Ten Things......

Ten things I would like to do (in no particular order):

• Write something and have it published (magazine, book....whatever) 
• Build something out of wood by myself (a bookshelf, a table....something that didn't come from a kit)
• Repel off of something really tall
• Force Take my husband to Paris/London on vacation
• Take a cooking class (not some fancy gourmet class either)
• Go with my familyto Israel
• Learn to actually use my digital SLR camera (not on AUTO setting)
• Finally decorate my master bedroom
• Go white water rafting
• Paint something with chalkboard paint

People say you should write down what you want.  Declare it and it shall be so.  So here are just a few of the things I would like to do.  Don't worry, these are not the only things I want to do.  They are simply the ones I am going to share now.

Do something unexpected today!

"Book of Short Answers" Request

I know people say children should come with an Owners Manual, but I am convinced a "Book of Short Answers" would suffice.  In recent weeks, I have learned that the shorter the answer the better.  If you say too much, the questions start coming faster and more in depth (kind of like a bad Tetris game on speed)!

Yesterday my day started out fabulously.  Elizabeth and I were running errands - just us. 

We just left the funky place where Elizabeth gets her hair cut and admiring the little baby boy in the waiting area.  We were in the care driving home and listening to the radio.  Innocent scenario, right?  WRONG!  Elizabeth (out of the clear blue) says, "Mommy, how do babies get in your belly?"  (Just so you know, this is the exact moment when I would usually say, "Elizabeth, I bet your daddy can explain it better than I could.  Go ask him.")  Remember I said that it was just Elizabeth and me?  Yep - stuck.  So I said, "God puts the baby in your belly."  Elizabeth:"  How does he know you want one?"  (Oh, great.....this isn't going in a positive direction....)  "Well, Elizabeth.  God just knows that you are ready and he gives you a baby to love."  Elizabeth won't give up, "Why did we have Jackson?  I wanted a baby sister."  Me: "Peanut, we don't get to pick whether our babies are boys are girls.  God decides."  Fortunately she got sidetracked and the conversation sort of ended after that.

Fast forward to the church foyer later that evening.  We had just eaten a Krispy Kreme donut and needed to wash our hands.  Wilson took Jackson to the boys bathroom and I took Elizabeth to the girls.  Makes sense, right?  Well, Elizabeth is washing her hands and asks, "Why can't daddy and Jackson come in the bathroom with us?  We are just washing our hands."  Me: "We girls need our privacy.  You might be washing your hands, but there are other people that are doing things that should be kept private from the boys."  Enter "Other people" from the nearest stall.....  The lady looks at me and smiles and says, "Great answers!"  I looked at her and giggled.  With a smirk still on my face I said to her, "This is nothing. You should have been with us several hours ago when we discussed where babies come from!"  She raised her eyebrows and said "Oh, that was probably fun."  Yep, another day in my life with a very inquisitive 5 year old!

How to create a cool blog header

Thanks to Clover Lane's tutorial (see http://memoriesoncloverlane.blogspot.com/2009/08/tutorial-on-how-to-make-blog-banner.html if you are interested), I was able to create a great new header for my blog.

I must say that I am pretty savvy with technology at work (i.e. excel, word, graphics, etc), but for some reason that doesn't translate into my personal life.  But thanks to the fabulous blogs out there and people with a lot more time and creativity than I possess, I can now enjoy the little pleasures in life like a personalized blog header.  I know.... it isn't that important, but it is an accomplishment for me (the technology somewhat-unsavvy one).

So, I hope you enjoy my new header as much as I do.

Creating Memories

My goal is always to make fun memories with my little ones.  I work so hard to “create” these perfect moments whether it be arts and crafts, photos, fun excursions, etc.  I spend so much time gathering the necessary items, making plans and timelines only to have it all crumble before my eyes.  Little people don’t always act like you expect, want what you want when you want it, or understand why you get frustrated when things don’t go well.

Lately I am attempting to be more creative.  I am not crafty or even really spontaneous, but I want to spend time with my kids (not just watching tv).  These past few weeks as I have attempted to force a “moment” to remember, I am realizing that spur of the moment things can be fabulous and a lot more fun than anything I could plan.  Those random pictures of the kids, maybe not in that cute sweater that you are saving for that special day or that cute sundress that you are holding on to for a special occasion, are the best ones.  Some of my most treasured memories are crazy, chaotic moments that weren’t scripted and I am lucky if I have my camera around to capture.

I have read so many times the magazine articles about pulling out the good china and no longer saving it in bubble wrap in a cabinet or the book that says to wear your cute dresses or jewelry now.  I always think, “I am going to do that.”  And then I never do.  I want to live now.  I want to enjoy now.

What are you waiting on in your life?  What special dress or necklace are you saving for that next special event?  What about today?  You aren’t guaranteed anything – so today is special!

Constant Entertainment

No one told me that having children would be constant entertainment (Yes, constant work, lots of money and time, but entertainment..... nope, no one prepared me for that).  Anyway, I woke up yesterday morning to my daughter's voice in her little brother's room. Apparently Jackson was jumping on the bed (probably from pure excitement that someone else was up at 6:30am on a Saturday to play with him).  Elizabeth was yelling at him, "DO NOT JUMP ON THE BED!"  After repeating herself and getting very frustrated (yet she still can't seem to relate that to me repeating myself 4,000+ times a day), Elizabeth goes into a rant that sounds something like this:

"Jackson, if you don't stop jumping on the bed then you will fall and your head will come off.  Then blood will come out FOREVER!  Then they will have to take you to the R.E.P (meant to say ER) and put in brown stuff in you that will make you poop A LOT.  And then they are going to put a bunch of needles in you arm.  You will cry, but they will give you cookies if you are good.  They will even give some to Daddy.  Mommy won't be there." 

(Please note: Elizabeth is referring to an incident that happened approximately 2 1/2 ago and I wasn't there.  Yes, bad timing maybe, but not there all the same.)

Kids say strange and funny things (especially when they don't think adults are listening).  And her rants do sound vaguely familiar, although sometimes slightly skewed, but hey, at least she is kinda listening!

Kids Ask Tough Questions

Elizabeth is a wonderfully dramatic and mature little girl. From the moment she was born, she has been independent and has commanded our attention. There have been few moments since that she hasn't intrigued us with questions and wanted answers to the toughest questions.  Just the other day, she was asking me "where do you go when you die" and "why can't bugs talk like big human people" and "why can't Jackson go potty like I can".  Oh, and did I mention that these questions were all in the course of a 20 minute drive home from daycare?  Yep - no rest for the weary.  I don't want to lie to my child, but I also am a big talker so "brief" answers are not my forte.  (Just hang out a while and you will realize my fabulous conversational abilites.  Trust me.)  So I am learning to get creative in my responses and am becoming quite a master in "changing the conversation" to avoid answering the questions that I don't know.  (Yes, I am avoiding my 5 year old's questions and yes, I tell her to "ask her father" quite frequently.)  Did I fail to mention that it is my husband's fault that my oldest child asks so many questions?  He is constantly questionning everything - guess she inherited that from him.....