the bean turns 13

 today Ariana turns 13. i'm sitting in a hotel room with her and her best friend. we're on a weekend trip to celebrate her entrance into womanhood. and have lots of fun ;) while i'm sitting here, sounds of giggling coming from the next room, i'm a little overwhelmed at thinking she is 13. i had her when i was in college and i had no stinking clue what i was doing. young women in college are not supposed to have babies. they are not equipped for it.  her conception was (obviously) a huge surprise. the shock was soon followed by joy, i knew i had always wanted babies. i was just getting an early start. i was a full time college student and a full time worker through my entire pregnancy. i had her in a birthing center that actually acted like a birthing center. i was allowed to lay in the grass outside while i labored and have all of my friends there. i was supported for my choice to go natural and encouraged when it got really bad and i thought i wanted to quit. but after 28 hours of labor, that blessed midwife finally said "PUSH!"  by that point i would have done any crazy thing she asked if it meant the pain would stop. i did push. after a bit of that, they laid a beautiful, screaming baby on my chest and told me she was a girl. the second big surprise she gave me. while i stared at her red, wailing self, i had no idea my whole world had just changed. really, irrevocably, changed. i looked at her perfect face and said "hi" and she immediately stopped crying. as soon as she heard my voice she remembered that we know each other. we just sat and stared at one another, while chaos ensued around us from all of the people in the room.  (we've learned with subsequent births that having everybody in the room isn't always the most relaxing ;)
     because it was the middle of the night, soon they were all gone and it was just me and her. Eli was passed out on the couch. the lights were dim and she was wide awake. i can remember just staring at her tiny body.

 i had never in my life felt so overwhelmed with love.

 i had never felt this new foreign devotion. that i would literally slay a dragon for her.  

that i would annihilate the person that  caused her tears.

 that i was her mama. 

if someone had told me the kind of young woman she would be at 13, i'm not sure i would've believed it. her father and i were so very flawed in those early parenting things. i could spend weeks telling you everything we did wrong with that one and still not have enough time. when i think about that i realize that she turned into this incredible thing because it's just who she is. it's not her parenting. it's HER.  she just really is an amazing being.

she is compassionate to a fault.  she loves deeply and wholly. she is a lover of souls and she never fails to show it. 









 She is so very smart.  smart and wise beyond her years. i would say she's an old soul, if i believed in such things.

she is a kind and loyal friend. one that any young girl would be blessed to have.

she's fun. lots and lots of fun. 

she has a beautiful smile that she gives freely.

she is meant for amazing things.  just amazing things.

i am honored to be her mother. i am more proud of her every day. she changed my life by simply being born.  she changes my life each and ever day by being who she is. there is nothing i wouldn't do for her. she's my bean.

an overdue top ten

is anyone still here?  i think this is the longest period i've ever gone without posting since i started this blog! life is busy, you know how it is. i think of a post, i start it in my head, it never gets any further than that. good thing i'm not getting paid for this...i'd be broke!

i thought i'd try to catch up on our summer for those who are not my facebook friends.

top ten most noteworthy events of summer 2012~

10. theMrs is officially done potty training...kinda. except when she decides to hide and poop in her pants. other than that we're golden!

9. we are obsessed with the olympics! the other night the bean and i stayed up until midnight cheering on the girls gymnastics team and watching them receive their medals! there have been lots of somersaults and head stands around here!

8. i don't want to ever talk about chik fil a  again. i'm saddened by both sides. if you want to know my view, read here.

7. we got fleas...again. which is doubly irritating since we don't have any pets. $250 later they are hopefully gone!

6. Za turned 10, the Princess turned 8 and theMr and i celebrated our 12th anniversary with a trip alone!

5. the bean is turning 13 in a week! we are celebrating her entry into womanhood with a girls only weekend away for her and her BFF! 

4. safe families has gained some steam and i'm just trying to keep up with the momentum! i'm developing a team of people who believe in this vision and im excited to see it coming to fruition. while i struggle to manage working while home with five kids, it's coming along. i'm hoping things will be a bit easier once school starts. 

3. theMr has been working like a maniac. his business has really taken off this year. he's super busy but works hard at juggling his time with that and at home. you can "like" his business facebook page to see pics of what he's been doing all summer!

2. we may be moving! i can't go in to a lot of detail at this point, but this is pretty huge for us. we bought this house 10 years ago and have more than outgrown it. i'll keep ya posted :)

1. we are preparing for another year of school to begin! pencils to buy, uniforms to try on, silence to look forward to! it is a LOT of work for four kids to start school... but oh so worth it! we are blessed to have the opportunity to send our kids back to Emmanuel Christian Academy again. it is an amazing school and we are thankful to be a part of it.

that's all we have going on... what about you?!

Guest post from the Bean

Hi, it’s me again, The Bean! (I really hate that nickname) Mother asked me to do another post, so here I am.  My last guest post was on mom so it’s naturally time to do one on pops.

  Here is a list of five things you don’t know about him:

1.     ~ He is in love with cartoons, they are mostly superhero and is you try to delete one on the DVR he will freak

2.       ~Mom has told how he has a good fashion sense, he does but that’s a mild version.  He has hooks on the wall for his hats (there are like seventy, you can’t see the wall) he has a million shoes, and is the biggest fashion diva/shopper out of all of us

3.      ~ He is in love with his body, I have caught him multiple times flexing in front of the mirror or telling me to feel his muscles. Yeah.

4.      ~ He is very smart.  He has an idea on how to make, solve, and/or fix something in way that no one else would have. (he gets it from my grandpa who is just as brilliant)

5.      ~ He believes he’s still seventeen. 

 

Dad is very different from all my friends dads.  He is diverse too.

This is a list of a few things that make him out of the ordinary (besides the ones listed above):

1.       He is known by my class by his hats.

2.       When I brought him on an overnight field trip last year he made friends, with the boys in my class.

3.       He visibly does not age or gain weight. ( me and mom are always teasing him though about fat that’s non-existent)

4.       He likes the same music as me.

Now, here is a list of things that make him like other dads:

1.       He can be very embarrassing

2.       He teases me constantly (I guess that’s more like a big brother than a dad)

3.       He can be intimidating

That is some stuff about my dear old father.  I hope to do another post after this one on the other kids! (or demon spawn as I sometimes refer to them as) Bye!

10 ways to stay married

i don't think anyone would deny that marriage can be tricky. we are constantly bombarded by unsolicited advice on how to make it work... some good... some not.  why not get a little it more??  these are a few things i've learned along the way!

10. Lie.  "Do my thighs look cellulite-y in these shorts?" "No, they look fantastic."

9.  Touch each other like you did when you were dating. hold hands, an arm around the shoulder, these things go a long way. sometimes we just need a reminder that we like this person.

8.  Talk about your spouse when they're not there, as if they are.  any opportunity you have to say something kind about them, DO IT. our words are the overflow of our heart. be encouraging, not critical.

7.  Go to bed mad.  some arguments are just not going to be solved tonight. sometimes you just need to get some sleep and things won't look so bad in the morning!

6. Master bedrooms are for parents, not children.  parent's bed is no place for kids. it's for parents. if you want to stay (happily) married, keep your kids out of your bed. if you want tips on how to get them out of there, email me!

5. Men are insecure too.  say nice things to them. they need to hear it as much as we do.

4. Have as much sex as possible. even if you don't feel like it. the more you do it, the more you will want to.

3. Remember why you fell in love. remind yourself when you want to kill each other. if you have them, look at pictures! if things get really tough, go to counseling. this is not a failure or a weakness, it's a determination.

2. forgive, forgive, forgive. and then forgive some more.

1. there are seasons of life that are less conducive to happy marriage. pregnancy, raising young children, grieving, just to name a few.  during these times, remind yourself that: this too shall pass. and keep doing what you know you should do, even when you don't feel like it. you will never regret investing in your marriage. it is the single most important thing you can do for your children. it's worth it!

10 things i love about theMr

today is theMr's 29th  33rd birthday. although at the bean's science fair last night one of her classmates whispered that her dad looks like he could be her brother. please don't encourage him. anywho, in celebration of theMr....

10. he's a great dresser. now this has been a process. when we were dating, he had dreads, wore skirts and did not shower. all of these are true. i loved the dreads but the skirts and hippie stench had to go. you would never know it today. he is polar opposite. and he smells really good.

 

 9. no one in this world makes me laugh more. no one.

8. have you seen his abs?

7. he loves his family and he shows it. he still wants to protect his "little" sister. (she's 29) he still wrestles with his brother. he still has a healthy fear of his mother. all good things.

6. he works harder than any man i've ever known. he provides for our needs and many of our wants.

5. he has great tattoos.

4. he has an incredible mathematical mind. which is good since i have trouble with simple subtraction. don't get me started on fractions. 

3. he has this uncanny way of giving his full attention to whomever he is speaking to. whether it's a friend or our kids or the cashier at walmart, he makes them feel as if they are the only person in the world. he talks little about himself and asks insightful questions about others. it is rare in world full of people who only want to hear their own voice.

2. he takes care of me. even when i think i don't need him to.

1. he is kind, gentle, funny, loving, assertive, talented, smart, intuitive, affectionate, loyal and so much more. he is the best thing to ever happen to me. 

happy birthday Elijah! and many more...

mother's day, social media and other random things

good morning! did you all have a wonderful mother's day? i'm not sure about everyone else, but my only requirement on mother's day is NO cooking and NO cleaning. now that means i have a mess to deal with on monday, but it's totally worth it. the best part? i woke up sunday morning and my husband had already gotten himself ready and most of the kids for church. i only had to get myself ready. best mother's day gift ever.  i was already in a relaxed state of mind after spending part of thursday and friday out of town with my mom. she had to go to a training for work a few hours away. i went along to be her bellhop and spend time alone in a hotel. delightful!

i've been thinking a lot lately about boundaries concerning social media and blogging. i'm always wondering where the line is between what to share and what not to share. and we all know there are many on the internet that have no such qualms. i read a blogger recently who described in detail her five year old's sexual assault. she did so under the guise of wanting to raise awareness but the whole thing made me want to vomit. her daughter's only voice in the world is her mother and she violated that trust. i try to be careful and aware of what i post about my kids. i often wonder if they will grow up and resent it? or will it be normal because they grew up in an age of social media? i don't know. i don't think any of us do. there are struggles that my kids have that i never speak of here. there are experiences that may benefit another but are not my story to tell. it's a hard line and i'm sure i miss it at times. i commented to a friend the other day that hopefully our kids wouldn't all end up in therapy. she laughed and said "i don't have a single friend who hasn't been in therapy at one point or another so i suppose it's inevitable!" i hadn't thought of that before! LOL when it's all said and done, i hope they will grow up and read this blog and see that we laughed and we loved each other and i was blessed to be their mother. and they'll skip past the posts about romance.

what's cookin?

i know it's been awhile... things have been super hectic around here. spring is when business starts picking up for theMr and i become a single parent.  many times a week i think of things to talk about here and never find the time to do it! (this is why i could never be a professional blogger!) but i just had to share with you a story.

you know the saying "when it rains, it pours"? well that sentiment could not be more true in this household. two weeks ago our dishwasher died. this may not seem like a big deal but in a house of seven people it is catastrophic. i'm not gonna lie, i was in a panic.  theMr spent several days trying to fix it, to no avail. we ended up having to replace it. i tried really hard to have the attitude of thankfulness that we had a few dollars in savings that would cover it, as opposed to be bummed that we'd have to spend our savings.  within two days of that my phone stopped functioning. my six week old, very expensive phone.  thankfully, it was insured and replaced quickly and for free. then last week, our oven died. seriously. it almost started a fire while i had a house full of kids. it's only four years old.  once again, theMr spent days trying to fix it with no luck. we are on week two of no oven.  we knew it would be a minimum of two to three weeks before we could get together enough for a new stove.  again, with a family our size this is a major hassle. i don't generally cook boxed or microwave foods for the kids. i'm a homemade meals kinda girl. so this has been stressing me out. by sunday morning, i was over it. just in time to leave for church. as we were getting in the car, i set theMr's Ipad on the passenger seat. when he opened the door, it fell out and shattered. it is four weeks old. for real. WHAT IS HAPPENING OVER HERE??!  thankfully, it also is insured and was replaced immediately. and he was very calm and kind about the fact that his wife just broke his most treasured possession. his response? "it's just stuff."  i love that guy.

now i'm not telling you all of these woes for a pity party. i'm not battling cancer or homelessness. these problems are drops in the bucket in the grand scheme of things. but i have a point. by sunday evening, i was really having a battle in my mind. i've shared before that we don't believe in the use of credit cards or financing in general.  these recent situations are where the rubber meets the road. it would be so much more convenient to just charge a new stove and pay it off over the next few months. this is what was going through my head that evening.

why can't we just finance this one thing?

everybody else does it?

what's the big deal? we have to have a stove!

in the midst of this mental storm, a still small voice reminded me of something:  the Lord is my provider. not Visa. not Lowes. not even theMr.   the God of all creation is more than able to take care of my tiny needs.  He created the heavens and the Earth. surely He can handle a measly appliance!  i went to bed telling him i trust Him while confessing my lack of trust.

i got up monday morning and took my kids to school. i returned home and sat down to check my email and drink some coffee before heading out to price stoves and determine how much we'd need to come up with.  i opened an email from one of our pastors. it read that someone had dropped off an anonymous check for us at the church.  a large anonymous check. way more than a stove would cost. i sat there in shock. it will not only pay for a stove, but some tools theMr desperately needs for his business.  for the first time in my entire adult life, i will be able to pick out a nice appliance as opposed to the cheapest one they have. holy moly. 

friends, this story is not about the money. this story is about a God who is big enough to create the oceans and the stars yet is loving enough to provide a stove to a family who needs it.  He didn't do it because i'm a "good christian" or i earned it in any way. trust me when i tell you that i am a sinner to rival all sinners. i am selfish and rude and judgmental and prideful and moody. i'm a terrible person. i have done nothing to deserve the love of the King of the universe. therein lies the point of this post.  nothing i could ever do would earn His love and He loves me anyway.  He has the same love for you.  He sees into my wicked heart and loves me. He doesn't see all of my inadequacies and sin. He sees me.  and i'm His.  He desires to meet all of your needs just the same as He meets mine.

thank you Jesus!

10 rules i try to live by

10. never go to bed out of coffee... or mad at your husband. both will ensure a crappy start to the next day.

9. a credit card is not a necessity.. not even for "emergencies". after seven years of being credit card free, i can attest that it is FREEDOM.

8. if you can't manage to think before you speak, learn to be a really good apologist. i'm an expert at saying i'm sorry. i get a lot of practice.

7. people that constantly gossip to you about other people, are talking about you when you aren't there. avoid them.

6. life is too short to clean the windows on a regular basis.

5. everyday look for ways to help someone else. it's good for the soul.

4. five minutes of peace and quiet are not worth trying to get sharpie off the walls. choose wisely.

3. kids who have a mom who yells, become yellers. i'm working on it.

2. the secret to a happy marriage is patience, self sacrifice and separate comforters.

1. offer grace where it is not earned. you never know when you'll need some yourself.

what rules do you live by??

lost...

yesterday started out as any other sunday would... theMr was on worship team, which meant i got to get the kids ready and to church by myself. so when he informed me he was taking them hiking afterwards, i was thrilled! an afternoon of peace and quiet in my own house? yes please! they left shortly after church, meeting a friend and his two boys there. i put esme down for her nap and basked in the quiet. until my phone rang a few hours later. it was a friend of ours, calling to check and make sure the kids were ok. what? they then explained that they had run into theMr in the woods and two of the children were missing. i think you can imagine the things happening in my mind at that moment. i tried repeatedly to call him and his friend, to no avail. the area they were in is a gorge and there is absolutely NO cell reception there. while i was trying to tell myself not to panic, i was really panicking. i called my friend (who's husband was with him) and she hadn't heard from them either. i called my mom, though she couldn't really do anything! i was stuck here with a sleeping toddler, no car and children possibly lost in the woods. at that point i didn't even know which children. before long, my friend called to tell me that her husband had just come home to drop off their boys and my two oldest children were still missing. i quickly asked her to come and pick esme and i up and take us there (about 20 mins away). i was debating whether to call 911 when theMr got enough reception to get a call through to me. he had enough time to say "going to lose this call, kids are missing, call 911". i'm so glad our other friends had already tipped me off as that call would have given me a heart attack. as it turns out, while they were hiking the two oldest kids were a ways ahead of theMr, his friend and the littler kids. they were frustrated at the slow progress. but when theMr came around a bend, the path was forked and they had no idea which way the kids went. suddenly they were gone. theMr was trying to look, while dragging the two little kids and having no clue which way they went. eventually his friend left to bring his kids home and get help. i called the police, got them on it and quickly threw stuff together for esme. on the way there (and before i lost cell reception too) i tried to call the pertinent people, although my mind was very scattered by that point. we pulled in the parking area right after the squad and the search and rescue people. they sent teams out but asked me to wait there in case the kids came back. by this point, word had spread quickly and friends and family were starting to arrive to search. when we were able to think clearly later, we realized that about 40 people (just that we know of) were either there or on their way to search. we are truly blessed to have such incredible people around us. after almost three hours of them being lost, they found their own way out. they were quite shaken up and scared, not to mention hungry and very tired. i finally broke down when i was able to put my arms around them. here's the amazing part, they found the way out themselves. there are maps along the trails, however they don't tell you where you are on the map. (so not very helpful!) so at each map point, they took a picture of the map with their camera and some landmark around it to make sure they were not going in circles. they also took large sticks and wrote Ari's name in each clearing so that if theMr went by, he would know they had been there!






they took those map pics and compared them with all of the pics they had taken before getting lost to track their way back. at one point, Za realized they were going the wrong direction by the location of the sun. i've always known they are smart kids, but i was so proud of them for thinking clearly and intelligently in a crisis. what amazing kids. on the way home, Za said (in the saddest voice) "can we just get popeyes for dinner, Mom?" uh yes. you can have whatever you want!

once everyone was bathed and prayed for and calmed enough to sleep, the reality of it all hit theMr and i. i battled my own mind last night with not allowing my imagination to get away from me with "what ifs". but God is so faithful. He is able to protect our children in ways that we will never be able to. i'm so thankful for that! i am so thankful that they are ok. i hope to never go through anything like that again!

10 things you don't know about me...

10. i hate breakfast for dinner. in fact, i hate breakfast altogether. ironically, it's theMr's favorite food.

9. i battle chronic insomnia. hence the late night blog writing. i've tried everything, to no avail.

8. i'm allergic to soap. insert joke here.

7. when i'm reading, i have to see how many more pages are in the current chapter. i have no idea why.

6. i make seasonal mix cd's and mail them to my BFF's across the country. it took me a long time to mourn the end of the mixtape. i'm over it now.

5. i grew up singing in church and school and now i never sing publicly. but i do all the time at home.

4. theMr and i went to the same daycare, at the same time. we also went to the same middle school and high school but didn't start dating till well after. the first time we officially met we were 16 and i have no memory of it.

3. i have a serious addiction. one word. webmd.

2. i have two favorite music groups that far outweigh any of the others i like and i've never seen either one in concert. that's a tragedy!

1. i was an only child until i was 10. now i have four brothers and three half sisters. just to name a few :)

what don't i know about you?

more true confessions...

it's been awhile since we aired a little dirty laundry, eh? i know there's nothing you love more than finding out just how dysfunctional i am! if you haven't read the past ones, you can do so here :)

10. pinterest annoys me. i'm not saying there aren't really cool crafts and recipes and picture of cats with clothes on. but i don't have time to actually do any of that stuff so why spend time looking at it? i keep trying to love it because everyone else seems to but after about four minutes i'm bored. i feel like i should apologize here....

9. i have three different types of underwear: "donttouchmeimgoingstraighttobed", "ifyouplayyourcardsrightyoumightgetsomeaction" and "itsON". my husband can easily identify each type.

8. i tried really hard to pretend i couldn't hear my kids getting into oreos the other day because i didn't want to stop what i was doing and discipline them. which backfired horribly when i realized they had spilled the whole package on my bedroom floor.

7. i like to watch parking wars.

6. i also like to eat chips for breakfast.

5. i have zero to no tolerance for whining. it makes me crazy. especially when it's someone else's kid.

4. i don't buy organic and i don't feel the slightest bit guilty about it.

3. i like reality tv way too much.

2. i have a terrible time disciplining esme because i think she's so funny.

1. i can't blog when i don't have anything to say and i feel guilty when i don't blog, like i'm letting people down. letting people down is one of my biggest insecurities.

do you have any confessions you need to make?

the birthday and a tattoo

good evening!! a few people have asked how my birthday turned out, so i thought i'd let you know! it ended up being really nice. i got to sleep in (yessss) and woke to a coffee and gift from my dear friend, rachel.

how perfect is that? the gorgeous tulips are from my in laws, which are exactly what i need to see this time of year!

i had to work that day, i'm a grown up so i don't get to take the day off. however, my friend Katie brought over pizza for the kids so i wouldn't have to cook! which was really nice :) she's a good friend!

that evening i finally had my rescheduled tattoo appointment! i've been really excited about it, although not about the pain.


i can have five babies but tattoo pain is too much for me. i know, it makes no sense. i don't make the news, i just report it. but it was totally worth it. i could not be happier with the outcome!



how awesome is that! it's hebrew and it says "he turned my mourning into dancing; my sorrow into joy", which is a reference from psalm 30 and esther 8. for me, it has deep significance. just over a year ago, i found myself in one of the hardest seasons of my life. my husband and i were separated. i was living alone with five kids. i was praying desperately for a healing in our family, but i had no promise of a happy ending. during this time, i read psalm 30:

I will exalt you, LORD,
for you lifted me out of the depths
and did not let my enemies gloat over me.
LORD my God, I called to you for help,
and you healed me.
You, LORD, brought me up from the realm of the dead;
you spared me from going down to the pit.
Sing the praises of the LORD, you his faithful people;
praise his holy name.
For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may stay for the night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning.

if this was not the pit, i don't know what is. i had not felt such desperation and fear since getting sober from drug addiction fourteen years ago. in some ways, that was actually easier, because at least i didn't have five children to worry about in the process. i have seldom felt more isolated than i did during this time. while i have an incredibly supportive family and circle of friends, it was hard. i stopped blogging and never said a word about it publicly, out of a desire to protect my children and our privacy. i spent the first week just surviving. however, when i read this verse it spoke to me in a way i really can't describe. the Lord spoke so clearly to me. He said that this was a promise for me. He did not promise things would turn out the way i thought they would. but He promised he would turn my sorrow into joy. friends, i cannot put into words for you how far and beyond my expectations He answered that prayer. not only was our family and marriage restored, we were brought so far from where we had started. the Lord not only repaired the obvious issues we were battling: anger, depression, addictions, bitterness. He mended the problems in the foundation of our marriage that we didn't even know were there. see here's the thing: when you encounter a crisis, it becomes apparent what your marriage (and your character) is really made of. all of the faults in your foundation come to the surface. it's not pretty. not in the slightest. the reparation of our marriage meant that the Lord had to take it all the way to the foundation, to rebuild it on solid ground. a brutal, painful process, for sure. but i can honestly say it was worth every tear, every heartache, every uncertainty. and joy does come in the morning. it may not be tomorrow morning. it may not even be the next day. but He has so much better for us than the status quo. we just have to be willing to let Him do the work.

valentine's top ten

happy valentine's day! it's been awhile, eh? let's jump right in...






10. these are the darling valentine mailboxes i made for the kids. i was quickly reminded why i don't do crafts. the glue gun didn't work. they kept falling off their stands. theMr had to adhere them with some high test construction caulk or something. we make a great team.

9. we generally don't celebrate V day as a couple because my birthday is the following week. plus, last time we did i found out i was pregnant. i can't handle any more of those kinds of surprises.

8. theMr asked me not to get him candy this year because he's losing weight. (jerk. he obviously doesn't love me) so i got him a dvd. then he proceeded to eat some of mine.

7. he also got me a pair of super fuzzy socks and a car scraper. what can i say? he knows me well!

6. i planned to make mini cupcakes to take into all the kids' classrooms. i put all of the ingredients in my cart at the store, including mini cupcake baking pans. then i added in my mind that i would need to make and ice almost a 100 cupcakes. so i put it all back and bought cookies. sometimes i just have to remind myself that i'm not that kind of mom.



5. the little guy gave me this last night for Valentine's day.^ he said it's hair. since i cut most of mine off yesterday. uh, thanks?

4. speaking of the little guy, i'd like to make a request of any of you having children in the near future. when choosing a name and how to spell it, please keep in mind that some day a kindergartener will be trying to copy that name on valentines. do you hear me MacKarleighisha's Mom?

3. off topic but i'm sorry i haven't been posting. i've been busy and happy. i'll try to be more depressed and check in more often. just kidding.... mostly.

2. i'm getting a new tattoo on friday for my birthday. yay me!

1. i'm totally out of valentine's day related points. as evidenced by the previous two. so i'll call it a day.

hug the ones you love today!

why i must live forever...

theMr works odd hours. his full time job hours are noon to nine pm. then he has his business which often requires him to be gone mornings and weekends. this means that during the school week, he really doesn't see the big kids. so for the last few years, he has gotten them up in the mornings and off to school so he can see them a bit each day. this year, we've begun alternating days of getting up with the kids. in that span, i've realized that there are just certain things that dads are not quite so conscientious about. things such as making sure children wear underwear to school or shoes that match one another. theMr is a fantastic father. but he's a man. and men don't notice things like hair being brushed. men also don't notice if teeth have been brushed this millennium or why it's not ok for kids to go to school with a mohawk out of pig tails. men are really good at building slides and making pancakes shaped like mickey mouse and knowing the latest in superhero movies. (you know, other than bringing home the bacon...) so the moral of this story is that i have to live forever. otherwise my children will go to school looking like hobos and will live on mcdonald's and ramen noodles. and we can't have that.

i'm theMrs and i approved this message!

it's that time again... when our great country comes together to elect a president. while i generally try to avoid politics on this blog, i just can't keep my thoughts to myself this time! that is why i'm running for president. now i won't waste time telling you my qualifications, i think those are apparent. no need to state the obvious! i will, however, share with you my platform. i think you'll find yourself inspired and your patriotic side renewed!

1. i will make it illegal for restaurants to run advertising in cities where they do not have locations! it is cruel and unusual punishment for a tempting baskins robbins or starbucks commercial to run in a town with no way to fulfill those longings. it's criminal. plain and simple.

2. as someone who is in touch with her constituents, i know gas prices are causing struggles for many. do you know what makes it even harder? dragging kids into the gas station to pay! so i'm suggesting a 10 cent off per gallon discount for husbands getting gas for their wives! win/win!

3. i'm really torn on the issue of the death penalty but obviously something severe must be instated with the worst criminals. i propose we make them cashiers at walmart. they obviously are having trouble finding them since there are never more than two open any given saturday. that way we can all get out of there in less than two hours and walmart can still make more money than warren buffet while selling items not even worth their weight in plastic.

4. being that this country is in major debt, it's an issue that must be addressed by any presidential candidate. so i have a ground breaking proposal.. wait for it...

we will no long spend money we don't have. if we don't have it, it will have to be cut from somewhere.

5. it will be a mandatory regulation that tim horton's put the sleeve on hot cups of coffee. no more having to ask every time. as if one time you might want to burn your hand.

6. read my lips: NO NEW CSI'S!

7. theMr would make an excellent first husband. this is not legislation, just fact.

8. no dental procedure would be allowed while the patient is awake. all patients will be put to sleep properly and sent home with good drugs.

9. my cabinet will be composed of my best friend, bethanny frankel, anderson cooper, and dr. drew.

10. the national anthem will be changed to ice, ice baby.

these are just a few of the exciting new changes i have planned! please consider contributing to my campaign in the form of hazelnut lattes and mexican food. it's time for change!

saturday evening rambling...

just the presence of this post is a testament to what a smashing social calendar i have... blogging on a saturday night! theMr is working all weekend so it's just me and all of these kids! sometimes i look around and wonder what on earth i was thinking having all of these children. did i never want to live in peace again? then one of them does something sweet like draw a picture of me skinny and my heart is warmed.

have you ever noticed that you can tell a lot about people by what pictures they post on facebook? let me break it down for ya.

lots of cleavage? daddy issues.

no pics of their wife or kids? secretly keeping their options open.

only pics of their kids? gained a lot of weight since high school.

all pics of themselves all the time? i think that's pretty self explanatory!

these are the types of deep observations i come up with in my infinite facebook wisdom. i'm sure you're honored that i shared them with you. how many of you are looking at my facebook pics now to see if i fit into any of these categories?

moving on... i think there should be some kind of law that no mother should ever be potty training at the same time she has a child hitting puberty. it's only fair. you should not have to deal with cleaning up urine while busy ruining someone's life. or so i've heard over the slamming doors. sometimes i just want to look at that teenager and say "don't you know how cool i am? i broke my nose in a mosh pit, dear. (she wouldn't know what a mosh pit is though) i pierced my nose with a safety pin when i was barely older than you! (that one would probably come back to bite me!) i got the whole fifth grade at my elementary school to boycott school lunch in protest of the use of styrofoam trays!" she doesn't care. i don't wear skinny jeans and i have way less tattoos than her dad. i'll never be cool enough. although when i think back to the moms who tried to be cool when i was her age, those ladies were embarrassing themselves. so i suppose it's better to be old and not cool to teenagers than be that mom with a really short skirt on and her eyebrow pierced. know what i mean?

as much as i'm sure you are enthralled by this intellectual repartee, i should probably bathe these kids. sigh...

top ten of eleven!

i've been planning to do this all week. it's been a little crazy around here ;) nothing like waiting till the last minute! this would be the top ten highs and lows of 2011!

10. what we not so affectionately refer to as "The Great Lice Fiasco of '11". five kids. five heads of lice. two heads shaved and countless hours of nitpicking later.... they got it again. a total of four rounds of washing everything in the house. three weeks of hell. hopefully to never be repeated!

9. our new van! first vehicle with a/c in 5 years! woo hoo! i never thought i'd be so overjoyed at a minivan. but i still say a prayer of thanks every time i get in it!

8. medical woes x 7! strep throats, hand foot and mouth, ear infections, surgery for me. but no ER visits, no hospitalizations, all minor illnesses. not bad!

7. breaking dawn! i have waited a lot of years to see that wedding. it was every bit as good as i imagined. which is why i had to see it two three times. only 11 months till part 2!

6. the passing of "old papaw". my last remaining grandparent. while we were sad to see him gone, we were rejoicing with him for being reunited with nanny!

5. good business in a bad economy. theMr's side business flourished this year. his best year yet with lots on the books already for 2012. proof that God is so much bigger than our economy!

~the final four are all good. because there was much more good than bad in this year!

4. four weekend trips away for me! january was my first weekend away alone in eight years. it was followed by two trips to the International House of Prayer, a weekend Beth moore conference, a women of Faith conference and a Twi-Moms sleepover! after ten years as a stay at home mom, it was good to find some time for myself this year!

3. the birth of a ministry (and not a baby!). more later on that one :) soon, i promise!

2. the official end of childbirthing. bittersweet for sure. but it was time.

1. the renewal and revival of our marriage. we took a long, brutal road to find it. i wouldn't want to go through it again for anything. but it was worth every tear, every heartache. sometimes in order to make something all it can be, God has to take it back down to the foundation and rebuild. and He did. i will forever be thankful that in 2011 i fell in love with my husband all over again. i eagerly await what is in store for us in 2012.

thanks for reading this year. thanks for caring what happens to our family. thanks for comments and emails and earrings and love. who knew blogging came along with a new "family"? what a wonderful surprise. cheers to 2012! ~theMrs

happy new year

it's normal to reflect at the close of each year. the highs, the lows, what you want in the coming one. when i try to put 2011 into words, i find myself at a loss. it has been such a monumental year in so many ways. much of which i'm not even ready to express. yet i find myself needing to quantify. it's a trademark at my core. i always need to quantify things. it helps them make sense to me.

it was the year i found my calling.
and lost my last surviving grandparent.

the year that held the first time i thought my marriage wouldn't survive
and the moment i realized it would.

the year we felt the Lord's hand on our lives more clearly than ever
the year we learned what He meant when said He'd never forsake us.

a year that started with questions
and is ending with transitions.

new friends, new jobs, new homes, new cars, new vision.

what will 2012 bring? answers to many of these things... joy, peace, love, happiness, fulfillment, change, growth, renewal, passion, direction and hopefully a bit of grace.

another chance to start again.
to say thank you.
to hold a hand.
to chase a dream.
to move on.
to make amends.
to rejoice.
to LIVE.

at the end of the day, through the extreme lows and the mountain HIGHS, we are still here. we are healthy. we are a family. we are at peace.

that's all that really matters anyway. the rest is just details.

happy new year to you and yours. may you walk in the peace and blessing of your Savior's plan. may your days be filled with laughter and joy, hope and contentedness. may you count your blessings and endure your struggles with the faith that they will pass. may you smile at those who bless you and those who don't. may you find the Lord's favor upon your life.

from our family to yours....

12 days of theMrs Christmas

12 shatter-proof balls...

11 stocking stuffers

10 christmas toenails

9 lights not working

8 chores not finished

7 moose(es?) waiting

6 snowmen smiling

5 Christmas Quiches!

4 Santas sitting

3 kids snoozing

2 days till Christmas

and a crown on the Christmas tree!

Merry Christmas from theMrs & a Blessed New Year!!

merry

christmas eve

eve

from theMrs & co.