2008 June — We are THAT Family

An Important Parenting Tip

7:00 am Bykristen

I’d like to offer you a parenting tip today.

I took this photo a couple of months ago. Just because I want to remember the rolls.

There’s just nothing cuter than a baby girl in a dress.

The chubby legs. The cute tush. The femininity.

She inherited her thighs from me. One day, she will not thank me.

One of the best parts of all those little girly dresses is the diaper covers.

You know, because they coordinate.

We all know how important that is.

The other day I was in a hurry to pick up my older kids from VBS. I had about 57 seconds to change a diaper and shove her pudgy feet into her shoes.

I quickly changed my squirmy girl and forgot to put her diaper cover back on.

Maybe because it would take too long or because cute doesn’t matter when you’re in a hurry.

We will never know.

I grabbed a shoe and realized I dropped the other one somewhere in the house.

After a quick shoe hunt, I grabbed her up and decided she could ride with one shoe on and I would put the other one on at the church.

But. Something. Happened. During. That. 57. Seconds.

Because when I got to VBS and reached to unbuckle my child from her car seat, not only was her diaper cover missing, so was her diaper.

Oh, yeah.

She was nekid. At VBS.

Under that cute dress.

So, here’s my tip: diaper covers are not for cute only. They are actually functional in keeping the toddler from removing her diaper while Mommy is not looking.

While I realize this isn’t exactly an earth-shattering tip and even considered obvious by some (ahem, hubby), this is my third kid and honestly the first time we’ve gone to church with an exposed, um, bottom.

So, I just thought I’d share.

You are welcome.

I’m here to serve you.

For more helpful tips, visit Works For Me Wednesday

Filed UnderParenting, Uncategorized 74 Comments

Flying By the Seat of Her Pants

8:00 pm Bykristen

Can you say:

Fly.

Away.

Hair.

For more Wordless Photos, visit 5 Minutes For Mom!

Filed UnderUncategorized 37 Comments

Hungry

3:08 pm Bykristen

I don’t know the meaning of hunger.

Oh, there are moments, when I’m dieting, that I think I will faint without something sweet.

Not exactly the definition of starving.

But at my fingertips, I have a vast array of choices and could satisfy my stomach at my choosing.

I have noticed the rise in food costs and the increase in fuel. I’ve renewed my membership to The Grocery Game to build up my pantry and we’ve opted to stay closer to home for our summer road trips.

But, we are still eating as much as we want (and that’s why I need to diet) and we have enough money to purchase gasoline, even though we cringe at the pump.

My home is slightly affected by the changes in our economy.

But when you look at our world and read about the Global Food Crisis, I am in the minority.

Tomorrow, June 25, has been declared a day of fasting and prayer for hungry people around our globe.

Can you imagine offering your daughter soup made from tree leaves? Or encouraging your son to sleep during lunch, so his hungry tummy won’t hurt so badly?

I cannot.

Blessings abound in America. When we see $4 a gallon, we complain, but we continue our life.

We eat.

Today, I watched a video clip about an 11 year old boy in Indonesia who was being given to an orphanage because his parents could no longer feed him and his two younger brothers. How could they? I swallowed the lump in my throat as I heard his mother say, “Be tough.”

Love knows no limits.

Take a minute to pray for those who are less fortunate. When you look into the precious face of your child today, picture the mother across the ocean who is asking God for a miracle to feed her child, and pray for her.

The next bite of food you take, pause, whisper a prayer for those without. Share this with your kids and make a difference. You can visit Compassion International and give here.

Filed UnderOne Day To Give, Uncategorized 25 Comments

The Gifted & The Talented

7:00 am Bykristen

Last week, my 8 year old daughter spent 6 hours taking tests.

In the summer.

Because she is special.

Or at least that was her response when I told her she was going to do some achievement tests.

Yes, her self esteem is doing well. Thank you.

I explained that we were allowing the gifted and talented testing to help eliminate boredom and excessive talking in the classroom.

Oh.

When I picked her up the second day, she told me all about another student she met.

“Mom, she is so smart. And so are her parents. Her Dad is working on a medication to cure diabetes, right now. And her Mom is on the research team with him and she’s testing the medicine on lab rats!” she explained excitedly.

“Wow,” I said and I will admit I felt rather ignorant. I mean, the smartest thing I’d done all day was keep my toddler’s reaching hand out of her poop diaper.

Because yesterday she was quicker than me.

And so, baiting my smarty-pants daughter, I said, “Well, that is awesome. I guess most of the kids who tested with you have really smart parents. Right?”

She thought about that a minute and I could almost hear her brain working.

“I guess you’re right. I must get it from Dad.”

Filed UnderThose kids, Uncategorized 48 Comments

I’m Glad I’m a Woman-Reason #27

5:42 pm Bykristen

Have you heard about the female hiker who was just saved after spending 70 hours hanging off of a cliff?

She attached her sports bra to a logging cable in order to signal for help.

The bra caught the attention of a group of lumberjacks who called a rescue team.

Can you just imagine that conversation?

Rescuers credit her ingenuity. That bra gave her sagging morale a real push-up. If those men hadn’t seen the waving bra, she would have been under the wire. She needed their support.

Just one more reason I’m glad to be a woman.

Filed UnderUncategorized 24 Comments