Quotable Monday's

Sometimes it's more important to be human,

than to have good taste. 

~Brecht

GO

RIDERS

GO!!!

I've Got To Talk To Somebody, God - Marjorie Holmes

"I've got to talk to somebody, God.

I'm worried, I'm unhappy.  I feel inadequate so often, hopeless, defeated, afraid."

"Walls of self, Walls of silence.  Even walls of words.

For even when we try to talk to each other new walls begin to rise.  We camoflauge, we hold back, we make ourselves sound better than we really are.  Or we are shocked and hurt by what is revealed.  Or we sit privately in judgement, criticizing even when we pretend to agree."

"But with you, Lord, there are no walls."

"You know the good of me and the bad of me, you already understand."

-I've Got to Talk to Somebody God

Marjorie Holmes

Wordless Wednesday - A Super Archer

I laughed so hard when I stumbled upon this picture from a few years back.

For more Wordless Wednesday visit

5 Minutes for Mom.

Tackle It Tuesday - Falalalala La La La La

My children MADE me do the tackle for today.  I was trying to hold off till December but the persistence of two 4 year olds was too much for me so I gave in.

We decorated for Christmas.

It feels good to be done this task.  We keep it pretty simple so it did not take long.   A Christmas tree need to be found and I refuse to do that until December.  My husband wants to decorate outside, here is to hoping he gets that done by December 24th. Afterall, hunting season is still on and we still have an empty freezer.

What are you tackling this week?

Head on over to 5 Minutes for Mom and be inspired.



Quotable Monday's

Happiness cannot be

 traveled to,

owned,

earned,

worn or

consumed.

Happiness is the spiritual experience of living

every minute

with love, grace, and gratitude.

-Denis Waitley

Tunes In The Truck

What I have been jammin to lately........



Cheesy I know but LOVE it.  The kids hate it but love seeing my groove.
Oh and your welcome...this songs stays in your head all day.

Continually Surprised

I have one child that I truly never know which direction he is heading.  Last  year he was in princess dresses twirling around and around with his twin sister looking at him as if he was nuts.  He would play with the girls at preschool and never with the boys.  Crafts were also not his thing. It was almost dangerous to do a craft with Sam.

But this year....I have a coloring/craft making machine on my hands.........

This is considered a sculpture. 

I am truly wowed by his creativeness....lol.

This was "Mom, take a picture of me".

I am excited to see where this boy goes.  Everyday is another surprise with him.  He enjoys books no one else does, he loves to compliment people and often tells me I make the "best" food ever.  He is sweet, I just worry what his motives are sometimes.

I am sure being a twin is not easy.  They do fight alot but within minutes are right beside each other watching T.V.  He is opposite of his sister because he loves being touched or touching things, he cannot get enough tactile stimulation.  She dislikes any of it and has huge sensitivity issues.  They are each other's opposites.

When your twin is a girl it can be tough to find your own place in the world.  The sister tends to tell you what your place is instead of you figuring it out.  I really see a difference in him this year at preschool.  I hear he still plays with the girls but he talks about many friends that are boys and they all play together, girls and boys.  I like to think that he breaks that "boys must play with boy stuff" barrier.  He enjoys playing house with the girls at school.  He is usually the family pet and enjoys it.  We made him puppy ears this past week because he is always acting like a puppy around here.

As I was typing this he just walked into my office after waking up.  The oldest son barely wears clothes around the house and I am constantly reminding him to put something on but this son....oh boy...full flannel pj's, housecoat, slippers, stuffy, and blanket.  He is always prepared.

I leave you with my favorite photo of this boy of mine.  It totally represents who he is....

My RAY of sunshine.

 



Toasty Tootsies

Boot shopping was a success!  Sort of painful to drop that much cash but in the long run my tootsies will be toasty warm all the time.

Yes I did buy me some UGGS.

To be honest I wanted  these boots by Timberland but could not find them anywhere in my city.  Order them online you say?  Yeah right!!!! I learned my lesson there and we are in a middle of a blizzard...I want boots now.  I did find some Sorel's but they were more money than the UGGS.

I have hinted for these boots for Mother's Day.  I love me some rubber boots.

I could have bought the UGGS last year but I have an issue.  It is a ridiculous issue but still an issue.

I don't want to be one of those Mom's that people look at on the playground and smirk at because I am wearing brand name clothing.  Yes I can afford it but that doesn't make me a shallow person.  I am sure at one time I have been the Mom doing the judgeing and it was wrong especially if I did not know the person really well or even at all.

So please don't judge my brand name clothing.  They are warm boots....really warm and so soft!!! 

If I was to buy myself the Timberland boots {which are the same amount of money} no one would probably notice but because these are UGGS I know I would notice...{okay and I'd notice the Timberland's if someone had them one but seriously I'd go over there and ask how much they liked them and explain how jealous I was that they had a pair}.

I know this is my issue to get over.  There are many things that people may judge me on and it usually doesn't bother me...I stand strong...but this issue of "Look at that Mom over there, do you think she could deck herself out more in her brand name clothing?" does bug me more than usual.

For those of you that know me probably get what I'm saying.  I just want my feet warm and look good too!

I really have no time to be sitting in front of my computer posting to my blog BUT...it's my life and I will if I want too.

That is I have a small personal amount of time until "Bob The Builder" is over.

I am having the BIGGEST issue ever finding a winter boot.  Right now I wear these when the weather is like it is today...real fashionable right?  Yeah, NOT.

So Cabelas online had a spend $150 save $30 sale.  UGGS are $150 on Cabelas online compared to $270 locally, that made my decision easy.  I just received an email letting me know they are sold out.  Thanks...grrrrrrr. 

Today I will goto the mall and get myself some boots. This angers me because I was shopping in a larger center yesteday where boots were literally taking over shoe stores.  But silly me thought I had me some UGGS coming in the mail for a darn good price.

I think I have lost faith in Cabelas online shopping.

So today I venture out in the snow and cold in my ugly 12 year old Sorels.

On another note....

"Sam were you eating the cookie dough?"

"No Mommy I wasn't."

Wordless Wednesday - You Never Know When A Deer May Cross Your Path

For more Wordless Wednesday participants visit

5 Minutes For Mom.

Quotable Mondays

Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go.

 ~William Feather

LOVE IT!!

Fair Division With Housework

If you read my posts about Kathy Peel and her book "The Busy Mom's Guide To A Happy Organized Home" then you may want to check out Focus on the Family today.  She and her husband Bill are talking about fair division of housework with our spouse.

Thoughts From A 4 Year Old

As we were driving to our Mom's group last week we witnessed a perfect double rainbow.  We saw a start and a finish.  It was truly beautiful and if I had not been running late I would have turned around and ran back for my camera.

My 4 year old daughter announced that "There is a pot of God at the end of that rainbow." {she meant to say gold}

I started to correct her then left it alone......

Picture by Sasha

4 years old

Never Forget

 Their bodies are buried in peace; but their name liveth for evermore.

Ecclesiasticus 44:14 KJV

Wordless Wednesday - Salute

For more Wordless Wednesday participants visit

5 Minutes For Mom.

Family Management - You!

I just closed up this book "The Busy Mom's Guide to a Happy Organized Home" by Kathy Peel and will forever be thankful I read it from front to back.  Kathy Peel has wonderful suggestions and inspired me to get myself organized on the outside and the inside so life doesn't have to be so chaotic day to day.

Once again if you are intersted in reading about any of the other chapters I explored you can see the blog posts here....

Managing your time.

Managing your home and property.

Managing your menus and meals.

Managing relationships with family and friends.

Managing your finances.

Managing special events.

I was once again curious about how the chapter on "Managing Yourself" was going to read.  This book is for Mom's who are usually the family manager, the pilot, the one who knows where everything is {ahem}, the individual in the family that directs the unit to where they need to be do we really have time  for ourselves? 

Tiring just reading that isn't it?

That is why we DO need to take care of ourselves.

Like children we are a work in progress.  We need to nurture our body but also our mind and soul.  I like how Kathy Peel states....

"When we nuture our selves we create an enhanced version of yourself better equipped to handle inevitable pressure, challenges, and surprises of motherhood and you will be on track for becoming the woman God created you to be."

Now that is something my mentor would tell me and I am sure she is saying "yes, yes" right now.  

But it's true fellow Moms.  So so true.

So as of today I want all of us to start encouraging each other to take time out for ourselves.  If that means I have to have my friends four kids over here along with my four kids so she can have a 2 hour break, get a massage, go home and sit in silence, I will do that for her.  And I hope she returns the favor, **smiles**.

So how can we find time?  I know my calendar is marked up with all sorts of ink colors and I imagine yours is too.  Well, this year I decided to give myself a color and mark myself in.  If hunting and recreational hockey dates can go on the calendar for my husband than an hour of scrapbooking or massage can go on for me.  My favorite is when he takes the kids outside and I he gives me quiet in the house.  I may just check out facebook or write up a blog post but the quiet is so refreshing.

Here are some suggestions from the bookon how we can take care of ourselves...

Create Self Care Habits

 "Attitude colors everything in our lives" - Kathy Peel

1.  Create buffer zones in your schedule.  Give yourself a 10-15 minute break between tasks.

2.  Spend time regularly with people that inspire you.

3.  Watch your monthly cycle , PMS wreaks havoc with our emotions sometimes, don't plan a stressful week during this time.

4.  Get outdoors.

5.  Consciously relax.

6.  Exercise.

In all areas suggested above find what works for you and do it.  I know many people who goto the gym regularly...I am not one of them.  But give me DVD at home and/or my treadmill and I will use it consistently.  I find exercise helps my mentality alot.

When the twins were babies and I was at home alone with them and their three year old brother, you could often find me on the deck, rain, shine or freezing temperatures.  I would go out there for a moment or two and "cool" off or refresh myself with the cold air.  I still do this but often it is when I am chatting on the phone, two reasons, my house is so noisy and I like the cold air.

7.  Eat smart.

8.  Drink lots of water.

9.  Take vitamins.

10.  Eliminate small stressors that can really bother you all day.  Examples are cartoons blasting from the t.v., dogs barking and if you cannot elimate them, example messay house, spousal issues consider counselling.

Sharpen Your Mind 

"You don't grow old.  You get old by not growing" 

1.  Learn new things.

2.  Do crossword puzzles.

3.  Join a book club.

4.  Learn a new language.

5.  Set aside time for reading.


Nuture Your Spirit

There will always be points in your life where you will face challenges.  When we face these challenges how they affect our lives will depend on our faith.  I recently watched Jeff Allen's "Happy Wife, Happy Life" and then his testimony.  Here are two profound statements from him as he found his way to a relationship with God....

"If happiness was an act of human will we'd all be happy"

"Something outside of us has to come inside of us,

change our hearts

 and it works it's way out in the form of service."

"You want love - give it away.

You have to be a servant of the one you love."

And that my friends is my new sentiment in life, I will serve the ones I love.  Since I heard him say this I think of his words everyday and try to act upon them.  I am only human and I do mess up but try try again.

Other suggestions in the book to nuture your spirit...

1.  Remind yourself of God's presence.

2.  Keep a journal for prayer requests, scripture, quotes, words of wisdom.

3. Remember to "listen" after asking for God's help.

4.  Practice Sabbath rest. 

"Rest is never how a body relaxes but how a mind lies down into Jesus"

-Anne Voskamp.

5.  Listen to inspirational music.

6.  Take a walk with a small child - adopt their sense of wonder.

7.  Thank someone for a positive change they made in your life.

Affimirmations

You are what you think.  Just recently a friend emailed me because she had caught my negative words about myself, mostly my body.  I never really thought of how those words may affect me.  Usually I am joking but she did have many good points that this negative self talk is not how God wants us to look at ourselves. 

For you created my inmost being;

you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful,

I know that full well.

 My frame was not hidden from you

when I was made in the secret place,

when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

 Your eyes saw my unformed body;

all the days ordained for me were written in your book

before one of them came to be.

Psalm 139 v13-16

NIV

I may not have wanted to hear what she said in that email but I think now I get it.......self affirm Mommy's, you are loved and you are important.

Was this book a Sanity Saver?  Yes in the end I think it was.  I grew so much reading the chapters and applying the suggestions and tips to my daily life.  I have a long way to go of course and I know it will not happen overnight.

Quotable Monday's

Give thanks for what you are now,

and keep fighting for what you want to be tomorrow.

~Fernanda Miramontes-Landeros

What Do You Do for Fun?

Call us Redneck or whatever you want.

Our family loves to shoot guns {those that are old enough} or watch Daddy blow up pumpkins.

The kids are a used to the sound a shotgun makes....

The first attempt did not give us the effect we wanted.

 My husband doesn't give up! 

Even though he had to get in the shower and eat before his night shift he could not stop....



Now that is the effect we were going for!!

I am so excited!!!!!

 If we can find someone to watch Gage on Wednesday we are going to the gun range so I can learn how to shoot the big gun.

Where Did The Time Go?

My youngest child turns 2 today!

You are the wild child who thinks he is way older than he is.

Every minute with you is full of adventure!

Happy Birthday Gage!