A Pirate, A Mother and A Sickling:

--Jake and the Neverland Pirates premiered.  It's a new show on Disney Junior that we saw advertised at Disney World. Noah has been so excited for its debut.  It hasn't disappointed.  He l.o.v.e.s it and has transformed into a pirate. The fort in our backyard has been converted to a pirate ship.  Ahoy, me matey!

--Kayt got two new baby dolls.  Big day.  Big, big day.  This is what she bought with her Valentines money.  I tried and tried to convince her to buy a new spring outfit (really, I did), but she wouldn't have it.  She was adamant about wanting ANOTHER baby.  We finally settled on a big sister/ little sister combo set.  Kayt is the most nurturing girl I know.  Far more nurturing than I EVER remember being as a child. She wakes up ready to play 'mommy/baby' and continues all day.  She tends to her slew of baby dolls as if they were real infants.  She is so gentle and attentive.  I just know she will be the best mother!

--Emery has an ear infection, but thanks to the tubes we had put in at the end of the year, we've avoided the doctor's office.  She and I have logged a few hours of cuddly sleeping this week.  That hasn't happened since she was an infant.  Now with ear drops, Mortin and TLC... she is on her way to recovery.

--Brad and I celebrated one of our most memorable Valentines Days together.  Our home group meets on Monday nights.  Since Valentines fell on a Monday this year, the guys planned a fun, surprise night for their wives.  We had strict instructions about when and where to meet.  We were driven to a lovely location where we found a path lit by tiki torches leading to a fire pit and platters of appetizers.  We had a lovely, girly conversation while we warmed ourselves by the fire.  Later we were led indoors by our husbands to a beautifully prepared, delicious dinner.  It was one of the most fun nights.  They were attentive to all details and worked so hard to serve and love us well.  Plus, it was celebrated with some of our closest friends, joy~

--We went to the park after I picked Noah and Kayt up from MDO yesterday.  We were all so excited to be outside and enjoying a warm day UNTIL Noah pushed the big, red swing with Kayt's baby doll in it and the swing hit and knocked Kayt into a big puddle of water.  At that... we came home.

--Noah has his first dentist appointment today.  He is less than thrilled about this, but is being really brave.  Noah, Brad and I are going to have a special lunch date after his appointment to celebrate.

--One year ago today, my grandpa passed away.  I've spent much time this week thinking of him.  He is in glory.

While the blog works, I write

Am I the only person with a finicky blog this week?  I am thinking so since I am reading posts that others have written.  I don't know what is going on with my little blog friend.  The window to posts looks like it is going to appear and then POOF!, it's gone.  I guess chickennoodlebananapasta is taking its own hiatus without my assistance.

But at this moment... we are back in business so I'm going with it.

Our week has been taken over by a sweet little three year old from Austin.  My nephew and sister-in-law are in town and my children are itching to spend every waking moment following him around to each new adventure.  It's been fun!

I am still trekking with Lori and friends in praying for my husband.  Are you?  There's a big bad world full of discouragement out there for our children and our husbands.  Let's help give them victory!

Speaking of victory, I've been studying a great book this summer with a few ladies.  I want to get to that soon so you can snatch the book up and get to claiming your God-given dignity as well.  But I am going to save for another post since I can hear the shower calling my name.  I've got an amusement park to explore tonight!  And a funnel cake to consume!

Until I get to the good stuff, you can feast your eyes on this sweet firecracker...

Family Favorites

This is a BIG week for our family.

Baby girl will be four months old on Thursday.

Big boy will be four years old on Friday. 

Middle girl is having a blast celebrating with everyone else and has no clue this is not all about her.

In honor of our big week, I thought it would be fun to share with you one favorite thing from each person in our family.

Granted, I have chosen this thing without their help. I will venture to say that I am pretty right on though.  After all, Momma knows best. Right?

Let's start with the youngest....

Emmy LOVES her Nap Nanny.  From my understanding, this is a relatively new thing.  I had never heard of it before she received hers.  I love it! In fact, I wish that I had it with the other two. I put it in her Pack-n-Play (with the infant part in so that it sits up high) and lay her in it at night.  She sleeps so soundly and it just looks comfortable.  I wouldn't mind an extra large Nap Nanny for me! It has a safety belt so after they start maneuvering, you can secure them in place, it is firm, but so soft. The cover comes off for easy washing. 

When we have traveled it is so convenient to only tote this light weight (3 lbs), smaller-than-a-pack-n-play item. I toss it in the back and off we go. No more folding and unfolding of the Pack-n- Play. 

I have sat it on the floor and in our bed.  If you do the co-sleeping thing, it would be a safer option than having to worry about rolling over on your child.    

She has had one stuffy episode in her four months and it was great not having to take an extra step to elevate her.  She is already elevated!

Em is a SUPER FABULOUS sleeper. I don't know how much of it is accredited to the Nap Nanny, but I would highly recommend it to anyone.  It seems that it would be especially good for babies with colic or tummy issues.  

Most cities have a local retailer, but you can also find them here.  

Disclaimer: This is NOT my baby sleeping in this Nap Nanny. 

Disclaimer #2: That was only in case you were curious. :)

Miss Kayt loves her Fisher Price dollhouse that she got for Christmas.  It is super cute. All of the pieces are plastic.  Hers came fully furnished and with the family.  She and Noah will play with it for hours.  It really is fun to play with, I play with them a lot!  The most genius part is that all of the pieces fit inside and then you can close it up. It is easy to tote, easy to store, and doesn't take up too much space.  Plus, it provides its own storage for the pieces. 

You can find it here.

Noah ABSOLUTELY LOVES, LOVES, LOVES his football and baseball guys.

Yes, that is what they are called: football guys.  I met an awesome girl last year from OK whose son is a few years older than Noah.  As I talked about Noah, she said how much he reminded her of her own son.  Noah is a sports f.a.n.a.t.i.c.  And i am NOT exaggerating.  Ask anyone who knows him. He is knows for his love of sports, playing sports all day, and ALWAYS sporting some type of sports attire. This may seem a bit passionate and over zealous, but if you know Noah, you know that I am not exaggerating in the least.  

Back to the story... this sweet friend told me about this product. They are similar to army men, but they are sports figurines. They have football, baseball, hockey and soccer.  Noah has football and baseball, but he is getting the soccer guys for his birthday. Shhhhh, it's a secret.  

They come in a cute little carrying case.  It includes players, referees and something else particular to the sport (i.e. field goals, score boards, goals, etc).  

Noah got his first set just after he turned 3 and it was a great age.  If I had known about this earlier, I would have ordered it sooner.  Before this, we purchased the expensive collectors item sports figurines and he would break off the stand and play with them.  This item cost what only two of those cost.  

You can order them here, from Kaskey Kids.  This genius couple created them for their son, who was much like my Noah.  It is hard to find sports items for the avid youngster and I am forever grateful to the people at Kaskey Kids for the hours of sheer pleasure they have brought into my home!

If you are interested in ordering these, let me know.  I have a 20% off discount code that I will email you. I believe a set is $24.99.  Score! 

It would also make a great gift for your special little boy.  If you order the football guys, you can choose solid colors or from several college teams. Cool, huh?

As for me...

I dig this shampoo.  It is from the John Frieda collection and I get it at Target. I love the smell and I love what it does for my hair. 

I've done the expensive shampoo route and the cheap shampoo route.  This is by far my favorite.  It is kind of a middle of the road shampoo as far as expense goes.  I think it's somewhere around $8.  I had used it for a while and at one point I ran out and went back to my I won't name any names old shampoo and quickly confirmed my thoughts on how great this particular shampoo is.  

Did I mention that I L-O-V-E the way it smells? 

I did? 

Oh. 

Well, I do.

As for the Mister, he is cheating on me with his Kindle.  Not really. But he does love it and uses it quite often. Brad loves to read and this has been great for both of us.

Perks for him: 1. all of his books are easily accessed  2. all of the cool features 3. it is slim and trim and easy to carry  4. it just looks cool

Perk for me: 1. no more books to have to find another place for. Can I get a Hallelujah?  Don't get me wrong, I love that he reads. But. Come. On.  A house can only hold so many books. 

There you have it, folks.  The favorite things of the Ingram Gang! 

What are your families' favorite things?

I love bullet points

-I have a nagging cough. I do not feel bad, but I have had a BAD cough for almost a week.

-It's quite annoying.

-Have I ever told you that my husband detests hacking coughs? It absolutely drives him crazy.

-And he has NO sympathy on the person who is actually coughing.

-So I am driving him nuts.

-I keep getting the look.

-Lucky for him, I am taking a little road trip tomorrow with his offsprings.

-And by little, I mean eight hours.

-I know.

-Yes, I must be loosing my mind. But my grandma is riding with us.

-Only sixteen episodes of Dora.

-Sixteen? Oh, Lordy.

-But I am looking forward to a change of scenery.

-There are trees where we are going. Trees that reach to the sky.

-If that is not impressive to you, you must not live where I live.

-Happy driving to us, I can already smell the pine trees! 

So Excited!

I ordered this sweet picture (by my friend, Lezlie) of our Emmy on a canvas. It will be the perfect finishing touch in her room.

I saw the offer for a free or discounted canvas on Kelly's Korner and I was so excited because this was *exactly* what I had in mind.

You can get a free 8x10 canvas or $55 off a larger sized canvas.

Go get your free canvas!

Christmas on the mind

For the first time in my life, I have a rather lengthy Christmas list that I am adding to daily. Isn't that terrible? Having a new home with many projects still ahead of us has done this to me. Speaking of... I should show you some pictures of the house. I will try to take a few this weekend. Tomorrow is operation garage clean out. It is so cold today here that it made me realize the urgency to park my car in the garage.

What is on your Christmas list this year?

I am working on finishing my Christmas shopping in the next few weeks. Having a baby due in December is working against my inner-procrastinator and I am trying to be very prepared this year. Trying. The key word.

But then I end up doing things like I did today and I go ahead and give the gifts to the person I purchased them for because I know that they could begin getting use out of it now. That is my problem with buying early. It's hard for me to hold back. I am the worst about that. I need to go ahead and begin wrapping items so that I am not so tempted to give them out early. Sheesh.

My favorite month is coming!

October is in three days. Did you hear me? THREE days. I still remember kindergarten; it lasted forever. And now, I cannot seem to grasp how quickly the days, weeks, months come and go.

My bubba boy isn't feeling too swell today and so we have had a few extra tears shed. He gets croup this time every year, it is related to the weather, but is still no fun. My gal had a fantastic second birthday party. She keeps telling me "my. birthday. party. fuuuun!" She leaves a little pause in between each word. Cutie.

Our small group began the Crown Financial study last week and so this was our first week of homework. I love reading things related to money and learning better ways to trust the Lord with and handle finances, but I have had such a hard time fitting all of this fun in over the last week. It's just been so busy. Has anyone done the Crown study? What are your thoughts on it?

Other big news, Brad painted the outside of our house this weekend. He spent ALL day Friday scraping and painting the house. It looks much, much better. He also finished our back splash and installed two outlets in a built-in in the living room (with the help of a talented friend). My man has worked hard!

Our weekend in a nut shell... thank you very much!

Getting back in the swing of things

Since stepping away from my blog, I've found it harder than I thought to return. I feel quite confident that it is due to my pregnant brain. The simple things become hard. And such is writing and blogging.  

This is such a sweet time for our family and I want to document it, but it's hard to determine between the important and irrelevant.  

So here are a few random tidbits. And I do mean random...

I spent last weekend in San Marcus at a wedding for my friend, Brooke. Brooke is such a sweet presence in my life and since I don't see her as much as I would like, it was so good to be around her.  I had a fun girls weekend and was able to catch up with many friends that I haven't seen in several years.  

     

The belly was a big hit this weekend. :)

I am making dinner for my dad tomorrow for his birthday. I'm going to cook a brisket. Can you believe that I have never made brisket before? I always opt for roast and leave the brisket making to the more experienced cooks.  I am not the best at trying new things. I prefer to stick to the known.  It's a downfall.  

I got a great pair of maternity Long and Lean jeans on sale at gap.com if anyone is looking for some. 

Yesterday I wore tennis shoes to the grocery store. I forget what an adjustment it is to return to closed toed shoes. Anyone else have this problem? 

For some bizarre reason, Noah thinks popsicles are an appropriate breakfast item.???? 

We were planning to paint the outside of our house this weekend. The forecast: rain. sigh.

Follow this...

We had a great anniversary! Brad took the afternoon off and we had lunch on the patio at one of our favorite restaurants.  It was a perfect spring day and reminded us a lot of our wedding day. We had a fun, laid back afternoon and then headed downtown for the evening.  I loved everything about it. 

I believe that Amy and Zach win for the shortest dating period. They married only eight short months after they began dating and Jenifer and Jeremy win for the longest.  They put our six years of dating to shame with a whopping seven and a half years. You know you like someone when your dating years out last many marriages!

I got an iPhone for Mother's Day. Happy Mother's Day to me! I was surprised because I was set on not getting a new phone until mine went to the grave, but I love it.  I'm determined not to be a junkie like someone I know... not to mention any names... but I fear

 that I am following in his footsteps.

Before Brad even gave me my phone, he signed me up for Twitter. It wasn't an option for me. Follow me @Ingramgang.  It will prove to be as boring as this blog. You in? :)

We have a contract on our house!!! We have to be out in a few weeks and have a lot of work ahead of us.  It makes me tired just thinking of it, but I'm really excited and feel super blessed to have our house sell so quickly. 

I had lunch Saturday with two of my very best friends. Happy late birthday, Sarah!!!  You are one hot twenty seven year old!

My mom kept had Noah and Kayt this weekend, so Brad and I enjoyed our quiet Saturday. Thanks mom, you're the best!!!

Hope you had a great weekend also!

Bye, Bye Birdie

Do you know this bird? Yeah, me neither until as of late. 

It's a dove. 

Not the sweet, white dove that you may think of or the cheery turtle dove that we sing about at Christmas time... no, not this one. 

It's the annoying kind of dove. 

The kind that lives in the tree just outside my bedroom window. 

The kind that wakes me up each morning hooting his brains out. 

That kind of dove. 

I am about to find a BB gun and shoot it. You think I'm kidding? No more playing nice gal for me. If this is illegal, please tell me now.  This dove hoots ALL day long and it is really getting to me. Obviously. For the last four months, I was convinced that we had an owl living in our backyard. I'm sure that shooting an owl is illegal. Owls are the mascot for the elementary school across the street. I couldn't shoot the mascot for crying out loud. But it's a dove. Not an owl.

I think I can shoot a dove. 

MODNAR

- It has been a beautiful week here! We've spent 98% of our days outside taking in the sunshine with NO wind. Praise Jesus! I turned the air conditioner on for the first time on Monday. This is a big deal! And I don't want to hear any bragging from my friends who have had their AC running since January. Life's just not fair. 

-Have you ever heard of swagbucks? It's a website that you login to and use as a search engine. Unlike Google, you earn points for using it that you redeem for items (gift cards and such). A cool concept, right? I figure that I might as well be gaining something from all of the internet searching I do. Or maybe you don't call the internet your friend and consult it for everything under the sun, like me?!? 

-Happy Earth Day!

-Does anyone use Bare Minerals make up? I want to try it, but it is hard to find time to go to Ulta to let them demonstrate how to use it. What are your thoughts on it? I like light make up, but don't have the most even skin tone, would it work for me?

-I went on a shopping spree at Target yesterday. Why is that so easy to do there? I go in for one or two items and leave with bags full of randomness. It was fun though!

-Are you confused by my title? 

This and That

Wouldn't you like to be sitting in this field of flowers looking out over the ocean? 

Maybe it's just me.

We had a great, busy Easter weekend. On Saturday we had Noah's third birthday party. I enjoy preparing for  my kids birthday parties. There is just something about getting to pull off an event for the little one's you love most. And he had such a great time, that is what matters most. He will be 3 tomorrow! It is so hard for me to believe. 

Our family was in town most of the weekend which is always fun, but busy.  We have something planned each night this week. Tomorrow night we are taking Noah to the circus. A little mommy, daddy, Noah date. With his reservations, I'm not sure what he will think about it, but thus far, he's excited.  We lay in his bed every night and talk about it. I'm sure it's more of a stall tactic for him, but ah well. 

Brad was off of work on Monday, which was wonderful considering our busy weekend and he and Noah spent the entire day doing macho things. They had breakfast, golfed, shopped at the Christian bookstore and played with trains. They both walked in with their sunglasses on and their matching shoes. It was so cute to see Noah on top of the world after getting to spend an entire day with his daddy. Kayt and I cleaned. I'm sure she was elated about our day together as well. The plight of womanhood, my dear girl. :) Actually, the girl loves to clean. Give her a rag and a spray bottle of water and she will busy herself for hours. 

We went to the gym this morning (body pump and cardio for me) and then to our weekly Wednesday play date. By the time we got home, the kids were not the only ones begging for a nap.  I am exhausted. And on that note, I'm going to sign off and take advantage of my quiet house by closing my sleepy eyes for a bit. Happy rambling!

I Spy...

a flower pot

a mailbox

a flower bed

What do you spy?

The Run-Down

Before you give me un-due credit or start calling me crazy, this is how ironing goes in my house.

I take Mr. Ingram's dress shirts to the cleaners. 

My request from him: wear it two (or three) times if you can before throwing it in the floor. Throwing things in the floor means I get to choose the place I think they belong. I usually choose hanging it back up. Sometimes, it makes it to it's great reward, the cleaners. 

Before you call my husband the smelly kid, let me expand. 

1. He changes clothes often. It must be hereditary, Noah does the same thing. 

2. If he wears a shirt to church on Sunday and takes it off afterwards, is it really dirty? Not unless he spilled grape juice or slobbered Matzah bread on it or the dirty high schoolers throw a paint ball at him. 

3. He doesn't even have body odor issues. ~ I know that you are chomping at the bit to know this~ If anyone in our family has b.o. issues, it's yours truly. I require deodorant or I smell like I just left the gym an hour after a shower. ~and that is because you know you are nosey and like knowing embarrassing stuff about people~

I take a few of my items to the cleaners. I wear them a few times in between trips unless it has snot on the shoulder, which is common.

Brad does his own ironing. He's a champion ironer. I am typically asleep when he leaves the house. Sleeping is my hobby. It's one thing that I am really good at. 

When I do iron, it's usually the night before (Saturday's for church) or five minutes before. I don't have an ironing day. I tried that once. It didn't turn out so good... for anyone. 

My biggest problem is that I leave clothes in the dryer way too long. Then, I re-dry them. Then, I leave them in the dryer way too long, again. Then, I re-dry them. Then, well... you get the picture. 

I just wanted to clarify from the previous post. I did NOT mean to sound like I have it all together. 

If there is one thing I do not have, it is IT all together. 

One Thing That My Mother Never Told Me

I am a big fan of ironing. Not necessarily the actual ironing, but the results it produces. I even have this silly motto about ironing. I'm cheesy.

Did you know that there is a suggested order in which to iron a shirt? Only months ago was I enlightened on this useful tid-bit of information.

Years of ironing and I've been doing it ALL wrong. I was ironing in the opposite order of what is suggested. 

This conversation came up again recently with my brother-in-laws. I enlightened them on my newly acquired wealth of knowledge. No doubt, they appreciated my two cents. Gotta love a yappy sister-in-law. :)

Here it is, the suggested order...

Collar

Shoulders

Cuff

Sleeve

Other Cuff

Other Sleeve

Front 

Back

...or at least this is the order that I was taught.

Do you iron in this order? Is there a better way?

Maybe the real question is do you even iron? There's no shame in the wrinkled game.

It's Eight O'Clock Somewhere

This is my favorite coffee. I am a bit picky about the coffee I drink and when we make coffee at home, this is what we brew. It's great. And it's cheap. Which makes it even greater.

Apparently, we are not alone. 

This article was published yesterday proving that Eight O'Clock Coffee is, in fact, stellar coffee. It beat out all other coffee in a national taste test. Even Starbucks. Gasp.

My second favorite is Dunkin' Donuts, but it costs more than Eight O'Clock. And I am nothing, if not budget conscious. We totally boycott Folgers. Eck. 

We usually buy Columbian or 50%, which is half decaf, half regular. 

Hubby thinks coffee is pointless if it is decaffeinated, but I am a decaf fanatic. With 50%, we compromise. A picture of marriage ;)

Check it out. Thank me later. 

I might tell you...

If I were to post something today, I might tell you that one year ago yesterday was my first blog post.

I might tell you that I am having a rough time adjusting back to a normal schedule. 

I might tell you that my kids both have a yucky cough and are on steroids.

I might tell you that the steroid has made both of them wire-y. 

I might tell you that neither napped yesterday.

I might tell you that my mom is coming to visit this weekend and I am really excited to see her.

I might tell you that I am looking forward to hanging out with our friends while we watch the Superbowl.

I might tell you that I am also really excited about making food for the Superbowl, even though I don't know what I will make.

I might ask you for suggestions on what to make.

I might tell you that I feel a little overwhelmed by the amount of housework I have to do and all the things I need to get caught up on.

I might tell you that I need a hair cut something terrible.

I might also tell you that I cannot decide whether to grow my hair out or cut it off again.

I might tell you that Noah is in three weddings in the next two months.

I might tell you that I am considering buying my little man a tuxedo rather than renting one over and over and over again.

I might tell you that I want the henna to come off of my hand and arm.  

I might also tell you that Brad's grandpa is in the hospital and it was really hard for me to see him there.

I might also tell you that Noah and I have had several conversations in the last two days about why it is polite to keep our 'business' in our pants and keep our pants pulled up at all times. 

I might tell you that my body does not handle carbonation well.

I might tell you that I did not have that many carbonated beverages in India, but none the less, I am on a cranberry juice diet right now. 

I might tell you that I pouted today when Brad did not bring me the Starbucks I was hoping for this morning.

I might remind you that I have been out of the country for twelve days, missing my husband terribly.

I might also add that the country I visited has nothing by our standards, including no Starbucks. And that many of the inhabitants live on monthly wages less than the cost of one latte.

I might tell you that I was more than disappointed in myself for feeling the need to pout about not getting my morning coffee. 

But, this is just if I were to post something today.

Shopping and a Stocking Stuffer

Brad and I tried to get some last-minute Christmas shopping in this evening. We had planned to buy Noah a REAL guitar. Like one-from-the-guitar-shop-where-all-the-workers-have-tats-and-mohawks type of real. Maybe I just like going into that store? It makes me feel rebellious and muscially talented. Both of which, I am not. 

But, after debating on spending a large chunk of change on a guitar for a two year old, we decide to wait another year (or two). We ended up just replacing his junior acoustic guitar from Wal-Mart that broke a few months ago. I have been so impressed by his patience in waiting until Christmas for a new guitar. Honestly, I wanted to run out and buy him a new one the day his bit the dust, but then the make-every-moment-count conviction got the best of me. I felt like this was a great time to begin teaching him about holding out for greater things and the joy of waiting. Surprisingly, he has been super patient, which makes me all the more excited for Christmas morning. 

About 30 minutes into our shopping rendezvous, Brad made the comment that he could just keep the kids and I could get back out and finish everything on my own.  No way, Jose. I do agree with him though. Shopping always sounds more fun that it actually is. He hung in there with me and at least finished helping me with the kid's gifts. Since we didn't get Noah the expensive guitar, we got him a few other things that I think he will love. All of the new additions were Brad's idea. I was surprised when he said, "follow me" and took the initiative to lead me to all the things he wanted to get for his boy. Who knew he had so many wonderful ideas? Brad and Noah have been talking for months about camping out in the living room. I cannot wait to see Noah's reaction on Christmas morning when he walks into the living room and finds his new tent set up, with a sleeping bag inside. Oh the joy!

As you can read, I've only talked about Noah. I have no clue what to get Kayt. We got her a few outfits and one of those things that you push and the balls start popping. I remember having one when I was little. I think she will like it. I didn't necessarily think that it was worth $11, but who am I anyway? I mean, come on. They have been making those things since 1970. I am sure it costs one whole dollar to make. 

Back to the story.

I feel bad that we have not bought equal gifts for the kids, but I'm sure we will make up for it when Kayt is sixteen years old and wanting cloths that cost four times that of her brothers. When that time comes, will someone point me back to this post where I was complaining about spending $11 on a popper toy? 

And just to clarify, I have bought an equal number of gifts, we just have not spent an equal amount of money. 

She's one. What do you get a one year old that another family member isn't already getting? Nothing. That is what we bought Noah last year, nothing. The only problem is that now we are buying for one and not the other. Okay, I'll stop. 

Last order of business...

This is one of Noah's favorite CD. 

My dad gave it to him, and to be honest, the first time I heard it I started laughing, but it has actually kind of grown on me over the past nine months. The only way I can describe it is: Mother Goose meets Hip Hop.  I know, cheesy. But he loves it. I just thought I would tell you about it in case someone needs a little, last minute stocking stuffer for a wee one. It has proven to be quite popular with the tykes. You can listen to the songs here.

Don't blame me if you buy it and it leaves you wanting to pluck your eyeballs out. I am just the middle man.

God of mercy

I have had a stomach bug. I started feeling ill yesterday evening and after an India meeting and Christmas shopping with my sis-in-law until the stores kicked us out, I was not feeling well at all.
It's hard being a mom and being sick.
I tried calling in for a sub this morning, but no one ever came.
Dang.

But, just to testify to the mercy of my God, both of my children took a four hour nap. Thank you Jesus. That means that I took a four hour nap as well.

I am still not feeling too chipper, but things are looking up. I did just read the word meatloaf on my friend's blog and I almost puked on my computer keyboard. Weird.

The end.

Dist Take Off Your Pants...and More

I had a good time with the Lord today.  I needed it. In a bad way. I started a new birth control and it has made me a little over-sensitive and irrational. Not good. I don't do extra sensitivity and extra irrationality well. So, Deuteronomy served me well today. 

I had three shots this morning in preparation for my India trip. I cannot believe we leave in just over a month. Add being out of the country for two weeks to my current emotional state and you have a train wreck. Actually, maybe I should use another mental picture, please no train wrecks Lord. 

This evening while Noah and I tried to snuggle on the couch, his little feet kept nudging my upper buttox. My shots were extremely sore. I yelped each time. I guess he finally had had enough of my outcries of pain because he said, "dist stand up and take your pants off and let me see what's so wrong with you." After that, I cooled it with the yelps.

I did one load of laundry today. 

I considered that a success. 

I have a new system. 

It's pretty novel. 

It goes like this: wash, dry, fold, put away. Repeat. Novel, I tell ya. 

I used to do this: wash, dry, wash another, pull load #1 out of the dryer, lay them on bed, move load #2 to dryer, wash load #3...you get the picture. I constantly had a load of cloths in the washer, the dryer and somewhere around the house to be folded. 

My new theory is working much better. Something about being able to move a load straight to the dryer without having to take another out is great. 

We went to dinner at Chic-fil-a with some friends. They may be ex-friends after the adventure they encountered tonight. Either that, or they may never decide to have children. Kayt "dirtied"

in her diaper while playing in the play area. I just let her be. It was way too cold to go out to the car to get another diaper. Plus, she didn't seem to mind.

Brad thought it would be fun to get a milk shake. I tried to warn him what would happen when he tried to consume ice cream in the presence of the children. He was confident that he could just tell them no and eat it by himself. Wrong. I tried to warn him. Two little monsters emerged when the milkshake was in sight. I didn't know who to feel sorrier for, Brad not getting to eat any of his milkshake, Noah for spilling more than he ate, Kayt for squealing so loud that all the customers were staring, the floor for the sticky mess they left or me for observing ALL of the chaos. Humph.

I pick me.