Unlikely car blasting music

On our way home from a fabulous Target shopping trip tonight, Chloe and I waited at a crowded intersection for the light to turn green.

As is usually the case during the warm summer months, we often hear neighboring car radios blaring their chosen music. Typically I ignore the noise but tonight I erupted in smiles as I started singing along to the very loud music coming from the black sedan next to us in the roadway.

The driver of the car was singing along happily as he blasted the surrounding airwaves with "Do a Deer" from the beloved musical, The Sound of Music.

How refreshing, fun-spirited and joy-inducing! Here's hoping others follow in his musical-blaring footsteps. :)

Our car radio doesn't even work but if it did my number one blasting music of choice is the oldie, "Buttercup". Can't you just hear the lyrics, "Why do you build me up? Buttercup baby just to let me down? And mess me around . . . "

What music do you choose when the car windows are rolled down on a summer evening?

A stand-off with a 17 mos. old?

For awhile now we've noticed that Clive is a much fiestier toddler than Chloe ever was. Fiestier meaning he's super stubborn and vocal about it. He's done his share of whining and has already earned himself heinie-discipline.

Last night Clive made his stand at the dinner table. I usually serve a main dish along with some kind of bread, fruit and veggies. Clive is most assuredly a fruit and bread man. Last night he saw the muffins and the fruit on the table and he REFUSED to eat his main dish (a yummy bowl of turkey tetrazzini).

We tried spoonful after spoonful and he obstinately kept his mouth shut and vehemently shook his head "no". We explained that he couldn't have a muffin until he ate some of his food. He cried and cried and cried and still would not open his mouth for a spoonful of tetrazzini.

For what seemed like ages, Matt and I repeated our instructions to Clive that he needed to eat one spoonful before getting to partake in muffin bliss. The rest of us finished our dinner while Clive cried intermittently before finally calming down.

We regathered at the table to read a devotional story and Clive decided to try a bite of the turkey tetrazzini. We applauded him loudly and praised him profusely for eating his dinner. By the time the story was over, he had cleaned his bowl.

Matt stood firm and was not about to lose the dinner-fight with Clive. I was so surprised that such a young kiddo would exhibit such a strong will over a spoonful of food! And I'm so glad we won round one. Parents 1, Clive 0.

Have you all experienced this same kind of dinner-table-stubbornness? How do you handle it? Any tips are welcome! Is it just my imagination, or is this rather young for a kiddo to show such overt stubbornness?

Catching up

We've had a series of busy days in our little family! Here's a quick catch-up as to our doings the past few weeks . . .

Clive received yet another hair cut
Matt is an officer of the hair-cut police apparently. Clive's hair was getting squirrelly around the ears so Matt whipped out the clippers. He did a great job on the cut but Clive is looking too much like a big boy and not enough like a baby these days.























Yard sale success!
Though we didn't rake in mountains of profits, we DID succeed in getting rid of loads of stuff. Even after selling our unwanted possessions, our car was full of discarded items to donate to our local thrift store. Feels so good to have fewer stuff-filled-bins in our basement.

Chloe made about $10 in lemonade and cookie sales. She was SO ADORABLE that not many yard sale patrons could resist her. She even had a little friend over on Friday and they BOTH sold lemonade in their princess garb!!! Too cute!

And big thanks to all of you for the great yard sale tips!

My general observation is that I'm way too cheap a person to hold a yard sale. It was a nice way to purge our household of stuff but I am a horribly low-pricer. I firmly believe that yard sales should be cheap and hence most of our items were priced under $1. (Check out the cool display contraption Matt built!)

That being said, we still think it was a very positive experience. It was a beautiful weekend weather-wise and I got to chat with several neighbors both days. That in itself was a huge bonus! I don't know about your schedule, but ours seems rather hectic during the school year. We seem to flit here and there without spending much time invested in the lives of our neighbors and community.

Also interesting to see the various characters that attended our small sale. The funniest was a lady who haggled with me over every single item she bought. C'mon, as if my stuff wasn't cheap enough already! Of course I gave in. I'm no tough salesperson.














Pittsburgh zoo trip
In a word, the Pittsburgh zoo is AWESOME! I highly recommend it as a family and kid-friendly zoo. We did the zoo in two days and saw it all. They have your traditional zoo-ey animals including all the cool African ones but they also boast some unique zoo sights. The onsite aquarium was a definite highlight for us all. It's small enough to hold the attention of little ones and yet big enough to showcase a variety of sea creatures. Faves were the stingray pool with tunnel, the 2 story high fish tank with sharks, and the rockfish (ok, that was mainly just my fave).

The kids kingdom was fantastic! Well-planned with unique playground stops throughout it was like a mini-zoo in itself. Wide variety of animals too. We saw sea lions swimming, deer, owls, an alligator, kangaroos, a skunk, sheep, and a camel.

By far the best element of the zoo trip was the fact that we were all together and AWAY from home. Without the distractions of computer and work we were all fully engaged in the time together. We're already planning our next mini-family-getaway!

Check out all the pictures of our trip here.

























Website project completion
Not much to report here but after hours upon hours upon hours of work I finally completed and successfully published a website for a small church in Wisconsin. Whew! It was a frustrating and rewarding journey. I love the design process of website production but I'm such a hacker that it's always a long series of trial-and-error before I have a finished product.

With that disclaimer firmly in mind, check out the website for tree of life ministries here. I'd love your feedback and helpful comments!

Flowers and garden in bloom
No photos of the garden yet as it's really just unexciting seedlings right now. My ingenious hubby built me a unique raised garden bed that's perfecto for planting shallow-rooted veggies. So, we're doing cabbage, romaine and two other types of leaf lettuce. Also tomatoes, basil and mint in pots. All thanks to my wonderful master gardener friend! She provided me with the seeds and seedlings and is constantly available to answer my lame-o questions. :)

This year we have irises for the first time ever. What gorgeous blooms! The first batch is a deep purple; I can't get over how symmetrical and intricate the flower head is! As Chloe gets older we'll definitely do some informal study on flower anatomy and pollination as the iris is such a large visual for such things.

And our peonies are blooming! I can't tell you how much we love the ease of perennial flowers. It's especially exciting to anticipate how many more flowers we get each summer. This year we got 10-12!



What flowers are you growing this year?

I'm not supermom

Somedays I feel like I must be supermom. Today was not one of those days.

After a morning outing with the kids to the gym for a workout, I fell asleep on the couch while Chloe watched 2 episodes of Wonder Pets (gotta love those cute singing animals). I took a nap this afternoon and Matt gave me the night off from dinner-cooking. Dinner consisted of microwaved lean pockets accompanied by carrot sticks and orange slices. :)

We've had a series of busy days and today it all caught up with me. I'm so thankful that I don't HAVE to be supermom to be loved or accepted by my family (or by God for that matter).

I wonder . . . do you all feel the supermom pressure too? I think stay-at-home mamas might feel that pressure more than others. Since we're at home all the time we think we should be doing lots of extra work. I reason that I should prove that I'm working just as hard as all those moms who "go to work". Do you agree or disagree?

Hello, caring for, feeding, clothing, and cleaning two children while maintaining a basic level of tidiness in my home is plenty of work for me! Why do I also endeavor to sew my own clothes, make homemade-everything from bread to yogurt to laundry detergent, and grow my own organically fertilized lettuce?

I'm sure a big part of this do more pressure is a part of my latent human nature. It's totally contrary to my nature to stop and rest. BUT I'm reminded on a slow-paced day like today that I can do NOTHING good in my own strength. Anything good that comes from me is straight from Jesus.

Today felt good. Slowing down and enjoying the kids and my hubby without worrying about all that I've accomplished or not accomplished was intoxicating. Ahhhh. I pray God gives me more non-supermom days like today!

Freedom

As Memorial Day weekend is upon is, tonight I find myself meditating on the idea of freedom. Admittedly I'm not much of an American patriot. Granted, like most folks I tear up when I sing God Bless America (which we did at church this morning) and I am deeply thankful for the incredible sacrifices our soldiers are making overseas. But I certainly don't think there is anything inherently special or magical out the U.S.A.

I'm pondering freedom. Not just the freedom to live in safety, speak without fear, and worship openly (though I am VERY thankful for those freedoms and the American lives cost in defense of those rights). But I'm thinking more tonight of the spiritual freedom I have in Jesus.

In our church the last two Sundays the pastors have hammered on this essential nature of the gospel of Jesus. That we can do NOTHING good enough to earn a place in heaven. Nothing. And though I'm certain most Christians would ardently agree with that simple truth, I'm not sure we live that way. I know I don't! I often trust in and even boast in the outward good works I do to serve and invest in my family. And then I find myself running fruitlessly like a hamster in a wheel thinking I must do more, be better, try harder. In the midst of those pressures I hear Jesus beckoning, "Rest, my child. Sit at my feet, stop your busy-ness and be here with me."

The gospel says I'm free -- not just from the penalty of sin (which I honestly don't think about most days) but also from the pressure of trying to be good enough. What a heavy burden it is to try and try all your life to be good enough when good enough can never be attained. For what is "enough" good to satisfy a totally perfect and holy God?

Pastor Begg this morning shared this paragraph written by Charles Spurgeon who sums up this idea powerfully:

The Psalmist was wise, he rested upon nothing short of the Lord's work. It is the Lord who has begun the good work within us; it is he who has carried it on; and if he does not finish it, it never will be complete. If there be one stitch in the celestial garment of our righteousness which we are to insert ourselves, then we are lost; but this is our confidence, the Lord who began will perfect. He has done it all, must do it all, and will do it all. Our confidence must not be in what we have done, nor in what we have resolved to do, but entirely in what the Lord will do. [Morning and Evening, May 23]

I'm so thankful that Jesus has freed me from the pressure of being good enough for heaven. Of course that doesn't mean I shouldn't try to do good (hello, Ephesians 2:10) and to make an impact on my family, my community and my world for Jesus' sake. BUT I can rest knowing that at the end of my life my eternity doesn't depend on whether the good stuff outweighs the bad stuff. Jesus died so that I get a free ticket in (and you KNOW how I like all-things-free).

And that freedom gets me excited!

In need of yard sale tips

For some strange reason the people of Ohio say "Yard Sale" and not "Rummage Sale". They also call "string cheese" cheese sticks and a "grilled cheese sandwich" here in Ohio is more commonly known as a toasted cheese sandwich. Weird.

Regardless of what it's called we're holding a get-rid-of-stuff sale in our front yard this Friday and Saturday.

We're all getting pumped about the experience but now that it's looming closer I'm slightly nervous. I've never held a yard sale before. Hence I call on you for . . .

HELP!

Chloe is primed to sell lemonade and cookies during the sale. And I'm sure Clive will try to wreak havoc wherever possible. Which might mean he'll have to be removed from the premises.

What vitally important tips would you share with me for my upcoming yard sale experience?

And we're off!

Matt is now officially done with his semester of teaching at Kent State University! Woo-hoo! I love being married to a teacher.

And tomorrow we're off on a much-needed mini-vacation to Pittsburgh to visit their highly-acclaimed zoo. Well, I don't know how highly-acclaimed it is but it was featured as one of the top ten zoos in the country in my last Parents mag. Supposedly they have an extraordinary kids area and an incredible aquarium.

The Pittsburgh zoo website gave some terrific tips for planning a visit. Lesson plans and activities are linked and broken down by age bracket. The teacher in me got vvvvvvvvvery excited. I highly recommend their resources for summer zoo trips with your kiddos. Also check out enchanted learning's website for a huge assortment of printable worksheets. I've got several coloring pages attached to a clipboard for Chloe to use as we walk through the zoo tomorrow.

We're pumped! And exhausted from the packing and planning. Can it be that we have a trunk full of stuff to take for just ONE night away from home?!? It's slightly ridiculous. But I don't think we've packed anything superfluous.

I'm ansy to see the polar bear exhibit tomorrow. According to the website, there's an underwater tunnel visitors walk through and you see the bears swimming above you. Now that's something you don't see every day!

What animals do you and your kids enjoy seeing at the zoo?

Blackberry smoothies

Today started out slowly for me. I was weary and unmotivated. (I'd blame my thyroiditis but it could very well have just been that I'm weary from chasing after two kids. I don't know HOW moms of more than two do it!)

After coloring with the kids awhile this morning, I loaded Clive up in the stroller and we all took a walk. The Vitamin-D filled sunshine always helps lift my mood. We had a nice walk to the drug store and then we stopped at Dairy Queen to share an ice cream cone between the three of us. On the way home we even snagged a kid-sized plastic table someone had left curb-side. I'm sure we were quite a sight to see. Me struggling to carry the table while pushing Clive's stroller and Chloe walking beside us with a new-found walking stick about 5 feet tall. :)

We then had a simple lunch and I tried out a new blackberry smoothie recipe. Clive went crazy on his smoothie and resorted to chugging it instead of using his spoon. He's such a cute and messy eater! Chloe ate her smoothie a bit more slowly and I warned her sternly NOT to let Clive get a hold of her cup. He's snatchy and quick when it comes to grabbing what he wants. I'm not usually a huge stickler about keeping clean at the lunch table but this particular smoothie was blackberry heavy and a VERY dark purple.

While they finished up their lunches, I ran upstairs to use the bathroom (am I the only mom who completely neglects her own bladder until it's an emergency?) and was gone for a few minutes. Suddenly I heard Chloe's panic-filled voice calling for me as she raced up the steps.

When I came down I discovered the reason for her panic. Chloe had left the table to play and Clive reached her smoothie cup and DUMPED it all over the carpet below. I sat down on the floor and cried. It was one of those moments that struck a raw nerve. I cried for awhile and scolded Chloe angrily. Poor girl. I apologized to her later and spent some extra-snuggly time with her tonight. I'm so thankful little kids are such quick-forgivers!

Clive didn't know how to handle my crying. He stared for a few moments and then when he saw Chloe jump in my lap to hug me he came racing over too. That was an incredibly sweet moment. His darling little smile and whole-bodied hug melted my heart immediately.

Anyways, I scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed some more using first water and then two different carpet cleaners. And surprisingly the dark purple blotch is almost completely gone!

After some much-needed naps for everyone the day got much better. Now I'm looking forward to a bath, Bible reading, and an early bedtime. Whew. This is one day I'm glad is almost over.

What's your worst stain story?

Is googling considered cheating?

Hope you all had a swell mother's day!

We celebrated as we usually do on holidays -- with special food. Somehow food is always the centerpiece of our family traditions. :)

After a tiring but fun morning serving in the church nursery (sixteen 13-18 month olds sure kept me busy!), we all napped and then Matt grilled some t-bone steaks for dinner. I told myself I wasn't going to cook but I did. I made homemade bread, diced buttery potatoes, spinach/blue cheese salad, and peach cobbler to round out the special meal. Chloe and Clive DEVOURED the steak and Chloe declared, "this is the best supper I've ever had, mama!" Can you tell we don't eat steak much?

The kids both were in bed by 7 and I enjoyed another kind of treat while they rested and Matt worked. I sat on the porch and worked the Sunday crossword puzzle all by myself! What joy and bliss! And thankfully the puzzle wasn't that hard this week (did you try it yet, ma?) so I nearly finished it on my own. Finally, I had to google 4 or 5 clues in desperation to complete the puzzle.

C'mon, I had to use google! There's no way I would have learned that Perth is a city located on the Swan River or that asahi is a Japanese brew without my faithful friend, google! And it isn't truly cheating because I didn't look up the answers in the newspaper. Right?

What did we do before google?!?

Today Chloe drew me a sweet card, Clive was his usual darling snuggly self, and Matt bought me a lovely lilac bush in lieu of the traditional mother's-day-flowers. Yay!

Wish I could have delivered hugs and kisses to my mom, grandma, and mother-in-law today! Oh well, good thing I have 364 more days in the year to demonstrate my love and appreciation of these amazing ladies.

How did you celebrate the ocassion and honor the mothers in your life?

Stupid choices

Since becoming a mom I've become much less impulsive in my decision-making. I usually consider the options and try to make the wisest, safest, cheapest choice possible.

Not so in the past few days. I abhor the word stupid. It's so harsh-sounding and mean. Lately I've earned the stupid label for my rash choices.

On our way to Bible study Thursday morning we were running a little late (we're almost always running late) and I sighed when I saw the last light in our journey turn red just as I reached it. I stopped and waited. I finished applying my lipstick and we waited some more. It felt like ages for the light to turn and since the road is under construction I reasoned that maybe the traffic light was broken. I inched forward and once the traffic cleared I proceeded through the intersection. As I coasted across the street out of the corner of my eye I saw the light change to green. No biggie I thought, I drove the last block to church and then I saw a very different set of lights. And they were flashing. Arrggh! Yup, I earned myself a traffic citation for running a red light. Even though I cried (the tears were very sincere, believe me!) the kind officer still issued me a ticket. That was stupid choice #1. And of course then I was upset and blubbery all through Bible study. The worst part though was explaining to Chloe that I broke the law. Talk about feeling like a rotten mama! In the moment it was trying but of course I realize now the value in it. I got to modeling in front of Chloe how to apologize and take consequences when I made a bad choice.

Stupid choice #2 came yesterday afternoon when I hastily searched priceline for a cheap hotel rate for our upcoming family mini-vacation to Pittsburgh. After seeing some higher-than-desirable prices I decided to go the "name my own price" route. I should have listened to my inner warnings as I read the non-refundable no cancellations policy but instead I dashed ahead. I was pumped to see the results come back - a classy downtown hotel room for only 50 bucks! My heart sank however when I realized that parking isn't included. And there's no complimentary breakfast or swimming pool. Arrggh again! Thankfully, Pittsburgh is not Chicago and overnight parking will only cost $10. And there's a McD's nearby so we can score a cheap kid-friendly breakfast there.

I'm thankful God shows me my stupidity and reminds me of His unfailing love and waiting forgiveness. I'm still His child and He'll always gather me into His arms with comfort even when I fail. I certainly need to be humbled before realizing the depth of my need for Jesus!

What foolish decisions/choices have you made of late? Have any of you been pulled over with your kiddos?

Online travel tips

My dear wise blogging friends, do you have suggestions for me on booking hotels online? We're trying to plan a short mother's day family rendezvous in Pittsburgh and I'm not having much success. As usual, we're doing it all on the cheap. We're planning to visit the amazing-sounding Pittsburgh zoo (we can get in for free with our Cleveland zoo membership card) and we hope to score a cheap hotel room for the night. With free breakfast and indoor pool of course. :)

Specifically . . .
1. What website/s do you use most often for travel planning?
2. Are there particular days of the week to search online for the best deals?

Thanks for your help!

Picking kay-boos

Since today was a lovely spring day, I packed up the kids in the sit-n-stand stroller and we embarked on a monster walk. We went to the drug store, library, post office, and park before heading home. Quite the outing.

Several times I asked myself, "Why did I do this again?" Like when Clive stunk up the children's dept. at the library (which has NO changing table or baby-friendly changing area) and I decided to change him on the floor amidst the nonfiction stacks. That was fun. Especially when I went to wrap up the diaper and in that millisecond he found the dvds and proceeded to knock 10 of them down in one blow. And while I cleaned that up he went like a homing pigeon for the junior mints in my purse and dumped them all out. Really fun.

On the way home from the park I enjoyed the breeze and as is our usual habit Chloe and I admired and talked about flowers. As we strolled past a vacant office building and noticed several lilac bushes in bloom. We snagged a few to take home and Chloe said to me, "Mommy, are we making a kay boo?" After questioning her repeatedly I finally realized she was trying to say bouquet. Some words must sound so strange to a three year-old brain!

Hope you're enjoying the springy flowers and making your own kay-boos! What flowers are blooming where you live?