Randomness

I've been tagged by Alaina to share 8 random things about myself.

This shouldn't be difficult, seeing that my life seems rather random at times. So here goes:





1. My first job was working for a fair concession stand. I know how to make a very large, perfectly shaped, buttery, with just the right amount of sugar elephant ear.

2. When I was a little girl my dream was to be the first woman president. Move over Hillary. I had a Ziggy shirt that said, "Ziggy for president" that I believe I wore 2 times a week for a year (that's all my mom would allow).

3. I would like to write a book before I die.

4. I used to drink my Grandma's instant coffee every morning. I don't know why because it was nasty. Now I can't stand coffee (though I do like the smell).

5. I was a competitive pianist until my Junior year of high school. I started lessons when I was four. It was a great outlet for me because I was extremely shy and it forced me to get up in front of people, but I never had to say a word.

6. I was Junior Miss and competed in the state Pageant in 1990. It was a "scholarship" competition.

7. I love to have my arms scratched. This is actually how I've trained my kids to wake me up in the morning. They scratch my arms and then ask for cereal.

8. If I would have been a boy my name would have been Aaron. My mother made ornaments with the name Monica and Aaron before I was born. However, after I came into the world she continued to hang the boy name on the tree. This ended when my sister Cindy "accidentally" broke her Robert ornament one year.

I'm passing this one on to the last 8 people to visit my blog. Join in if you like.

BethanySue, Kim, Saralyn, Devan, Mary, Mindi. Lori, Ami

Family Fun Games Part 1

There's nothing like playing games together as a family. Unlike toys, kids never seem to get tired of games and it encourages learning and little healthy competition, too. Here are a few of our recent favorites:


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Rat-A-Tat-Cat is a simple, quick game for all ages (even preschoolers). It involves use of memory and recognizing number values. Rats are bad. Cats are good.












Slamwhich requires quick thinking and recognizing patterns. It is not a game of strategy so even the little ones can beat Dad!













Quiddler is a cross between Scrabble, Rummy and Boggle. It's a game that generates a lot of conversation and competition. If children are not yet proficient readers it's fun to pair up. But when the kids are in bed Mom and Dad can go head to head.








In Set you need to put on your thinking cap and exercise a little patience and concentration. The goal is to find three card that produce a set of alike or different cards. In doing so the players are actually exercising their Math brains without even knowing it. Fun for all.



These games have become some of our favorite games to give away as gifts. They don't break. They're always different. And they require that families play together. That's what kids really want.

The Baby Tire

Okay. This may be a sensitive subject for some of you, but I need answers. I promise to leave pictures out of this lest I become family unfriendly:) Or at least it would be a sure way to offend some new friends.

Having 7 children has left me with this ring of fat below the bellybutton that just won't seem to budge. I liken it to a tire. I'm back in my pre-baby jeans at this point (thanks to the combination of denim and spandex) , the scale is not offending me, but this extra bit of jelly on my belly isn't volunteering to go on its own. I'm not looking to be a model here, just someone a little more well proportioned or at least with something that resembles a waistline.

I need ideas. I need solutions. I need a plan.

I want it gone by next June.

Tell me about yourself. What has worked for you? How long did it take? How did you kick the baby tire to the curb?

Need solutions? Got answers? Go to Shannon's for Works-for-me-Wednesday Backwards Day!

Quotes of the week

Betsy left to spend the night with her grandma and grandpa and Joseph kept kissing and hugging her as she tried to get into the car.

Joseph: Betsy don't leave me. Who will be my girlfriend?

Me: I'll be your girlfriend. Come and play with me.

Joseph: Mom, I need a girlfriend this size (holds up his hands to measure an imaginary Betsy). Your too big.




Joseph coming down the stairs this morning groggy, rubbing his eyes, and mumbling:

"What is wrong with the sun this morning? It is still night." (We just switched to daylight savings time)

"This place is a mess. I guess I'll have to clean it up today. " (Coming from the child who acts paralyzed when asked to pick anything up off the floor)



Betsy in her bedtime prayers:

"God help us to pick up our room every day just a little bit. Then soon it will be clean. Then mom won't think we are pigs in a pig pen."



Betsy's inconsolable cries are heard from downstairs. Something must be seriously wrong!

Mom: "Elizabeth, are you okay, what happened?"

Bets: (In whiniest voice possible) "Joseph hit me with a feather."


I'm so glad to have a forum to record my children's brilliant words:) Come to Mary's to read more or join in the fun!

What a year will do

We are working on our annual Thanksgiving letter and went back to one of our favorite spots for the picture. It is amazing to see the growth and changes of the past year.

And the Winner is.....

The winner is................. Melissa! Congratulations. I know that your daughter will be precious this winter in these dresses. Enjoy!

Thanks to everyone who came by to comment about your favorite dresses. My daughters and I had a great time reading your stories.

Watch for more dresses in the next give away.

"...the kingdom of God belongs to such as these."

I have to tell you about a friend of mine.

She had four children in 2 1/2 year. Girl, twin boys, girl. The best way I can describe her is "contagious". I believe that she has the energy of 2 people and is never afraid to tell it like it is. She is authentic. She is the first to admit her faults and is consistently trying to improve who she is. She has vision. She does real estate and she and her husband are launching an innovative business. She and her husband are very different, yet she compliments him by her words and actions. She works hard and plays hard and laughs really hard. She is generous and constantly blessing others in practical ways. She loves the Lord and her faith doesn't waiver when things get hard. She is a loyal friend. We've dieted together (several times), freezer cooked together and spent many an afternoon with our feet in the baby pool just letting everything go in the name of friendship:)

These past five years have not been easy for her. Of course, how could it be with so many little ones in tow? Her mother was diagnosed with lymphoma and went through serious cancer treatments. Jobs have been unstable at times. She has taken people into her home who need a place to stay for a while. They've made a commitment to a new church. All the while, she has been dealing with her two boys who have progressed slowly and unpredictably through the preschool years. This has meant that she has spent much of the last five years at home with them where she can deal one-on-one with behavioral issues and not deal with what the watching public may think or say.

This week, my friend and her husband received the test results that they have been waiting on for some time. Their boys fall within the autistic disorder spectrum. Not necessarily surprising news, but definitely not easy to hear either.

Did she cry? Yes. She loves them.

Did she feel sad.? Sure.

Did she pout? No.

Did she get mad? No.

Did she have a fit? No.

Did she shake her fist at God? No.

Do you know what she said? She said, "I'm glad that I know what I can do to help them now. "

Then she proceeded to do what her new pediatrician will be prescribing next week which is rid her pantry of all wheat, gluten and sugar products. All the while she was researching for recipes and baking a special cake that her boys could enjoy when they got home from school. They even installed a lock on the pantry door to cut down on any sugar raids. In usual fashion, she just stepped into the next phase of normal and is not looking back.

"Autism is what my boys have. It is not who they are," she says.

When others might only see what they "are not". She knows who they are and who God is. Her confidence is contagious.

There is no doubt in my mind that these children will grow to know that they are loved and wonderfully made by God. They will continue to have a childhood of discovering and learning. They will still have boundaries and consequences. They will have the best of every opportunity available. They will be hugged and cuddled and tickled and taught and challenged. They will grow.

People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Mark 10:13-14