I Have the Best Kids EVER!!!

My children absolutely BLESSED MY HEART yesterday.
Even though we're apart, and life isn't what we all wish it would be right now they "got together" and made this video.
Seriously, y'all. This act of love has my heart bursting with JOY.

Wanna Play?

My daughter knows me so well.
We spent this past weekend with Elizabeth and Phil, Phil's mom, and Brian's mom. And Saturday afternoon as we were all sitting together Elizabeth said to me, "Hey, do you want to play a word game?" Then she gave her beautiful smile which said, I know you're going to say, "yes," because you simply can't resist a word game.
True, that.
I responded enthusiastially, "I'm in!"
Everyone else followed suit.
And with that, Elizabeth began explaining the rules.
One person thinks of a secret word and tells everyone the letter with which it begins.
Everyone else tries to think of what the word might be, and when they have a guess they say another word which gives a clue as to the word they are presently considering.
For example, let's say we're playing the game. I think of a word and announce that it starts with "H". You suspect that I might be thinking "horse" so you say, "pony" or "equine" or some other word which you think will get sombody else to think "horse," too.
When another player thinks they know what word you are considering they call out, "Gotcha!" Then you both count down, "3-2-1" and simultaneously call out the word you're both thinking about.
If the two players say the same word, the person who has chosen the secret word must supply the next letter. (If the guess-ers don't say the same word no new letter is revealed.) And the game continues with players thinking of possible words, giving clues, saying "Gotcha!", and counting down to the pronouncement of the guess.
HOWEVER, if the keeper-of-the-secret-word also thinks they know the word which is about to be guessed, they can prevent being required to give up the next letter. That is, when the two players are counting down and as they call out the word they're guessing, the keeper-of-the-secret-word may simultaneously call out, "It isn't ****!"
For example, in the scene above let's say you just said, "equine" and another player said, "Gotcha!"
I'm pretty sure you're both about to call out "horse", so I wait for you to say "3-2-1" then while the two of you are saying "horse", I call out "It isn't 'horse'!" And now I don't have to give you the next letter in my secret word.
When somebody figures out the correct word, gives a clue which gets somebody else to also think of the correct word, and counts down to call out said correct word, there is a winner and the winner gets to choose the next secret word. (Of course, if the keeper-of-the-secret-word realizes the players are about to call out the correct word he/she cannot call out, "It isn't ****!" because that would be a lie. And lying isn't nice.)
So, that's the game. It's my new favorite!
And the next time we're together with two or three other people, I'd love to play it with you! :)

Highlights from the Cruise :)

Ahhhhh, the KT and Friends Cruise Brian and I went on was wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!
I put together a video of the highlights so you could get a taste of it, too.
Enjoy!!!

What are the Odds?

Phil: What are the odds you'll drink straight soy sauce?
Elizabeth: One in ten.
Phil: Three, two, one...
Phil and Elizabeth together: Seven!
Elizabeth: Aaaggghhh!
Phil: Laughs heartily as he hands Elizabeth a small dish with soy sauce on it, and watches her wince while she drinks it.
Such was the scene I observed yesterday, of these two love birds in my kitchen.

What are the odds?
It's a game all of my kids enjoy playing. Maybe yours will, too!
Here's how it goes: Person One thinks up an action for Person Two to do, and asks what the odds are that they'll do it.
After careful consideration, Person Two states the odds: one in "whatever", depending on how much they do or do not want to perform the proposed action. For example, if you said to me, "What are the odds you'll eat this peanut butter chocolate chip cookie?" I would probably say, "One in one." Because I want to eat that cookie! But if you said, "What are the odds you'll put peanut butter in your ear?" I would probably say, "One in five-hundred." Because I really don't want to put peanut butter in my ear. (And because I am not very adventurous, and would therefore choose very big odds.)
Next, Person One counts down from three, and then One and Two simultaneously say a number within the given odds.
If they say the same number, Two has to do what One proposed.
If they say different numbers, Two is off the hook.

It's kind of like the game "Truth or Dare" which we played a lot when I was a kid.
I like this version more, though, because it gives the players more control over whether or not they have to do the "dare".
And it's fun to watch the anticipation of Person Two as One is counting down to Two's fate. *wink*

So, what are the odds you'll teach your kids how to play this game???

Never Say Never

I always think of this song when I say, "Never say never."
Ah, yes. An American Tale. My favorite movie from 1986!
Anyway, I found myself saying "never" to a certain possibility for many years. And now it's going to happen. So I have been happily singing this song for days.

That is to say, do you remember a while ago when I mentioned a vacation I wanted to take with my husband - but he thought it was too expensive? So rather than nagging begging continually listing off all the reasons we should go being a pest about it, I decided to be quiet?
Well, I am not sure what happened (Except maybe God was smiling on me!) but Brian recently suggested we take that vacation. He brought it up again, after I had stopped mentioning it, y'all!!!
You've got to know I jumped on it and we made our reservation.
And last night it got very real.
The confirmation email arrived with our cabin assignment.
Yes. Cabin - as in a cruise.
As in a 10-day Panama Canal - Caribbean cruise next January with Kathy Troccoli and friends.

And I am so stinking excited!!!
I never thought I'd get to go on a vacation like this one.

So, yeah. Never say, "Never."

I'm a Dork

What did Cinderella say when her photos didn't show up?
Some day my prints will come.

Why do dragons sleep during the day?
So they can fight knights!

What did the paper say to the pencil?
Write on!

Ahhhh, jokes like these make me laugh so hard. I love them! And I enjoy telling them, too. Especially to my boys. But they just roll their eyes at me, snicker, and moan, "Mmooooomm."
I don't understand.
I mean, haven't I raised them to appreciate a clever pun???
Or do they simply think I'm dorky?

It's hard to tell.

See, I like to have fun with them. But it can be difficult to discern whether or not they think I'm funny.
For example:
*The snicker when I tell my jokes. Is it at the joke - because it really is funny?
Or, is it at me - because I'm a dork?
*The fake laughter when I tickle Josh's feet which are hanging over the side of the bed. Is it because my teasing really does "tickle" him?
Or is he laughing at me because I think I'm being funny?
*The yelp Matthew lets out when I sneak up behind him, poke his sides, and call out "Shank!" Is it because I have truly startled him?
Or is he just playing along so I'll think I got 'im?

I don't know.

But in the end, I guess it really doesn't matter to me very much.
Because the other day after I had folded the laundry and was delivering it to each owner's bedroom, I caught a glimmer of satisfaction. That is, Matthew was laying on his bed when I got to his room, so I picked up a pair of his socks and threw them at him.
Landed right under his chin, caused him to startle, and I let out a hearty laugh.
He proceeded to semi-glare at me, then did his classic point-wink-smile gesture - which told me he noticed my effort at humor and recognized that I can be fun(ny).
And even if they do think I'm a dork, I'm OK with it. Because I trust that someday (Perhaps the same day they realize I "knew what I was talking about," after all.) my boys will look back fondly on my teasing and joking and remember the good ol' days.
Maybe they'll even share my corny jokes with their own kids!!??
*wink*

What do you do to have fun with your kids?

When Phones Aren't Allowed at the Table

Like most moms, I am a stickler for not allowing phones at the dinner table.
And, like most kids, mine challenge me on that ruling almost daily. (Or would that be "eveningly"?)
I cannot count how many times a certain man-child of mine gets up from the table to, oh, throw something in the trash or fill his glass with more water or whatever - and "happens" to notice something on his phone as he walks past it, to which he just has to respond right now. Because if he waits another 10 or 15 minutes until we're finished with dinner, well, something terrible might happen!
If I could count the number of times a scenario like that has occurred, I could also tell you how many times I have threatened to destroy hide keep the phone in my possession for all future meals. *ahem*
Anyway, I value the limited time we have together anymore, and I don't want it to be ruined by needless interruptions.

Which is why I got my phone out the other night during dinner.

Because my guys were having fun around the dinner table, and I wanted to record the memory.



One of them (probably Josh) grabbed the foil which had been covering our dinner while it baked, and made a ball of it. Then he threw it at Brian's water glass - and waited to be reprimanded. (I think. I mean, that's usually what I would do. Josh, don't throw things at the table. You could knock something over. Yada, yada, yada.)
But instead of going down my typical road, I watched as Brian picked up the ball and threw it back at Josh - aiming for his glass.
Thus began the challenge of seeing who could actually make a "basket". And I thoroughly enjoyed seeing my guys enjoying time together at the table, not in a rush to be excused and run off to some other activity. Just content to play.
It took quite a while, but amidst much laughter and smack talk (as well as some serious horse play) each of us eventually made several baskets. (Yes. I got in on it , too. I mean, if I'm going to let it happen, I might as well have fun with them, right?) And, in spite of allowing my rule to be broken about not throwing things in the house, I was simply delighted in the fun we had without any phones at the table.

Spicy Uno

So, my absolute favorite part of Thanksgiving Day was actually Thanksgiving Night.
We'd had a very enjoyable afternoon with a small gathering of family and friends, and I was ready to be joyfully contented with it. But then Elizabeth invited a few more of her friends over and they decided to play Spicy Uno. And she invited Brian and me to play, too.
I love that Elizabeth lets her old parents play with her and her friends!
I'm telling you, for the amount of laughter and raucousness which went into our play-time, I felt completely vindicated for the dessert I'd eaten. Totally worked it off, I'm sure.

OK. Now that I've piqued your interest, let me tell you how to play Spicy Uno.

Everyone begins with seven cards and play proceeds just like regular Uno.
BUT, there are a few additional rules.
*Anytime someone plays a "6," everyone has to slap the discard pile. Last person to put their hand down has to take two additional cards from the draw pile.
*If another person plays a card identical to one in your hand (same color AND face-value) you may play your card (quickly!) regardless of whether it is your turn, or not. But you have to play it before the next person takes their turn - or you sacrifice your move. (Play resumes just as if it had really been your turn. Yes, that means several people may get "skipped." Too bad!)
*Every time it is your turn, you must play a card.
If you don't have a play-able card in your hand, you have two options.
1) You may pick a card from the draw pile. However, if it isn't play-able you have to draw another. And keep drawing until you get a play-able card.
OR
2) You may ask for "help". When you ask for help, other players may offer you a card from their hand - face down - for you to accept, or not, without looking at it. The card they give you may be play-able, or not. (This is where you find out who's on your side, and who isn't. This is also where things get very interesting because you can team up to prevent others from winning!) If the card you accept is not play-able you must pick from the draw pile until you find a play-able card.
*AND, when a "Draw 2" card is played, the person to whom it was given may lay another "Draw 2" down, causing the next person to draw 4 cards. Unless, of course, they also have a "Draw 2" to lay down - which would cause the next player to draw 6 cards. And on it goes, until nobody has a "Draw 2" to play. (This is also a time when you may ask for "Help!" Another player might give you a "Draw 2" to get you out of a mess. But, keep in mind, just because you ask for help and everyone knows you want a "Draw 2" doesn't mean somebody will give you a "Draw 2". You could be accepting a fraudulent card and end up drawing 2 or 4 or 6 or however many cards the total has reached. It's a risk you take!) Additionally, within the line of "Draw 2" build up, you are allowed to up the ante by playing a "Draw 4". At this point additional "Draw 4" cards may be added, but you may not revert to "Draw 2". So, yes, if - for example - Draw 2 + Draw 2 + Draw 2 + Draw 4 + Draw 4 were played before anyone couldn't play another card, some unfortunate soul would be adding 14 cards to his/her hand!
*One more thing. If you get caught not saying "Uno" when you only have one card left to play, you must draw seven cards.

And there you have it. Complete guidelines for spicing up that old deck of Uno cards you may not have touched for a few years. So, grab your kids (Even if they're "older" - actually, this game works better with older kids!) and get ready for a fun time.

Let me know how they like it!

Ten Things I Learned South-of-the-Border

1) Always greet people with a big smile, a hug, and an air-kiss on the cheek.
(Unless you're a guy greeting a guy. Then, skip the kiss.)
Such a warm welcome makes everyone feel loved and sets a great tone for your visit.

2) Don't worry about what the clock says. Everyone will arrive eventually, and you'll have a fun time.

3) Always have someone with you who speaks the native language.

4) If you don't have someone with you who speaks the native language, prepare ahead of time what you need to say. And practice charades, as they might come in handy.

5) If all else fails, smile and say, "Lo siento. No hablo espanol." Then hope ellos hablan ingles.

6) Paper Mexican pesos are sometimes worth the same amount as pesos in coin form. For some gringos who are accustomed to larger coins being worth only a quarter of a low-valued bill, this can be a tricky concept.

7) Never assume that a car will stop at an intersection just because it contains a "STOP" sign.

8) Cross the street at your own risk. (See #7.)

9) Appreciate everything you have. Many people work much harder for a lot less.

And finally...

10) Although K and W are somewhat rare, the Alphabet Game is much easier to play in Mexico than the United States because J, Q, and Z are everywhere! (Especially in Queretaro.)

Birthday LIES

Today is my birthday!

My "Double Square" birthday.

(Did you do "Square" birthdays when you were a kid? You know, when your age was the same as the date of your birth? Like, when someone turned 10 on the 10th of the month, it was their "Square" birthday. Or, maybe that was just a mid-Michigan thing?) Anyway, today is my Double Square birthday.
Do the math. I'm 44.
And do you want to know what my husband and daughter gave me for my birthday?

Lies, I tell you. LIES!

It started at the beginning of last week.
I had made something to send to Elizabeth at college, and Brian offered to mail it for me. That evening I thanked him for sending it off. It ended up being a super busy day, and I sure appreciated having one less thing to do! He said something about it being no problem, and I thought nothing further of it. Until... a couple days later when I was in his car and saw the package still in the back seat.
I asked Brian about the package that night and he looked a bit sheepish as he confessed he'd forgotten to send it. When I asked why he didn't mention anything the night I thanked him because I thought he'd sent it, he responded, "Would it make you feel better if I told you I felt guilty about not saying anything?" Honestly, I thought it was a bit strange - but I have been known to forget a thing, or two - so I just asked him to send it out the next day.
And the next time I talked to Elizabeth, I told her the package hadn't quite been sent yet.
A day, or so, later I made one more inquiry about the status of the package. Brian looked me straight in the eyes and asked, "Do you trust me?" And I told him I did. Then he asked, "How mad will you be if I haven't mailed it yet?" I probably took a deep breath before responding, "I wouldn't say I'd be mad. Probably more like flabbergasted." He just smiled and said he wasn't going to answer my question. If I trusted him, I didn't need to ask - so he said. While I was tempted to press Brian for an answer, I was so impressed by how masterfully he was dancing around the question, I let it go.
But Saturday morning when I received a text from Elizabeth saying, "I got the jars!" I had the assurance I needed that Brian had sent the package.

So, imagine my confusion when I was sitting in the living room Saturday in the early afternoon and Brian handed me a box saying, "Here's your surprise!" (He had gotten me to clear my Saturday afternoon earlier in the week by telling me he was planning a little surprise for me.) I examined the box, noticing it's weight, and was sure it was the same box I had meant to be sent to Elizabeth. And the text I'd received earlier from her... It just wasn't making any sense to me at all.
Then who should pop around the corner and into the living room but Elizabeth! She was my surprise!
An unannounced (To me. Of course, the rest of the family knew all about it!) visit so we could celebrate my birthday together.

I quickly put together the lies and understood they were just trying to keep the surprise a surprise. But I had to ask Elizabeth, "Why the text this morning???" She said she wanted to make sure I wasn't suspecting anything. Which is also why she lied about told me she was going to be camping with her friends over the weekend. All for the purpose of keeping the trail cold.

Yep. So, I got lies for my birthday. Which led to an afternoon and evening of family fun.
Best.birthday.present.ever!

"Live" From Cran-Hill Ranch

Did you attend summer camp when you were a kid?

And while you were at camp, did you participate in cabin clean-up?

Perhaps there was a friendly competition between cabins to see who could maintain the tidiest abode?

Well, that's the way they do it at Cran-Hill Ranch. Every day "Hektor the Inspector" travels to each cabin and awards up to 22 points based on the cleanliness (or lack there-of) which he finds. And while my boys were at camp last week, their cabin (Yes, a BOY cabin!) had a goal of scoring a perfect "22" every day. Unheard of for boys, you might say, but these guys were willing to do whatever it takes to be the Twice-reigning Champs. (They did it last year!)
Whatever it takes, including writing and recording a parody of Taylor Swift's "22".

Get ready for the boys of RC5...

Ode to Hektor the Inspector

You're in our room
We know what for
You're checking right when you walk through the door.

We just showed up
To clean up
Cleaning the way that we do for a 22.

Everyone else in the room can clean it
Everyone else but you.

Hektor you judge our room like nobody else
The way that you check our room gets us overwhelmed.
But when you look at the floor it's so hard to tell.

You don't know (oh,oh)
We're just a bunch of teenage boys.
If only you saw where we go pee
You'd understand why we scrub it so desperately.

Right now we're singing to you and we can't believe
You can't tell (oh,oh)
You can't tell we're teenage boys (oh,oh).
We're lookin' for that perfect score.

Tallying My "Cool" Points

So, how did you spend your New Year's Eve?

I had eight teenagers in my house.

Three were mine. The other five were their friends.

And, believe me when I tell you. It was noisy here!
But it was also fun. Lots and lots of fun.
The teens arrived with items to contribute for a pot-luck style dinner, which we all ate together.
After dinner we played a board game and shared plenty of laughter. Then we went into the living room for a couple more games.
The first game is one you should probably play with your own kids.
Yes. It was that fun.
To set it up, get a BUNCH of candy and a roll, or two, of plastic wrap. Begin by wrapping a piece of candy in the plastic, then add another piece and wrap some more, and add more candy, and keep going and going until you have a great big ball of plastic wrap full of lots and lots of candy. Every now and then (like every 4-6 feet) cut the plastic wrap and start rolling with a fresh piece.
To play the game you need the ball of plastic/candy, two dice, and plenty of participants. One person begins unwrapping the plastic while the person to their left rolls the dice, trying to get doubles. When doubles are rolled the dice-roller takes the ball and starts unwrapping it - while the next person to the left starts rolling the dice.
And so it goes: one person unwrapping the ball while another rolls dice in order to get a chance at unwrapping the ball.
(BTW, you get to keep all the candy which is released during your turn.)
When we played, it was a room full of flying candy, screaming teens, tons of laughter, and a healthy amount of frustration every time a piece of plastic wrap ended. Because, believe me, there's a lot of pressure going when you're trying to find the new beginning so you can start getting more candy - before the person next to you rolls doubles and takes the candy ball away from you.

So, we played that game. Then we played Black Jack - using the candy we'd just collected as our "money" for betting. Eventually, we found ourselves in front of the TV counting down to the New Year. We yelled and popped our noise-makers, and yelled some more.
Then I said good-night to the kids and went to bed.
But not quite to sleep.
You see, these eight teenagers in my home thought it would be a great idea to stay up all.night.long. And to achieve a feat like that necessitated noise. Lots of it.
I had agreed to the all-nighter. I knew it was going to be loud. But I decided I would much rather lose sleep and have my kids under my own roof, than loose sleep because I don't know where they are, or what they're doing. Ya know?
So, after I'd had all the fun with them that my 43-year-old body would allow, I went to bed. And I lay there not sleeping, rather listening to the squeals, stomping, banging, and laughter coming from the other end of the house. For hours I lay in my bed, falling asleep occasionally - only to be woken up by another scream, or round of laughter - and I thought about how happy I was that my kids were having fun.
Safely.
I thought about how glad I was that my daughter wanted to spend the evening at home having fun with her friends, and how great it was that they'd included my boys in the party.
I recounted nights when I'd told the kids, as I was going to bed, "You need to keep the noise level down now, so I can sleep." And recalled Elizabeth's hopefulness and caution as she requested permission for this loud all-nighter. And her happiness when we said, Yes.
Then I closed my eyes, listened to the laughter, and tallied my "cool" points, while I didn't sleep. *smile*

Throwback Thursday

Brian and Matthew were cleaning the basement last weekend and came across a collage of pictures.

These are some of the gems they recovered...

My Grandpa Pete and me at my cousin's wedding ~ June, 1987

My little brother and me, backstage at Grand Ledge High School. I was Zaneeta, and David was Winthrop in The Music Man. ~November 1987

Brian, Elizabeth, and me in the hospital the day Elizabeth was born. ~April 11, 1996

Brian and Elizabeth at Cedar Campus in Cedarville, MI. We were there for "Chapter Camp" when Brian was on staff with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. He had a break and was taking a nap. I laid Elizabeth down next to him, she squirmed a bit, and then settled into the same position as Daddy. I probably should have been napping, too, but for some reason I was taking pictures. *go figure* ~May, 1996

Two Dinosaurs and an Eskimo

This past weekend was "Family Weekend" at Wheaton, so Brian and I and the boys (and Nick, a.k.a. "Beau") made the westerly trip to see Elizabeth.

It was tons of fun. :)

On Saturday afternoon, Elizabeth wanted to take us to a park she's discovered. It is full of great playground equipment, including a "zip line" for little kids. (On which all the big kids played!) She got us all to roll down the sledding hill. (Which was super fun, if not nauseating. Might have been a good idea to NOT attempt such a feat right after lunch. *ahem*) And then she showed us how to make "dinosaur masks" out of leaves. (I was chilly and opted for the role of "Eskimo" so I could stay bundled up.)

Like I said, it was tons of fun. But I did wonder - as I contemplated my daughter's excitement about all things park and playground - How much are we paying for this fun she's having?

Ahhhhh, I jest. We are simply delighted with Wheaton College and every single part of Elizabeth's college experience. I thank God, as I trust Him to bring to completion the good work He has begun.

A Notice of Full Disclosure to my Someday Daughter-in-Law

Dear Lovely Young Lady,
I am so thrilled you have decided to marry my Josh. Er, I'll really work on putting an end to calling him "mine". He has chosen you, and I will honor both of you in that choice. But, before you speak your vows and make the marriage final, I feel obligated to give you full disclosure regarding what you are getting yourself into.
I know. Josh is charming. He's funny. He's handsome. I'm sure you think staring into his gorgeous blue eyes is the best way for you to spend the rest of your life. You love him. I get that! But, dear young lady, I would not be a good mother-in-law if I didn't tell you everything I know. I must be honest with you!
Before Josh met you, long before he knew the feelings and desire he has for you were possible, he committed himself to another love. I remember one night when Josh was 16 years old and we sat around the dinner table listening to him talk about this love of his. He had spent years caring for this creature and thought about it almost constantly. Never would a day go by when Josh didn't speak of his devotion to his love. In fact, that night around the dinner table Josh figured he would be with this love of his for the next fifty or sixty years. And he was serious! This turtle has a long future with Josh. And you, if you choose to accept it.
I hope this isn't coming as a shock to you, but I feel you really must know the truth. His love for this creature has been growing for so many years, and I really don't think he'll be willing to give it up. That's why I wanted you to know. Before it's too late.

Sweetheart, I know strong feelings of love have a way of keeping us from seeing clearly sometimes, and the words I'm typing here might not be convincing you of Josh's devotion to his other love. So, I feel I must also include pictures. It is for your good, dear. Please don't be angry with me. But you must understand my son's behavior before you commit to him in marriage.
You see, he does things like this:

That is, he takes anything big he can find (In this case, it was a door from the closet.) and blocks off entire rooms (In this case, it was the living room.) so Spot can roam freely. But as his note indicates, Spot likes to nap and Josh may require you to stay out of the room as long as his beloved turtle is in there. Or at least request that you enter the room with extreme caution.

And if Spot ever decides to, oh, go to sleep behind the couch, Josh will move the couch so he can easily check on his beloved. And he will forbid you from moving the couch back to its rightful place until Spot has decided he is finished napping.
So, you'll have to look at something like this for a while:

I should mention that when Josh was 16 and thinking about the day when he would get his own house, he also said he intended to build Spot his own room. With an indoor pond, and plenty of space for wandering. So, I guess maybe you won't have to put up with experience these odd room-blocking-furniture-moving-turtle-runs-the-house-behaviors of his.
I hope you won't mind giving up the biggest room in the house to the turtle.

Again, I am sorry if anything I've said has come as a shock to you. But I wanted you to know.
On the positive side, I have had many years of observing Josh's commitment and dedication to Spot. I have seen him care for that turtle with his own blood, sweat, and tears. (And his own money, too!) I've watched him research and discover the things which will make his turtle healthy and happy. And if my son's devotion to a reptile is any indication of the way he will love and care for you? Then you, my dear, are one very blessed woman.
The blonde hair, blue eyes, and charm will just be a bonus!

Love,
Mom

The Sky is Falling

Er, no it isn't. That's my husband and daughter!

That's what I was thinking last Thursday as I stared up into the sky and saw two little dots. Something was definitely falling from the sky. Just moments before, I had seen the airplane in which my husband and daughter were flying. And now there were those two little dots, getting bigger and bigger.
Finally, there was a burst of "big-ness" and that's when I started breathing normally again.
Because that is the moment I knew the parachutes had opened, and two of my greatest loves were going to live to see another day.

The crazy thing is, all this drama was intentional. That is, my husband and daughter jumped out of a perfectly good airplane - on purpose.
In other words, they went skydiving.
The adventure for Elizabeth was a graduation gift from her aunt and uncle, and she has been looking forward to it for years. Brian jumped, too, because he couldn't bear the thought of not getting in on the fun. And I? Was given the option to jump, but I couldn't imagine myself hurling toward the earth at 120 miles per hour spending that much money, so I chose to stay on the ground and observe.
And, honestly, I was super excited for the two of them. I knew how much they were looking forward to the insanity adventure, and I was happy to see it take place. BUT - just as honestly - I did have a feeling of concern which was relieved as soon as I saw that parachute finally open up. Something about knowing two of the dearest people in your life are racing from 10,000 feet above the ground at 120 miles per hour (Don't know why the instructors had to repeat those statistics so many times. If not to make a wife/mother nervous!) does a number on your nerves and imagination.

In the end, both Brian and Elizabeth were ecstatic. And given the chance (and the money!) I know they'd do it again in a heartbeat.

And, maybe I will, too. Maybe. *wink*

Moms' Night Out

One of the benefits of being a Mommy Blogger is that sometimes you are given special opportunities. Because an entity wants you to promote their product/service/event/website/ blog/whatever.
And, quite honestly, most of the requests I receive for such promotions - I politely refuse.
I don't want you to come here and feel like you're watching a commercial, or reading an advertisement.
Because, what fun is that??? *wink*

But every once in a while, I receive an invitation which I don't refuse. Because it's something I'm pretty sure is going to be a good thing. For both of us!

Such was the case a couple of months ago when I received an invitation to see a pre-release screening of Moms' Night Out.
Because, really. Who doesn't want a moms' night out???
So, after weeks of waiting, last Thursday finally arrived and I traveled to Grand Rapids to see the show with my friend, Kaira.
OK. Being honest here. I was slightly nervous going in to watch the movie. Because I really wanted it to be good. But sometimes Christian films are a bit cheesy. I was also concerned that this film might portray dads as incompetent fools who can't manage the kids without mommy. And I didn't want to see that.
I wanted Moms' Night Out to be a fun, realistic, not-cheesy, feel-good flick - to which I would be happy to take any of my mom-friends, whether they are Christian, or not.
So, I was a little nervous going in.
Because I didn't want to be disappointed with what I saw.

And...

I totally loved it!!!

The characters were very real. I could relate to the struggles they faced in motherhood. They were refreshingly honest. I often wanted to reach through the screen and hold their hand, to assure them they aren't alone.
Yet, at times I laughed so hard I thought I might wet myself.
And the incompetent-fool-dad-factor? Was nowhere to be found. *whew!*

Sooooooo, friends, here's the pitch: Moms' Night Out opens in theaters May 9. It would be a fabulous moms' night out event for you and your mom-friends. It would also be a great date. Or a family outing.
Hey, I'm confident those of you without children would enjoy it, too. It's that good.
I've provided the link above so you can easily find a theater near you which will be showing the film. Please go see it.
Let's show Hollywood this kind of entertainment is worth their time and effort!

Beauty and the Beau: What's the Difference?

The Sadies Hawkins dance took place on Saturday.
And it gave me a great picture of the difference between girls and boys.
Er, between Beauties and Beaus.

About 4:30 several young ladies came over to our house and immediately went downstairs to Elizabeth's room to get ready for the dance.

Beau and another girl's date made themselves comfortable on the couch with Matthew, and played the XBox.

I was in the kitchen getting dinner ready when I glanced at the clock.
6:15!
I said to the two beaus, "Uh, dinner is going to be ready at 6:30."
After a brief pause, and no movement on their part, I followed up with, "And I think the goal is to take pictures after dinner is over. So, you probably ought to get ready for the dance."
And they did.

With that, I discovered the main difference between Beauty and the Beau:
What takes her two hours, he can do in 15 minutes. *wink*

I'm a Word Nerd

I am not sure when it started.
For as long as I can remember I have loved words, and word games.
Word searches, crossword puzzles, word jumbles, and cryptograms. Give me a newspaper, and the first thing I look for are these word-things.
Yeah, I know a newspaper has lots of other words in it.
But I like the fun aspect of words. Puns, word-plays, and the like.

However, I didn't realize how serious my addiction is until I was recently compelled to buy a book. Simply because of a unique word-thing.
I read a blog post somewhere entitled, "The 10 Most Difficult Books to Write". One of the books featured in the post was called Gadsby, and the thing which made that book so difficult to write is the fact that the author completely left out the letter "e". From the entire novel!
I couldn't even imagine attempting such a thing and felt I had to read that book.
So I quickly got on Amazon and ordered myself a copy.

Gadsby was written in 1939 by Ernest Vincent Wright and is a charming story about a little town and the people who live there. I noticed a funny thing about myself, though, as I read the tale. Page after page, I realized I was far more concerned about determining where the author was avoiding use of words containing the letter "e" than I was interested in following the story-line.
Sometimes it was easy to spot. Like when he wrote "Dumbo's cousin" instead of "elephant", or "grand church ritual" instead of "wedding".
But other times I had to guess.
Did he write "hard, gruff ways" to avoid saying "stern"?
Was "big shouting officials" meant to replace "policemen"?
And so I read - enjoying the story, but having a lot more fun guessing where an "e" might have been used had Mr. Wright not taken on his challenge.

Now you know how a Word Nerd has fun. *wink*

Welcome to My Alphabet

Some moms look at the crazy goings-on in their homes and wearily say to guests,
"Welcome to my zoo."

Are you one of them?

I have certainly had the occasion to feel like my house was more of a zoo than a home.
I recently came to the realization, however, that this house may be better defined as an alphabet.

I've shared stories here about my boys and their ADD/ADHD antics. Well, the other day Matthew (my ADHD guy) was doing his chores - vacuuming the living room carpet. All was well until I heard the vacuum stop moving. For quite a while.
And I wondered, What is he doing now?
The boy gets so easily distracted. I could just imagine him gathering up air soft pellets from the floor and running to his room to put them back in his gun.
While leaving the vacuum running.
Or forgetting what he was doing altogether and leaving the vacuum behind to carry on with a completely different activity.

I rounded the corner to confirm my suspicions, only to find Matthew kneeling on the floor - vacuum tube in hand - sucking up every individual air soft pellet and speck of dirt.
He was intent on getting it all.
Seeing him there reminded me of the time I asked him to wipe the door of a cabinet in the kitchen. He ended up spending a good hour cleaning up so much more than I asked of him.
And there was the time I walked into the eating nook and found him with a toothpick digging out stuck-in dirt from the seams in the table. Oh, and that other time he cleaned out my computer keyboard in a similar manner.
Have I ever mentioned that I think the boy has a touch of OCD? *wink*
My GAD and MDD can make the ADD/ADHD/OCD tricky to handle at times. Add to that an occasional bout of IBS, some PMS every now and then, and regular fits of RLS - and you've got quite a mix of letters, moods and issues.

Yes, friends, welcome to my alphabet.

I'm just glad we're missing BBS, SFS, and EGD.