Win a Family Life Organizer and Planner

My friend Kelly is having her first blog contest at Laughing Always Helps. The only thing you need to do to enter is share an embarrassing moment under the comments section of her contest post.

The organizer is a great contest prize, especially since its coming on the new year. I know I want to get a handle on things in 2008 and a fresh start is what I need.

So go on over and share in some laughs and maybe win a great prize. I posted my embarrassing moment. Go on over and read it.

Cleaning, cleaning.... always cleaning! I would rather be Flying.

Do you feel like the work in your house is constantly hanging over your head? I do! I can walk down the hallway and look into rooms, down to the floor or straight ahead and see a zillion things that need attention. By the time I get to where I am going in the house I am overwhelmed and only looking for a chair to sit down in so I can hold my head in my hands. I have this feeling all the time that the dirt and grunge is laughing at me... mocking my inability to get ahead of it.

I have tried doing the Flylady thing.

FlyLady uses the Sidetracked Home Executive (SHE) system as a basis for organizing her home and her life. She adds humor, spunk, and a dose of common sense to her advice, but be prepared - FlyLady does not allow whining. You have to get off your "Franny"!

First, you join as a FlyBaby. You will receive your e-mail Welcome Letters from FlyLady instructing you on how to get started. You will also receive regular e-mail reminders from FlyLady about zones, decluttering, laundry, shoes (honestly - shoes are very important here!) and more. Don't feel overwhelmed! FlyLady will keep you on track using small baby steps. And FlyBabies - no peeking at all of the routines, etc. shown on the FlyLady website. You are just getting started!

Now, as you progress, Flylady will send you e-mail to help you develop routines to get you going in the morning and to send you off to sleep in the evening. She's tough here - routines are very important! It takes 21 days to form a habit, but for SHEs, it takes 28 days. FlyLady is going to insist you shine your sink too - you'll soon find out why!

Decluttering is next. FlyLady will help you declutter your house using Hot Spot Fire Drills and the 27-Fling Boogie. If the thought of decluttering your home is overwhelming - don't worry - Flylady has been there and knows what you are going through! In fact, FlyLady still has her own "dungeon" of clutter that she is working on!

It doesn’t matter whether you are a male or female, single or married, working in or out of the home, have kids or not, this can work for you. You can easily adapt FlyLady’s system to fit your own lifestyle. You will find that with time, your house and life will pull together.

Wikipedia has a great synopsis of Flylady's system.

I love the idea of Flylady but her emails overwhelmed me. If you sign up for her email reminders you will receive 1000 a day reminding you to put on your shoes, clean the sink, asking where your laundry is at... ahhhh! She stresses "babysteps" but I just have not been able to put it into action. I get bogged down in the big picture. And though she does encourage babysteps, Flylady has everything covered. So its easy to feel you are not measuring up and a million baby steps are needed to catch up. So no email reminders for me. I have enbough self talk in my head telling me what needs to get done.

One of the things I do like about Flylady is that she breaks the house up into zones. And everywhere she focuses on one zone... doing step by step deep cleaning, organizing, etc over the week. You get through this cycle and back to the beginning and you just might find that your house is beginning to shape up and you might just be out from under it.

*Disclaimer - I have never accomplished this!

Last night as I was anxiously pondering how to get a handle on this house, I sat down and broke the house up into segments. I decided that each day for 2 hours (8am - 10am) I would focus on one section of the house. But then I decided that by the time i got back around to, say, the f9ollowing Monday, those rooms would be trashed again. I would never feel any real accomplishment. I would only be caught in a cycle of mediocrity or less.

So... what to do?

I am going to jump back into the Flylady and focus on her Zone for this week. She has made some changes to her site so it is easier to get on board. Here are the Zones for December. If you check this same link tomorrow I am sure it will be updated for next week. And there will be a list for all the zones in January. (I might be getting excited!)

These are the zones for December - mark your calendars:

Zone 1: The Entrance, Front Porch and Dining Room (December 3 -7)

Zone 2: The Kitchen (December 10 - 14)

Zone 3: The Bathroom and One Extra Room (December 17 - 21)

Zone 4: The Master Bedroom (December 24 - 28)

I am not going to think about anything else on her site for now. There is alot alot of information there but I do not want to take any other steps til I feel I accomplished this one. The zone for this week in the Master bedroom... doable and needed since Doc has been wasting away int here with his illness. It need a good cleaning.

So wish me luck... and jump on board if you like. Come Fly with me!

Wordless Wednesday

Happy Christmas Past... almost anyway!

Christmas was not what we expected or planned! We are still suffering here with illnesses. Vomiting, diarrhea and a type of pneumonia have slowly made their way through. We stayed home from a family gathering on Christmas day due to illness and my mother in law canceled her plans to be here on Christmas Eve after Connor starting throwing up AND having diarrhea again the night before. So we had a quiet Christmas Eve dinner of turkey breast, stuffing, summer squash, yeast rolls, a yummy salad and baked potatoes. I made fudge and pumpkin pies as well.

Christmas Day was quiet also. Cullen went with his grandmother to the family gathering at a cousin's house while the rest of us hunkered down. I cooked a 6 lb turkey breast and we had a lot of leftovers so I had a turkey sandwich for lunch and dinner. Doc stuck to spaghetti.

I got the first season DVD of The Closer. My very favorite TV show for over three years. Kyra Sedgewick stars and she is both compelling and hilarious. I must have watched 8 episodes yesterday between cleaning and feeding kids. If you have never seen this show I encourage you to watch it. Its on Monday nights on TNT. The need to get my hands on the second seasons and my birthday is coming up. How marvelous!



I gave all the kids hair trims this past week. On Christmas day, Avery got her hands on the scissors I used and hacked away at her hair. Merry Christmas Mommy! Her hair looked bad to begin with because she wants to grow it out and it just hangs straight as a rail. But now it had big hunks cut out of the bangs and sides. During a bought of diarrhea she ran to the bathroom and stopped at the doorway telling me she did not need my help... which is untrue. I walked in the room to find her beautiful hair in chunks on the floor. Mystery solved. I wanted to cry. I told her she needed a hat to wear before she left the house.

Today during a grocery store outing I took her to the Wal*Mart salon and had them cut it. I figured they couldn't do any more harm then was already done. Of course, Avery would not sit still and the hair stylist cut herself with the scissors. *sigh* I am not sure how many time Avery was told to "look down" or "look straight ahead" or "not move" but she is so head strong that it made not one difference. I finally had to get up and hold her head for the poor lady, who by the way was not in a very good mood or very personable.

*Side Note: I hate when you make an agreement to get a service done by someone and they make it so uncomfortable by the manner in which they interact. I am not sure she smiled once and all my small talk fell flat onto the floor. But she did cut her hand and I felt badly. She got more than a 50% tip for her troubles. End Side Note*

Secretly I am so happy to have had a reason to cut Avery's hair. I love her hair short and framing her face. This cut is not the greatest but its Wal*Mart hair salon. But its 100% better than what Avery did to it. My four year old has no future in being a hair stylist. She had an appointment to go to my stylist next week. I guess that is a no-go til it grows out a bit.

This morning Doc woke up vomiting his wonderful spaghetti. He was suppose to go back to work today. He has the chills and sweats alternately. His sick room is making me sick. He spent the night in the guess room and didn't get to the bathroom in time twice. Luckily he cleaned up after himself because my stomach is not strong enough. With the kids my maternal instinct overrides my nausea but not so with him. Poor guy. He moved back into our room after Avery and I got up. Now he has contaminated my room. I am not where I will be sleeping tonight. *sigh again*

We have family coming into town in two days. We celebrate Doc's sister, Elysa, and her 7 kids and hubby on New Years weekend every year. We are all praying that wellness descends otherwise we will be disinfecting gifts and shipping them over to my mother in laws house.

Ahhh Christmas is almost over... thank you!

Oh and btw, I DID NOT get my kitten! *big sigh*

Struffala Comes to Life

Here is my Struffala. I made it this afternoon. Its a very simple recipe and a nice change from the ultra sweet stuff that is everywhere during the holiday season. The balls of dough are fried quickly in vegetable oil and then when cooled turned in honey and sprinkled with colored sugar.

The Struffala I had as a kid was a little different in that the balls were smaller... alot smaller. They were probably a 1/4 of the size of these. But it takes a long time to rolls those dang balls and with the baking soda they puff up real quick in the oil. But they still taste yummy.

Disclaimer: I am not Pioneer Woman in my cooking or my photography.

Holiday Melancholy Sets In

I have all these plans for our first Christmas here at the house. Mostly it has to do with food. I am going to bake lots of treats to have around and make a yummy Christmas dinner. I got my list ready... brownies, marshmallow fudge, pumpkin pies and Struffala, an old time Italian tradition. This is what a mom does, right. I know my mom in law bakes every holiday... the same traditional treats that her family has come to look forward to and appreciate. So here I go, jumping into the fray.

I got the kids and I off to the store early to get all the rest of the ingredients I would need. We were back at home before 9am. The whole time we were in the store I was a bear. The kids could do no good and every other person there was just in my way. I couldn't get anything done without feeling frustration up to my ears. When we got home I promptly fell into bed and lightly napped for 2 hours and yelling at the older two on and off to be quiet. They were playing Santa Claus while I was playing Scrooge.

I have been trying to figure out why I am in such a funk. The last two nights I have had dreams that Doc has left me. I hate those dreams. Its a deep seeded insecurity I have from back when my father left. It rears its lovely head every once in a while. I think I also referred to this in yesterdays post. Christmas is not magical for me. I get hints of it's magic... mostly at church during worship. There the feelings of so profound of God's goodness that nothing else matters. But this "other" Christmas has no magic except when the light in my kids faces reminds me of something I use to experience myself.

So having the ingredients for holiday treats and dinner at home ... on the counter or put way... just that much closer to their yummy reality didn't change anything. Cause its not the food that make Christmas special. Food is only an ingredient. Maybe I have some other ingredients missing but what are they? I have the tree... the lights, the wreaths, my favorite ornaments, the presents for under the tree and I am still feel a bit sad, grumpy and easily annoyed.

12 Days of Christmas Cookies

I have had a great idea! Its a brainstorm! Some of you may have read that I have started Weight Watchers. Yup, almost 3 weeks ago. I have lost 8 pounds as of last Tuesday and I step on the scale again in 2 days.

Well, last week the leader of the meeting handed out these wonderful cookie recipes. Twelve (12) to be exact. I thought I would share them. They look maaaaavaaaalous and they have the Weight Watcher points with them.

I am going to list them here. If you want a recipe then click on it and it will take you to the recipe on my weight loss blog, I Can Do This. Since I am already behind... you know great ideas don't pass by here everyday... I will catch up asap. I am going to add 3 each day so they will all be posted by Friday.

Oh and by the way, I don't bake. So finding a cookie recipe on my blog should blow you away. It does me. Its cold and windy here and I am blown away.

On the first day of Christmas: Easy Peanut Butter Cookies (1 point each)

On the second day of Christmas: Weight Watcher Turtles (3 pieces=2 points)

On the third day of Christmas: Low-Fat Rice Krispie Treats (2 inch square = 1 point)

On the fourth day of Christmas: Peanut Butter Cornflake Bars (1 point each)

On the fifth day of Christmas: Basic Icebox Sugar Cookies (1 point each)

On the sixth day of Christmas: Haystacks (1 point each)

On the seventh day of Christmas: Amazing Oatmeal Cookies (4 cookies=2 points)

On the eighth day of Christmas: Chocolate Marshmallow Fudge (2 points each)

On the ninth day of Christmas: Soft Chocolaty Cookies (1 point each)

On the tenth day of Christmas: Pecan Tartlets (3 points each)

On the eleventh day of Christmas: Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies (2 cookies = 1 point)

On the twelfth day of Christmas: Chocolate-Peanut Butter Squares (2 points each)

Hope you enjoy one of these recipes during your Christmas celebrations!

Honoring Memories at Christmas

Kelly at Laughing Always Helps was posting some of her favorite things to decorate with at Christmas and it got me thinking...what are my favorite things at this time of year.

Doc and I got married in 2000 so we haven't had that long to create our own traditions. In fact, I think this year is the first time we will have Christmas dinner at our house. Usually I am flying home to Boston or we are celebrating with Doc's side of the family in Pensacola. Then we have another Christmas celebration at Doc's mom's house with The Cousins, as Cullen calls them during New Years weekend.

This year I thought since the kids have been sick we would stay home and protect everyone from the illness that rage in their bodies. But I am excited to make my own Christmas dinner without the pressure of visitors.

Being a mom who works hard to take care of 3 kids, I have my wish for a Christmas that is all me, me me! Kinda like a pay back... haha. But I fear that won't come til I am in a nursing home somewhere. But the ME Christmas is long gone. My focus now is to make memories for my kids. The one thing I take pleasure in is gathering up ornaments that signify this family's life together. Hallmark ornaments are my favorite. Sadly, I have not added to our collection the last 2 years. Maybe this year I will.

Here are a few of the ornaments that represent, for me, important parts of our history.


I bought this ornament in 2000. It represents the first Christmas Doc and I spent together. Its extra special cause he has red hair and I have dark hair. There is a string at the button of the ornament that you can pull and the 2 figures' lips meet.


I bought this ornament when we moved into our first home in Biloxi, Mississippi. We had been living with Doc's mom and stepfather for a few months before he started his first real life official doctoring job. Right after Cullen was born we moved onto the property owned by the hospital. In 2003 we bought our first home.


This is one of Cullen's first ornaments. Maybe it will mean more to him when he grows up. His favorite ornament is a Hallmark Bat Mobile Car. But I love this one. It reminds me of the wonder of a child first Christmas and the excitement they had even for the wrapping.



This ornament we bought at Bellingrath Gardens. We toured it during the Christmas season when Cullen just over a year old. Not only do I love the ruggedness of this Santa... like he's been traipsing in the snow.. I love the weight of this ornament. But what it really represent is the fact that I just found out I was pregnant with Avery. As we walked through the Gardens, I was excited not only for Cullen's first conscious Christmas but for the life growing inside me.



This ornament I bought to represent the miracle that Avery was in our lives. She was only 3 months old the year I bought this. But I had experienced 2 miscarriages before holding on tight to her in my womb and I felt there was an angel that kept her safe.


This ornament was originally Cullen's but Connor is a Buzz fanatic. It will always represent to me Connor's first crush.

There are many hand made ornaments on the tree made by the children. I am sure as time passes the hand made ornaments will continue the tradition of enriching our history.

Wordless Wednesday

All I want for Christmas

is a Siamese kitten with seven toes. That is all I want. Is that too much to ask? Really for all that i do around here... the vomit catcher, the laundry doer, the gas tanker filler, the mother in law sweater knitter... and that is only in the last 24 hours.

Just one little Siamese kitten to give me some solace in the face of losing Winnie.*violins playing* Winnie who I had for 12 years and had to put to sleep on the morning Avery was baptized. Winnie who I loved and who brought me great companionship and laughter for so many years.

Siamese are amazing. I had a seal point as a child. A gift from my mother who I promptly named Daphne after the Scooby Doo Daphne. Oh Daphne.. I still cry about seeing her get hit by a car. She was a wonderful cat. One I thought never to replace.

But then came Winnie.. another Siamese. My mother gave her to me also. She was about 3 when she came to live with me. What a personality she had. She was smart, exasperating and funny. She died of old age after her kidneys failed. I had to take her to be put to sleep. She was in such pain. Edward and I had her sleep in the bed with us the last evening of her life. She was so full of life. Her leaving left a huge whole in my heart. Very similar to when Daphne died.

I stumbled on a part Siamese cat at the humane society and promptly adopted her. We named her Sophie.. she is quite pretty but aloof. I have never had the relationship with her that I had with Daphne and Winnie.

And now my mother has rescued a 6 month old seal point with seven toes... she will send her to me on a flight from Boston but I have been told that cats are expensive and that we can not afford her. But what if she is THE cat. Siamese are expensive. This one is free. I will never have the money to go out and buy a Siamese no matter how badly I want one.

I can trade my new digital camera that I was going to get for the kitten I have been told.

I feel Scrooged. Am I being a big sad baby? Are cats expensive? I have had too many too count growing up and no one ever told my they could break the bank. Maybe I am economically ignorant of the whole cat money sapping theorem. Anybody got a thought?

Viral Madness or Adventures in Regurgitations

What a nightmare! The last 12 hours have been unforgettable.

Cullen was sick last week with a virus that had him throwing up. He got him self to the toilet most of the time so no problem. I had some laundry to do from a surprise attack that left his bedding soiled but little did i know that this was nothing compared to what was ahead.

Last night at about 7:15pm Avery said her stomach hurt. She crawled into bed with me. I was watching a movie is peace. I rubbed her tummy til she fell asleep. About an hour later she woke complaining that her tummy really hurt. She started coughing... I quickly got her to the bathroom and she proceeded to throw up. I made her a pallet right near the bathroom and put a glass bowl near her head. About an hour later she threw up again... then "Hark, who calls me?" Connor crying for mummy... and his bedding is a mess as are his clothes. Now I had two kids throwing up alternately.

The 2 year old was useless as was Doc. I told Doc his response time needed to improve. He said he was fine just taking direction. Connor threw up a few times IN the toilet with my help.. but mostly ont he wood floor or a towel and once in his beloved Elmo shirt. Thank you Elmo! Well, needless to say the laundry continued to pile up no matter how quickly I responded.



By 2 in the morning here is how it played out:

8 pm Avery
9 pm Avery
9 pm Connor
9:30 pm Avery
10pm Connor
10:45 pm Connor
11:45 pm Avery
1:45am Avery

I missed one Connor in there somewhere but its become a blur.

Avery now has a fever and a very strange rash on her body. Connor has no fever and no rash.



Most of the night I just laid in bed waiting for the next round and thinking, ruminating, worrying about all that disgusting laundry that I had to face. It is so sad how weak my stomach is in the face of vomit. When I did sleep, I was soon awakened by Avery asking me when her stomach would stop hurting her.

I was so tired from such little sleep that I slept til almost 7am. Cullen needed to be at school by 7:25am. A quick shower and out we went to get him to school. I ran to the store to pick up the snack Cullen was suppose to have brought for today and went back to the school.

Oh so lucky that Doc has the day off today. He probably would rather be at work.

Now I face the laundry. It can not be avoided.

I walked into the bedroom where Doc was reading and announced,

"I am going to go do some laundry."

He looked up "Ok"

Me "Ummm no, I need more than that."

Doc perplexed... then "That is GREAT!... YOU go girl!"

I guess that will have to do.

Struffala recipe

Eating Struffala is one of my favorite memories of Christmas time. As I have gotten farther away from my Italian roots in miles and time the tradition of Struffala has faded a bit. I know I am not going to walk into any holiday gathering and see Struffala on the table. So I have decided the bring it back for my family.

Its a very easy recipe and kid friendly too. But it never fails that even in its simplicity I forget how to make it.

I got the recipe off the internet, as well as the picture since I haven't made it yet. When I do i will be sure to post my own results. I have altered the recipe minimally.

Ingredients:
2 cups sifted flour
4 eggs
teaspoon sugar
teaspoon baking powder
teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 cups honey
multi-colored candy sprinkles

In a mixing bowl, pile the flour and make a well in the center of the pile. Put the eggs, sugar, baking powder, and lemon peel into the well and mix all ingredients thoroughly. Form the mixture into tiny ball shapes (or any shape of your preference), maybe half-inch in diameter.

Next, heat vegetable oil in an approximately one-quart pot, filling it about half-way with the oil When the oil becomes very hot, carefully drop the balls into the pan and fry until a golden brown. Carefully remove the balls from the oil and place them in a colander or on sheets of paper towels laid out flat.

Once the cake balls are cool and the oil has dried off, arrange them on a platter and cover them in honey. Then pile them up in a tree form and sprinkle colored sugar on them. Your guess will have great fun picking pieces off and popping them in their mouths.

I would love to know if you made it and how it went over! Leave me a comment!

Carefree Cullen

I love this picture of Cullen! He looks so happy. I love to see him being silly and having fun. So much of the time he is anxious and worried about something... or should I say everything. Poor guy he got it from me.

This picture was taken as he came down the slide backwards. I love the angle and especially his smile. He does not like this picture. He is worried because he is not sitting up just right and smiling just so. But I love it cause he is being himself.



Here he is again... trying to steal a sip from my skinny raspberry latte! I caught him! Look at that face! He knew he was caught. And I love it. I quickly took this picture as proof for the coppers. He wanted me to delete it. haha



Cullen is way to big for the baby swings now. He has to use the big kid swings. But he still wants his mom to push him. Here he is mimicking his baby brother and sister who are also calling me for a push. He is pretending that he is useless. He likes to pretend that a lot. But I know otherwise.

He is a good big brother. He is a great helper to me. He is very sweet and sensitive. Don't get me wrong he is a boy... rowdy and loud a lot of the time. But when I need help he is there. If I am not feeling well he brings me water or a drawing of someone shooting someone! haha A mother's greatest treasure.

But the best gift I can get from him... his smile and a glimpse of him being him without worrying about what others might think. Now that is priceless.

Bayou Backyard

This is the view from my back deck on Fort Bayou. We have 6 acres that sit out on the bayou. We are surrounded by water. I never get tired of this view. It changes every day. I took this picture last week when the sky was overcast. I kept trying to get a picture when the sun would pop out from behind the clouds. But it happened to fast. The sun was gone before I could get outside. I love the reflection in the water. Who needs the sun!

Today the sun was non stop. I took this picture as the sun was low in the sky and casting a wonderful shadow. The pictures are almost identical yet they give such different moods. The elements do that, don't they? The light, the water... the same yet different.

I remember listening to the song Blue Bayou by Linda Ronstadt as a kid. Coming from Massachusetts I didn't quite understand what a bayou was really. But all the movies I saw made me think it was kinda dark and creepy with alligators and other dangerous things. It wasn't til I moved here that I realized what she was talking about... the blue bayou. Oh yes, after a good rain it gets really brown and muddy. After Katrina I knew intimately what makes up the bayou, mud, mud, mud. But I never blamed the bayou for the destruction. It went right back to its peaceful existence lending us hope as we rebuilt and every day since.

Identity Crisis

Yup, I am having one... an identity crisis. I have had three different blog headers in the last three days. I am just not satisfied. Its a terrible way to be.

I see other peoples blogs and I get green from my toes to my hair follicles. This design was lifted... shameful I know. I saw it somewhere and I copied it. Am I bad? Do I need to ask forgiveness from the blog goddess?

Maybe I should go do some laundry or some such thing that does some one some good.

The Iron Giant - Changing things up for Family Night!

Tonight we are watching The Iron Giant. My 6 year old son has started complaining about all the sappy Disney films with too many princesses and not enough fighting.

In fact, we bought Disney Princesses on Ice tickets for this past weekend and he broke down sobbing. Who knew that when we were planning on an outing for the kids it would bring our son to tears. He said it was all about Avery and princesses and he did not want to go. It also didn't help that Grandmommy agreed to take our 2 year old. Spending time with Grandmommy is Cullen's favorite thing in the world besides sugar. So we ended up leaving him with Grandmommy and taking one of Avery's friends with us.

We all went to the rental place to choose our family night pick. The only one who walked out of that place happy was Doc. Cullen wanted Pirates of the Caribbean 3... Avery wanted a princess movie, any princess movie. I think we have exhausted them all, thank goodness. I am always ambivalent about family night. But in the end we decided on The Iron Giant. Cullen found it but when he heard Doc and I talking about actually renting it, he hid it in the movies so we couldn't find it. Is that not sassy? And this from a boy who has been vomiting since yesterday and has low blood sugar from not eating. Can you imagine what i have to deal with when he is at full strength?

So anyway, its The Iron Giant, which Doc is looking forward too. Connor will not sit through it so we will have to deal with his 2 year old attention span. It is iffy as to whether Avery will actually click with the movie. There are no pretty colors or pretty girls running around in ballet slippers. It is guaranteed that her bony knees and bottom will pierce our sides and legs as she jumps from seat to seat looking for a place to settle. Cullen will be very interested in the movie but more interested in how his sister will not behave or is impeding his viewing. My head will start to ache and then throb. Doc will watch the whole movie through and not recognize that any of this is happening around him.

And another Family Night will pass away.

Getting your kids in debt to keep them out of debt.

Have you ever Stumbled around the internet? Its a great way to waste time, full time or lose time. You pick!

I have stumbled over a lot of sites that are amazing using this little button on my browser. (Oh need to say here I am not being compensated in any way... just a good segway.) With Stumble, you fill out your interests so that when you start stumbling it takes you randomly to sites that meet your criteria. If you like the site you give feedback... thumbs up or down. That helps Stumble being even more attuned to what appeals to you and was does not. The more you do it... stumble, I mean... the better your random results end up being.

So this week as I was stumbling about, I fell into this blog. homebizblogger.com. The page will not load now so I can not link the url. But the writer had a very interesting idea on how to teach children about the mire of debt before they have to learn it on their own. And when their credit scores report are irreparably damaged.
The writer suggests getting your kids in debt and then letting them work their way out over the painful lifetime of the loan.

Do you have a debt nightmare in your history? One that you climbed out of over a long time or one you are in now with no end in site? My experience happened right after college. I started getting credit card offers. I was on my stepfather's credit card because I worked for him. So the credit limits they were offering me were fantastic. Like eye bulging. I figured if they were going to offer credit to me than I was eligible for it. Their thumbs up was my green light. Once I got one credit card in my name it was not long before I was being offered and/or signing up for others without a problem. I had never had the freedom to buy whatever I wanted. And these couple cards gave me that freedom. Well, ultimately it was all a sham. I figured out quickly that what I was making did not match what I owed. I was paying the minimum and still charging to the cards.

It took me a long time and ultimately a bank loan cosigned by a friend to pay off my debts. I then paid her monthly for a couple years til the debt was gone. That was one of the most wonderful gifts that I have ever gotten from a friend. By the time I married I was debt free, excluding my school loans. While Doc was in residency he was using credit cards. I had gotten rid of all mine and was using my debit card. So when we married we paid off all our debt, including cars. We lived debt free for a while. Of course, houses and kids require you to take on debt. That was hard. Buying our first house felt like such a weight after having no debt. We had to buy furniture and a mini van. It felt like we were digging another hole. But through it all we have only kept one credit card. We use it in a pinch, on trips or when my stupid debit card won't read at the gas pump. But we keep it balance free. Learning how debt can ruin peace of mind, relationships and your future was a hard lesson.

Which takes me to the idea of getting your kids in debt before its too late. We have three kids. The oldest seems to want the most. He is always asking for things and expecting things. We have just started giving him chores around the house to earn his allowance which is $1.50/week. He is only 6. We automatically take 50% of that and put it in a savings can for him. When there is enough we will open an account. He is very excited about having money in savings. He won't be so happy when he understands he will not get to touch it til he is in his teens. But the money he does get in his little paws gets lost then found and spent on the silliest and most trivial things. This week he spent his 75cents on a squishy Sponge Bob that was about 1.5 inches x 1.5 inches. It does nothing. My son said he was hoping for the watch... but that is not what came out. So there is a lesson... maybe?

Well with everything that our oldest son "thinks" he needs there is definitely room for a lesson. We will have to wait till he is a little older but I think it might actually be a great idea for him. There are so many things that he "wants" that really have little value, will not hold his attention for very long and are not worth the money. While we, his parents, make these decisions he can not learn the lesson for himself. We just end up being mean for depriving him. Why we say "no" really has no bearing on the meanies that we are labeled. So one of these days when he is just dying for something he must have... we are going to lend him the money. And long after that particular thing has bee stashed in the bottom of the closet he will still be paying for it. Money that he could be saving will be going back into money's pocketbook and he will still have to complete the chores even though he will be getting compensated less for them. I hope its painful to the point that he understands that money does not grow on trees and ultimately we have to "pay" for our financial decisions.

Mary Did You Know?

This is one of my most favorite songs of the season. I made this graphic in Paint Shop Pro using the art of Yvonne Gilbert. I have added both the lyrics to the song and a YouTube video that i found. There are a great number of YouTube videos that feature this song. Some are of entertainers singing... this one is actually put together with scene from the life of Jesus. There was another that featured scenes from The Passion, which was very hard to watch. This is a bit more uplifting. If you have never heard this song before I hope it touches you as it has touches me. I never fail to cry when listening to these lyric.

"Mary Did You Know"

[Originally written by Mark Lowry and Buddy Greene]

Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy would one day walk on water?
Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy would save our sons and daughters?
Did you know
that your Baby Boy has come to make you new?
This Child that you delivered will soon deliver you.

Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy will give sight to a blind man?
Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy will calm the storm with His hand?
Did you know
that your Baby Boy has walked where angels trod?
When you kiss your little Baby you kissed the face of God?

Mary did you know.. Ooo Ooo Ooo

The blind will see.
The deaf will hear.
The dead will live again.
The lame will leap.
The dumb will speak
The praises of The Lamb.

Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy is Lord of all creation?
Mary, did you know
that your Baby Boy will one day rule the nations?
Did you know
that your Baby Boy is heaven's perfect Lamb?
The sleeping Child you're holding is the Great, I Am.

Mommy, I love this world!

Driving down the road yesterday with my 4 year old in the front seat is quite a distraction. She wants me to see everything that she sees but by the time she gets out of her mouth what it is that has caught her attention we have left it in the dust. It's quite a frustrating experience for both of us. I have told her we have to move her booster seat back to its original position so her world view reverts back to the "already seen" and "been there" categories.

One of the sights Avery saw yesterday was a large tent where they were selling live Christmas trees. I love live Christmas trees as long as they stay out of my house. To me they are just another mess to clean up. And they cut them in October so they are very dry by the time you get them up in the house. Its not worth the short, dirty limitations of their life. I went to a prelit tree last year. Its a controversy in our house between Doc and me but he does not have to clean it up and does not even see the mess they make. He vows to get a "real" tree next year. But this is all beside the point.

As we drove by looking at the Christmas trees this monstrosity (see visual aid) popped out of the crowd. Up north you would never see something like this. The flock trees here in Mississippi. I understand why they do it... so it looks like snow. It never snows here. During the winter and Christmas time you constantly see reference to snow... in the Christmas specials, commercials, etc. My daughter keeps asking me when its going to snow. I tell her "never." Her response is... "But when?" She just doesn't get it. Neither do I. Christmas always had snow for me. Coming from Boston, it is very sad to not have seen snow in years but sadder still to know my kids do not get to create memories that include snow ball fights, snow angels, sledding and inevitably snow in the boots and up the back. *shudder*

So in Mississippi, they flock their frees. It is some sort of spray on stuff that adheres to the branches of the trees. This is weird enough, for the Northerner but I guess understandable. But... when they start flocking trees into bizarre, never seen before snow colors or even Christmas colors things are more than a little strange. It goes against the laws of nature and I am against that! (Or as they say down here... "I am againit.") But apparently my daughter is not. For this is what had her exclaiming... "Mommy, I love this world!." Ok I can understand how a 4 year old might think a pink or purple Christmas tree is just the pinnacle of what makes this world and season the most special. But I got different ideas.

The whole, "I love this world" comment got me thinking... in conjunction with some radio talk shows and game shows I was listening to on Saturday as I drove to pick up my husbands Christmas present. There was a lot of talk about inclusivity and tolerance for the diverse religious celebrations happening around this time of year, i.e. Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanza just to name a few. I think its fair to say that the Christian religion and Christmas time overshadow the other's holidays in the media and in our culture. There is a real debate over the concern that we do a dishonor to those who do not celebrate who and what we celebrate. I can not laugh or scoff at these concerns. I do not want to exclude others. I want to include them in the good feelings of the season. I think its fine to say "Happy Holidays!" to acknowledge that though this is a special time of the year of many people it is not always special for the same reason. I want to respect the beliefs and feelings of others. I know why the season is special to me. I know why I am celebrating. I do not have to be insensitive to others in order to validate my own beliefs and faith.

There is a fine line between respecting others traditions and not watering down your own. But as a "Christian" I believe it is in the spirit of the season and ultimately our faith to love others. "Love your neighbor as yourself" does not mean to love only those most like us or love only those who celebrate what we celebrate but to love, period. Love is a form of action. For me, saying "Happy Holidays" is an act of love and one my God asks of me. The intolerance sometimes found amongst Christians is embarrassing to me. God created and loves the creation. And to say, as my four year old daughter did, "I love this world" means to embrace not only the green trees of the season but the purple and pink ones as well... even if it seems counter to the norm. For that is what God asks us to do.

Christmas Meme

Oh I love memes. They give me a chance to think about me! As a mom, I don't get to do that much. Elysa, my friend and sister-in-law wrote this one up over at Musings from Graceland.

1. Favorite traditional Christmas song: Away in a Manager
2. Favorite contemporary or modern Christmas song: Mary Did You Know?
3. Christmas song that makes you cry: Mary Did You Know?
   
4. Real or artificial tree: Prefer real but use artificial to keep my sanity. =)
   
5. Favorite Christmas edible treat: Strufal, its an Italian pastry made up of little balls of dough, covered in honey and colored sprinkles. You forms the balls into a Christmas tree and then people just pick off pieces.
   
6. White lights or multi-colored: white
   
7. How many Christmas parties will you go to this year? 2
   
8. Favorite act of kindness to perform during this season? Angel Tree, Salvation Army bellringers for the kids
   
9. Favorite sounds of Christmas: bells
   
10. Favorite things to wear: The season encourages my love for RED
    
11. Favorite Christmas movie/TV special: Rudolph, of course
    
12. Eggnog or hot chocolate: Eggnogg, yum
    
13. Peppermint or cinnamon: Peppermint
    
14. What's on the top of your tree? Victorian Santa holding a light
    
15. Traditional Christmas meal growing up: Lazagna, turkey, sweet potatoes, stuffing. brussell sprouts
    
16. Online shopping or traditional "go to the store" shopping: online
    
17. How many Christmas cards you have mailed so far: none
    
18. Favorite source for Christmas ideas: blogs
    
19. Coordinated/themed or hodge-podge tree decorations: I like coordinated but it ends up being hodge podge
    
20. What's on the top of YOUR Christmas wishlist: New digital camera with interchangeable lens...$800, If only there WAS a Santa Claus. *weep*

I removed about 4 or 5 questions that I had no answer too. If you want all the questions visit Elysa's blog.

Answer me this...

why, oh why, am I finding urine in my bathroom that is nowhere near the toilet. There is urine on the baseboards to a foot left of the toilet and on the opposite wall from where the toilet is located.

So we have three full baths here. One in the main hallway. I call this hubby's bathroom but he shares it with guests. This bathroom gets amazingly dirty! I do not know how. But no one else notices but me. Isn' that surprising?

We have one bathroom downstairs that the children share. My son's room connects to it directly. Sometimes he locked the bathroom door to stop access to his room. This is mainly to keep his sister out but it drives me batty!

So, ok, three bathrooms. The one in the master in mine! All mine! It is the only one I have total control over. It stays cleans. There is toilet paper in there at all times. I actually have decorative towels that STAY on the towel racks. They are so pretty. Pray for the soul who pulls them down, gets them wet or musses them up in any way.

Well today as I was, pardon me, using the facility I realized that my sanctuary has been infiltrated. Slowly and methodically without my realizing it. Here is what I found:

Taking up residence in my nice corner shower are 2 dinosaurs, 2 rescue heroes, the Incredible Hulk and a big red lobster. Outside the shower are two wadded up little boys socks... and the clincher, pee on my base boards in the locations mentioned above.

You say it must be the 6 yr old alone but you would be wrong. Barbie is many different incarnations has wrestled with those dinosaurs she just gets removed for hair appointments. And my 4 year old has a tendency to stand up before she is quite done with her pottying so that might explain the pee across from the toilet.

But th real question is why do my children run the length of the house and climb a flight of stairs to use MY bathroom? Is nothing sacred anymore? Can I not have one clean, sanitary place just for me?

If I engage my brain... the answer is nope.

Weight watchers and Shirley Temple

I get weighed tonight after one week on the program. I am not too nervous cause I think I did ok. I really have to change my mind set. I am always looking at foods and labeling them "good" or "bad". But really on the Points system you can eat anything you want as long as you track it and count it toward your days allowance. So I can't "blow it" unless I just eat without thinking.

The trick for me is to be accountable and to eat regularly. Because if I let hours pass without feeding my tummy I get very hungry and then I eat whatever is fastest and closest. Do you remember the Shirley Temple movie, The Little Princess? Do you recall the part of the movie, after her father supposedly dies, when she is working as a servant in the school. After a sweet little girl says to her, "oh Sarah you look hungry. Are you hungry Sarah?" she replies "I am so hungry, I could eat you!" I say that all the time to my kids. I loved Shirley Temple when I was a kid and that alway stuck in my head. Luckily, my kids have not been nibbled on... yet.

Oh I love Shirley Temple! It brings me back to Sunday afternoons growing up. One of her movies would come on at 4pm. I watched them with my mom. Then I watched them by myself and then i watched them under protest of my other siblings who still remember how much I loved those movies.

How did I get from Weight Watchers to Shirley Temple? Not to long a leap, as you can see.

I have started a blog called I Can Do This to journal my weight loss. You will find no numbers there of any kind that relate to my weight. I may not be in denial about what I weigh and how much I need to lose... but you can honestly deny any knowledge! ^_~ That is between me, the Weight Watchers employee and Shirley, if she happens to ask.

Oh and for those of you living under a rock here is Shirley temple singing On the Good Ship Lollipop. A must see for the Shirley temple connoisseur.

The first day after NaBlaPoMo and I am not posting... so there!