's Walk weaves personal history and fiction together to invite readers to consider their own journeys and family separations, to help determine what exile and forgiveness are truly about.

My Thoughts

Honestly, I did NOT enjoy this book. I really had to push myself to read some each day until I had finally finished it. I guess Historical Fiction is not for me, or at least this one in particular wasn't! Basically the book is about a mother and daughter who make the decision to leave their family and home to walk from Spokane, Washington to New York City for a chance to win $10,000 which would save their family farm. Clara, the daughter was uncertain about going, but went ahead with her mother. Through awful circumstances and many disagreements with her mother Clara learned a lot about herself on their journey. Remember that this story took place in 1896 when women had very few rights. When the pair had to return home without the prize money, they were shunned and looked down upon by their entire community. Helga, Clara's mother was forced to live in submission of her husband. Clara did not want this lifestyle for herself so she chose once again to leave home and family behind.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

CSN Stores REVIEW!

2011-03-14T10:40:00.007-04:00

Remember a few weeks ago when I told you that I had been contacted by CSN Stores about doing a review? Well if not then you can click right here to read that post. I finally decided on a product that I wanted to review, placed my order and within just a few short days it arrived on our doorstep!

I chose an address plaque because we didn't have one. The previous owners had stuck those sticky numbers up, but I wanted desperately to cover that up! I chose the Ridge Stone Rectangle Address Plaque. It was available in either Sandstone or Slate. I went with Sandstone because our vinyl siding is a buttery color. The address plaque comes with all the mounting hardware you need as well as 2 each of numbers 0 - 9 and glue to affix the numbers.

I was so excited to open it up and get started on putting it together. Once I was finished, it was up to my hunny to hang it for me. It did sit on his hunny-do-list for a couple of days, but right after breakfast Saturday morning he got to it! It was really simple to assemble (well, it can't really be called assembling. All I had to do was line the template up, pick out my address numbers and apply them to the plaque!) and really simple to hang. The total time I spent in assembly and my hubby spent in hanging was probably less than 20 minutes. The longest time was waiting for the adhesive to cure (24 - 48 hours) after affixing the numbers.

I love the address plaque and think it looks great!

If you are shopping for a new item for yourself, a gift for someone else, or something for the house, CSN Stores is the place to go. With over 250 stores to choose from, I'm sure you will find the perfect something for you!

I received a $25.00 gift code to use at CSN Stores in return for a review of the product based on my honest opinion. No other compensation was received!

Be Positive Mom!

2011-03-01T08:39:00.002-05:00

Are you a working mom? Do you work in the home, outside the home, or just work your hiney off taking care of your kids all day? Either way I have a great blog for you to check out. There you can find ideas and suggestions to make your life as a hard working parent a little easier. You can find encouragement just to help you get through another day at the office.

What is Be Positive Mom all about?

I'll use Steph's own words to answer that for you...

"Be Positive Mom was born out of a little nagging thought in this mom's mind about the power of positive thinking and being a working mom. Strange combination, right? Well, not really. When you add babies or kids to a career in motion, watch out for the craziness! But with a little imagination and a positive outlook, you can grab hold of that balancing act and pull out some fun from the day-to-day grind."

I was a featured guest over at Be Positive Mom. Steph features Moms from all walks of life over at her place monthly in her Mom Interviews. Go pay her a visit! Go ahead! Go right now and read my interview. Be sure to comment and let us know what you think!!

God Gave Us So Much

2011-02-28T10:49:00.002-05:00

From The Publisher:

Through the eyes of a curious little polar bear, young readers are invited into engaging journeys through the Arctic North Pole to explore some of their most tender-hearted and important questions.

Mama, Papa, and Grampa Bear, the ever-loving and wise guides for Little Cub’s adventures, share with her the incredible miracles of God’s creation and the depths of His love for her.

This limited edition treasury of the best-selling God Gave Us series includes three complete charming tales—one of which is brand new to the series. With heart and humor, the stories reveal the beauty of diversity throughout the world, the incredible gift of love, and the wonderment of our Heavenly home to come.

My Thoughts:

God Gave Us So Much by Lisa Tawn Bergren is a wonderful compilation of three stories by Bergren. Gave Us the World, God Gave Us Love, and God Gave Us Heaven are all written from the perspective of a polar bear cub, as she questions her Mama, Papa and Grampa Bear. The little polar bear asks questions much like my children do, questions that are hard to answer in a way that kids can understand. The pictures are illustrated by Laura Bryant, who does a fantastic job capturing the love between this polar bear family. This book was a little long to read all at bedtime, so we broke it up and read each story separately. The boys always love our story time together, but they seemed to especially enjoy this book. It seemed to really answer some tough questions that they had pondered before. If you have little ones, I HIGHLY recommend this book. It's definitely one that we will treasure for a long time.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review

Plain Wisdom

2011-02-21T13:55:00.001-05:00

From The Publisher:

Best-selling novelist Cindy Woodsmall might seem to have little in common with Miriam Flaud, a woman immersed in the culture of Old Order Amish. But with nine children and almost 60 years of marriage between them, Cindy and Miriam both have found the secrets to facing life with strength and grace. Whether enduring financial setbacks, celebrating new babies and times of prosperity, grieving the crushing losses in the deaths of family and friends, or facing disappointments with their respective communities—through it all they find guidance for each day by looking to God.

My Thoughts:

When I decided to review this book, I wasn't thrilled! I LOVE novels that are written about the Amish way of life, but I was afraid this may be more like a self help, or like a "documentary" for lack of a better word. Boy, was I wrong! This book is packed full of stories from the lives of author, Cindy Woodsmall and her Old Order Amish friend Miriam Flaud. Plain Wisdom teaches tolerance and acceptance of people, regardless of the differences we see on the outside. As the authors reminisce on treasured memories they share wonderful recipes and nuggets of wisdom to ponder. Even though their lifestyles are so very different these two ladies have come to care a great deal for one another. Their love is apparent in each chapter of this book.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review

Gray Matter

2011-02-21T13:22:00.001-05:00

From the Publisher

A perfect blend of medical drama and spiritual insight, Gray Matter is a fascinating account of Dr. David Levy’s decision to begin asking his patients if he could pray for them before surgery. Some are thrilled. Some are skeptical. Some are hostile, and some are quite literally transformed by the request.
Each chapter focuses on a specific case, opening with a detailed description of the patient’s diagnosis and the procedure that will need to be performed, followed by the prayer “request.” From there, readers get to look over Dr. Levy’s shoulder as he performs the operation, and then we wait—right alongside Dr. Levy, the patients, and their families—to see the final results.
Dr. Levy’s musings on what successful and unsuccessful surgical results imply about God, faith, and the power of prayer are honest and insightful. As we watch him come to his ultimate conclusion that no matter what the results of the procedure are, “God is good,” we cannot help but be truly moved and inspired.

My Thoughts

As David Levy wrote, I pray, "not because I lack confidence but because I am realistic about what I am able to do and confident about what God is able to do."

In Gray Matter, Dr. Levy takes us on a spiritual journey to discover the power of prayer. The book itself is his own testimony to the awesome acts of our Great God! Within the covers of the book we meet real people facing real medical crisis'. We meet people often at their lowest points and witness first hand the miraculous healing power of our Heavenly Father. The description and explanations of real illnesses and medical procedures is captivating, but not so full of medical terminology that a layperson like myself can't understand. Dr. Levy talks openly about his own fears and reservations as he begins to offer praying with his patients. Throughout the book we learn the outcome of the treatments and procedures that these patients have been through. Just like in real life, God doesn't always answer our prayers the way that we think He should. But we come to see that God's timing is always perfect, and His plans are so much better than our own. We realize that when facing a health crisis that it doesn't matter if God chooses to heal us here, on earth, or if he chooses to heal us when we get to Heaven. Either way, we win! It's wonderful to read this book in Dr. Levy's own words, and to see that even a great physician still has respect for and gives honor to THE Great Physician!

Tyndale House Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book for review. This review is completely my own opinion.

ZERO

2011-02-14T14:59:00.003-05:00

Well as you can see up there, the numbers on the scales refused to budge again this week. I lost ZERO pounds! I just don't understand why Weight Watchers doesn't seem to be working for my body. I know I have a low metabolism, but geezlouise enough is enough! I've spoken to my WW leader several times about why I'm not seeing the results that everyone in my family is seeing, and we're all just at a loss as to why it's not working for me. My mom has lost 12 pounds, my dad has lost 32 pounds, Robert has lost 20 pounds and even Alan has lost 9 pounds, since starting WW. I'm upset to say the least. I'm NOT quitting, but I am gonna try something different this week. I guess I will find out Thursday if I've been successful this week! Wish me luck:)

CSN Stores

2011-02-11T10:43:00.002-05:00

Recently I was contacted by CSN Stores about doing a review or giveaway to promote their site. A few of my friends and fellow bloggers have participated with CSN in the past so I was more than excited to be a part of their blogging network. CSN has so many items to choose from. They have over 200 online stores where you can find anything you need, whether it be swingsets, fitness equipment, clothing, outdoor furniture, or even cute cookware!’ Very soon I will be doing a review of one of CSN's great products. I'm looking forward to sharing my experience with all of you, so stay tuned for more on CSN!

The Bridge of Peace

2011-02-10T09:48:00.002-05:00

From the Publisher

Lena Kauffman is a young Old Order Amish schoolteacher who has dealt all her life with attention raised by a noticeable birthmark on her cheek. Having learned to move past the stares and whispers, Lena channels her zest for living into her love of teaching. But tensions mount as she is challenged to work with a rebellious young man and deal with several crises at the schoolhouse that threaten her other students. Her lack of submission and use of ideas that don’t line up with the Old Ways strengthen the school board’s case as they begin to believe that Lena is behind all the trouble.

My Thoughts

I found out after I had requested this book that it was #2 in The Ada House Series by Cindy Woodsmall, so I immediately went to the library to try to find #1. I didn't want to come in on this book and feel like I was missing out on something... I fell in love with stories about the Amish way of life when I read a series of books that my mom recommended a year or so ago. This book did not disappoint me. It was one that once I started reading, I absolutely did not want to put down. The story just left me wanting more and more! As I said this is book #2 of a 3 book series, but it could also be read as a stand alone book. Reading book #1 gave me a little insight into the community and helped me get to know some of the characters that are in this story. The main character of the book, Lena is a kind hearted prankster who wants to find love more than anything in the world. She faces many obstacles even in her ordinary Amish way of life. As the story unfolded I found myself pulling for Lena to rise above all that she faced. I cried and laughed along with her in some of the toughest times of her life. I highly recommend this book as well as the series. Book #3 is to be released this Fall and I am anxiously awaiting it!!

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review

God Loves Me More Than That

2011-02-02T15:32:00.001-05:00

Editorial Reviews

How much love does God have for me?
More than the letters between A and Z.
More than the bumbles in a bumble bee.
God loves me more than that!

As your child revels in each lively rhyme and engaging illustration from this delightful picture book, they’ll learn that God loves them deeper than a wishing well, wider than a semi-truck, louder than thunder, and softer than a kitten’s sneeze.

Each question, presented with charming child-like faith will help your child grasp the great love of God through comparisons and descriptions they can easily understand. In short, they’ll discover that His love is bigger, wider, higher, and deeper than anything they could imagine!

My Thoughts

God Loves Me More Than That is such a sweet book. It paints a picture of God's Love in a way that even the youngest children can easily understand. My boys loved for me read this story to them as we snuggled close to bedtime. God Loves Me More Than That has become one of their favorite books. The illustrations by David Hohn are terrific. The bright colors along with the easy to memorize rhymes just draw children in to this book. Children will feel like they are on an adventure to discover how much God truly loves them. This book will make a perfect addition to your bedtime storytelling ritual.

"I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review"

Sick and Tired

2011-02-02T08:22:00.003-05:00

That definitely describes my attitude today! I am sick and tired of all this sickness that is wreaking havoc on the inhabitants of my household. All three of my children have been sick with one thing or another for what seems like an eternity. First my little Joshua was extremely sick last weekend and early last week. I finally got him in to see the doctor last Monday afternoon, where they tested him for the flu. My poor baby tested positive for Flu A and Flu B which is pretty rare according to Joshua's pediatrician. He was really dehydrated and also diagnosed with pharyngitis. On Tuesday we headed back to the Doctor's office with the older two. A had been battling a cold and cough for a few days so I wanted to have him tested for the flu too. Thankfully he was negative, just some viral cold that needed to run it's course. M has had bacterial conjuctivitis five times since right before Christmas. We just can't seem to kick it. The doctor said it is probably something environmental that he is having an allergic reaction to, which in turn causes the conjuctivitis. The bad thing about conjuctivitis is that the school doesn't care whether it is bacerial or viral, students are excluded either way. I've laundered his bedding, and disinfected all of his toys so many times that I have lost count. On to this week, M decided to start off Sunday with a real croupy sounding cough and by Monday morning he was full blown sick, running a fever of nearly 103 degrees. M and I were quickly on our way to visit the pediatrician once again. M was also diagnosed with flu A, given Tamiflu and Tylenol with Codeine for the cough. I was hopeful that maybe we would finally be on the road to recovery, but that was not in the cards. Yesterday afternoon Joshua came down with a stomach virus and hasn't been able to keep anyting down since about 2:00 pm. The kid threw up in my car 4 times on the way home from daycare! I have cleaned and disinfected until my hands are rough and chapped from the clorox and I've washed 4 loads of laundry. Joshua and I stayed in the den all night but neither of us got much sleep. To top all of this off, I now feel like I am coming down with either a head cold or sinus infection!
I'm not used to dealing with all of this sickness. This is the sickest that any of my boys have ever been. Thankfully they all seem to have pretty good immune systems and rarely catch anything, until now. I'm past ready for it all to be over, Spring to come and all of these germies to go AWAY!

You Are More

2011-02-01T11:20:00.001-05:00

The Goodness Of God

2011-01-25T14:04:00.001-05:00

Here's some of what the publisher had to say:

For those times when we’re wounded by broken trust, assaulted by disease, or victimized by evil—or when we’re crushed to see such things happen to people we love—Randy Alcorn offers something solid to hold onto.

In this specially focused condensation of Alcorn’s If God Is Good…: Faith in the Midst of Suffering and Evil, we’re continually guided into a deeper glimpse of God’s loving ways and higher purposes—the very things we’re often most blinded to whenever we battle pain and anguish.

My thoughts:

I actually ended up enjoying this book. It is certainly not my style or something I would typically choose to read. I am, however, working to have a closer walk with my Heavenly Father and this book helped to open my eyes to see how good and merciful our God truly is. Even in times of pain and suffering He is there to carry us through. God never promised that our walk with Him would be easy, just that He would be there with us every step of the way. Often when we are struggling we try every way we know to make things right, when what we should do is turn everything over to God.
I'm a pretty fast reader, so I was finished with this book in just a couple of days. It's only 11 chapters, and even though there were a few times when I disagreed with the author's theology, I understood the points that he was trying to make. This would be a wonderful read for someone who is suffering through loss, whether it be loss of a job, health, a beloved family member or finances.

“I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review”.

LIFE

2011-01-24T08:00:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was National Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. I have very strong convictions where abortion is concerned. I just don't understand how anyone can believe that it's okay to kill our unborn children. CHILDREN! Not just sacks of cells. Don't call a living human baby a fetus to justify murder and to make it all seem okay. Sure it sounds better to say "removal of the fetus", instead of "killing your baby", but both statements mean the same thing! What has happened to cause abortion to become common practice in America? Around the world? I recently read a news article that literally made me sick to my stomach.
Abortion has become a quick fix, an out for people to let themselves be totally irresponsible. Have you seen what aborted babies look like? Have you read about the process of abortion? If you've never seen or read, then you should. Go HERE to educate yourself. I don't see how we as Christian people can just sit idly by while thousands of our future citizens are murdered each and every day. There is a wonderful way to raise awareness for abortion and the effects it has on the women who turn to this as their only option. 40 Days for Life is a focused pro-life campaign with a vision to access God’s power through prayer, fasting, and peaceful vigil to end abortion in America. Go visit 40 Days For Life and sign up for emails and alerts about vigils happening in your area. Let's all step up and do our part to end the murders of innocent children. We may not be the ones called to go into the field, to work with those women who are considering abortion, but we can all pray. We can pray for the women who are frightened, who think they have no other choices. We can pray for the doctors, nurses and staff of the facilities that perform these awful acts. We can pray for those who boldly choose to go and be involved in prayer vigils and pro-life actions around the country. Wherever you are or whatever you're doing, you can pray to end abortion.

Yawn.

2011-01-20T08:38:00.001-05:00

Excuse me. I can't seem to stop this yawning. I'm so tired. I thought I might be the only one fighting sleep deprivation, but imagine my delight when I came across this. For about 2 and a half months I haven't been sleeping well at night. Thankfully there are others out there like me. I find comfort in knowing that other parents fight the same battles that I do. I am not alone.
Almost every night somewhere between midnight and 2am, a little 3 year old monster plops himself right in the middle of my husband and myself. He goes to bed fine and normally falls fast asleep, but during the darkest, quitest part of the night, here comes Joshua. I am awakened from my dreams by elbows and knees jabbing, climbing over me to find his cozy spot smack dab between mommy and daddy. I love the kid to pieces, but this is really getting old. I have bribed him with candy to try to get him to stay in his bed. I've threatened him with punishments if he doesn't stay in his bed, I've even carried through with said punishment. I've tried talking to him to figure out what is causing him to wake up. I'm wondering if it has something to do with being in a different room, since it started just shortly after we moved into our new house. You may say, "It can't be that bad". But trust me it is. The little booger doesn't sleep peacefully. It's as if he is raging a battle with some unknown force. He kicks. He punches. He head butts. All in my direction. I have even woken up with a bruise on my forehead from him kicking me square between the eyes. He doesn't even sleep like normal people do, lengthwise in the bed, he likes to sleep lying across the bed. Robert and I are left with 2" of space to fit our bodies, we are holding on to the edge trying not to fall out of our own bed. Robert normally gets the head and I get...the feet. It just isn't fair. He invades our space and takes over our bed.

Sure he looks all snug-as-a-bug-in-a-rug lying there...but there's a monster hiding inside that little body. It's times like these that I have to remind myself that my babies will only be little once and I need to just enjoy being able to cuddle up with them, even if it does hurt. a little.

Six Degrees of Blogging

2011-01-19T07:24:00.000-05:00

Six degrees of blogging was started by Julia @ Work, Wife, Mom...Life. This is a neat way to meet fellow bloggers, who we otherwise might never find, so I thought I would join in the fun. Want to play along?

Here's the rules:
*Start on your own blog
*Click on a link to another blog. On that blog, click a link to another blog, that leads to another and another til you get to 6 clicks.
*Once you arrive on your "six degrees" blog, leave a comment saying "Hey! I found you through six degrees of blogging. Your are featured on my blog! (Leave your blog URL so they can find you.)
*THEN, on your own blog, write a super quick post that includes the Six Degrees Button and a quick blurb saying who you found and something nice about them and/or their blog.
*Encourage your readers to stop by their blog as well and leave some comment love!

Who did I find through "Six Degrees of Blogging"?

Meet Natalie and J.T. from 5 Million Minus 1. J.T. and Natalie recently adopted a little boy from Ethiopia after a long struggle with infertility. Go read their story and meet their handsome son Tedi. Leave them some comment love and be sure to tell them I sent you!

Recipes, anyone?

2011-01-18T10:34:00.003-05:00

I love to cook. I really enjoy trying out new recipes. Since being on Weight Watchers I have been scouring the internet looking for recipes that have the PointsPlus already calculated for me. It's a real hassle to try and prepare our normal dinners and calculate each and every ingredient. I've found a few good sites like this one, and this one was recommended by a friend. Are you doing, or have you done Weight Watchers? Do you have any tried and true recipes that you just love? Would you please share them with me?

I have one recipe that I tried. It was pretty awesome! I say was, because it's all gone. My family of 5 all had some and we shared it with my mom & dad who are also doing WW, then Robert and I had a little more last night after the kiddos were in bed. Yummmm. Here ya go, easiest recipe ever...Take One Boxed Cake Mix, any flavor and add 12 oz. of any flavor Diet Soda. That's all! Mix really well and put into baking pan sprayed with Pam. Bake @ 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. I used chocolate cake mix and Diet Dr. Pepper, but I'm looking forward to trying a Carrot Cake Mix with Diet Orange Soda and a Lemon Cake Mix with Diet Mt. Dew very soon. The possibilities of different combinations and flavors are endless. The PP for 1/12 of this cake is only 4 points, and 1/12 is a pretty good size portion! If you try it let me know what you think!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-22T14:37:00.001-05:00

Wow! I just love this card that I designed on Shutterfly. I finally decided on this one after looking through their huge assortment of Christmas Cards. I am so impressed with the quality of the cards and am very proud to be sending these cards to my friends and family this year. I may be a little late sending out my cards this year, but Shutterfly ships really fast! I placed my order for my cards Wednesday afternoon about 4 o'clock and when I got home from work Friday they had been delivered!

Thank You Shutterfly for the opportunity to tell my readers about your great product and to receive 50 wonderful cards for myself!

Joshua Update

2010-12-20T08:46:00.002-05:00

It has been quite a while since I posted an update about Joshua so I thought I would let you all know how he is doing.

Joshua had a pretty extensive check up with his Urologist in November. Things are looking good for my little guy. His left kidney has always been the largest, most inflated, holding the most fluid. About a year and a half ago Joshua went through an operation called Left Pyeloplasty to remove a blockage and a section of ureter that was terribly kinked. It seems as if it has taken forever to see some real improvement from the surgery, but I believe we finally have. Joshua's scans that were done in November showed that both kidneys are nearly the same size now and both have deflated some. We're all very hopeful that Joshua's bilateral hydronephrosis may finally be starting to improve!

Joshua still seems pretty unaware of his condition. He rarely complains of pain and seems to be a healthy child. He has great urinary control and has been potty trained since before turning two. Joshua is nearly as active as his peers, however he does tire a little more quickly, especially in the heat of the Summer months, but overall he is doing really great!

October & November

2010-12-14T11:13:00.003-05:00

October - October turned out to be a very busy month for us.
We have lived in a home located behind my parents' for almost 12 years. It was wonderful, 3 bedrooms, but just one bathroom and one common living area. It was becoming a little cramped with three growing boys, so Robert and I had been looking around, but not ready to commit to purchasing anything. Then the house next door to my parents' became available. The lady who lived there lost her husband about 5 years ago, her health was declining, so she moved to South Carolina to be closer to family there. Robert and I, along with the boys and my parents, had a look around the property, prayed, prayed and prayed some more, then Robert and I made an offer on the property, when she immediately accepted the offer, we knew it was meant to be! We officially closed on the property in the middle of October and began cleaning, packing and moving. At least we didn't have far to go! Our first night in our new house was October 28th. We've finally gotten settled in and it's beginning to feel like home. We have so much more room. I'm not gonna say anymore right now, because I think the new house deserves a post all it's own in the near future:)

Joshua and I both celebrated birthdays in October. Joshua turned 3! I can't believe he's three years old already! As you can see in the upcoming pictures, Joshua helped me decorate his birthday cake:)

Halloween is normally one of my favorite Holidays, but with the moving and everything we had going on, I didn't make a big deal out of it this year. Of course we did take the boys trick-or-treating and to a Corn Maze, on a couple of hayrides and to some bonfires, but I did very little decorating! I missed it, I guess I will have to go overboard next year to make up for it. I have always let the boys dress up as whatever character they choose, scary or funny. In all our years of trick-or-treating we've had zombies, tigers, dogs, vampires, TMNT, Superman, Batman, Pumpkins, Winnie The Pooh, Hulk, a werewolf, and I'm sure a few others too. I think giving kids control over small decisions like what to dress up as for Halloween helps build their self esteem and encourages them to use their imagination. I know there are lots of different opinions on the issue of how or even to celebrate Halloween, but I think it's just another occassion for us to dress up, have some fun and eat candy! This year, as always my boys chose their own costumes. Alan even put his together all on his own. They were so cute!

November - In November we were still trying to get used to our new surroundings and finally starting to feel like we were home. My parents both celebrated birthdays and so did my sweet middle son Maxton. He turned the big 6! I tried really hard to make his day as well as Joshua's day very special for each of them. We made a cake on Joshua's birthday and cupcakes on Maxton's birthday. Maxton had a party at school and one at church with his Missions class.

We celebrated Thanksgiving by having Lunch at my parents house with my sister and her family. We always celebrate the Holidays with my family and it's sure to be a good time! I avoided the Black Friday sales this year. I've done pretty good through the year and am finished with all of my shopping. There was nothing on sale this year that I needed bad enough to get up at 2am! Robert and I did go out a little later and do a little grocery shopping and pick up a few new decorations so I could get started with my Christmas decorating. It has become a tradition for me to put up my Christmas Tree on the Friday after Thanksgiving and I wanted to do a few different and new things this year. I changed up most of my ornaments, of course I still have the special and handmade ones but my primary colors are different this year. Next year I hope to get a new and bigger tree since I have more room for it than we did before. I haven't really taken a picture of the tree itself, but I do have a few with the boys around it, so at least you can see part of it. Maybe I will get around to taking one of just the tree before Christmas is over!

and just for your viewing pleasure, I can't resist posting this picture of my sweet boys acting really silly!

Well, finally we are up to date on all the happenings around here for the last few months. Thanks for following along and for caring about me and my family:)

Christmas Cards

2010-12-09T10:28:00.003-05:00

I just love going to get the mail during the Holidays. There is something so great about receiving Christmas cards from family and friends. I especially love to open the envelope to see a Picture card. It's a great way to see how people have changed and families have grown.
I sent picture cards for the very first time last year. We had our Christmas portraits done at a well known photography studio and paid an arm and a leg for just a handful of Christmas cards. The quality was ok but not great. If you are like me, when you spend your hard money for something, you want the product to be great, not just good.
I received my very first Chrismas card of 2010 on Saturday. The card was from my very best childhood friend Tara, and she ordered her cards from Shutterfly. Until Tara wrote a post introducing Shutterfly to her blog readers, I had never heard of them, much less ordered any photo cards from them. I was so impressed by the quality of Tara's Christmas card that I decided I MUST have some for myself. Imagine my delight when I learned (also through my friend Tara), that bloggers can receive 50 free Holiday Cards from Shutterfly just by following a few simple steps. I paid a visit to Shutterfly and looked through their huge assortment of photo cards and narrowed my choice down to just a few that I would like to use for this year. I've already made my decision but let me know what you think of their cards.

Beautiful, huh!?

I can't wait to receive my cards, address my envelopes and send these cards out to my 50 closest friends and family members! I had a hard time deciding on pictures to use, but I really think I'm going to love the finished product! I will unveil my choice here once they have been mailed and received!

September

2010-12-08T13:10:00.001-05:00

I think I'm really catching my blog up more for myself than for anyone else, so that I can remember some of the highlights of the last few months. But if there actually is someone else reading along too, and you'd like to see what went down around here in July and August just click right here.

September - Thankfully things settled down for the most part in September. The kids were adjusting to school, we were all adjusting to the new routine of getting kids dropped off and picked up from school. Really the only excitement in September was Joshua's severe allergic reaction to an unknown allergen! Of course, when we do it, we do it big!
One sunny afternoon, I went and got Joshua from his class, we left and were on our way to pick up the older boys from their schools. I needed to stop and get gas and run by the bank, but I didn't have time before Maxton was released from school, so I decided to pick both boys up and head back to town. We live out in the country, about 20 minutes from town. So Joshua and I parked and waited to be able to pick up Maxton, then headed over to the middle school to get Alan. We then headed to the gas station and back toward the bank. As I was sitting at a stop light about to turn into the bank, Maxton said "mommy, something is wrong with Joshua!" I instructed Alan to look and see what was going on. Joshua's seat is behind the driver's seat so I couldn't see him. Alan told me that indeed something was wrong. I made my turn, and pulled over where I could see Joshua and I knew immediately he was in trouble. He was red, covered in whelps and swollen. I rushed straight to the ER, which because we had come back to town this day,(God works in mysterious ways:))) was only about 5 minutes away. We hurried into the ER and when the desk nurse saw Joshua she quickly took us on back. Joshua was showing signs of anaphylactic shock. His tongue and throat were swollen and if we had not gotten to the hospital when we did he could have very easily died. The reaction happened so quickly, it's unreal how Joshua seemed fine one minute and then all of a sudden this was happening. The nurses hooked Joshua up to an IV and injected him with an epi pen and within a few minutes he was coming around and beginning to act like his normal self. A few hours later all of the swelling, whelps and redness had disappeared. To this day we still do not know the cause of the allergic reaction. The doctors searched Joshua for any signs of a bug bite or sting and didn't find anything. He had not had any new or different foods that day, so we now carry an epi pen with us everywhere we go! This first picture was taken about an hour after we arrived at the ER. You can still see how swollen even his legs were! The last one was when he was feeling a little more like himself!

Alan also celebrated his 12th Birthday in September. I really can not believe he is 12 years old already. Those of you with small children, don't blink! Those babies really do grow up in the blink of an eye! I try to remember that every time one of my boys is driving me crazy:) And yes, that's my mom holding Joshua's mouth so he doesn't try to blow out Alan's candles!!

And if you're still with me, October and November will be following very soon!

n

Hello Again!

2010-12-07T10:34:00.007-05:00

Wow! I haven't posted since June!

So much has happened in the last few months, so I think I'll just try to recap by the month for those of you who are interested, if there are any of you left out there:)

July - We had a nice little family beach trip to Oak Island. We always
go to Oak Island. Since before I can remember that is where my family has vacationed at least once a year. It was a great little get away with time to relax and really no place to go except for the beautiful ocean!

Also in July, Alan was away at his very first week long Summer Camp. The campers had taken a trip to go hiking in the mountains of N.C. and my son rolled his ankle halfway through the hike. Poor fella had to walk about another mile back down the mountain. Later that evening the camp director called and let us know that Alan had hurt his foot and it was very swollen. I immediately went to the campground to take a look for myself. It was obvious that it was at least sprained so I took Alan on to the ER and indeed his foot was broken. He wore a cast for about 6 weeks, which caused him to miss playing football this year. Thankfully though, he was able to get the cast off two days before school started.

August - August was definitely an eventful month, not one to soon be forgotten. August held lots of tears for me and my family. My wonderful grandmother passed away on the 21st. Growing up, we lived next door to my Grandparents and then when my grandparents became elderly they moved in with my parents, so I have always been very close to my Grandma. Back in June Grandma became very disoriented, was taken to the hospital, diagnosed with dementia and moved to a nursing facility. Things just went all downhill from there. Near the end, my mom, dad, myself and lots of other family set up camp around Grandma's bedside. She passed surrounded by those whom she loved and those who loved her the most.

August also held some happy tears. My middle son, Maxton started Kindergarten. It was so very hard on me to let him go off to kindergarten without me. Those of you who have followed along for a while, know that I am a daycare director, so Maxton and Joshua have always come to school with me, and been available to me to check in on throughout the day. Those first few weeks were a little difficult for both Maxton and myself. Two report cards later, Maxton is doing wonderfully. It really amazes me how quickly they learn new things. Maxton is able to read complete sentences and has made lots of new friends. Maxton also decided that he would start football this year, so in August he began practice for flag football. It's been an adventure for sure. He really enjoyed it and is excited to move up to tackle 1 next year!

I don't want to bore you to death so I think I will save September - November for another post! And I want you to know that even though I haven't been blogging myself, I have been stopping in to visit you guys and even leaving comments once in a while:) Thanks for coming over to visit and for all the emails and facebook messages to check in on me! You guys are just great!

Disney World Vacation

2010-06-29T08:30:00.002-04:00

Vacationing at Disney World with three kids....does it get any better?

Seriously. could it get any better?

I think not!

We really had a blast!

We left home at about 3am on Saturday June 12th headed for Orlando, Florida. We were packed into my dad's Flex like a buncha Mexicans going to Winn Dixie! Most of our luggage was on the hitch haul, with a few bags for necessities in the very back. Robert, Maxton and I sat in the middle row, which sits just as comfortably as the front seat. Joshua and Alan ocuppied the rear row, while Mom & Dad were in the front. My plan was for the kids to stay asleep until 6 or 7, but that didn't work. They were much too excited to even think about sleeping. We listened to music, played the punch bug game, watched movies and finally napped to pass the 12 hour drive. We only stopped a couple of times for bathroom breaks and food. Of course we had to stop at the popular Florida welcome center for samples of Orange Juice!

We pulled in the drive of our rental house around 2:40PM. The house was just as nice in person as it looked online. We had 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, a gameroom, kitchen, dining/family room and private pool.

We were pooped, but we needed to unpack the car so that we could head out for a few groceries. I just thought our Walmart was crowded. Oh My Goodness, Walmart in Orlando is Terrible, with a capital T! We drove around a little just to see what we could find close by, we got some dinner and groceries and headed back to the house.

Sunday morning we got up early, had some breakfast and were off to Magic Kingdom. We parked and walked to the tram station for a quick ride up to the park entrance.

We spent Monday at Epcot, Tuesday was a day off to swim and just hang out at the house, Wednesday we visited Animal Kingdom, We spent Thursday at Hollywood Studios and Friday was a day to explore and shop:)

The quality of my pictures isn't the best because I chose to not take my regular camera with me, I just didn't want to have to keep up with it while walking around and getting on and off rides. I hate that I don't have some really good pics, but I don't regret my decision. We made some really great memories as a family and that's better than any pic I could have ever taken:)

It was super HOTT, but what else should we have expected in Florida. In June. I have been to Disney in June before and it was just as hot as I remembered it being the first time! There were tons of people at Disney, lines for the popular rides were really long, thank goodness for Fast Passes! Joshua is still talking about seeing the real Buzz Lightyear and Woody! We even got the boys' picture with Buzz!

Alan, Maxton, My Mom and I rode Tower of Terror. It was Pure Terror. I felt like I should ride it since I was at Disney World. Now I can say I've ridden it, but I will NEVER ride it again! They should rename it Hell! I can ride roller coasters all day long, turn me upside down all you want, but those sudden drops scare the heck outta me! I expected 2 drops, but we had 4. I was almost to the point of anxiety attack when they finally let me off that thing!

This was definitely a Vacation full of excitement. We made lots of fun memories together and we all had a wonderful time and look forward to going back in a couple of years, maybe when Joshua is a little taller:) Thank goodness Maxton is tall for his age. He's 48.5" so he was able to ride everything that he wanted to, the only downside to taking a toddler to Disney is the height requirement on some of the attractons.

Next up? We are headed to Oak Island in a couple of days! The two older boys are already there with my parents so Robert, Joshua and myself will be joining them shortly!

We are having the best Summer ever!!!

Joshua...a home movie

2010-06-28T08:00:00.001-04:00

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Catching Up

2010-05-14T12:36:00.001-04:00

Well, it has been a month since I last posted, so I thought I'd take just a few minutes and play catch up. Even though I haven't been regularly posting, I have been reading most of my favorite blogs.

Life has really been keeping me busy, busy with work and the necessities but also busy with outside fun and family time. This has been such a beautiful Spring. We've had lots of near 90 degree days, the kids and I love every minute of it. Most days I work until 2:30, come home and stay outside until I absolutely have to come in to prepare dinner, then it's bath time and bed time for the kids. Robert and I have a few minutes to spend together then we head off to bed and start it all over again the next day. Work is hectic, always is I guess, but I still consider myself very blessed to have such a great job.

I'm lookikng forward to this weekend. I have no real plans, other than sleeping late, any day that I get to sleep later than the 4 o'clock hour is late by my standards. We've also purchased a couple of DVD's that we need to watch, so maybe we will have a movie/snack night with the boys.

My Sister Graduated from Guilford College last week. I am really proud of her. She has worked so hard. Going to college is a hard thing right out of high school, but even harder as an adult student. I shed tears of joy as my sister was handed her degree. She earned a Bachelor's of Science in Business Management with a minor in Forensic Biology. She's already accepted a really great job offer in the Raleigh area.

I visited with my Grandma last weekend for Mother's Day. She moved into an assisted living facility a few months ago. She's about an hour away now, so I don't get to visit her as often as I like, but she is doing really well. Grandma is 88 years old, but on her good days she could work circles around me!

My parents are remodeling their house since Grandma has moved out of the in-law apartment. I've been so involved with their design choices, I feel like it's my own house. I'm excited for it all to be completed, maybe I will even post some pictures of the finished product. The Granite is supposed to be installed in the kitchen today. Yayy!

We've been busy planning a vacation to Disney World. We leave in about 4 weeks. We'll be driving the 12 hours to Florida. We have rented a house with a private pool in a really nice gated community, about 15 minutes from Disney. We purchased our tickets online and we received them last week. We plan to leave at about 3am so hopefully the boys will sleep for the first half of the drive. I've got my fingers crossed. It's going to be a great summer! We will be spending the 4th of July at Oak Island, so be prepared for lots of pictures after our Vacations! It's hard to believe that Summer is actually almost here!

Maxton had Kindergarten registration a couple of weeks ago, and had his kindergarten physical last week. I can't believe my baby is getting ready to start kindergarten, ti's really bittersweet. I'm excited for him to begin a new chapter of his life, to make new friends and to continue learning and growing, but I sure am going to miss having him with me everyday. Maxton is excited but a little anxious about it all still.

I'm back on a diet, Last year around this time I had lost close to 30 pounds, but then Johsua had his surgery and hospitalization and I was stressed to the max and didn't eat right. I never got back on track after that and by Christmas I had gained it all back plus a couple to go with what I'd lost. I have yo-yo'd around since the first of the year, but finally have my willpower back and have lost 8 punds in the last 3 weeks. Not much, but I guess slow and steady wins the race. I have struggled with my weight my entire life, there's never been a time that I haven't been overweight, so this is a hard issue for me to tackle. I love The Biggest Loser and would love to be a contestant on that show, if only I could devote 8-10 hours a day to working out while at home! I spend lots of time outdoors and am active with the kids, but I guess that's not quite the same as actually working out. I really need to get into a good routine for myself.

Whew...ok what a long post, I'm done now. As MckMama would say, Are your retinas bleeding yet?

Easter...Better Late than Never

2010-04-14T08:23:00.001-04:00

Here's just a few pictures I took during our Easter weekend. We had an egg hunt at church on Saturday, the kids all hunted at the same time, the older and younger kids hunted in different areas though, so Robert went with Maxton as I was with Joshua, so I don't have any pictures of Maxton hunting. He racked up though, he found the Prize egg as well as two money eggs! Joshua didn't do so bad himself. He got 28 eggs and a couple of money eggs! Once Joshua had filled his basket up he was more interested in playing on the playset.

On Easter morning the little boys were excited to see what the Easter Bunny had brought them. Alan had spent the night with my mom and dad and had actually already gotten part of his Easter gift so that's why there are no pics of him! Joshua got a sock monkey, several balls, since those are his new favorite toys, matching cards, bubbles and lots of candy. Maxton got a power ranger with a motorcycle, a Bakugan book, Go Fish cards, bubbles and more yummy candy. Alan chose a PS2 game and a couple of books, so I filled his basket with a few gag gifts and sweets. They all had a few knick knack toys thrown in their baskets too.

Music Monday

2010-04-12T08:33:00.001-04:00

My favorite song of the week...

For more Music Monday fun, go visit Tara at Keeping Up With The Kellys.

Joshua got a haircut

2010-04-09T12:05:00.001-04:00

by me, of course. But a big deal still. I had been holding onto my baby for as long as possible, but finally, spur of the moment, after cutting Maxton's, I decided it was time, and I love it.

I think he looks like such a little man.

Of swallowing coins...

2010-04-08T10:02:00.001-04:00

Yes I said swallowing coins.

Let me give you the whole story.

Thursday evening Joshua was sitting on the end of my recliner playing with some of Maxton's play coins. Now these are not small coins, they are about the size of a silver dollar, and Joshua never puts toys in his mouth so I figured it was safe for him to be playing with them. I guess I was wrong. I was sitting there, minding my own business, reading an Easter devotional when Joshua started gagging. I immediately checked on him and asked him if he was okay. He replied with "I swallowed my coin". No Way! There was no way he could've swallowed one of those coins right? I mean they are huge. I even put one in my mouth just to see if it could be done. I don't know how many of these particular coins there are so I couldn't just count and see if one was missing. I was convinced it was an impossibility, so we went on about our business. Joshua was adamant that he had indeed swallowed the coin, but he was eating and drinking normally, he wasn't having any trouble breathing, so I figured he just thought he had swallowed one. On Saturday morning as we were eating breakfast, Joshua had stuffed his mouth too full and couldn't swallow the amount of food that was in his mouth, so I helped him take some out and get a sip of his milk. When he did manage to swallow he said "that went by my coin". Now at this point I'm really starting to wonder if he really did swallow the coin. My mom had been on me about taking him to the ER since the incident first ocurred, but I hate the ER so I was bound to avoid a visit there at all costs. I decided we would wait it out until Monday since Joshua seemed to be doing fine. First thing Monday morning I called the Doctor's office and explained the situation. They had an opening at 4:30 so we took that appointment and saw Dr. Salvadore, not Joshua's regular Doctor, but we have seen her before. The doctor really doubted that Joshua was able to swallow the coin because of it's size, but when she asked him about it, he told her he had swallowed it and it was in his tummy. The doctor explained to me that there are two areas where the coin could get stuck, one where the stomach and esophagus meet, the other where the stomach and small intestine meet. She said that if the coin had made it through both of these openings then it should pass on through. But if it happened to have gotten stuck which was a high possibilty due to the large diameter of the coin, then Joshua would require immediate surgery. After our visit and a thorough exam, Dr. Salvadore sent us on to the ER, where they sent us straight to Radiology. Once in radiology, they did chest x-rays and abdominal x-rays. The technician scolded me for waiting so long to come in (which I thought was totally not her place),then paged Dr. Salvadore. I was seriously stressing out in the next few moments. I was paranoid that the coin was going to be stuck, that Joshua was going to require another surgery, that they were going to report me to DSS for allowing Joshua to play with coins, that DSS would take him away because I waited so long to seek medical attenition, my brain was on overdrive, thinking of all the worst case scenarios! When I finally spoke with Dr. Salvadore and she told me that the coin was now sitting in Joshua's large intestine and appeared to be on it's way out, that we could expect to see it in the next 24 - 36 hours, I finally breathed a sigh of relief! She went on to explain that passing the coin would stretch the rectum and would be rather painful, that Joshua would then be sore and probably be afraid of pooping in the future, but I'm still so relieved that he isn't going to have to go through another operation and be hospitalized.

Now we are just waiting on that coin to make it's way out. The 36 hour point was about 24 hours ago, so I'm starting to worry since the coin hasn't made an appearance yet. Joshua has had two BM's since we saw the Doctor on Monday and I have inspected his poops, not an easy task with a completely potty trained 2 year old, it involved rubber gloves up to my elbows and sticking my hand in the toilet. Yuck. Please pray that Joshua passes the coin quickly with as little pain as possible. I called the Doctor a little while ago for further instructions, I'm awaiting a call back as I type!

The Funeral of Jesus

2010-04-02T12:03:00.001-04:00

Hallelujiah!! HE IS RISEN!!!

The Tooth Fairy Needs a Bailout...

2010-03-29T09:29:00.002-04:00

...if this little guy keeps losing teeth that is! My sweet Maxton had two teeth to start getting wiggly recently. He'd been working on them and gotten one of them ready to pull, so I grabbed it gave it a little tug and out it came. He was so excited to put his first tooth under his pillow for the tooth fairy to come get and leave him a little moolah in it's place.

Later that same day while horsing around in Wally World my little guy whacked his mouth on the service desk and knocked the other tooth loose.

So he had not one but two teeth for the tooth fairy to collect. He was so happy to wake up and find $4 under his pillow!

I can't believe my middle son is old enough to be losing those baby teeth already!

Music Monday

2010-03-22T10:29:00.001-04:00

This week the theme was to pick a song from my high school days. Thinking back to my days in high school this was the first song that came to mind. This song was very popular in 1995. I got my driver's license in 1994. I can almost smell the spring air and feel the wind blowing through my hair when I reminisce about driving with the windows down and this song blaring on the radio.

Music Monday is hosted by my friend Tara over at Keeping Up With The Kellys. Go ahead, click on over for a visit!

Music Monday

2010-03-08T11:33:00.001-05:00

This song debuted in 1978.

That was a good year.

I also debuted in 1978.

The first time I remember hearing this song I was probably about 6 years old and it was playing on my dad's radio in his study. I'm sure I heard it before then but that's when I decided that I liked it! Every time I hear this song on the radio I have to crank it up and sing along. It just makes me wanna dance!

Head over to Keeping Up With The Kellys for more Music Monday fun!

Music Monday

2010-03-01T19:16:00.003-05:00

In case you noticed ( you probably didn't ) I have been MIA lately. My life feels kinda hectic right now. I have had so much stuff going on. WIth work, myself, my family and house I am feeling a little overwhelmed. I am stressed out to the maxx.

You know about Joshua's recent Doctor visits, but I have also had several myself, trying to diagnose frequesnt debilitating headaches and neck and shoulder pain, as well as having two wisdom teeth extracted. Then there's work, but we'll not go there! Turns out my headaches were mainly caused by continuous muscle spasms in my neck. My doctor prescribed muscle relaxers, anti inflammatory and pain meds. I went back this week for a check up after being on the meds for about a month. The pain is a lot better but not well, so now he wants me to go for physical therapy. My Health Insurance sucks. A specialist visit is subject to a $1,000 deductible and then the insurance company only pays 60%. I have not met my deductible for this year and I can only imagine how much a physical therapist is going to cost, so I am waiting to hear from the Doctor's office as to when my appointment will be and I'm going to talk to them about the cost involved. I may or may not go through with physical therapy. Oh and my Doctor told me that all of these problems are worsened because of stress, just great! Now on top of all that, I had my eyes examined today, my vision had gotten worse, which was a surprise to me. Anyway, I had to go into a different brand of contacts because of the astigmatism that I have and so I shelled out $350 today for a year's worth of contacts, and that was after my insurance paid their part! You will never guess what my vision is. The doctor jokingly said that we'd have to contract with NASA to make my glasses!

As far as the rest of the family is concerned, my grandma just moved to an assisted living facilty over an hour away, so I'm trying to go and visit her as often as possible.

Add to all of that the fact that we have had to replace our hot water heater twice, and we just found out that the reason the first one didn't work properly was due to Dan River water upping the water pressure to 150 pounds of pressure for the new courthouse to be able to flush their toilets on the third floor, apparently the normal pressure wasn't enough for them. we weren't the only ones affected by that, seems that several of the people on our road have had serious issues with their water too, and since it is not the responsibilty of Dan River if the problem is past the meter, we had to have our water lines dug up and a pressure release valve installed.

Now understand why I've been MIA? I'm not complaining. Really I'm not. I know. It just sounds like life.....

Joshua Update and Prayer Request

2010-02-23T17:06:00.003-05:00

My sweet Joshua is almost 28 months old.

Wow, I can't believe he's that old already. Time really does fly when you're having fun!

Overall Joshua is doing good. Everyone can see a huge difference in him since his Pyeloplasty and UPJ Obstruction removal in July. He is more active, less puffy, he has practically no edema. The only concern we have is that he complains several times a week (sometimes multiple times a day) of back pain. I took him to the urologist back in December. We weren't able to see our regular doctor at that visit because he was out of town for Christmas. The doctor we saw at that appointment was very helpful and concerned. He ordered an ultrasound and a follow up with Joshua's Pediatric Urologist. The ultrasound and Doctor visit was supposed to be scheduled for January, but somehow our paperwork was misplaced and it didn't get scheduled until last week. Joshua was such a big boy for his ultrasound. He laid completely still and let the Technician do her job. After the ultrasound we went straight to the Pediatric Urology Department and saw Dr. H. The ultrasound wasn't really helpful in determining what was causing Joshua's pain. The fluid level in both kidneys remains unchanged. Dr. H recommended that we do a Renogram to check kidney function and rule out more severe problems with Joshua's kidneys. The Renogram was scheduled for today. Going through a Renogram makes for a very tough day for Joshua. It is draining emotionally and physically. It is a very long procedure, but Joshua did great. He was such a trooper, even being stuck three times before an iv was started. The Nuclear Medicine Technician thought she had the iv in the first time and then the vein blew out, so she called for anesthesiology to try, they tried twice and finally succeeded. Joshua was able to watch a Barney DVD while he lay on a table with continuous x rays being takan of his kidneys and bladder. Joshua's kidneys still refuse to drain without the assistance of lasix. The cause for this remains unknown. The Renogram lasted about an hour and a half, then we headed to the Urology Department. The renogram shows kidney function to be at 37% for Left, this is up by 2 points. The function of the right kidney is 62%, which is down 3 points from his last renogram. The left kidney, which was operated on in July drained very quickly. The right kidney was pretty slow but not indicative of an obstruction. We consider these results to be fairly positive because things have not worsened significantly. I was so hopeful that function of the left kidney would be more improved than 2%, so that is a little disheartening. There is still no explanation for Joshua's pain. Dr. H speculates it could possibly be nerve related from the surgery last year. He suggested that we wait and watch Joshua. If he continues to complain or things seem to go down hill, we could do a nerve block but that's definitely not something that we want to do.

Please pray that Joshua's pain ceases and whatever the problem is will get better all on it's own. As Joshua's mother, I want him to be happy, healthy and pain free, and when that isn't the case it just breaks my heart.

Friday Foodie

2010-02-19T10:33:00.001-05:00

Comfort Meatballs

1 1/2 lb ground beef
3/4 Cup quick oats
1 Cup milk
3 TBSP finely minced onion
1 1/2 tsp salt
plenty of fresh ground black pepper

In bowl combine all ingredients and roll into tablespoon size balls. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. While your meatballs are chilling in the fridge make your sauce...

Sauce
1 Cup Ketchup
2 TBSP sugar
3 TBSP vinegar
2 TBSP worcestershire sauce
4 TBSP minced onion
dash of tobasco

Combine all ingredients

Heat oil in skillet. Dredge meatballs in flour and brown lightly. Place in baking dish and top with sauce mixture.

Bake @ 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or until bubbly and hot!

Oh My Goodness!

These were absolutely delicious. My (4) boys gobbled them all up. We barely had any leftovers!!

What do you think?

2010-02-16T13:14:00.004-05:00

So. I was just reading someone's mckblog and left a comment about her child looking like his father and I thought to myself. "Hey what a great topic for a post".

I find it funny how some people, especially people who don't really know me see my children. Like how they see things in them that I don't, maybe because I know my children and I see them as a whole, I take into account their actions and behaviors, not just see their cute little faces.

People tell me all the time how they think that Maxton and Joshua look alike, and I'm like WHAT? I don't think they look anything alike. The other day someone told me how much they think Alan looks like his dad. I've never really thought that! I've even heard someone say that Joshua looks like my mom. I really don't get that one!

I really don't think any of my boys look much alike. I see them as all very different as their own little individuals.

I think Joshua looks like a mini-me, he looks so much like pictures of me as a toddler. I also think Maxton looks a lot like me, but he really looks like my dad's brother Larry, who passed away several years ago. I will have to get a picture of Uncle Larry as a child from my Grandma to show you, someday. Honestly, I don't really know who Alan looks like. I used to think he looked a lot like my dad, but he's changed a lot in the last couple of years.

Do you go through this with your kids too? Do people tell you your child looks like you or your husband or your old aunt Martha with no teeth, but you just can't see it??

So. What do you think? Who do my kids look like??

Music Monday

2010-02-15T09:17:00.001-05:00

Since it's Music Monday and my choice of song this week, I choose to share my favorite song of the week:) I love almost every kind of music and so my favorite song tends to change by the week.

Sorry this isn't a real video, just a picture of the beauriful Reba Mcentire, but it's all about the song anyway, right?!

Friday Foodie

2010-02-12T07:26:00.001-05:00

Chicken Spaghetti

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, boiled and shredded
1 lb spaghetti
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 small onion, finely diced
1 jar diced pimentos, drained
1 tsp seasoning salt
fresh ground black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Remove 2 cups of chicken broth from pot and set aside. Bring broth back to a boil and add spaghetti. cook until al dente, drain and set aside.
Place cooked spaghetti in large bowl, add soup and 2 cups cheese, chicken onion and pimiento, seasoning salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper. Mix well and pout into large baking dish. Top with remaining cheddar cheese and bake 35-45 minutes or until bubbly.

This was so good. We all loved it and I think it will become one of my favorite meals!

Cardboard Testimonies

2010-02-10T09:20:00.001-05:00

Wow!

That's really all I can say concerning this video. I had never seen this or even heard of it until Kelly posted it on her blog a few days ago. This is truly amazing, a testimony to the healing power of the one and only God! If you don't know Jesus Christ, if you are suffering, Jesus is there, call out to Him and He will answer you. He will fill every void that you have in your life. These folks share what they were and what they have become because of the mercy bestowed by a Loving God.

Post it Note Tuesday

2010-02-09T11:33:00.001-05:00

Post It Notes!

What a great way to make a statement, or maybe say something to someone you wouldn't really have the guts to say in person! Come on write it down, join in the fun, get something off your chest! You will feel better afterwards. Promise!

Music Monday

2010-02-08T08:31:00.001-05:00

It's Monday again! And that means it's time for Music Monday hosted by Tara at Keeping Up With The Kellys. This week the theme is a song from your favorite t.v. show, musical or movie. I have two all time favorite movies, Footloose is my #1 favorite and next in line is Grease. Since I have already shared a Footloose song I will go to Grease for this week's Music Monday. Enjoy!

Friday

2010-02-05T07:58:00.004-05:00

Not Foodie.

Sorry if you were anxiously awaiting a Friday Foodie post today, but I just haven't cooked anything exciting lately. I do have something planned for tomorrow night, something new and interesting that I'm really excited to try. I will share that recipe and some pictures next week.

But for today I'm going to share the ~~lazy~~ easy way to let your toddler play in the snow. If you have kids, and most of you do, you know what a hassle it is to get them all bundled up in a bazillion layers with 3 pairs of socks, 2 pairs of gloves, ski masks and hats, hoodies and heavy coats, ahh the joys of snowy weather! NOT! Can you tell I really am not a fan of winter weather?

First get your toddler ready, maybe even naked, so you don't have any extra clothes to wash! Next spread a large bath towel on the floor, then grab a giant bowl and run outside and fill it full of snow. Have your toddler sit on the towel and give him the giant bowl of snow to play in. He will love it. Promise. Sure, you might end up having to mop the floor, but at least you haven't created a whole load of clothes from the 98374 layers of clothes that are necessary for actually playing out in the snow!

When a 2 year old gets quiet...

2010-02-04T09:16:00.001-05:00

...there's bound to be trouble!

But he's just so darn cute. How could I be angry at him? I couldn't so I did the next best thing and grabbed the camera and started snapping pictures of his cuteness! To give a little explanation of what Joshua is eating...a little earlier Maxton had a snack of cream cookies to dip into cool whip and chocolate syrup. He had eaten all he wanted and went to play, leaving his plate on the kitchen table. Well I thought that Joshua and Maxton were being so good playing together so quietly, so I went to check on them only to find Joshua sitting on the kitchen table enjoying the rest of Maxton's snack!

Working Mommy Wednesday

2010-02-03T13:47:00.003-05:00

What do you do about work when your child is sick?
Whose responsibility is it to stay home when daycare is not available?
Should Mom be the typical caregiver or should Dad step in?

We've been very blessed. My kids are rarely sick. I've never missed a day of work because of Alan or Maxton being sick and have only missed (I think) one partial day when Joshua was sick, the other time was when I took a week off after Joshua's surgery. But I am very lucky that my job and hours are very flexible (it helps that I'm the boss:)) and so is my husband's. He and I both can leave early if needed for Doctor visits, or in the case of a sick child, but if it came down to someone having to miss work, we'd probably let me come on in to work and open up and then go home as soon as some of my teachers got here and then he could just go into work late....sounds like a good plan to me, just hope we never have to use it!

Zone Cleaning

2010-02-02T09:51:00.001-05:00

Week 4

The last week of Zone Cleaning. My last project to clean, organize and post about. It's been real. It's been fun. I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have. Don't worry, I'm not done with Zone Cleaning. Clean Mama has really inspired me to continue organizing and cleaning out those little areas in my home that are often overlooked. I may have an occasional post on one of my cleaning projects, but my weekly participation is over:(

The area for last week was my wardrobe. I have a really bad habit of just pulling whatever article of clothing I want off of the stack or out from under the stack and so my clothes seem to stay in a mess most of the time. Until now. I am desperately trying to do better, trying to make things easier on myself. That's where zone cleaning has come in so handy. Working full time and taking care of the children and the house is a LOT of work, so if I can help myself out any at all, I really need to do that. I want the time that I am with my children to be quality time when great memories are made. I do not want to spend all of my time at home cleaning, so doing a little at a time helps to get the task done without spending an entire afternoon doing it!

To get started, I emptied the wardrobe of everything. I then began to sort the clothes into different piles, ones to keep, ones to donate and ones to throw away. Once I had my clothes all sorted, I folded the keep pile and put them back into the wardrobe with the clothes I wear most often on the tops of the stacks. I am going to try very hard to keep this area neat and orderly! I think I can do it!

Snow. Again.

2010-02-01T11:33:00.002-05:00

We got snow. Again. In December our total was about 8 inches. This time around we got a little over 10 inches. That's a LOT of snow for us. I've got my fingers crossed that this was our last snow experience for the year, but it's early and I have a feeling we'll be getting more. Ugghh. Yes, the snow is beautiful to see falling and we feel like we are living in a Winter Wonderland, but I am really tired of it. I guess, because we aren't used to getting too much of the white stuff and it just makes such a mess everywhere! It takes forever to melt away and for everything to dry up. I'm ready for Spring!

Music Monday

2010-02-01T08:30:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite songs of all time. Thos song is from 1967. No, I wasn't born yet, but I did grow up listening to old rock and roll and this happened to be one of my dad's favorite bands, so I heard this song quite often. I just love it and it really makes me miss being a little girl!

Friday Foodie

2010-01-29T08:17:00.001-05:00

Baked Egg Rolls

2 Cups Shredded Chicken
2 Cups Finely chopped Cabbage seasoned with soy sauce, ginger and black pepper
1/2 C Finely chopped Onion
20 Egg Roll Wrappers
1 Egg Beaten

Place egg roll wrappers on a flat surface such as cutting board and brush one side with egg. Turn over and fill with about 1TBSP of Chicken and 1TBSP Cabbage and sprinkle with a little onion. Roll about halfway then turn in ends and continue rolling. Place on baking sheet sprayed with PAM and bake at 350 for approximately 35 minutes.

This is the low fat version of the famous egg roll! I LOVE egg rolls and these guys were pretty good. Not quite as good as a deep fried one, but it will satisfy the craving and only has about 2 grams of fat each! The hardest part was rolling them up...by about the 10th one I finally had it mastered. If you try it at home, don't overfill them, it makes the rolling that much more difficult!

I served these up with Vegetable Lo Mein and the whole family ate 'em up! I made a few special ones for Maxton and Joshua that had chicken, ham and cheese in them because I knew they would NOT eat the cabbage and onion, they reminded me of hot pockets!

Working Mommy Wednesday

2010-01-27T11:19:00.002-05:00

What one (or two, or three, or four....) household chore do you loathe?

You know to be completely honest there isn't a chore that I completely loathe. I absolutely love to have a clean house and since I am not independently wealthy this means that I usually end up doing most of the cleaning myself. I admit occasionally I am bad about leaving some clutter here and there and there might be toys where they shouldn't be but my house is clean. I don't use organic products. gasp. I rely on good ole' fashioned Clorox and comet, I use a little Lysol and Mr. Clean too! I'm a germophobe and I believe that bleach kills everything! I try to keep the house picked up pretty good through the week and end up doing a thorough cleaning either on Friday evening or Saturday morning.

For the purpose of WMW, if I have to pick my least favorite chore it would have to be sweeping! I don't know if your house is like mine or not, but I think I could sweep 95439078 times a day. There is always something in the floor even when I have just finished sweeping. I have never seen a house create as much dust and debris as ours seems to do! I have to sweep at least once daily so maybe that's why it has become my least favorite thing to do around the house!

For more WMW go visit Julia!

Zone Cleaning Week 3

2010-01-26T07:38:00.001-05:00

I am really getting the hang of this Zone Cleaning inspired by Clean Mama.

The zone for last week was my bathroom ~~cubby~~ ~~caddy~~ whateveryoucallit...
This little thingy houses lots of items. There was feminine products, lotions, bath products, cotton balls, q tips, pedicure supplies, nail polish, hair color, toothpaste, perm rods, combs, brushes, baby wipes, I could go on and on...instead I will show you pictures!

of course it doesn't normally just sit around with it's drawers hanging open! This was solely for your benefit:)

Oh didn't I tell you that I own stock in the cotton ball industry??

I even found some loose change and lansinoh. Do you know how long it has been since I attempted breastfeeding?? A very long time! Oh and of course there has to be an ink pen or two in the bathroom in case, you know, you need to write while you're hanging out on the toilet!

On Thursday after 4 days of 15 Minute Zone Cleaning I was finally finished, organized and all cleaned out. I even made room for the baby wipes inside the ~~cubby caddy~~ whatchamacallit!

Music Monday

2010-01-25T14:25:00.000-05:00

Oh how I love this song. If you've never heard it, please take the time to listen to it and read the lyrics. This song is such a blessing to me, especially in trying times, at times when all I can do is cry out to God and lift my eyes Heavenward.

Friday Foodie

2010-01-22T07:08:00.001-05:00

Onion Smothered Italian Chicken

4 large BS Chicken breasts
Italian Dressing
One Medium Onion
Salt & Pepper to taste

Place Chicken in shallow dish and coat well with Italian dressing. Cover and marinate several hours or overnight.

Brown chicken in skillet sprayed with Pam. Don't cook through, just enough to seal in the juices. Place in casserole dish and top with sliced onion. Pour 1/4 cup Italian dressing and 1/4 cup water over chicken. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 - 35 minutes.

I must apologize for not taking a picture of my finished product. I was preparing this dish to take to a covered dish meal at church on Wednesday evening and had plans to take pictures of the whole process, but, well, I just simply forgot! So all you get is a lovely picture of the chicken marinating in my fridge! Lucky you!

Working Mommy Wednesday

2010-01-20T19:37:00.003-05:00

Julia from Sweet as Punkin Pie hosts Workin Mommy Wednesdays and today she has a question for all of us, even you SAH moms...

As a working mom, if you suddenly became a SAHM, how do you think your life would be different?
As a SAHM, if you suddenly had to become a working mom, how would your life be different?

Honestly I can say that if I were to suddenly become a SAHM I would take some time to be lazy. I would enjoy a much slower pace for a while. Yes, I would still have the children and the house to care for but there would be no more getting up at 4:something o'clock! I would try to blog everyday and spend more time with my IRL and cyber friends, I would read more, I could actually take my time to clean the house really good, I would watch some good ole' daytime tv, I would take naps with my kids, I would organize the silverware drawer, I would keep my car clean.....ahhh I'm sure I could think of some more things I would do if I were a SAHM, but since I'm not, I've got to go get my clothes ready for work tomorrow:)

For more WMW go visit Julia!

Zone Cleaning Week 2

2010-01-19T07:45:00.001-05:00

Yay for me I completed another week of zone cleaning. My zone for last week was Maxton and Joshua's toy bins.

See before!?

Now of course it didn't always look like this, but I would find myself picking up these same toys atleast once daily and frankly I'm just tired of it. There were toys that were broken or missing pieces that needed to be thrown away, toys that the boys are tired of that needed to be donated to someone else. So I followed Clean Mama's advice and took it a little at a time. For 4 days last week I cleaned, straightened and organized this area for 15 minutes and by the last day it looked like this...

Much better huh?

For more information about zone cleaning check out Clean Mama's blog.

Music Monday

2010-01-18T08:23:00.002-05:00

Music from my wedding? Well I've already shared one of the songs that was performed during my ceremony. Here is that Music Monday post if you'd like to go back and read it. Here's the other song that was performed. This was a very popular "wedding song" in the 90's. The guy who sang both of the songs for our wedding did an awesome job, but for this song in particular he took his country twang just a little too far! In the chorus of the song where it says "I hold everything when I hold you in my arms", he said "I hold everythang..." I remember Robert and I looking at each other when he sang that part and I knew immediately we were thinking the same thing. Oh how I wish I was technologically savvy enough to know how to get my wedding video onto my computer and upload it on here so you all could experience this song the way we did back on October 18, 1997!

Zone Cleaning

2010-01-12T07:03:00.000-05:00

Week One of Zone Cleaning is complete!

Remember what we started with???

I started on Monday with my first 15 minute day of cleaning, but on Tuesday and Wednesday I was fighting a killer Migraine and felt so bad I just couldn't do my zone cleaning for those days. I got back on the wagon Thursday and was able to finish up on Saturday.

Ta Da!

I am so pleased with how it turned out and taking it a little at a time made it a really simple task.

If you need a little inspiration and would like the full details of zone cleaning head over to CleanMama's for the scoop.

What's the zone for this week???

Maxton and Joshua's toy bins..... mwahahahahaha

Music Monday

2010-01-11T07:27:00.000-05:00

Okay so I know I'm not 12, but I just can't help myself. I love this song!!

Wanna rub my belly?

2010-01-08T07:17:00.000-05:00

Haha.

Okay so I wouldn't say I was that lucky! But I believe my luck must be improving.

A while back I entered a Pay It Forward Contest and won that, then a couple of weeks ago I entered Amiee's giveaway and whaddya know, I won it too!! My wonderful prize has arrived. Imagine how excited I was to pull in the driveway and see a package sitting on my front porch! I figured it was my cool prize from Amiee so I couldn't wait to get it open. Sure enough it was my new Tag Junior! Well, it's not really mine. You see, this is a great learning toy for kids 2-4 years old! Actually my 5 year old rather enjoys it too! Our little Tag pal is pretty awesome! Everytime you place the Tag pal on one of the Tag board books (Thanks to Amiee we have 3) fun sound effects and audio surprises will play. There are activities, such as number and letter recognition, identifying colors and animals as well as reading the story to you! You can buy new books, download new audio from the leapfrog website and even track your child's progress. The Tag Junior is totally interactive. I highly recommend that you get one for your toddler! I can't wait to see how much my boys learn from playing with theirs!

Amiee, Thanks so much! My kids are going to love this little guy for a long time to come!!

With luck like this maybe I should start playing the lottery!

Zone Cleaning

2010-01-04T07:53:00.001-05:00

Clean Mama has a challenge for all of us.

Zone Cleaning will be a great way to get an area of our homes clean and organized. Basically we take one area of our choosing and work on that area for 15 minutes per day for 4 days a week. By the end of the week this particular area should be clean and in order. The next week we will tackle a new mess!

My plan of attack for the week of January 4, 2010 is my bedroom dresser. This is where I keep most of my lotions and perfumes and it also becomes a collection area for other items that never seem to find their real home. I need to go thru my lotions and perfumes and discard old and almost empty ones and organize the entire area. I think this is totally doable for this week. I'm looking forward to getting started on this challenge and looking even more forward to having some cleaner more organized areas in my home!

Shamefully, today I am posting pictues of my dresser before I begin any cleaning and at the end of the week I will post my finished, cleaned, organized product!

2009 Blog Recap Carnival

2009-12-31T12:18:00.004-05:00

What a neat idea!

Today I am joining up with Jo-Lynne at Musings of a Housewife for her 2009 Blog Recap Carnival. If you'd like to participate all you need to do is list the first line of the first blog of each month of 2009. You can head over to Jo -Lynne's and link up to her MckLinky if you'd like to be joined with others who are participating.

So, on this the last day of 2009, I give you my blogging year in review!

January~~ I absolutely love the weekends...spending time with the family, relaxing, cooking.... Speaking of cooking, I love to cook, love to try new recipes, love to watch Food Network.

This was a post where I shared some new recipes that I had recently tried out.

February~~ In an attempt to "keep up" with the Hildreth's and the Kelly's, I did not spend all day Friday and most of Saturday painting my kitchen and my bathroom.

This was one of my many posts where I participated in Not Me! Monday

March~~ I fell in love with this poem when I read it on MckMama's blog just a few minutes ago, so I thought I would post it here for y'all to read it, as if there is anyone reading my blog who doesn't also read My Charming Kids!!

A really beautiful poem. Click above to go read it!

April~~ Yes I am home!

We had just arrived home from our whirlwind trip to Washington, DC!!

May~~ This week I am joining up with Kelly in the fabulous "Show Us Where You Live" Carnival.

pretty self explanatory, huh!?

June~~ I would like to take this opportunity to give a "shout out" to my favorite bloggers and introduce you to them.

Shout outs to some of my favorite bloggers

July~~ Well this isn't exactly a long walk down memory lane. Actually, it's a pretty short walk...I took these pictures last week when we took the little boys to a traveling petting zoo and exotic animal exhibit that was in town for the week.

A walk down Memory Lane

August~~ Sorry I left you all hanging with yesterday's post.

Being praiseful for PeePee

September~~ That's what blogging turned out to be for me!

My realization that I was spending entirely too much time on the computer. I was neglecting my responsibilites. Thankfully I have reached a happy medium!

October~~ Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” (Matthew 5:11-12)

Christianity in an un-Christian world

November~~ I've always said I am a fan of a lot of different music and I think you've seen that over the last few weeks as I have been participating in Music Monday!

Music Monday!

December~~ Yesterday I used Random.org to randomly select a winner from the comments on this post.

Announcing the winner of my pay it forward Contest.

Wow! What a year it has been! There have been many ups and many downs, but God ha certainly blessed us and provided for ALL our need!

Happy, Happy 2010!!

Christmas 2009...in review

2009-12-28T18:19:00.006-05:00

Oh what a wonderful Christmas season it has been for me. I started getting in the Christmas Spirit early this year, when a local radio station started playing continuous Christmas music back at the first of November. That same weekend I attended my first ever Holiday Market at the Greensboro Coliseum. Shortly after Thanksgiving I had almost all of my Christmas shopping completed, minus a couple of items that Maxton decided to add at the last minute. In early December I went to the Carolina Craftsman's Christmas Classic, which is also held at the Coliseum, this event as well as Holiday Market provided lots of decorating and gift ideas.
I can honestly say that I have enjoyed this Christmas the most of any Christmas since I have been an adult. I have not felt rushed or stressed as I often do during this time of year. I really am sad that it is all over. I am already looking forward to the Christmas season of 2010!
On Christmas Eve, we awoke and had a leisurely breakfast of Cinnamon Raisin french toast and bacon. We watched Four Christmases, and spent some time together doing nothing as a family. We headed to my parents' for a dinner of snack foods, which has been a tradition since I was a kid. I made a mexican dip in the crock pot, sushi and pumpkin pie. My mom made a yummy dill, cream cheese and crescent roll concoction, chicken livers wrapped in bacon, jalepeno poppers and fudge. After dinner we gave my parents their gifts and let the boys all open one gift of their choice. At about 8:00 we came home and got the boys ready for bed so that Santa could stop by with their gifts. Robert and I got everything put out and got to bed around 10:30. On Christmas morning the boys started waking up at about 7:30, I made them stay in their rooms, got up, brushed my teeth and called my parents who wanted to be present for the Santa gifts. When Nana and PawPaw arrived the boys were allowed into the living room to see what Santa had left. All 3 boys were very excited and pleased with their gifts. They were able to play with their gifts for a while before we headed to my parents house for lunch and another round of presents with my sister and her family. Saturday was a relaxing and restful day. We only left the house to head to Walmart to see what deals were to be had. Sunday at church we had our Christmas Cantata during our morning worship service and the Children's Christmas Program during our evening service. Yes, it was a week late becuase of all the snow we had last weekend. ALl 3 boys had a part in the program and it was beautiful!

It has, indeed been a wonderful Christmas. Thank you Lord, for your blessings on me!

Music Monday

2009-12-21T18:10:00.000-05:00

Ready or not, Christmas is upon us! Here is another of my favorite Christmas songs.

I hope you know that Santa is not the reason for the Christmas season. Jesus Christ is the real reason for this beautiful season. It is because of God's love for mankind that Jesus was born to a virgin, wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger, because of His great love, He lived and died so that we could have the greatest gift of all, the gift of salvation and eternal life in Heaven. If you have never accepted this free gift from God, what better time than the Christmas Holiday to receive Him into your heart!

Now for a little Christmas fun, You better watch out. You better not cry. You better not pout I'm telling you why....

Santa Claus is Coming to Town!!!

From my family to yours, we wish you a very, very Merry Christmas!

It's a Winter Wonderland

2009-12-21T07:56:00.002-05:00

Snow. In Reidsville, North Carolina is a big deal. A really big deal. I'm talking a mad rush to the grocery store to stock up on ~~bread and milk~~ hot wings, fried cheese sticks, cocoa, chili, cheese, french fries, chocolate chip cookies, brownies and any other snacks that you can imagine.
Our meteorologists around here actually come on to update us at half hour intervals when winter weather is forecasted and there are breaking news segments to show precipitation accumulations and road conditions.
I know you northerners are shaking your heads in disapproval at the way we freak out at a little snow! But it's a rare event and we rather enjoy the craziness of 6 - 12" of snow!!
Yes, we Southerners close our schools and daycares at just the mention of snow, we prepare to be snowed in with the first glimpse of a snowflake. We shop (unsucessfully) for snow boots, pull out our heavy coats, hats and mittens. We pull out our sleds and trash can lids, search for snow shovels and rock salt...

Early last week the weather people started hinting around about the possibility of the white stuff coming our way. By Thursday afternoon everyone was pretty positive that we would need to prepare for wintery weather. The snow started at 1PM on Friday and didn't stop until about 11AM Saturday. The snow was so beautiful falling and Saturday morning we woke up to a winter wonderland of about 8" of fluffy white snow! The children have thoroughly enjoyed sledding, having snowball fights and building snowmen, even the hubby and I joined in the fun.

Yes, it's a rare event and we love it!

Friday Foodie

2009-12-18T07:01:00.001-05:00

Beefy Cheese Ball

2 8oz packages Cream Cheese
1 jar Armour Dried Beef
1 TBSP minced onion

Chop entire jar of dried beef into small pieces.

Combine cream cheese, onion and beef in large bowl. The easiest way to make sure everything is all mixed together is to use your hands. Once all ingredients are combined place on plastic wrap and form into ball. Refrigerate atleast one hour before serving. Spread onto your favorite snack crackers for a sure-to-please appetizer!

(hint: About an hour before you are ready to make your cheese ball, set the cream cheese out to soften)

Winner. Winner. Chicken Dinner.

2009-12-16T19:10:00.003-05:00

Remember a couple of weeks ago when I hosted a Pay It Forward Contest? Remember June who was the random winner of that contest? If you'd like to see the goodies that I picked out just for June head over to her blog and check 'em out! While you're there enter her Pay It Forward contest...who knows maybe you will win!

Wordy Wednesday

2009-12-16T07:37:00.001-05:00

My youngest babe seems to love video games just as much as his two older brothers. He likes to stretch out on the couch with Maxton's Nintendo DS and play Super mario Brothers.

But occassionally he also empties out a toy bin and sits in it to play his V-Tech, while covered up with his froggy blanket!

**these pics were taken during the week of Thanksgiving before Joshua's haircut. I've been so busy that I hadn't had time to prepare this post sooner, but I just thought these pics are too cute not to share!

A Day In The Life...

2009-12-15T07:55:00.006-05:00

...of Me!

Being a full time working mom of 3 young children is a challenge to say the least. I manage to work 40 + hours every week, care for the children, be a chauffeur, cook dinner almost every night, keep the house presentable and find time to blog in between! Believe me when I say this is no small feat.

I have a huge amount of respect for mothers who choose to work a job outside of the home. It takes a lot of dedication and courage. I've heard people refer to working mothers as selfish, but I am here to tell you that a working mother is anything but selfish! A working mother has practically no time for herself, there are children to be cared for, work to be done, floors to be swept...a working mother's job is never done. Some mothers choose to work and others have no choice but to work to provide for their families, I happen to fall into both categories, I choose to work for the benefits of socialization for myself and for my children, but I also must work to help provide for my family, I wasn't born into wealth and certainly didn't marry into it. Thankfully, I really do enjoy working and I love my job! I was a stay-at-home mom for about 7 months and I enjoyed that special time with my last baby, but being with other people is best for me and my children.

So here's just a glimpse into an average day for me...

4:15am Alarm goes off. (I hate that beep, beep, beep sound!)
Jump in the shower, do my hair and makeup, get my clothes on.
Get breakfast together for the boys, wake and dress 3 sleepy boys. Assist in feeding and face washing. Make sure the oldest boy has everything ready for school and is ready to be dropped off at his nana and pawpaw's to be taken to school. Lay out whatever frozen meat we will need for dinner that night.

5:50am Get everyone's coats, gloves and hats on and loaded in the car. Make sure I have my purse, drink and breakfast. Leave the house headed for work, use the quiet of the drive to pray and mentally prepare for the day ahead.

6:15am Arrive at work, unload the two little boys and head inside to open up and prepare classrooms for children of other hard working parents.

6:30am until 10:00am Teach in the Infant Classroom, hold, cuddle, feed, burp, change, play with, read and sing to babies 6 weeks to 23 months of age. Sometime during these hours I try to find time to have my breakfast.

10:00am until 2:15ish Handle tuition payments, make staff schedules, Prepare snack and lunch menus, Host parent meetings, attend Director's conferences, pick up supplies and grocery shop, observe teachers in their classrooms, meet with board members, occassionally have lunch with Maxton or Joshua, assist teachers with lesson plans, etc. etc. etc.

2:30ish (hopefully) Head to my boys' classrooms, sign them out, take a trip to the potty, load the boys in the car making sure everyone is safely buckled in and has everything they need for a happy ride home. Most days I get home before Alan is dropped off by our wonderful neighbor who picks him up from school.

3:00pm until 5:00pm Arrive at home. Get the younger boys in the house, and find them an afternoon snack, wash the dishes that have accumulated since the night before. Get our clothes together for the next day, start dinner preparations, fix Alan a snack , assist with homework if needed.

5:30pm Finish up dinner, set the table and fix plates for all the boys, assist in handwashing, get everyone to the table and ready to eat, help Joshua while I also attempt to eat dinner.

6:00pm Get dinner dishes washed, kitchen cleaned, toys picked up and floors swept.

7:00pm. Get the two little boys a bath (one at a time) and in their pj's, sit down and have some cuddle time with my sweet little boys.

8:00pm Take Joshua to bed, turn on a Barney dvd, say his prayers and kiss goodnight.

8:30pm Take Maxton to bed, turn on Spongebob, say his prayers, maybe read a book and kiss goodnight.

9:00pm, Talk to Robert, spend some time with Alan checking homework, Check emails if I haven't had time during the day, Facebook, Blog, a little me time.

10:00pm (or before) Go to bed, so I can prepare to start this all over again in the morning!

Now this is just an average day, this schedule doesn't include times when there is ball practice, school functions, church, when I have to go back to work to meet with parents who can't make it in during my regular hours, children's choir practice or doctor appointments.

See why I look forward to the weekends so much?? I get a chance to be a stay-at-home mom for a couple of days! Sure I still have the kids and the house to take care of but that's nothing compared to my work week!

Music Monday

2009-12-14T08:46:00.002-05:00

This is another one of my favorite Christmas songs, this one always puts me in the mood for Christmas parties, parades, shopping and of course eating!

Friday Foodie

2009-12-11T07:12:00.001-05:00

Queso Chicken and Pasta

3 large chicken breasts
1 can Rotel
1 box Rotini
16oz. Velveeta Cheese
1/3 C milk
1/3 C chicken broth
2Tbsp margarine

Cook pasta according to directions on box.

While pasta is cooking cut your chicken breasts into bite size pieces and saute in skillet just until done, season with salt and pepper.
In small saucepan combine milk, margarine, chicken broth and cheese. Cook on low until cheese is melted.

In Large Casserole dish combine drained pasta, chicken, cheese sauce and 1 can of Rotel, stir well. Bake @ 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-12-09T07:47:00.001-05:00

Circle of Friends

2009-12-05T09:54:00.002-05:00

My dear friend Andrea from Arise To Write passed this award along to all of her readers. Andrea truly has become a part of my circle of friends. If you need prayer, inspiration or encouragement Arise To Write is the place to find it. Please go over and visit Andrea and tell her I sent you!

Now, with the acceptance of this award I am to list 5 things that I enjoy doing...

1) Spending time with my family

2) Having a girl's night out with my favorite girls

3) Being outside in the Summertime

4) Going for a drive with no specific destination in mind

5) Shopping, of course!

If you would like to place this award on your blog, feel free to do so and then link back to me! Thanks for being a part of my circle!!

Friday Foodie

2009-12-04T06:00:00.002-05:00

Cookies For Santa

1 C. All Purpose Flour
1/4 C. Confectioner's Sugar
1 Stick Margarine, softened
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Mix together and chill for 1 hour. Roll into balls and bake at 325 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes. While hot dust with confectioner's sugar.

If you'd like you can add 1 Cup of your favorite chopped nuts to the mix. I prefer them without the nuts, they remind me of Danish Wedding Cookies. They're plain and simple and my kiddos gobbled them all up!

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow!

2009-12-02T08:16:00.002-05:00

Being the cosmetologist that I am, I just love hair, but I dislike conventional hair. I think that's what makes a great hair stylist, being open to new and different styles, not always being content with the standard. I've always taken pride in how my hair and my kids' hair looks. Alan normally wears a ceasar cut, Maxton has a double crown so we are limited with the cuts that will work on his hair. With my youngest babe I had decided that I would let his hair grow out into a longer style, I have really enjoyed his rock and roll hair, but recently I saw a really cute cut on a certain little mckboy and just fell in love with it. I showed Robert the picture and we talked it over and agreed that it was time for a change for our sweet boy. So on Thanksgiving day we decided to give Joshua his first real hair cut. My sister is also a cosmetologist and we were already using this day together to play Beauty Shop, by trimming and styling each other's hair, so what was one more client! We cut 4 inches off of the back and trimmed up the sides, the bangs need to grow a bit to be exactly what I want, but I still love it!

We think he looks really adorable and even more grown up!

Pay It Forward Contest Winner

2009-12-01T12:59:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I used Random.org to randomly select a winner from the comments on this post.

And the winner is...

June from ...The Butler Family

Congratulations June!

If you will email me at christinadavisking at yahoo dot com with your snail mail address and give me a few days to look over your blog and then shop to find something you will like, I will send your Pay It Forward Prize right out to you. Remember, when you receive your gift it will be your turn to Pay It Forward!!

Music Monday

2009-11-30T08:32:00.001-05:00

I am seriously in the Christmas Spirit, so over the next few weeks I will be using the theme-free Music Mondays to share some of my favorite Christmas songs. This one definitely tops the list! I love this song, especially when performed by this artist!

I am Thankful

2009-11-25T08:37:00.002-05:00

With the Thanksgiving Holiday nearly upon us, I feel it necessary to do a "Thankful" post.

I am thankful for my Salvation, for a Savior who willingly gave His life that I could live.

I am thankful for my 3 boys. I love them with a love that is undescribeable and immeasureable. They are my everything.

I am thankful for a husband who loves me for me, who understands and accepts my faults, who I can call my best friend.

I am thankful to have been born into the family that I was. I have the BEST parents ever. I could never wish for more! I also had the BEST grandparents. My grandpa passed away in 2006, but I am very blessed to still have my grandma. I am thankful for my sister, my niece and my nephew.

I am thankful for a roof over my head, food in the cupboards, clothes and shoes to wear, a vehicle to drive, a little money in the bank (very little, but all my bills are paid), heat and air conditioning, an indoor toilet, running water, the many luxuries of living in the year 2009.

I am thankful that I live in the United States where I am free to come and go as I please and worship the One and Only God without fear of persecution.

I am thankful for continuous Christmas music on the radio.

I am thankful to have a job that I love, students and co-workers who are loveable!

I am thankful for my church family.

I am thankful for Walmart. I love that place.

I am thankful for Black Friday Sales.

I am thankful for my friends.

There are so many more things that I am thankful for. I could go on and on and on and on, but this list would never end and you would get tired of reading it, so I will stop here!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!!!

Pay It Forward...A Contest

2009-11-24T15:23:00.003-05:00

I entered a contest a couple of weeks ago. I enter lots of contest but almost never win anything. I jokingly told someone the same week that I had entered this contest, that I wouldn't win even if I were the only contestant. Well, guess what? I won! Yayy for me.

Katrina from One Family Under God hosted this fabulous contest that I won. Katrina gave me some beautiful gifts, I received a gorgeous 8 x 10 picture frame, a Christmas Tree Platter and a Devotional Journal! Katrina, you did a fabulous job picking out things that I like. Thank you so much for the gifts!

Now it is my turn to Pay it Forward.
This is how it works:

1) Comment on this post. I will use random.org to randomly choose a winner from among those comments.

2) You then agree to share your snail mail address with ME (my email is in my profile) so I can send you a small gift handmade OR purchased by ME!

3) When you receive your gift, you then blog about this Contest & link back to my blog in that post.

4) And most importantly, you ALSO AGREE to pay it forward ...Who's in?

The drawing will be held on Monday November 30, 2009. I'm gonna give you a few extra days since this is a Holiday Week! Lucky You!

Music Monday

2009-11-23T08:36:00.001-05:00

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Today's theme is Music from the 2000's...this has been the hardest week for me, there are just so many songs to choose from, and I'm not great at making decisions, especially when there is too much to choose from. I enjoy such a variety of music it was hard to decide on which genre of music to pick a song from. I finally decided on this song, it has actually crossed into several different genres of music, it has been on the country, rock and Christian charts and it's really an amazing song!

Friday Foodie

2009-11-20T07:25:00.001-05:00

Country Style Chicken

2 lbs. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Fillets or Tenders
flour and oil for frying chicken
2 Cans Campbells 98% Fat Free Cream of Chicken Soup
2 Cans of water

First roll your chicken in flour and fry until golden brown. Season with your favorite seasonings. I love Rosemary, salt and pepper.

Open both cans of soup and pour into your crockpot. Fill both cans with water and add to soup stirring well. Add fried chicken to soup mixture make sure chicken is covered with soup. (I also scrape the goodness from my frying pan and add a little of the oil from the pan) Cook on low for about 5 hours.

Serve over rice or mashed potatoes.

Enjoy!

wordless Wednesday

2009-11-18T07:43:00.001-05:00

I've always thought that babies and little kids with pacifiers were just the cutest things. I tried really hard to get all three of my boys to take a passy, but neither of them would have anything to do with one. But on Saturday Joshua was playing in his room and came out riding his train with a pacifier in his mouth. I guess he found it in his room among some toys and he knew just what to do with it. I couldn't help myself from taking a picture. He's just so darn cute!

Accidentally On Purpose

2009-11-17T09:04:00.001-05:00

Have you seen this show? I am really not a huge sitcom fan. I prefer hour long episodes of House, Lost, Medium, shows like that, but the sitcoms really don't do anything for me, until now! I stumbled upon this show one night and it has become a must-see for me and my hubby! Check it out on CBS Monday nights at 8:30pm if you live on the East Coast, if you don't live on the East Coast, well...then check your local t.v. listings!

Music Monday

2009-11-16T08:29:00.001-05:00

This is one of the songs that Robert and I chose to have performed during our wedding. I couldn't make up my mind between a few songs, then one day as I was driving down the road, I heard this song and just knew that I had to have it in our wedding. It was beautiful, but I tell you what, standing there in that church in front of all those people, I thought this song would never end!! Robert and I kept looking at each other and I knew he was thinking the same thing I was, that this song was going to go on forever and ever!! We rarely watch the video from our wedding, but when we do I still think this song is too long, especially with me swaying along to the music!! What can I say, I was nervous!! I wish I knew how to put that video on here for all of you to see, but I don't have a clue as to how to do that!

Head over to Keeping Up With The Kellys for more Music Monday!