on my soapbox again

Apparently, David Letterman engaged in some inappropriate behavior with female coworkers. Now, he's apologized. Millions tuned in to hear his apology. Basically, he had the best ratings CBS has turned in for awhile. At what point do we stop rewarding bad boys for behaving like bad boys? At what point do men behaving badly face repercussions for their actions? Yes, he made a mistake, and we're all going to make mistakes. However, there just seems to be an air of laissez faire permeating our society these days. Of course, I suppose many generations could say this (the ages of speak easies and Woodstock come to mind).

Maybe I'm just a little introspective over the idea of turning the big. . .oh, never mind. My question to those of you around my age (child bearing/rearing age): Are we making a difference in the world? I'm an idealist who likes to "fix" everything. Things I should leave to God are things I end up trying to fix. We all know how that turns out. . .However, I think every generation tries to make the world a better place for their offspring. Are we doing that? Are we truly making a difference in the world around us? Two (go HERE and HERE for more info) of my favorite bloggers recently blogged about fairly small steps they've taken with their families to impact our world. What are you doing? Do you think we can ever "fix" the world? What are you teaching your children to care passionately about? Discuss amongst yourselves now. Go.

It's probably not a good sign when. . .

you find chocolate on your bra and you're supposed to be on a diet. . .

you drop your child off late for the third day in a row. . .

you write a political blog post and nobody comments. . .

just sayin'

Now comes the time when I alienate EVERYONE who reads my blog. Yes, both of you.

Have you noticed how many. . .and here I'm not sure how to say this. . .

1. Blogs are written by Latter Day Saints

OR

2. Latter Day Saints blog.

I'm not Mormon, but I mean no disrespect to any LDS readers. In browsing blogs, I slowly began to notice that many were from Utah (not that everyone in Utah is LDS), and how many blogs in general were written by LDS moms.

Is it just me? Has anyone else noticed this? Or have I stumbled on some type of LDS blog link. . .(which I'm thinking is a possibility since LDS families are often large and perhaps the blog writers are all related, linking me from one to one to one. . .)

I love reading blogs, and there are some great blogs out there of LDS families. I just think it seems an oddly disproportionate number. . .

My head hurts. I feel like Seinfeld trying not to offend anyone (I'm not Mormon--not that there's anything wrong with that!). Comment, please. Weird blog connections you've witnessed, etc.?

ever notice. . .

1. Did you ever notice that bad things come in a string? My daughter has pneumonia (in August. . .). My son is having stomach issues. What's next? Forgive me for being absent. I seem to be fighting off plagues, frost bite, etc., before school starts. . .

2. Did you ever notice that if you wait till the last moment to buy school supplies, there will be NO pencils. Sure, they have ink pens in all shapes, sizes, colors, etc., but they require pencils in third grade. There will also be only pink pencil boxes, and even if your son is colorblind, it is inadvisable to buy him a pink pencil box. . .

3. Did you ever notice that just about the time you give up on your husband doing something romantic, he puts the kids to bed or takes you out to eat or does the dishes? It's the little things, y'all.

4. Did you ever notice that flat tires only occur at inopportune moments? For the record, I have no future as a NASCAR pit crew member, but I can change a flat tire in slightly under an hour. Of course, if they had to clean out the back of the race car to get to the spare, we might have comparable times. . .

5. Did you ever notice that God answers prayers in the strangest ways?

6. Did you ever notice that summer goes way too fast?

That said, God is good. He has blessed us exponentially and continues to bless us. School starts Wednesday. Please pray with me that Kyler has an amazing teacher like last year.

Does this make me weird?

And the answer to the title is: No, every other weird thing about me makes me weird. This could make me certifiable. . .As I drifted off to sleep last night, the sentence that floated into my mind was. . .

If I eat green beans, I will turn into a carrot.

Um, anyone want to venture a guess as to what my brain was thinking. I sure don't.

Chaos (Alternately Titled: Why I haven't been around much)

Life is chaotic. At times, however, the chaos can appear to take over. It can appear to overwhelm. It seems to snowball. One thing happens, and suddenly every inconceivable thing occurs. That seems to be my life lately. I'm trying very hard to trust God and not stress over things.

Here's a rundown of what I'm dealing with (in as much as I'm permitted to discuss some of these things).

Kady appears to be fairly healthy thus far. Her new medicine appears to be working, but it is very time consuming. (Not that I'm complaining! I'll take a time consuming healthy kid over an unhealthy kid any day of the week!!)

My dad is still in extreme pain. (Almost two weeks ago, he hurt his hip.) No one knows what's going on. . .He can't stand or walk. He is sleeping somewhat, which means my mom is also sleeping somewhat. We're hoping for more information (or any information, really) tomorrow.

My boss' little girl is very ill. She is in the Pediatric ICU, and we are hoping she is healthy very soon!

One of my best friends' grandmother is ill. She has cancer and the prognosis is not good.

Spring break is coming up next week, and I had hoped to take a couple of days off and take the kids to see Kevin. We really need the time away. We're all exhausted and cranky. (Unfortunately, Kev and I are experiencing a difficult time. . .)

On the positive side, Kady is wearing p a n t i e s (I didn't want some creepo finding my blog THAT way. . .). I have survived 3 weeks of [gulp] exercise. Not an ounce has left my body, but I'm proud of myself for sticking with it thus far. In fact, I think I could outrun a 90-year-old assailant now. . .as long as I could kick his walker out of the way first. . .

Anyone else going through difficult times? How are you coping?

Well, now that I've bummed everyone out, let me say that I hope you'll all stick around until my blogging mojo is fully restocked. . .Till next time!

rambling thoughts

Note to Self: Do NOT schedule a toddler for a full day's worth of doctor's appointments 2 hours away (4 hours round trip) immediately following the time change. . .I hope we live through tomorrow. Assuming we make it there on time, Kady will see the allergist in the morning and the ear, nose, and throat doctor for the afternoon.

Did I mention we are potty-training? Pray that we have a safe (and dry) trip and a productive visit with the doctors. Also, and more importantly, my dad has hurt his hip. Let's pray that he is ok and heals swiftly. I pray that Erica's son, Rhett, gets over the flu soon and no one else in her family gets it.

Does anyone else hate the time change as much as me? It doesn't matter whether we are springing or falling, it makes no sense that we change the time. . .It's a conspiracy against moms. I'm telling ya', the government is out to get us. . .and we're too tired to do anything about it!

I'll be back Wednesday for updates. Have a wonderful (and awake) Monday.

ramblings of a semi-comatose mind

my thoughts do not appear to be coherent today--even when trapped within my skull. My employer laid off one of my coworkers yesterday. Now, I am worried about her and her family, running around trying to keep up with part of her job and my job, trying to calm my husband's fears (still no job), get Kyler back in "school mode," begin basketball practice, and just survive.

Here goes:

My husband just might be trailer trash now. He, um, we bought a 30 foot travel trailer he will be staying in when he is away working. It will save him money and put him closer to his welder daily. Yippee. It really is a good thing.

Kev took Kady with him today to run errands. He says she will be potty trained today. He refuses to change diapers. Stop laughing. He might hear you!

Kev took Kady's pacifier away. She cried once or twice and then she was fine with it. Now, she talks to herself until she falls asleep. . .

Basketball practice starts tonight for Kyler. I am SO excited. I hope he tries really hard this year and has fun. We have had much better experience with the Upwards program than the local baseball program. Then again, the problem was with the coach's wife. . .

February 13th is THE day I get to see

anyone else a fan?

the lion, the witch, and the wardrobe

My actual post has nothing to do with the above title. It was just the first trio I could think of, but let's see if we can tie it together, shall we?

My husband would be the lion in this story. I went to his place this weekend. I saw the damage to his fingers. He will live. It is gross. (It's more of a "chopping" than a "slicing.") That's about all he gave me permission to tell. Moving on.

I did all the Christmas shopping while he was working on Saturday. So much for together time, right? He made it home, checked out the presents, and promptly told me he'd been laid off. (We think he will get a job relatively quickly. That's how this business works. It doesn't make the husband and his stress level/worrisome ways easier to deal with, however!) While we were talking, I was telling him what a great provider he is for his family--what a hard worker he is. He said that I work just as hard as he does, but in a different way. His job is harder physically, but I'm responsible for the kids, the house, etc. He told me how much he appreciated what I did. Where did that come from?!

Continuing the theme, my husband's former boss would be the witch. We'll call him Mr. Obnoxious Meany (or O. M. for short). He has two little girls, the oldest of which is maybe 4. He wanted to buy this obnoxiously ridiculous piece of furniture, which my husband advised him against. After all, he has two young children. . .O. M.'s response? "I know what your kids are like, but my kids are good. They wouldn't destroy anything." I haven't attacked this man. . .yet--are you proud?

Welcome to my wardrobe, which will transport us to an alternate universe. My cousin gets to be the wardrobe. She went out to eat with me in Little Rock. She is an amazing person, full of goodness and love and life. She reminded me of the time when we were kids and involved in a very serious car accident. It is truly a wonder that none of us were killed. Her comment of how different this world would be if we had died--no Kyler, no Kady, etc.--sobered me and made me think. God is amazing. My life is amazing. My kids are amazing. My husband is amazing. How awesome His plan must be, if only we knew what it was!

Well, my version of the lion, the witch, and the wardrobe might not be what you would expect, but it'll have to do for now. Stop back by tomorrow (hopefully) and I will show you some of my loot. . .

Just when you think. . .

things are wonderful and perfect, you see something absolutely horrific. . .

Letter to santa leads to man's molestation arrest

and then you see something miraculous. . .

toddler survives 10 frigid hours after falling out of buggy

and I guess I'm back to where I started. God is wonderful and awesome. His power astounds. But why is there such evil in this world. . .

100 things and giveaway!

This is the ubiquitous list containing 100 random things about me that you may or may not know and may or may not wish to know. Enjoy! (Don’t skip—there will be a test!)

1. I married my husband when I was 18 and he was 19, which is too young. . .
2. We’ve been married 10 ½ years, so it’s worked out thus far. . .
3. If I hadn’t married at 18, I think I would have joined the military or the peace corps at some point.
4. I have a strong need to save the world.
5. I am horrible with money.
6. If I handled our family’s finances, we would be broke, homeless, and naked in approximately 2 weeks. . .
7. I was riding horses before I could walk. . .seriously.
8. Who has time to do anything now? I haven’t ridden in over a year.
9. I was once featured on the “Headlines” portion of Jay Leno’s show because. . .
10. I once held the title “Beef Princess.”
11. I could NOT make that up.
12. I love to watch college football, and
13. I’m a huge Razorbacks fan! Go Hogs Go!
14. In my rebellious teen years, I was a Penn State fan. . .
15. I gave my parents many headaches. . .
16. That was not one of them.
17. I literally live 3 miles down a dirt road.
18. I am the world’s worst housekeeper.
19. I’m ok with that.
20. My husband is not.
21. I had 2 best friends in kindergarten.
22. It took me 5 months to remember one of their names.
23. They’re still 2 of my best friends. . .
24. Although there was an unfortunate cookie incident with one of them.
25. I am EXTREMELY loyal, but
26. I tend to carry a grudge (sorry, Bianca!).
27. I have a better sense of direction than my husband.
28. I have spent more nights going to sleep without my husband than with him.
29. I have never been outside of the United States.
30. I love to travel.
31. I’ve been told there are places where they don’t have Diet Dr. Pepper, so I’m rethinking this whole “wanting to travel” thingy.
32. I can converse freely with most language-delayed, Spanish-speaking 3-year-olds.
33. I’ve had 2 ½ years of Spanish.
34. I firmly believe chocolate makes all things better and all things are made better with chocolate.
35. I have a deer head on my wall, because
36. Marriage is about making sacrifices.
37. Let me know when it’s his turn.
38. I am highly competitive (think Monica on Friends).
39. My mom and I almost died when I was born.
40. My kids’ births were textbook. Totally predictable.
41. Yet miraculous!!!
42. I like old, cheesy Westerns, and I secretly think John Wayne was “da bomb.”
43. That sentence proves just how uncool I really am.
44. I like to play pool.
45. Like many other things, I’m really bad at playing pool.
46. I am positively, absolutely, 100% terrified of rodents.
47. I think squirrels are rats with furry tails.
48. I have eaten squirrel meat.
49. I played 3 sports (basketball, softball, and track) in high school, yet
50. I am EXTREMELY clumsy.
51. My mother-in-law wanted us to name our daughter “Grace.”
52. Our daughter’s medical bills prove we made the right decision.
53. I am a packrat.
54. I have a 50% chance of being crazy, based on my genes.
55. Seriously, we’ve done the math.
56. My husband might or might not be worried about what he got himself into. . .
57. I taught myself to crochet.
58. Like playing pool, I have learned to accept a level of mediocrity in my ability to crochet.
59. I have a tattoo.
60. I tried to feed my brother chocolate ice cream at 3 weeks of age. . .
61. He didn’t like it, which was the start of many disagreements to date.
62. We get along much better now that he (ok, his wife) gave me an awesome nephew!!
63. I love music of all types.
64. I can’t sing at all.
65. I come from a very musical family.
66. In my head, I sound just like Carrie Underwood. In reality, we only went to the same university.
67. I like Impressionist art.
68. No one in my family gets that.
69. While growing up, we didn’t have air conditioning until I was 12. . .
70. Or a microwave until 14.
71. Today, I don’t have a microwave.
72. I guess some things don’t change.
73. I am not a girly girl.
74. I love to camp—without electricity. . .
75. In a tent!
76. I will not leave my house without makeup on.
77. I LOVE to read. (anything—even a box of cereal)
78. I have had a few speeding tickets.
79. If you get enough “points” from speeding tickets, you get a letter that threatens the loss of your driver’s license. . .(not that I would know)
80. Apparently, my dad also got the letter once upon a time. . .
81. It must be in the genes. . .along with everything else (diabetes, heart disease, cancer, etc.)
82. I was 28 years old before I saw the ocean.
83. Snow skiing scares me to death.
84. My husband dreams of moving somewhere we could ski.
85. I live in MY favorite place in the whole world.
86. I would like very much to save the world.
87. I’m starting to realize God doesn’t expect me to save the world.
88. If I could have any car in the whole world, it would be a Jeep Wrangler.
89. A Jeep is not a practical means of transportation for transporting 2 young children. Trust me.
90. My radio must be set to an even number. (5’s are ok, however.)
91. I’m quirky. . .
92. But hopefully, not #54 crazy.
93. I learned to drive a standard overnight. Literally.
94. My family is Southern in all things except tea.
95. I am worried that some of you will think less of me for that admission.
96. However, in our family, tea is unsweet, syrup is sweet.
97. I have never been to a concert.
98. I managed to graduate college with a toddler, which still amazes me.
99. I feel uncomfortable when other people tell me what an accomplishment #98 was.
100. I want to jump out of an airplane someday.
101. Despite taking calculus and advanced math courses, I am horrible at math.

Ok, you caught me. There is no test, and relax, I promise there will be no 200 list! There is, however, a giveaway!! Per Finding Him Bigger, this is a pay it forward giveaway. I will be sending out 3 $10 giftcards for Wal-Mart. (Get those stocking stuffers!) Winners will be chosen Tuesday morning at roughly 11 am.

If you want to win, please leave me a comment that contains your contact info. If you win, you have to pay it forward. (If you just want to comment on the disturbing things about me that you just read, please just comment and note that you're not interested in the contest. Try not to judge, people!)

**UPDATE: For anyone who has philosophical differences with Wal-Mart, let me just say that I totally agree with you. I was trying to make something more universal for some of y'all. After all, it has recently been pointed out to me that not everyone has Sonic. . .I would totally be swooning at this point, if people still did that. We can work around Wal-Mart if you prefer. Let's adjust contest to say a $10 gift card to any store I have access to. . .which is not all that much. . .but we'll work it out.**

things that are bouncing around my head right now

so scattered today. thought I would update without committing myself to staying on task. . .

Christmas cards are to be mailed TODAY!! and I made them. . .as in from scratch. : ) Please take a moment and realize how special you must be to get one of my Christmas cards. . .ok, carry on now.

Kev will be changing job sites (and companies) soon. We hope he'll still be 2-3 hours away, but we don't know. . .He mentioned Maryland and New Mexico on the phone this morning. . .

My friend, Erica is selling her house in Berryville, Arkansas. If you know someone interested, pass on the blog address. (Go HERE to check it out.)

The kids and I went to the Green Forest Christmas Parade on Saturday. It was a blast, and I won a $25 gift certificate to Geraldi's, which has amazing Italian food around here! Kady was so excited to tell Kevin about seeing Santa Claus and getting candy. Kyler got to help keep everyone in line by running forms back and forth to the judges and parade officials. . .We know so many people in high places ; ) . . .

One of my favorite things in the whole world is a Diet Dr. Pepper from Sonic. Apparently, not all Sonics are created equal, as my dad, Kady, and I apparently got varying degrees of food poisoning from a local Sonic. . .(All I can say is "Go west, go west for your Sonic cravings!!) Anyway, I think I'm back from the dark side of food poisoning. . .

THIS is what Kady's getting for Christmas (little people magic shoe fairy cottage). I'm not sure what Kyler's getting. . .He wants a Nintendo DS Lite or about any of the Scheich (sp?) animals he has been collecting. . .

That's all I've got right now. . .I'm sure I'll think of something amazingly witty later. . .or then again, maybe not. : )

Soul Searching from Dr. King

Truthfully, I got. . .not much today. SSSSssssssssoooooooooo, as the election nears, I pass on to you deep thoughts from Martin Luther King, Jr. Honestly, this is not political as much as "life advice" from a great man, but I do think these things are interesting to think about in terms of how we vote, what ideals we pass on, etc. (And before some of you Type A people remind me, yes, I am aware that every quote in the world eventually gets cited to Dr. King and then Mother Theresa. These came from an online site--just humor me, ok?)

Again, Dr. King is always good for some soul searching. . . ENJOY!

1. Life's most urgent question is: What are you doing for others?


2. Faith is taking the first step, even when you don't see the whole staircase.


3. The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.


4. In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.


5. We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.


6. Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.


7. All progress is precarious, and the solution of one problem brings us face to face with another problem.


8. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.I submit to you that if a man hasn't discovered something he will die for, he isn't fit to live.


9. Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.


10. Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity. The quality, not the longevity, of one's life is what is important.


11. Cowardice asks the question - is it safe?Expediency asks the question - is it politic?Vanity asks the question - is it popular?But conscience asks the question - is it right?And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular; but one must take it because it is right.


12. If a man is called to be a streetsweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great streetsweeper who did his job well.

Have a wonderful day! I'm going home to clean my house. . .yea, me!

Things on my mind. . .

Lots of thoughts rattling around this morning, so to be somewhat coherent, I'm just going to give you a list. . .
1. My cousin passed away today. He was too young, but aren't we all? He suffered way more than is understandable. . .
2. My kids' babysitter is the world's best babysitter! I'm afraid that's all I can tell you, or she would be bombarded by others wanting her to keep their kids. Seriously. Since it was Kyler's birthday, I picked him up early from school. He then asked me to drop him off at the baby sitter's house (that he goes to EVERY day). When we got there, she had baked a birthday cake just for him. My daughter has never cried when I've left her at the babysitter's house. I'm actually doing her a disservice by calling her the babysitter. We truly consider her to be family.
3. Two-year-olds are extremely impulsive. This was reiterated this morning when Kady got one of the two goodie bags that were left over from the birthday party. Inside was a package of gum. I walked in the living room to see her squatted down, surrounded by goodie bag contents and gum wrappers. She yelled, "Hide!" and took off with her remaining gum sticks. . .Not exactly stealth-like.
4. It sometimes continues. Kyle came to Kyler's party. He comes from a large family. Remember when you HAD to eat the candy/cookies/etc., to keep your brother/sister from getting it? No? Maybe that just happened in my family. Anyway, Kyle rode to the party with my parents. He managed to eat all the goodies before he got home. . .except the gum. Mom said she told him that he could share that with his brothers and sisters. . .He managed to get all the gum in his mouth before he got home. : ) (Jenn, I hope you don't get mad! I thought it was hilarious!)
5. When a two-year-old has gum, all moms morph into Kate from Jon and Kate plus Eight (and I've only seen a couple of episodes of that show, but isn't it hilarious!).
6. Life is precious! Let the two-year-old chew gum, blow bubbles, and run around outside despite the dirty dishes in the sink.
7. It's book order time again. I love books. All. Books. In celebration of improved reading (YEA, US!), I want to know your favorite kid's book. Here are a few of ours. (Ahem. . .pretend you don't know where I, um, borrowed these pictures from.)

a. (above) Barney says, "Night Night" originally came from a garage sale. Our copy is falling apart, but each of the kids has loved it around two years of age.

b. (below) Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Day is one of my all-time favorite books. This should be mandatory reading for adults! c. (above) Freckleface Strawberry. Yes, this is written by THE Julianne Moore. It's really, really good! It deals with freckles, which when I way a kid, were so yucky. Since I didn't want my kids to feel the same way, I bought this book. I'm really glad I did.

d. (below) Junie B. Jones entire series. Yes, she's sometimes rude and impudent, but she's funny and well-written.e. (above) Max Lucado's Just in Case you Ever Wonder. The kids think it's ok, but I have to keep from crying every time I read it!

YOUR TURN! Please tell me your favorite books for kids. Thank you!

blah, blah: AKA My Manifesto on Life

I don't have anything exciting to write about, but I'll waste your time anyway. Kevin came home this weekend. It's really nice that he is so close. The kids were wild and wonderful this weekend. It was really fun getting to see Teresa and her kids on Saturday (Happy Birthday, Teresa!).

We went to church Sunday and Sunday night [way too hard to get used to for this former Methodist : )]. After we left, Kyler and I went to the car wash. It's a new car wash and I will NEVER use it again. My car is still dirty. Again, I digress. . .Anyway, we stopped at a gas station even though I think I had enough gas to make it to work today. (I had to give the boss a ride last week after she ran out of gas, and I guess I'm still a little skittish about running out of gas.) Ssssssoooooo, we stopped to get some gas, and guess who I saw?! There, at a little gas station in Arkansas, was a guy I grew up with. He now lives in KENTUCKY. What are the chances? It was so good getting to see him and meet his very sweet wife and adorable little girl.

I guess I was feeling nostalgic on the way home. I know some of you hate class reunions, homecomings, etc. I don't. I think it is so neat to see what has happened to everyone. I am not a competitor in this area of my life. I don't judge (or at least try not to). I just like to listen and see the person I used to know has become. My manifesto of the typical life goes something like this:

First, we're children. We know so little but are constantly learning. We know right and wrong. We know what we should do, where we should be, and who we are. We also know exactly what we will be and what we will do when we become adults. Then, we're adults. We still know so little, but most are rooted in their current level of knowledge. We know right and wrong. We don't always do what's right and avoid what's wrong. We have no idea what we should do, where we should be, and who we are. We waste all of our time trying to figure out these things. Before we realize it, life has just kinda happened to us. We look around and realize we're just bumbling along, trying to figure it out as we go. And that's as much as I claim to have figured out. . .