In Honor of Pearl Harbor Day... and Howie (a Marine)

Howie, Mark's grandpa, used to sing this song to Mark all the time when he was little and Mark has since taught the song to Ben and Addison. I know Pearl Harbor was Navy, and this song is about the Marines, but our hearts are in the right place. We are grateful for all of our armed forces!

A Budding Cletus Smith?

I love this clip of Ben because it really does make me think of my Grandpa Smith. Because he lived far away, and then past away when I was still young, I have olny a few vivid memories of him. Some of the clearest are of him playing his harmonica. I would love it if Ben really did grow up and played just like him.

What's Not to Love?

Gift Talk

I love gifts. I love giving them when I've found just that right little something that I know a certain person will love. I don't like gifts at all when I feel like I had to make a purchase that didn't mean anything to me. Anyone can buy themselves a bottle of lotion. But if I find a bottle of lotion that is the exact sent of a memory we shared then heck yah I'll buy that lotion. Or if I know it's your very favorite but you never buy it for yourself because your bottle of Jergens is just fine, then I will be so excited for you to open that gift. One year my mom gave me a huge Costco size bottle of Neutrogena Rainbath Shower Gel... to you that may seem really silly. Soap? Really? But I LOVE the stuff. Love it. However it must be liquid gold or something because they charge waaaaay more than I'm willing to pay for shower gel. I cherished every drop of that stuff. That's a good example of how a seemingly ordinary present can really be something wonderful to the receiver.

There are a few things I know I'm giving that I'm excited about... but I'm struggling with gifts for kids. Who wants more stuff for their kids? But at the same time I totally want to be the cool mom and aunt who gives the cool gift, you know? And I want to see the look on the faces of my kids when they open the cool gift from someone else too, it really is so much fun! But what is it about? Giving, I mean. Is it about fun? Or, as the BFF so sweetly reminded me of, is it about being a blessing? Yes! That is what it is!! Jesus was born and because of his birth and the gift and blessing he is to us we have the chance to bless others. Part of me wants to go hog wild and buy awesome things the kids will flip over, like the laptop Ben would die to have or the umpteenth baby for Addison, but I'm trying to be really tuned in to who they are individually and what sort of present will actually be a blessing to them. What kind of gift blesses a child? Giving them exactly what they want? Surprising them with something they never dreamed they'd get? That's what I'm trying to figure out. Let me know if you have any thoughts or ideas.

I Want To!

I want to blog, I do. I even have one half written, but it's not ready to post yet. So I'm sorry, you faithful blog checkers. I know that frustrating feeing you must get (big assumption here) when you check my blog and see the same title for 8 days in a row. And while other people are posting pictures and sweet stories of their Thanksgiving celebrations, I'm sitting here posting nothing except excuses. But my best work is always done Wednesdays-Saturdays, so I'm sure there's got to be a winner coming soon. And if not, well then, I don't know, read a book.

Here's a picture just to show how much I care...

Part 2

I emailed back and forth a bit with Miss Kelly and figured she was a winner so we set up a day and time for her to come and meet the kids, meet us and basically get a feel for things. Tuesday morning she showed up right at 10 o'clock and I liked her right away. These are the reasons why:

1. She jumped right in with the kids and started playing with them, acting like she'd known them forever, which I think gave them a since of security and OKness with her, even though they didn't know her from Adam.

2. Took initiative with them, not waiting for me to tell her what to do, she just did everything. (ie. changed Troy without asking me, put him down for a nap when she thought he was tired, spoke firmly to Ben when he was out of line, etc.)

3. She sized up the kids personalities really quickly and related to them well.

One very cool thing that happened right away was when she saw Ben's school bag she told him she had gone to that school also, years ago, and it turns out she had Ben's teacher, Mrs. Keller too! So that was a neat way to break the ice with Ben and also give him something to attach her to as opposed to just being a total stranger. Miss Kelly also taught at Ben's school for three years a few years ago. (She's 26, if you're wondering).

While she was here I spent the first hour running errands and when I came home she had taken the kids to the park. So Mark and I cleaned the house really well, since it's so much easier to clean the house without kids in it. I left again, (this time for a little quiet time at Starbucks - all by myself!!) while Mark had some clients stop by. Here's a funny story; Miss Kelly and the kids came home while the clients were still there and when Ben walked in the door he stops and says, (in front of the clients mind you...)

"Wow!! The house is so clean! Did the cleaners come?"

Mark: "Ha! Um no."

Ben: " Who cleaned the house?"

Mark: "Mom and Dad."

Ben: "Whose Mom and Dad?"

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Um yeah, I guess I do need a little help. One of the (many) benefits of Miss Kelly being here on Tuesdays is that I will be able to take Ben to school while she stays home with Addison and Troy. Not having to get them in and out of the car saves me probably 20 minutes and about 1,000 stress wrinkles. I loved coming home from taking him and walking in to find her, after already cleaning up lunch, putting Troy down for a nap. I really liked that she didn't feel like she needed to wait for me, she saw that he was tired and though she had never put him down before she was willing to figure it out. Unfortunately I walked in his room not realizing what she was doing and totally set him off, but it's good to know that up until my entrance he was totally fine with her putting him to bed. He also gladly went into her arms from mine once or twice, which is really big.

So I'm excited! I am so thankful for Miss Kelly and her great childcare skills and that my kids liked her and she liked them. This is a huge blessing for me, and I am SO thankful! I will have to figure out the best way to use my time, and her time, wisely, but I really don't think that will be a problem.

So if you live in the south county area and need a fantastic sitter Miss Kelly is the gal for you! (Just not on Tuesdays between 10 and 1.) :-)

A Little Help Please

I received some money for my birthday with the encouragement to use it on something I really need; help. What kind of help? Geez, where do I begin? Mental help? Spiritual help? Physical help? Yes. Yes. And yes. It has become slightly apparent to those who see me in action with my kids that, due to Mark's insane amount of working hours and me being (nearly) ripely pregnant, a sitter to watch my kids for a few hours every week while I, I don't know, grocery shop, clean, bathe, breathe... might be a nice gift.

At first I was like, awesome! thank you! But to be honest I had a hard time actually going through the motions of finding someone to watch the kids, especially since I'd be home some while she is taking care of them. That felt so strange to me. Why would I have someone else make my kids lunch or change a diaper when I'm right there? It was too weird, to foreign of a concept for me to really grasp and appreciate. But, lets be honest moms, if given the opportunity, wouldn't you rather stroll down the aisles of Trader Joe's sans children? Yes please! And so began my search for a sitter (I can't bring myself to use the word "nanny").

Up until now we've been extremely fortunate enough to only use family, close friends and dear neighbors to watch the kids. But those people weren't options this time around. I needed someone I didn't know so if things didn't go well I could cut ties and not be losing a sweet relationship. But, it also had to be someone who came recommended by highly trusted friends, friends with the same morals and standards we have. I sent out an email to such trusted friends and spelled out kind of sitter I was looking for:

Someone who could...

A) Keep my kids alive

B) Keep them (relatively) happy and loved

C) Clean up after them. (not looking for a house cleaner, but I did want someone who will help my kids clean up their messes - whether that be dishes they use, toys they take out, clothes they mess up, etc.)

D) Drive

Simple enough, right? A few replied and one girl caught my attention (because she was highly recommended by more than one person) and thus began our relationship with Miss Kelly.

******************* TOO BE CONTINUED*********************

Flu Shmu

I'm tired of all this flu talk. It's hyped, it's drawn out, it's built up it's overdone, it's everywhere, it's disgusting. People are marketing their stuff now with little stickers that say things like, "HELPS PREVENT FLU" or "BUILDS IMMUNE SYSTEM TO FIGHT OFF FLU". It's marketing at it's sickest, no pun intended. Blah! I'm so over it! Am I going to get the flu shot? No. Do I know why? No. I really don't. For every 100 doctors that insist I must there are 100 doctors that insist I mustn't. There are articles and emails and YouTube clips and News clips and flyers and mailers and call-waiting messages... There is too much information for me to make an informative decision!! I've asked friends, doctors, Facebook, THE LORD, and I still have no idea what to do. Shot or no shot?... that is the question. I'm leaning towards no shot. Why? Because I hate shots. That's the best reason I can give. Because if I say, "I don't trust the government enough to take a vaccine I don't know anything about." then I'm a skeptic. If I say it's because I wonder who is behind the ONE company that is paying for this vaccine, then I'm a conspiracy theorist. If I won't take it because I think, and I'm going to try and say this with much respect and compassion, that those who have died from N1H1 also had pre-existing issues then I'm justifying death. If I decline the shots because I've never gotten a flu shot and think why should I start now? then I'm ignorant. So I really have no good answer for why I'm not going to. And I'm sorry if that is outrageous to you. I am an outrageous person I guess. I let my kids play in mud pits on a regular basis and I don't find out the sex of my babies before they're born, so yes, I do some outrageous things. Do I think I won't get it? No, I'm not stupid, I realize I have just as good a chance as anyone else of getting either one of the flu's. Do I think I will die if I do catch the swine flu? My chances are higher of dying in a car crash today on my way to pick up Ben from school, but you don't see me staying out of the car. If all the people who are so adamant about getting the vaccine would be as adamant about not smoking or eating healthy or getting mammograms then maaaaaaaaybe I'd be a little more inclined to support this movement. But that's that friends. Let the madness end people!

**Not trying to stir up people or anything. Just saying what I'm thinking because that's why I have a blog. I might change my mind tomorrow on this topic and I reserve the right to do so. :-)