Vintage We are THAT family
circa 1885
Enjoy the Journey
10:58 pm
I like plans. Carefully laid plans that go perfectly, um, planned.
I work hard at organizing my home, the budget, my blog, my life. I’m at Point A, I define Point B and take the best route there.
Lately, nothing has gone as planned. And I know that’s how life is at times.
But this time it’s different.
Africa happened and I changed, my life and plans right along with it.
I don’t even know what Point B is anymore. Our family is on an uncertain journey and I don’t know where it will lead.
This week, we’ve pushed aside our organized life and we’ve opened our hearts and future to the possibility to something we would have thought insane six months ago.
Getting to this point hasn’t been easy. I’ve fretted and worried money into reserve and now I just give it away. I’ve hoarded and decorated and and now I don’t care. I’ve tried to make sense of this new unexpected journey.
The other night as I soaked in the tub and tried to clear my mind, crowded with thoughts of an uncertain future, I heard these words:
enjoy the journey
Enjoy The Journey
ENJOY THE JOURNEY
Point A and B are destinations, it’s the getting there, the place in-between where we grow and live.
It was exactly what I needed to hear: enjoy the journey….
I am.
How about you? Are you at Point A or B or somewhere in between?
Discovering Your Child’s Heart {Giveaway}
9:31 pm
*Updated with Winner* Wow, I’m so glad I’m not alone in this parenting journey! Congrats to Cariann, our winner. I highly recommend the Family Matters parenting resources to everyone else!
My kids are like night and day. NIGHT and DAY. My firstborn daughter is strong. She is confident and she isn’t easily deterred. She likes to be in charge and doesn’t like to be told no. Her baby sister is a lot like her.
My son is in the middle. He is sensitive, a pleaser, a peacemaker. He wants everyone to get along and often gives up his own desires to make his sisters happy.
My kids are different, but by default, I parent them all the same.
And in the words of Dr Phil (who I do not watch on purpose) “How’s that working out for you?”
Um, some days, not so great.
I’m not intentionally parenting them all the same, I just haven’t known a better way and I even when I try to do it differently, I often slip back into it. Until now.
I’m a long-time fan of Grace Based Parenting. A couple of years ago, I shared their books and gave some away on my blog. Family Matters contacted me and asked if I wanted to try out a new tool to discover the heart of your child and parent to their uniqueness. I jumped at the chance. I don’t feel like I’m a bad parent, but I’m always open to becoming a better one.
Family Matters sent me this family tool smartly disguised as a family game: The Kids Flag Page.
The Kids Flag Page is a fun way for moms and dads to interact with their kids and truly discover the heart of each child—who God created them to be. When you follow the simple, step-by-step instructions to complete your child’s Flag Page and read the information in the accompanying book, you will:
- Discover the unique way God wired each of your children and how to best relate to them.
- Find the six key things that motivate your child – what they love the MOST about life.
- Connect with the heart of your child.
- Learn the do’s and don’ts of how to motivate, encourage, discipline and help each child succeed in life.
- Learn a comprehensive strategy for raising your kids in the power of God’s grace.
- Find out how to bring the best out of your strong-willed kids.
We took our kids out separately and “played the game” to discover their “countries.” I was amazed at the results! My hubby and I are reading the accompany book and trying to implement some of the discoveries.
I highly recommend this tool for every family.
Family Matters is giving away The Kid’s Flag Page today to a reader. Retail value $44. Please leave a comment telling me why this would be helpful for your family.
This giveaway ends on Thursday.
The Gospel According to a Three Year Old
9:53 pm
We’ll call her interpretation the Amplified Version.
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Want the book? We love it!
The Shirt Every Husband Needs {Giveaway}
10:09 pm
*Congrats to The Nabor’s Baby and MamaRa for winning! Don’t forget to take advantage of this great offer:
Union28 is offering a discount off your order using this code: U28WATF10
It’s valid from June 1st – June 20th and is good for 10% off any Union28 order.
Yesterday, I told y’all about the kind of man I married.
He’s a good man.
But I’ll be honest with you, when my husband told me what he wanted to do for his homeless friend, these words might have come out of my mouth: “Yes, go ahead and buy him colostomy bags, but DON’T GET YOURSELF KILLED. Because dinner is at 6.”
Every man needs a bossy caring wife. A woman who loves him deeply and dresses him well. Which is exactly why I’m thrilled he’s getting this shirt for Father’s Day from me:
[insert proud smile here]
The good people over at Union28 are sending me this shirt for my hubby for Father’s Day. I think he’s going to love it. I know I do. But let’s not talk about me.
Over the past year, I’ve developed a friendship with the owner(s) of Union28 and I love that they support strong marriages. They are the smart people who created the My Husband Rocks shirt that I wear every other week. I wear it even when he doesn’t. Rock.
I love the way that shirt makes him feel. I love that it makes husbands wish their wives would wear a shirt like it. I love that in a small, but tangible way, it builds my marriage.
Union28 is giving away TWO $25 gift certificates today. This giveaway ends on Friday.
PLUS, Union28 is offering a discount off your order using this code: U28WATF10
It’s valid from June 1st – June 20th and is good for 10% off any Union28 order.
Please leave a comment to be entered and tell me which shirt you like AND tell me something you love about your spouse.
The Kind of Man I Married
8:30 pm
The third week of every month, he travels down the congested road in his salesman shoes. Every third week, he passes homeless men. They are dirty, some with signs, others aimless, but all forming a derelict community.
One day about a year ago, my husband stopped. He had extra food from an event in his company car and fed the hungry. Some months he passes out chicken biscuits, other months, tacos. He always stops to listen to their stories. He isn’t sent by some church or fulfilling some ministry, there aren’t accolades or attention for his unseen acts. He saw a need.
Late last week, the third week of the month, he called me. One of the homeless men he’d been helping had a medical need and was in pathetic shape. Please read it in his words…..
He says he’s just doing what feels right to him. But to me, he’s amazing.
Because that’s the kind of man I married.
Links I Love:
1:30 am
- Intimate Issues: The Making of a Marriage Bed-Ann heats it up with this one
- I Dance Revolution-I think this is an adorable idea to learn something new and get into shape. Too bad, I can’t. Dance.
- I love this easy, sentimental gift idea for Dad on Father’s Day or this one is sweet, too.
Please note:Next week’s WFMW (Wed. June 2nd) will be the annual themed summer edition: “Mom, I’m Bored!” Share your best tip for keeping kids occupied in the summer
We are THAT family Carnival & Blogoversary
7:00 am
I wanted to share a doozy of a story with you that would leave NO DOUBT that we are in fact THAT family…you know the ones. But, my life has been strangely normal lately.
Because surely my toddler discovering she could actually PUT things in the two little nose holes, also called nostrils, this week doesn’t really qualify me. It turns out that the blue noise putty hidden in my son’s room has many uses, including but not limited to, shoving them into your brain, followed by tiny bits of toilet paper.
Her snot is still blue.
And while I’m retrieving paper from my daughter’s nose with tweezers, it’s probably completely normal for my out-of-town hubby to call from the airport to let me know he found a lost sippy cup in his travel bag. He discovered it because the sour milk EXPLODED from the pressure of air travel, causing many to question the foul odor. Yep, just an ordinary day.
Every week I receive emails from other moms staying “We are THAT family too.” I’ve laughed and taken comfort (at your expense, of course) reading of your embarrassing and real life moments. I think there’s a little bit of THAT family in all of us. It seemed fitting to provide a central gathering place to share our moments. And since I’m celebrating my 2 year blogoversary this week, I giving away TEN prizes to TEN carnival linkers!
Most days, I feel good about who we are and where we’re heading as a family. But I’ll be the first to admit, sometimes when my toddler lets out her ear-piercing scream or we end up in the emergency room more than once in a weekend, I want a disguise!
There. That’s better. Hmm…..I wonder who that woman is?
So my neighbor, friend and baker-extradonaire, Bake at 350 is providing a Grand Prize for TWO lucky participants with a dozen (each) mustache-shaped cookies!!
Here we are incognito:
And, since it’s my party and I can do what I want, I’m not stopping there!
One lucky winner will win a custom necklace from The Vintage Pearl: ($40 value):
One lucky winner will win a gorgeous Life pitcher for your sweet tea (my sweet tea taste even better is this delicious piece of art from Dayspring: ($25 value):
One lucky winner will win a $100 Blogger blog design (The Works) by my friend Jo-Lynne owner of DCRDesign!!
One lucky winner will win a $25 gift certificate to Back 40 Life, an adorable vinyl lettering store.
Three lucky winners will win customized holiday cards (jpeg form, you can print them at places like Sam’s, Costco, WalMart, etc) from the lovely gal at Butterfly Sparks! ($15 value, each)
And one lucky winner will have their choice of a set (5) binky leashes of 2 sets of mitten clips from Mommie of 4 Munchkins
Whew! Happy 2nd blogging day to me! (MckLinky will close at midnight Thursday night and all winners will be announced on Friday! Make sure you check back in!)
It’s your turn. I can’t wait to read your stories (if you’ve written a post in the past, link it up)!
P.S. The 30,000th comment is getting closer and closer!!!
THAT Family Tree Society-Issue 56
10:16 pm
Picture of the Week:
The Week in Review: I’m so thankful we were able to keep ChaCha! We hit the jackpot with this sweet doggie!
Introduction into The Society: Welcome Under $1000 Per Month!
1. Tell us a little about your blog (name/reason why you blog):
My blog is called Under $1000 Per Month. My husband is going back to school, as well as working with a reduced income. We’ve learned a lot about who we are and what is important to us, as well as a ton of money savings ideas, and that’s what I blog about.
2. How long have you blogging?
About a year, but on this blog, only two months.
3. How would you define THAT family? THAT family is unashamed of being a little different. We enjoy our lives and don’t care who sees it.
4. When did you discover you were a part of THAT family?
I was taking a nap with my babies (aged one and three) the other day, pretty normal. I woke up alone,the apartment was silent. The first thing I saw as I entered the living room was a chewed up broken crayon. Then, the sight of chewed up toilet paper, all over the floor hit me. And we don’t have a dog. My toddler had fed it to the baby! I knew that we were THAT family.
5. Where can we find your blog? http://under1000permonth.blogspot.com/
And I Was Worried About Homesickness
7:01 am
This message was delivered to my inbox this week from my church about today’s meeting for kid’s camp:
Why can I not stop thinking about this?
Let’s Blame It on the Bird Poop
7:00 am
We are THAT family, now with live video footage.
Let me set this up: Little sister has learned to twist herself on the swing. Big brother wants a turn to show her how to really do it.
{Please ignore my hubby laughing at the end of this short video. He chuckles when he’s overcome with compassion for our injured children.}
P.S. At the very end, my son says, “That would be funny_________” but the video camera cuts off.
P.S.S. Let me fill in the blank “That would be funny on Mom’s blog!” He’s right!
That kid makes lemon-aid out of lemons, every time.
{Can you stand one more P.S.? I nearly pee every time I watch this clip!!!!}
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VyI1KubtG4]
Another Patent in the Making
7:00 am
I know I amazed y’all with my first Patented project.
The Vented Chicken: It was awesome.
Well. Apparently my genius is not limited.
Because our last trip with our toddler, sparked a new idea.
We have a couple of rules in the car. Number One: Keep the toddler buckled. Number Two: Keep her happy.
The first one is non-negotiable. The second is more elusive. We all know the pain of a screaming child, so we try. We offer lollipops, toys, band-aids, DVD’s.
Even though we have been working on weaning the pacifier, at one point, it became our last resort.
But after dropping it into the abyss of our crowded mini-van countless times, I nearly lost my Salvation and broke an all-important bone, called My Spine, leaning over the seats searching for it.
We needed a miracle.
My hubby holds it in his hand (while driving carefully, of course):
We reached a new level of pathetic parenting with this, but it worked.
Rope tied to Pacifier: Patent Pending
In celebration of MckMama’s ‘Not Me’ Monday, I DID NOT do any of the above, it was only created for your reading pleasure.
Ahem.
This is Where I Consider Changing the Name of My Blog
7:01 am
Sometimes, I don’t want to be THAT family.
Take Monday, for instance. I took my toddler to the doctor because she had a scary-looking dime-sized ulcer on her face, near her eye.
As we sat in the packed waiting room, I tried in vain to contain my busy girl. She was everywhere. All at once.
Just as she was about to push the Handicap button on the door again, my sweet friend Cheryl, walked out of the office. We stopped to catch up on what brought us to the doctor’s office.
Parenting tip: Don’t turn your eyes off your toddler, even for a second.
Because when I turned back around, I found my daughter and the contents of my purse in the middle of the floor, in the middle of a busy waiting room.
And do you know what she was unwrapping?
An emergency Maxi-Pad.
Oh. Yes. She. Was.
Just as she way eyeing a place to stick the giant ‘sticker,’ I grabbed it and shoved it back into my bag.
My dear friend laughed. (She knows we’re THAT family and sticks around anyway).
I’ve never been so relieved to hear my child’s name called back to the examination room. I needed a place to hide.
Unfortunately, my daughter took the best spot.
Oh, and she has Staph. But I’m looking on the bright side because it’s not the flesh-eating kind.
WARNING: Here We Come
7:00 am
The other day I needed to go by the bank and deposit a check.Harmless errand with toddler in tow, right?
Hehe (insert fake laugh here).
When I pulled into the parking lot, 420 other people had the same idea.
So, I decided to outsmart everyone and do my banking at the ATM machine. I pulled up and reached for the deposit envelopes. There weren’t any.
In my frustration, I pulled away slowly, leaving my ATM card in the machine.
I think a normal person at this point would have stopped their car, gotten out and retrieved said card. At least that’s what my hubby said a normal person would do.
But I backed up into the narrow ATM aisle since no one was in line behind me.
Now, I won’t go into my backing issues. But lets just say I am not a good backer-upper.
On hearing a crunching noise (and I’m pretty sure laughter), I didn’t look back. I found a place to park and wasted the next 30 minutes begging for a new card.
And that’s when I made a monumental decision.
You know, considering our reputation as THAT family. I’ve been feeling sorry for our local Emergency Room, eating establishments (add bank to the list) and the overall general population.
I’ve decided to let people know we’re coming…It only seems fair.
I just consider it a warning. And this is what I’ll be wearing when I go pick up my replacement ATM card this week:
And if you are bold enough to wear one, all profits go to The Persecuted Church.
Once I got home, I noticed the fender of my car.
I know many of you are related to me. We’re like family. And that’s why I’m sharing. You can warn people too. But my shirt is occupied. You’ll have to get your own.
And if you are bold enough to wear one, all profits go to The Persecuted Church.
Once I got home, I noticed the fender of my car.
Oops.
Do y’all think the glue gun can handle this?
They Will Let Anyone Be a Mother These Days
7:01 am
Thank you for allowing me to repost a few of my favorite posts from my Archives on my old Mac blog. This was originally posted in March.
I was wandering down my daily blogroll when I came to this post by Heather J over in Jirkaville. It was riveting.
I was un-bathed. Pajama-clad (actually I lost my pj bottoms somewhere along the way of rushing my older kids out the door) so, I was half-naked. My priorities were in order: I was reading other people’s business before I took care of my own.
My one year old sat in my lap while I worked on my laptop at the kitchen counter. My baby likes to dig thru the drawer while I blog away.
As I intently read, I was moved to tears by Heather’s post . My daughter started squirming, so I sat her on the floor. She had a plastic thingy in her hand. At least that’s what I thought it was.
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4.5 seconds later, she started screaming.
I whipped around and IN-SLOW-MOTION-BECAUSE-I’M-A-SLOW-THINKER, I realized that the said plastic-thingy was SUPERGLUE.
Dripping.
With teethmarks.
I scooped her up and ran to the kitchen sink.
These words are FLASHING in my head:
YOU ARE NOT MATURE ENOUGH TO BE A MOTHER. FIND AN ADULT IMMEDIATELY.
My daughter’s hands were covered in Superglue AND her lips were glued closed.
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Let me just pause and LET THAT SINK IN.
Baby. Lips. Glued. FOR ETERNITY. Jesus, help me.
I’m crying, she’s crying, I’m splashing water on both of us. Praying for help, begging for forgiveness. It did dawn on me in a surreal way, how perfectly still my child became. She knew it was bad. And I think she was hoping for another adult to arrive.
The warm water and a little pressure helped part her crusty lips. THANK GOD.
She didn’t ingest the glue and that seemed to be very good news.
I nearly passed out when I heard the key in the front door.
A host of heavenly angels ushered my dear hubby into the kitchen in search of something he’d forgotten. He saw the superglue, our crusty, sticky hands and his baby’s lips and took over.
I googled, “Baby lips and super glue.” Which I’m sure helped Child Protective Services hone in on my whereabouts.
And I’m sure this was an internet first.
According to reliable resources, acetone is the enemy to superglue. It’s the kryptonite to the Super mega adhesive.
Thank GOD, I paint my nails.
We dipped cotton into nail polish remover and scrubbed. My one year old perfected her dirty look and my husband didn’t even ask how it happened.
Which now, I find disturbing. He returns home to find his daughter’s life in mortal danger under my care and it doesn’t even surprise him.
We cleaned her up as much as possible.
“I’ve got to get to work,” my husband said as he grabbed his jacket.
“What? You can’t leave me. I cannot be trusted. It’s not even 8:30 a.m and I nearly wounded your baby,” I said as I grabbed his pant leg and held on for dear life.
He smiled at me. And left.
I checked on that girl 432 times during her morning nap. The entire time I couldn’t help to think about the wisdom of these words: KEEP OUT OF THE REACH OF CHILDREN.
And, all I have to say is they will let anyone be a mother these days.
Get ready for a fun giveaway on Monday! Hint: Take a picture of yourself in your apron because the Apron Queen is visiting THAT family! Really-get your pictures ready!
Where Everybody Knows Your Name
7:00 am
I almost didn’t tell you about this.
But I knew you, my dear, faithful readers, would understand.
Because you know me. You know my kids.
And you can completely understand how it is entirely possible to end up in the Emergency Room. Twice. In. One. Week. (Actually, about 5 days, but who’s counting?)
Oh, I wish I was kidding. I thought about not sharing this because, you know, you might think I was serious about the name of my blog.
I mean, I wouldn’t want you to think we really are THAT family.
But. We. Are.
We met my parents for dinner at one of our local favorites. We cleaned our plates and let the baby join the other kids in the game room area. She was having a ball, sticking her hands in the gum ball machines and eating off the floor.
She sauntered back over to our table, crawled up on the picnic table seat and with all four adults watching, she slipped through the space between the bench and the table and landed head-first on the concrete.
The hit made a sickening sound.
I jumped to grab her and smeared ketchup all over my hands. So, when I picked her up, my family thought she was bleeding.
And it probably would have been more of a relief to see a small gash.
Nope. Nothing.
Only a pale, screaming child, who began vomiting from her head injury.
I’m so not kidding.
And she couldn’t walk. We let her stumble around for about 12 seconds and decided an ER visit was for dessert.
My parents took my older kids home and the hubby and I sped to the hospital.
They rushed us back to triage to check her pupils and look her over.
The nurse recognized me. From my visit on Father’s Day.
So did the Doctor.
By this time, our toddler was acting more herself (as in dumping the contents of my purse onto the floor).
As the Doctor tried to decide whether or not to sedate her for a CT scan, the nurse commented on our frequent visits.
And so I said, “Yeah, we’re like THAT family.”
I thought my hubby was going to choke on his own saliva. Later he said, “My word, why didn’t you just pull out your laptop and see if the ER had WiFi, so they could read today’s entry!”
I told him I couldn’t help myself.
They gave our toddler a bag of cookies and cup of apple juice to see if she would continue throwing up.
She didn’t and she enjoyed the snack.
They sent us home with stern instructions to wake her up every few hours all night long and return if she vomited or her stumbling grew worse.
We signed off on all the papers they shoved in our face as the discharge nurse called, “See you in a couple of days for stitches.”
That’s verbatim, people.
And the receptionist encouraged us just to ‘come for coffee next time if we really wanted to see them.’
Yeah, we’re pretty much gonna have to move. To another town. Immediately.
*Update* Our toddler showed no further signs of a concussion and after we berated ourselves for our negligence, we all slept happily ever after. The End. Until the next time…
It’s Official: We are White Trash
12:01 am
Okay. That’s it. We’ve truly reached new heights of lowness. Sunday on our way home from CHURCH, we smelled something. It was a strong odor. Overwhelming. It was so bad, we pulled over. On inspection of diapers and shoes, we discovered my son had stepped in dog poo on the playground, at church, in his new church shoes, the ones I bought to wear only to church, so they would always look nice. (By faith, I’m believing IT was from a dog.) Some things just shouldn’t surprise me. And yet it’s like someone’s screaming “GOTCHA YA!” in my face. Every day. So, we did what most people of low intelligence with a high sense of smell would do. We rolled down the window and hung the offensive shoe from the shoelaces. All the way home. From Church. We are THAT family. My white trash parenting tip: hang your sticky shoes and children out the window. All the trashy Moms do it! For more bad parenting tips, visit White Trash Mom!
