Nashville's Bugging Me

I've been silent for a while because I have been unsure and afraid of what to say.  But I never stopped my search for Peace. And for what my Piece is in this Puzzle of Life. It's still not clear to me but what has become obvious is that I need to share what I am learning...

Our world is broken.

Full of hurting people.

Hurting, broken people.

And all we keep doing is hurting each other more and more.

Which leads me to Nashville. Not the city, but the show. Confession: I love that show. I love the music, the actors, the stories. I've been a bit behind but recently got caught up on Hulu. But these last few episodes have hurt my heart like it hasn't hurt in a while.

I realize this may sound so crazy, hurting over a TV show. But the truth is the show's premise is rooted in reality... it's that reality that is breaking my heart. I cannot keep silent anymore.

Through this fictional show, we've met this fictional character named Will Lexington. He's a phenomenal musician, who recently came out as a gay artist. In Country Music, this has proven to be taboo.

The show does a beautiful job pulling us into each character's life, and showing us who they are AS PEOPLE. You know... like real people. Like you and me.

Hurting, broken people.

Do y'all know who Jesus came to die for?

Hurting, broken people.

This Will Lexington, I tell ya. He has done some pretty brave things in the face of some pretty big hate. A few people have noticed... his father for one, who has finally started speaking to him again.

However, there is this "Conservative Reporter" who is being nothing short of hateful.

Now, I don't know if this fictional reporter is supposed to be a Conservative Christian or a Conservative atheist, but regardless, in this show, she is representing us as a generic group: Conservatives in General. And in her Conservative Crusade, she is downright mean and hateful.

And that's the problem.

When we conservatives "Take a Stand"... the way we go about it comes across as mean and hateful. Many times, the way it is done IS QUITE mean and hateful. How does that accomplish anything but to stir the waters even more? It pushes people AWAY from God, not towards Him.

Don't you realize that is

"God's kindness that leads (people) to repentance?"

-Romans 2:4

Whether or not you are believer, you know hate is not the way to accomplish change. You know that. I know that. Jesus knew that. He came to love. It is HIS job to change people, not ours. It is our job to love them.

And so, when I see people hurting each other in the name of change, or protection of values or tradition or whatever, whether real or fictional, it hurts my heart. This pain has kept me away from social media, blogging and the like but I realized I can't be frustrated with a problem if I refuse to help find / be part of the solution. So this is one of my pieces of the puzzle. And speaking out has finally brought me Peace.

Unbelievable FREEDOM

Do you want to know how many "drafts" I have sitting in my blog dashboard right now?
11. ELEVEN y'all!

Do you want to know why?

Because so often, at least 11 times apparently, I sit down to write a post, full of words spilling out of me that must be shared with the world- whether or not anyone is actually going to read them- because if I don't I'll bust. But then? Something causes me to hit the "Save" button instead of "Publish".

It's that small voice whispering lies...

"No one cares what you have to say."

"WHO is going to take precious time from their day to read anything YOU have written?!"

"If you post this, people will lash out at you!!"

and so on.....

But today, I realized, something- or Someone- prompted me to write those words to begin with. And by never finishing it, I've failed the mission those words had been given. Someone DID need to read them. Even if it was just me.

     -SO-

Over the next few days I will be publishing all those posts and then some. If any of them offend you, I'm sorry. If they move you, hurrah! But I have words spilling out of my words here. A heart about to burst wide open with unshared sentiments and lessons learned yearning to be shared out loud, if only as a confirmation to myself that they exist. And then, IF someone happens to read them and be encouraged, inspired or enveloped in that UNCONDITIONAL LOVE that provides a PEACE THAT SURPASSES UNDERSTANDING... then A-M-E-N! Because God is So Good. He has been SUPER patient with me, as well as Incredibly Merciful and Abundantly Gracious to me. And I can keep quiet no longer. So forgive me for the mysterious silence so far. And forgive me for the cascade of emotional shrapnel about to start flying from this blog.

What, you may ask, prompted this Revelation? (ha! that's funny right there because we just began a study of the book of Revelation at CBS last week! I didn't realize I used that word until I went back and reread this.)

THESE. WORDS.:

"If you want to discover what happens when parents and children alike learn to live from the freedom found in being wholeheartedly and unconditionally loved (and liked!) by God, you’ve found the right place. I hope you’ll stay a while and share your journey with me."

From the blog by the author of Parenting the Wholehearted Child, Jeannie Cunnion.  She has no idea I wrote this. She has no idea the impact her blog, book, and posts have had on my life. She probably has no idea who I am; but that doesn't matter. GOD. DOES. And He sent me to her blog to read that. perfect. little. description: "what happens when.... (we) learn to live from the freedom found in being wholeheartedly and unconditionally loved (and liked!) by God."

Y'all. I fell OVER. Flat on my face when I read those words. THAT'S IT. That's all there is to it. Do you want to know what life is all about? THAT'S IT. Do you want to know how to fix the problems in this world? THAT'S IT. Do you want to know how to find peace in YOUR life? THAT'S. IT. 

It sounds over simplistic, but I'm telling you, it's not. It is both utterly PROFOUND and SIMPLE at the same time. She can probably explain it all way better than I can. BUT, I'm realizing God has led us each down different paths, with different life experiences for a reason... they all reach the same conclusion, FREEDOM IN HIS UNCONDITIONAL LOVE, but her story is not my story. It is a part of my story now, yes. Each is a story of how God brought a broken girl through to His Truth. And each story is a powerful testimony of God's mercy, grace and love that needs to be shared, if only to being Glory to the one who loves us. Unconditionally, y'all. Messy and all. I've had that Freedom and I've squandered it. No More, my friend, no more.

So, I must write. I must share what I've learned: all about the Scripture He's captured my heart with and the fire He's used to refine me and the Love He's showered upon me. Because, I know, someone is out there hurting and broken. Desperate and lonely. Wondering and questioning. And somehow, these words might find you and be the stepping stone that begins YOUR path to Freedom. Oh what an honor that would be.

Truly. That is my greatest desire. For everyone to find this Freedom.


Unbelievable Freedom. In Christ.


And if this reaches 1. Only One.
It will be totally worth it.

A FROZEN Prescription

I'm not a doctor of any kind, but I do have a diagnosis: there is an epidemic of fear infecting the population worldwide:

• Fear that causes people to act upon terrifying assumptions, or equally causes non-action out of concern for retribution. 
• Fear of the unknown, or anything different that causes hate speech, hypocrisy and doubt. 
• Fear that hinders real communication, harms relationships and prevents Truth from being heard.

And though this may sound over simplistic, I believe the newest Disney Movie, Frozen, reveals the answer. The prescription, if you will, to eradicate this fear epidemic: Love.

Now of course, Disney is hardly the first one to proclaim this truth. But more on that later. For now, I'd like to examine how beautifully this movie demonstrates that Love can cure fear.

*** SPOILER ALERT ***

If you have not seen the movie and plan to, be aware that if you read on a major plot line will be revealed!!  I will be careful not to reveal too much, so it will still be fun and surprising to see the movie if you choose to read on. But know that some of the surprises are discussed below.

I'm about to walk you through a brief summary of the movie along with my observations:

In the movie, Princess Elsa accidentally hurts her sister, Princess Anna, with her icy magic while playing together in the snow she created. The only way to heal her was for the trolls to take away the memory of the magic. The parents' solution? Conceal, control and contain it. So they shut the gates to the kingdom, separated the sisters and tried to teach Elsa to conceal, control and contain her magic. Here little sister Anna, never knew why her sister "shut her out." Only that she wanted to play and Elsa never came out of her room again. Then several years later, their parents died at sea and the sisters were left alone. Still, Elsa never emerged, out of FEAR of hurting her sister again. So they drifted apart as they grew up. 

Three years later, it was Coronation Day. Elsa was to be crowned Queen of Arrendale and for the first time in forever (wink wink!), the gates would be opened and the kingdom allowed in. Not only that... Anna would see her sister again.

When the sisters are finally together again at the ball, Anna is awkward. She doesn't know how to talk to her sister or even approach her. Elsa tries to make conversation, and the girls start laughing and enjoying themselves, but when Anna comments that she wishes it could always be like that, the memories start flowing and Elsa remembers the FEAR, then she shuts down and runs away.

Anna decides to go after her, and a wonderfully fun and musical adventure begins. When Anna finds her, however, out of fear of hurting Anna again, Elsa loses control and hits Anna with another icy blast, this time deadly. The cure? An act of true love.

Here's where it gets interesting. Without revealing too much more of the movie, in the end, Anna has a choice to make. Get her cure or save her sister. She chooses her sister.

Did you hear that? She chooses to save her sister instead of saving herself!! 

WHO DOES THAT?!

Oh yeah. JESUS DID. 

So now Elsa stands in shock of what her sister just did, and hugs her, then Anna's icy cast begins to melt away. Elsa asks her, why did you do that? And Anna simply replies:

"Because I love you."

To which Elsa replies, suddenly understanding:

"Love? Of course! Love can thaw a frozen heart!"

So simple yet quite profound. You see, Elsa would uncontrollably create this snow storm when she was afraid. And she did not know how to unfreeze it, leaving the whole town in danger. Until she realizes that "Love can thaw a frozen heart." Then suddenly, she magically begins to thaw the entire kingdom. Why? Because Love not only cured Anna's frozen heart, it also CURED THE FEAR INSIDE OF ELSA.

Now of course, Disney is hardly the first one to proclaim this truth. The Bible actually states it quite clearly: 

1 John 4:18

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

And this truth is declared astoundingly clear in Disney's Frozen.

So my prescription to the world: Watch Frozen!! And let the truth that LOVE DRIVES OUT FEAR sink in!! 

I wish it were possible for everyone to watch this movie, but I know it is not. So I just hope this little synopsis helps spread the message even if in some little way. Also, it is so wonderful to find such a high quality family movie with such a beautiful message to enjoy with the kids. Let's encourage them to make more like this!!  Movies are powerful!

I'm not even kidding... I literally felt fear melting off my heart as I watch this movie. So much so that I had to return from a writing hiatus to share about it. I haven't written any posts in quite a while for a variety of reasons. I will confess, however, that one reason is because of fear. Fear of rejection that what I have to say won't matter to anyone, or worse, that it would be criticized. However, over the past several weeks God has been revealing to me exactly what his Peace that Surpasses Understanding entails. As silly as it sounds, He used Frozen to drive some of that message home to me during this time! I am so excited by what I am learning that I can't hold it back anymore (another song wink!) and let fear win. Hopefully this will be a step towards consistency in writing again because I love it. If nothing else, it's therapy for me ;)  But I do hope you enjoy it and glean something from it as well.

Like always, feel free to ask questions or make comments below!! I enjoy the interaction!! In the mean time, check out just what Jesus did:

    

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.  Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.    1 John 4:10-11

Free Family Film Festival October 2013

As with most families, finding free entertainment is the jackpot!!!  Our family loves movies. Safe, fun, clean movies. But affording the theater experience is tough.

Here is a little freebie we just discovered, though a little late:  NCG Theaters are hosting their fall Free Family Film Festival again!! It started last weekend and runs Friday, Saturdays and Sundays through the rest of October.

Check out the flyer for details:

Wish we'd found it sooner, but there's still 3 weekends left to enjoy it! Free movies at the theater are always a super fun treat for us since we hardly ever see movies in the theater. Hope you enjoy this free film festival, too!

Thrive or Survive?

This little question has been on my heart and mind for several months now. Earlier this year, I had the privilege of hearing an incredibly encouraging speaker at a mom's meeting: Frances Worthington. She talked about how she would live from one exciting, life changing conference to another. She would hear a message from God and get all hyped up to implement it in her own life, but then Monday would come and she would be back in survival mode.

That's me. Sundays are my favorite because I always get inspired and encouraged and hear from God through my pastor's sermons. I vigorously take notes and commit to make changes, but by Monday, it's like I get amnesia. I forget everything I learned and I'm back in survival mode as well.

I hate survival mode. Don't you?

Survival mode makes me focus on just getting through the day and not enjoying it. I miss those incredible details that make life so precious. What did my kids learn today? What special memory will stick with them from our time together today? What memory will stick with me? Nothing. It's all a blur. I HATE THAT!!

I don't want to live in survival mode anymore. I want to thrive. I want to enjoy each and every second I have with these babies, whether 2 or 9 years old. I want to remember those cute things they say, or those amazing facts they just shared with me.

Frances says when God finally got through to her, He told her the only way to thrive and not just survive is to daily fill your cup with His spirit, because ours is too weak to handle life on our own. (So true.) Only when we fill our cup with Him, will we have enough left over to pour into the lives of those around us: our spouse, kids, family, friends and the world around us. She even showed us how this looks using this profound visual aid:

(You can't see the water falling from one
level to the next bc my camera phone is
soooo slooooow. But you get the picture ;)

I so want this. I want His love, His patience, His grace, His compassion to overflow from me to my hubby and kids, my mom and brother and sister and dad and aunt, my friends who feel neglected by me and to the world who desperately need to hear of my Source of Hope of Love and sheer Power to go on.

How about you? Do you want this, too?

Let's commit to spend time with Him daily, so He can fill our cups and we in turn can overflow into theirs.

Encounter

Encounter is a class held by FaithBridge Foster Care to introduce prospective families to foster care.

For a while, we've been feeling like God might be calling us to become a foster family. We've been praying and researching for a while. But with finances a challenge, my work situation a challenge, it seemed like a far off goal. Something we can consider when I am able to quit work or when hubby finds a better job. So we just kept praying waiting for God to say go.

Then we heard about FaithBridge and their Encounter class. We figured it couldn't help to go to that class and just get more information. The class wasn't a commitment to begin Fostering, it was simply informational. So we signed up.

Then, the day of the class, hubby got sick. Really sick. We were not going to be able to go, so I called the office to cancel our reservation. The lady who answered was so kind and helpful! She asked if I had any questions I wanted to ask her since we weren't going to be able to go to the class. (Of course I did!!) She stayed on the phone with me for over half an hour! I know God knew we would not be able to go to the class, and He provided a way for us to get just a little more information on that piece of the puzzle He may have for us. As I look back at other times in my life when I was unsure but I trused God and plowed through, I can see evidence of His work all over it. It's hard to see it when you are in the middle of it, but hind sight is, as they say, 20/20. One day, I know I will look back on our foster care/adoption journey and see His work all over it. I believe this lady will be part of that.

Though we didn't get to go to the class and we haven't taken any other steps towards fostering yet, that kind lady's helpfulness gave us full confidence that we had at least found the organization that would help us find our place in this calling. Can't wait to see what God has in store for our little family.

If you are considering or even wondering about foster care, check them out. They have developed a foster care model that will enable more families to help because they have put support methods in place so that foster families are not alone in the journey. It is brilliant, Biblical and necessary. So many kids need love and support and through FaithBridge and Christ-centered families like yours and (hopefully) mine, we can change their world!

Random Thoughts to try and Catch Up

Life is truly full of interesting twists and turns! Of all the things I have written about here, longings and dreams and prayers of my heart, one thing I never wrote about was Homeschooling, because I never thought it would be a possibility for me.

Now, here we are, THREE MONTHS into our homeschool journey! And BOY! Have I learned a lot! And I still have SO MUCH to learn!

I look forward to catching up on my blog posts several drafts I jotted down but never fully finished, and well as writing some new ones to fill in the gaps. I can't wait to share with you how this journey began for us, how it is working in our home with my two jobs and 4 kids (LOL!!!) It is crazy to say the least. But it is also. Amazing!! 

I will share with you our curriculum meltdowns and thrills, as well as our favorite resources and our day to day schedule. All this I'm still learning about but eager to share because I have learned so much by reading ideas from others! 

There is so much catching up to do... posts about the kids, photography, our adoption plans, and now homeschool! So please stay tuned! And ask any questions you may have! I'd love to help you along your journey as well :)  

A Little Photobook Update

So, I've gotten behind on my blogging again, but only because we have been super busy!! Lot's of exciting changes to update you on! Can't wait to catch you up on all the details, but for now, hope you enjoy this little photobook update...

Click here to view this photo book larger

Create your own custom photo books at Shutterfly.com.

Just made this book as a thank you for a sweet family friend who helped us so very much when I was pregnant with Baby S and since then as well. All she asked for in return was "a few pictures"! So when I got an offer from Shutterfly for a free 8x8 photobook, I knew I had to make it for her! 

Have fun looking through it, and look for posts to come for details on all we've been up to!

Heaven is Like A 4 Year Old's World

This is life from my 4yo's perspective:

• Dancing makes everything better. Or perfect. Yea, dancing makes everything perfect.

• Making friends is easy. Everyone is a best friend in waiting!

• Love is it. "I love love!" 

When I get so tired I want to quit everything, I look at her and remember it doesn't have to be so difficult. We are already so blessed, why not just enjoy the moment. This one, right here. 

Sometimes I think abut heaven and can't wait to get there. This life is hard. As soon as one problem gets fixed, another crops up. Heaven will be so glorious. Just dancing, worshipping our Father, experiencing His love like never before. Sharing it with friends no longer bogged down by the pressure of comparisons, focused only on Him. 

Then I remember, He has us here now for a purpose. And He gave me a little girl to remind me He's given me a little piece of heaven right now.

Thank you Father!

That "Feeling"

One thing I always doubt when I don't feel it is how do I hear God? But then, when I get "That Feeling", that Tug regarding an idea (often a CRAZY idea!) that I just can't shake or ignore, I know THAT'S God talking to me!

Lately, it's about children. Orphans and Foster kids specifically. I can't get them out of my head. I can't get them out of my heart. We have been in our new house 2 weeks, and this place feels like the tip of the iceburg, like something HUGE is headed our way. Something HUGE, and possibly SCARY, but also very WONDERFUL.

Just "by chance" (or is it?) I have recently run into several blogs and blog posts about Foster children. One post in particular was titled "What if we'd said no?" It hit me like a ton of bricks, and I felt like she had written it just for me.

We have always felt the tug to adopt. Before we had kids, I think even while we were dating, we knew we'd adopt some day. When the adoption of my cousins in Colombia came up, we thought that was why, but then it fell apart after a year and a half. And we were broken hearted and confused. Then we lost our "Adoption home" and moved into a tiny ranch and were really confused.

But now, we are in another perfect "adoption  home", with plenty of space for as many kids as God is willing to give us. And we felt like, when the time is right, we'll do it. He'll provide everything we need.

But lately, I am getting "that feeling" like That Time is Now, not years from now. And it is scary. So many questions...

• I already struggle to mother 4 kids with 2 jobs, how could I handle any more? Especially if they are hurting?
• We can barely make ends meet with what we have, how would we afford it?
• We just moved in! We aren't even unpacked! Would we even pass a Home Study?
• I still have soooo much to learn about cooking and organizing. My current kids just go with the flow, but how can I expect new kids to deal with this craziness? No, we'd never pass a Home Study!

But then this question....

What am I missing by saying no, not right now?

Oh goodness, Father, where are you taking us? I'm excited and scared.

A New Season Begins

One of my (many!) favorite verses in the Bible is





"To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under the sun."       Ecc 3:1 
It goes on to explain how in life, we go through all kinds of season... a time to cry & a time to laugh, a time to mourn & a time to dance, a time to be silent & a time to speak, even a time to love & a time to hate. This verse helps me keep life in perspective, I have learned to cherish and savor the wonderful times, and just grin and bear it through the hard time because it is just that... a hard time, a season that will soon pass.

I am so excited to realize our family has just entered a new season in life. In the past 2 years, we have survived really tough season - loss of our family business (Real Estate), a failed adoption (Both stories are sprinkled throughout several posts), miscarriage, passing of my sweet mother-in-paw due to breast cancer, passing of my precious grandmother due to Alzheimer's in November (this hurt so much I haven't even written a post about it. I am still walking through the grieving process, and will write about it soon). But it is clear God brought us through stronger than ever and has now brought us into an exciting, new season.

First, He brought us to an amazing new church... a small church called Mt. Calvary Baptist Church with the most amazing pastor, staff and church family! We still love BHBC and they will always hold a special place in our hearts as church that we grew up in. But Mt. Calvary has some exciting new programs challenging each of us in our little family! The kids are loving the Awana's program! Then the adult Sunday School classes were challenged to each create a community project to begin, fund & implement. Our Pastor's style is so refreshing, so enlightening, and so challenging. We learn something from him EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. (And he teaches us 3x a week! He is our Sunday School teacher, and leads a Bible Study for the adults during the kids' Awana's time on Wed!) And his wife is just as incredible, her passion for children is obvious and they learn so much from her, too!

Then, in 2 weeks we will move into a home of our own. We've been renting for a year and a half after losing our home to due the loss of our Real Estate business. We thought that house was our "forever" house, big enough to house all the children we felt God was going to bless us with through natural and adoptive means. When we lost it and moved into a small 3BR ranch, we were confused, wondering why God would have blessed us with 3 wonderful children, and placed the desire to adopt more when we wouldn't have the room for them.

18 Months later.... we now have the most amazing house! It has 5 bedrooms, 3 bonus rooms and a full basement! (It's weird, though, bc it doesn't look huge from the outside.) It also  has an amazing yard and is located on the cul-de-sac!  It is a perfect home for kids, and since we now have 4 tummy children, it fits us perfectly! Baby Sunshine will have his own room!

Yet, it doesn't feel complete!

That makes us both excited and nervous about the road ahead. We've always know we were going to adopt, and we thought Brayan and Yorely were it! As broken hearted as we are about that not working out, we remain in contact with them and are proud of the new & improved choices they are making. (Update soon!) We have no idea where God will take us, but we know He has had a plan, (always has!) and we feel like we are entering a new, happy season. Some new ideas He is placing in our hearts:

• Fostering to adopt??  - this is both scary and wonderful! Can't wait to share more about this!
• Becoming a Stay at Home Mom - you know I deal with so much guilt about having to work. It has been particularly hard since Mr. Sunshine was born. Mothering 4 kids and working 2 jobs has been harder than ever. But lately, we are both feeling it might be time to find a way for me to stay home? We have no idea how, but we know God can work anything out. It's not just about my guilt, it's about the kids' needs, they need more time than we have with both of us working. And adding more through fostering/adoption would only increase this need.
• Chris changing jobs - teaching has become increasingly more stressful, demanding and much less enjoyable. And the pay does not meet our needs, thus why I have to work full time. They are taking away the teachers' power to discipline in the classroom, creating more and more chaos and cutting their pay. He works more and gets paid less, he can't teach the students the way they need because they are always changing and implementing "new strategies". Something has to change. He is miserable.

It's so hard not knowing what is coming next, but know He is in control is exhilarating!

We can't wait!

  

Finding a Way to Slow Time Down

Wow. Time goes so fast. Each year it seems to go by faster. My boss tells me quite often that life is like a roll of toilet paper, the closer you get to the end, the faster it unrolls. I didn't understand what he meant, but now I do. I think he likes to make fun of me for getting older. His wife was my Sunday School teacher, so I've know them since I was 15. I guess now that I'm 31 I'm not so young anymore. LOL. But he's older too ;)  However, yes, now I get the toilet paper analogy.

This past year has gone by especially fast. (I can't believe I haven't written a post since July! It does NOT seem that long ago!) But a year ago today, my sweet mother-in-law passed away. It's hard to believe we were walking through her last week with us a year ago already. It's hard to believe we have lived through a year's worth of life without her already. And my precious Grandmother, who I'm named after, passed away in November. We know Where they both are, and that we will see them again. But it still hurts. Especially realizing how fast time goes.

So this made me start thinking, there HAS to be a way to slow down life. To enjoy it more purposefully. To savor our short time together. We started brainstorming ideas, ways to ensure more time together. We don't have it figured out yet, but at least we are aware of the problem and on the hunt for a solution. I think this is the first step. Otherwise we go through life missing it, and turn around one day and it's done. No way. No more.

One thing we started doing is birthday-dates. Each month we strive to take each our kids out one-on-one for a Mommy or Daddy date for some quality alone time on the day of the month of their birthday. (Luckily, they each have a different day!) They have truly grown to love this time, and look forward to it every month. In fact, today, R was asking when his date night would be, knowing it is coming up :) LOVE IT!   I about cried when his Awana teacher told me last week that he said his favorite part of Christmas was spending all that time with his family. What a blessing to my mommy-heart! This spoke VOLUMES to me that TIME is really the thing my kids want most from me. I hope and pray to give them more of it in the months and year to come. That said, the blog might suffer because of it, but so be it. At least now you'll know why ;)

Lake Baby

We have discovered a love for the lake! (Um, yeah... this is why I have been absent for a while! We have been spending ALL our free time out there!) I was worried about taking Smily Boy, though, but APPARENTLY, he loves it too!! Check him out:



He goes around and around in circles! What a cutie!!

Flashback Friday - Scary Then, Funny Now

Today’s memory involves car explosions, a super-hero brother and a rescued damsel in distress!    Well, just a rescued me, but damsel-in-distress sounded more dramatic!

Yes, when I was around 8, our station wagon caught on fire! While. We. Were. Driving!  

Talk about S-C-A-R-Y!!!! 

It started smoking and my mom pulled over, made us rush out of the car and run as far away as possible. “It’s gonna blow up!” we screamed.  In the adrenaline rush, I lost my shoe, but I kept running. It was only when we finally stopped that I realized I was missing my shoe!

My baby brother was 5, ya’ll. YES, 5. However, being the man of the house, he bravely declared that HE would go back and get my shoe!

“NO!” Screamed my mom.

Then I started I crying.

 I was about to kill my baby brother because I couldn’t keep my shoe on.

However, my fearless five-year-old brother ran fast as his little legs could carry him back to the smoking station wagon and back to me, with shoe in hand. I was rescued by my baby brother. I smothered him with hugs and kisses. My mom did the same. It was a scene right out of the movies.

Well, in my mind at least ;)  LOL.

Then, the other day, my mom tells me we used to make fun of her driving that station wagon. THIS I did NOT remember. Apparently, when she bought it, she could only afford a manual, but she had never driven one. So as she pulled it off the lot it went “start-stop-start-stop” all jerky like, and my brother and I laughed and laughed, she says. Then she tells me that we said “Mom, I thought you knew how drive!”

HAHAHA! Obviously did not understand the difference between an automatic and a manual car. But this provided some laughs then and now. It was fun (NOW) talking about our burning station wagon. I wonder if my brother remembers this?

Be sure to link up your Flashback for today! Tell us about a memory that was scary then, but funny now! Can’t wait to read them!

                                                                            .

Flashback Friday - Beginnings

Do you ever have flashbacks? Like when an old song comes on the radio and suddenly you remember where you were the first time you heard it?  Or maybe a smell drifts across your nose and magically you are transported back to your childhood? I have those all the time. When I hear almost any song my Bryan Adams I remember laying on the floor of my bedroom, pining away about all my tweenage worries. When I smell an old diesel car’s fumes, I feel like I am back in Colombia during one of the many summers I spent there as a child. These flashbacks are fun to recall.

Other memories are more powerful, though. Like lessons I learned as a kid or teenager that I wish I could pass on to my kids, as well as experiences I went through that I want to share with my sister, who is experiencing them now.  Recently, I have had a couple family members tell me that my sister believes we have little in common. I want so desperately to have this close, amazing “like sisters” friendship with her. But she is 10 years younger than me and so if she thinks we have little in common, I guess that creates a divide between us. But I feel like memories and flashbacks can connect us, not only to our past, but also to others in the present.

Therefore… I think it would be fun to start a weekly series where we share our flashback moments. No matter what age you are, you always have a past, a “when I was younger” memory. Ex:  My 3 year old told me today “remember when I was a baby and I used to say “wahh! I want my mook!” (aka milk)” See? (And I doubt anyone reading this is 3 years old, so you know you’ve got at least a few more years on her that you could draw memories from to share with us all, LOL) So let’s share our flashbacks to connect and encourage each other, young and old. Maybe some wisdom will be gleaned from them, or even just some laughs. Either way, it will be fun!

To start, I am beginning with my obsession over remembering memories. Since I was a kid I was obsessed with making sure I would remember something. Since I learned to write, I have kept a diary. I know most girls did, so this is nothing revolutionary. However, my reason for keeping it might have been different than most: I wanted to make sure I remembered my childhood and teenage years because I felt like grown-ups forgot all about theirs. I didn’t want to be that grown-up. As a teenager especially, I felt like adults always bunched us all into one group (“TEENAGERS!”)  left it at that. They assumed we were all disrespectful, lazy and careless. I wanted PROOF that I wasn’t, not just for me or my kids when I had them, but for “the rest of the world”, LOL, whatever that meant! No, seriously… I felt it was my duty to show the world all teens weren’t bad. In fact, I believed then (and I still do) that teens are actually pretty powerful young men and women. They have insatiable appetites for creativity and this easily leads to problem solving. What would happen if we challenged teens to do something good with this creative energy, instead of assuming that they want to do the worst with it? I think there would be no stopping them.

Guess what? I still have all those diaries! The other day I was reading the one I started when I was 6. It cracks me up! I will have to try and scan some of those pages and post them. But the funny thing is, I remember writing those entries! I remember how I felt & what I was thinking when I wrote those entries!  So I think we should all keep a diary! We should encourage our kids to do it, and if we don’t already, we should do it! I can’t wait for my kids to read my thoughts I wrote when I was their age. I can’t wait to talk to them about the similarities they see between our thoughts and feelings, and the connection we will form by discovering those bonds. I will be sure to share about this experience when it occurs.  ; )

SOOOO…. Share with me yours! Tell us what you remember thinking about "grown-ups" when you were a kid or teen. Comment below, or link up to your post about your flashback.

It will be fun to read all about our childhood memories and see what similar experiences (or drastically different ones?) we have!

Look forward to reading them!!

Sew Not So Much

Yeah... this is one of those "I am so embarrased to admit this" posts... BUT... here I go anyway. Why? I have no idea!

I got a sewing machine for Christmas. It was on my Amazon wish list, and I was VERY excited to get it. I must admit however, that I had forgotten I put it on my wish list. When I tried to rememeber when I added it, the thought comes to me that it must have been waaaay before I had 4 kids, 2 jobs, and a house to keep up with! You know, because how on earth would I think I have time to sew (or even learn how to sew?) now?!  However, I was still excited to get it and very determined to put it to use soon after the Christmas rush was over.

AND... here we are in June. Almost 6 months later. Where do you think that awesome sewing machine is now? Yep... still in the box. COMPLETELY UNOPENED!

My 6 year old thinks I'm nuts. I probably am. But he cannot comprehend why I have a sewing machine if I never use it, let alone never even learned how. You see, he is begging me to sew him a list of things. Here's his (current!) list:

1. A lego man costume
2. An Angry Birds costume
3. Angry Birds plush toys
4. A ninja costume

See a pattern here? He wants a costume for everything! In his mind, the solution is easy... Mom + sewing machine = presto! New Costumes!! It makes sense, really, IF I KNEW HOW TO SEW!!!

OK, so at the top of my "to-do-real-soon list" is LEARN TO USE MY NEW SEWING MACHINE!

Summer "Treasure Hunts"

Summer is here!  

I love everything about summer:

• the heat (because heat = water play and I LOOOVE playing with water!)
• lazy days (ie. no hectic schedules w/ school, activities, homework, projects, etc.)
• endless time together (see above)
• free summer deals (see my previous posts about free movies and free zoo visits!)

However, despite my best efforts, I still hear those dreaded words "I'm BORED!"  OK, maybe I don't so much love this part of Summer. But I found something I DO love to help bust that B word! This Massive list of Summer Boredom Busting Ideas!!!

She does a weekly series called Works For Me Wednesday where she shares a tip about something she's found that worked for her to make life easier/better/more fun, and invites her readers to link up their own as well. They have been fun and enlightening to read! I'm not sure I can keep up with posting my own each week, but I sure do enjoy reading hers, so I thought I'd share her link. And maybe I'll post a few of my own when time allows ; ) 

Since today's WFMW is about Summer ideas, I figured this list is a universal necessity for parents in the Summer time, so I wanted to do my part to spread the word about it and share an idea of my own:

I like free. I really like free and educational.And I especially like free, educational and creative! This idea I cam across in  a magazine years ago has become one of our favorite boredom busters for the Summer Time. We call it our Summer Treasure Hunt. And its so simple, fun and time consuming!

1. Grab a bucket
2. Go OUTSIDE!
3. Fill said bucket with all sorts of natural treasures (cool leaves, funny shaped sticks, even BUGS of all shapes and sizes)
4. sit on driveway sorting through all the "goodies" you found, picking out out favorites, then put them all back
5. go inside (to cool off!) and write/draw/use play dough to recreate (and recall!) favorite finds

Somewhere (don't remember where) I recently read about a summer idea that expanded on this even further, but since my kids are young (oldest is 6) it doesn't work for us, yet. However, for those with older kids, they would love it: go online together researching those favorite finds to learn more about them. Write these facts on a paper under a photo or drawn picture of the find. Put all these sheets together to create a Summer Nature Journal. What a fun keepsake to have at the end of the summer! Silly as it sounds, I never thought to create a keepsake from this collection of Summer Treasure Hunt Finds. But starting now, I totally will!

Let me know if you have any fun Summer Boredom Busting Ideas! Let's keep this list going and growing!!

FREE Movies are back!!

Every Summer, Movies 278 in Hiram does a Free Family Film Festival!!  HOORAY!!! I love Free Family Fun!  They show the free movies on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. You can see the schedule of movies for this summer here:

(click image to follow link and see other locations as well)

Regal Cinemas used show free movies, too. But this summer they changed it to $1 showings. Bummer. But still, $1 admission is better than $8, so if you don't live near Hiram for the free movies at 278, check out the dollar movies Regal at Town Center in Kennesaw. Or you can check out their other locations as well.  Just go to Regal Cinema's main website.

If you live even further, check with your local theater and see if they have similar programs. I would be surprised if none do. It's a great marketing idea for them as well! Hey... if they don't maybe you could suggest it to them and be the one who brought free family films to your area! Wouldn't THAT ROCK?!


OH! Also, remember, you can review any movie before you go see it at Focus on the Family's PluggedIn Online website. It is incredibly helpful if you like to be picky about what you let your kids watch. We sure do! The great news is that they all usually show a great selection of family friendly movies during the Summer film festival series.




Do you know of other fun, free stuff to do in the Atlanta Area? if so, please share with us all in the comments below! We could all use more free fun!

Mommy-isms

I realized today I have become SUCH a MOM!  You know, saying those things that one day my kids will quote back either to me or to their own kids. Sayings you rolled  your eyes at as a kid but now see the wisdom in them? Like these, for example:

• Because I said so!
• Your rights end where the rights of others begin!
• Respect the "no" or you won't get a "yes" next time either!
• I love you to the Moon and Back!
• Make sure to wash behind your ears!
• No dinner, no desert

OK Mom, you were right. ;)  I have become you.

AND I LOVE IT!!

...What do you find yourself saying that you thought you never would?

I Found it!!! A Working Mommy's Club!

When posted about my stay-at-home-mom-envy and how I Googled searching for other blogs by working moms, I found little comfort. Apparently, I must not even know how to Google correctly, because I missed a TREASURE TROVE!

This weekend, I was catching up on the blogs I follow, and one of them wrote a quick blurb on her own blog simply stating she was being featured on a blog about working moms. First of all, I didn't even realize SHE was a working mom! (Some follower I must be!) Then, when I followed the link, the blog it led to had a link to the mother load!...

 This is a blog by a working mom for working moms!  Yeah, I had to jump on that! I immediately joined and started reading some of the posts. AHHH! I felt like I had walked in to an oasis after a long hot walk in the desert! SO many of the posts I read felt like they had read my mind! It was so great to read about their ups and downs, their struggles with SAHM envy and sadness over comments their own kids have made regarding being away for work and realize I am not alone feeling any of those same things. Not that I like that we all have this sadness to share in common, but it is comforting to know I am not alone in it.

I know I am going to love catching up on all the wonderful blogs and getting to know their bloggers. I can't wait for connections to be made and all the wisdom I will gain from their experiences. This is sure to help get me over this rut I've been in since getting back to work after baby #4.

Optimistically yours :)

Dianne

                                                                                     .