Bad Words

Warning- This post may not be suitable for children. I don't think there are any children who read my blog, but I thought I would say that just in case.

Recently I have noticed my kids talking about bad words, not saying them, but referencing them as in "the s word or the p word." I know you are thinking -"what's the p word?" We'll get to that in a minute.

The older boys are ages 9 and 8 and are curious about what the words are. I keep thinking to myself I need to have a conversation with them about bad words and find out what they actually know. But, with the baby and a 4 year old around, it isn't easy to get to.

Last night at dinner, Toots, having no idea what he was doing, started pointing at things with his middle finger. Well, the boys thought this was hilarious. His very mature parents did not giggle at all though. I didn't want to tell him to stop because he had no idea that this particular finger meant something bad.

In any event, it was time to find out what these boys actually knew. So, I was able to get a few minutes with Jackie Boy (8) upstairs before the rest of the crew came up. I started asking him if he knew what the middle finger meant. He said, "All of the baddest words all together." Then I asked what other bad words he knew. He said, "Well, the three S words."

what are the three?

I don't want to say them mom?

It's okay, I just want to know what you know. You are not in trouble for knowing them.

Hmmm (with an embarrassed look) stupid, shut-up, and suck.

You can only imagine how adorable I think that this is. He does not want to say these relatively innocuous words. He didn't even mention the real S word that I actually never use, unless of course I put my hand directly on top of a bee and it buzzes loudly and stings me like I did a few days ago and in that case I yell, "shit" and then I might say it a few more times in fast succession. But, other than that, I truly do not use this word. Unless, of course, I am driving and ... I digress. The conversation continues...

Okay, what other words do you know?

I know the a word?

And what does that mean?

He points to his bottom.

I know the p word.

What is that?

He again looks nervous to say it.

Pissed.

What does that mean?

Mad.

Any others?

Oh, and I know the F word.

What is that word?

I am thinking that he does not really know the right word at this point, but he promptly says with no hesitation.

F' d up!

You see, I can't even type the word so you really should have seen me trying to compose my face when he said this.

And where did you learn this word?

At the park, it's written on the wall mom. What does it mean?

I am now delighted at his usage of the word so that I can explain the meaning truthfully without getting into anything I do not want to talk about at this point.

It means screwed up, messed up!

Oh!

But, that is a very, very bad word and I don't want you to ever say it again.

Okay, mom. Are there any other bad words that I don't know just so if I hear them, I know not to say them?

Yes, the b word.

So I tell him the word and the meaning. We also talk about how he does not want to be the kid who tells another kid about these words because then the parents of that kid will think he is a bad kid. He can talk about it with me, but must also be careful to protect his little brothers so that they don't learn these things until they are older like him.

This conversation is repeated almost verbatim with Mister Luke, except that after saying there are three s words he said-

stupid, shut-up, and the word that sounds like ship.

He spelled the f word (I knew better this time than to ask him to say it) for me which he learned also from the wall of our local park. I am going to have to go down there and paint over it!

Oh, and there is the one you say mom when you get hurt.

Which one is that?

The C word!

I am thinking at this point that I have never said the C word in my life and then he says

Crap!

And I am relieved.

Idle Time

During the school year, our time is so full of school, homework and sports that there is not much idle time. I sometimes feel like my kids will start to do some project of their imagination and then I have to say, "Get your (uniform, backpack, whatever) and get in the car. We gotta go. NOW. Or we are going to be late." I feel like I say this practically every day during the school year.

But, summer! Oh, summer. 

This summer we are enjoying the luxury of idle time (unscheduled time)  which is very rare. Here are just a few of our recent exploits.

My kids, led by Mister Luke, decided to be hobos one day. As you have now probably realized, they have some fascination with hobos. I have no idea where they learned the word or concept.

They packed up their bandannas with snacks, flashlights, a compass and other necessities and headed off to the mountains (our front yard) and spent a few hours being hobos. 

Yesterday, they decided to invent their own drink concoctions in the driveway of all places! They needed a funnel. I didn't have one so...

They created their own.

Their mother has been making some concoctions of her own.

I have always loved to make things in the kitchen. When I was little, I would come home from school and as I waited for my mom to come home from work, I would dig into her cookbooks and decide to make things that I had never made before, scrounging around the kitchen for the ingredients. One day, my mother came home to me making home made bagels- making the dough, boiling and baking them.

This week, I decided it might be fun to make my own Almond Butter. It just has one ingredient and I had it-ALMONDS! So healthy for you too! This morning I put it on some toast with honey for the boys.

I also decided to try to make steel cut oats in the crock pot for the first time.

It came out pretty good, not as good as when you boil them, but I think if I play with it a bit, I could get it right. 

The boys liked being able to put their own toppings on the oatmeal!

And we have also had some time for reading too! I just love that Jackie Boy sits the baby down next to him like this and reads to him.


I am hoping you are enjoying some idle time too!

If you are, what has your wild imagination come up with?

A Favorite Photo

This photo was taken of Mister Luke and Jackie Boy when they were 5 and 4.  It is one of my favorites because it was before our landscaping was done, back when mud was a very common thing in our yard and when the ladies at the nail salon would gasp at the amount of dirt under my toe nails.

These boys got dirty and loved it. You can see Luke's happiness in his eyes and Jackie Boy is ebullient as always! These guys are getting bigger now and although I absolutely love them just as they are, I still miss them as they were then. There was time when there were only two and this picture reminds me of those times. 

And now there are four and every day, there are moments when I think, "I want to freeze them as they are because they are so darn cute." But then the next day comes and I think the same thing again. 

All I can say is thank goodness for photographs or I just couldn't survive it.

You know, the trying to hang onto all the moments.

 

It's Not About Me Today!

I checked MckMama's blog this morning. She is the blogger who usually hosts the infamous "Not Me Monday" blog carnival. 

It was a very scary post I read there today. Her 9 month old  son Stellan has been hospitalized again with SVT (a very rapid heart beat). He had the same condition in utero and was not expected to make it- HE DID. He also was hospitalized for two months from ages 4-6 months. This is when I began reading her blog. And now he is back in the hospital again. 

She has been vomiting all night in sympathy and anguish over her baby son's condition. His heart is failing, he is ashen and his temperature is below 95 degrees. He is not keeping anything down and is not urinating. 

Please pray for this little guy and for his family. I can only imagine how helpless they must all feel. 

You can click on this button to get to her blog and read updates.

REST

Blasted Chicken

That Blasted Chicken!

 

Rather than buying the pre-roasted chickens in the supermarket, why not cook your own? 

It is so blasted easy! 

And it turns out so juicy and delicious.

I purchased this fry chicken on sale for $2.73. Whenever they are on sale I pick up a bunch of them. I am feeding an army over here, so you get why! 

Side note- When I grocery shop and people see my cart, old men often look at it and say, "What? Are you feeding an army or something?" And I sweetly reply, "Why yes I am!" An army of boys growing strong!

Okay, so to the Blasted Chicken! Why is it called Blasted? I know that you either already know or you are just dying to know? Well, maybe not. But, I'm going to tell you anyway. It is called Blasted Chicken because you blast it with heat. 

Ingredients

One 4.5 to 5 pound chicken

Whatever you have on hand to stuff it with- tangerines, lemons, oranges work well along with garlic, and rosemary. If you have nothing, even some salt and pepper inside and out will work fine.

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees

Take the guts out of the chicken if it has them and throw them out. Or do whatever you normally do with the guts of a chicken. My dad likes to fry them up and eat them, but I prefer to toss them. Whatever floats your boat. 

Rinse the chicken inside and out with cold water then place the chicken in a baking dish. Stuff it and season it. 

When the oven has reached 450 degrees, put the chicken in the oven uncovered and BLAST it for 45 minutes. Take it out and there you have one fancy Blasted Chicken.

The thing I love about this recipe is how easy it is to remember. It is all in 45's. Buy a chicken that is 4.5 pounds, cook it at 450 degrees for 45 minutes.

I wish I had taken a picture of the finished product, but we cut it all up and then I remembered so no photo for you. You'll just have to make it for yourself to see how it turns out. 

Since we are talking chicken here, I just have to tell you what one of the boys said the other night at dinner. We were eating stir fry beef and he said, "I love everything from a cow. Beef from a cow, hamburger from a cow and chicken from a cow." I said, "Chicken from a cow?" And he said, "Yah, it's a piece of the cow right here." and he pointed to below his ribs. We then had a lesson on the existence of actual chickens and the light bulb went on. We really are working with a full deck over here, really we are!

Provision

"Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment."

1 Timothy 6:17

Recently,I have been talking to people about the economic times we are living in and the effect it has had on their lives. Many families are struggling and things are tighter than they have ever experienced. I wanted to encourage you today that regardless of your circumstances, God is your Provider. He will provide for you. It may not be right when you think that He should, but He will provide. 

I love that this scripture says not to put our "hope in wealth, which is so uncertain." These economic times have certainly taught us about the uncertainty of wealth. And although wealth makes everything a lot more comfortable, it is no one's source of joy. It may make you happy for a moment, but it is not true joy. 

So let us not put our hope in the provision itself, but rather in the Provider. Whether it be money, a baby, a husband, a friend, a reconciliation or something else that you are hoping for, don't wait on the thing, wait on Lord. Put your hope in Him and your strength will be renewed.

Please remember to approach Him in prayer, not as a beggar, but as His daughter or His son requesting that your Father provide what you need. 

Realize that I know how hard this is sometimes when it just seems like His timing is way off-that you have been waiting for so long. 

But, He is good all the time and all the time He is good.  

And He will provide.

Uninvited

Toots has a new weapon in his arsenal.

It goes something like this. "Timmy wouldn't play wif me today so I am not inbiting him to my birday pawty." This cute masked man's 5th birthday is not for another few months, but oh how he is using the power of the birthday party invitation.

Every time that Mister Luke or Jackie Boy do something he doesn't like or if they won't let him use their things (ex. their new basketball shoes that are 5 sizes too big for him), he says, "Well, I am not inbiting you to my birday pawty." They laugh and say, "Toots, you have to, I am your brother. I will always be at your birthday parties."

Yesterday, he even pulled it on Mr. Baseball and I. I don't remember what it was, but we said "No" about something. His response was, "Well, I am not inbiting you to my birday pawty if you don't let me." Ummmm. Uh, huh! That will be interesting!

Then today, Mister Luke and Jackie Boy were discussing some boy that was at basketball camp with them who was pushing kids around. And Toots exclaimed (you guessed it), "Well, I am not inbiting him to my birday pawty." The boys in unison replied, "Toots,  you don't even know him." So in this case, Toots was right!

It is the most powerful thing a four year old can say to another four year old and it makes him feel like he is strong and has some control. But, it can also be very hurtful to another little kid so we have talked about that. He learned it from someone else saying it to him. 

Now that I think about it, I would be pretty hurt if one of my friends said to me, " I am not inbiting you to my birday pawty." I might laugh at her pronunciation first, but then I would be sad.

And if you are wondering why that muscular little guy is wearing a Speedo, I do have an explanation for you. Normally, we are a surfer type board short wearing family. But, Mister Luke is playing water polo and so needs Speedo Jammers so he can be FAST. Well, this detrimentally determined dastardly darn destructo diving dog

got a hold of Mister Luke's Speedos last night and tore them to shreds. She's not called Destructo Dog for nothing. 

Anyhoo, this meant that I had to go search SportingGoodStoreLand (oh, this is the place where you drive around to many different sporting goods stores looking for the Speedo Jammers that will fit your son) to find them. Well, we finally found some for Mister Luke, but we also found these cute little blue ones for Toots at an amazing price. Did you know that they normally cost around $37.00? I bet you can't even guess how much I paid for these babies. 

Two dollars and fifty cents! Oh, the glorious feeling of getting a fantabulous deal! 

So, he is quite delighted that they make him FAST in the pool because, you know, everything around here is about competition.

So, perhaps now he will  inbite me to his birday party! 

Who knows if I will be so lucky!

Is Sincerity the New Sarcasm?

About a week ago, one of my Facebook friends wrote, "Is sincerity the new sarcasm?"

Honestly, I didn't really get what he meant and thought I just wasn't philosophical or smart enough to comprehend it. Or maybe, it was some new pop culture idea that I wasn't aware of. Since then, the idea has been making its way through my brain synapses, trying to come out with an actual understanding. Still, no clarity.

So the researcher in me decided to look up the word meanings.  I know, I am putting too much effort into this but realize that I love words.  I am basically a nerd who loves studying and school so stay with me here. Here are Webster's definitions.

sar·casm

Pronunciation:

\ˈsär-ˌka-zəm\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

French or Late Latin; French sarcasme, from Late Latin sarcasmos, from Greek sarkasmos, from sarkazein to tear flesh, bite the lips in rage, sneer, from sark-, sarx flesh; probably akin to Avestan thwarəs- to cut

Date:

1550

1: a sharp and often satirical or ironic utterance designed to cut or give pain2 a: a mode of satirical wit depending for its effect on bitter, caustic, and often ironic language that is usually directed against an individual b: the use or language of sarcasm

sin·cer·i·ty 

Pronunciation:

\-ˈser-ə-tē, -ˈsir-\

Function:

noun

Date:

15th century

: the quality or state of being sincere : honesty of mind : freedom from hypocrisy

Looking at the two definitions, how could the latter possibly replace the former? 

I have always enjoyed a witty tongue and like the clever mind that usually accompanies one who uses sarcasm. But, look at the Latin and Greek words that sarcasm derives from. To tear flesh and the purpose of sarcasm is to cut or cause pain. What an ugly word!

Then we have sincerity. I love that it is defined as an honesty of mind because sometimes our words may sound good, but be completely dishonest of mind.

Based on these definitions, I don't see how sincerity can be the new sarcasm.

However, I do see a change in our culture regarding telling the truth.  There has been a shift from keeping our lives very private and only sharing certain things with close family and friends to living and journaling "out loud" for all the world to see. From reality TV to blogging to Facebook and Twitter, we are sharing much more information about ourselves.

So what does this telling of truth and telling a lot of it have to do with the question? Please stay with me here friends. 

I think that there are some in our culture who are using the truth in order to avoid consequences. Rather than feeling any shame or guilt for their actions, they think that if they just tell the truth about everything, then nobody has anything on them. It is like they spit up all their junk on you and say, "I told you the truth" so there is nothing you can do to me whether you like it or not. Please realize that even though it is truth, there is no sincerity in it. There is no honesty of mind. 

Perhaps it is this telling of truth that is being mistaken as sincerity. 

And maybe that is what has become more popular in our culture than sarcasm!

It certainly isn't sincerity. 

It looks more like a form of insincerity to me.

I hope that I made some sense here!

Your thoughts? I'd love them.

Oh, and if you are wondering why I have that super cute picture of  Little Bear at the top of this particular post, it is simply because I thought it was so cute that I couldn't wait to share it. I thought of trying to make some connection between it and the post by showing his as the face of sincerity and the bulldog as the face of sarcasm, but I won't because your brains probably already hurt enough from my rambling.

Chicken Enchiladas- The Boys' Favorite!

One of the boys' favorite meals is my chicken enchiladas. They devour them and I love that I can make them ahead of time and then just heat them up when it's convenient. If you are interested, here is the recipe.

Ingredients

12 Chicken Breast Tenderloins ( I buy the large frozen bag)

Corn Tortillas

2 large or 3 small cans of  La Victoria Enchilada Sauce (I buy mild)

1 Pound Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1 small can of sliced olives

First, take the frozen chicken breasts and boil them until cooked completely.

I am showing you this picture, although the chicken breasts do not look at all appetizing in this pot, to remind you that it is important to boil the chicken. It comes out very tender this way and it is also a super easy way to cook the chicken.

Once the chicken is cooked through, take it out and let it cool on a plate. Then use your hands to shred it into bite size pieces. 

Next, pour some of the enchilada sauce into the bottom of a large baking dish. 

Then pour some of the enchilada sauce onto a separate plate. Take the tortillas, one at a time, dip them into the sauce on the plate. Be sure to dip both sides.

Once the tortillas are covered in the sauce, put some shredded chicken and some cheese inside and then fold it under and place in the baking dish. Repeat until chicken is gone. Once all of the enchiladas are in the pan, pour the remainder of the enchilada sauce over them and then sprinkle with cheese. Top them with the sliced olives.

Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.

I usually make about 16-18 enchiladas in two pans and we rarely have leftovers. 

Enjoy!

And if you want to check out other favorite recipes, please visit the sites listed by MckLinky below.

Not My Child Monday!

Just for this week, we are switching Not Me Monday up to Not My Child Monday!

Next week I'll tell you that it wasn't me not telling on my children like this. 

It was definitely not my four year old child who put up his hand with a peace sign and said loudly, "Peace out, sucka!" NOOOO! Not my child. My child is not around any older children who might teach him such a thing. Plus, my children are respectful and well-mannered all the time and have incomparable intuition about what kinds of words and phrases are appropriate to repeat. 

My child did not request to bring a nearly full bucket of popcorn home from the movies and then certainly didn't convince me that it would not spill everywhere and then did not proceed to nearly dump the bucket in the driveway. No way! Not even for a second was that my child.

Oh, and another thing, my children would never beg me for a Slip and Slide at Target and then proceed to break it within the first ten minutes of use. They would not for a minute think it might be cool to twist the tube that the water goes through and watch it get bigger like a water balloon. Not My Children! They are too smart for that. Of course, they would realize that this would pop the tubing and therefore break their new toy. So, they would never do that.

And we would never see anything like this at our house. I don't know whose child this could be!

What kind of mother let's her child wear snorkel gear while eating lunch? There is certainly no kind of silly behavior like that at my house.  Nope, we are completely civilized. No funny business here.

This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what her and everyone else's children have not been doing this week. Oh, and if you are stopping by via MckMama, please be sure to leave a comment so I can come by and visit you too!

REST

Baby Bathrobe?

Here is my Little Bear again, my three month old.

When he was born, a friend gave us this little bath robe as a gift.

I hadn't used it yet because the size was 9 months.

I looked at it the other night and thought I had better use it soon

or he'll be too big for it.

So we tried it out after bath time.

I have to say I don't really get it.

First, it was hard to get on him because it took a while to even get his hands out through the holes.

Then, it doesn't really cover him. 

I mean, not to be graphic, but without that diaper on there, it just doesn't cover much.

Plus, what's he gonna do in his bath robe?

Walk around the house like a little Hugh Hefner?

So, for practicalities sake,this was the first and last time he'll wear it.

But, he sure looks cute!

Momfinitions

Twittermoms is having a little contest along with Parents Connect to create your own momfinitions- words and definitions that relate to moms. So, because I like contests and prizes and writing, I thought I would give it a go. Here are my five momfinitions-

1. Knimples  [nim - PULLS] noun: Dimples found on the knees of babies who sometimes over-indulge in milk drinking. An example of such a baby is pictured below. The lower picture shows a knimple.

Sentence- Your babies knimples are so cute!

2) Faceblogittermomitis [ face- blog- ITTER-mom-I-tis) noun: A disease that effects mothers who long for adult interaction. It involves obsession with social networking sites such at Facebook and Twitter as well as excessive checking of one's blog. There is no known cure at this time due to the relatively new onset of this condition.

Sentence- I don't know about that Karen, you know she suffers from faceblogittermomitis.

3) Stumbletasker [STUM- bull-task-ER] noun: This is a person, usually moms, who set out to do one task, but then stumble upon another. This is similar to a multi-tasker, but with much less intent and organization.

An example would be when one sets out to go fold the clothes in the dryer but on the way notices spilled juice on the floor. The stumbletasker would then forget the the original intent of the walk toward the dryer, abandon that task and instead head to the sink to get a rag for the juice. However, once said stumbletasker reached the sink, she then would notice the dishes in the sink and proceed to put them in the dishwasher and once said sink was emptied she would notice it needs to be scrubbed and then scrub it. At this point, she may decide it is time for a shower and the head in that direction. However, she then will stumble upon some clothes her children have left in the middle of the hallway. She will then walk to the laundry room and notice the juice again and so on. There is no way of knowing if the clothes in the dryer will ever get folded either that day or the next.

Sentence- It was unknown whether or not Penelope, an avid stumbletasker, would be able to get the dishes out of the dishwasher today.

4. Fragmomtation [FRAG-mom-tae-SHUN] noun: A way of speaking native to mothers that involves saying only half of a sentence. This is usually due to said mother trying to do and think about too many things at once while also trying to respond to an excessive amount of questions from her children. It might involve said mother's child asking, "Mom, can I have a juice." and the mother responding, "No, but you can have a..." leaving the child to have to decipher her fragmented answer. 

Sentence- Jen's fragmomtation had her children completely confused and they had no way of knowing whether or not it was okay for them to play outside or not.

5. Kidsponder [kid-SPAWN-der] noun: A child who has empathy for his mother's fragmomtation or merely wishes to get an answer out of her and attempts to assist her by supplying the rest of her sentences. If said mother responds, "No, but you can have a...", the kidsponder might say, "water?" 

sentence- That kidsponder must be a really bright child because he can finish all of his mother's sentences.

I hope that you have enjoyed my momfinitions. Please leave a comment! It is part of the contest.

Weigh Down Wednesday

It is that time of the week again. 

I weighed in this morning and the turtle is still on the move.

I am down another pound.

I am late in posting today and have been thinking about what to write all day.

It does not seem enough just to give you my news, but to be honest, I am no health expert. 

I know what you know.

Eat less, exercise more.

Eat fruits and vegetables and whole grains.

Omega- 3s in salmon and flax are good for you and Hydrogenated Oil found in so many products is not!

Processed foods, corn syrup and foods with many ingredients are bad for you.

Hiking, walking, riding bikes, swimming and breathing fresh air are good for you.

It does not mean that I always eat the right foods, even though I know exactly what they are. 

I does not mean that I don't reach for the brownies when some luscious strawberries are sitting right on the counter. 

It does not mean that I get out and joyfully exercise every day.

But, I feel better and I look better when I make the right choice. 

And it really always comes down to that.

There are natural consequences for our choices.

Always.

We just have to make the choices with the good consequences.

I am now back into my pre-pregnancy clothes.

Goodbye maternity clothes FOR-EV-ER!

 (Picture Squints in Sandlot saying this)

Thanks for helping to get me there.

I just love you ladies and your comments.

But, I am going to discontinue Weigh Down Wednesdays at this point.

I am going to keep going on my journey, but I just don't feel like I have much in the regards to quality posts to say regarding this issue anymore.

When school starts up again for the boys, I may start training for a Sprint Distance Triathlon and maybe, just maybe, some of you will want to join me.

Perhaps we'll call it Fit Fridays or Triathlon Training Tuesdays.

So thanks again and for one last time-

What's the low down on your weigh down?

Abundance

Yesterday I was waiting for Mr. Baseball to come home so I could run a few errands sans children. You know, since I am home all day with them, it would be a nice break to actually go somewhere by myself. I timed it right, fed Little Bear so he would be content when I was gone, and then said to Mr. Baseball- I want to run to the store, can you keep the baby?  His reply was that he needed to enter some stats on the computer right now. You know, baseball stats from our past tournament this weekend. Side note- He will remain Mr. Baseball and not regain his former name of Hottie Husband until this nonsense ends. Additional side note- I would not be tattling on him like this if it were not of importance to my story.

So, I was irritated at this point and so as to really show him, I grabbed my keys and I put all the kids in the car and went to the store. Yah, I bet that quiet house with nobody saying, "Dad, dad, dad, daddy, dad." while he entered those stats really got him good!

I needed some clothes for Little Bear, so I went down to this local shop a few blocks away and picked out a few things. As I was paying for them, the clerk was commenting on Little Bear's cheeks. He was facing her in the bjorn so she couldn't help but notice them. She asked if he was a good baby. This is a question that I always find a little odd because if your baby is difficult, you would never say, "No, this is a bad bad baby!" Anyway, I told her that he was extremely easy going and just so fun to have. Then we got on to how many I have and she quickly realized that he was my fourth boy. Then she asked the very common question that I get, "Were you hoping for a girl?" Another odd question at this point because it does not really matter, but I said truthfully, "Yes, I was, but I wouldn't give this guy back for anything. I always wanted four and I am so thankful that I got my four."

Suddenly a woman ,who had been standing back waiting for her turn to pay, stepped forward. She was extremely thin with long straight hair and a hard but sad look in her eyes. She looked at me and said in a flat hard voice, "You should be thankful, my kid died." 

I was stunned. A bit flustered, I said, "I am thankful, I'm very thankful. I am so sorry." She looked away from me and shook her head, angry. I stood in the store for a moment, trying to think if there were something else I should do or say as she walked up to pay for some little girl's clothes she had in her hands. I wondered who they were for. Did she have another child? Not that it would matter. How did she lose her child? What could I do or say to help?

She started talking to the clerk.

I walked out of the store. 

People's pain doesn't scare me. I hurt for them, but I am not scared away by it. And obviously, her anger was an expression of her deep pain. Something about me so casually talking about "my four", my abundance, had brought that pain which was already bubbling to the surface, out for all the world to see. If I was in that much pain, I think I would want people to know too-just not to feel like I was pretending everything was okay when it very much was not.

I am still wondering today if I blew it, if there is something I could have said to her that might have made some difference. I'm wondering if the Lord could have used me in some way to help her heal. But, even as I think it, I realize that it is quite arrogant of me to think that anything I could have said would have made a difference. She had lost her child. 

So I went home.

I went home to my abundance. 

I went home to my husband. My husband, who although had irritated me today, loves me , makes me feel beautiful every day and helps me immensely. 

I went home to my four little boys, who are sometimes contrary, rambunctious and sports obsessed, but who are great kids who make me laugh every day. They are healthy and they are here.

I went home to my life and felt a little guilty for it. I know I had never done one thing to deserve this abundance. I also know that the woman in the store had not done one thing to deserve losing her child. 

Life is unpredictable and ever changing. 

So, I come back to what I always come back to. I will rejoice. I will not waste one day in anger or fear or worry. I will give thanks for this day that the Lord has made. 

The woman had said, "You should be thankful." 

She is right. It would be a slap in her face if I wasn't.

Not Me Monday!

Welcome to Not Me Monday!
This week I did not sneak out into my front yard in the dark at 11pm on multiple occasions to water my beloved flowers with a hose. That would mean I am not a good citizen and I know that I am. I certainly did not feel like I was breaking the law or fear that the water rationing police were going to catch me. I did not picture a giant bright light being suddenly shined in my eyes and someone yelling, "You -STOP what you are doing! We are on Orange Alert!" That would mean that I was slightly paranoid and I am not. And Mister Baseball certainly did not say upon my re-entering of the house, "Out breaking the law again?" 
I did not walk up the stairs with my three sons who were not carrying various weaponry including a belt, a piece of a hot wheels track, and a large blow up bat in search of a Hobo that my oldest did not believe was upstairs. I did not for a moment believe that there was actually a Hobo in our house. I did not search in every closet and under every bed in search of the dreaded Hobo and I certainly did not scream when I opened the door to our attic as if the Hobo was standing right there. That would be mean and possibly make my children cry so, of course, I would never do that. Nope, not me!
Oh, and I did not borrow my mother's bathing suits this weekend for our trip to Santa Barbara. There is no possible way that her bathing suits who fit her double D's could possibly fit me. 
No Way, No How!


 This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

REST

Just Because He is So Cute!

Disclaimer- I do not normally let my children stand on the tables, but he WAS cleaning the ceiling fan. 

Yep!

It just looks sooo good. 

Then he said the most profound thing.

"Mommy, why didn't God make cookies good for you?"

I have wondered that same thing myself.