Deal or No Deal?

I bought this half-gallon of organic milk today for $2.50. I nearly danced a jig right there in the aisle.

In ten years I'll be reading through this blog and I'll wish I really had danced a jig, because by then I'll have two teenagers and be paying at least twice as much. ;)

Babies Don't Keep

                                                                Mother, oh Mother,

come shake out your cloth,

empty the dustpan,

poison the moth,

hang out the washing

and butter the bread,

sew on a button and make up a bed.

Where is the mother whose house

is so shocking?

She's up in the nursery,

blissfully rocking.

Oh, I've grown shiftless as Little

Boy Blue (lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).

Dishes are waiting and bills are past due

(pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo).

The shopping's not done

and there's nothing for stew

and out in the yard there's a hullabaloo

but I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo.

Look! Aren't her eyes the most wonderful hue?

(lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).

The cleaning and scrubbing

will wait till tomorrow,

for Children grow up, 

as I've learned to my sorrow.

So quiet down, cobwebs.

Dust go to sleep.

I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep......

~Author Unknown ~

Is this poem beautiful or what? It brings tears to my eyes every time I read it. Nevermind that I have no idea what it means to "poison your moth" and I haven't a clue what a hullabaloo is. I'll google that later. Yeah right. 

This poem is such a great reminder to cherish the moments. It is so easy to get overwhelmed by all the things there are to do in a day. Unless my house is progressing toward being an episode of "Hoarding: Buried Alive," my kids won't care how well I kept the house, they will remember how I spent my time with them.

Cheers, to savoring the "little" things!

   

A Family Affair

Adalyn tried her first green juice made up of kale, spinach, cucumbers, celery, apples and a lemon. And the verdict was...

She liked it! I wish I'd gotten a picture of her reaching for more, but the green mustache will have to do :)

Spinach, Beets and Apples, Oh My!

Several days ago, Dan and I were inspired and convicted by the documentary 'Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead.' That title may sound extreme for us, but we're both over our ideal weights, and I had gestational diabetes with Adalyn (the doctor swears it is caused only by the hormones of pregnancy, but I'm the stubborn patient who refuses to believe her;). So anyway, we have many reasons to get healthy:

-we want to set a good example for our children (eating a cookie while making them eat carrots will only fly for so long, and I'm sure it doesn't please the Lord)

-we want to feel good while we're here on this earth, not because it will necessarily make us live longer (the Lord knows our days), but because we will be better servants of our Lord the better we feel (I'd be ignorant to believe that the sugar highs and lows I have from all the sweets I eat don't affect my attitude toward my children and husband)

-we want to fit into our old wardrobes (we don't have money to buy brand new ones!)

-Luke really wants to see me in my wedding dress, and the day that happens I will sob tears of joy :)

-I really don't want to live a life of complacency. I want to claim victory and utter dependence on the Spirit of God. If I continue the way I'm eating, I will be 50 years old and I will look back and realize I lived the last 20 years of my life for food, not Christ.

Sooo....



see all those veggies? spinach, kale, celery, cucumbers, tomatoes, radishes, carrots, peppers, sweet potatoes...



and all that fruit? pineapple, oranges, kiwi, blueberries, strawberries, apples, lemons and lime...

That's going to be our diet for the near future. We are going to consume only raw fruits and vegetables by juicing them. Dan will add the occasional egg (since he's training) and he plans to do this for 30 days. I'm committed to 14 at least...we'll see how long our budget can hold out :)

I know it's going to be really hard, and quite frankly, really inconvenient (anyone out there like to go to the grocery store every three days? I didn't think so). But my body needs a break, and a subsequent jumpstart into a healthier future. So please keep us in your prayers! We will need it! (Oh, and don't invite us to dinner!)

Book Recommendations

If you do not own a copy of each of these books, you must go out to the store (or your closest amazon.com) and buy them STAT!

'You Are Special' by Max Lucado -- we own the hardback/boardbook version, which is excellent, but I have recently learned there is a paperback which is longer and more detailed

'The Tale of Three Trees' retold by Angela Elwell Hunt -- we just received this from my parents for Christmas and I can't believe I'd never read it before...beautiful!


Why are you still here? ... STAT!

Oh, the Things They'll Say

Ellie to Addie at breakfast this morning:

"Aaaaaaaaw, you're sooo cute when you're screaming!"

That's exactly what I think when she's screaming! If only I could be more like Ellie.

And a couple days ago while Luke was picking his clothes up from off the floor (one of only two chores he has), he said:

"Why do the kids do all the work around here?"

At least he was smiling while he said it, because he knew how ridiculous and hilarious it was. :)

2011

I really didn't feel like cleaning today (suprise, surpise!), so I did this instead. And I think it was worth it!

Hangin' Around

                    
 I don't know what you think, but I think we have a gymnast in our midst. :)

Executive Decisions

Yesterday Luke was discussing with Ellie what he planned to name his "next son." I could tell he was talking about a future little brother (there's no announcement to be made here!)...so I said, "You mean your little brother?" And Luke responded, "Oh yeah yeah yeah, my little brother...you know, the one I'm gonna get outta you." Ha!

Luke and Ellie had a very entertaining conversation while I listened secretly. Ellie told Luke that she thinks, "Mommy should have two more babies. I don't know if she wants to have two more babies, but I think she should." They eventually agreed that I would have one more boy and one more girl. Their names? Luigi and Morgan.

I'll let you guess who named who. :)

Hermiz Family Rec Center

Drama Not Averted

Yesterday Luke got his first bloody nose (that he was aware of at least). He was quite nervous when he first realized he was bleeding and he wouldn't move from where he was. He and Ellie were looking out his bedroom window when he noticed and he sat frozen in place until Ellie went to get me.

I took him to the bathroom and put a little pressure on his nose and started explaining to him that he shouldn't lean his head back because then he'll swallow blood.

Ellie: "Will you die if you swallow blood?"
Me: "No, but you might get an upset stomach."
Ellie: "Yeah...or you might die."

Can you say, dramatic?! Thankfully, Luke wasn't phased by Ellie's line of questioning and he recovered just fine. ;)

He's No Procrastinator!

Today I told Luke that in exactly one month, Adalyn would be a big 1 year old! Luke was immediately excited and wanted to make her a birthday card right away. Such a thoughtful boy...and diligent. Maybe he can teach me something about not procrastinating later soon.

We still need to work on his "N" and proper exclamation point placement...but I thought he did a great job!
Oh, and the drawing of a person with an enormous belly button was a nice touch :)