Do Butterflies Have Ears?

A New Home

2010-02-06T09:15:00.000-08:00

In case you haven't noticed, this blog has been quite neglected over the past several months. I miss blogging (writing, to be specific), and I have found a new place to do so...a brand new baby-blog that's just getting started. Come on over and say "hello."

www.hodgepodgelife.com

Thanks!

Love,

Laura

Ps. This blog will self-destruct in approximately two weeks.

Simple Joy...Happy Boy

2009-09-21T05:55:00.000-07:00

What is making this 3 month old so happy?What, oh what, could it be?Why does he laugh and coo?Here is a tiny clue...
A new friend, created by Sissy at Pre-school, smiles the whole day through...
And our Gabe can't resist her sweet, apple-y charms...can you?!

Because I Never Get Tired Of This...

2009-09-18T17:18:00.000-07:00

Gonna Be Friends from Brad Ruggles on Vimeo.

Because I will never get tired of this video. Maddy was meeting Gabe for the first time, armed with a blue "snuggle b" she picked out just for him. This is one of my favorite moments ever. Enjoy.

For Those Who Dropped Napping Like A Bad Habit

2009-09-16T11:59:00.000-07:00

This is an idea for all you mothers of three year olds out there. I've heard that some of your darling, wee-angels have begun to protest, and altogether quit, napping. I can only imagine the wailing and gnashing of teeth this has introduced to the 1:00-3:00 time span at your house.

And I say "I can only imagine", of course, because my three year old still walks herself into her room at promptly 1:00 PM, driven by some sort of internal clock of obedience, and snuggles herself into her bed for a deep two hour slumber each and every day. There is no arguing, no bribing, and certainly no threatening that she will not play with friends later if she doesn't go to sleep rightthisinstant. There's no need for all that, with the inner-obedience clock and all.

But for those of you whose children might lean towards the more realistic side, I made a great discovery that has probably already been discovered a thousand times over and isn't all that creative.

I discovered it nonetheless. At our local library there are literally hundreds of children's books on CD and cassette. CD/ old-school cassette player on your child's dresser, pop one in, and quiet time in lieu of nap while said toddler is entertained with Charlotte's Web or Harry Potter*.

Audio Book + Child in Room = Guilt Free Parenting Solution To A Need For A Few Half-Hours Of Quiet Each Day

You're welcome. Me, I'll just keep enjoying my toddler fit-denying, self-disciplining, pre-school behavior-abiding daughter.

*I don't actually recommend Harry Potter for the three year old set. It was, however, available.

Bee-Swatting Bonding

2009-08-26T11:46:00.000-07:00

It is supremely easy for my three year old to make friends. She simply goes up to every child at the park/pool/grocery store and asks: "Can I be your friend?" She asks until someone says "Yes" and then they are friends.

It's that simple.

I have been tempted to use the same strategy and approach other moms at the park with the same inquisition: "Will you be my friend?" That's what happens when you are stuck in the house all day with children under three for conversational partners. And when you live far away from family and your actual, wonderful, beautiful, Michigan-dwelling friends.

We are blessed enough to have Brad & Lisa right across the street (story to come of how that happened and our move to Indy). But sometimes they have other commitments or (gasp) other friends and aren't here to converse with me all day.

Shocking, I know.

So when Maddy and I went to the Splash Pad yesterday, I prayed before I left the car that I would meet a friend myself that day. There were two women there, both with three year old girls, so it looked promising. Since Madalyn is Miss Social Butterfly, she instantly bonded with the girls, leaving me an "in" to talk to their moms. We found out that we had all recently moved to the area, one from Cincinnati and the other from a close neighboring town, Fishers. Come to find out, they both live in the same subdivision, and one invited the other, Katie, to a sub playgroup on Friday. It made me a little sad since I wasn't included in the invitation, even if I don't live in the sub. But, as it turned out, Inviting Mom left, and Katie and I talked quite a bit more and discovered we are both RNs. Katie must have thought it wasn't kind for Inviting Mom to invite in front of me either ;), because she asked if I wanted to meet her at the park again tomorrow (today). And of course I played it cool and was like "Hmmm...let me checkmyscheduleYES!"

When we arrived at the Splash Pad today, Maddy and Katie's daughter bonded by running around with orange buckets on their heads pretending to be lions. Katie and I bonded by discussing how we both grew up taking ballet and where to enroll our daughters. And, I'll be honest, Gabe and Katie's son didn't bond. Because Gabe is only two and a half months old, see, and only bonds with those who are giving him milk or telling him "you're a handsome, handsome boy, oh yes you are."

Before we left, Katie asked if we could exchange phone numbers and do a play date next week, bringing our friendship to new soaring levels. She even swatted a pesky bee away for me while I was entering her number into my phone.

Because friends don't let bees sting friends.

Penchee

2009-08-19T06:58:00.000-07:00

Last night Dan and I decided to take the kids on a walk after dinner. We really enjoy these family walks; Gabe rides in the Baby Bjorn and promptly falls asleep, Maddy chills in the jogging stroller, and Dan and I get a shot at adult conversation. We had conspired to take Maddy to a local playground to wear her out..."Let's stop by the P-A-R-K because someone took a long nap today. It's our only chance of a normal bedtime" I had said. "Yea! The P-R-K! I want to go to the P-R-K! Can we Mommy?" came the immediate response from the little girl listening underfoot. I guess we need a new system of secret communication...the three year-old is on to us.

Anyways, we enjoyed a nice long walk and some good conversation on a muggy evening before heading to the subdivision park. I was wondering if there would be any other children there since it was approaching eight o'clock as we arrived. But, sure enough, there was a little boy, maybe six or seven, and a girl Maddy's age, playing together. The little boy called to his sister "Hey, Kenzie! Look at me!" as we approached, and, Madalyn, overcome with joy to see a like-aged child, began yelling from the stroller before we even stopped, "Hey, Penchee! Penchee! I'm here to play with you! HI PENCHEE!" Dan and I were stifling back laughter as the little girl's dad approached and asked, "Um, do they know each other?" We let Maddy out of the stroller and she took off like a bullet towards the little girl. "Nope, she's just extremely social" said I. By this point the little girl has agreed to be Maddy's friend with only this disclaimer: "My name is KENZIE." Madalyn brushes of the comment and continues to interpret her name as Penchee as the two zip up and down the slide. They later discover the speakers--two tubes located at different ends of the play facility designed for talking into. I hold Maddy up and Kenzie's dad holds her up so the girls can talk; Madalyn goes first, "Hey, Penchee! Can you hear me? I LOVE YOU, Penchee!"

Kenzie's dad comes over to Dan and I and strikes up a conversation after that: "So, how do they know each other?" The man is clearly still confused. "Oh, they don't. Maddy heard Kenzie's brother say her name as we pulled up. She just loves to make friends." I explain. Through the course of our conversation, we discover that Kenzie and Maddy are actually going to be in the same pre-school class this fall! Her dad is very friendly, and we talk for several more minutes before heading home.

I think I see the beginning of a beautiful friendship: Maddy and Penchee...BFFs for life.

I'm Back...

2009-07-14T20:34:00.001-07:00

Here is the post in which I announce that I will be posting again...I've decided to give the people what they want (or something like that)...

...but I won't begin tonight. It is 11:34, and I could have already been sleeping for approximately 34 minutes. I refuse to let any more slip by. But I promise, more is to come...

These kids are cute, but they get up darn early. Yikes, now it is 11:37...

Love,

How To Enjoy A Trip To Florida When You Are 2 1/2...

2009-02-26T12:26:00.000-08:00

1) Fly out of an extremely peaceful, uncrowded airport, such as Bishop in Flint. You'll breeze through parking, security, and finding your gate without so much as a sip of juice.2) Be excited to earn your wings...3) Be an angel on the plane. Well, an angel who "had a few moments." Once getting ready to de-plane in Atlanta for a short layover, tell the people sitting behind you, when they compliment you on how good you were, "I had a few moments." This will cause everyone on the plane within the sound of your voice to break out into peals of laughter.

4) Rent a house with it's own pool in a beautiful subdivision only 15 minutes from Disney. Mom and Dad will be glad to have their own master bed and bath, washer and dryer, and full kitchen, and you can enjoy the club house park as well as your own personal pool. Everyone will save money, be comfortable, and have their own space.

5) Spend the day at the zoo (where Mom and Dad get 1/2 off since they belong to a reciprocal zoo) and monkey and, er, elephant around.
6) Go to beautiful Cocoa Beach and run in the sand and the waves. Take deep breaths of the ocean air. Scoot around a lot on your bottom making sand castles and end up with sand in undisclosed locations...it's all part of the experience!7) Even though Mom and Dad weren't planning on taking you to Disney World since you are small and won'tevenremember the experience, if they come to realize that Sea World is only ten dollars cheaper, and the entire trip has been a gift, and you ARE right there in Orlando after all, you can probably talk them into one day at the Magic Kingdom...
*Have Mom find ears on clearance for $4.99 (otherwise 11.99 and up) so you can talk her into a pair for you and your baby brother-to-be...

*Wait SO PATIENTLY for all the rides (Dumbo was awesome, Winnie the Pooh is surprisingly scary, Buzz Lightyear was a little intense, and "It's A Small World" was precious...)

*MEET DAISY DUCK when Mom and Dad stumble upon her on the way out of the park for lunch break. Since all the other characters had 60 minute plus lines to meet them, you'll easily talk your parents into stopping for a quick hug and photo. Then proudly proclaim during lunch that, upon returning to Disney World in the afternoon, Daisy is planning on personally taking you into the Castle to meet Mickey and Minnie. Remain convinced of this fact for the remainder of the day. Become a life-long Daisy fan and talk Mom and Dad into buying you a plush rendering of her when they see that all plush toys are 25% off.

*End your day so tuckered out that you fall asleep in your stroller leaving the park and stay asleep all the way home. Do so after having your one-and-only meltdown of the day, when you insist that YES, YOU WANT YOUR NEW DAISY DUCK IN THE BAG, IN THE BAG, YOU WANT A BAG after Mom tells the cashier you don't need one since you'll just want to hold her. Marvel that Mom can't understand that you want to hold her, yes, but IN THE BAG.

8) On your last night in Florida, have Mom and Dad take you to Downtown Disney, a free outside area that has a lego-world (and store) and many other attractions. Have Daddy hold you up so you can "pet the dinosaur." Sport the Minnie Mouse sweatshirt your Nana bought you. Get a nice employee to give you free stickers.
Overall, have an amazing vacation and state loudly and sadly on your last day that you don't want to go home but would rather "stay in Florida." Have Daddy put a movie on his iPod and watch it with headphones, quietly, silently, the entire plane ride back to MI, providing Mom and Dad with ample relaxation and wonder at how parents traveled before technology. Love every minute. Be glad to be home.

We're Leaving On a Jet Plane...

2009-02-16T19:27:00.001-08:00

...don't know when I'll be back again...

Well, actually I do, but I am SO EXCITED to get away for a little while! We are all under the weather with colds and feel like all this COLD WEATHER has wreaked havoc on us this winter! From cracking skin on our hands to dry, staic-ey hair, we are more than ready to get out from under all this snow and sub-zero temperatures. As we try to make some big decisions and search out the ultimate best for our future, we are looking forward to some time to rest, talk, and pray.

I promise some sunshiney pictures and Madalyn stories when I return! It's the little peanut's first time flying, so I'm SURE it will be an adventure for us all :)

Signing off for now,

L.

Coughs, Couches, and Goldfishies...

2009-02-13T07:44:00.000-08:00

"Mama! MAMA!" came the cries at 5 am this morning. I opened one bleary eye from my makeshift bed on the living room couch. I had chosen this resting place not due to any marital disputes (neither of us have ever camped out on the couch for that reason!), but as a result of a husband who apparently moves compulsively *every 10 seconds* in his sleep after taking Benadryl before bed. Between the constant rustling in the bed and Madalyn's all-night coughs coming from the bedroom across the hall...it had been a long night!

So I hear the early morning cries, and I stumble into M's room. She's crying, so it takes me a minute to figure out what she is saying. Eventually the words come clear..."Goldfishy, Mommy, I want Goldfishy in my bed". My mind is spinning...M often refers to our beta fish, Bubbles, as "Goldfishy", so I ask, "You want Bubbles in your bed, M? Bubbles can't come in your bed, sweetie. He has to stay in his bowl." "NO Mommy! GOLDFISHIES!"

Ahhh. My precious one is referring to the familiar, cheddar, fish-shaped snacks.

So here it is, fellow Moms and Moms-to-be (and Dads too!),...what do you do? For those of you that answer that you calmly explain to your child that snacks do not go in their beds, particularly at five in the morning, and especially when they have been sick for nearly a week straight, I commend you.

For those of you who would go in the kitchen, get a bag (albeit small) full of the said fishies and bring them back into bed just so you can get a little peace and a few more minutes of sleep when you have been up all night with a tossing husband and coughing child...

I'm among you!

I've been a little absent from the blog-world lately as real life has kept me very busy. I will try to be more faithful!

THE COW: Madalyn's Lesson on Sharing...

2009-01-22T08:29:00.000-08:00

"I love church. They have all the animals about Jesus" says Madalyn as we make our way inside the children's wing for Wednesday night service. I wasn't aware that there were "animals about Jesus" in her class, but the thought makes me smile. In fact, I am unaware of most of what transpires during the hour-and-a-half that M spends in 2-year old land each week. All I know is that her teachers, um, always have an anecdote to share with Dan and I when we pick her up. And the conversation usually begins with, "Oh, you are Madalyn's parents?..."

But the funniest part this week came when we were in the car on the way home:

M: "That little boy wanted to play with the cow but it was MY turn to play with the cow."

Me: "Well, did you let him have his turn and then ask if you could play?"

M: "It wasn't his turn, Mommy. It was mine. I told him "It's my turn, please!" But he wouldn't give it to me!"

Me: "Well, when you want to share a toy, you need to wait for your turn, and then ask nicely. If the little boy won't let you have a turn, you can ask the teacher to help."

Dan interjects: "Or you can just find something else to play with, M."

(Right. That's what I meant. I'm sure I wouldn't encourage our child to tattle. It's a good thing she has a wise Daddy around!)

M: "Or HE can find something else to play with, and I can play with the cow. I'll say "Please!" and he will say "Thank you!" and then I'll say "You're welcome!"

Me: "Oh, look, here's a bible verse on your paper from class. Did you learn this verse today?"

M: No. I wanted a turn with the cow.

Glad it's all sinking in...

POP Goes My Composure...

2009-01-18T13:28:00.001-08:00

*Edited to Add: The comment at the end of this post about finding a new church is meant humorously; Dan and I LOVE, LOVE our church and the people there! Plus, it's big, so the amount of people who actually witnessed this event is a small percentage ;)! Just thought I'd clarify...**

Original Post
Our day:

M and I wake up and go about the business of getting ready for church. Daddy is still out plowing all the snow that was once again dumped on our frigid state. So we eat our cheerios, take a shower (Mommy), get dressed (both :), and go about the business if getting ourselves out of the house solo. Without Daddy's faithful assistance.

But we do o-kay. Until I am backing up out of the driveway and promptly get stuck in the foot and a half ridge that has been plowed into our drive. I try pulling forward and readjusting, then reverse again. Stuck. Again. Stuck, stuck, still very stuck. "What's happening, Mommy? We have to go to church!" M, who clings to the hour-a-week she gets to spend in her two year old class like a lifeline, is concerned when I say, "We're stuck, Maddy, we might not be able to go to church." I run to grab a shovel to see if I can dig out around the tires.

At this point, I'd like to give a ~~sarcastic~~ shout out to our neighbor across the street out who was out snow blowing his driveway during this time. He continued to do so the entire while that a pregnant girl was shoveling, getting back in the car and trying to move, and shoveling some more. Thanks, Buddy.

Anyways, pure sweetness, because during the time we were stuck, I told M we needed to pray and ask Jesus to help us get unstuck. She did so with all her little heart. And then when we finally were on our way, after a hearty "Thank You, Jesus!", she retold the event on the way to church by saying, "Mommy, I prayer-ed, and Jesus got us unstuck!" And if that doesn't make you smile, I don't know what will :).

So we get there a teensy bit late, we get M to her classroom, I get me to the service, I enjoy the service, I go and get M, and everything is beautiful. We come back to the atrium, where bagels and coffee are being served, and M informs me that "I want bread, Mommy" after seeing a child walk by with a bagel. At this moment I should mention that our family attends a large church, which has a huge main campus about thirty minutes away from our house, and many satellite locations. One just opened in a local high school very close to our house. The atrium in this particular building has very high ceilings. You'll need to remember that in a minute.

So we get a bagel and take a seat at a table in this central gathering place. It's one of those mother-daughter moments, just M and I, enjoying a bagel and the unrushed peace of our morning schedule. Many children are running around, and M notices that most of them have balloons. I conclude that the older kids must have gotten balloons in Sunday school or something. M mentions that she wants a balloon, but, all in all, handles the situation pretty well, and continues eating her bagel. And then a sweet little angel child comes over and hands my girl a huge blue balloon. My heart melts, M is thrilled, and we happily continue munching, this time with M keeping one hand on the balloon.

Then it happens.

Out of nowhere, and for no apparent reason, the balloon pops. And when I say "pops" what I mean is "makes a sound like a bomb going off, or at the very least, gunfire." I promise you I am not exaggerating. It must have had something to do with the very high ceilings, and perhaps the current humidity and phase of the moon, but the sound is enough to silence each and every conversation taking place in the entire area. All eyes are on us.

So, you know, M is crying, and you know I am flushed, but, you know, it was just a balloon that popped. Not a big deal, right? Another sweet angel child (we apparently have a lot of them at church) tells me she will run downstairs and get M another balloon. Meanwhile, the halo-clad kid from earlier comes back and gives M her OTHER balloon. How incredibly sweet. Conversation starts to return to normal and church staff return their cell phones to their pockets, relieved there was, in fact, no actual bomb.

And then...do you think you know what happens next? Yep, THE SECOND BALLOON POPS! Friends, these children had been playing with these balloons for a good 15 minutes, but the minute M and I touch them, they explode. Again, same noise, same halt in conversation, same tears.

Oh wait, did I say "same tears"? That's not entirely true. Because (and here's the TRULY embarrassing part), upon the bursting of the second balloon...I also begin to cry.

That's right. Publicly. With all eyes on me. Right along with my distraught toddler. For no apparent reason other than stinkin' pregnancy raging hormones! I mean, SERIOUSLY? What mom cries over two burst balloons?? If I try to explain it rationally (which, believe me, I can't!), I was sad over seeing M so sad, so scared, so shaken up. Her little lip trembling, her body shaking, saying through her sobs, "That balloon scared my ears!" over and over...well, it broke my heart.

A sweet mom comes over and gives M another balloon, this time complete with a plastic bag to keep it in, because you know that child is not touching another balloon directly for a loooonnngg, loooonnng time. I sniffle through a conversation with Sweet Mom, trying, unsuccessfully, to compose myself when she asks me my name. My hand's a little damp when she shakes it. I mumble about being pregnant and hormonal, and then M and I gather our composure, and vacate the premises.

OH MY STINKIN' GOSH.

So, I need your opinion...do we look for a new church? Or do I hold my head high next Sunday and pretend it is perfectly normal to break down into a weepy puddle when a green balloon pops? Let me know!

Lovin' the madness,

L.

Our Baby BOY!!!

2009-01-13T20:50:00.000-08:00

Our little Baby Carney was seen by Dan and I on Monday at approximately 3:39 pm for the first time. We went into the darkened room, I laid up on the table, Dan sat in a chair and then I told him to move the chair over by the table because he was too far away :). He held my hand, I exposed my tummy and the ultrasound tech said "this gel is warm" as she squirted the blue goo on me. The second the probe touched my belly...a baby appeared up on the screen. It takes my breath away every time (o-kay, the two times I've experienced having an ultrasound)! I fully realize that there is an actual baby living inside me. With toes and fingers and everything.

Baby C. was quite an active little soul, moving, squirming, sucking, and putting his little hands up to his little face.

That's right...very early on in the ultrasound, the tech confirmed that we wanted to know the gender, and then said..."here's your gender! It's a boy!" as she froze the screen on the confirming evidence. WOW! Not only were almost all of YOUR guesses wrong (except for my Mom!), but Dan and I both strongly thought it was a girl as well...but we are thrilled. Dan literally didn't stop smiling for the rest of the ultrasound. My mind immediately went to what it means to have a son...

Little Baby Boy weighed in at approximately 9oz, which puts him in the 50th percentile, and I joked that we've never heard anything less than 98th with Maddy! The tech said that I'm certainly not out of the woods yet for having a big baby since the size usually comes later in pregnancy.

And, thank God, everything was normal and healthy...four chambered heart, two kidneys, in tact spinal cord, normal size fat pad at nape of neck, mouth and nose formed...we are so thankful for a healthy baby.

A healthy baby boy.

I took one last look before the procedure was complete, thinking to myself that was the last time I would see our son until June. I can't wait to hold him.

Boy or Girl???

2009-01-09T07:52:00.000-08:00

*Updated to add: REALLY? Everyone so far guessed "girl"! I'm pretty amazed by that. We'll see if any other votes roll in...*
_______________________________________________
Alright, kiddos, here it is, the big moment of truth. Monday is my ultrasound at 3:30pm, and although I am not looking forward to the "drink-three-glasses-of-water-an-hour-before-the-appointment-thing" (why oh why do they do this to pregnant women? I can't drink a teaspoon of water without having to pee 5 minutes later!), I am GREATLY looking forward to seeing Baby C in ~~living color~~ black and white. Oh, and that little issue of BOY OR GIRL will be revealed! Or twins. I am still holding out a great deal of hope for this little option, as unlikely is at may be!

Anyways, I want to hear your guesses, complete with rationale, if there is any :). Gut feelings count too. Here is some data for your consideration:

*The heart rate has been 155, 160, and 144 respectively the three times I've heard it. There is no scientific support for the heart rate theory, in fact, clinical studies disprove it, but I know a lot of people still give it a lot of credence. So do with this info what you will!

*I'm feeling about the same amount of movement I felt with Maddy at this point.

*I was much more nauseous in the beginning of my pregnancy than I was with M.

*I've gained...wait a minute, a girl's got to have some secrets ;)! I'll just say being pregnant during the holidays is rough!

*I have had one dream where the baby was a boy (right after I found out I was prego) and one two nights ago where the baby was a smaller, blonder version of Madalyn!

That's about it! So guess away, and, on Monday evening, I'll post the gender and list all of you who were right on the money. I'll brag about how intuitive, perceptive, and maybejustatad prophetic you are if you get it right :)!

"You Can't Wear A Five Dollar Bra..."

2009-01-01T18:22:00.000-08:00

...says Oprah. Seriously, I heard her say it. The woman believes in the power of a good brassiere in making you look your best. And, I have to say, I agree. I've tried plenty of discount, Target-type versions that never compare to a good old Victoria Secret counterpart.

But who has $50+ to spend on a single bra? Well, I hope you do, actually. But I don't.

So I was pretty thrilled about this sale at Bare Necessities. Free shipping on any orders over $25, and I just scored two bras that would have normally totaled $106 for $31. That, my friends, is the best of both worlds...good bras at bargain prices. I'm sure Oprah will be so proud of me. You know, when she reads this blog. Y'all didn't know she was a reader? :)

Ohandalso, some Juicy Couture pants happened to fall into my online shopping cart. I know, I know, but just listen...they are black velour and wonderful. And maternity. AND normally $98 on sale for $19.99 (!!!!!!!!!) AND I just got Christmas money. AND when I put them on, I don't plan on taking them off for the duration of my pregnancy, and quite possibly some time after, making them an even better value.

So there you have it, friends. $204 worth of merchandise just purchased for $50.97 out the door.

Buy yourself something pretty! Make Oprah proud.

...and three days old.

2008-12-23T20:05:00.000-08:00

I should be wrapping. And drinking the slurpee my sweet husband just got me. But first, some thoughts :)...

I just happened to notice my ticker on the side of my blog that keeps track of Maddy's age. Normally, I'm much more prone to look at the one directly below it...the one that keeps track of how far along I am in my pregnancy...and mentally try to scoot it along at a faster pace. But I just noticed how old Madalyn is today...

2 years. 7 months. 2 weeks. And 3 days old.

The 3 days are what got me. Sometimes it's so easy to get frustrated with toddler-dom (as in "where do the pee-pees go, Maddy? 'In the potty, Mommy.' "Then WHY are they in your panties??") But there is a part of her that is still so little.

I realized tonight it must be the "3 days old" part.

A wise Mommy once told me that your kids will never again be as little as they are right now, today, so enjoy this moment. See, tomorrow she'll be 2 years, 7 months, 2 weeks, and 4 days old. It's a subtle difference, sure, but it's there. How else do they get from being infants to teenagers?

How many days old are your tiny ones? Or if you don't have any children yet, remember to savor their smallness when they do come, no matter what their ages.

Even when they keep picking their noses after you've told them repeatedly to stop. I mean, I've heard other people's kids do that, and I'm sure it's just disgusting.

Oh, Little M...

2008-12-19T20:24:00.000-08:00

M's down for the night. She's talking softly in her bed, and then is quiet. All of sudden, I hear crying. She's clearly upset about something, so I listen to hear what she's saying:

"I want my crib back! I want to sleep in my crib! I don't LIKE my big girl bed!!!!"

That's right. The girl hasn't slept in a crib since...I really can't even remember when we switched her. Um, August? She's never looked back. We don't talk about cribs. She hasn't seen a crib lately. So whyintheworld is she suddenly, acutely, missing her crib at 9:45 at night??? Oh, M.

When I go in to comfort her and patiently explain that the crib is no longer a slumbering option, she wants me to stay and snuggle. Which is all good and fine, but, remember, the little angel is in a toddler bed that doesn't comfortably accommodate a Mama with a growing tummy. When parts of my body start going numb, I tell her that it's time to go to sleep, and Mommy is going out of her room...

"No, Mommy. God said He wants you to stay in here with Maddy. You stay here, Mama."

Come again? I do believe M can probably hear God's voice clearer than I, so I lay with her awhile longer, just to be sure. I mean, how can I argue with that?? I have no idea how she would even know to say such a thing! It's not common practice in our family to say, "God said for you to do so and so"! Then my oh so wise girl says, "Get out of here, Mama. You can come back later."

And that is that. We are often just shaking our heads by the end of the day...

A Steal of a Deal...

2008-12-19T06:58:00.000-08:00

***Edited to add: And, just like that, this item is back up to $50.00. The Robeez, however, are still there. Oh, Amazon...you're such a tease...****
Anyone still need a gift for a toddler/pre-school girl?? Or do you have one with a birthday coming up? Because this here little gem is a steal and a half at Amazon right now...The Playskool Cherry Blossom Market for $15.00...that's (get this) 75% off! And if you get your order to over $25.00, you can cash in on free shipping as well. (To do so, I would recommend adding on this or this). You'd wind up with a very impressive gift, and could cackle to yourself over what a steal you got while feeling ever so smug!

My only word of caution would be to snatch it up now, before Amazon jacks the price back up. I've already watch the LeapFrog fridge phonics dip to below $10, and then soar back up. Oh, and stinkin' cute Robeez infant shoes were $9.87 (normally $27.99), but that came and went as well. (**Edited to add: OH WAIT! I lied! Here are the Robeez...they are still available! I told you this was crazy!**)

As for me, I keep taking deep breaths and telling myself that Maddy has a tent. Maddy is getting a kitchen for Christmas from her grandparents. She doesn't need a market. She doesn't need it. She doesn't....... However, my newborn niece on the other hand...hmmm...I wonder if I could save it for a few years???!!! I would feel pretty smug when I pulled it out of my closet and wrapped it for her 3rd birthday :).

****This deal courtesy of the ever fabulous WantNot...which you all should be reading if you want to get in on some truly amazing deals :)*****

Silly/ Favorite Maddy pics...

2008-12-17T11:52:00.001-08:00

*Daddy's birthday...

*Maddy calls this her "dinosaur face"!
______________________________________________

My day has so far included:

*Telling Maddy it was "still night-night time" when she woke up at 7:30am this morning. It was still dark(ish), and Mommy didn't sleep so well with Daddy being out plowing snow all night, so I was hoping for justafewmoreminutesplease. My reward for this trick? The little peanut snuggled up in my bed and slept until 9am.

*No potty accidents so far! M is in ~~the same pair of undies she started the day out in~~ a diaper, but only because she is down for a nap. Don't, however, ask me how many accidents she had yesterday, nor inquire about how many I am sure to have this afternoon simply because of the above brag.

*Making chocolate cherry cookies with M. It started out so nicely: I found a recipe in a local paper, had all the ingredients already in the house, had visions of M and I spending quality Mommy/Daughter time. I was even envisioning sharing the sure-to-be-perfect cookie recipe with all of you. However, it called for the unsweetened chocolate to be "melted and cooled", so I popped the bowl in the fridge to speed up the process after heating it. Bad idea, because it got too cold and didn't combine well with the rest of the ingredients. So I have cookies with chocolate flecks. They are o-kay, but not share-worthy. Maddy had a ball helping, even if she did dump a good amount of sugar onto the floor instead of into the bowl :).

*Cleaning up the kitchen, making lunch, cleaning again.

*Seriously contemplating a nap. Everyone else is sleeping, after all. Granted, Dan was up all night working. But, still...

Then Again, I Cry @ OnStar Commercials...

2008-12-15T14:06:00.001-08:00

Kensington's been keepin' it real lately about the current recession and it's effect. I'm so glad. Because there are a lot of struggling, hurting people right now who need a lot more than pat answers or trite quips. I wanted to leave a link to Sunday's message because I love its premise *(I just realized that you still need to click on "Current Series" then "Audio Messages" and "December 14th" to get to what I'm talking about...sorry, it's not letting me link directly to the spot)*:

Can we trust that God will take care of us? I mean, really? And, um, how? How do we, who are down here, trust a God, who is up there, to contend with whatever lion is roaring in our face, breathing down our necks? Your "lion" (bankruptcy, loss of a job, divorce, death of a loved one, pick your flavor) may be so scary, near, and real that you can smell his stinky breath.

Church on Sunday was real, supportive, and very, very touching. It ended with a Rob Bell Nooma Video ("Rain", my fav), so you know that means good, right? Oh, and it also ended with a tearful, pregnant hormonal girl. I'd love to say my tears were a reflection of the depth of my feeling (which they were), but then again, I tear up when I hear those OnStar commercials where the wife has just been in an accident and they patch her through to her husband who says "Baby, I'm on my way." Whew. Only 5 and 1/2 more months. Anyways...

I love the song "Hard To Get" by Rich Mullins, and was about to write out the lyrics, but, I found this, and it is ten times better :). I could have written these lyrics, although, if I had, I'd be a famous songwriter, but you know what I mean...

Here is my favorite quote from the song:

"I can't see how You're leading me,

Unless You've lead me here

To where I'm lost enough to let myself be lead.

And so, You've been here all along, I guess

It's just Your ways and You are...

just plain hard to get."

Maddy! Look at the camera! Smile!

2008-12-13T13:23:00.000-08:00

**Updated** Thank you for all your responses...I truly appreciate the input! In the end, the bottom picture won out and is officially on our card. I was very surprised how much love picture Number 1 got, even though I never intended it to be an official contender! Hey, if you guys love Maddy not looking at the camera and making funny faces, I'll be sure to hook you up! I've got 10 times more of those kind of pics than the traditional kind! :)*******
____________________________________________
Here are two options for our Christmas card (and yes, I'm ordering them tomorrow :), so let me know what you think...a special thanks to Miyuki, our photographer, who patiently said, "Maddy! Look at the camera! Maddy! Please smile!" over and over. This first one is just thrown in to be funny. The two choices follow...

Let me know what you think!

"And An 'I Spy' Book..."

2008-12-12T18:56:00.000-08:00

She'd been rehearsing her list for weeks. "Madalyn, what are you going to ask Santa for, for Christmas?"

A Dora ball.
A Dora game for my Leap Pad.
A Lightening McQueen toy. (Think "Cars")
An "I Spy" Book.

And that was that. I can't tell you why all of those items were picked, but they were what she told us over and over that she wanted for Christmas.

So the big day came. We met friends for an evening celebration of the amazing, unique lighting of a nearby downtown. Santa would be there. Sure enough, we found a long line (outside, of course, in the freezing cold), and joined it. We inched along, and by the time we neared the large stage where Santa sat, Madalyn was dancing with excitement. I wasn't sure if she planned to sit on Santa's lap or put on a show, complete with robust renditions of toddler-interpreted Christmas carols. It was our turn and I handed her over to Mrs. Claus, who deposited her on Santa's lap. She was awestruck, caught up in the moment. When the question came, "And what do you want for Christmas?", my never-at-a-loss daughter...lost her words. Her eyes turned to me and I recited her list:

A Dora ball.
A Dora game for her Leap Pad.
A Lightening McQueen toy.

"Right, Maddy? That's what you want?"

Madalyn looks at me. She looks at Santa. She waits a beat. Clearly, it's now or never.

"AND, an 'I Spy Book!" she instructs. I laugh...I had totally forgotten her last item, and she wouldn't take a chance on not asking for the book!

As we walk off the stage, Madalyn looks at me and says, "So...where are the toys, Mommy?" She apparently thought Santa produced on the spot! ;)

Now Accepting Christmas Miracles

2008-12-10T12:43:00.000-08:00

Yesterday a tearful husband called me at 9:18 am (approximately...ahem) and told me his boss had called him into his office and laid him off. Unexpectedly. A few weeks ago, all the salaried and year-round employees in his company took a significant pay cut, and we thought that was the end of it. Sure it was a blow. But I'm sure you can guess our mantra, right? "At least you still have a j_ _!" Can you guess the missing letters? Sorry, there's no prize. So you understand why Tuesday's news seemed a particularly low blow. Oh, and the little detail of a big national holiday coming up. What is it again? Oh yeah....CHRISTMAS. Nice timing.

So we pray. Well, first we cry, and rehash the whole event, and wonder whatintheworld we're going to do, and how quickly we can sell our house. We resolve to try every avenue, explore every option.

And then...

We pray.

And then...we put up all our Christmas decorations. Since we are real-tree people, we haven't decorated yet because we haven't gotten our tree. We haven't gotten our tree because we are waiting to go with Dan's brother and his wife and they are available this upcoming weekend. Anyways, we put up the decorations. Which seems like an odd thing to do the day after Dan was laid off. But what is a normal thing to do?

We have had a lot of (financial) ups and downs (o-kay, mostly downs) in our married life so far, but our married life so far has been awesome. There was a small, irrational little part of me that was actually glad that Dan will be home to spend time with us. We've been here before. Up until now, Dan has been laid off every winter...it was just part of his prior position. Of course, we were thrilled that his new job was year-round and salary. Such peace of mind, we thought.

We aren't quite sure what to do, but we've been praying hard even before this happened. We've known we needed to make some (major life) changes, and were just asking for the right path. So what seems disastrous we are so hopefully interpreting as a nudge. In, you know, a direction. Now, knowing what direction would, of course, be particularly helpful. So, if you'd like to pray for us, please pray that way.

Our preference? We don't care if it's hard, or challenging, or new, or different, or near or far. We will not lose our optimism, our joy in our family, our love for each other. Those things are absolutes. I saw my husband smile today, heard my daughter's uncontrollable laugh, ate yummy grilled turkey and provolone sandwiches with mustard, and made the house feel like Christmas (minus the tree). I am thankful for each of those things. But, Dear Lord, we need a plan. We want to please You and make You proud. We want to be generous and love each other and others well. We celebrate Baby Jesus, Advent, and that He grew up to do so much with a few small fishes and loaves of bread. Make 'em multiply. We're ready.

Itty Bitty Not Me

2008-12-07T21:48:00.000-08:00

A short little "Not Me Monday" post to give you a brief insight into the week of Maddy and I. It's been a bit trying around here. Someone tell me again how many more days until spring? We're going a little stir crazy...

In the landmark battle of Mama and The Socks v. Madalyn, once the victory of Mama became apparent and the socks were being put onto the feet, a certain two and a half year old most certainly did not say to her patient, loving Mama who cares about the warmth of her toes, "You are going to have to go in time-out, Mommy, because YOU are not listening to ME."

A toddler with that much sass would never be blossoming under my ~~perfect parenting~~ loving care.

I most certainly did not have at least two days where I told Madalyn "It's a good thing you're cute" and she did not lovingly embrace her Daddy when he walked in the door each evening as if her savior had come. I'm sure I had plenty of patience with frequent bouts of whining caused by caged-up-toddler-energy and crabby-hormonal-Mommy.

I did not tell Maddy that all Mommy wants for Christmas is for her to put her pee-pees and poo-poos in the potty EVERY time. And I did not mean it with all my heart. I may mention this request to Santa next time I see him at the mall. It's worth a shot at this point.

Have a great week!

Rebel Without A Cause?

2008-12-06T08:36:00.000-08:00

I've talked about MckMama's blog before and how entertaining I find it! Well, if that wasn't enough of a reason for you to visit, here's a great incentive: from now until December 14, you have a chance to enter an amazing raffle MckMama is offering. She is giving away a Canon Rebel SLR, the very piece of equipment she uses in her professional photography business. As if that wasn't enough, the prize package also includes an extra lens, a high speed SD card, a posh camera bag, a gorgeous camera strap, a blog makeover from a design studio, and a 16 x 20 canvas print of one of the amazing shots you take with your fancy new camera.

Wow! Right? What could make the whole thing better? To enter the raffle, MckMama asks that you give a $10.00 donation which will benefit some amazing charities. I won't give all the details, since you can read about it here, but it's a beautiful thing, and she's raising a boat-load of money.

A couple of my very cool friends have SLR cameras, and I've seen their beautiful work, so this is a prize not to miss! Have fun :).

Happy Thanksgiving (Weekend)!

2008-11-29T20:41:00.000-08:00

This post is a thinly-veiled attempt to say "Happy Thanksgiving" to everyone, while really just showing off how cute Madalyn's outfit was on Thanksgiving Day ;)! Yes, those boots do come in your size; we purchased them at Journeyz Kids and then I saw them at the regular Journeyz store in women's sizes! They were a little more than my normal shoe budget for Maddy (which is about $9.99 at Target :), but the dress was a hand-me-down, so it all works out, right?

I sincerely hope your Thanksgiving was warm and contented. While these are hard times (ecspecially for Michigan. Ahem.), there is so much to be thankful for: our health, family, clean drinking water, a warm bed...I could go on and on. Oh, and for a husband who drove all the way to Olive Garden just to get his pregnant wife the stuffed mushrooms she was craving, even when she told him repeatedly not to. He's sneaky. And he's mine ;).

Cloth Diaper Discount

2008-11-24T10:45:00.000-08:00

I just received an e-mail today from Blueberry Diapers with a link to a short survey. Once the survey is completed, the e-mail promises a discount code will be sent to me for 10-20% off any of the products on the Blueberry website (including Blueberry and Swaddlebees).

The survey was a breeze and told me afterwards that I would receive my code in 2 days. Just thought I'd pass along the info (here is the link to the survey) in case any of you beautiful cloth-diaper-ers out there are looking to add to your stash!

Sorry I've been an absentee blogger lately...we had a death in the family and life got put on hold for a little while. And now with the Holiday this week, I can't promise any new posts, but we'll see :).

Enjoy diaper shopping!

Because Listening to Country Music Makes Me Sappy...

2008-11-12T19:17:00.000-08:00

10 Things I Am Thankful For, In No Particular Order

Number 2: My daughter. She is my shadow.

Today I decided to straighten my hair for no particular reason, other than being out of gel/mousse. I tried scrunching it yesterday with my straightening gel, and that really confused my poor tresses, leaving it in a frizzy, half-curly, half-straight mess. I couldn't deal with another day like that, so I decided to take the time to straighten. No small feat with a two year old. However, Madders entertained herself by smearing my makeup all over her cheeks in war-paint fashion. When I showed her her work in the mirror, she seemed quite satisfied with the results. And later, when I stealthily tried to wipe her face, she squealed, "Mommy, NO! Don't wash off my MAKEUP!!" I can hardly imagine how her teenage years are going to be.

Anyways, I was straightening my hair. Madalyn eventually tired of the makeup, and wandered to the living room to play with toys. By the time I finished, the little Miss was a stinky make-up artist, so I laid her back to change her diaper. Really seeing me for the first time since I finished getting ready, she said,

"Mama! You are a princess!" and then proceeded to reverently touch my hair as if she were a remote jungle child seeing blonde hair for the first time. It got me thinking that maybe I should straighten more often.

And that I love my daughter. After her bath, she wanted me to blow dry her hair, and make it look straight and smooth. Which is perfect, because it plays beautifully into my master plan to be able to blow dry and curl it for Christmas portraits. Yeah, I know that's a big dream. Especially since half-way to dry, she declared, "O-kay, Mama. That's good. I look like a princess. Can I go watch a movie?" When I told her she still had wet strands she said, "Oh no, Mommy. They aren't wet, they're just warm." Right.

But before we went to watch a movie, I clipped her fingernails and toenails. I know, very uneventful. Very everyday. Yet she was sitting on my lap, warm, dry, and quiet, and it was just one of those moments. There are days I go a bit stir-crazy. I fight to see what's ahead, where we are going. I plead with God to lead us, to give us a chance to do right by Him in our one chance we have to walk through life. I look forward.

So country music makes me sappy. Right now I am watching the CMA awards. I am writing, and had paused in the middle of that last paragraph, not sure where I was headed. Then I knew. Because Trace Atkins just started singing this song. In summary, I am thankful for my daughter. Where she is right now. Where we are right now. And that God is here...right now.

"You're Gonna Miss This"

By Trace Adkins

She was staring out the window of their SUV

Complaining, saying "I can't wait to turn 18"

She said "I'll make my own money, and I'll make my own rules"

Mamma put the car in park out there in front of the school

Then she kissed her head and said "I was just like you"

You're gonna miss this

You're gonna want this back

You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast

These are some good times

So take a good look around

You may not know it now

But you're gonna miss this

Before she knows it, she's a brand new bride

In a one-bedroom apartment, and her daddy stops by

He tells her "It's a nice place"

She says "It'll do for now"

Starts talking about babies and buying a house

Daddy shakes his head and says "Baby, just slow down"

Cause you're gonna miss this

You're gonna want this back

You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast

These are some good times

So take a good look around

You may not know it now

But you're gonna miss this

Five years later there's a plumber workin' on the water heater

Dog's barkin', phone's ringin' One kid's cryin', one kid's screamin'

And she keeps apologizin'

He says "They don't bother me. I've got 2 babies of my own. One's 36, one's 23.

Huh, it's hard to believe, but...

You're gonna miss this

You're gonna want this back

You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast

These are some good times

So take a good look around

You may not know it now

But you're gonna miss this"

HILARIOUS!!!!

2008-11-10T20:18:00.001-08:00

If you don't already read MckMama's blog, then I dare you to read this post, and then not become a faithful reader. I'm pretty sure it would be impossible to not get sucked into the hilarity and sweetness. Oh, and her conversations with her three year old are spot on with the ones I have all day around here with my M. Maybe that's why I love it so much.

HILARIOUS. And, yes, that is a double-dog dare.

Don't make me put a cherry on top.

Ways I Am Blessed...Part 1...

2008-11-06T20:29:00.000-08:00

10 Ways I Am One Blessed Girl, In No Particular Order
Number One: I have world-class best friends.

This is probably one of my favorite pictures of all time. I found it again today, and it brought such warmth to my heart. We have soaked each other's shoulders in tears. We have wiped away pure joy from our own eyes at each other's weddings (one of us barely got through a reading during a ceremony :). They watched my daughter come into the world. She calls them "aunties". We have cried when one of us was leaving to go out of the country for a couple weeks (ie: Andrea leaving on her honeymoon...or these photos...)

We have been inexplicably proud of each other's accomplishments. We've had our moments. But I think we've balanced each other out. We've grown up. I still need them.

Here's to you two. I love you forever.

Not A Not Me Monday Post :)

2008-11-03T12:20:00.001-08:00

Well, it seems that MckMama is taking a break from her normal "Not Me Monday" posting, seeing as she just had a baby a few days ago. So I'll follow suit and take a break as well. You know, because, umm, I'm too excited to start working on a sewing project. Excited enough to ignore the inch of crumbs under Madalyn's chair and the dust bunnies the size of...well...actual bunnies.

Sure, I'd be happy to advise you anytime on how I do such a great job of priority-setting. No charge.

Soooo...I don't know how to upload a YouTube video to my blog. I know that makes me terribly behind-the-times. I tried by clicking on the video upload thingy and pasting the link in the box, but my computer just rolled it's eyes at me. Apparently there's more to it than that. But I truly love this ad, so you should make the extra effort to click the link! :) I know it's all advertising, but I fell for it hook, line, and sinker. I know what I'll be doing after I vote. How about you?

Fancy Nancy...

2008-11-02T08:00:00.000-08:00

Here is some eye-candy of our little Fancy Nancy on Halloween! "Fancy Nancy" is a fairly new children's book series centered around a little girl in love with all things fancy. The mom I nanny for got Madalyn the dress-up outfit, the book, Fancy Nancy's dog, Frenchy (seen in some of these photos), and a few other things for her birthday, and we've been in love with Fancy Nancy ever since! Enjoy! These pictures are spectacular! (That's the fancy word for "great"!)

Drinking Beer While I'm Pregnant...

2008-10-29T12:44:00.000-07:00

I was talking to a friend at Story Time yesterday, and, since she is pregnant with her fourth child, I decided to make the poor soul listen to my complaints of nausea. She was very patient with my whining, and then calmly suggested that I go to Trader Joe's and buy some beer.

Ginger beer, that is.

Which, it turns out, is not alcoholic in the least, all natural, and contains an amazing amount of ginger. I said, "Oh, yeah, I was going to try some Verners" and my friend patiently explained that Verners doesn't actually contain any real ginger...just the flavor. But this Jamaican Ginger Beer is chuck-full of the tummy-soothing stuff, plus other natural, good-for-you ingredients.

So I made a special trip and bought a four-pack. My friend has also mentioned they had ginger chews, so I grabbed a good sized bag for only 1.49. Old Trader Joe's actually surprised me in it's pricing. I often lament to myself that I would like to feed my family organic food, but am not a billionaire. However, I bought Organic Vanilla yogurt, and it was exactly the same price per ounce as good old Dannon. Huh.

Anyways, I found the Ginger Beer, the Ginger Chews, and you know I was about to reach for the Ginger Chips, when I had to say, "Whoa, Girl. Let's not go ginger-crazy."

This morning I woke up, as nauseous as ever. I had a piece of peanut butter toast with a Ginger Beer chaser, and felt like a new woman. I'll tell you what, I'd recommend the stuff to anyone. It'd be a good idea just to pick some up to have at your house for the next time someone gets a stomach ache. Just sayin' :).

I do hope that none of the neighbors saw me walking around the house at 9:00am with a beer bottle. Don't believe the rumors, if you hear any!

Smoothie Heaven

2008-10-27T13:39:00.000-07:00

I made this smoothie for breakfast this morning, and, let me tell you, it was wonderful.

Madalyn and I shared it.

And I was a little sad, to be honest, that I had filled her cup up quite so full after I tasted it...there wasn't enough left for me! :) So, if your planning on sharing, I suggest doubling the recipe. Otherwise, you may find yourself feeling selfish and jealous way too early in your day!

Go ahead, stick a couple cut-up bananas in the freezer...you'll thank yourself in the morning!

NOTE: I substituted the plain yogurt for vanilla yogurt. I've been forbidden from buying plain yogurt by my dear hubby for this simple reason: I use a half cup or a cup of it for some recipe, and then promptly let the rest spoil in the fridge. Every time. On the other hand, we all love vanilla yogurt. There you have it :)

Not Me Monday Number 2!

2008-10-26T18:27:00.000-07:00

It's that time again...NOT ME MONDAY! Check out this great tradition over at My Charming Kids! Enjoy!

This week my body did not say, "Hey, I'm pregnant! I should start acting like it!" I was not greeted by voracious nausea each and every morning that stuck around until 5pm each evening. As a result, Madalyn did not set a weekly record for "most Dora watched" as her mommy did not lay on the couch and attempt not to puke.

So, truly, there is NOT much to report :)!

We did not go to the pumpkin patch on Saturday with the little girl I babysit for, E., and Dan's brother and his wife, Miyuki. It did not feel more like hunting for a Christmas tree than a pumpkin as we were not absolutely freezing! We did not still manage to have fun, get pumpkins, drink hot cider, pet freezing cold animals in the freezing cold petting zoo, and go on a, you guessed it, freezing cold hayride!

Back at E's house later that night, I certainly did not eat in the upwards of 6-7 small dill pickles. I did not, in my determination, reach into the pickle jar with my bare fingers. I mean, it wasn't my house, not my pickle jar, WHY would I do something like that?? I'm sure I used a fork to fish that last one out, like a civilized adult.

We were not invited to go to "Playhouse Disney On Ice" with our friends AGAIN, right after the privilege of going to "Disney on Ice" just a few weeks ago. We did not again enjoy an amazing suite and feel oh, so spoiled. And, I assure you, I did not sit with Madalyn in the suite seating for ten minutes before the show started, watching the "pre-show" entertainment before I realized, "Hey, there's no ice." Yep, turns out it was just "Playhouse Disney" and I did not make up the "On Ice" part in my own mind. Yikes. Sometimes I worry about me.

Alas, now it is Sunday night, at twenty to ten, and Madalyn is not still awake in her bed, singing "Meeshka, Mooshka, Mickey Mouse!" and "Hot dog, hot dog, hot diggity dog." Love it.

When Dan and I were visiting Frank and Andi last weekend, we did not find the very umbrella that matches the very rain boats and rain coat my Mom bought for Maddy a year ago. We did not buy M said umbrella, since she has been begging me for one in her best starving-orphan voice for quite some time. She did not have a chance to test it out this afternoon, and Dan did not take THE CUTEST PICTURE EVER. I'm sorry if you think you have a cuter one...you simply don't ;)! O-kay, you do, but just humor me here...

Have a happy Monday!

We're Moving To Kalamazoo...Not Really...But Maybe...

2008-10-22T20:15:00.000-07:00

I watched an amazing story on the news tonight. The City of Kalamazoo, Michigan, is offering an amazing incentive for the students in their community...free college education. You can check out the specifics here, but basically if you have a child who starts in the district in kindergarten, his or her tuition will be paid in full upon graduation, assuming he or she makes the grades to warrant college acceptance.

Amazing. The theory behind the incentive is that education produces jobs which in turn stimulate the economy. The program is funded by anonymous donors who "want neither the praise nor the blame for the program." I thought that was well said and admirable.

The news cast mentioned that so far the only down-side of the program has been that some students were simply not prepared for college and did not succeed in their first couple years. Apparently the district is now taking steps to help all graduating kids be "college-ready." I'm not sure specifically what that means.

But I'm told I can find out at the 6:45 am news cast. Looks like I'll be googling it when I make my way to the computer at 10:00 am! :)

So, anyways, I might just check out what it would take to move to Kalamazoo...

Mexican...It's What's For Dinner...

2008-10-21T15:00:00.000-07:00

*Sigh*. What to make for dinner when I desperately need to go grocery shopping:

Chicken Pizziola? No mozzarella or Parmesan cheese.

Chicken and Dumplings? Multiple things I don't have.

Macaroni and Cheese, homemade? No milk or Colby jack cheese.

Pancakes? Um, no milk or eggs.

Joy of Cooking Instant Skillet Dinner? Ugghh. Maybe.

RESTAURANT.COM

USE CODE: SAVOR for 60% off

Casa Real - $10 Gift Certificate
$3.00

Subtotal
$3.00

Discount Applied:
($1.80)

Total:
$1.20

We're having Mexican tonight! ;)

The Anatomy of a Story Time

2008-10-21T12:49:00.000-07:00

10:25: We arrive. Although, I should back up. At home, at around 10:20, I am putting on Madalyn's shoes and coat, thinking, "I should talk to her about proper story time behavior again." I'll do it in the car. I forget.

So, 10:25: we arrive. I remember to talk about story time behavior as we walk in. Madalyn doesn't hear me, though, because she is saying "DA! DA!" and other syllables to see if her voice echoes in the breezeway. She is constantly checking for echo-edge lately.

Maddy says a rather loud and boisterous "HI FISHIES!!" as we walk by the fish tank. I start thinking "this may not end well." She heads over to the children's section and straight for the toys. Fine. The story room isn't open yet.

10:30: The door opens. All the moms instruct our children to put away the puzzles and blocks. "Madalyn, put away the puzzle. See? It's time for story time!! We can come back and do puzzles afterwards-and-also-get-a-movie-if-you're-good-please-put-that-puzzle-away-right-now-(crying, refusing)-do-you-want-to-just-go-home??"
I get the puzzle out of her hands. I take her into the room, hoping she will get distracted. More tears. Utterly refusing. I finally pick her up and head out. The sweet teacher whispers, "Feel free to bring her back in after she calms down" I say, "Thanks, I will, we're just going to have a little chat."

10:35: Back to the breezeway, the only place I can feel o-kay about her wailing without disturbing anyone. We chat. I reiterate the high points of behaving in story time: we get to sing songs, do a project at the end, play with puzzles afterwards, and pick out a movie. On the flip side, if we continue crying, we'll just go home. We walk to the bathroom to get a tissue to dry her tears. On the way back through, we see our friends arrive. "Oh look, Maddy! It's H.! Don't you want to go to story time with H?" Maddy doesn't hear me because she is detouring back towards the puzzles. I manage to reroute her.

10:40: We're back in story time. Madalyn doesn't want to sit in the circle on a carpet square, but opts for the hard tile outside the circle. Fine. It's still touch and go here, and I don't know if we're going to last. Then the teacher turns on Raffi's "We're Going To The Zoo." Madalyn's eyes light up. Sensing my opportunity, I ask her if she wants to go stand in the circle with the other children. "Yep!" she says as she bounds into the middle.

10:41: Some children are standing. Most are still sitting on their carpet squares or in their mother's laps. Madalyn is dancing and jumping with her whole body and heart around the center of the circle while loudly singing,

"WE'RE GOING TO THE ZOO, ZOO, ZOO

HOW ABOUT YOU, YOU, YOU

YOU CAN COME TOO, TOO, TOO

WE'RE GOING TO THE ZOO, ZOO, ZOO"

At least, that's what it appears she is doing as I peak between my fingers as my hands cover my reddened face. How could my child go from crying to being the center of attention in less than a minute? The other mothers are giving me gentle smiles and saying, "Wow! Look at her go! Hey, it's o-kay!"

10:45: Raffi has finished his catchy zoo tune, and it is time for the part of story time I dread the most: the actual story time. It is a constant struggle to get Madalyn to sit quietly for this portion, especially since she is usually so ramped up from Raffi. I notice my hands are sweating. Madalyn politely sits down with the other children. Moms say things like "Honey, go sit down by Madalyn" to their children because you know that every mom and child in the class knows Madalyn's name. She sits for a good portion with minimal squirming, standing, and finding a new spot and then sitting again. I begin to relax.

10:47: Madalyn abruptly stands next to the teacher and faces the group. She begins reciting the "Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See?" being read in a much more animated voice than the teacher. My friend A. says, "Wow! Do you have this book at home?" No, no we don't. We have "Brown Bear" and Maddy's simply picked up the pattern of the story. I whisper for her to sit down.

10:49: Madalyn takes a good hard look at the children. This story is losing them, she decides. She then takes the initiative to launch back into "GOING TO THE ZOO, ZOO, ZOO..." complete with galloping dance. I pull her aside. A few two-year old followers begin singing it again as well. I think, not for the first time, that I will one day be getting notes home from school.

10:51: Mercifully, it is finally time for the project, the part of story time that makes it all worthwhile. As soon as the teacher picks up the pieces of cardboard we use as "desks," Maddy is in my lap, politely waiting. A completed construction paper panda is displayed; that is our finished example. Paper, glue, and googly eyes are passed out. Madalyn is now a model student. She is every week during this time. She pastes and sticks with utter concentration. You'd hardly recognize her as the child whom most mothers were secretly prescribing Ritalin to in their minds just 10 minutes prior.

11:00: Our panda is completed and class is done. We put away our supplies and head pack to the puzzles. As with the project, Madalyn sits and sorts through the puzzles longer than any other child; we are the last to leave. I remind her about the videos, and we pick out two.

Next week, we'll do it all over again. Oh, and tomorrow is Gym and Swim. Keep me in your prayers.

"Not Me!" Monday...

2008-10-20T00:00:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends! I have decided to be a part of "Not Me Monday," started by the hilarious MckMama at My Charming Kids. As she said, it does the soul good to be brutally honest behind the shroud of "not me"! I hope you enjoy this post, and you can hop over to her site to see what else moms would NEVER do this past week!

I did not skip our library storytime on Tuesday for no particular reason at all. Sure, it may have been raining. Sure my stomach was feeling a little funny. But, truth be untold, I did not skip out of pure laziness! Nope, not me!

I did not take Madalyn on fast-food lunch dates two consecutive days this past week (Wednesday and Thursday), once with my mom and once with Rebekah. I would never subject her to unhealthy fare in such abundance! (Of course, if I DID do such a thing, I'm sure I would have opted for the apple slices and not chocolate milk with the Happy Meal. Oh, how I love the way Mickey D's does not give me a way out of Mom-Guilt!)

And, for good measure, on the way out of the McDonalds we did not go to with Rebekah on Thursday, Madalyn did not drop her cookie in the parking lot, and I most certainly DID NOT pick it up, blow it off, and give it back to her. That would be totally disgusting. Who knows where that parking lot has been???!!!

I did not fill out Madalyn's first book order, given to us by our teacher-friend Meeghan. I did not relish the task of picking out each and every book, memories of bringing home my own book orders as a child flooding my mind. I did not imagine the smell of new books and scrutinize the order to see if it mentioned how long the books would take to come in! I did not remember how my heart would skip a beat as I saw the brown Scholastic box sitting on my teacher's desk after lunch. :)

After all, I was not picking out books for Madalyn, and it had nothing to do with my "school-days" nostalgia.

Dan and I did not announce that our family is growing...and not just by Bubbles, our new beta fish. Madalyn did not vehemently insist that Baby Carney is in "MY TUMMY!! NOT MAMA'S TUMMY! MADA-WYN'S TUMMY!" while smacking her belly repeatedly for emphasis. I did not finally say, "O-kay, the baby's in Madalyn's tummy" in a world-weary voice to avoid a complete meltdown. She did not eventually concede that the baby is, in fact, in Mama's tummy afterall (who knew?). We are all not crazy excited and of course, are not, in the least, a little crazy apprehensive. We are not trusting God fully, knowing firsthand (ie: Madalyn) that He provides for that which He gives.

Dan and I did not enjoy a weekend away at Frank & Andi's house while my parents watched Madalyn. I'm sure we did not spend a good chunk of time telling each other cute Madalyn stories and secretly missing our little girl. I mean, come on, it's our weekend away, right? I did not have a dream that our new baby is a boy. I did not consult the oh-so-reliable Chinese calendar online, which confirmed ever-so-accurately that the baby is a girl.

So I'm glad I got that ironed out. :)

I did not enjoy my first "Not Me Monday" post and will not be looking for new things I would never do this week!

Happy Monday!

Love,

Laura

I Simply Must Learn To Make These...

2008-10-15T12:42:00.000-07:00

Right now I am praying for divine wisdom and knowledge, because I simply must learn how to make these hair clippies for Madalyn. Sure, I could buy them where I found them, but what fun would that be?

O-kay, more correctly, it would be quite fun, but I'm pretty sure this month's budget didn't make allowance for hair clippies.

Although I better just check with Dan to make sure. He could have thrown in 20 bucks for Madalyn's hair needs without my knowledge. I did buy the generic Target spray-in detangler for $1.14, so I'd still be good.

Anyways, just feast your eyes on these. Now I'm going to dig out some ribbon and a glue gun. Wish me luck!

I'm ecspecially loving the Big Bad Wolf and Little Red. Madalyn loves that story. Of course, I couldn't actually show them to her, or tell her I was putting them in her hair, or they'd never stay in. She'd want to play with them instead. But I could have the satisfaction of knowing her favorite story was playing out in her tresses. Maybe I'd just take a picture and show her later :).

Hop, Heel, Toe...

2008-10-07T14:30:00.000-07:00

So it's been awhile since I've posted. Just thought I'd state the obvious :). There has been a lot going on in the Carney household: Maddy made her latest horseback riding venture during Metamora's Horse Festival, we attended Disney on Ice, thanks to a very generous offer from Meeghan (Madalyn, who barely took her eyes off the ice, thanks you most of all for her first real show!), etc.

I've had a bit of a blank on what to post. But felt compelled to post something lest you think I've abandoned this blog. So, how about some cute Maddy moments? Those are always good, right? Just humor me and say "right"!

*Madalyn calls my high heels "hop-heel-toes". I have no idea where she got this from, but she is very consistent in her use of the term. As in, "Mama, are you going to wear these hop-heel-toes to church?" I love it. I actually think it is an accurate description of what it feels like to wear high heels.

*Every week, Madalyn brings a paper home from her two-year old class at church stating what they learned, a suggested activity, and things to read throughout the week. Two weeks ago, they learned about obedience. Maddy literally came home saying "The Bible tells us to obey!" Much to my delight, now when I want her to listen, all I have to say is, "Maddy, what does the Bible tell us?" And she will say "Obey, obey, obey" nodding her head up and down while she does what I've asked.

O-kay. Maybe it doesn't always work that way. She is two. But still, I want to hug her teachers at church and cry tears of joy.

*This week, Madalyn learned about how God wants us to help others. She came home with a picture of David playing the harp for King Saul. I asked her who was in the picture and she said, "Noah, the Jungle King." Again, I couldn't make this stuff up. Apparently, the story of David didn't quite stick.

*Today Madalyn and I went for a walk. It's the first time we've walked a significant distance, just the two of us, no stroller or bike, no distractions. It was such a beautiful afternoon. We talked about how the trees drop their leaves in the fall, and found some beautiful ones. We collected pine needles, sprigs of lavender, and a dandelion as well. It was one of those moments where I felt truly present, and soaked up every second I could spend walking very slowly with my daughter. Everything looked so beautiful, vibrant, and warm.

Then I realized why. I got these great new sunglasses from Target, and they make everything look bright and vivid. When I took them off, nothing looked quite as beautiful. I highly recommend getting yourself a pair...they will make you feel much more cheerful :).

*So I've mentioned a bit about church. It's been a long, I mean looonnnnggg, time since Dan and I have felt at home in a church. I am so thankful to say that we now do. To add to how awesome of a blessing that in itself is, a few weeks ago the service opened with a string quartet playing Coldplay's "Yellow." I'll tell you what, it was amazing. What encourages me further is the upcoming series entitled "Confessions of a Sinful Church." If that wasn't engaging enough, here are the upcoming messages:

October 19: "We're Sorry for Being Self-Righteous Hypocrites"

October 26: "We're Sorry for Judging You"

November 2: "We're Sorry for Being Too Political"

November 9: "We're Sorry for Despising Homosexuality"

November 16: "We're Sorry for Caring Only About Converting You"

November 23: "We're Not Sorry for Following Jesus"

Right? I know. I'm interested too. Reminds me of an amazing chapter in Donald Miller's Blue Like Jazz called "Confession." If you haven't read that book, you should go buy it today and read it immediately. Here's a quote out of it that summarizes a depth of where Dan and I have come from in regards to church and how it feels to be on the other side:

"So here is a step-by-step formula for how you, too, can go to church without getting angry:

*Pray that God will show you a church filled with people who share your interests and values.

*Go to the church God shows you.

*Don't hold grudges against any other churches. God loves those churches almost as much as He loves yours."

Donald Miller, Blue Like Jazz

More to come. In the mean time, get yourself some rose-colored glasses and go take a walk. You'll be glad you did.

Sparky the Robot

2008-09-25T07:15:00.001-07:00

Meet Sparky the Robot! He is my first knitted toy! I made this little guy for my nephew's second birthday and included a couple of robot books. He truly was a joy to make, and I grew quite fond of him during our hours upon hours spent together. It was actually a little difficult to give him away. Particularly when the birthday-boy was most engaged with the plastic, colored toys that make noise. :)

It reminded me of a quilting class my mom and I took with the most amazing instructor, Ruth Ann. She was a great teacher who I keep meaning to take several more classes from...she's that good. Anyways, Ruth Ann showed us some of her personal quilts, and they would take your breath away. I, somewhere along the line, made a comment such as "Wow, your family must loove to receive such beautiful things as gifts!" Ruth Ann looked at me with a shocked expression and said, "Oh, no! I never, ever give my quilts away! They are like my children! Besides, my family would never appreciate them." I later regaled this story with much disdain for not sharing such a talent with others, but...

After Sparky, I kind of understood.

You spend hours of your time, yourself, on making a homemade gift, and your heart is a bit in your throat when the receiver opens your hard work. I think that's why I love receiving homemade things so much...they are so personal, a true gift of self.

So how do you feel when you give away something you made yourself? Anyone relate?

Funny story: Madalyn watched Owen open our gift, recognized the robot as the same one that's been hanging out at our house all these days, and proceeded to calmly walk up and snatch it away. It took quite a bit of explaining to get her to understand the time had come to part with our dear Sparky!

Dusty, Vivid, Telling, Full of Heart...

2008-09-18T18:46:00.000-07:00

...just a few words I would use to describe my latest read:Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen, came highly recommend from two trustworthy sources: 1) Dan's Aunt Jane Carney, who I absolutely love. She never married, recently retired from her job as a librarian in an Erie, PA school, and now enjoys traveling and her book club that she has belonged to for ages. I have always wanted to be in a book club. Anyways, I was lamenting to her on a visit over the summer, complaining about how I absolutely adore reading, but never know where to look next for a good pick. Part of the reason is that I came out of a conservative background where everything I read was "Christian," and there is only so much of that genre I can take, although I do still enjoy a good Karen Kingsbury or Francine Rivers, don't get me wrong.

But I digress. The point is that Aunt Jane told me about Water for Elephants and I jotted down the title in my journal. And then promptly forgot about it.

Until source number (2) reminded me: my beloved Real Simple magazine. Last month they did a write-in survey entitled "What's Your Favorite Book Club Book?" I hungrily read every last response, and Water for Elephants was the very first novel listed. Convinced, I placed a hold online through our local library's website (how much I absolutely LOVE the fact that I can request a book online and then have it set aside, waiting for me, when I arrive at the library is, entirely, another post altogether.) I picked it up and read it in a matter of two days, tops.

I loved it.

Here is my disclaimer: there are some sections that are, um, not suitable for readers under maybe 21, or preferably not for non-married readers. But those are short in length. The overall tone of the book is so rich and deep. You will keep turning pages. There is just enough sentiment, just enough mystery, just enough of your own memories of the circus to keep every one of your senses engaged. You can taste the cotton candy, feel a fine layer of dust and sweat on your skin, and hear your heart pounding when the acts begin. And there are unexpected layers and emotions you won't anticipate in a circus novel.

The story is beautifully crafted, and the ending is absolutely what every author aspires the ending of her novel to be: perfectly satisfying and just a little cheeky.

O-kay, I promise to end what it beginning to feel like a book report (wow, it's been awhile since I've done one of those!), but I do promise to keep posting about the books I read, because I know how much I appreciate a good recommendation.

As a side note, Real Simple has started what they call a "no-obligation" book club online that you can check out. I'm planning to follow along, so I'll post some thoughts here.

Go forth and read, fellow bookworms!

Jesus Is True...

2008-09-15T18:59:00.000-07:00

...That is what Madalyn will tell you if you ask her what she learned in her class at church on Sunday. I asked later Sunday afternoon, not hoping for much of a response, and those three little words caught me completely off guard.

She was wearing a sticker on her dress when she came out that said "The Bible Is True," so I am pretty sure she was spot on with remembering what she had learned.

I so want to bring her up to know how BIG God is, that He can be trusted, that He is good and made her very, very good too. I want her to know what I am still trying to learn: that He loves us and that even when things go horribly awry, when situations are hurtful or devastating, when we are let way, way down, it is really, on a very eternal, deep level, o-kay. We are loved and protected. There is always, always reason to hope and reason for joy.

And sometimes we have to throw a big, old-fashioned fit and get it out of our system when we are disappointed. That's o-kay because it is honest. It is raw hurt and disappointment expressed.

He can take it. He expects it.

I want her to know Him. But on a primal level, God is showing me that is largely His job. My relationship with Jesus has always been intensely personal; it's about me and Him. It has been since my childhood. I pray He gives Dan and I the words, the actions, the love to show Maddy truth. But in the end, it is He who will whisper His words, uttered uniquely for her ears, spoken in the way she can best understand...

Jesus is true.

I Love A Rainy Day...

2008-09-14T12:48:00.001-07:00

It has decided to start raining here and never stop. Consequently, we've had lots of indoor play days where Play-doh and tea parties abound. Here are some pictures of our days inside, watching the rain pour down. This is Madalyn's inaugural experience with Play-doh. I know that makes me a slightly bad mom for waiting this long to let her play with it, but all I can say was that none of it was consumed, and she loved it. Mom only let her have one color at a time, but that's just the kind of OCD she has to get used to around here. We can't have colors getting mixed up. Maybe when she's four I'll step it up to two colors...:)

Funny story: Madalyn is playing happily with play-doh when she suddenly begins begging me to "Make a lion, Mama! Make a lion with Play-doh!" I have no idea where she is getting this from, and then I spot the barrel the play-doh came in:

Oh, sure, I'll just whip him right up! :) You want a pig and frog while I'm at it?!

Dress up days are also fun...

One of Maddy's latest accomplishments was putting several crates of toys completely away, all by herself, while I was in another room. I told her to pick them up if she wanted to move on to another activity, and she did, without me helping and continuously encouraging. I was so proud of her, but my heart swelled even more when I picked her up from the Church nursery today. Before she knew we were there, with her back to Dan and I, I saw her picking up toys and putting them away with the teachers...no one telling her to at all.

I'll tell you what, there may be challenges but...

That's my girl.

I Know You Love It

2008-09-10T12:40:00.000-07:00

One more thing, friends. Do you like this shirt?

Wait, you don't need to answer because I already know you do. How do I know? Because it's so cool, and well designed, and original. It would look just marvelous on you, darling. And here's the really cool part: our friend, Brad Ruggles, a way-cool blogger and graphic designer, came up with it! The even cooler part? This shirt is entered in a contest to benefit Compassion International's Global Food Crisis Fund. If it wins, you'd be able to purchase this awesomeness and help hungry people have a good meal. Brad won't make any money off the proceeds, but I think you'll agree, he deserves some serious praise for his graphic skills.

So go vote right now! The contest ends tomorrow!

I mean it...right now :)! Uh-oh, that was the Mama-tone of voice coming out....better not mess with it.

Accident Forgiveness

2008-09-09T17:25:00.000-07:00

So potty training has certainly stepped up my workload throughout the day! Instead of allowing Madalyn to play quietly in her room to her heart's content, I now must check to make sure all that silence isn't adding up to a nice poo-poo on the floor. I must cart the potty around with us in order to have close proximity hopefully aid us in success.

She has already discovered that "Mommy, I need to put my poo-poos in the potty" will get her out of her crib and into a few more minutes of staying up quicker than a wink. Why don't we just take a chance, you ask, after all, she does have a diaper on at bedtime? The answer, dear reader, lies in the "artwork" that she "painted" all over her walls when the poo-poos were indeed deposited in her diaper. Now the simple idea of her repeating her artistic glory is enough to wisk her to the potty each and every time she merely suggests a need to go.

All of these challenges, you know, they're tough. But Dan and I apparently felt the need to step it up a notch. Apparently we were all like,

"Yeah, this potty-training stuff is work, but we need something more to shake up our lives. What else could we do to complicate things further?"

I know! Put Maddy in a big-girl bed! Messing with bedtime seemed like as good of an idea as any.

Seriously, it was in an attempt to avoid further "incidents" as described above. If you've got poo-poos, baby girl, just scoot your heiny out of bed and come tell me. No need to express yourself creatively.

Dan and I have considered getting her an easel and finger paints to allow for artistic freedom, but Dan is afraid it will only encourage her study of the medium.

Anyways, I heart Craigslist, because we scooped up a pretty much brand-spanking-new, beautiful toddler bed and nightstand for $50.00. I was morally opposed to toddler beds (I've been known to call them "a waste of money"), but Dan kept telling me a twin was too big for Maddy. "What if she falls out?" No matter how many times I explained the concept of guardrails, it fell on deaf ears. So Dan finds the toddler bed/nightstand online, shows me the price, throws in that we wouldn't have to spring for a mattress right now since you can just use a crib-sized one, and I caved. Dan picked up the set from another Father-Of-A-Precious-Baby-Girl who was selling it near his work. The guy explained to my husband that his daughter had finally graduated to a twin. He says, "Yeah, my wife wanted to put her right into a twin from her crib, but I was too afraid she'd fall out, so we purchased this set."

Ahh, a kindred spirit for D.

He was only too excited to come tell me that story.

Of course he hasn't been the one to try and wedge his body into the dollhouse-sized bed when Maddy demands "Snuggle me!" at bedtime.

I'll let him have that job a few times, and we'll see how quickly we move up in the furniture world.

In other news, Maddy had her first Gym & Swim class today. Up until now, she has only had Swim, but I thought gymnastics would be a fun add-on. However, all she did for the entire session was half-heartedly walk up and down the balance beam, while asking "Time to go in the pool, Mama?" every 30 seconds.

She was like, "Mom, Michael Phelps doesn't do this ridiculous cross-training. Let's hit the pool and get serious."

You have to admire her dedication to the sport.

My Likeness

2008-09-06T23:53:00.000-07:00

Dear Madalyn,

You reflect so much of your Daddy. Many people have said that it is just crazy to see the two of you look at one another, mirroring the same blue eyes, thick lashes, and expressions. You look so much like him.

As for you and I, well, we share the same freckle on our left ankles. And that's pretty much where the physical similarities begin and end. Some try and say your hair takes after mine because it is curly, but, truth be told, my hair at your age was snow white and about 80% less!

No, we don't resemble one another physically.

But the other day, much to my time-standing-still, slow-motion, prayers-furiously-hurled-towards-heaven horror, you feel down the stairs. Head over feet, all the way from the tippy top to the bitter end. I ran down after you, repeating, "oh no, oh no, oh no" over and over. You must have seen the pure terror on my face. All I wanted to do was scoop you up, assess for broken bones or head injury, and than hold you and make it all better. Praise God, thank You so very, very much, you, my sweet child, were unharmed.

And here is where our similarities begin.

At the bottom of the stairs, in your fear and hurt, you did just like your mama used to do as a child. Like your mama still does. You ran away. You did not want me to hold you or comfort you, did not want my kisses and assurances. You needed to be alone with your pain, to try it on for size, to test your own reserves first. I always did this too. I remember whacking my knee on the table, stubbing my toe, burning my finger, etc., as a child, and running out of the offending room, into a place of solitude. I didn't want anyone to touch me, talk to me, until the pain subsided to a manageable amount.

You, my most precious one, are fiercely independent. Deeply dramatic. Pure girl. And so perceptive of others at such a young age. You told your Aunt Rebekah the other day, out of no where, "You have very pretty eyes." You've been known to tell complete strangers at the playground, "Oh, I like your shoes, girl." You brighten the day of others with your kind words.

I love you more than I can tell you, show you. So, when you fall, baby girl, take all the time you need. Have it all out. But know that I am always here and will do everything in my power to let you know I am always for you.

We like to sing "I'll Stand By You" together (the Carrie Underwood version :). Here's part of it:

"So

If you're mad, get mad

Don't hold it all inside

C'mon and talk to me now

Hey

What you got to hide?

I get angry too

Well, I'm a lot like you.

When you're standing at the crossroads

And don't know which path to chose

Let me come along

Cause even if you're wrong,

I'll stand by you..."

Love,

Mama

In The Thros...

2008-09-02T20:45:00.000-07:00

I apologize for the lack of posts lately. Of course, I have all the pat excuses: we were out of town, it was Labor Day weekend, I celebrated my birthday (smile). All worth posts in and of themselves.

But none of those are the true reasons.

It's officially potty-training time at the Carney house. With the world's most independent toddler. And the world's most determined Mama.

So things are getting interesting.

Any prayers that you can offer up on our behalf are coveted and advice is appreciated ;)!

I Almost Don't Want To Post This...

2008-08-28T19:53:00.000-07:00

...because I am considering using this amazing sale at Target to buy a Christmas gift for every woman I know! But because the long weekend is here, and I'm feeling generous, go ahead and buy yourself a $5.00 purse!

Just don't be suspicious if you receive an eerily similar one around the Holidays. I'm sure I pay a handsome sum for the gifts I give my loved ones :)...

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

Love,

Laura

*This amazing deal found at http://www.wantnot.net/**
Edited to add: *Seriously, I could buy myself about 12 of these purses! Does anyone else feel the same way??*

One Small Step for Mom-Kind...

2008-08-27T20:33:00.001-07:00

I think I've established thus far that Madalyn, God Bless her little soul, is a bit of a headstrong one. We've been working on tempering this "independent flare," at least to a socially-acceptable level. For example, even though she may have the constitutionally-protected right to throw herself on the floor on a playdate and demand to go outside, even when the other children are still politely eating their lunches (freedom of expression and all), it's not behavior that I want her carrying into her adult life!

Oh, there are no exaggerations about the "terrible twos". Whatever horror stories you've heard--they're all true.

So anyway, on the evening of the above described playdate, I had renewed vigor to step-up discipline standards at home. So when my gentle little flower started pitching a first-class fit about not being able to have a sucker before dinner, I got down low, looked her square in the eye and said: "We do NOT speak to Mommy like that. Your behavior is unacceptable. Because of the way you are acting, you are going to time out." And onto the chair in the living room she went. She of course climbed down, crying and expressing her sorrow to the fullest extent. I picked her up each time and plopped her right back down (got that technique from Super Nanny, oh yes I did. Thanks, Jo.)

After the timer went off, Dan went in to speak with our daughter. They were having a discussion about exactly why she was placed in timeout when I came in the room. I neared the chair, and Madalyn turned to me. Huge tears in her eyes, arms outstretched...

"What do you want to say, Maddy?"
"Mommy, I'm sorry." She climbs into my arms and I hold her close. In that moment I know the meaning of true, pure, immediate forgiveness. I'm a little choked up, to be honest.
"Oh baby, it's o-kay. Mommy loves you so much." I was suddenly overcome to tell her it's fine, don't worry about it, Mommy will buy you a pony.

I'm a new mom. I want to raise Madalyn to be polite, empathetic, and kind. I want her to be disciplined. So let me hear your thoughts: what discipline strategies have worked for you?

Today we walked into the library, reviewing proper library-protocol as we entered the foyer.
"Remember, Maddy, we speak softly in the library. And if there are other children by the toys, we need to share nicely. When Mommy says it's time to go, it's time to go, no fussing (here I am remembering carrying her out against her gracious will last time, all the while casting apologetic looks to tight-lipped librarians). Do you understand?"

"I understand, Mama," came the sweet reply. And she did great.

Maybe we're getting somewhere after all.

Talk Me Out Of It...

2008-08-26T21:50:00.000-07:00

*Edited to add: Just curious, when you click on that link, does my shopping cart come up with three items in it? It does from my computer, but the comments I've received make me think that maybe just the website is coming up for others. The three items I'm referring to are all on sale :)!!**

Go to this link, and tell me that these clothes for M. are not worth the somewhat hefty price tag, even though they are crazy on sale, and great quality, and mostly, just so incredibly cute.

C'mon. Talk me out if it. Particularly that rock 'n roll tee.

Thanks. I appreciate the help with my self-control.

I Sure Hope I'm Pregnant...

2008-08-26T20:54:00.000-07:00

Why? Here's why...

Today's Diet

*Granola with Yogurt, Coffee (an admirable start. wait for it...)

*A roast beef sandwich with strawberries on the side (made by my dear friend Karen, on a playdate with Madalyn. Still doing just fine)

*The rest of Madalyn's chicken nuggets that she didn't eat because she was more interested in, um, playing on her playdate.

*Popcorn, prepared by Karen immediately after lunch for a snack (still healthy, right?)

*Two leftover chicken quesadillas when we arrived home and Maddy was down for a nap (around 3:30pm). I was hungry.

*A mint chocolate chip drumstick ice cream treat (because I needed something sweet after the quesadillas)

*Chili for dinner with bread, albeit only half a bowl.

*A Dunkin' Donuts coffee drink while out with Dan and Maddy. Whipped cream and chocolate...yum.

*More chili upon arriving home (the remaining half of my bowl).

*The rest of Maddy's chocolate chip cookie from Dunkin' donuts.

So, yeah, I hope I'm pregnant. With five babies. Because I'm pretty sure that's the only way to justify my consumption of calories today! Ummm, does anyone else ever have three dinners in one night, each complete with its own dessert? Just, ahem, curious.

**DISCLAIMER: This sample diet is in no way indicative of a long-term pattern of health for this gal. O-kay, maybe it's a pattern at certain times of the month. I wonder if we have any chocolate chips...**

Small Town Splendor

2008-08-25T20:29:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was Metamora Days, an annual festival that takes place in the one-horse town where I grew up.

I am not sure what a one-horse town is.

I am sure Metamora is one.

But if you'll harken back to yester-year with me, you'll see a little girl who's birthday party was held each year during this grand festival. Tiny little Metamora used to put on a much better show than she does today. The day would commence with a parade lining up right in front of our house, continue with a downtown craft fair, petting zoo, and hoopla, and finish up with a breath-taking hot air balloon launch. Oh, and then fireworks.

And in my innocent youth, I don't believe I could quite differentiate that this was not all, in fact, in celebration of my birthday.

In fact, as we drove into town last weekend, to introduce Madalyn to the thrills of small town splendor, I saw a sign for some little one's birthday. Warm sigh. Lucky kid.

"How does the rooster feel, Maddy?"

"He feels nice."

"Baaaa-ing" at the sheep. They communicated quite nicely with one another.

Everyone in my family heard me say, "I just can't believe how well she rode that horse. She looked like she'd been doing it all her life" 15 times.

Quite a sight to behold.

Those Kinda Parents...

2008-08-24T22:53:00.000-07:00

You know the ones. Everything their child does is above-average and amazing. They love to tell you about the sight words she has memorized by age two, the algebraic equations by age four.

Since having Madalyn, I know the thrill that comes with watching your child achieve a new skill. The smugness that accompanies reading What To Expect The First Year and realizing most babies aren't doing that by this age.

But I realize this feeling is universal. There is a certain danger, I believe, with placing too high of expectations on a developing, learning, imagining, wandering, giggling little creature.

SO when Madalyn completed Microfish Two and rode her first horse like-she'd-been-doing-it-all-her-life in a single week, I never made any Olympic comparisons, nor did I envision lessons at smelly horse stalls or the echo of an empty university pool.

She is, after all, only two.

OF COURSE, there will be many more pictures, for your viewing pleasure, posted soon, since an average of 235 images of these blessed events were captured.

Drama, Part 2

2008-08-22T08:36:00.001-07:00

**NOTE: I'm on a little break from OUTRAGEOUS Friday. Just not enough outrageousness floating around. I will, however, get back to it just as soon as I feel like it :)**

Last night I babysat for the same three little girls mentioned in my previous post. Although I started watching them when they were just 1 yr., 5 yrs., and 7 yrs., they are now 7, 11, and 13.

The time has flown.

Ashley, the middle child, just got a trampoline for her birthday, complete with protective net and zippered entry. Let me tell you, those things are not for the faint of bladder. Childbirth clearly did a number on me (insert a few kegels here). It didn't help that Maddy refused to bounce on her own, but rather preferred me to hold her and bounce. Trampolines are a workout enough without carrying a squirmy, squealy 31.5 lb weight!

My recent "Drama, Drama, Drama" post was fresh in my mind and, of course, I found some fresh materials from these little ladies:

*Tiffany (the Oldest at 13, who had a dear little friend, Talina, over for a sleepover):

"Leonardo DiCaprio is SOOOO HOOOT! OMG! Don't you think he is SOOOO HOT, Laura?!"

Ummmm....keep in mind that the child has never even seen Titanic. I mean, when I was her age, girls were drooling over Leonardo. Why does he have such staying-power? I just don't see it.

*Emma (the smallest at 7, as said to me while she was supposed to be trying to sleep):

"I don't know why everyone likes dating. It's so weird."

and also...

"No one thinks I'm cute anymore. I wish I could go back to being smaller. Ashley (the middle) told me she wishes I could be a baby again, because I was cuter. But I don't think she really means it. When I was a baby, she dropped me on my head because she didn't want me to be part of the family. On purpose. Right on my head.

Ouch.

It still hurts."

Love the drama.

Also, as a side note, I drove home in a tizzy because I have no idea how to parent teenagers. I'm only 25 myself (although very close to 26 :), and I realize I have eleven years to worry about this matter, but I just don't know what to do with them. Do I tell them they have to go to bed at a certain time, even if they don't have school the next day? What television programs are o-kay to watch? (In my opinion, clearly not House, which the older ones watched almost all evening long. I happen to love that show, but watching it through the lens of an eleven year old...there's plenty of inappropriate stuff. They were starting in on Heroes when I left.)

I'm praying for Divine Intervention already.

Now back to watching Barney.

Drama, Drama, Drama...

2008-08-21T11:57:00.001-07:00

**My Little Drama Queen on the keyboard. She's the next Brooke White, I'm pretty sure. Remember Brooke from American Idol? She was so sweet. I just loved her. Anyways...**

I'm pretty sure I could be a mom of all girls. I say this, of course, so you can all chuckle under your breath when and if Dan and I get pregnant next and discover we are having a boy.

I'll tell you why. My reason is partly because I have mostly been around girls. I nannyed for three of the sweetest, most drama-filled girls you could ever meet during my college years. I always loved watching "Strawberry Shortcake", braiding hair, and dressing up dolls. I loved baking with them. I loved making crafts. Now that the oldest is thirteen, I love hearing about her friends, her crushes, and her new favorite pair of jeans. I'm used to the fights, the tears, the pouty lips.

When I found out Madalyn was a girl, my mind instantly went to all of these things. Helping her pick out a Homecoming dress. Coloring at the table for hours. The sweet pretty things, the living room dance parties, the joy.

And, oh, the drama!

My recent revelation is that I love the drama that comes with being surrounded by girls. Somewhat of an, ahem, drama queen myself (did I just admit that?), I am comfortable with this exuberant side of the female gender. I love knowing the scoop (I've often asked my best friend Andrea, a decidedly UN-dramatic gal, if she thinks there would be any merit in starting a Christian gossip column). I love watching the back stories of the Olympic athletes and finding out they overcame tremendous obstacles to be where they are and then panning back and watching them win gold. And when they loose by a fraction of a second...oh, the drama.

Let me clarify. I do not endorse creating unnecessary drama, unless in a controlled, imaginary play setting ("WHAT? Your dollie's best friend is moving to NEBRASKA?? Well, let her have a good cry about it, approach her friend's parents, and see if she can't beg and plead with them to change their minds" and the like). And I truly oppose gossip (despite my brainstorms about christiangossipgirl.com).

But if you have a scoop you'd like to share, your secret's safe with me, and I will lean in with delight, and relish every word! My same undramatic friend, Andrea, has often said "Just look at you!" when she's about to tell me something juicy!

I love drama. And Maddy seems to be following in her mommy's footsteps. We put a new, pretty dress on her yesterday and she gushed, with all the hushed reverence a two year old can muster, "Oh, Mommy, just like a princess!" We'll keep enjoying our fanciness around here, God Bless Daddy!

Until, you know, a little boy comes along. After this post, you know one's bound to :).

The Michael Phelps of Mamas...

2008-08-19T01:30:00.000-07:00

Today is my good, best, longest, most extravagent, most determined, most fashionable, most-beautiful-green-eyes, most-understanding-of-curly-hair friend Rebekah's birthday. The above pics are from a few years ago (awww, look at little Maddy!), and she is even more beautiful today. Just look at the below picture of Bekah holding her new little niece:

Her blog, Heart Cries, has drawn many. It chronicles her journey, alongside her husband Ben, to adopt their first child. Their story is beautiful. Everyone who reads, who looks at her pictures, who sees how carefully she documents each step of the process, agrees that Ben and Bekah are the Michael Phelps of a choice for birth parents. Oh, you haven't been glued to the Olympics?! Err...me either. I just, um, heard that Michael Phelps was that swimmer-guy who now holds more gold medals than any other Olympian ever.

Ben and Rebekah are that good.

Rebekah has become this mature, wise, beautiful mom-in-waiting. All she has been through, all she is now navigating through, have changed her for sure. And all the bloggy world gets to see the sparkle. But I'm proud to know her a little bit closer:

She was my first friend in Sunday school at Christ the King Church in 5th grade.

She was my constant confidant, along with our other best friend, Andrea, during all my junior high and high school years. She whispered with me late in the night. We witnessed each other's heart breaks and all the growing-up-isms.

She was my very favorite roommate during one incredible year at Northern Michigan University. The year in retrospect meant very little to either of us academically and every thing in life expereinces. We were nestled in the Upper Pennisula of Michigan the year the town of Marquette broke the record for snow fall! We had "wear your roommate's clothes day". Rebekah was dating Ben, her high school sweetheart, and we again whispered late into the night, this time about when he would pop The Question and which of our college guy friends had any potential for me (none :)!). We built a huge snowman. We loved every minute.

I stood up in her wedding. She stood up in mine. She watched my first born come into the world.

We've called each other with every bit of exciting news and been witness to the reality of Who God Is in each other's lives.

She is beautiful and the real deal that all her readers see.

Happy Birthday, Friend. Enjoy every minute! And, oh, we all cannot wait to celebrate again with all the rises and settles of what this year will hold.

Home

2008-08-17T21:29:00.000-07:00

I.am.so.glad.to.be.home.

You know that feeling when you walk into your house after being gone for a length of time and it all looks so familiar, yet slightly new, slightly different? I love that feeling. My house looked so beautiful to me when Dan, Maddy, and I arrived home today after a vacation Up North.

It may be small. But it's ours. It's us. It's home.

I was also quite excited to get back to my laptop. A full inbox and lots of new blogs to read...what could be better? :)

I will blog more tomorrow...promise.

I Can Feel The Laziness Setting In...

2008-08-09T12:20:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow Madalyn and I leave to go on vacation with my parents. We will be at a lake in Northern Michigan in the middle of nowhere for seven days. Dan will join us on Thursday night and we will return home on Sunday.

I can already feel the laziness setting in. It's 3:22 pm and I'm still in my p.j.'s. Dan is starting to get concerned I will go to today's 5:00 family dinner at his brother's house dressed this way, unshowered, although he won't admit it.

It's just such a peaceful day. Don't get me wrong: I've done three loads of laundry, packed Maddy and I, and made sure Madalyn was bathed for tonight. I may get inspired and run the dishwasher any minute.

But that's about it.

I don't know if I'll be able to sign online at all this next week, so I apologize in advance about the lack of blogging. I'll make sure to have plenty of pictures and fresh materials when I return. In the mean time, I'm going to try my hand at knitting Maddy some cute legwarmers, read some books, and take naps. Oh, and maybe try to get a little sun. I'm finishing out this summer as white as when it started, and that simply won't do!

Alright, I suppose I'll change out of my attractive brown tank top and velour lounge pants. I can't promise the same for next week, though :)

Enjoy these last, lazy days of summer however you can.

Love,

Laura

Maddy's Fall Fashion Picks

2008-08-06T07:35:00.001-07:00

In case there are any toddlers in a quandary about what to wear for late summer/ early fall, here are Maddy's hand-picked favs from Oldnavy.com:Madalyn's comment on the boots: "Look, those are my boots!" Fashion tip: always claim ownership of an item. Make it yours. Work it.
Madalyn's comment on the dress: "Maddy wear that beautiful dress." Fashion tip: only wear what you truly believe to be beautiful. Your self-confidence will come shining through! Also, know what color palette is flattering for you personally. Maddy knows purple flatters her coloring!

More of "Maddy's Fashion Picks" to come as the fall lines present themselves! Have a gorgeous day :).

You Fix It.

2008-08-02T12:53:00.000-07:00

Ever heard this little verse?

"Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you."

(1 Peter 5:7)

How about this one:

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."

(Philippians 4:6)

If you grew up in the church, your answer is "Yes, a million times"...I guarantee it. Ever gone through a tough, anxiety-invoking, real-life situation with no obvious way out? I'm not talking a "trial" or "testing of your faith", as we like to say to make it sound all churchy and not-really-that-hard. I'm talking about losing a job. Not having money to pay the rent. Failing at something you tried hard at. Real disappointment. Real worry. Really stuck.

How'd the above verses work out for you? If you're like me, you're driven to your knees and to your Bible when hard times hit. And that's an awesome thing. But, if you're like me, although you take comfort in these verses, your situation is still overwhelmingly real. If only you could physically take the worry and "present it" to God. Maybe then you could leave it with Him.

My problem has always been that I don't know how to trust Him with it completely.

I'll take this out of the hypothetical (without getting too specific) and tell you that there has been a situation in my own life for the past year and a few months. It was something I felt I had failed at and I simply did not know how to deal with it. I knew I needed to get in contact with a certain person connected with the situation because she had borrowed something of mine before the trial happened. I need and want it back. But to call her, to ask for it, would be to face a whole other area I simply have not had the courage to face. I just couldn't do it.

Even when thoughts plagued me of her selling my belonging on E-bay since she hadn't heard from me.

Even though I thought about the situation almost every day.

I simply could not do it.

And I didn't really know how to bring it to God, because how do you explain to Him that you are too cowardly to do what you know, as a mature, self-supporting adult, needs to be done? The answer seemed obvious to me...He would say, "Get over yourself and just do it."

But I couldn't.

Three dear, Godly women, Rebekah, Meeghan, and Teri have been doing a Bible Study with me this summer called "No Other Gods" by Kelly Minter. It is through Beth Moore's ministry, and has been a lot of fun. This past week there was a quote in the book that jumped out and brought tears to my eyes. Gave me hope. Gave me my answer. Here it is:

If thou hast anything that perplexes thee, the simplest plan for thee will be, not to try to solve the difficulty, but to seek direction from heaven concerning it. If thou hast, at this moment, some doubt that is troubling thee, thy wisest plan will be, not to combat the doubt, but to come to Christ just as thou art, and to refer the doubt to Him. Remember how men act when they are concerned in a lawsuit; if they are wise, they do not undertake the case themselves. They know our familiar proverb,'He who is his own lawyer has a fool for his client'; so they take their case to someone who is able to deal with it, and leave it with him."

Charles Spurgeon

You may be thinking, "O-kay, that's a lot of 'thees' and 'thous'; where's the epiphany?" What I saw in that quote was that I could bring my situation to God and say: "Here this is. I have absolutely no idea what to do. I am unable to do anything because of my own fear and the complexity of the situation. Please help me." And that would be o-kay. I don't have to try and deal with it first. I could simply leave it with him the way a man would leave a complicated lawsuit with a top-notch lawyer.

Here it is. You take care of it. I simply can't.

It hit me then: that is, in essence, what He asks us to do in the above verses. That's what He wants when we are told to come "like a little child." Maddy doesn't give me suggestions on how to fix something for her. She doesn't worry for months on end about how she can fix it herself before bringing it to me. I simply, immediately, get the pieces, a pouty lip, a few tears and the words, "Mommy, it's broke. You fix it."

And I do.

And He does.

Friends, I told God I could not fix my situation because it was too big and I'm too small. And too scared.

The next day, out of the blue, I get a text message from a person I haven't spoken to for a year and a couple of months.

She wants to return my belonging.

Refer it to Him.

OUTRAGEOUS Friday: A Little Late

2008-08-01T11:51:00.000-07:00

Sorry to be getting to the Outrageous Friday post a little late today! Dan and I are having a realtor come look at our house today and see if we have a shot of selling in this OUTRAGEOUSly hard market. So, of course I've been cleaning like a mad-woman. Correction, I am about to start cleaning like a mad-woman since my mom just picked up Madalyn :). Maddy needed to "go buy unicorn food" (I have no idea where that came from! When asked what "unicorn food" was, she told me "it's like treat leather," which is what she calls fruit leather) this morning, so I didn't get a whole lot done. I'm about to start. But not before I tend to something more important...this post.

Although unicorn food is pretty outrageous, it doesn't compare to what I saw on this blog a few days ago. I've copied Brandiandboys once before, so I promise this is the last time! It was just so OUTRAGEOUS, I couldn't resist. Here it is:

That's right, a fishy pedicure! According to CNN News, these tiny carp nibble off your dead skin. They don't have teeth, so they are unable to do any harm to live skin, and the creator says it works much better than a traditional pedicure. In fact, a Northern Virginia spa plans to offer a full-body version soon!
What do you think? Are you game? (I think it's absolutely disgusting, but don't let that sway you!)

Have a great weekend!

Love,

Laura

Holy Ground, Daddy Time, and Anniversary Celebration

2008-07-27T12:19:00.000-07:00

Holy Ground, Daddy Time, and Anniversary Celebration are three different events that occurred this weekend, each deserving of its own blog post, but all rolled into one for simplicity's sake!

Holy Ground

On Friday, Madalyn and I had the opportunity to ride with my parents up to Evart, MI, the home of Spring Hill Camp. We were going to pick up my brother who had spent a week there for a staff program. Spring Hill is one of my favorite, no, make that my favorite place in the world. I know that's saying a lot. It means a lot. This camp is where I attended every summer since age eight. It's where I first heard the Gospel and committed my life to Christ in a tiny little cabin by the lake. I still know the very spot. I still remember the very moment. I attended their teen programs in high school and graduated to working on staff. I spent four or five summers doing every thing from cleaning toilets to counseling elementary, junior high, and high school kids.

My brother's counselor gave us a golf-cart tour around the camp. A lot has changed. But the message, the heart, the energy, the presence of God is the same. I saw the spot where I first talked to God as an eight year old. We went past "Canoe Beach" where I heard and saw God more clearly than any other time in my life while sitting on a rock during a summer on staff. My heart was so overwhelmed to be there. I conned most of my good friends into working with me during me high school and college years. If you are in the Michigan area, I greatly encourage you to check out Spring Hill. Not only do they have the most rockin', beautiful summer camp you could possibly send your kids to, they also have family camp, parent-child retreats, women's retreats and much more. I couldn't be more grateful for the camp's mission and heart; I am indebted to the individuals who dedicate their lives to such a powerful mission. Below is a picture of Madalyn's first visit to Spring Hill, walking my Holy Ground. She loved it.

Here are a few other stock photos from Spring Hill's website. They are ultra-creative in their housing, as you can see!

Daddy Time

Dan is such a good daddy. I just wanted to state that for the record. On Saturday, when lawn-mowing, and refrigerator-fixing were calling, he took the time to take Maddy for a long bike ride, spend an hour doing water-color painting, and wrestle on the floor with his daughter. She soaked in every second, often stopping to say, "Oh, Daddy! I love you so much!" Where would we be without our Daddy?

Anniversary Celebration

On Tuesday, July 29th, Dan and I will have been married for three years. They have been three challenging, yet very beautiful years. We got off to a fast start when I discovered I was pregnant with Maddy a month after we said "I do", but God has been faithful to see us through this crazy adventure. Last night we celebrated by going to dinner at Andiamo restaurant in St. Clair Shores. My uncle loaned us his Mustang for the night, which made Dan's whole weekend :). We had a yummy dinner, and then cruised around, ending up in downtown Grosse Pointe (which I loved!) for coffee. What an awesome night.

Hope your weekend was great as well!

Love,

Laura

OUTRAGEOUS Friday: Vacuum Edition

2008-07-25T00:00:00.000-07:00

So I'm sure you've gathered by now that Dan and I are striving to be careful and purposeful in the purchases we make. I try to look for good deals. We are careful not to blow money on frivolous things (at least we try!) Today we needed new vacuum bags for our Oreck, a gift from Dan's parents for our wedding shower. Here's the outrageous and slightly embarrassing part: I've never had to buy bags for it before! The vacuum came with a few and we have all hardwood floors, so what can I say? We will have been married for three years at the end of this month, and somehow we've stretched the bags that far! Scary, huh?

I asked Dan to stop on the way home from work since there is an Oreck store by his building. He picked up a pack for our upright and our Oreck handheld canister vac. Dan comes home and hands me a bag with the Oreck upright bags (8 pack), Oreck handheld pack (12 pack), a canister of deodorizing powder, Oreck glass and window cleaner, and a lambswool duster. Over-achieving husband? Picked up some cleaning supplies as a little "I love you" for his wife?

NOPE. Those other items were thrown in for "free" when the store charged Dan $52.00 for the two packs of bags!!! Are you kidding me?? Couldn't I get a whole new VACUUM (albeit a cheap one) for that?? Have you ever heard of such a thing?

Have a great weekend!

Love,

Laura

It's Summertime...And The Living Is Easy...

2008-07-24T18:10:00.001-07:00

Our little town has concerts in the park every Thursday night. They are free, fun, and relaxing. A man makes balloon animals for all the children at no charge. Two pizza places sell food on the cheap. Tonight there was face painting, and we're not talking the "paint a sunshine on my cheek" kind, but rather the work-of-art, take-a-picture, that-looks-like-it-was-airbrushed kind. The woman doing the painting was truly an artist. If I thought Madalyn would sit beyond the first brush stroke, I would have had her painted up!

It was the essence of summer for our family: walk down to the little park in the village from our home, eat pizza, watch Madalyn interact with other children, enjoy each other.

A "Prime" Time to Make A Purchase!

2008-07-23T19:38:00.001-07:00

Anyone ever heard of a little site called Amazon.com? Anyone? Anyone?

Oh, you have? Then you know you can buy just about anything there. Shoes? Check. Beauty products? Check. Laundry soap? Alright, you get the picture.

One of my favorite, daily-read blogs is http://www.wantnot.net/. Mir, the author, is hilarious and has amazing deals posted every day. Plus, she calls her readers "pretty" quite often which, as it turns out, always brightens up my day.

Today I read one of her posts about a great little deal Amazon.com is running now. Sign up for a free one month trial period of a membership in Amazon Prime, and you will get free two day shipping on mucho item-o's PLUS ten free dollars applied to your account. The Amazon Prime service costs $79.00 annually and allows you to get the free two day shipping year round, plus other fancy benefits. I, however, do not buy neeeaarrrlly enough to justify such a fee. Soo...

I signed up.
I bought Madalyn "The Jesus Storybook Bible," which I have been wanting very much to purchase for her since reading about it here.
I payed $1.55 out the door for the above item.
I promptly cancelled my free one month trial. Otherwise I will without doubt forget and a $79.00 charge will show up on my bank statement, inducing much frustration and anger with my forgetfulness,until I decide that I might as well take advantage of the free shipping I've just unwittingly purchased and thus will spend more money. See, vicious cycle. So I just cancelled it immediately.

Anyways, let me know if you join and what you decide to spend your $10.00 on! You could buy socks, movies, music, popcorn, Kashi cereal...OR, don't forget a certain birthday that is JUST around the corner :)! Hehehe...just joking, of course. Kinda.

Love,

Laura

A Knock On The Door...

2008-07-22T07:08:00.000-07:00

Wait, did I title this entry "A Knock On The Door"? Turns out it should have been "A Ring Of The Doorbell." That's a more accurate description of what happened yesterday as I was trying to put my two year old down for a nap. Two women stood waiting on my front porch after ringing the all-offending noise to any parent trying to get their child to sleep.

It doesn't start the encounter off on the right foot.

I opened the door, keeping the screen shut as I always do when strangers present themselves on my front step. "Hello?"

"Oh my, we've been admiring this beautiful landscaping and porch out here! It's just lovely! It's new, isn't it?"

Alright, warming up slightly here.

"Yes, actually, my husband did it."

"Your husband??!! Oh, my, well we should hire him out, shouldn't we? Just amazing."

Loving the warm fuzzies. But, um, why are you here? I transition from warming up to being wary of all this warming up.

I look at the ladies pointedly, waiting them to break out of their complimentary streak.

"O-kay, well, anyways, we are going from door, encouraging the community. We know that these are tough economic times. Specifically for husbands and wives, sometimes when things get strained financially, a toll can be taken on the marriage. We would just like to share a Scripture verse to encourage you."

I'm a little skeptical, but I agree with everything they just said. I think it's great that someone would take the initiative to encourage families and aim to strengthen marriages. I'm tracking so far. Still, is there any hidden agenda?

"So, why are you doing this?"

"Oh, we're just Christians from the community, wanting to encourage."

"What church are you from?"

She looks for the Scripture. "We're from the Oxford Kingdom Hall of Jehovah Witnesses"

Ohhh.

"You know what, my husband and I are Christians, so we're actually all set!"

Wow, did that just come out of my mouth? We're all set?? Nice one, Laura.

"Can I just share this verse with you? It's from Philippians."

How can I argue with Philippians? That's clearly not any sort of weird, cultish, made-up book of the Bible.

"Ah, here it is: Philippians 2:4 "Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." So just remember, if things are tough, keep putting each other before yourselves. That's it! Beautiful landscaping, just beautiful!"

The ladies walk back down the path, murmuring to each other over the planting, stopping to admire a line of hostas.

I'm trying to take in what just happened. No pamphlets were given. Nothing was said that I disagreed with. I certainly didn't take any great advantage of an opportunity to share my faith ("We're all set!").

What do you think? How do you react when Jehovah Witnesses come knockin'? Do you think, as Christians, door to door evangelism is effective or useful? What could I have said that was better than "We're all set" while still being loving and non-confrontational? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

A Beautiful Friday Night

2008-07-18T20:10:00.001-07:00

Two thirds of the Carney family were asleep by 9:00pm (well, one more manly counterpart went under on the couch during "Family Movie Night" around 8:30pm and the other more sticky, chubby, noisy counterpart loudly sang every song she could think of and banged her legs against her crib slates until around 10:00pm).

Still, I had time on my hands.

It turned out to be a beautiful night when I found these two precious sites.

One contains handmade jewelry by a woman with a touching story. Certain friends who are expecting babies and a mere month away from their birthdays should take a little peek and then leave a comment about anything they like.

The other reflected back my own heart these days: being a stay-at-home mom, being "good enough" instead of supermom, and living a healthier, organic, less costly lifestyle.

Hope you had a peaceful evening as well.

Love,

Laura

BONUS, a beautiful site with whimsical children's art. I found this link at Simple Mom, who had the idea of purchasing a piece of art for each of her children; something that truly captures who they are and reflects their personality. I love the concept.

Outrageous Friday: God's Pharmacy?

2008-07-18T10:49:00.001-07:00

I recently found a link that displayed a "theory" called "God's Pharmacy." The gist of this idea is that foods look like the human body parts they protect and nourish. I've done absolutely NO background research in this matter so I don't know if there is a shred of truth to it, but it makes for entertaining reading.

Let me know what you think and have a GREAT WEEKEND!

Love,

Laura

A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye… and YES, science now shows carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.

A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart has four chambers and is red. All of the research shows tomatoes are loaded with lycopene and are indeed pure heart and blood food.

Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today sh ow s grape s are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.

Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums.Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut are just like the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts help develop more than three (3) dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.

Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.

Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and many more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet, the body pulls it from the bones, thus making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

Avocados, Eggplant and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight, and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? It takes exactly nine (9) months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them)

Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the mobility of male sperm and increase the numbers of Sperm as well to overcome male sterility.

Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.

Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries.

Oranges, Grapefruits, and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.

Onions look like the body's cells. Today's research shows onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes. A working companion, Garlic, also helps eliminate waste materials and dangerous free radicals from the body.

A Day @ The Beach...

2008-07-16T11:17:00.000-07:00

This morning I had the idea to take Madalyn to the beach, as it is supposed to be in the upwards of 90 degrees today. So I proposed the idea and it was a big hit: she ran around the house singing "The beach! The beach! The beach! We're going to the beach, the beach, the beach!" (some of you may recognize that as a Wonderpets song :). We suited up, lotioned up, and I packed a picnic lunch. We got to the beach a little after noon, so I figured we'd start with the lunch.

"I not hungry, Mama. You're not hungry, Mama." Only problem was that I was.

"Let's just sit at a picnic table and eat, Maddy, then we can go play!"

"I'm NOT HUNGRY! You're NOT HUNGRY!"

Alright. We'll just go down to the sand, she can play, and I'll sit on my towel and eat my PB & J.

Maddy goes to play in the water. Comes back one minute and five seconds later.

"Mommy? I'm hungry."

"O-kay, here, let's eat our sandwiches on the towel."

"No, Mommy, I want a picnic lunch. Eat at picnic table."

Wow. So we hiked back up to the picnic tables (when I say "hiked back up" I mean walked up a few dozen stairs in a very steep hill to the picnic tables).

I pick a picnic table in the shade. Did I mention it's 90 degrees?

"No, Mommy, picnic lunch there." Madalyn points to a pavilion with 30 plus senior citizens having a banquet of some sort.
"Madalyn, there's a party under the pavilion today. We can't sit there."
"Don't worry, Mama, it's fine. We go to the party."
Maddy heads over. I have to quickly put everything down on the table and run after her.

She finally agrees to sit and eat lunch. She snacks happily for three minutes.

"All done, Mama, I go play."
"No, Madalyn, you need to take some more bites before we go back to the beach."
Maddy just takes herself down to the beach. More running. More redirecting. She eats one more bite. We head down to the beach.

Play for eight minutes.

"All done, Mama, we go play." Maddy is now referring to the play structure back up by the picnic tables. I do everything I can to convince her to play in the water. I am so hot. It's 90 degrees.

We play motor boat twice and go for a 30 second walk to see some seaweed.

"All done! I all done in the water; I go play!"

Crying. Parents watching. We pack up.

We climb up the stairs. My suit is virtually dry and I'm sweating by the time we reach the top. Maddy points to the bath house.
"Mama, I go put my poo poos in the potty." Maddy is not potty trained yet, so I jump at the opportunity. In we go. I take off her swim dipe. Take off her suit.

"O-kay, let's sit on the potty."
"No, Mama, I not sit. I just change my diapee."

Maddy likes the way her voice echoes in the bathroom as I struggle to get a new swim dipe and her cover up on.

We head over to the play structure. She wants to swing, then she doesn't. She wants me to go down the "big, big" slide with her. She is getting increasingly cranky. I finally decide it's time to call it quits. We've been at the beach a little over an hour. I gather up towels, our bag, her Nemo floaty, her pail with all the sand toys.

"Come on, Maddy, it's time to go."

Runs away. I have to grab her under one arm and carry her to the car. Refuses to get in her car seat. Gets a spanking at this point in the car. I'm so hot. So frustrated. I don't like giving her spankings (I'm a time-out Mommy), but I don't know what else to do at this point.

I love this girl with my whole heart. But we arrive at home, go in the house, the swim dipe and cover up came off, she has the fastest bath of her life, is put in dry clean clothes, given a kiss on the cheek and put into her crib for a nap.

Ten minutes later, she's sound asleep.

Anyone with any toddler wisdom, tips, resources....HELP!

Love,

Laura

Trying Out www.scrapblog.com!

2008-07-16T08:04:00.000-07:00

Scrapbook Guilt, Anyone?

2008-07-15T12:08:00.000-07:00

Anyone else have an extreme case of scrapbook guilt? You have all those pictures piled up (or worse, just stored on your computer and never printed!). Maybe you have a scrapbook started. You have good intentions. But finding the time seems impossible. Not to mention the artistic pressure! The markers! The stickers! The fancy hole punches!

I'm already feeling exhausted!

My "Parents" magazine came today and included some links for Virtual Scrapbooking...doing all the work on the computer with "no glue or fancy scissors required." Hmmm...I still have an element of parent-guilt, but could these be the compromise I've been needing? Still get heartfelt projects without brads and acid-free paper?

My previous posting shows a little experiment with http://www.smilebox.com/. The site is SUPER user friendly, although they are super sneaky in that you can only print your creations if you join and pay a membership fee. They are free to blog, however. And there is a free 14 day trial period, but I am wary of trial periods these days. Ever since I signed up for the free month at http://www.thegrocerygame.com/ and forgot to cancel. Grrr...$10.00 charge. Anyways...

Anyone have any success with digital scrapbooking? Let me know your secrets :). Below are the sites "Parents" recommends.

http://www.smilebox.com/

http://www.scrapblog.com/

http://www.howfasttheygrow.com/

Trying Out www.smilebox.com!

2008-07-15T12:06:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Deal Finding Matriarch...

2008-07-12T18:56:00.000-07:00

I know I have been on a little journey to frugality (is that a word?)lately, and it has been so rewarding. But most of all: FUN.

I realized today, however, that I cannot compete with my Gram.

This is true on so many levels. Read: Gram is in her seventies yet goes to Curves every morning, walks with my Grandpa several times a week at various malls (I think they have a schedule: Monday: Sommerset, Wednesday: Great Lakes, or something like that!), and gets down on her hands and knees to scrub her own house and that of various family members. She belongs to an investment club, a bridge club, and goes out with good friends every Friday night. She hosts huge family dinners for 40 plus people and cooks up a storm. I often joke that she has a busier social life than I have.

Only I'm really not joking because it is completely true.

All of these reasons are why I hope to age every bit as negligibly as my Gram. But now I've found a new standard to strive for and it is this: she is the thriftiest person I know.

My Grandpa (or "Pa" as we call him) always teases her and says, "Once poor, always poor", referencing her childhood, which was apparently quite basic. They now live in a beautiful house and take trips to Brazil, Puerto Rico, Scotland (did I mention they travel around the world? No? Chalk that up as well!), so that tells you that they are certainly not poor.

But Gram has been coupon-clipping since before it was trendy. My cousins love to tell stories about how she would take them to see movies, stashing cans full of pop and snacks in her over-sized purse. They were always embarrassed to open pop cans in a quiet theater of movie-watchers!

I saw Gram today at a family party and the first thing she said to me, with a gleam in her eye, was: "So, I hear you've been clipping coupons! It's fun, isn't it?". Then, as if to show me she still has one-up on me, she told me about an amazing deal. The restaurant "Andiamo" is usually too rich for Gram and my blood, but, as you see, the below offer cuts it down to size. Think of Gram if you use it. And remember, with a little thriftiness and some wise thinking, you'll be traveling the world at 70 as well.

**Here is the link** Have fun!!

OUTRAGEOUS FRIDAY: Free Dinner and a Slurpee!

2008-07-11T00:00:00.000-07:00

Some of you may know that today is Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-Fil-A! Simply dress like a cow "from head to hoof" for a free combo meal! If you are more half-hearted about the cow ensemble (say, the equivalent of a black spot painted on one cheek), that's worth a free entree. Visit this link for some great examples of how to achieve an authentic cow look :).

But why hold back? Pull out your cow suits (you know you got 'em) and get free dinner tonight! If you do, make sure to send me pictures :)!

But what about dessert? Well, today's date of 07-11 inspired the local chain of convenience stores to offer FREE SLURPEE'S for one day only! And who, may I ask, does not love a slurpee?

Thanks to More Than Enough and The Centsible Sawyer for these great tips!

Enjoy your weekend, you slurpee-drinking, chicken-eating, cow-costume wearing friends!

Love,

Laura

A Little Rooster Will Brighten Up Your Day...

2008-07-10T13:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday night was a bit long and hard and exhausting. I won't get into the whole story because, well, it's long and hard and exhausting. But I will say that I'm thankful for peace.

Growing up in the the church, I learned that God will bring "peace that surpasses understanding" during hard times. I took that to mean I shouldn't experience conflict, frustration, or unrest during difficult situations. That feels heavy, because I do feel those ways. Am I not "trusting" God enough? Am I not close enough to Him? But last night I felt a tired, still conflicted, still disappointed peace. And it hit me: It's not so much that I will exist in a zen-like state of no frustration or worry. It's more like I will feel a cool breeze pick up the leaves on a tree, I'll see small mercies in the people I love and I'll feel a deep, deep rooted sense of...

"It's going to be o-kay. I've already mapped this out."

Then I might go back to sadness and that's o-kay. Or I might stumble across a rooster for sale, which, in my experience, helps significantly. Let me explain.

As Dan read Madalyn a goodnight story, I absently flipped through our "Oxford Advertiser" looking for garage sales, etc. I always read the "Pets" section because Dan and I talk from time to time about getting a dog. This is what I found instead:

BEAUTIFUL, FRIENDLY Rooster

needing good home, not meant for

food. $5.00. (phone number)

10am-5pm, Wed-Fri, 10am-3pm Sat.

That just made me smile. I love that there are specific hours when the rooster is available for showing. I love that he is $5.00. I love that he is not meant for food (umm, who eats rooster?)

Nothing like a rooster for sale to brighten up your day. Seems as though I saw traces of Heavenly humor right before me in black and white.

Love,

Laura

Ps. If you happen to be in the market for a rooster, by all means, let me know and I'll give you the specs! :)

Take Yourself Out To Dinner!

2008-07-09T20:24:00.000-07:00

You're so great. You've been working hard. Putting others before yourself. Watching what you eat and working out (you're looking good, by the way!) So why not treat yourself? Grab your significant other or best buddy, and head out for a good meal at a great restaurant.

Oh wait! Before you go, head on over to Restaurant.com! Right now, their gift certificates (which are always crazy cheap) are even, um, crazier cheaper. I, for instance, just purchased a $10.00 gift certificate to our local Mexican joint, Casa Real, for $1.50. Here's how: enter code DELICIOUS as you checkout to take 50% off your order. I'm not going to lie, there are a limited amount of participating restaurants, but still a good sampling.

Enjoy your meal! You deserve it!

Where Have I Been?

2008-07-08T11:38:00.000-07:00

With my beautiful family on a trip to Erie, PA (Dan's hometown), that's where! So sorry I didn't give any warning that I would be taking a blog break; at least one of you mentioned you missed "Outrageous Friday" last week (thanks, Bek!). You know how you make lists and think "these are the things I have to do (ie: pack, make snacks for trip, etc.)" and then have those extra things you would like to do if you have extra time? Well, updating my blog before we left unfortunately fell into the latter category.

We had such a good time.

Since my husband Dan has been working so hard at his new job, just having time together as a family felt like a luxury. We greatly enjoyed our car time together (it's a five hour + trip). We arrived at a cottage called "Goose Landing" that Dan's Aunt Jane rents for the entire family each year. It is situated right on Lake Erie and the first thing I do every year when we pull up is listen for the sound of the waves hitting the shore. I absolutely love that sound, and I can hear it the whole time I'm there. There is no better way to fall asleep! Here is the picture we take every year of everyone who visits:

I have been going to Erie for the 4th of July every year since Dan and I met back in 2003; this was my sixth trip! The Carney family is so loving, welcoming, and laid back (Carney extended family, I mean). Aunt Jane introduces Miyuki (Dan's brother Brian's wife) and I as her "nieces." Here is a pic of my beautiful sister-in-law and brother-in-law:

So we stayed at "Goose Landing" Thursday night through Saturday morning. We did a lot of this

And saw a few of these:

They all enjoyed Madalyn to pieces, but none quite as much as Dan's 91 year old Grandma. Maddy is her only great-grandchild. Madalyn calls her "G-G" for "Great-Grandma" and Gram couldn't take her eyes off of Madalyn. When Maddy crawled up on the couch, as shown here, to watch cartoons with her, it made Gram's entire trip:

On Saturday, we checked out of "Goose Landing" and went up the coast a little ways to a place called "Lakeview on the Lake." There Brian, Miyuki, Dan, Madalyn, and I enjoyed a BEAUTIFUL cottage called "Annie's Retreat" for our final night. The grounds of this motel/cottage business were absolutely breathtaking. They had Adirondack chairs set out in perfect view of the sunset, a great outdoor pool, volleyball nets, and a playground. Plus, plenty of wide open spaces for a toddler to run! Dan and I couldn't stop saying how perfect it was for vacationing with Maddy; far superior to being closed in at a hotel. We just enjoyed our time there so, so much.

Funny story: we ended up setting up Madalyn's pack-in-play in a large, room-like walk in closet off the master bathroom of "Annie's Retreat". It was a perfect spot where she could have her own space. However, I felt a pang of parent-guilt when Maddy pointed to a normal-sized closet in a different bathroom and said, "That's where Maddy takes a nap, Mama?" Poor child thinks sleeping in a closet is acceptable! :)

On Sunday, we visited some family of Dan's on his Mom's side, and then hit the Erie mall. We do this every year before we leave for home and here is why: Fourth-of-July sales meets no sales tax! That's right, no sales tax in PA! Thanks to all my new bargain-finding skills, I made out like a banshee. I got spa slippers at Bath & Body works for $1.50 (90% off!), a $2.50 body spray and a free lip product, Baby Gap pajamas for my nephew for $2.50 (regularly $22.00!), two shirts and a pair of leggings at Express for $9.71 (the shirts were originally $24.50 a piece and the leggings were $16.50!!), etc.! Let's just say it was a good thing we had Maddy with us or the bargain finding would have continued! Seriously, Baby Gap was offering an additional 40% off your entire purchase if you opened a card (right, my pjs would have been $1.50 instead!). But Maddy had reached her limits of shopping. So we piled in the car and headed home.

Happy. Rested. Closer. Thankful.

What a good time we had.

Tag!

2008-07-02T19:10:00.000-07:00

Rebekah just tagged me in bloggy world, so here goes!

1. What did you do 10 years ago?

In 2008, I was a sophomore in high school, just enjoying life with an incredible group of friends and a strong sense of purpose in my church youth group. I think we went on a mission trip to Mexico in 1998. I always spent my summers at Spring Hill Camp , working and having a ball. If you have children, you must send them. Whatever it takes. Maddy is already pre-registered for when she enters first grade. O-kay, not really

2. Five things from your 'to do' list?

Pack for our family trip to Erie, PA tomorrow.
Make yummy snack mix Dan must have when he travels.
Buy disposable wipes. I bought the disposable diapers today. Yes, even me, the die-hard cloth diaper user, will be taking the easy way out on vacation :). Although I did hate hate hate spending money on dipes today!
Take bags of clothes/ donation items to Salvation Army.
Repaint toenails!

3. Favorite snacks?

Not really a big snacker. I do like chips and salsa mixed with sour cream, cheese and crackers, and ice cream while watching t.v.! No, not all at the same time :)

4. What would you do if you were a millionaire?

You mean like if I hit the lottery?

Pay off all bills, debt, mortgage, etc, and then sit down with a financial planner (I'd want that money to last!). Then go with Dan and Maddy somewhere to process through and pray (and by "somewhere" I of course mean Hawaii). Take all my girlfriends on a big shopping spree :). I don't know after that, but aim to make a difference and live humbly. I would hope you wouldn't see any difference in who we are. Maybe just slightly cuter clothes and, 0-kay, maybe a bigger bathroom.

Isn't She Lovely?

2008-07-01T10:44:00.000-07:00

Who, you ask? My beautiful wedding gown made her way out of her preservation box for a photo shoot. She will soon be up on Craigslist to bless another young bride and make us a few bucks and more storage space.

But my breath still catches when I see her. I tried many dresses on, but this one made me feel like a bride. I'm sure every girl says this, but I had never seen a more lovely gown. She is ivory with the richest-feeling material. Her bodice is fitted and garnished with delicate ivory and pink pearls. The skirt is gathered with clusters of beads.

She's beautiful. But really, has anyone heard of a daughter who actually wears her mother's gown one day? This beauty probably won't look the same twenty years from now, no matter how well "preserved" she is. My independent Maddy will want her own choice, I'm sure.

But I'll miss her.

Let me know if anyone you know is looking for a dress!

Whole Paycheck?

2008-06-30T11:25:00.000-07:00

Why is it that multiple beauty products seem to run out at the same time? Is it just me or do your deodorant, toothpaste, face wash, and shampoo seem to time their emptying so you are left with a hefty shopping list? Since I've been trying to convert to more environmentally and human-friendly products (no dangerous ingredients, no testing on animals, etc.), I decided to take a trip to our local Whole Foods to do some replacing of these products. Being the new bargain-hunter that I am (it's getting addicting), I decided to do some searching online to see if I could find any coupons/deals before I trekked to Rochester. Here's what I found:

*First, I checked the Whole Foods website. There is a function available where you can view all the deals currently taking place at your nearest store and add any items you like to an online shopping list. Once you have finished browsing bargains, you can print the list to bring along. I found this to be extremely helpful; I had a "game-plan" before I set into what can be a very dangerous, pricey store for me!

*Which leads me to my next discovery online: Many people have nicknamed Whole Foods "Whole Paycheck" because of the high prices they give their natural, organic products. Going in with my list made up greatly helped; it was comprised completely of sale items and Dan and I stuck to it like glue (alright, he did through in some baked Kettle chips!), but it was still a pricey trip, mostly just because I had several beauty products to buy.

*My third and final point is that I love their reusable shopping bags!

They are bigger, sturdier, and, let's face it, cuter than the Meijer reuse bags and cost the SAME amount: .99 cents :).

I was proud of my husband for ditching his favorite face wash for new Aubrey Organic choice:

So what do you do to buy quality products for your family at low prices? Any great items that you've found work as well as the alternatives you are used to?

OUTRAGEOUS BARGAIN!

2008-06-27T00:00:00.000-07:00

Alright, I know you've come to expect ridiculous gadgets and gizmos from the Outrageous Friday Post. Oh, sidebar, I think it is quite endearing how you all personalize the name! I've heard it called "Crazy Friday" and "Wacky Friday" among other things! Smile. Sigh. O-kay, moving on...

This Friday's post is neither a gadget nor a gizmo and might not be that exciting to some of you, but it is an AMAZING, OUTRAGEOUS, CRAZY, and WACKY bargain I found via http://www.wantnot.net/ and http://www.thecompanystore.com/. The Company Store is a beautiful place to find lovely (albeit pricey) linens, pjs, home furnishings, etc. Right now they are having their Winter Blowout Sale and just lookie what you can get:

For $13.99! Regularly $59.00! And if you enter the code AFFGK08, you get 10% off on top of that!

What??

NO, for the bunting, not the baby! Geez, how outrageous do you think this post is??

Check out the other Winter Blowout items for some great Christmas items! You'll be so smug, having some of your shopping done in June :).

Love,

Laura

Ps. You SERIOUSLY thought I was talking about the baby? Wow..

Expand your vocab; Feed a hungry world...

2008-06-26T10:17:00.000-07:00

My dear friends Andi and Frank recently told me about this cool website, http://www.freerice.com/. The UN World Food Program has set up a site where advertising sponsors agree to donate free rice to those in need every time you answer a vocabulary question correctly! 20 grains are donated for each right answer and the more you play, the more you give. It is a fun way to sharpen your syntax and impress your friends.

Observe:

You can play even if you are home, sick in bed with pollinosis.

Ooo, you say, she sounds very smart and medical-ish. Well, I just learned on www.freerice.com that pollinosis means "hay fever"!

See what I mean! O-kay, ready, set, GO!

I expect to see big words in all of your blogs! I won't tell! :)

Love,

Laura

Migraine...

2008-06-25T08:31:00.001-07:00

I have been through natural childbirth. I've broken a bone. I've had appendicitis and an appendectomy. I would consider myself pretty well acquainted with pain. But last night I had one of my first migraines. Let me tell you, it ranks up there. The sensitivity to light, the inability to lay down (for some reason, it's a hundred times worse if I rest my head), and the awful nausea that sweeps over again and again. Leading finally to, well, you know. Although I will say, I've found the kitchen sink to be a much better place to throw up than the toilet. I know it sounds gross, but hear me here. No disgusting bathroom odors to inhale (my bathroom is freshly clean, but with the migraine I was sooo sensitive to smells that I was still repulsed) and the sink is at waist level...no crouching down. And if you have a sprayer and a garbage disposal...alright, too much information, huh?

Anyway, I have an awesome family. Dan was sitting up with me until I told him "I know, sickness and health and all that, but you really don't have to watch me throw up" :). My exhausted husband finally went to sleep. And my mom is coming today to pick up Maddy, saving her from a fate of PBS kids shows, since I am just whipped.

Let me know if you get migraines and what you do for them. Hopefully I won't be experiencing them on a regular schedule, but I'd like to be prepared next time!

Question of the Week: Fess Up!

2008-06-23T20:43:00.000-07:00

So I had a different question in mind for this week (something along the lines of what you would do first if you inherited a large sum of money unexpectedly. No, sadly that does not arise from any personal experience! :) However, I was just filling out a survey to get a free sample of something or other online, and had to answer this soul-searching, light-shedding question:

*How many hours a day do you spend on the computer?

Oooo...that'll get ya.

There were several options (ie: less than 1, 1-2, 2-3) etc. I, of course, chose on the conservative I-am-remembering-to-do-laundry-and-get-out-of-these-pjs-and-feed-my-two-year-old kind of day.

But I must confess, some days my still, small, internal voice politely and sweetly screams:

STEP AWAY FROM THE COMPUTER!

So, fess up! On average, how much time are you glued to the screen each day? Does it take up more of your time than you'd like? Do you feel "sucked in"? Some days I know I squander more time than I should away clicking and typing. But what a beautiful tool to communicate, learn, research, save money, spend money (little laugh here, ahem).

Guess I better sign off for tonight...there's a load in the wash that needs to make its way to the dryer!

OUTRAGEOUSLY BUSY FRIDAY!

2008-06-20T11:50:00.000-07:00

I sincerely apologize in being late with today's posting. Again, I know many of you have difficulty eating, sleeping, concentrating at work because you are so excited to see what outrageousness lies in wait. You must forgive me as I spent the morning doing this:

Watching my neighbor's kids!

And then trying to get to do this:

(Madalyn's obviously quite younger in this picture, but I don't take sleeping pictures anymore. Are you kidding me? Sneak into her room and risk waking her up in the middle of a nap? Nope :).

ANYWAYS, today's posting is courtesy of Dan and my good friend Brad Ruggles. He thought this would be a fitting submission for Outrageous Friday, which brings me to a new element in this weekly tradition...join in the fun! If you come across something truly outrageous, let me know about it, and you too could appear as a featured contributor on this nationally acclaimed blog. :)

So let's cut to the chase...Meet The Flippee! Now, girls outnumber boys in my house, but...

...maybe someday this will come in handy! Here's what the official site says:

Flippee™ The Toilet Shield protects your toilet, walls and floor from accidents. It attaches to your toilet with premium suction cups and stores discreetly around the base. The drip lip feature stops any excess from hitting the floor when it is flipped down.

Brad found this posted at http://brandiandboys.wordpress.com/2008/06/16/the-solution-to-all-my-problems/. The woman blogging is a pastor's wife and mom of three boys; she thought this may be the answer to (most of) her troubles!

Let me know what you think and have a GREAT weekend!

Love,

Laura

Free Beauty Products, Anyone??

2008-06-17T08:38:00.000-07:00

So I've recently been checking out a couple pretty cool sites: http://www.wantnot.net/ and http://www.itsmorethanenough.blogspot.com/. Both post amazing deals every day; things like free string cheese at Wal-Mart if you use a coupon from Sunday's paper or free salad dressing after rebate. And if cheese and salad's not your thing, they both have an amazing deal from Amazon.com's beauty department posted. It is as follows, although you can get all the official info at the site:

Spend at least $25.00 in beauty products from a single source on Amazon.com, and the site will give you a subscription to the magazine US Weekly. But wait, you say, I like to know what is going on with Britney and see Suri's cute outfits as much as the next person, but I'm not really into having gossip in my mailbox. If it was People, then we'd be talking. I thought you'd say that, dear reader, and here is where it gets good. If you chose to fore go your subscription, US Weekly will refund you $19.80 instead.

So you spend $25.00 and get $20.00 back! How's that for a deal? I felt so blessed since I need new foundation. As previously mentioned, I am trying to be more conscientious about buying "safe" products (see earlier post Skin Deep), so I got on the Skin Deep website, found a foundation with a super great safety rating, and ordered it through Amazon! Since my total didn't come to $25.00, I had to throw in a fun eyeshadow too, darn it :).

Think makeup, shampoo, or lotion! Think gifts for Mom, Sister, or Friend! How fun! Seriously, check out those two above mentioned sites. They are rocking my world :).

What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up?

2008-06-16T11:21:00.001-07:00

Question of the Week:

Maybe you are one of the lucky few who knew exactly what you wanted to be when you grew up from childhood. Maybe you graduated high school, applied to exactly the college or trade school you had in mind, and proceeded with the training you needed to make your dream come true. Maybe you did it all before "life" kicked in with marriage, kids, or other "reality" checks. Maybe you are living your dream.

Or maybe you thought you knew what your dream was, and proceeded much as above, and now life has come, you are married, you have children or are about to have your first, and your perspective has changed. What you once thought was "you" doesn't seem to be as close of a fit with your new found reality. The more mature "you."

Often I wish I had the perspective I do now when I graduated from high school eight years ago this month. What would I have done differently? Nothing, as it turns out. Alright, maybe a few minor things :), but the goals and dreams I have now would have been impossible then. They only came with experience, with new birth and love.

Which leads me to the Question of the Week:

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Are you already there, living the dream? Are you close and in the process of pursuing it? Do you have a little, sneaking voice whispering that there is something you are meant to be?

Of course, as you might imagine, this question is born out of my own thoughts as of late. I love being home with Madalyn right now; it is an honor and a privilege. But I believe there is still something for me in the wings. More on that later.

Let me know if it's a firefighter, a ballerina, or a mailman. Or anything in between.

Love,

Laura

Being Real...

2008-06-14T07:13:00.000-07:00

Many of you have visited Angie Smith's site "Bring the Rain" and have told me how touched you have been from her story (which I originally found via my friend Brad's blog at http://www.bradruggles.com/). Late last night, I was reading through the "comments" section on one of her postings, and someone asked that she check out this site: http://www.mattlogelin.com/. It is the blog of another family going through some pretty hard stuff.

Disclaimer: Matt (that's who is blogging) is very real about what he is experiencing. Real as in using some four-letter words some may find offensive. Once you see what he is dealing with; however, you will find he is totally justified in using them. On the right hand side of his blog, you will see a link entitled warning. Click there first. Then click on If you haven't been here before to get the story from the beginning.

Disclaimer Number 2: If you are pregnant (yes, that means you JEN!), it may be best for you to wait until after you deliver to read. I should have given Jen that disclaimer about Angie's site, poor girl!

I'm not sure why I have been so touched as of late with these stories. One thing I do know: Dan and I have been working on how to be REAL, and I think both Angie and Matt teach me how to do that in different ways. We are trying to undo some "churchiness" (yes, it's a word!) that has crept in over the years to learn how to be accessible. Genuine. Human. Not seperated from others.

Anyone tracking with me?

Love,

Laura

OUTRAGEOUS FRIDAY...Nursie Edition!

2008-06-13T11:45:00.000-07:00

Alright, so last Friday's "Outrageous Friday" posting was a hit; many of you commented that although the "pee" and "poo" dolls were certainly funny, you wouldn't buy them for your own child. I promised this week's edition would be even more outrageous, and, in my opinion, it is!

Some of you told me you couldn't sleep last night because you were so excited to see what today's posting would hold. Alright, no one said that, but you are interested right? :)

Let me begin by saying that I in no way pass judgement on this week's outrageous find. I am a huge supporter of breastfeeding; the benefits to mom and baby are vast. Baby reaps reduced GI upset, reduced allergies, passive immunities from mom, increased bonding, and more. Mom (oh, how I love that Mom gets some selfish benefits!) is able to lose her "baby fat" much more quickly due to calories burned producing milk plus she doesn't even have to turn on a single light for a two AM feeding. The milk is ready, it's warm, it requires zero effort.

There's my breastfeeding stance. So what happens when Mom decides that her little one is ready to be weaned? The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months and then continued breastfeeding with supplemental food until age one. The WHO (World Health Organization) recommends breastfeeding "for up to two years of age or beyond."

(Source: http://www.who.int/nutrition/topics/infantfeeding_recommendation/en/index.html)

However, many counter that the WHO recommendation of toddler nursing is intended for third world countries where other sources of nutrition are scarce. Madalyn is two, and, for me personally, I think nursing her at this point would be awkward. But WHATEVER your view, today's outrageous find was recommended by a mom trying to wean her three year old, yes, I said three year old, from nursing. Are you ready?

Meet Woolie Nursies:

Oh, they are what you think they are! And to answer your next question, yes, it appears they do come in varied skin tones and sizes! I found them on http://www.thegoodmama.com/ in the blog section (ordering info also included there)! They are apparently filled with flax seed, but you can choose to have them filled with rice so they can be warmed up!

A creative "lovie" to help a toddler or baby wean from breastfeeding? What do you think? :)

Happy Friday!

Love,

Laura

Ps. "Outrageous Friday" is not meant to only be about crazy children's toys; next week we will explore a different arena!

Pillow Fight...

2008-06-12T12:01:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures courtesy of our very own Aunt Andi who beautifully captured an all-out pillow fight between Madalyn and Uncle Frank last week.

We love you, Mariettas!

Down Came The Tree...

2008-06-11T13:01:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday brought some particularly vicious storms for much of Southeastern Michigan. Oxford happened to be right in the middle of the worst cell; as I type this on Wednesday, some are still without electricity. Thankfully, we never lost power, but did witness an equally monumental result of the storms...

Our neighbor's huge tree fell in our yard. I know that sentence would sound better if I clarified the type of tree, but my husband is not home and he is the expert in that area. Its leaves do look mapley, perhaps? Anyways, it is/was a HUGE tree but wasn't any match for the 65 MPH and above winds that came ripping through.

At the time of taking these pictures, our neighbor has already begun to clean up the largest branches, but I want you to notice in the pictures above and below where it fell. How it fell.

Square in our yard. It missed our neighbor's house. Our neighbor's garage. Our garage.

Our house.

The corner of the house you see hidden in the above picture by our patio and our smoke tree is Madalyn's room. She had been sleeping in her crib just a half hour before the storm came through. I couldn't help but think "What if the tree had fallen just a little to the right and landed on her room? What if the storm had come through a half hour earlier?"

That didn't happen and I'm just so, so thankful. Often after a tragedy does occur, we are left reeling, thinking "What if the tree had landed in the yard instead of on the house? What if the storm had come through just a half hour later...when Maddy would have been up from her nap?" And when the opposite happens, we think "Whew! That was close!" and are on our way unaffected.

I don't want to be unaffected. We were protected and I am thankful.

Question of the Week...

2008-06-09T12:01:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had an enjoyable weekend and survived the heat! We had some vicious storms come through last night (Sunday night) that ended with our neighbor's huge tree in our yard! Stay tuned for pictures from that exciting event...

But on to this week's question. I came across an essay contest in one of my favorite magazines, RealSimple. The topic of the essay seems easy enough: describe in 1500 words or less the most important day of your life.

Well.

The blurb does give a few examples, such as "perhaps it was the day of your daughter's high school graduation" etc. The top prize is $3000.00 and the opportunity to be published in a future edition of this great mag.

All thoughts of entering (or not) aside, it got me thinking...what would be the most important day of my life? It's a tougher question than it seems on the surface. If I had to pick a single day in which the events proved most monumental, most forming, most influential on who I am today, what day would that have been? Without which day would I be different? The day I first talked to God in my bunk bed at summer camp? The day I found out I was pregnant? Delivered Maddy (that day, May 6, 2006, does seem to be a forerunner since I simultaneously graduated from college as well!)? None of the above?

What day was the most important day of your life? Tell me, but, more importantly, if you come up with a good answer, tell RealSimple. It just could be worth $3000.00 and your name in the byline of a national publication. www.realsimple.com/lifelessons

Love,

Laura

Ps. This just included for extra cuteness :)

Outrageous Friday...

2008-06-06T11:58:00.000-07:00

I've decided to include a little feature on my blog called "Outrageous Friday." I figure by the end of the week we can all use something to make us laugh. I'm pretty excited as I've already found some things that are truly, well...outrageous.

This week's find was advertised in the magazine Wondertime, a gorgeous compilation of articles celebrating childhood. The stories are incredibly well written and usually very witty. These little beauties were displayed in an article about potty training.

Are you ready for this?

Meet Pee and Poo, cuddly, huggable plush dolls designed to make potty training tangible and fun:

For more laughs, or to purchase these cute excrements for your little one, visit their website home: http://www.peeandpoo.com/.

And, as funny as those two are, I promise you, next Friday's outrageous find is even better!

Ps. If you actually do want to purchase darling Pee and Poo, do so on this website since they are ten dollars cheaper than the official site given above!

http://www.baronbob.com/pee-poop-plush-dolls.htm

Another compelling reason to go cloth...

2008-06-06T11:50:00.000-07:00

Check out this posting on Dr. Greene's website...another great reason for the comeback of cloth diapers.

http://www.drgreene.com/21_353.html

Have a great weekend and enjoy the HEAT!

Love,

Laura

Skin Deep...

2008-06-04T12:15:00.000-07:00

I am some what of a begrudged "green" girl. I have to admit, when I first learned of the BPA found in plastics, including Avent baby bottles, my first thought was "great." Don't these consumer reports know that we stocked up on these very bottles for Madalyn and smugly planned to use our stash for any and all future children? We already bit the bullet once--c'mon! And, really, isn't Maddy just fine? Aren't we just fine, oh fellow generation, whose mothers placed us on our bellies to sleep, never fed us organic whole milk, and let us ride our bikes without helmets?

As a nurse, I am always on the lookout for "junk science." It is my firm belief that you can find a "study" to back just about any opinion you have...how to you separate real, pressing concerns from the anxiety-inducing fray who seem to prefer our children to grow in climate-controlled bubbles?

That being said, as a mom, a nurse, a human-being, I love being informed. Individuals use similar logic as mine given above to justify, for example, why they have home births with lay midwives; their sister or mom or grandmother did and everyone was just fine. But look at the maternal and infant mortality rates when home births were a norm. So there is a very proper place for questioning and examining practices of the past with the knowledge and technology we have today.

Babies who are placed on their backs to sleep have a lower instance of SIDS. That is what we know now. It could change as we learn more. Prayerfully, there will come a time and a body of knowledge that eliminates SIDS entirely.

Organic milk is healthier for our children than that packed with antibiotics, grow hormones, chemicals. That is what we know now. Again, there is room for more study.

And helmets save lives when children fall, as children do, when riding bikes. Heck, they save lives when adults fall. If only I'd had a helmet on my tushy during mountain biking (see earlier post). Maybe I'm on to an idea there....

But I digress.

Believe it or not, there is a purpose to the soap-box filled blog. Good friends who I trust have inspired me to take a hard look into what cosmetics, soaps, and lotions I use for myself and my family. However, I had no idea where to look for the "safer" version of my paraben-filled favs. I'm certainly not going to take the time to scrutinize the back of every bottle at Meijer with the meter running on the car I payed a dollar for Maddy to sit in and watch WonderPets while I shop. The battery runs out on those things. And that MUST NOT happen until I have safely cleared the checkout lane. Don't judge me until you have experienced the peace and calm of shopping with a two-year old with the Meijer cars.

I can't stay on point today! Too much caffeine this morning, perhaps. The point, in fact, is that I came upon a website source entitled "Skin Deep" at http://www.cosmeticdatabase.com/. This little gem allows you to type in any bath and body product, including cosmetics, and scores each product on toxicity, cancer-causing potential, allergies, and much more. You can then see which similar items are safer or more dangerous in comparison. Eg: I was shocked to find that Boudreaux's Butt Paste actually ranked better than the Burt's Bees Baby Bees Diaper cream I just purchased. Way to go, Butt Paste. *Warning*--this searching is somewhat addicting and can lead to deciding to see where every product you own ranks and staying up until 1:30 AM doing so. Not that that happened to me. I'm sure I'm always in bed at a sensible hour.

This database is a great resource to make informed decisions. As I run out of my current products, I'll use it to see what would be the best possible replacement. I'm sure all my way-cool, less reluctant Green friends already know about it. I'll get back to checking out those glass bottles. Incidently, several Babies 'R Us stores are taking back Avent bottles and giving the fair market price as a store credit to purchase a safer substitute. So it looks like our investment is still worth something!

Happy Searching!

Favorite Summer Smell...

2008-06-03T06:40:00.001-07:00

This week I promised a lighter question and with the warmer weather out, I decided to give it a summer theme! Walking outside, I am greeted by so many summer "smells," a BBQ in full swing, trees blooming, the smell of my neighbor's lilacs that maybe I trim just a little (only the ones that hang in our yard...aren't they technically ours?)

So here's my question? What is your favorite summer smell? What reminds you most of the season of relaxation and sunshine?

Is it the smell of sunscreen? Fresh blacktop?

Mines a little weird...I love the smell of lawn fertilizer! Something about that smell just reminds me of the season; maybe all the Chem Lawn applications my parents had put down annually...certainly not very green, I'm sure! But nonetheless...

Let me know what yours is!

Love,

Laura

My Curly-Q...

2008-05-31T08:03:00.000-07:00

This is how Maddy woke up this morning after going to bed with wet hair! Last night's humidity really did a number on her.

All I can say is I'm so thankful it appears her hair is going to be naturally curly! It has been my fear that she would grow silky straight hair and desire her mom to be able to wield a curling iron in the years to come. Since my hair has always been curly, I never developed the skill many take for granted...adding curls. I have no idea how to properly use hot rollers, a curling iron, etc! If these pictures are any indication, it looks like Maddy's hair will curl itself!

A Literal Pain in my Butt!

2008-05-30T07:47:00.001-07:00

Four weeks ago today, our good friends Ben and Rebekah invited Dan and I to go mountain biking. Ben has recently taken a great interest in the sport, and Rebekah, his devoted and loving wife, has decided to get into biking as well to spend time with her man. We were thrilled to have an excuse for an evening out and Dan was excited to return to riding, something he hasn't done in awhile. There was only one problem...

I don't like mountain biking. I know this to be true. I had several bad experiences during summer camp as a teen where we were forced to go on rugged trails through the woods, attempting to balance our bikes on tiny logs over deep ditches. Quite frankly, the sport freaks me out. I'm all for biking on nice, paved trails. I enjoy the workout. But throw in some loose gravel, protruding roots, and rough terrain, and, well, I'm politely deciding to cling to life.

But everyone was so convincing. Dan sacrificed his helmet for me. Rebekah offered her old bike. They said the scenery was beautiful.

And it was. Despite the fact that I am out of shape and was frantically trying to keep up with my more experienced counterparts, I was beginning to enjoy myself. Ben and Bekah only took us on the intermediate trails, God bless 'em, even though they usually enjoy the more advanced.

Until I hit the root. My bike lurched, the seat came up and popped me square in the tailbone. It was the sensation of hitting your funny bone...not so much painful as just intense. But I was o-kay.

Or so I thought.

Four weeks later, I still can't sit down. Later that night, I was racked with pain and Dan (you'll not find a better husband, I'm convinced) was logged onto WebMD, trying to console me.
"Laura, even if it is broken, there's nothing we can do. The muscles around it will hold the bones in place. Here's a Motrin and an icepack."

Of course it would happen to me, out of everyone! Here's to the adventurous spirit...and hoping I can one day sit again without pain!