More from the Munchkins!

The other night, I went into The Princess' room to tuck her into bed. All of her stuffed animals & dolls were strewn about the floor, so I had her put them away. She did so w/ no complaint. However, as she was putting them back on the shelf, the following conversation took place:

P: These dolls are giving me a head-ack!
ME: Why are the dolls giving you a headache?
P: There are just too many of them.
ME: Well, if you see any that you'd like to give away, just let me know.

She gave me one & put the rest away. While she was finishing, I happened to notice that her fitted sheet had pulled away from the mattress. As I was fixing it, our little conversation took a different turn:

P: You're the best Mommy in this house.
ME: Thank you! But, I am the only Mommy in this house.
P: If there were more Mommies & Daddies in this house, I'd get a head-ack!

Am I not giving her enough Tylenol or does she just have a sensitive head?!?

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On to The Saint: A few days ago, he was sitting on my lap while I was eating some of Aldi's nacho chips (think Doritos, but about 1/3 of the price & they don't taste much different either - just as addicting!) He watched very carefully as I was eating each chip. Soon, after each bite, he would place his hands on both my cheeks, pull me towards him, & lick my lips -- the same way a puppy laps up its water. I guess I didn't need that napkin after all!!

Small Successes

Recognizing my Small Successes can give me a BIG lift in spirits. Here's what I did this past week:

1) I finally joined Facebook, at the urgings of several friends. So far, I'm doing well to not be addicted to it.

2) Yesterday, the Munchkins & I took flowers & visited a friend who had surgery on Tuesday.

3) This is more The Saint's success, but definitely worth mentioning - we went to a different parish for Mass on Sunday & I didn't have to take him to the cryroom until just before Communion. He was very good & even when he did start making noise, it was just because he wanted to talk!

Share your successes & see others at Faith & Family Live.

Wordless Wednesday - Mostly Naked Baby Edition!

Daughter & Me Time

Casinodad's dad is coming for a visit this weekend, so he, The Prophet, & The Archangel took the 3 hour trip north to pick him up. That left The Princess, The Saint, & me. It just so happened that our town had a "Mommy & Me" day in it's downtown historic district. Four of the shops were participating. All you had to do was stop in, have your map stickered, then leave it at the last shop for a drawing. I figured they wouldn't mind The Saint tagging along!

Our first stop was a doll store - lots of lifelike, adorable dolls. What a darling shop! Next up was the bakery. I let The Princess pick out a goodie for us to share - Alaska Sheet Cake. I'd never heard of it, but it was very good! Next door was a tea shop, featuring many beautiful tea sets & fancy teas. Here we bought a couple tea bags (Coconut Vanilla, Lemon Ginger, Lemon Mango) & some green tea mints. Last stop was the jeweler's. Here we dropped off our maps & The Princess received a free gift - her choice of necklaces. She chose a plastic, silver one that had a heart w/ wings. She was very happy w/ her choice.

In all the shops we went into, she was very polite & well-mannered. She was gentle w/ any items she picked up. I was very proud of her.

On the way home, we stopped at Dairy Queen for ice cream. Yes, I know we had just had cake, but it was a special day for the two of us. We really enjoyed our time spent together & I look forward to many more "Daughter & Me" times.

A Book Review

Now I am not one for fad books. You know the ones I mean - everyone is reading them because Everyone. Is. Reading. Them! That's how I felt about The Shack by William P. Young at first. "It's one of 'those' books," I thought. Then I took a good look at the people recommending it to me - close, Catholic friends who are not "everyone." After receiving a copy for Christmas, I dove right in & for once, I was glad I went for a fad!

Description: Mack is a father of five. His youngest daughter was kidnapped & murdered while they were on a family camping trip. He struggles w/ a range of emotions - guilt, frustration, anger, sadness. Several years later, he receives a note from God, asking him to come to the shack - the place where evidence to his daughter's murder was found. After much deliberation, he decides to go, hoping he'll finally get some answers to her death. What he gets & finds is a whole lot more & goes much deeper! He encounters the Holy Trinity & discovers that God the Father, God the Son, & God the Holy Spirit are not quite how he's pictured them his whole life.

From the back cover: "In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant, THE SHACK wrestles with the timeless question: Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain? The answers Mack gets will astound you & perhaps transform you as much as it did him."

This is a deep, thought-provoking book. No matter where you are in your walk w/ God, the book will meet you along that path & carry you to a deeper level. My Small Church Community is reading it together, now that we've each read it on our own. It's interesting to share various parts which speak to us & see how we've been helped on our individual journeys.

Side Note: It is not a Catholic book & I know some of the thoughts &/or descriptions are not the Catholic view of things. However, I feel strong enough in my faith & the Holy Spirit has guided me through it & my faith journey. Also, other than one couple I know, everyone I've talked to who's read the book is Catholic.

Small Successes

1) In an effort to continue decluttering/organizing/cleaning a little bit each day, I've been keeping a highly visible "To Do" list in the front room. I write all the things I want to accomplish each day on a dry erase board (including some fun things too!) & check it off as I go. I've always been a fan of lists, but they're usually tucked into a notebook & not seen as well.

2) I finally finished the munchkins' rooms, including vacuuming, & they look great. The Princess has really been great about keeping hers neat & her bed made each day. (That is no small success in my book!)

3) I went grocery shopping by myself Monday evening & only deviated from my list for two items (& those were ones that I normally get but had forgotten to put on the list).

So, what are your small (or big) successes? Share & see others at Faith & Family Live, a great place to connect w/ others!

Wordless Wednesday - The Saint Then & Now

Small Successes

What a busy week it's been so far! Here are some of the successes I've managed this past week:

1) I've been doing little bits of decluttering/organizing/cleaning each day this week. Monday - the munchkins' bathroom, Tuesday - some of the master bathroom & a cabinet in the kitchen, Wednesday - most of The Princess' room, & today I finished her room other than vacuuming.

2) I went away over the weekend w/ some girlfriends. Each year we get a cabin & just relax. This year, The Saint joined us since I am still nursing. It's so refreshing to get away, spending time w/ friends & nature.

3) Despite our limited amount of food on hand, I came up w/ a great dinner the other night. I cooked up some penne regata then topped it with a marinaded mix of kidney beans, chick peas, garlic, & tuna. Yummy! Sometimes these food experiments really turn out well.

4) A bonus - I finally learned how to add links w/in my posts & just have the name of the link instead of the whole URL listed. Yea Me!

See others & share your successes at Faith & Family Live.

Wordless Wednesday - The Prophet Then (2005) & Now (2009)

I Think the Scooter Has to Go!

Thursday was our last day of school for the summer. What better way to start off summer vacation than a trip to Urgent Care for a broken arm! The Archangel was playing on his scooter that afternoon. He wasn't outside more than 15 minutes when I heard his cry. He had fallen off & landed on his elbow. It didn't seem too bad, just really painful for him. He was able to move his arm, hand, & wrist, so I put a bandage on the scratch & off he went to play more.

Throughout the rest of the afternoon, he continued to whimper off & on, eventually complaining that his wrist hurt too. About 8pm, I decided to take to Urgent Care & have it X-rayed. I still thought it was just a bad sprain, maybe a hairline fracture. Well, I'm glad I took him. He ended up breaking the radius right at the elbow. His wrist hurt because the bone was pushing against his wrist bone. He now has a cast that covers most of his arm & it will be on for about 6-8 weeks. He chose blue & was a very brave boy while they put it on him. The nurse was teasing him, saying they only had pink ones left. The Archangel didn't react at all - he was so tired by that point, I don't even think he heard!

We go to the bone specialist tomorrow to see how it's healing. In the meantime, we're doing a lot of elevating to alleviate the swelling hand, staying off scooters & bikes, & no swimming or getting it wet. This is definitely tough for a very active six year old boy!

Small Successes

It's that day of the week again. Wow! Times sure does fly! Here are this week's successes:

1) I cleaned out the van, w/ a little of the munchkins' help. We got out all the trash, toys, books, etc. Then I cleaned all the vinyl & vacuumed the inside. I even wiped down the interior of the doors. The only thing left is to take out the car seats & vacuum under them.

2) Instead of getting frustrated w/ Casiondad for not thinking & locking his keys in his car this morning, I took the high road. I volunteered to meet him at work this evening to wait for AAA. He's hasn't gotten around to getting a second key for his new car yet. I figured meeting him & calling AAA ahead of time would save time after he got out of work. I also decided to find more ways to help him out to alleviate some of the stress caused by rushing around to get ready for things. (Yes, I know I should be doing that anyway, but I tend to be a bit selfish at times & just get upset w/ him instead of helping.)

3) I planted squash in our garden. I was going to do the green beans, but I need to get some pot ash to mix in w/ the soil first. I started the tomato & pepper seeds inside about a month ago. The tomatoes are doing okay, but the peppers didn't take. I think I'll have to buy plants instead.

4) This is a bonus - I got my first pedicure on Saturday! Last Spring, some good friends of mine got me a gift card for a local spa & salon as a baby shower gift. I was going to use it in July for my SIL's wedding, but The Saint decided bedrest was a better idea for us. After he was born, time just got away from me & I never got to use the card. Saturday I finally got to use it - definitely worth the wait! I really enjoyed it & now my tootsies are are nice sparkly brown. I thought about going for a perky blue, but opted for the other - reality trumped fun in this case!

Check out Faith and Family Live's Small Successes to see & share more.

Wordless Wednesday - The Princess Then & Now