Poop on Jelly

See You at the Pole... 2011

2011-09-28T16:32:00.000-05:00

Whenever two or three of you come together in my name, I am there with you. Matthew 18:20

Today students all across our blessed nation gathered at their school's flagpole to pray for their school and

their community.

Dimples was so excited to spread the word at his elementary school.

Jesus said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation." Mark 16:15

Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name; make known among the nations what He has done.

1 Chronicles 16:8

I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me. Proverbs 8:17

Dimples eagerly lead his school in prayer. Words cannot describe how proud we are of him! He is confident in who he is in Christ. May he and his siblings always walk in the knowledge of the Lord!

Afterward, Nurse Boy showered the kids with doughnuts and juice.

We pray all of the kids from this morning will come to know Christ in a personal way. May He shine brightly through each and every one of them!

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ... Colossians 4:2-3

Where to Begin... Again?

2011-07-10T21:16:00.001-05:00

I miss blogging. I miss recording the silly things the kids say and the silly things the kids do. I miss recording the little things God does in our lives and the big things God does in our lives. I miss posting my favorite pictures and I miss posting my favorite recipes. Yep, I miss blogging.

Alas, it is summer time. The computer tends to collect dust while the pool and the laundry seem to get my undivided attention. Every summer I spend far too much time in my least favorite outfit... my swimsuit. (How ironic is it that I first typed "fat," instead of "far"? Nice. Stupid, unforgiving swimsuit. It always encourages me to spend more time on the treadmill... I guess there is a plus to my least favorite article of clothing.) All the trips to the pool also lead to lots of quality time with my washer and dryer. Quality time that I could really do without. I need another load of laundry like I need a hole in my head.

Last semester was Nurse Boy's toughest semester yet. And, by "tough," I mean we hardly got to spend time with him. He was amazing and never complained. Good thing, too. I think I did enough complaining for the both of us. Seriously, it was so hard. We are still recovering. This summer he is only taking one credit hour and we are trying to make up for lost time, both as a family and as a couple.

God has been so faithful during this stressful time. He has been doing amazing things in our lives over the last 2-3 years and this year has been no exception. He continues to bring amazing people into our lives. People who have lifted us up in prayer. People we could call in a time of need, anytime of day. People that have showed us support and love. People who love our kids and value our family. People who challenge us to be better Christians. I am so thankful for the friendships that God has brought along the way. Each and every one of them is an answer to prayer, literally.

Each year we take time to reflect on our priorities and the direction our life is headed. This is when the rubber meets the road. This is when God challenges us to make some changes, rethink our direction, and seek HIM even more. This is always so hard for me. I really am a creature of habit. God is determined to change that. One of these days I will stop fighting Him. I think we are at an exciting turning point. It is always so stinkin' hard for me as we are rounding yet another corner. We can't see exactly where we are headed. We know we are suppose to round the corner. We have to practically close our eyes as we put the pedal to the medal. The reward is always right around the corner, but we can't see it's full potential until we make the turn.

Yep, we are turning. Again.

This fall promises to be exciting and challenging.

I am reading Beth Moore's book, Believing God, with a friend. I'm only on chapter 4 and I already love it. I found a couple of her quotes to be amazing. I knew I needed to have them posted in the house as reminders for all of us.

What's not to love?

I am off to fold laundry. And, burn the dreaded swimsuit. Maybe I'll even go crazy and spend some time on the treadmill...

Happy 4th of July!!

2011-07-05T15:48:00.003-05:00

a day late, I know.

But, I am going to dust off my blog a bit and share some pictures of my favorite kiddos. If you know me at all, you know that I LOVE dressing my kids up for the 4th. LOVE! It is finally rubbing off on Sweet Pea. She planned to wear 4th of July outfits the entire holiday weekend, rocked her flagged bows each day, and spent the morning of the 4th searching for undies that matched her red, white, and blue. Yep, she is definitely my daughter. I have trained her well. My apologizes to her future husband.

We had a bit of a quiet 4th of July this year, but it was kind of nice just spending time with our family. Hope yours was blessed as you celebrated your freedom. We are so thankful for ours!!

God bless each and every one of you!

Feeling Proud... & Blessed!

2011-05-03T16:49:00.000-05:00

Last week was the annual Open House at the boys' elementary school... otherwise known as take home ALL of the wonderful crap your kids have made all year and good luck figuring out what to do with all of it, cuz a good mom doesn't throw any of it away.

As I was going through the enormous pile of paper late into the evening, I came across a gem. It was one of those moments when you know you must be doing something right as a parent, or that God is watching over your children. For me, it is all God! So I give Him all the glory as I share this simple little assignment that blessed me and my mommy heart.

Assignment: Bio-Poem; All About Me!

Dimples

Kind, caring, and athletic

Brother of Sweet Pea and Bruiser

Who loves ice cream, family, and brownies

Who feels smart, interested, and fantastic

Who needs friends, family, and God

Who fears criminals, guns, and knives

Who dreams of spreading God's word

Who would like to see where Jesus died, Statue of Liberty, and Mona Lisa

Who loves to eat pizza, mac-n-cheese, and brownies

Who wishes to be a missionary someday

Nurseboy

Dimples is quite the young man. His faith and love for the Lord is such a blessing! I pray he never loses his faith, that it only becomes deeper and more meaningful to him. I am so thankful for this young man!

Our God Is Love!

2011-04-24T20:00:00.000-05:00

HaPPy EaSTer to all of our family and friends!

May you know the depth of Jesus' love for you on this Resurrection Sunday.

I would like to share some of our sweet memories and the lyrics to one of our favorite songs by Hillsong. Today's message is clear; God IS love.

A love that is almost incomprehensible. A love that is amazing. A love that is forgiving. A love that is healing.

A love that is YOURS!

Every soul, every beating heart

Every nation and every tongue

Come find hope in the love of the Father

All creation will bow as one

Lift their eyes to the risen Son

Jesus Savior forever and after

This is love

Jesus came and died and gave His life for us

Let our voices rise and sing for all He's done

Our fear is overcome

Our God is love.

Every distant and broken heart

Every prayer, every outstretched arm

Finding hope in the love of the Father

Age to age let His praises rise

All the glory for all of time

Jesus Savior forever and after

Age to age we will be singing

In the light of all He's done

All the earth, everyone singing

In the wonder of His love

God bless each & every one of you. HE IS RISEN!!

My Baby...

2011-04-14T19:33:00.000-05:00

Today, this little girl...

turns 5!

You are a sweet & kind young lady...

you have a sparkle in your eye...

and a spring in your step.

(Not to mention, the gift of gab!)

I can't wait to see what God has in store for you... this year and for the MANY, MANY years to come!

God bless you, my not so little one!

Things That Make Me Smile

2011-04-13T22:42:00.000-05:00

Need I say more?!

Reasons Why I Will Never Be a Travel Agent

2011-03-28T20:08:00.001-05:00

Have you ever tried to plan the perfect getaway? On a tight budget? Making sure it is kid friendly? And, only a couple of days in length?

Yeah, I stink at it.

It all started with a change of plans. We had hoped to get away for a weekend of fun in Branson, Missouri over our spring break. We had a three day weekend when ALL of us would be home. The closer we got to the weekend, the more practical our plans had to become. Yes, we needed a break. We needed to get away as a family but we needed to be very mindful of the budget.

I had a great idea! I thought we could just stay at a local hotel for a couple of nights. Our kids love staying in a hotel room. Add an indoor swimming pool, and they are in heaven. The plan was off to a great start until Nurse Boy scoped out all of the indoor pools online. He was not impressed. He IS the reason we can't afford to travel. He has expensive taste... but, we have 3 kids and one income. Go figure.

We decided to head to a small town about an hour away. I found an indoor pool with a cool water slide for under $100. I am thrifty like that. This town also has a fabulous park with a fancy train and old fashion carousel. We were set.

Or so we thought...

The first day was rainy and gloomy, but that wasn't a problem when we headed to the INDOOR pool!

As you can see, we were all smiles!

We swam for a whooping 45 minutes, headed out for dinner, and planned to take in a movie in our room before a nice night time swim.

About 10 minutes into the movie, the fire alarm went off in the hotel. People were filing out the doors. We quickly left our room, only to discover that a kid had pulled the alarm AND we locked ourselves out of the room. Good times. To top it off, they couldn't get the alarm to stop going off. Because it was so loud, we couldn't finish our movie. Nurse Boy and the boys headed back to the pool, hoping the noise wasn't as bad there.

They returned within minutes. A kid threw up in the pool. They closed the pool down for the rest of our stay. YUCK!

By the time the alarm was finally turned off, it was time for bed. The park was waiting for us in the morning. (And this OCD mother was NOT going to let anyone swim in that pool the next day... or ever again.)

The next afternoon, we drove through the park and quickly discovered that the train and carousel had not yet opened for the season.

Seriously, I stink at planning this stuff! Nothing seemed to work in our favor. Truth be told, we did enjoy spending time together without our normal distractions. It wasn't a COMPLETE failure.

Plus, we found one of these at the park:

An old fashion merry go round!

You never see these anymore. I am pretty sure I almost lost my life on these things multiple times growing up. So, we of course stuck our 3 kids on there and spun that bad boy until they screamed, "UNCLE!"

This brought back so many memories! (And, yes, Nurse Boy and I took some turns as well. I yelled, "UNCLE!" every single time. Some things never change.)

All in all, it was great spending time together. But, Nurse Boy gets to plan the next vacation.

Sprng Break '11

2011-03-23T17:00:00.000-05:00

Last week was Spring Break for my kiddos. No, it wasn't actually SPRING. We like to do things backwards around here. Of course, it snowed over spring break since it was still... WINTER! It was a very light snow that melted by the next morning, but STILL. Regardless of that little weather blip, the kids and I really did have a great time together.

Our week was filled with friends, family, and fun. We had an event planned for each day. Lucky for you, I forgot to take pictures most of the time.

In the middle of last week, we took a trip to the zoo. The boys made fun of me since I didn't take pictures of the animals. When all is said and done, I don't care what the tigers looked like. I am trying to capture my kids' memories. (Or maybe I'm just trying to drive them crazy. They aren't really big fans of my camera.)

Here they are ready to start the day!

These two crack me up when they are together... true siblings!

Now, these two are so sweet together.

Bruiser LOVES animals, so the zoo was right up his alley.

Dimples was a huge help. I love the young man he is turning into...even if he sometimes thinks he knows it all. ;0)

We met some friends there, which made the day even sweeter.

It was a beautiful day!

But, my feet were yelling at me that night. ;0)

The next day the kids and I took a little road trip about an hour and a half south of here to meet up with some dear friends at a really cool park. It is always a good day when you get to spend it with close friends!

These two are a hoot together. I love their energy!

Here is our bunch, minus Dimples. He was too mature to stand next to the silly Peter Pan statue.

These girls are so cute together. I love to watch them play! (And so does the little brother on the end. ;0)

Here's a picture of Dimples, just to prove he was there with us. Apparently, he wasn't too mature to play on the equipment.

On Friday, the kids and I spent the day with Bubby and Papa. Of course the day included ice cream and toys. (I can't wait until I can sugar them up, spoil them, and SEND THEM HOME! HA!) That night, Nurse Boy and I farmed out the kids and had a late night out with some friends. It was pure delight... lots of laughter, great friends, and my hubby by my side!

On Saturday, our spring break took an unexpected turn...

(I'll post more later.)

Hope you are enjoy Spring now... since it is officially springtime according to the calendar.

Random Thoughts From the Master Suite

2011-03-01T22:22:00.000-06:00

We all dream of a day spent in bed. No interruptions. Good reading material. The TV remote cradled in our hand. Just a lazy-daisy day lounging in bed, curled up in between some flannel sheets.

I, too, have had this dream. It seemed... well... dreamy. Until it came true.

Last Thursday a nasty, evil GI virus, straight from the depths of hell, landed me in bed for 4 days straight. I haven't felt that bad in a long time! I think it ranks a close second to the summer I had mono. Yep. That bad.

Anyway, I made a few observations and came to some conclusions during my 4 day stay in the master suite...

(In no particular order)

1. My husband is a fabulous father. He doesn't fair nearly as well as Mr. Mom.

2. My cell phone came in handy when everyone forgot about Mom being banished to her room. I may or may not have abused my privileges.

3. I should own stock in Clorox Wipes.

4. Somehow the kids got to school (on time?), had on clean clothes (so they tell me?), and completed their homework (the report card doesn't lie, so time will tell).

5. Mr. Mom thinks ordering in is cooking.

6. My family thinks cleaning is overrated.

7. I am, apparently, the only one who knows where the vacuum is located. (It probably doesn't help that I refer to it as my hunky blond "friend", Derek.)

8. Stupid laundry did NOT take a vacay while I was stuck in bed.

9. My husband will ALWAYS come home from the grocery store with an industrial sized box of sugar cereal. Probably Lucky Charms. The kids will only eat the marshmallows. It really helped to balance out their diet of takeout dinners.

10. My family did miss me. My family really does need me. I am glad to be back to doing my job so Nurse Boy can do his. He is good at his and I am good at mine. Except when I'm not.

Here's hoping my family will soon "un"ground me from my cell phone privileges!

I Smelled Spring

2011-02-24T09:30:00.002-06:00

And, it smelled sweet!

Last Thursday, Sweet Pea and I headed to the zoo with a few of our favorite peeps. The weather was BEAUTIFUL!

That was a week ago. Today? Not beautiful. Nope. Quite ugly, in fact. The forecast boasts of freezing rain, sleet, and snow. I have already been pelted in the head with freezing rain this morning, so I don't think the weather people are blowing smoke this go around.

To top it off, Sweet Pea is on day 2 of a fever. She is, of course, following all of the rules of Murphy's Law in her attempt to make life challenging. (Isn't that a 4 year old's job?) When she awoke feeling like a hot potato fresh out of the oven, we didn't have any medicine in the house. Of course. (She made sure to tell the clerk at the store that she was sick and running a fever. I got the stink eye from the clerk. I'm pretty sure I'll never be allowed in that store again.) I was also scheduled to start filling in for a preschool teacher who is on maternity leave. Today was supposed to be my first day. Of course. And, it ain't looking good for tomorrow, either. Sweet Pea is feeling worse today. She hasn't had a fever all year. I hate Murphy's Law.

However, I just have to share pictures from our beautiful day out last week. We spent the day with my dear friend, Suzanne and her adorable kids, N and L. L and Sweet Pea are a hoot together. As for N, he often has me wishing we could have just one more. (I said, WISHING. Don't get excited.)

For your viewing pleasure...

Excitement is in the air!

Is it just me, or does Sweet Pea look a little scared?! She is so cautious.

Posing on the frog slide...

How stinkin' cute is this?! I love his smile!

I'm thinking we have the next Heidi Klum here. What do you think? Ha!

They are getting so big.

Taking in a little train ride.

Simply adorable!

Can you tell it was time to go? L was having none of that.

Come on L. It was a fun day. We promise to come back again!

Would you like a cookie when we get to the car?

You would, huh?

Now, that's more like it!

A perfect day, indeed!

Bingo Anyone???

2011-02-20T16:30:00.002-06:00

Dear Nurse Boy,

I was thrilled that we could find the time to sneak in a date night with your CRAZY schedule this semester. I was even more excited when we got creative and planned a fun night out on a tight budget. It was an added bonus that the sitter was begging to watch the kids. I didn't even mind sharing a cheap burrito and a bag of chips with you for dinner. I didn't need a fancy restaurant and a pricey bill.

The improve comedy club was a fun place to relax and escape for the evening. It was a dive, but we were up for doing something different. I didn't even mind it when they made us practically sit on the laps of the young couple were we seated next to. The place was crowded and we may have been mistaken for a couple of sardines. Cozy can be nice. Plus, you and the gentleman next to us had a good laugh when you noticed you were practically holding hands. I was almost jealous. It was all a bit charming. Plus, I didn't have to share my Diet Coke with anyone who might leave gooey backwash in my cup or accidentally knock it over. I was game. It promised to be a delightful night of adult conversation and some forced snuggle time with the love of my life.

Then you opened your mouth.

Oh, My Love, it wasn't nearly as charming when you introduced me to the adorable and oh-so-young couple as a 37 year old stay-at-home mom with 3 children and a flip phone. I felt like I needed to pull out my bifocals, wrinkle cream, and brag about my latest Bingo win. Yes, I was drooling over their cool phones and longing to play a game of Angry Birds, since it seems to be all the rage. (I realize that last sentence makes me sound like an eighty year old grandma.) But, I was also laughing that they were sitting so close to one another, yet focused on the phones gently cradled in each of their hands.

So what that she didn't have anything that drooped, dragged, or sagged? Who cares that he didn't have a bald spot on the top of his head and his ears, nose, and chest weren't a scary, hairy forest? I'm just glad that I can leave my flip phone in my purse and focus on my carefully planned night away from some of my favorite energy suckers. I may be edging closer to middle age, but I think I am OK with that.

However, I am not OK with that particular introduction EVER AGAIN. Let's practice a new introduction, shall we... Something like, "This is my young, beautiful, glowing, talented, and intelligent wife." I think that will work. Ya know, simple and sweet.

I'll work on keeping my flip phone hidden. But, maybe I shouldn't give up on that wrinkle cream. We can keep that between us, right?

Love,
Your Young, Beautiful, Glowing, Talented, and Intelligent Wife

Love Was In the Air!

2011-02-18T16:34:00.002-06:00

Valentine's Day has come and gone... and my blog has yet to be updated. I love Valentine's Day. It falls after that stupid month, January, and right before the promise of spring. (Sweet Pea would say, "Stupid is NOT nice!" if she could read. Since she can't, I'm going to stick with it and call January what it is... STUPID... stupid cold, stupid snowy, stupid dark, stupid long.) I love to see the excitement of Valentine's Day through the eyes of my children. I used to love it back before Nurse Boy was in school for very selfish reasons. I had somehow convinced Nurse Boy that Valentine's Day should be NEVER be jewelry free. I mean, after a long January I needed something that sparkled. Sigh... those were the days! We have a new tradition... it is a bit cheaper and I think Nurse Boy might be a big fan.

I'm pretty sure the only thing that will sparkle in my future are pink sprinkles. Still, this box promises a private date, no kids, and special time with my hardworking husband. (For the record, I still like sparkly things ;0)

For the past 2 years, the kids have made homemade valentines! It makes my heart swell that they are excited about this tradition!

Don't you wish you could rock this headband?!

Sweet Pea and I had a special date on Valentine's Day. We headed to the mall to stuff her very own pink dog. She loved the whole experience. She helped stuff it...

and made a wish on it's new little heart. She tenderly placed the heart inside the dog and watched it get stitched up.

Of course it needed a bath right away, only to be followed by a good brushing.

She named her Elizabeth.

Then we spotted Elizabeth's puppy... and what kind of people would we be to separate a mom and her baby?!

Then we headed over to the food court for a little lunch. Sigh, I will miss Sweet Pea next year when she is partying with her classmates... I just might need something sparkly!

I love my little Valentines!!!!

Friday Fare!

2011-02-04T16:15:00.002-06:00

After 3 snow days... the boys went back to school!!! Bruiser may rock the snow dance, but I have been groovin' to the BACK TO SCHOOL dance all day. A friend of mine even took Sweet Pea for a play date this morning. Ahhhh, some sweet, sweet silence was had by this overworked mom! I got to clean the house and IT STAYED CLEAN!

(Of course, the kids are all home and it is trashed now...)

I love a good routine, so snow days are always bittersweet. I love the break from all of the running around, but it can also be even more work when we are all trapped inside. None of us are homebodies, so we all get a bit stir crazy. Hopefully this blizzard was the worst of it. If not, my kids might be in school well into July.

Well, it is Friday and I am going to keep posting some recipes for those of you who are all out of ideas. I have some recipes that our new to us that I can't wait to post. Today, I am going to post one of my go-to recipes.

It's no secret that we eat a lot of chicken around here. I also have Italian blood running through my veins, so I love a good pasta dish. Plus, I like to make use of all of the leftovers around here. And, let's not forget that I am a bit of a lazy cook. As a result, I have developed a basic recipe that I make a lot around here. I love it because I can change the veggies, cheese, pasta, or even meat and the dish is completely different.

Since you can adjust this recipe to your family's liking, I thought I would share it with all of you.

Playful Pasta

1 bag of whole wheat egg noodles
1 bag of frozen peas
6 Tablespoons of butter (and it isn't even a Paula Dean recipe!)
1 1/2 cups of mild cheddar cheese
2 cups of cooked and shredded chicken
1/2 teaspoon of garlic (or more)
2 Tablespoons of dried parsley

1. Cook both the pasta and peas according to the packaging and drain.

2. Place the pasta and peas in the pan you cooked the pasta in. Add the butter, garlic, and parsley.

3. Add (warm) chicken and cheese. Mix well.

4. Serve immediately!

Remember, you can change up the meat, the type of pasta, the vegetables (fresh or frozen), and the type of cheese. I have even been known to use fat free Italian dressing or olive oil in place of the butter. It just depends what I have in the pantry on any given night.

Another pointer? Buy those rotisserie chickens that they sell for $5 in the deli section of the grocery store whenever you can. I pull the meat off and place it in a freezer bag in my freezer. I always have shredded chicken on hand when I am in a pinch! This one tip keeps me sane when it's been a long day and I don't want to end my evening slaving over the stove... Which is pretty much EVERY night. (Throw wrestling raw chicken into the equation and you just might find me on the phone ordering a pizza to be delivered!)

Am I the only one who often feels like Cinderella? I'm NOT talking about the Cinderella with a magical Fairy Godmother, a beautiful gown, and glass slippers. I am talking the one with disheveled clothes, endless chores, and some rather talkative and demanding ~~children~~ mice. Thank goodness I DO have a Prince Charming!

Yep, I'm living the good life.

Actually, I am. It just isn't as glamorous or as stress free as I once imagined, but I wouldn't change a thing... most days.

Have a wonderful weekend!!

Stir Crazy

2011-02-02T18:15:00.001-06:00

We are getting ready to welcome our 3rd snow day this week, our 6th snow day this school year.

I need an IV of Diet Coke.... STAT!

Welcome to...

The Blizzard of Oz!

It all started the other day when Bruiser told me about all the ways he could make it snow...

by turning his pajamas inside out, flushing ice cubes down the toilet, sleeping with a spoon under his pillow, and doing the Snow Dance.

Needless to say, his siblings immediately joined in on his wishful thinking.

I even had to make sure they didn't actually believe all of this nonsense. They quickly reminded me that God makes it snow. (God and I are going to have a chat about that one when I get to heaven. Snow is pretty... about once a year. I am sooo over it.)

Two days later, we woke up to a blizzard. The city shut down and we started to feel like shutins. Oh, the kids loved it. Funny thing, they weren't out in the blizzard clearing the driveway or walkway. They didn't change their socks and pants several times. They didn't have snow blowing in their faces and taking their breath away.

The next day found us with around 10 inches of snow. Oh, and a snowblower that stopped working partnered with a broken shovel.

Nonetheless, the kids were full of smiles...

and creativity!

Bruiser has been baned from all of his snow tactics!

The snow piles are almost as tall as Sweet Pea.

OK, Spring... you are welcome to join us ANYTIME!!!

I'm a Cheater

2011-01-26T16:10:00.000-06:00

Yep. I cheated.

Just recently, in a weak I-hate-winter-therefore-I-hate-my-hair moment, I cheated on my hairdresser. (Is that even what they like to be called? Just typing that makes me feel like I am 85 years old and heading to the salon each week for a "wash-n-set.") I felt guilty sitting in the new salon, dressed in a freshly laundered black cape, answering questions about my hairstyle (or more like recent lack there of), all the while staring at a stranger. Not at all "my" Amanda.

Am I the only one who feels like I am being unfaithful when I try a new stylist? Like I should be sporting some kind of scarlet letter just for walking into a different hair salon?

That moment reminded me of another time I cheated. (Yep... Once a cheater, always a cheater.) Several years ago I was going to a lady who was very sweet and very affordable. Karla gave me cheap haircuts when I quit my job to stay home with Dimples. I was the only non-blue haired lady in the salon on any given day. (Except that really isn't true, since I have colored my hair FOREVER. I am pretty sure I'm sportin' my own blue hair under my streaks of highlights.) After several years with Karla, I mustered up all the nerve I could and made an appointment with a new stylist at a new salon. We had adjusted to our frugal lifestyle and the purse strings weren't nearly as tight. I thought maybe my hair should reflect that. (Yep, I can be a bit shallow.)

I had butterflies in my stomach as the young, hip, and oh-so-expensive gal walked me back to her shiny new chair. Instead of dumping water down the back of my shirt, she carefully massaged my scalp while shampooing my hair with something that smelled like heaven. She presented me with a Diet Coke and a fashion magazine. She was trendy. She made me feel young and suggested a new style to fit my personality.

Yep. I was smitten. Karla would never have to know. Never.

Just as I was feeling like a new woman and telling myself that Karla was long gone, I looked up at the new girl's certification. She was Karla's daughter!

I! KID! YOU! NOT! I had cheated on Karla with her daughter! What were the odds?!

Anyway, I am still feeling guilty about my latest failure to be faithful. This time the new lady is cheaper. Currently, cheaper is good as we tighten up our budget in order to get Nurse Boy through school.

Hopefully, Amanda will never find out.

But with my luck, I just went to her sister...

What Day is it?!

2011-01-25T12:50:00.001-06:00

Remember last week? The week I didn't blog and told you to be watching for a giveaway? The week that it snowed (AGAIN!) and the kids stayed home from school (AGAIN!)? The week that flew by and I didn't accomplish anything on my To-Do list? The week that Nurse Boy started back to school and we were slammed with surprise bills (YIKES!)?

Well, let's just pretend that week never even happened, shall we?

I already feel better.

So, now that we all agree that last week never happened, let me share some pictures of an exciting event that happened last weekend (or the weekend before last, but WHATEVER)...

We took the kids to...

The Great Wolf Lodge!!!!

(Thanks to a Christmas present from Grandma & Grandpa Nurse Boy.)

Great Wolf is a local hotel with an indoor water park. I believe all of my kids would agree that it is a little slice of heaven during a dreary, cold, snowy winter.

We spent the first day getting wet...

and we spent the evening in our pajamas for story time, hot chocolate, movies, family time and rest.

Bright and early the next morning, the kids couldn't wait to swim some more...

Our toes and fingers looked like prunes, but no one cared...

Yes...

Fun...

Was Had...

By...

ALL!!!!

Dusting Off the Friday Fare!

2011-01-14T17:55:00.003-06:00

Yep. I am going to start posting some of our favorite recipes once again. I enjoy writing them down for my kids. Hopefully it will bring back memories when they read these posts. Hopefully they will be positive memories, not the kind of memories that has them seated all alone at the kitchen table with a plateful of cold broccoli. Or, in my case, memories of their brother still sitting at the kitchen table with a cold plate of anything green long into the wee hours of the night. Ha!

This has been a bit of a crazy week. We started off the week with 7 inches of snow and 2 snow days for the kids. This week I have seen my fair share of sleds and wet socks, gloves, and undies. Yes, undies. I love how boys view an open area of white snow as uncharted territory to be explored. As in every. single. square. inch. Oh, and making the perfect snowball is an art form. If they only viewed laundry as an art form. As in washing, folding, and putting it away.

Needless to say, the washing machine and I were ready for them to go back to school.

Since it has been bitterly cold, I have turned on my oven for a little baking fun. Here is a recipe that is a new favorite around here:

Apple Spice Snack Cake

Ingredients:

1 box Spice Cake Mix

1 package sugar free instant vanilla pudding

1 1/2 cup natural applesauce

4 eggs

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 or 3 tart apples, peeled and chopped (add after the batter is mixed)

Throw everything in one bowl and mix well. Gently stir in the apples last.

Place the batter in a greased 13x9 pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees.

This is the perfect snack cake. It isn't too sweet and is delicious served warm or cold. It is the perfect homemade after school treat when I'm feeling a little June Cleaver like... minus the pearls... and the never ending patience. I guess I would have a lot more patience if all of our problems were solved in 30 minutes flat. Ha! If only...

Have a wonderful weekend! Come back next week... I have a giveaway!!

Because No One Should Ever Have a Bad Hair Day

2011-01-11T15:10:00.000-06:00

Take a LOOK...

Someone's...

got...

a...

NEW...

'do!

What a gift!

2011-01-06T21:43:00.000-06:00

Mr. Nurse Boy here. (Yeah, it's been a while.)

We have done our best to keep our kids as innocent as possible. Dimples learned about the birds and the bees reading the Bible for goodness sakes. We are at a loss as to how to address his Christmas gift for Mrs. Nurse boy this year:

So, do you think he thought this was funny because he is calling his mom a bad girl? Why do you think Dimples thinks Santa would be more jolly knowing about these bad girls? Is it so he can avoid hair pulling, scratching, and being talked about behind his back by avoiding these bad girls? Or is it so he can avoid their homes, skip the trip down their chimney, and leave the underside of their tree barren (which is quite the opposite of what the cup is implying)?

Is it wrong that we think this is so funny and a little bit alarming at the same time?

The worst part is Dimples was with his maternal grandma and grandpa when he purchased this gift. Do you think they actually read it? Do you think they were so uncomfortable they just avoided it, or do you think they thought it would be hilarious to let him give his mother this gift? I can't wait to talk to Dimples about this in the years to come!

Something tells me he will turn 5 shades of red.

In the meantime, he keeps asking his mom why she isn't drinking out of her new cup...

New Year, New Look, New Goals...

2011-01-04T20:10:00.002-06:00

Same Old Me.

So, it is 2011. How did that happen? The years seem to fly by, yet the days sometimes have a way of dragging on and on. Still, I find myself trying to dodge the "r" word... you know the one... resolutions. Yes, it is that time of year when I dust off the treadmill and rid the cabinets of junk food. (My kids always complain that I make them eat healthy, pack healthy lunches, and monitor what they put in their mouths. They just don't know about my hiding places. ;0) I love pushing myself to be a better person, but I hate failing. Regardless, I have made a few resolutions.

My first resolution (and the only one I will bore you with) is to get my bloggy grove back. This blog is, first and foremost, a gift to my children. I plan to publish this for them. (I'm hoping it will make up for the fact that Sweet Pea doesn't have a baby book. Yep. I am one of THOSE moms.) Secondly, I have LOVED "meeting" all of you. I honestly have bloggy friendships that I value and treasure.

So, after taking a month off, I plan to continue blogging whether you like it or not. :0)

Now, to get you caught up...

December was filled with a whole lot of family fun. Here is a picture of the kids on our annual trip to see Christmas lights. (Have NO idea why Dimples was making that face.) They never know which night it will be, until we tell them to put on warm jammies BEFORE dinner. Then we pack everyone in the car, hit a drive thru, and drive around until bedtime. It is one of my favorite traditions.

We have also enjoyed spending a lot of time with this guy! He has 5 full weeks off from school and we are trying to enjoy every moment with him before the next semester makes him a stranger to us.

We spent Christmas Eve the same way Mary and Joseph did... minus the labor pains, so maybe not EXACTLY the same way. We went to my parents' church and sat right next to a cow, a donkey, and a lamb. (Yes, we got to see the cow poop. C'mon, I know you were wondering. And, yes, it may have been the highlight of the evening for the boys. Pray for me, people.)

The kids LOVED it and I thought we were going to go home with a pet donkey. (I won't lie, it was kind of cute... smelly, but cute.)

We came home and celebrated with my family. We always end the night with a birthday cake for Jesus. Here they are blowing out the candles.

Christmas morning was filled with noise... and not just the moans from the parents who were up past 2 am putting together a kitchen set for Sweet Pea that is fit for a princess. (Seriously, it is wrong to be jealous of your daughter's play kitchen? I mean, why does SHE get granite?!) Bruiser can play a mean Paper Jams Guitar. He is a natural rocker... and, I'm not sure that is a good thing!

Dimples even got a piano playing t-shirt. Yep, there is NO escaping the noise!

Sweet Pea also got this adorable dollhouse with wooden dolls and magnetic outfits. (It doesn't make noise or require batteries... I LOVE it!)

I'm afraid all of the boys spent a lot of their break doing this. I hardly recognize their handsome faces now that we are back to our regular routine... which means game play is only on the "Wii"kends.

And, check out Nurse Boy's new toy!!!!! (This is pretty much my view of him most nights. :0) Santa really came through for him! I think my parents may have felt sorry for him when they heard about us getting up at 3:30 am on Black Friday only to come home tired and empty handed. (That was the first and LAST time we will get excited about a deal on Black Friday. Lesson learned. The hard way.)

Happy New Year! Hope you all had a blessed Christmas!

Just Some "Stuff"

2010-12-01T21:00:00.000-06:00

Life.

Sometimes it weighs heavy.

Sometimes it blesses me beyond my own comprehension.

Lately, it has been weighing a bit heavy. (Funny how my blogging always gets really light when my life doesn't always seems so funny.)

Truthfully, I KNOW I am blessed. Very blessed. I KNOW my life could be much more complicated. But, KNOWING that doesn't always make it easier.

This year has been so full of hope and frustration. I find hope in our future. I love that my husband is going to school and pursuing a dream. I am honored to support him as he works towards an amazing goal that will allow him more opportunities and control over his career. I happen to know that he is a gifted and talented nurse. I can only imagine what a blessing he will be once he is a Nurse Practitioner. I am honored to be on this journey with him. I truely love and respect him more than he will ever know. I am his biggest fan.

But, before you sound the Disney princess music and imagine the words, "And they lived happily ever after," across my blog, let me share that I am also FRUSTRATED. Not with my husband, but with my circumstances.

Recently, I was laid off from my very part-time job as a preschool teacher. Sure, I only worked 12 hours a week and my paychecks were slightly laughable, but I FELT like I was bringing something to the table. It added some dimension to my life. It was something I enjoyed. So, I struggled to find my new normal as the 2010-2011 school year started up and my job ended.

I sought God as I poured myself into several new opportunities. I was feeling a little bitter and confused. I have LOVED staying home with my kids, but it felt like it might be time for me to start working again. Time for me to focus on some of MY dreams. After all, I have completely given up my career. I haven't officially taught in the classroom for over 10 years. Who would hire me? Could I even be the teacher I once was? Honestly, I have spent the last 11 years pouring into everyone else BUT me. I started to feel slighted. OK, maybe even a bit selfish. I am not saying all of my feelings were rational, but that's how I was feeling. I adore my family, but I was wondering when something... anything... could be about me. (Yeah, throwing a pity party is never good, but I seem to throw them every now and again. I am woman, hear me roar.)

After about 2 months of feeling a bit sorry for myself (and guilty for feeling that way), God clearly told me that I am supposed to just STAY HOME this year. I am not supposed to worry about paying the bills. I am not suppose to worry about Nurse Boy's school. I am not supposed to worry about Nurse Boy's schedule. I am not even suppose to worry about next year. I am suppose to stay home and embrace my purpose during this season of our lives. I came home and told Nurse Boy what I had been feeling and what I thought God was telling me to do. To be honest, I may have shed a few tears. It didn't completely make sense to me, but with the support of my God and my husband, it would be OK. Plus, obedience is usually followed by blessings and I'll take as many of those I can get!

The very next day, the phone rang. It was an amazing part-time job opportunity, complete with free preschool for Sweet Pea. The offer came from a sweet friend of mine who needed help in her third grade classroom. After praying with Nurse Boy, we knew it was a test. I turned down the offer and put my trust in God. Most days it is easy. Some days it can be frustrating. But, I do KNOW that I am right where I am supposed to be and there is peace in knowing that.

Oh, I still fight worry. I am concerned about next semester when Nurse Boy has to cut back at work to make time for a demanding class. I am still not sure how we will pay all of the bills, but I am trusting God. And, the biggest blessing has been my husband's support. He has been listening to all of my frustrations and concerns with an open mind. On one particular evening, he listened to me as I fought with my conflicted emotions. He turned to me and said that he would stop going to school right now if I wanted to pursue one of my dreams. He was serious. He doesn't know how much I needed to hear that. It put everything in perspective. He would do the same for me.

I pray God uses me to encourage my husband when balancing work, school, and family seems like too much.

And, I thank God that my husband is MY biggest fan.

Things That Make Me Smile

2010-11-22T17:24:00.000-06:00

I'm a bit late in posting this sweet little picture story. These pictures were taken at my parents' church over Halloween weekend.

Sweet Pea (or should I say, my Cheerleader) found a new love.

We all know that she's fond of all things pink. But, the girl means business if it is PINK, SWEET, & STICKY!

Meet her new love: COTTON CANDY!

Ah, yes... a face only a mother could love!

Thank goodness she cleans up well! ;0)

Friday Fare!

2010-11-12T16:15:00.002-06:00

It is Friday. Finally. It has been a busy, fun week but I am heading into a weekend where I get to spend some uninterrupted time with Nurse Boy. Saturday can't get here soon enough!

This year has been full and busy. Nurse Boy is taking one more credit hour this semester and it has really been noticed by the rest of the family. It is always hard to balance family, work, church, and extra curricular activities. Throwing in school for Nurse Boy has brought on a whole new batch of challenges. Whew! I know it will be worth it. I always want to support my husband in his dreams, no matter how big or small they may be. It will be a blessing to watch God put Nurse Boy's gifts and talents to use in some new and mighty ways once all of this is over, but I would be lying if I said it was never a struggle. Financially it is a struggle. Emotionally it can be a struggle. But, the biggest struggle for me has been TIME. I love to spend time with my husband and right now that is a precious commodity.

This weekend marks my being another year closer to 40. (Can you tell that I am not exactly embracing that milestone? Thankfully I still have a few more years to come to terms with it.) All I want for my birthday is some much needed time alone with my husband. Good thing, too, since that is all we can afford. (HA!) My parents are going to take all 3 of the kids for 24 blessed hours. That is the best birthday present ever. (That and a fancy-smancy camera, but beggars can't be choosers. Not when your husband is in school anyway...) I am thrilled to have some alone time without any ankle bitters around. I love my ankle bitters, but they constantly have demands. I need just one day off. (But I wouldn't be opposed to a week in Hawaii either.)

This weekend also marks the beginning of our holiday season. Dimples and Bruiser also have November birthdays, only to be followed by Thanksgiving and Christmas. Receipts are dancing in my head just thinking about it. Yikes!

Today it is rainy and cool outside. It is the prefect day for some homemade mac-n-cheese. I am not normally a fan of mac-n-cheese, but I have searched for a more grown up version so I could enjoy my kids' favorite dish with them. Today I will share my version of mac-n-cheese.

Mighty Macaroni & Cheese

Ingredients:
3 Tablespoons of butter
2 Tablespoons of flour
3 cups of milk (I use skim)
2 1/2 cups of macaroni
3 cups of milk
3 (generous) cups of sharp or extra sharp cheddar cheese
4-6 oz of prosciutto (Italian Ham that is oh-so-good!)

1. Melt the butter and flour over medium heat. Stir.
2. Add the milk and mix well. Let this simmer on medium heat ~~for what will seem like forever~~ until the sauce thickens. This will take anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, cook the macaroni per the directions on the box.

4. Once sauce is ready, add the sharp cheddar cheese. Mix well.
5. Add to the cooked macaroni.
6. Add torn pieces of prosciutto to the pasta and sauce. (I like to heat the ham on both sides before I tear it up, but that is not necessary.)
7. Place the mac-n-cheese in greased 8x8 pan or casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees for 10- 30 minutes... basically, until it is heated through.

(This is a pretty horrible picture, but you get the idea.)

Everyone in my family loves this stuff. It is a little more work than I normally like to give myself for any given meal ~~that will be devoured in about 30 seconds flat~~, but on a cool fall night it is totally worth it!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Friday Fare!

2010-11-05T14:55:00.002-05:00

It is finally Friday and we are headed into a relaxing weekend. We haven't had one of those in a long time. As a matter of a fact, my kids know they had better leave us alone Saturday morning when they climb out of bed and stumble around in the dark. They can get up early, but Nurse Boy and I will not be joining them!

This is also the weekend that signals the end of daylight savings time. We are supposed to eagerly set our clocks back an hour as we lay our heads down on Saturday night. We are then supposed to go to bed believing that we will wake up in well rested bliss since we have been given the precious gift of an extra hour of sleep. What a great theory. And, if you subscribe to that theory, YOU DON'T HAVE YOUNG CHILDREN IN YOUR HOME. All I know is I haven't enjoyed my extra hour for the entire 10 plus years that I have been a parent. Instead of my children waking up in a glorious mood at the early hour of 7 AM, they will now emerge from their beds in a grumpy, groggy state at the ridiculous hour of 6 AM (or earlier!). We will all resemble grumpy bears and our house will resemble a dark cave. Daylight savings, I already miss you. And, to those of you that will enjoy an extra hour of glorious sleep: I don't want to hear about it! Keep it to yourself and no one will get hurt.

Moving on... (The bitterness only lasts for about a week...)

I have gotten out of the habit of posting a recipe on Fridays, so I am going to try to get back into the groove. This challenges me to continue to search for new favorite recipes. Today I am going to share a recipe that has one of my favorite ingredients in it: PUMPKIN. I simply cannot get enough!

Applesauce Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients:
1 box spice cake mix
1 15 oz. can pumpkin
1/3 cup applesauce
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla

Gently mix all ingredients together. Fill greased muffin cups 3/4 full and bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes.

These are a hit around here. They are great for breakfast and snacks. Plus, they just scream fall to me.

Have a wonderful weekend. Here's hoping someone out there gets to enjoy their extra hour in the form of sleep!

A Fond Farewell

2010-11-03T18:50:00.002-05:00

Yes, it is time...

Time to dig through the van and recycle those empty Gatorade bottles...

Time to rid the van of chairs (and make way for my groceries again)...

Time to wash those stinky shinguards for the very last time...

Time to say goodbye to soccer, if only for a few months.

I may be claiming my Saturdays back (and my wind blown hair), but we will miss the soccer fields terribly!

Bruiser was on fire this season! We finally found a great coach who saw potential in our Bruiser. He worked him hard and challenged him to be a leader on his team. He was the top scorer of the season! It was so fun watching him discover his talent on the soccer field. He really has a gift.

Dimples is talented, fast, and a team player. I am always amazed at his loyalty to his team. Overall, his team had a pretty rough season. But that didn't matter, he always remained positive. He isn't afraid of a challenge and is always willing to give it his all. He is definitely a positive leader for his team! Plus, they can almost always count on him to score a goal right when the moral is getting low.

Then we have Sweet Pea. Well, she wasn't exactly fast.... and, I wouldn't say she displayed any talent. As a matter of a fact, I am not really sure she knew what sport she was playing while she ran around the field with her pigtails blowing in the wind and sporting the world's biggest smile. Oh, she had fun. Tons of fun. But, we have yet to see if this is her sport of choice. One things for sure, she had the cutest little team on any given field. They may have pulled out only one victory, but they were stinkin' cute!

Soccer, you will be missed! See you in the spring!!

Things That Make Me Smile

2010-11-01T20:00:00.002-05:00

A night of family fun during our annual carving of the pumpkins...

Lots of smiles...

Plenty of gooey fingers...

Lots of laughter...

Steady hands...

Delightful creations...

Plenty of patience...

And, most importantly, finished products!!!

A Precious Moment

2010-10-28T17:30:00.004-05:00

On this incredible, exhausting, exciting, scary, amazing, demanding, fantastic journey that is parenting, there are some moments that really bless my socks off. Most of them involve watching each of my children develop a strong faith for the Lord.

A faith I never had as a child.

A faith that is second nature to them.

A faith that is all their own.

A faith, I pray, they never turn away from.

Last Sunday Bruiser was baptized. He was so excited! It was a decision he made all on his own. It was a decision of obedience and a way to display his love for Jesus. Jesus, himself, was baptized out of loving obedience to His Father God, and to set an example for us to follow. Jesus' own baptism marked the beginning of His ministry here on earth at the age of thirty.

I can only imagine the ministry that lies ahead for my precious 7 year old!

One thing I know for sure: God has special plans for you, Bruiser!

"Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." Matthew 28:19

The Perfect Parent

2010-10-27T11:40:00.002-05:00

My kids are driving me crazy!

There. I said it.

I am not the perfect parent, nor do I have the perfect kids.

Oh, sure, they are usually a joy... when it isn't really early in the morning, really late at night, time to sit down to any given meal (when at least one of them always whines, "Do I HAVE to eat THAT?!"), or when we are making an exhausted effort to actually get somewhere on time (which practically never happens), So, basically, that leaves a good hour of pure joy each day.

Lately, our kids have been a bit "off."

My sweet princess has taken to saying, "NO!," lying about the most unimportant things, and disobeying just for the sake of disobeying. Most of my days are spent correcting, scolding, and speaking words of truth into her life. Sometimes she listens. Sometimes I feel like she puts both of her fingers in her ears, closes her eyes, and hums as loud as she can.

My thoughtful middle child has been moody, emotional, and hard to get along with. All of my suggestions, from the breakfast cereal of choice right down to which pencil to use to complete his homework, are refused. He has decided to do everything his own way, even if my way is quicker, safer, and uses plain old common sense.

My overachieving firstborn is becoming more independent and very active in extra curricular activities. He often over commits himself and struggles to manage his time accordingly. Many nights go far too late as he seems to believe he is capable of doing it all on his own. He only cries out for help when it often seems too late.

Nurse Boy and I are exhausted. Each kid has been throwing us curve balls. We have been taking action to rally the team to support, encourage, and respect one another. We have prayed for wisdom and peace.

One thing became immediately clear; our middle child was feeling left out. Nurse Boy helped coach the other two kids' soccer teams this season, causing him to miss several of Bruiser's games and all of his practices. Bruiser was feeling left out. Unfortunately, his horrible, ungrateful attitude often made us angry. We weren't able to see the actual problem for far too long.

Once we realized the cause of Bruiser's bad case of the grumpies, Nurse Boy planned a surprise night out for just the two of them. As Nurse Boy and I were discussing what they could do together, Nurse Boy (half jokingly) said, "I should just take him where I want to go, since he doesn't deserve it anyway."

Then, it hit me like a TON OF BRICKS: I am no different than my kids. What am I "deserving" of?

Sure, my Abba Father IS perfect, but I am a mess. A hopeless mess. I have said, "NO!," disobeyed, and even lied to myself about my behavior. I, too, have been grumpy, rude, and ungrateful. I have also been known to cry out for help when I am overcommitted and I have made a huge mess because I was determined to do it all on my own.

No, Bruiser didn't "deserve" a night out with his father. It is no different from the daily blessings that I receive. I don't deserve them. Any of them. Heck, sometimes I fail to even recognize them. Yes, I fall short. More often than I care to admit. I am not a perfect child, but I AM a child of God. I am a child of a perfect, forgiving, merciful, loving God. A God who has blessed me with 3 kids who continue to show me God's forgiveness and Jesus' willingness to sacrifice it all for God's children.

I KNOW I drive God crazy, yet He still loves and blesses me. I think I will try to spend more time with my fingers out of my ears, my eyes wide open, and my heart ready to hear all that God has planned for me.

Now, let's just hope my own children will do the same...

Go Pink or Go Home!

2010-10-19T09:27:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I shared some pictures of our recent trip to the Pumpkin Patch. It was a beautiful day and everyone had a wonderful time. It was a memorable one, but not because of the wonderful company and nice weather. Nope. Sweet Pea pulled a little stunt that made us all laugh. And, we are still laughing about it.

You see, once we ventured out to the actual patch to pick out our pumpkins, she wandered all over the patch. She is usually right by our sides, but not on this particular day. We smiled as we watched her explore the patch, completely unaware that she was on a mission. (One we would have deemed impossible had we known what is was.) We kept an eye on her as she wandered farther and farther away. She was ever-so-carefully looking at pumpkins, touching pumpkins, and picking up pumpkins. After a while, we let her know it was time to pick out her pumpkin so we could head back. Finally, she excitedly scooped up a pumpkin and practically skipped back over to us.

The walk was long...

The mission seemed impossible...

She proudly brought forth...

the pinkest...

pumpkin in the patch!

Leave it to this girl to search for a pink pumpkin! While it isn't pink, I must admit it is the closest to pink I have ever seen a pumpkin.

Can you say, "OBSESSED?"

A Perfect Fall Outing

2010-10-18T16:20:00.003-05:00

Last Friday the boys didn't have school and Nurse Boy took the day off. We made it a family day and took the kids to a family-owned Pumpkin Patch. It was the perfect way to celebrate the beauty of fall! We took in some fresh air, got covered in dirt, selected the perfect pumpkins right off the vine, and ended the day with apple cider slushies.

Here they are at the beginning of the day... clean, calm, and cheerful. (Except for the fact that Bruiser has his arms around Sweet Pea's throat. Hmmm...)

I love it when I get all those baby blues looking in my direction.

They are simply crazy... and they come by it honestly!

Pumpkins and mums... don't they just scream FALL?!

They are keepers. All three of them.

Leave it to the boys to find the hay bales.

Next, we ran through the maze of hay bales.

And, took a peek at the cows.

Bruiser was in heaven. He practically rolled in the dirt.

The afternoon was capped off with a hayride out to the pumpkin patch where the kids searched for the perfect pumpkin to carry home.

With the help of that pumpkin, Dimples was officially taller than me. I am afraid he won't need the help of a pumpkin come next year.

It was a wonderful day. I am thrilled I got to spend it with four amazing people.

Confession Time

2010-10-12T14:00:00.002-05:00

Dear Bruiser,

One of these days you will notice that your first grade plant is missing. I am not sure exactly how I will try to dance around the truth, but you are smart. You know my obsession with keeping things clutter free. You know that the trash can is often the answer to my clutter woes. You have found out the hard way. Your plant has not been spared from my clutter free binges.

Yes, Bruiser, I threw away your beloved plant. It wasn't my fault. I had to. It was mocking me.

You see, Mrs. S grew that plant over the course of your fabulous 1st grade year. She cut off the "spuddlings" and sent each of her students home with a plant of their very own. A plant to watch grow and blossom just as each one of you did in first grade. And, grow and blossom you did! What a wonderful year it was for you.

The plant was supposed to be a refreshing reminder of your 1st grade year. However, I don't do plants. Oh sure, Mrs. S assured me that you couldn't mess this one up. I assured her that if anyone could put it to the test, it would be me.

And, Bruiser, I don't lie.

Yes, son, you were faithful to water the plant. (Most of the time.) It sat in my kitchen as a constant reminder of me having yet another living thing to take care of (of which I am clearly not capable). It didn't die, yet it refused to grow. It didn't grow taller. It didn't spawn new leaves. It didn't blossom and fill my kitchen with new life. There it remained; one lonely leaf on a short, little pathetic stem.

It was mocking me. I began to hear it laugh at me as I cleaned around it. That is when I decided I couldn't take it anymore. I declared it clutter and chucked it in the trash.

Please forgive me. While I will never give you the gift of a green thumb, I do hope to give you the gift of keeping a clean, clutter free home. Right or wrong, I have decided organization is much better than a green thumb. Mostly because my thumb has failed me for many years now. I will continue to raise you with the slogan, "When in doubt, throw it out!" I am sure your future wife will be forever grateful. And if she isn't, let her do the gardening.

Love,
Your Mom
(Who thinks watching YOU grow and blossom is nothing short of AMAZING. Plants... not so much.)

Because Everyone Needs a Little Pumpkin in Their Lives...

2010-10-06T18:03:00.000-05:00

and in their kitchen.

I love fall. Honestly, I love spring and summer, too. It is the nasty winter I could live without. Except during the month of December. I like it to be cold and a little snowy while I enjoy the Christmas lights. By the time January rolls around, I am over it. And, that is an understatement.

But, at this very moment, my obsession is fall. I love the smell. I love the cool evenings and warm days. I love the mums. Most importantly, I love the pumpkins. I like to decorated with them, carve them, and eat them. I really love to eat them.

Today I will share a SIMPLE recipe that is sure to bring the pumpkin lover out in you. All you need are 2 basic ingredients... if you can even call them ingredients. It is kind of a cheater recipe, if you will. I can be a bit of a lazy baker. Meet my close friends this time of year:

Yep, a box of spice cake mix and canned pumpkin. Put them together and you get magic!

Seriously, take those two ingredients and mix together well. Feel free to add a little allspice or cinnamon to taste, but that isn't even necessary.

Now, you can do three things with this batter.

1. You can add 1 cup of semisweet chocolate chips. Drop teaspoon sized "blobs" (that is a technical baking term, in case you were wondering) onto a greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

2. You can add nothing, drop "blobs" onto a greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Let cool and frost with cream cheese frosting.

3. Get completely lazy and just bake a cake by placing the dough in a greased 13x9 pan and baking at 350 degrees for about 30-35 minutes. Let cool and frost with cream cheese frosting.

What's not to love about these recipes?! I am wrapping some of these up for my kids' teachers tonight.

Happy Fall! Eat some pumpkin for me...

Monday's Random Musings

2010-10-04T18:50:00.002-05:00

It is Monday, yet again. The boys have the day off, so we spent the day being lazy. I got "all crazy" and let them play video games... for as long as they wanted. It amazes me just how long they will sit there and stare at the screen, pushing buttons, and talking to the cartoon images on the TV. I am pretty sure they lost a few brain cells today. Oh, well. We all needed a lazy day. Mine was spent folding an abnormal amount of laundry. I think I, too, lost a few brain cells.

Time for some randomness..

* I love listening to Sweet Pea sing "Hallelujah" repeatedly while dancing around the living room with her arms raised to the heavens.

* It is almost as entertaining as me trying to spell "hallelujah." Seriously.

* Spell check was invented just for me. You are welcome.

* I may be a "retired" elementary school teacher, but I have never been able to spell to save my life.

* Nurse Boy is of no help to me in this area. He, too, struggles with spelling.

* Miraculously, both of our boys are awesome at spelling, no thanks to us.

* It is officially fall now that I have some bright yellow mums sitting on my front porch.

* I am celebrating fall by searching for pumpkin recipes. I simply cannot get enough pumpkin this time of year. It is my obsession.

* Don't even get me started on candy corn and peanuts. So good. And, pretty.

* This weekend we had a garage sale. I can't even to begin to explain the rush I get every. single. time. someone pays me for something I almost threw away. I LOVE to purge! Love, love, love it! The fact that I get to make a little cash makes it even more delightful!

* Some neighbor boys came inside the house today and reported that our house smells like "candy." I guess my new apple cider candles are actually hiding the cat box smell. I am always afraid our house smells like a huge cat box. YUCK!

* Last night, we spent the evening sitting around our fire pit. Drinking homemade hot chocolate on a crisp fall evening while sitting around a fire with my family is definitely a little slice of heaven. Loved. It.

Happy Fall, Y'all!!

Inside of Me

2010-09-29T23:10:00.002-05:00

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

It was 2 years ago that our family started on what seemed like a scary journey. God was literally pushing and shoving us out of our comfort zone. I was the one in the family with both hands and both feet spread across the doorway frame; bracing myself, fighting with God, crying out for my comfort zone.

God was calling us to leave our church of 10 years. Not only that, but He was calling us out of our comfort zone. I knew it was the right thing to do. I had seen all of the doors close. Some of them even slammed in my face. I had some personal things I needed to change. We had some convictions that we needed to address. I was ready to grow, but I never could have prepared myself for all of the changes.

I THOUGHT I knew why God was calling for major change in our lives. Reflecting back, it was only the tip of the iceberg. I had no idea all He was going to do in our lives. In many ways, I still don't. He is still moving. And, sometimes, I find I am still bracing myself. Truth be told, with all of my being, I want to let go of the door frame and just trust Him. Sounds so easy, yet sometimes I struggle.

Over the last 2 years, the Sanctus Real song, "Whatever You're Doing" has been my theme song. I am certain it was written just for me. (You are welcome.) Here is the chorus:

Whatever you're doing inside of me

It feels like chaos, somehow there's peace

It's hard to surrender to what I can't see

but I'm giving in to something heavenly

That song often moves me to tears. Chaos and peace: that pretty much sums up the last 2 years. Yes, it is possible to live with both. I have and I still am.

Reflecting back on my life over the last 10 years (give or take), I had made some poor choices. Choices that I, alone, made. No one made them for me. I blame no one else but my own reflection in the mirror. I own my decisions. From the moment I had Dimples and started to stay home to raise my babies, I found a comfort zone and STAYED THERE.

I wasn't a light. My family wasn't a light. Oh sure, I served in my church. I think serving in your church is essential. But, I wasn't serving OUTSIDE of my church. To Christians or non-Christians. And, I wasn't being ministered to by other believers OUTSIDE of my church. Believers that (gasp!) may not even see everything just as I do.

For many years, I chose to live my life in a comfortable, Christian bubble. I liked to surround myself with people who parented just like me, who restricted the same TV shows in their homes, who banned the same music, who had most of the same values as me, who wouldn't question my morals, etc. The list goes on and on. It was comfortable not having to explain my positions; my convictions. I didn't want anyone to rock my boat. What if they did and I had to walk on water?!

Truthfully, no one is going to shake my core foundation, unless I let them. I believe in protecting my children. I believe in having friends with similar beliefs. I believe in living with convictions. But, the Mama Bear in me was making our cave far too dim. We are called to shine His light. In the Bible it tells us that we are aliens in this world. So, guess what God did to our family?

He threw us out into the world.

He popped my "perfect" bubble.

He called us out of our church to a larger church with new believers (and even "seekers") every Sunday. He told us to place our children in public schools, after several years of sacrificing to afford a private, Christian school. He called us to be leaders. He called us to be different. He called us to be OK with explaining our beliefs when someone inquires. He called us to teach our children to be leaders, not followers. He called us to comfort our children when someone thinks they are different. He called us to guide our children now, so later on they can't be shaken. He called us to be a light.

I pray we are bright, blinding, shining beams. Each one of us.

This is our journey. Please know that I don't mean to imply anything other than that. Yours may look completely different. I won't judge you. One of the things that makes God so amazing is His plan for each one of us. It doesn't have to look the exactly the same in structure or stature, but the foundation is rock solid.

That rock is Jesus Christ.

Thank you, Jesus.

I am going to pry my fingers off of the door frame now...

The Princess and the Cleats

2010-09-22T13:15:00.005-05:00

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

Soccer session is in full swing. All three of our kids are playing this year. Each Saturday, as we run around town with water bottles, shinguards, and stinky cleats, it becomes more and more clear:

We have officially lost our minds.

But, there is no where I'd rather be on a cool, fall day than sitting in my comfy chair cheering for my precious kids from the sidelines.

Unless it is an 8 AM game. At 8 AM, my bed and I like to remain close. Very close.

Dimples and Bruiser started playing soccer when they were just 4 years old. They are both pretty talented players and really shine on the soccer field. So, keeping with tradition, Sweet Pea can now be spotted on the soccerfields with the best of them. We all LOVE watching her play! If you ever need a laugh, go watch 4 year olds play soccer. I promise your stomach with hurt from laughing too much. The boys and I giggle through each quarter.

Nurse Boy is the assistant coach for Sweet Pea's team.

Here she is really to dominate!

(Not really, but let's pretend. So far, she hasn't displayed the same aggresion the boys had at this age.)

Doesn't she look like a pro here? I am afraid this was before the game started. I don't think her foot even got near the ball during the game.

No matter... she looked the part!

This was taken after the 50th goal (or so it seemed, I had lost count) was scored on them. She cracks me up!

Running...

I'm not so sure we have the next Mia Hamm on our hands, but she is having a blast and so are we!

Monday's Random Musings

2010-09-20T08:50:00.002-05:00

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

It is Monday. I am tired. I need to straighten up the house, run some (not so fun) errands, and (of course) do a few loads of laundry. Sounds exciting, huh?!

Time for some randomness...

* My closet is a MESS. I really need to do something about it, but the sight of it paralyzes me. I think I will just close the door and ignore it.

* A few weeks ago we thought we heard a squirrel in the attic. We immediately called a company to go check out the situation. $149 and 20 minutes later, the overpaid man in the jumpsuit tells us we have mice in the attic. Another $16 later, Nurse Boy enters the attic with enough traps to make the mice pack up and move. He catches nothing... because we don't have mice. No critters. Just some cobwebs. And, a depleted bank account. Apparently, we were just imagining things.

* It is expensive to use your imagination.

* Yesterday I found my husband watching football in our bedroom while laying on a pile of clean laundry. I couldn't believe my eyes. When I inquired as to why in the world wasn't he FOLDING the laundry, he looked surprised. In his defense, he said he was "resting gently beside our clothes" and he was eventually going to fold them. (Liar!)

* You will be happy to know that I let him live.

* This year the kids will be spending every Sunday evening at Awana while Nurse Boy and I will have a weekly date night. We all are loving it!

* I NEED an eyebrow wax ASAP! It is surprising just how happy that can make me feel. It is an instant pick me up.

* It is starting to feel like fall and I am loving it! And, craving all things pumpkin.

* Pumpkin + hot chocolate= 2 of my favorite fall things. Not necessarily together.

* Bruiser pulled his first all nighter at a sleepover this weekend. He came home in tears and begging to go straight to bed. He spent the day redefining the word "crabby."

* Note to self: NO MORE sleepovers for Bruiser. My patience can't take it.

Happy Monday!

Come back next TUESDAY for a fabulous giveaway from CSN stores!!! Yet another chance to win an opportunity to do some online shopping for FREE! I love giving stuff away!

Friday Fare!

2010-09-17T11:10:00.001-05:00

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

It is Friday. Did you just hear me let out a sigh? It has been one of those weeks. This week has been bad, yucky, awful, wonderful, amazing, fun, and exhausting. Most importantly, God has really helped me get through the week. He has given me wisdom and encouragement when I have needed it the most.

The beginning of every school year sparks a lot of change in our home. This is probably the first year I have felt incredibly flexible. My schedule looks NOTHING like I thought it would, and I am surprisingly OK with that. The control freak in me would not have faired so well a few years back. But, I won't take any of the credit. God gets all of the glory. He has changed me. He is directing me. He has plans for me. He has plans for my entire family. Who am I to get in the way of that?! I think I will just move over and let him work.

He makes everything so much easier.

Speaking of easier... Do you know what's for dinner? I get that question from my kids several times every evening starting around 4 PM. Truthfully, having 3 playing soccer this year, all of their after school activities, Nurse Boy's school, and my volunteer activities has made meal planning a bit frustrating. I mean, we can heat up only so many frozen pizzas around here.

Hey, don't judge. You, too, would resort to frozen pizza if you were living my life!

But, I have been on a mission for some SIMPLE meal ideas. I am talking so simple, it is hardly considered a recipe. Think: Meal Prep. No time or skill required. May I introduce to you our new favorite (gotta be three different places in the next 30 minutes) meal?

MONKEY Sandwiches!

You will need:

Sliced bananas

Peanut butter (a staple in our home!)

Cinnamon Raisin Bread

1. Toast the bread.

2. Spread peanut butter on one side of each slice of toasted bread.

3. Put one layer of slice bananas on the inside of the sandwich.

Add some fresh fruit and raw carrots to your plate and you have a hit on your hands! I am not going to lie: I enjoy this sandwich more than I care to admit. Plus, I can have everyone fed in no time flat.

I wonder just how many times a week they would be willing to eat this gooey goodness?

Have a wonderful weekend!

Pure Joy...

2010-09-16T16:10:00.001-05:00

Things That Make Me Smile

2010-09-14T13:55:00.000-05:00

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

I pretty much dislike shopping with my kids. They usually find some cheap toy or sticky candy to obsess over the entire time I wrestle the shopping cart through the isles. They have a tendency to beg for needless items while I am just trying to make sure my cart has enough ingredients for our weekly meals.

But, there is one place I love to take the kids shopping... and, I even prefer them to beg and obsess over things while we are there...

The Bookstore!

I love watching the boys get excited over books. It is almost impossible for me to utter the word "no" while their eyes light up and their lips pucker up with a long, whiny "Pleasssseeeeee?"

Plus, we also enjoy some profoundly academic moments when we discover some quality literature such as this:

Yep, we are some deep thinkers around here!

Splish-Splash

2010-09-09T18:50:00.001-05:00

It is that time of the year again...

The pools have officially closed. (Boo-hoo!)

On the bright side, my swimsuit is tucked away for another 9 months. (Yipee!)

Summer,

will

miss

your

warm

sunshine,

the smell of

sunscreen,

chlorine in our hair,

and all of the

good times.

Goodbye, Summer. See you in 9 months!

Bring It!

2010-08-31T17:10:00.001-05:00

It is that time of year again. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, the wind is mocking my hairdo, and the smell of sweaty shinguards is in the air. Yes, soccer season is upon us again. The van is loaded down with lawn chairs, stinky cleats, and empty Gatorade bottles. Soccer balls are constantly rolling from the back of the van to the front every time I slam on the brakes.

Yep. I am living the dream. The Soccer Mom Dream.

Dimples has played on the same team with the same coach every year since he was 4 years old. Each year the team looks a little different as we lose old players and gain new ones. This year his age group has moved up to a new league and our beloved Coach Dave is following them. The field is larger, as is the team. Nurse Boy is thrilled to be assistant coaching this season. I couldn't tell who was more excited to play the first game this fall: Nurse Boy or Dimples.

(I am pretty sure it was Nurse Boy.)

Dimples is a talented soccer player. He loves to over analyse each play with Nurse Boy after the games. He is fast and never afraid to hustle. He is just as proud of each goal or assist he gets. He is truly a team player. It has been a pleasure to watch his love of soccer and team spirit blossom.

Bruiser has always been aggressive and quick. His is our lefty, which throws off all of those inexperienced 7 years olds. The boy has got game. I love to watch him throw up his arms and celebrate his every goal. He has a lot of promise. Plus, he is always so sensitive when a player gets hurt on the field. Aggressive and sensitive; that's our Bruiser.

This year Sweet Pea is thrilled to join in on all of the soccer fun. But, in order to start the season off right, we had to get our Cinderella the perfect shoes. (Duh!)

Of course, not just any cleats would do.

Unfortunately, the stomach bug attacked our princess the day of her very first soccer game. Nurse Boy is also the assistant coach for her team. I am pretty sure he couldn't have been more disappointed. He thinks his little princess is going to show everyone of those 4 year old girls how it's done as soon as she and her pink cleats step onto the field. I, however, think she is going to be fixing her ponytail and crying over chipped nail polish. We shall see...

Nurse Boy and I both played soccer growing up. It is so fun to watch our kids enjoy the very same sport.

Soccer, we are ready for you! But, please, be kind to my hair. It is not a fan of the wind and dirt. Frankly, neither is my makeup. I mean, a girl has to look good when her kids are scoring all of the goals. ;0)

Monday's Random Musings

2010-08-30T11:15:00.004-05:00

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

Last week flew right by and it is, somehow, already Monday. This weekend was busy, fun, and germ-filled. I am on a mission to clean EVERYTHING since the stomach bug reared it's ugly head yesterday, so random thoughts are my gift to you:

**Murphy's law: Last night, right before bed, Bruiser planted his forehead into a piece of furniture that was in his way. Yes, he has a HUGE bump on his forehead. Of course, today is picture day at school.

**At least he didn't try to cut his own hair the night before pictures. I may or may not have done that once or twice during my childhood. Never could pull off that uneven bang look.

**I don't think I am going to survive the boys' homework this year. Some afternoons it feels like I am homeschooling. Thankfully, they are excellent students and are pretty independent workers. If it weren't for that, I am afraid I just might lose my sanity.

**I have been on a baking kick when I should have been on a CLEANING kick. My freezer is full of goodies and my house is a mess. Which makes me want to sit in front of my freezer and eat frozen cookies instead of cleaning.

**I am a bit of a procrastinator, if you couldn't already tell.

**Sweet Pea is obsessed with having her nails painted, only to peel off the polish a couple of hours later and demand a new color. She is already showing signs of her Diva nature. Pray for me.

**Why is there always one kid in the house who just can't move faster than a snail in the mornings? Bruiser, I love you, but only one of us can be a slow moving grump in the mornings. I have already auditioned and accepted the role, thankyouverymuch.

**A free People Magazine showed up in my mailbox last week. I am embarrassed by just how much joy it brought me.

**Yes, I can be a bit shallow. I'll own it.

**Why is my kitchen full of pens that no longer work? Why can't people actually THROW AWAY the pens that refuse to write? Instead, they promptly return them to the drawer for the next fool (me!) who desires a writing utensil. Next thing I know, I am writing with a crayon.

Happy Monday to you! I am off to spend the day with one of my BFF's... Clorox Wipes!

Because You Asked So Nicely...

2010-08-24T01:40:00.001-05:00

Here he is...

Pink cake and all.

Yes, he is indeed man enough to be a nurse AND have a pink cake.
The proof is in the pudding... er... cake.

Monday's Random Musings

2010-08-23T13:05:00.002-05:00

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

Since school is back in session, I have decided to bring back my Random Musings on Mondays. Honestly, I am not normally a fan of Mondays. The house is usually a mess, the laundry promises to be a mile high, and my list of errands is always scary long. Thus the randomness.

So, here I go...

**Yesterday, the drummer at church had on a bright red t-shirt with a huge Elmo face on it. Funny shirt, but horribly distracting. His poor wife. ;0)

**Poor Nurse Boy needed to caulk our shower this weekend. He rushed off to the hardware store Saturday evening and conquered the caulk isle. Or, so he thought. Around 11 PM he decided it was time to tackle the shower, only to discover he bought the wrong caulk. Truth be told, EVERY SINGLE TIME he has had to purchase caulk in our 11 years of owning a home, he has returned home with the wrong caulk the first time.

**I couldn't understand what was so hard about picking out caulk until I entered that crazy isle. Seriously? Who knew there were that many caulk choices??

**Nurse Boy ran to Walmart around midnight on Saturday night to see if they had the right kind of caulk. They didn't.

**Walmart, if you are going to be open 24 blasted hours a day, why don't you actually carry what we need?

**I love self-tanner! Just thought you should know. And, I don't mean the kind that turns you orange or makes you look scary. But, when you are as white as I am, any little bit of color helps.

**We had Dimples' soccer team over to our house this weekend. They had practice, watched some DVR'd World Cup Games, and ate pizza.

**13 ten-year-old boys can be pretty noisy, silly, and smelly.

** Not too mention, they sure can pack away the pizza! Scary!

**I am thinking about upgrading my cell phone and joining the texting world. I am starting to feel left out. Or old. Which, I am not.

**This weekend we celebrated Nurse Boy's birthday with his favorite cake that his mom made for him during his childhood. This year I made it, which is always risky. For some reason, he claims that neither my mom or I can make it EXACTLY right.

**My favorite part about the cake? It has PINK icing! Ha! I married a man who is man enough to be a nurse AND have a pink birthday cake.

**He is either a keeper or batting for the other team. Here's hoping he is a keeper. (Ha!)

**I am blessed to have married my best friend. He knows me better than anyone else. Sometimes he just needs to hear how much I appreciate and love him. I bet your spouse needs to hear it, too!

Happy Monday!

Because Sometimes I Like to Pretend I am June Cleaver

2010-08-18T17:00:00.005-05:00

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

I remember when I sent Dimples off to first grade. It was his first year in school for a full day. I longed to sit down with him after school over a homemade snack and chat about his day. I just knew he would share his excitement for learning, his hopes, and his fears with me. I couldn't wait to bond with him about the hours he was away from me. I was certain he was going to miss me and long to spend some time with me.

What? Stop laughing.

So, he is a boy. I forgot about that minor detail.

He came home, snarfed down his homemade snack while mumbling something about wishing he had Cheez-its instead, and begged to watch some mindless TV so he could "shut off" his brain.

Yeah, it was a really special warm-fuzzy moment.

The next day I bought a box of Cheez-its and set a bowl in front of the TV. He was happy and I had a clean kitchen.

I quickly learned that my boys need some down time when they arrive home after a long day at school. They are usually ready to open up around dinner time. They really do talk, share, and open up to us, it just doesn't look quite the way I thought it would in my "Leave It to Beaver" head. (Minus the pearl wearing Mama, 'cuz I am lucky if my shirt matches my sweatpants.)

But, today (my boys' first full-day of school this year) I felt the need to dig out my dusty pearls, put on my diamond studs, and bake.

Sort of.

Sweet Pea and I made the best no-bake cookies ever. (And, my shirt still didn't match my sweatpants, but whatever.)

No-Bake Chocolate Cookies

1 cup light corn syrup

1 cup sugar

1 cup peanut butter

12 oz. chocolate chips

1 cup coconut

1 cup quick oats

1 cup crispy rice cereal

1. Combine peanut butter, chocolate chips, and coconut in a large bowl and mix well. Set aside.

2. Heat corn syrup and sugar in a sauce pan on medium heat until it boils. Boil for 1 minute.

3. Pour over mixture. Stir well.

4. Add quick oats and rice cereal. Stir.

5. Spoon teaspoonfuls onto wax paper and criss-cross each cookie with a fork. Let cool.

Sweet Pea and I bonded while we made a mess and spent the afternoon together. After school we all sat down for a homemade snack. Sweet Pea and I chatted. And, because some things never change, Dimples and Bruiser snarfed their cookies and ran to watch 30 minutes of TV.

That's OK, we will chat over dinner.

We Survived...

2010-08-16T19:50:00.000-05:00

our first day of the 2010-2011 school year!

Our Second Grader.

He is just a little excited!

Our fifth grader.

How in the world is he old enough to enter fifth grade?

Our sweet, handsome boys.

Brothers on the first day of school.

(And, I LOVE that they chose to match all on their own... pretty sure this will be the last year for that, but I will cherish it while I can.)

I will also cherish my last year with this little one at home.

(She can't wait for kindergarten. I, however, am feeling much more patient.)

Praying for another fabulous year!

Say It Ain't So...

2010-08-09T17:15:00.003-05:00

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

Summer is coming to an end. While I am never ready for summer to begin, I am never ready for it to end either. I just got my kids used to spending each and every day together. I finally taught them to be kind, loving, and thoughtful to one another. (Well, sort of. But, they have improved. A LOT.) Next Monday morning, I am going to walk them to school, drop them off in their new classrooms, walk home with Sweet Pea, blow my nose, dry my tears, and realize that yet another year has begun. HOW?! It all goes by way too fast. Everyone tells you that, but you don't really know until you experience it for yourself.

In the meantime, we are enjoying the last of our summer. A week ago we took the kids to one of my very favorite summer activities. We took them to Theatre in the Park to see..

Intially, the boys weren't too exctied. However, Sweet Pea was thrilled, especially when she got to meet this special someone:

She was in HEAVEN.

Where are the boys? They were throwing around a football with their dad. Sadly, they are much too grown to have their picture taken with Cinderella.

Next, we set up our chairs and ate our dinner. Miraculously, the weather was beautiful and we enjoyed every minute of it.

Once the show started, I noticed that everyone enjoyed themselves. (Boys included, but they probably won't admit it.)

During intermission they were all smiles.

All in all, it was a fun night filled with some sweet memories!

Seeing Red

2010-08-05T21:00:00.001-05:00

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

What a week it has been. This week Nurse Boy and I traded roles. I worked and he stayed home with the kids. I love switching it up every once and a while. I think we both get to appreciate the other one more when we get to walk in their shoes for just a bit. I spent most of the week substitute teaching at the preschool I work at during the school year. Nurse Boy spent most of the week entertaining the kids. He may or may not have sprinkled a little bit of housework in there. He did keep up on the laundry though. Thankfully, the man knows that I hate to get behind on the laundry.

The boys also worked their dad for all he is worth. They talked him into taking them to the Chiefs training camp on the hottest day of the year. (OK, I don't know if it really was the hottest day of the year, but it sure felt like it.) So, despite the extreme heat and Nurse Boy's hatred for the Chiefs, they got up early one day this week and headed out the fulfill the boys' dream.

I mean, how can you possibly say no to these handsome faces?!

After an exciting hour long drive, they discovered that the morning practice had been canceled.

That's right: CANCELLED.

Without warning.

Nurse Boy wanted to head home, but those disappointed faces had him rethink his plan. Instead, they hung out until the afternoon practice would begin.

A mere 5 and 1/2 hours later.

(Yes, I have nominated him for father of the year.)

By the looks of my future Chiefs players, it was worth every risk of a heat stroke.

They even came home with some autographs. You couldn't wipe the smiles off of their faces.

But, I am afraid that Nurse Boy still swears that the only red he will be sporting this season will be a sunburn. Ha!

Do You Ever Feel Old, or is it JUST ME?!

2010-08-03T17:45:00.000-05:00

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

The other day we found ourselves at a local used bookstore. While the kids were digging around for bargains, I took notice of all of the VHS tapes that were for sale. Dimples quickly asked why anyone would buy a VHS tape when they could buy a DVD. (He doesn't even know about Blue Ray... shhh.) My first thought was they were cheap. My second thought was that they reminded me of my childhood. As I walked around the stuffed bookstore I found myself digging through records (Yes, VINYL), 45's, and even... wait for it... 8 tracks!! My dad still holds his 8 track collection dear. I don't understand it but, as I find myself growing older, I am guessing it must have something to do with his childhood.

All of this had me reflecting back to my childhood. The days were much simpler. We weren't distracted by handheld gadgets. Heck, we didn't even have a (gasp!) computer. When you left the house, you couldn't be reached. It was rare to find waterproof sunscreen (which was very unfortunate for this fair skinned girl). We had to HAND CRANK our car windows open. (I know, can you imagine??) We even cruised around town in a station wagon. (Those things make a mini van look DREAMY. Ha!) Oh, and you were lucky if you could dig out the seat belts from the creases in the seats. We never bothered to wear them. After all, who needed to actually live after a minor fender-bender? Certainly not my family!

Amazingly, I survived my sunburned-filled, non-seat-belt-wearing, lacking-any-kind-of-cool-gadgets childhood. So, today I thought I would reflect back on those years... Ya know, way back before Al Gore had invented the Internet and all...

It was a time when...

*Publisher's Clearing House and Ed McMahon went hand in hand.

*Red plastic jackets with zippers were considered cool. (Thank you, Thriller!)

*Blue eye shadow WAS all that and a bag of chips.

*You drank TAB out of a pink can and pretended it was refreshing. (Or you stole sips of your mom's.)

*A cell phone was actually referred to as a "bag phone." It was heavy, awkward, AND had an antennae.

*If you were female, your bangs most likely had a part. The bottom half of your bangs were carefully curled under while the top half were strategically teased to wave at the heavens. It was perfection once it was sprayed with an entire can of Aqua Net hairspray.

*"Jellies" weren't doughnuts, but only the most stylish, yet completely uncomfortable, shoes ever.

*You sat around for hours playing "PONG" on Atari. (And, you thought it was fun!) When Pac-Man came out, you thought you had died and gone to heaven.

*You may even remember renting not only a movie, but the entire VCR machine as well. (It was a HUGE plastic case.)

*Carefully positioning the collar up on your polo shirt was a fashion statement. So were the hot pink leggings you were sporting.

Yes, I am slowly growing older. My kids gasp as I share about my childhood and all of the comforts we didn't have available to us "back then." Kind of like I do when my dad starts to ramble on about not having air conditioning and sleeping with wet sheets... while listening to his 8 tracks. Priceless? I think not.

Those precious 8 tracks were selling for a whooping 48cents a piece.

As were my vinyl records.

Sigh, I really am old!

He is the Lover of My Soul

2010-08-02T01:15:00.002-05:00

Ever since our children were little, we have ended each night with prayer and singing. Nurse Boy and I can't hold a tune to save our lives but, thankfully, none of that matters to our children or God! The most requested songs by our three munchkins? Amazing Grace and Jesus, Lover of My Soul. So, today I am sharing one of our favorite songs and pictures of some of my very favorite people... all precious gifts from God!

Jesus, lover of my soul

Jesus, I will never let You go

You've taken me from the miry clay

You've set my feet upon the rock

And now I know

I love you, I need you

Though my world may fall

I'll never let You go

My Savior, my closest Friend

I will worship you until the very end.

God bless you!!! Take some time to make a joyful noise unto the Lord... it may not sound beautiful to you, but it will to Him!!

Things That Make Me Smile!

2010-07-29T15:40:00.001-05:00

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

This summer we invested in a fire pit. Yes, I said fire pit. We are city folk over here. Born and raised. Quite frankly, we're darn proud of it. Yes, I know the beauty of the country side, the open fields, the snow capped mountains, the rippling lakes, and the sandy beaches. God's beauty is all around us.

We just like to call our appreciation VACATION.

Yep, that is indeed what vacations are for. But, when living out this daily thing called life, I prefer the conveniences of the city. Don't get me wrong, I often find myself complaining about Walmart and Quik Trip being stationed on every street corner. However, I do venture in to those places and even jump for joy when I have a sick kid in the middle of the night and we are all out of Tylenol. I can just hop in the car for a quick drive. A 5 minute trip can solve most of my problems and I wouldn't have it any other way.

BUT, an evening in our backyard sitting around the fire pit with my family is so relaxing. Add some marshmallows and chocolate, and I am in heaven...

Plus, if we run out of marshmallows, I can be back in 5 minutes with a fresh bag. Now, THAT makes me smile!

Monday's Random Musings

2010-07-26T17:30:00.004-05:00

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

Sigh. It is Monday. I am still catching up on my sleep from last week. Life is much better now, although I still find myself feeling a bit "wounded." Life is hard sometimes. I wish that wasn't true. Plus, any time I find myself in crisis mode, I find myself reevaluating everything around me.

Time for some randomness:

**My dad is doing AMAZING!! I am still in awe of all that God has done!!

** I hate this hot weather, yet I am not a fan of the cold and snow. Yes, I am picky. Spring and Fall will always have my vote for the perfect weather. A cool breeze would feel delightful right about now.

**I don't care to step foot in another ER for a very long time. Although, my kids were excited that they got to see our local police hard at work while they sat in the waiting room. They got to witness the police escorting a bloody, handcuffed woman into the front doors of the ER. They have been talking about it non-stop. Why was it at THAT moment in time that they decided to pay attention to everything around them? When I ask them about any important details in their lives, they are CLUELESS.

**Nurse Boy and I started leading a 6 week marriage class at church last week. I am so thankful for that man! He has always made our marriage a priority. I love it when we are working as a team... sometimes we are successful and sometimes we fail... but, we are a team and we are committed to sticking it out together.

**We only have 3 weeks until school starts! I can't even believe it!! How is that possible?

**Soccer season is also right around the corner. I love fall soccer!!

**I don't care to hear another knock-knock joke EVER again. None of them are funny and Sweet Pea's attempts are painful to listen to.

**I can't seem to get enough bing cherries or watermelon this summer... or stain stick for that matter! Here's hoping the boys still have some clothes without stains when school starts.

**July has been a TOUGH month for our family (for many reasons). I am sooo over it!! August can't get here soon enough!

**I am sooo thankful for happy, healthy kids. I am a bit of an overprotective mom, but life has a way of introducing them to reality. I pray that they are able to watch Nurse Boy and I cling to God during those tough times and learn from that. I wish I could protect them from the world. I wish people wouldn't disappoint them. I wish bad things wouldn't happen. BUT, we live in the world. We are not of the world, but we do live in it. Life is full of disappointments and unfair surprises. However, it is also full of hope. Hope in Jesus Christ. I pray every day that they are truly able to learn to put their hope and trust in Jesus as they walk through life. Even when life stinks.

**Although life has been pretty tough this summer, we are so blessed! When I focus on our blessings, my entire perspective changes.

Happy Monday!

Go ahead... count your blessings.

He is HOME!!!

2010-07-22T16:00:00.001-05:00

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

What an exhausting week it has been!!! This was one of those weeks that we shall never forget. And, one I hope to never have again!

Sunday night our family was celebrating the kick start of VBS at my parents' church. My parents were supposed to be joining us for the family celebration, complete with dinner and games for the kids. We thought it was odd that they didn't show up. Pretty soon we noticed a voice mail on our cell. Mom left a message saying Dad wasn't feeling well and they were going to stay home and rest. No big deal.

Or, so we thought.

During the worship portion of the night, Nurse Boy's phone kept ringing. Somehow, I knew something was up. I left the service to check to see if there were any more messages on the cell.

Indeed there were.

Mom said she was driving to the hospital and she was certain that Dad was in the beginning stages of a stroke.

My heart sank. I couldn't breathe. I felt helpless. I prayed for HEALING.

I ran into the service and grabbed Nurse Boy, the 3 kids, and my parents' pastor. I am pretty sure I made quite the scene. I was most certainly too scared to care.

The rest of the evening was filled with miracles!! We had 5 churches (that I know of) praying for my dad. You see, Dad had a stroke 14 years ago. That first night, 14 years ago, we were told not to expect him to make it through the night. He was only 46 years old. We weren't prepared to relive that moment.

When we got to the hospital, Dad was still talking and moving both sides of his body. He was indeed having a stroke, but he looked much better that first night than he had 14 years ago. Pastor Dan joined my brother, my mom, Nurse Boy, and myself at the hospital. We all prayed together and took turns sitting with my kids in the ER waiting room. Including Pastor Dan!! He sat with my kids and listened to their knock, knock jokes and whatever else was on their minds. (Pastor Dan probably knows WAY too much about us now! My dad always says that Nurse Boy and I have NO secrets, thanks to our 3 kids. If only that weren't true.) What a comfort Pastor Dan was to all of us!!

But, our Lord and Savior was the biggest comfort of all!!

Through prayer and medication, my Dad's stroke was reversed within hours of it starting. By the next morning he was almost back to normal!! Less than 2 days later, his MRI was CLEAR!! He had NO permanent damage. Less than 3 days later, he was discharged and even cleared to drive!!!

We are talking about MIRACLES!!!

Today he is home. The kids and I took him lunch this afternoon and he had just gotten back from running errands.... he just had a stroke on SUNDAY!!! You would NEVER know it to look at him!! We are so thankful for his healing!

Now, we are all EXHAUSTED and BLESSED. Yes, you CAN be both! My kids spent the week doing a lot of this:

Hospital trips galore. (No more of those, please. Got that, Papa?)

Hanging out in the ICU waiting room. With smiles!

And, there was a little ottoman racing... but, what can I expect?! The kids were bored and, quite frankly, some of those people in the ICU needed to giggle a little. Life can be hard.

AND, Nurse Boy couldn't even tone down his own sense of humor and wore this t-shirt to visit Dad:

No, I am not kidding!

What a week! And, what a reminder that we NEED a Savior!! He heals and restores our hearts, our bodies, and, in my Dad's case, our brains!!! Thank you for those of you who prayed for Dad!! We all felt those prayers. Now, we are praying for life to become a little more relaxing and restful. ;0)

Praying for a Speedy Recovery!

2010-07-19T08:10:00.002-05:00

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

Yesterday I received a call that was all too familiar. It made me flash back to 14 years ago. And, it wasn't pretty. Thankfully, my God is bigger than all of this.

My father had a stroke last night.

He had a stroke 14 years ago that changed all of our lives... for the better, believe it or not. It was through that stroke that Nurse Boy and I developed a relationship with Jesus Christ. My parents were new believers and walked out their faith during that challenging time. Dad's recovery and Mom's peace were inspiring. They truly found comfort in their Lord and Savior. Dad fully recovered, despite the doctor's warnings that he most likely wouldn't make it through that first night. He did. And, he fully recovered. Because of that amazing recovery, he gets to spend lots of time with my little munchkins:

They are all 4 pretty crazy about each other.

Dad is currently in the ICU while we are praying for a FULL recovery. He has already made improvements and the kids are looking forward to visiting him today. Please stand in agreement with us for healing, peace, comfort, and wisdom.

Because, we need to celebrate more of these moments with him:

We love you and are praying for you, Dad!!!

Friday Fare!

2010-07-09T15:55:00.000-05:00

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

It is finally Friday. We have had a bit of a dreary, rainy week. Frankly, the break in the weather this week has been a blessing. The boys spent their mornings out on the soccerfields at their favorite soccer camp. I think it is their little peace of heaven here on earth.

Here are my handsome players!

Since it is Friday, I must share a recipe for a perfect summer treat. This is a special recipe for all of your kids or grand kids. It is perfect for hot, steamy weather.

ICE CREAM in a Bag

Ingredients and Supplies Needed:

(one serving)

sandwich-size zipper bag

1/2 cup whole milk

1 Tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

gallon-size zipper bag

ice (fill gallon bag halfway)

6 Tablespoons rock salt

1. Combine milk, sugar, and vanilla in small zipper bag and seal tightly.

2. Add the rock salt to the large bag of ice.

3. Place the small sealed bag inside the large bag and seal.

4. Send the kids outside and have them shake their bag for about 5 minutes.

This is a perfect activity right after a nice day at the pool.

Even my 4 year old made her own ice cream.

And, sometimes they are so excited to enjoy their special treat that there is no time to even bother with a bowl.

(Truth be told, it tastes a lot like "ice milk," but it has still been a hit around here.)

Have a wonderful weekend!!

Sweet Rolls and Sweet Talk

2010-07-08T15:30:00.001-05:00

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

This week I had the pleasure of having breakfast with this little sweetie:

'Cuz nothin' says "Good Morning" like a chocolate chip muffie and some ice cold milk.

I got to stare into those baby blues and chat about all things deemed important in the world of a 4 year old.

Yes, we talked about Dora.

We talked about her brothers.

We even talked about hair bows.

We were silly.

And, we were serious.

I love it when God reveals her little heart to me. We talked about Jesus and His love for her. She also had a bit of a heavy heart and asked me to pray with her. I love watching her faith grow! I just know God is going to answer her prayers.

After all she, too, has been an answer to prayer to this mommy!

God bless each and everyone of you! May you know the true love He has for you!

Red, White, and Blue Randomness

2010-07-07T16:45:00.001-05:00

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

We have had a fun past couple of weeks and I have done a horrible job of keeping everyone updated. ('Cuz I know you were all on the edge of your seats. Ha!) The 4th of July is my favorite part of summer. (Except for the heat. I am not a fan of sweat rolling down my back. Yuck!) I love the parades, the fireworks, and the late nights. And, let's not forget the ice cream, hot dogs (only on the grill, of course), and savoring every. single. moment. that I get to dress my children up in matching clothes.

I love dressing them up for the 4th!!

We started off the holiday with our annual 4th of July Celebration at our church. The kids enjoyed jumping, climbing, and racing on some inflatable while we waited for the dark sky to create the perfect backdrop for some spectacular fireworks.

Sweet Pea is my kind of girl... she found the water and didn't stop until she was soaking wet.

Before the fireworks, we enjoyed some worship music. I am so thankful I am raising my family in a country built on Christian principles!

All in all, IT WAS HOT. Yet, we loved every moment of it.

Next, we celebrated the 4th with my parents and some dear friends.

Here is all of the precious cargo. The kids had a blast!

It is tradition for us to start off the 4th at a local parade. The kids collect candy while the adults duck and hide from the "friendly" politicians.

These bows melt my heart!

The girls are pros at collecting candy! (And, stickers from politicians...)

Sweat Pea also knows how to work the crowd. ;0)

The parade should always be followed by good food, "poppers", and water play!

Aren't these two handsome? They have been buddies for as long as they can remember.

Everyone had a wonderful time. The next day was filled with some firework watching, movie going, and just some good old fashioned family time.

GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!

Drumroll, please...

2010-06-30T18:32:00.000-05:00

Today has been so busy and crazy that I don't even have time for an official post... but, I DO have a winner of a $50 gift certificate to CSN.com!!!

The random winner is....

Ruby Red Slippers at Lions, Tigers, and Boys, Oh My!

How exciting!! I wish all of you could have won!! Congrats to my dear bloggy friend, Ruby Red Slippers! She and I have spent the last 2 years chatting back and forth between our blogs. She has three handsome boys and is a teacher who is currently staying home. (Sounds kind of familiar, huh?) If you haven't visited her blog, what are you waiting for?!

A big thank you to CSN and all of my dear bloggy friends and readers!!

Monday's Random Musings

2010-06-28T16:10:00.001-05:00

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

It is Monday, so it must be some time for randomness... and, taking back my house from all of our weekend messiness... and, sleep. Sweet, sweet sleep. You and I did not spent enough time together this weekend.

*Why is my purse everyone else's trash receptacle?

*It is embarrassing just how much trash can be found at the bottom of my purse at any given moment.

*Why is it that every. single. time. a sales associate assures me that my wait won't be long "at all"... they are LYING?! Not only will it be long, but I might even need to schedule an appointment to cover up my grays immediately following my wait.

*Why are my children unable to keep track of an entire pair of flip flops? We seem to have little orphaned flip flops all over the place, but no one is able to find a matching pair. Bruiser even tried to sneak out of the house with 2 different colors on his feet.

*My daughter is obsessed with chewing gum. It is currently my bribe of choice. Not that I would ever resort to bribery. Nope. That would be poor parenting.

*My children have NO idea there is a snack bar at the public pool. I pray they never make that discovery.

*Nurse Boy and I have been asked to be on a local radio show. HELLO anxiety!!! Nurse Boy is thrilled and I am just hoping I don't hurl on air. YIKES!

*One of my friends called this morning and asked to take the boys for the afternoon. I love her!

*What is up with old men wearing shorts with knee-high socks?! At what age do you decide that is an approved look to wear out in public?

*Today I even spotted an older gentleman with tan shorts, white knee-high socks, and brown dress shoes. I can't make this stuff up, people!!

Well, I need to go buy some more gum... it seems I am out.

***If you haven't entered my first giveaway, please scroll down!! You have until midnight on Tuesday to get all of your entries in!!***

My First Giveaway!!

2010-06-23T07:50:00.005-05:00

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

Today I am thrilled to offer a giveaway to my readers. I am always amused that anyone reads my mumblings. This blog has been a fun way to record our lives and remember our fun, crazy moments. Surprisingly, I have also made friends that I value and cherish. Today, I will give each of you a chance to win a $50 gift certificate!

I KNOW!!

$50 ain't too shabby, huh?!

Today, CSN Stores is providing me with a $50 gift certificate for one of my readers. CSN Stores has over 200 online stores where you can find everything from cookware to cribs or even your most specific needs like LED lighting or laptop cases!

Some of their other online stores include: http://www.cookware.com/, http://www.allgreenhouses.com/, and http://www.allmodern.com/. They carry just about everything you can imagine!

Go ahead and check them out at http://www.csnstores.com/. They even offer "Hassle Free Returns!" AND "Free Shipping On Just About Everything!"

And, since I know we could all use a $50 shopping spree "on the house," I have several ways you can enter:

1. Simply leave me a comment. Any comment will do, just make sure you have a link to your email on your profile. Don't have a blog? No problem! Leave me a comment with your email.

2. Follow our little family blog for another entry. Already a follower? Leave me a comment telling me so!

3. See that adorable button on the right side? Post that on your blog proudly for another entry. Already displaying it? Leave me a comment telling me so!

4. Lastly, if you already know what special item(s) you would love to purchase should you win, leave me a comment telling me what it is. (Just because I am nosey!)

(I should warn you, this is open for all of my US and Canadian readers only.)

All entries must be submitted by midnight on Tuesday, June 29th. I will post the winner on Wednesday, June 30th. I can't wait!

Happy shopping!!

Things That Make Me Smile

2010-06-22T13:15:00.006-05:00

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

I moved around a LOT during my childhood. (I lived in 4 different states, 5 different cities, and attended 12 different schools.) During 3rd and 4th grade I actually lived in the very same city that I live in now. Those were the summers that I truly learned how to swim. I spent every single day at the neighborhood pool. I loved swimming and I loved the freedom to spend the entire afternoon at the pool.

This spring, my parents moved back into that very same neighborhood. Twenty-five years later, my kids are now swimming in that very same pool. And, that makes me just a little sentimental.

It most definately makes me smile!

Mondays Random Musings

2010-06-21T14:50:00.002-05:00

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

It is Monday, so it must be time for some random thoughts...

**Why is it that every single time I decide to grow my hair out, I can't actually follow through with my decision? I can't stand that in between stage.

**I am determined to make it through this summer without a haircut. Brace yourselves, it ain't going to be pretty. (My hair, that is.)

**I took Dimples to the dentist today. Braces are in our very near future. I don't even want to see that receipt.

**Bruiser will also need braces, so no relief there.

**Sweet Pea, you are my only hope! Come on, permanent teeth, GROW IN STRAIGHT!

**At the dentist office, I indulged in a little reading. I found myself reading an article about how actress, Jennifer Love Hewitt, went from fat to fit. Ohhhhh pleeaassee!!!!

**I pray Sweet Pea never reads a ridiculous article like that one. I am determined to not pass on my own body image issues to here. She will always be beautiful to me!

**How is it that I can find the time to paint my fingernails, yet I never seem to find the time to REMOVE the polish when it is chipped and looking gross?

**My van is (finally!) in the shop and I am cruising around in a brand new rental. I have never hated my van more. Mini vans have come a long way in the last 11 years!

**I just found an open bottle of glue on my couch. I don't even want to know.

**I love this time of year when we can eat juicy watermelon all the time. However, my kids have an amazing gift of covering my entire kitchen in sweet, sticky watermelon juice, no matter what threats I throw their way. I won't even go into the stains on their clothing!

**Maybe I am not such a fan of watermelon, after all.

Happy Monday... and, remember to come back on Wednesday for a fabulous giveaway!!

Friday Fare!

2010-06-18T21:00:00.007-05:00

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

It is Friday and it is HOT. The kids have been home for 3 weeks now and we are loving every minute of it. Well, maybe that isn't entirely true. I have found myself in a bit of a job change. I guess you could say that I feel stuck in a dead end career.

I have officially become a referee.

Not for The World Cup or even the NBA, but to 3 of my favorite people. While I love each one of them dearly, I absolutely hate my new career. I have found myself wearing a whistle around my neck and sending everyone to their own corners. All. Day. Long. Yes, we are making some lovely memories this summer.

Thankfully, vertical lines are slimming. I've never looked better.

Honestly, the first week of summer was a bit touch-n-go, but we are slowly getting used to one another. It always amazes me how the kids have absolutely NO appreciation for the lazy days of summer. However, I am all too aware that one day I will have a whistle hanging around my neck and no one to toot it at. They will all be gone and the lazy days of summer will just seem boring. And, just like my kids, I hate to be bored.

Today, I am going to share one of my very favorite new recipes. As always, this recipe is simple, easy, and delicious. An added bonus? The ENTIRE family loves this stuff!

Frozen Fruit Cups
(Makes about 25 fruit cups)

Ingredients:
20 oz. frozen strawberries, sliced and thawed
12 oz. frozen orange juice concentrate, slightly thawed
2- 20 oz. cans crushed pineapple
1- 16 oz. can mandarin oranges
1/3 cup lime juice (or lemon juice)
6 bananas, sliced
(I also like to add 1 or 2 cups of fresh or frozen blueberries)

Combine all ingredients, including the juices from the fruit, in a large bowl and mix well. The recipe suggests spooning the fruit into lined muffin cups and freezing. Once the fruit is frozen you can place the liners with the frozen fruit in freezer bags.

Honestly, that would be pretty but I don't have that kind of time. When I make this recipe, I usually double it. I just place the fruit directly into sandwich bags and large freezer bags. Some bags only have 1 or 2 servings in them and I use the larger bags to fill with 5 or 6 servings.

After the fruit is frozen, I can simply pull out the perfect amount from the freezer for a quick breakfast or lunch, or even enough for the entire family come dinner time. I try to remove it from the freezer about 30 prior to serving. In a pinch, I place the frozen bag in a sink of hot water. I like to serve this cold and a little "slushy."

This stuff is fabulous! And, I will let you in on a little secret... IT IS AWESOME ON TOP OF A SCOOP OF VANILLA ICE CREAM!!! I mean, serve-it-up-to-your-special-guests kind of awesome!

Have a wonderful weekend!! Please come back next week. As promised, I will be hosting my very first giveaway!!! It will be even more awesome than fruit covered ice cream... and, that is saying a lot!! I will post my giveaway next Wednesday! I can't wait for this opportunity to give back to my faithful readers!

My Favorite Weekend of the Year!

2010-06-17T13:45:00.005-05:00

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

About a week and a half ago, our family spent the entire weekend outside enjoying my favorite festivities of the year. I look forward to this weekend each and every year. This weekend signals the true beginning of summer to me. It is full of parades, rides, games, running into old friends, kettle korn, music, sun, fun, and this year.... orange pop. But, I am getting ahead of myself.

This weekend is known to most of the locals as Old Shawnee Days. To me, it is the one and only true sign that summer has begun once again.

It all starts with the parade. And, who doesn't love a good parade?! Oh, wait... that would be my husband. But, he always plays along and forces a smile and a handshake to all of the politicians that find some lame reason to waltz their way into our day of family fun.

The kids LOVE collecting candy and stickers... even from the politicians. (Yeah, I have trained my children to take candy from strangers... don't judge.)

Just look at that face! Something tells me she knows that summer has officially begun.

Dimples has attended this parade since he was a baby. (Of course, he will always be MY baby, but let's keep that between us, K?)

I always find proof during this weekend that some men NEVER grow up!

Classy, I know.

Nurse Boy now wants one of these. I don't think all 5 of us will fit on this so I am sticking to the plan to purchase a mini van. Sorry, Nurse Boy. Try again during your mid life crisis, K?

After the parade, we took in some "Funky Mama." We ran into Sweet Pea's friend and they had a blast dancing.

I can't wait to share these pictures with the girls when they hit their teen years! They are so cute together.

I love that my boys aren't too cool to join in... yet.

Next, it was time for some "CRAZY" fun.

Sweet Pea HAD to have "Pinkalicious" hair, of course.

Dimples entered the Whipped Pie and Bubble Blowing Contest.

He didn't win, but I think he had fun.

Of course, it is "Monkey See, Monkey Do" around here. Nurse Boy just couldn't be left out and entered the contest as well. He didn't place either. Unfortunately, I think it hurt his ego more than he will ever admit. Ha!

My friends, it was here that my day went horribly bad. It was here that my weekend was ruined. It was here that I developed a hatred for orange pop that I never even knew was possible.

You see, this was the time of the day that Nurse Boy decided to treat each of the boys to their very own bottle of orange pop. I had suggested water, but I am simply no fun at all. Or, so I am told. Each boy took a swig and shoved their bottles into my purse as they headed off to ride a few rides. Since I prefer my rides less "portable" and more permanent, I hit the craft boothes. While leisurely looking at all of the crafts and wondering why God didn't bless me with any crafty skills, I started to feel something dripping onto my foot.

Suddenly, I realized that my purse and all of it's contents were swimming in orange pop. After scooping out my checkbook and wallet, I made a discovery that made me scream louder than the fire-eating man who was currently performing on stage.

MY CAMERA WAS COVERED IN ORANGE POP!!!

And that, my friends, was the day my camera died. May it rest in peace. I had a simple point-n-shoot that my in-laws had purchased for me about 3 and 1/2 years ago. I had it with me at all times. Basically, it was attached to my right hand.

That night I informed Nurse Boy that I needed a camera ASAP. That was when he, very politely, explained to me that a camera is a "luxury."

Those, my friends, were fighting words! I began to fear for our marriage. OK, so I am being a bit dramatic. But, seriously, who in the world tells a mom that a camera is a luxury?!

I am happy to report that he has come to his senses and we are on a mission to find a point-n- shoot that may or may not be waterproof.

So, what do you think??? Is a camera a necessity or a luxury??

Oh, and my children are NEVER allowed to drink orange pop again. Ever.

Randomness... on a Tuesday

2010-06-15T13:50:00.002-05:00

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

I have been off of a schedule for so long that I seem to have lost my "bloggy groove." Normally, I enjoy posting random thoughts on Mondays. Lately, my Mondays have been so random that I haven't even gotten around to posting. I am hoping to get myself back on a schedule. This blog is really our Family Scrapbook. I enjoy posting pictures and funny "snap shots" of our lives, so one day our children can look back at our memories. I am blessed that anyone else even bothers to read this!

So, today I am attempting to get back into a routine. And, before I do that, I MUST tell you that I will be having a giveaway NEXT week. It promises to be a FANTASTIC giveaway. I am thrilled that a company wanted to bless my readers. I will reveal the date of the giveaway this Friday. I am so excited that I have an opportunity to give something back to my faithful readers. I can't wait!

Now, time for some randomness:

**I was rear ended on Memorial Day. Car accidents immediately rob you of your time, money, and they are simply a pain in the... bumper! It feels like my van will never get fixed.

**However, there is something I hate more than a fender bender. That is the search for a new car. We are currently trying to scrape up enough cash to buy a used mini van. It honestly gives me hives just thinking about it. We haven't had a car payment in 7 years and I sure don't want to take one on now with Nurse Boy in school. But, Nurse Boy's car in on it's last leg. I fear it most go soon, or we will be towing it to a junk yard.

**We once bought a 2 year old mini van that didn't run after 5 days of owning it. I think that explains the hives. Surely that can't happen to us more than once, right?!

**Yesterday I found toothpaste on the toilet seat. I don't even want to know...

**I recently bought some "all natural" deodorant. I didn't realize that it would truly make me smell "all natural." Not quite what I was going for. Apparently, all of those ingredients I can't pronounce in my stick of deodorant actually give me the results I am looking for.

**Why must I spend every Sunday morning in the bathroom with the ENTIRE family?!

**It turns out orange pop and cameras are not a good combination. (More on this another day.)

**I love late summer nights. It is those early summer mornings I could do without.

**God did promise not to flood the earth again, right? We have had so much rain lately, that I am beginning to wonder.

**Lastly, why is it that every time I mop the kitchen I seem to find my own foot stuck to the floor an hour later?

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Things That Make Me Smile

2010-06-10T17:30:00.000-05:00

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

Today I took the kids for a photo shoot. They had a blast. Plus, there was no whining, frowning, or crying. I call that a success!

Does this look like fun, or what?!

If you must know the secret... our photographer was very silly. She also let the kids get silly. I love these silly shots of the kids.

Check out Bruiser's face! How can you not smile while looking at that?!

Bruiser is his father's son!

Nice one, Dimples!

What a cutie!

These kids definitely put a smile on my face each a every day!

A Little Bit Ironic, Don't Ya Think?!

2010-06-08T09:23:00.003-05:00

Check out the sign posted next to the pump at a BP Gas Station:

Hmmmm...

Friday Fare!

2010-06-04T09:10:00.000-05:00

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

It is Friday and we have had a pretty busy week. I started off the week in a car accident on Monday. Thankfully, nothing too serious. I was reared ended, thus being pushed into the car in front of me. Oddly enough, the car in front of me drove off! So weird. The kid who hit me was 17 and scared. I tried to remember that he was some one's child the whole time. There was no need to be mad at him. Thankfully, Nurse Boy was home with the kids and no one got hurt. The poor van will be in the shop all next week, but I will be sporting a rental car in the mean time. Truth be told, I am sure it will be much nicer than my 11 year old van. Odds are it will smell better, too.

I have also used this week to get organized and work on our summer routine. We have tackled all of the kids closets. Sadly, that was quite the project. They are all organized now, but I had my doubts that it would ever get done. I am a pretty organized person, but I tend to let closets and drawers get the best of me. I like everything to be visually pleasing, so I tend to not care what something looks like when it is covered by a door. This summer I am going to try to tackle those hidden places. Today I am tackling 3 "hot spots" in my kitchen, including the dreaded "junk drawer." Everyone has a "junk drawer," right? Mine is currently vomiting into the cabinet underneath it.

I am also working on a schedule for the kids. I am expecting them to do chores, read, complete some math activities, and exercise daily. I am going to require them to read for 30 minutes a day. That will also earn them 30 minutes of TV time. Do any of you have some great ideas to keep kids motivated this summer? My goal every year is for them to, at the very least, maintain where they are at academically.

Today I am going to share one of our favorite homemade snacks:

Granola Bars

(Makes 16 bars)

You will need:
1/3 cup Canola oil
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 T honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups oats
2 cups rice cereal
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup chocolate chips or dried fruit of your choice
1/3 cup flax seed (optional)

1. Throw all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

2. Spray treat a 13x9 pan. Press the mixture evenly into the pan.

3. For chewy bars, bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. For crunchy bars, bake at 300 degrees for about 40-50 minutes.

I actually keep these in my freezer in a freezer bag. They are great right out of the freezer, or when placed in a lunch box for later. As a matter of a fact, this was my breakfast this morning. We love these things. They are simple to make and I feel better about the ingredients, since I can actually pronounce each one. Ha!

But, I would be lying if I said I never bought granola bars. 'Cuz some days I have to tackle "junk drawers" and closets instead of making wholesome snacks for my family!

Have a fabulous weekend!

Don't Judge Me

2010-06-02T10:00:00.000-05:00

Once upon a time, in a world that was all blue and filled with little boys covered in mud, I promised that I would never buy my children one of those motorized peddle cars. You know the ones: Crazy expensive, two seater, adorable, and goes up to 5 miles per hour at the press of the peddle. I mean, how ridiculous is that?! If my boys were outside playing, they needed to be peddling. And, by peddling, I mean moving those chubby little legs as fast as they could go. There is nothing wrong with some good, old fashioned exercise!

Oh, the boys begged and pleaded more times than I could count. But, it was like my heart was made of stone. No matter how far they stuck out their bottom lip, I wasn't compromising. Not. One. Bit.

Years later, some pink entered my life. I was older (and, one would think, wiser). Our little princess was about to turn 4. She hardly needed another doll or frilly dress. I had no idea what to add to her pink little world.

That is, until I set my eyes on this sparkly gem:

I mean, how could I pass up this pink dream?! It has it's own radio, a seat for a BFF, and I was sure Sweet Pea would be entertained for hours. I am certain my instant love had NOTHNG to do with my childhood dream to drive around in my own pink car. (Which NEVER happened, I might add. Not that I am still bitter about it or anything.) Imagine my delight when I watched Nurse Boy's eyes light up when he saw the Princess Toyota.

Yes, we are suckers.

On her birthday, we presented her with what we thought was the most amazing birthday present. However, as soon as she pressed the peddle, the car jumped and scared her to death. She started to whimper and asked us to take it back to the store.

Seriously.

We were determined to get her used to this pink dream of mine...er... I mean, hers. The boys would drive her around. When they would ask her to drive, she was out of there.

Finally, about a month later, I found her doing this:

All by herself.

It really is ridiculous.

But, it is also stinkin' cute.

I think we need prayers for wisdom when she turns 16! If we got her this when she turned 4, I can only imagine what we will think is cute on her 16th birthday. (I never did get that convertible I always wanted. I'm just sayin'.)

Something tells me she will live happily ever after.

It's Good To Be Back!

2010-05-31T16:45:00.000-05:00

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

I have been MIA for the last 2 weeks as I prepared for the end of the school year. As the 2009-2010 school year came to a screeching halt, I finished my last day teaching my favorite preschoolers, I celebrated Nurse Boy's semester coming to a close, and I cheered my boys on as they received honors and awards for all of their hard work this school year.

I also rounded up flip flops, swimsuits, and beach towels as we prepared for the wonderful season of summer.

Since I know you are all on the edge of your seats as you wait to hear how our life has played out during the last 2 weeks, I am providing you with more visuals than you probably ever care to view.

First of all, my boys made me proud at the end of the year awards ceremony. Dimples received recognition for getting straight A's all year. He had an awesome year. He had several challenges and he impressed me with his determination to do his best no matter how hard the challenge.

(I know that is a HORRIBLE picture, but I was playing around with my camera settings. Once I realized it wasn't working, Dimples was already off the stage.)

Bruiser received a character award for Being Positive! (Check out all those girls. I consider it a privilege and honor to be raising some amazing Christian boys! Frankly, we needed more boys up there!)
The awards ceremony was loooonnnngggg, but Sweet Pea was there to cheer for her brothers.

The boys had their last day of school on Thursday. I was feeling emotional and sentimental. They were EXCITED!

Bruiser is now a second grader.

Dimples is more than ready for fifth grade.

On Friday, we kept with a new family tradition. I like to start the summer with a surprise-filled weekend. Frankly, I love surprising the kids. It can make a simple day seem spectacular. So, on Friday I had the kids help me pack up some suitcases while Nurse Boy was at work. They spent the day guessing where we were going. (I promised them we weren't actually traveling.)

When Nurse Boy came home from work, we revealed our plans.

We started off by checking into a downtown hotel. We were on the 25th floor. The kids spent most of our stay just looking out the windows in amazement.

Next, we headed to the hotel pool.

Our nightcap for the evening? Cookies and milk! And, mom didn't even care if they got crumbs in the bed.

The next morning, we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast in our room, got dressed, slathered on the sunscreen, and prepared ourselves for a day of fun in the sun at Jiggle Jam. Jiggle Jam is a kid's festive with numerous kiddie bands, activities, and opportunities to get wet.

We met Sweet Pea's friend, Lily, and her family there. Aren't they adorable?!

We took in some concerts.

Of course, we fed the kids well-balanced, nutritional food. (What? You don't think a brick of curly fries and deep fried corn dogs are nutritious? Then, I won't tell you what else we ate. ;0)

The girls hula hooped. Truth be told, Lily was AMAZING. Sweet Pea? Not so much.

Sweet Pea also had a few melt downs. (I love this picture way more than I should!)

Nurse Boy even got to sneak in some baby time!

(How cute is that little guy?!)

Since it was HOT, the kids had to get wet.

Bruiser is a fan of the water.

Dimples couldn't be left out.

Sweet Pea surprised us all and was soaked right down to her princess undies.

There you go! More than you ever wanted to know about our last two weeks. I am looking forward to the summer months. And, I plan to keep up my blog since we have a lot less going on... if I can only keep up on the laundry. Unfortunately, all of the trips to the pool tend to get in the way of that goal.

Happy Summer!!!