confession

Confession: The last few days I have worn "work out" clothes like they were an outfit. As in, I literally went from PJs to stretchy shorts and a T-shirt and then back to the PJs at the end of the day....oh, and I barely did anything worthy of the stretch-y-ness. Yesterday I went on a walk and today I worked in the garden. In both cases I broke a sweat, but I wouldn't say it constituted a whole days wardrobe.

Confession: I do not care about the above fact. I honestly SHOULD because its a slippery slope when it comes to stretchy pants...friends, once you start, it is infinitely hard to go back...*sigh* However, like I said...I just don't care and since these last two days are considered "the weekend"...I'm ok with it.

Confession: I'm a terrible secret keeper. Especially with my own secrets. Thus the blogging. I'll probably blog till the day I die because I will need a place to share my own secrets.

Confession: I've gone to bed around 9:30 for the last week and gotten up around 7:30....having so much sleep makes me a BETTER PERSON.

Confession: Target is selling these new dark chocolate camels covered in sea-salt that are TO DIE. I got them for Mother's Day and I was initially excited about them because they came in the cutest powder blue tin...but now I love them because they are SO GOOD...and I eat two during nap time every day...till they are gone. *tears*

Confession: Ransom will be with a babysitter ALL DAY on Tuesday because Brett and I are going to a Marriage seminar and then ALL DAY AND NIGHT on Friday because we're taking an overnight date ( I truly believe that a good marriage is based on how many quality overnight dates you can squeeze into a year...no excuses. DO IT). And I already miss my little dude. He's just so darn cute. I don't care how much he loves his babysitter ( he does, he loves her ever so much)....this just might be my current max on being away from my kid. And for those of you who think that I'm up for a week without the kid. You'd be way wrong. I'm not up for it. ( currently).

Confession: I have actually blogged this week, you just haven't read my posts...I "pre-wrote" meaning I've written a post or two that are for specific days in the future. Can you say, "nerd?!"

Gleaning some mommy wisdom

I love getting advice from other moms! I'm constantly trying to glean as much as I can from all the awesome women around me....and sometimes I get the advice third or fourth hand, which usually just proves that it's even MORE awesome and should REALLY be taken into account.

Just today I was thinking about three things that I'm so grateful I "adopted" as my own:

"Hands on the tires" ( wish I could think of who I got this one from...if its you then claim it!): When Ransom gets out of the car, and I set him down on the ground I make him put both hands on the tire next to me while I get the diaper bag or whatever else out of the car. Then when I'm ready he gets to take my hand and we walk to safety. I love this! For one thing I don't have to worry about him running out into traffic ( it didn't take Ransom long to learn this one and seems to think its pretty fun, I've had to stop and tell him "no" a few times when he's removed a hand for whatever reason...so I could see that it might take a little "training"...but for the most part he seems to love touching the tire. ) For another thing, now when I get Ransom out of his stroller he puts his hands on the back tire of the jogging stroller too! I find this really hilarious! My dad says that he'll be good at getting police searches one day, but I think its the perfect solution to a safety/multitasking problem.

"Kid Scissors" today I cut up Ransom's chick-fil-a nuggets with a pair of kids scissors that I keep in my bag. Its especially awesome when traveling, but scissors are THE way to cut up kids food! I'd been knife and forking it for almost a year when Lindsay mentioned that this was the fast/easy way that our mutual friend/mother of three- Liz cut up all three of her kids food!! I've never gone back!! And having a blunt pair of scissors in my bag for any time use...well, perfect!

"Blanket time", lots of parents do this from an early age and its part of Babywise book 2 training if you're interested...But I was just not down for this particular "discipline" when Ransom was smaller...But now that he's older and has a lot of toddler energy to burn, it seemed both necessary and been pretty easy to implement a time of day when he has to sit on his quilt and play for a 20-30 min period of time. When we first started he haaaaated it, ( If he got off the blanket I would tell him "no" and put him back on the blanket, repeat and add spankings or whatever form of punishment you want if you so desire)... but then he started to actually ASK for blanket time if we hadn't already done it! I think it has promoted his imaginative play time because he has to think of ways to entertain himself with the toys that I give him ( I usually give two or three things to play with, plus some books). I now do blanket time while I'm in the shower and I don't have to worry about him running off and getting into trouble.


Are there any things that you've noticed other parents doing that you thought were pretty cool and you've stored away for yourself or started to implement? I'd love to hear them!

Waves

Even though Ransom had been sick all week ( with probably a pretty bad sore throat and a fever), and Brett came down with the sore throat on Thursday. And even though Brett worked such ridiculous hours this week that I won't even TELL YOU about them because you'd scoff.  Even though all of that was true. We went to a Navigator Conference this weekend in Panama City, FL. 

I'm not going to lie. I didn't want to go. When weeks are as much of a doozy as ours have been of late, I just want to hole up and nurse my so-called-wounds. But I'm SO glad we didn't!! 

For one thing, my son l-o-v-es the ocean. This kid would literally run into the waves if given the chance. NO FEAR. And that was enough to make the weekend awesome. But, it was also nice to get some literal MILES between Brett and his workplace. There's something about distance that can make all the difference and I need to remember that sometimes. 

Also....I love the ocean. I love the beach. I love sand. I love sunkissed shoulders. I love being barefoot. I love the smell of sunscreen. 

I'm planning our summer vacation to the beach IMMEDIATELY. 

( P.S. Are there any good beaches between here and Nacogdoches, TX?! We'll be needing to go there on our block leave as well, but I say-who's stopping us from getting a little beach on "on our way"?! ) 

April Cookies

Yesterday I made Brett his "cookie of the month". They are Peanut Butter Surprise cookies...and they are TO DIE. Even though I made these cookies with crunchy peanut butter instead of smooth ( which, yes, would have been better...but I had TWO jars of opened chrunchy peanut butter ( how did that happen?!?) so I went with what I had...) these cookies still turned out amazing. 

It was really a miracle that they turned out so well because I made them while in a terrible mood. Usually Rage Cooking rarely works out for me, but this time the recipe was so simple that I could make no discernible errors. Seriously. One should never, ever cook while angry or remotely mad....I for one find that food does not do well with High Emotions. This is why I feel that chefs are very calm people. This is probably not at all true. But I'm going with it for the sake of my point. 

The point being you can make these cookies while both angry and while having Low Blood sugar...which for anyone that knows me can tell you, is directly related to the angry part. 

Let's just say that my poor, dear husband had to work allllllll day yesterday and was still working at dinner time, so I made dinner while he was still working away in the dining room and then two hours later he was STILL working and dinner was officially cold and I was OFFICIALLY low-blood-sugar-angry. Incidentally, just in case you were not aware, Low-blood-sugar-anger is based off of NOTHING...and is not valid in a court of law, or in my marriage as it would turn out...so bottom line: it was good that I made cookies and eventually got fed-especially since my poor husband is working again today. Bless his heart. Its the LEAST I can do to give him cookies once a month. *sigh*  

blurry lines

As an Army wife, one of the perks has been, up until this point-the fact that we move every year or two giving us the opportunity to not become contestants on the show Hoarders. Having to move keeps my priorities in line on the whole "necessity" verse "luxury" situation.

However, we have now been at our current location for almost three years (!!!) and the lines are getting blurry....for instance I saw this on someones blog today and I came thisclose to buying it.

 Its a wall hanging, just in case you can't tell...but I kind of have a thing for owls. And I felt like it would go well in my guest room...plus, it was only 16 dollars!!! SHUT UP!

Anyway, if your also one of those people with blurry lines, you can get it here.


I was able to resist. This time.

Sharing!!

So, I wrote a little blog post for a College Ministry blog this week....You can read it here.  I was asked to write for them back in DECEMBER...and, yeah, its taken this many months for me to actually follow through. I guess this is just a perfect example of how loooong it takes me to write anything these days! I'm trying to do better ( but I say that every time!).

The drink of fathers

When I was little Papa would drive me to school. We'd listen to NPR's Morning Edition and Papa would drink coffee out of a normal mug ( no travel mug for him!), he'd  balance the mug on the dashboard which was pretty precarious, but there was no cupholder for mugs in his truck. He'd take a sip, we'd swerve a little, he'd make an "ahhhhh!" sound and he'd position the mug back on the dash so that he could focus on yelling at the Liberals on NPR.
These memories are so strong that I can literally smell the coffee and hear Bob Edwards voice.

And now, already, Ransom also associates the sound of the hot water kettle ( with which we make the hot water for the French Press coffee) with his Daddy ( this morning I was making a cup of decaf and he heard the sound  and literally ran yelling "Daddy!" into the kitchen), and any time he sees any mug at all he says "caught-tee?"

I am so glad that Ransom's own childhood memories will be just as permeated with the smell and sounds of coffee...There is something kind of comforting about it.  While its really not that important-I doubt that I could have married a non-coffee drinker. For the sake of our children.  ;-)

P.S. Will it ever NOT be heartbreaking when Ransom asks for his Daddy and he's not able to be there?!?!

two teeny tiny problems

So, as I have mentioned on this blog before, I've been having some ankle issues since December. And after several doctors appointments, 4 x-rays, a bone scan and an MRI, plus almost 4 months of no exercise... today I went in for another appointment where the "specialist" orthopedic doctor told me that there were officially no stress fractures as I was previously told, and that there was nothing wrong at the bone level. blah blah blah. Here's your cortisone shot, rest a few more weeks, come back in six...

Can, I just be honest for a few minutes!? I would like to admit that when push comes to shove I was disappointed in today's appointment because NO ONE mentioned my teeny tiny feet and ankles.

Bottom line is that it doesn't matter what's wrong with my ankle or how it happened, I feel POSITIVE that my size 4 and a half feet should NOT be supporting my 5'6'', size 6/8 frame...And while I've had every single friend/stranger that has ever seen my feet comment on how freakishly small they are, I really really wanted a Medical Professional to take note. To say something like, "Holy Cow, Woman, you are a modern day miracle!! The fact that you can walk around on those tiny stumps is amazing in itself, so OF COURSE you twist your ankles on a regular basis, and fall over all the time!! That only makes sense!"

But he did not mention this and I'm pretty disappointed. Now my ankle is pretty sore and I'm waiting not so patiently for the "dramatic relief" that cortisone shots supposedly give...for one thing I'd like to go for a run again before its officially 104 degrees outside at 8 in the morning ( that could be any day now!), and I'd also like to continue my current eating habits ( read: eat cookies) without my pants becoming increasingly tight...so I'll definitely be counting the days.

ALSO the next time you see me in sparkly pink shoes just remember that I have to shop in the CHILDRENS DEPARTMENT and that while it has not been medically verified, I think I deserve a little more "support" in life.

In the Desert

I love that at the top of this Psalm it says, " A Psalm of David. When he was in the desert of Judah"

Ah the Desert. I don't want to be dramatic but I think Brett and I have been in a figurative one of those for a long time now. There where just a few things that I clung to as my "water bottles" of sorts, the things that helped me when I thought about our current situation. And then I lost a water bottle. I've cried a lot about it. But, there is nothing like loosing a water bottle to remind you where the real water is...it is the ever flowing Water of Christ. The water that never has to be drawn again, the Living Water.

And so, even though my computer has a perfectly good "copy and paste function" instead I will type out this wonderful psalm. And may I type it upon my heart today...

You, God, are my God, 
earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you, 
my whole being longs for you, 
in a dry and parched land
where there is no water.


I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.
Because your love is better than life, 
my lips will glorify you. 


I will praise you as long as I live, 
and in your name I will lift up my hands.
I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.


On my bed I will remember you;
I think of you through the watched of the night.
Because you are my help, 
I sing in the shadow of your wings.


I cling to you;
your right hand upholds me.
Those who want to kill me will be destroyed;
they will go down to the depths of the earth.
They will be given over to the sword
and become food for the jackals.


But the king will rejoice in God;
all who swear by God will glory in him, 
while the mouths of liars will be silenced. 

Love Thy Neighbor

Lately I've been thinking a lot about the Early Church. We've been reading an awesome book, as I've mentioned before, that has really helped me to think hard about what I've always assumed about those years after Christ's resurrection.

To be honest most of my assumptions where not really assumptions they were more like projections. I projected my own experiences as a Believer on to those first set of Followers of Christ....except I made them kind of super hero versions of myself. I made them just a little bit better.

However, the fact of the matter is, they didn't have all the Christian "self help" books that I have, they didn't have sermons on the internet at their 24 hr beck and call. They didn't have telephones or facebook to keep on touch with fellow believers, they didn't have the Bible.

Instead they had a basic understanding of the Gospel of Christ.  And the bottom line is, that is what sustained them. The good news of Christ and the Holy Spirit.

Bam.

And I bet if we ran into a few of those first Christians today we'd immediately start judging. I bet they didn't raise there kids according to Baby Wise, and I bet they didn't have a Love and Respect Marriage and I bet NONE of them would have the Topical Memory System memorized. They probably weren't up on the latest theological arguments regarding predestination vs. free will.  So we'd shake our heads internally and think, "Oh, how they need my help!"

And, according to my research they were pretty messed up! They probably would have benefited from a copy of the Bible ( for starters. ha).  Because I'm sure they were just like the rest of us-Human as all get out! But, they also Majored on the Majors. They Loved there Neighbor as themselves, they Loved their God before all other gods ( and that included themselves!). And for that I'm a bit jealous. I'm jealous that they didn't have all this other stuff to distract them. All these other less important things to fill their minds. Most of them were just trying to survive! Most of them were just trying to figure out how to live like Jesus in a very un-jesus like world! ( kind of like today's world)

I feel like I've gotten very nit-picky lately...and to be honest it wasn't until someone else nit-picked me that I realized I'd been a major judger.

A little spring cleaning of my brain is in order, slowly I will take out my Forms, I will dust them off, and put them back in my brain only if they are helping me towards the ultimate principles of my life, the ultimate goal of serving my God with all my heart and all mind soul and all my mind. And if they aren't doing that...if maybe they are distracting me from that ultimate goal, then I will toss them...

 And I will take out the forms, I'm using to raise our son...I will take those out and line them up outside in the sun, I'll think about whether or not Ransom is disciplined ( or as much as an almost two year old can be), does he understand authority and is our life a reflection of the ultimate Good News that we are trying to share with him? And if I can answer yes to those questions then I'll be able to sleep ok tonight. I'll stop crying over the mistakes I make, and the people that shake their head at those mistakes.

Tonight I'm going to try and forgive myself and others for judging according to forms rather than according to principle.  So for starters I am going to try and do better at this:

" Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

My favorite

He's my favorite

I tell Ransom he's my favorite all the time. I usually say something like, "you're my very favorite child."

This is of course very true since he's also my only child, but I still like to say it. And I have a feeling that I'll say it even when we have more children. I'll probably tell my other child that they are my favorite too.

It will be no less true.

I get away with this because by definition Favorite ( adjective) means: Preferred before all others of the same kind.

And I feel like Ransom is the only one of his kind. As will be true of all future offspring. There. Explained.

So this Friday one of my dear friends is throwing a Favorite Things Party. The basic idea is that everyone invited brings three of their favorite things, categories are endless, and then we all put our names in a hat and everyone draws and gets three new favorite things to take home....

How totally fab is that?!

I've been so excited about this party for ages ever since my friend explained the concept to me. As you know, from my giveaways last year, I am a fan of sharing my favorite things...and I have a lot of them.  What blew my mind was that some of the other invitees where having trouble coming up with things to bring. I'm personally having trouble narrowing down my list!!

So, if you were invited what would you bring? Here are some of the things that didn't make the cut for me:

Restaurant trips with a baby/toddler made easier....

I love wearing this ring...and getting strange looks and remarks like, "what's THAT?!"

This one couldn't make the list because it's technically not "mine"...but Ransom looks like such a little dude when he wears these, and I love it
.

I literally use one or more of these babies every single day in the kitchen.

If I could get away with it...I'd wear this skirt every day 

I'm currently using this as my "diaper bag"...but its more like my "take the sink with me" bag.

I bought this because I have a kid...but I've actually used it more on my own sad little ankles (its oh so cute!) 

If you haven't seen this movie, its not just for "people with kids"...It is one of the greatest tales of humanity I've seen, and while its been ages...I still think about this movie. 

I just read this book over the weekend and it made me laugh/cry.  Bonus: It's by one of my favorite bloggers!

Good Friday

I'm reading the most incredible book as part of our Home Church. Its called, The Untold Story of the New Testament Church. I am only on chapter 7 and it is SOOOOO GOOOD.

I felt like I had to share this quote today, because I don't think I have ever before thought of the significance of the actual DAY of Jesus' crucifixion. I know its just a bit underselling God by a ton, but man, He had such perfect timing! Such powerful imagery.

Today I thank God for our Sacrificial Lamb, the one who ransomed us so that we might have a relationship with our most high God.

April 7, 30 

From noon to 3 p.m. the cries of the spotless lambs fill Jerusalem as they are slaughtered for the Passover feast. At the same time, Jesus Christ-the real Lamb of God-is crucified. As Jesus breathes His last breath, an earthquake hits the land, and the curtain which encloses the Most Holy Place in the temple is rent in two, from top to bottom. This signified that the way to fellowship with the Father has now been opened for all man to experience.