Proud Moments

I’ve realized I tend to complain about my children more that I should. They are true gifts from God and they are just terrific little kiddos. I’m going to try to change my frame of mind and focus more on the great things they do instead of the little aggravating things they do.
When I think back about my week and what I’m proud of them for, two things come to mind.
My heart melted at church on Saturday night when Ryan was reciting the Affirmation of Faith (Apostles’ Creed) with such conviction. It literally brought a tear to my eye and made me realize that he is now not just going to church and praying and reading the bible/devotions because I “make” him, but because that is now placed on his heart. 


One thing that Charlie did this week that really made me smile is telling his brother all about the book we’re reading called, “The Whipping Boy”. Charlie and Ryan then made up a game based on the characters and setting. Charlie remembered everything we talked about from the book and did an awesome job retelling the story to Ryan.

Have a great week ya’ll!
Sarah:)

Lesson Learned – Old Milk in a Van = Fowl Smell

A few days ago the boys and I went to Food Lion to pick up some groceries. Part of our expedition included finding lactose-free milk for Charlie at a decent price. We did find some at Food Lion. As usual we packed the groceries in the back of the van.

While unloading the groceries, we noticed that the lactose-free milk mysteriously gained a gaping whole on its side. The milk was seeping out of the carton into the plastic bag. I took the bag and milk out and put them on the driveway and sprayed down the driveway. I didn’t give another thought to any milk splatterings in the van.

Fast forward one day. Upon opening the van doors I was almost knocked down by the pungent, crinkle-up-your-nose stench. The boys and I cleaned the van out hoping to find the source of the foul odor. We thought it might be the beach chairs (sometimes sand/salt water from the ocean can really reek), a dead mouse (because we have experienced that before) or maybe it was from Ryan’s wet towel he forgot to bring inside. The milk from the day before didn’t even cross our minds.

It took a friend bravely taking a sniff to figure out that we had in fact not done a good job cleaning up the spilled milk.

Lesson Learned – Spilled milk + 95 degree heat = disgusting smell that is impossible not easy to get out of upholstery. I’ve used an unhealthy combination of carpet cleaners/deodorizers and had the doors open airing the darn thing out for two days now. Hopefully I will not have to update this in a  week saying it still smells in the van!

Sarah:)

Lesson Learned: A tested tip to get your child to sleep in on the weekends

Saturday and Sunday mornings at our house start bright and early. Not because of the two or three dogs we have every weekend either, but because the boys choose to get up extra early on the weekend.

Well, I have learned a trick to get them to sleep in. Ready for it? Right before I leave the room before tuck-in I quietly say, "When you wake up you need to clean your room before you come out." Or, "Don't forget that you need to shower as soon as you get up."

Try it. It works like a magic little pill! I might just try to market my little strategy it works so well!

Lesson Learned: Hyper Dogs and Lots of Water Don't Mix Well

Q: What do you get when you mix three dogs, three bowls of water and three minutes of crazy, hyper play?

A: Three piles of water vomit. Ewwwwwwww!!!

Lesson Learned: Do not give dogs water when they are hyper. They will throw up. Then you will want to throw up. Then they will eat it and you will want to throw up again. See this vicious cycle? Remember the throwing up blueberry pie incident in "Stand By Me"? That's what I'm talkin' 'bout!

Lesson Learned: Jalapenos and Eyes Don't Mix

So, I was making these to die for, yummy jalapeno thingies with cream cheese and bacon. I've heard the warning to wear gloves when removing the seeds from the jalapeno pepper. Did I heed the warning? Um, no I thought I might be smart enough to wash well enough after handling them and of course smart enough to not touch my eyes afterwards. So I scrubbed and scrubbed, certain that no more hot, singeing poison was left of my hands. Wouldn't you know it; about two hours after the scrubbing, I rubbed my eyes and that darn burning, stinging, scream-your-head-off pain took over.

Lesson learned: Always wear gloves when you seed a hot pepper or you'll pay for it later in the day.

Some things I learned on vacation...

1. A ten hour drive can be harder on the parents than on the kids.

2. A king bed if far superior to a queen bed. Maybe that's why they say something extravagant is "fit for a king."

3. Sometimes it's hard to appreciate my family when every day is the same thing over and over again. Going away from the day to day routine really makes me realize that I not only love my family, I really quite like them!

4. It is so much more fun to say yes all the time than it is to say no all the time.

5. Going a week without watching the news or being online is not only doable, but also very enjoyable.

6. One of God's greatest creations is the ocean. It's hard not to believe in God when seeing such a wondrously vast part of the earth.

7. I need to start doing something more productive at night. Watching TV and playing online is not taking me any closer to the person I want to be.

8. Getting home is as big of a letdown as leaving for vacation is exciting.

9. I don't care for spray-on sunscreen.

10. Not sneezing one time or having to clear my throat for a whole week or having eyes that aren’t constantly red and itchy is priceless. Damn the pollen in SC and dog dander on Jake.

11. Sometimes kids just physically cannot walk when they are excited.

12. Enbrel makes me feel like I am gaining some of my life back. I could walk the beach for extended periods of time which is something I could not have done at all a year ago.

13. Snow...like it. Rain...like it. Sun...like it. Clouds...like 'em. Wind...hate it.

14. Eating fish by the ocean just tastes better than eating it inland.

15. Just because there were storms at the beach the week before we got there that made the beach look less beautiful than it should, does not mean it should ruin any of our time at the beach.

16. My husband is one of the most dedicated employees a company will ever have and I know he will be rewarded for that sooner or later.

17. As much as my boys love “The Magic Tree House” series, it’s hard to not make fun of the character’s voices when you listen to the books on CD for five straight hours.

18. I do not like to make decisions. My mind flows back and forth just like the tides and I have a hard time deciding what’s best.