The winner is
And because she made me laugh, Mikki gets an Honorable Mention and can also borrow my blogging soapbox for her meme
Thank you to everyone for your great ideas!
Friday, August 31, 2012
Winner Winner Chicken Dinner
And because she made me laugh, Mikki gets an Honorable Mention and can also borrow my blogging soapbox for her meme
Thank you to everyone for your great ideas!
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Meme Contest!
A friend of mine took this pic of #7 and it's just screaming to me a meme! I'm not techno savvy enough for that, which means.. Meme Contest! Best Caption/Meme gets the chance to guest post here at Shoved to Them and introduce yourself to a whole new crop of readers. You don't need a blog to enter. Good Luck!
Monday, August 27, 2012
The Winding Bit
I hate trying to navigate around the streets in the Dallas area. The streets meander and wind their way around and don't make obvious sense in their layout. It's because they're laid out by livestock and not by engineer. Most of the roads around the older parts of town date back to the time when folks were driving around in buggies and the paths were those which were easiest to drive a team over. They might be the most direct route, but most often are the flat part of the ground, or the way around where the skunks live. Nobody had to tell me that last part. I just know that it's true. Nobody's gonna drive by the skunk nest. Well...are they? Would you? Definitely not. You would have to be three kinds of crazy to drive your team of oxen past the skunk hole, because oxen don't go all that fast and skunks smell bad. I'll be honest here, I don't know how fast a team of oxen can go. While I'm sure that the answer lies out there on the internet somewhere, I know that no matter what it is it wouldn't be fast enough to get away from the skunk stink. Which all means that here I am, driving around on the north side of the Metroplex in my 21st century car along streets laid out by 19th century horses or cows. I'm taking the winding road because some fellow back in 1884 didn't want to run over a family of skunks and so swung around them. Everyone who came after him followed his tracks and before you knew it, there was a little windy bit in the road there. 100+ years later and we're all still following along the way he went.
There are days in my life when I wonder about whether or not the simple things I do amount to much of anything at all in the great scheme of history. They may not, but I may be like that guy way back when. Like him, I'm just minding my own business and doing my own thing and trying to avoid the stinky bits, and before I know it I'll be leading generations of people on my same winding road.
It's an important thing to remember in life. There are people coming along after us who are going to be trying to go along in the same general direction we have gone. Are we leading them in a direct route, or are they going to get lost trying to follow our trail? Is where we're going gonna take them somewhere important, or is it just going to be one more loop around which prolongs the journey and gets them lost?
There are days in my life when I wonder about whether or not the simple things I do amount to much of anything at all in the great scheme of history. They may not, but I may be like that guy way back when. Like him, I'm just minding my own business and doing my own thing and trying to avoid the stinky bits, and before I know it I'll be leading generations of people on my same winding road.
It's an important thing to remember in life. There are people coming along after us who are going to be trying to go along in the same general direction we have gone. Are we leading them in a direct route, or are they going to get lost trying to follow our trail? Is where we're going gonna take them somewhere important, or is it just going to be one more loop around which prolongs the journey and gets them lost?
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Things I've Learned Today
1. I like to eat an apple in the morning for breakfast because I like the sweetness and the crunch. It's a very satisfying thing, that crunch. But this morning we were all out of apples, so I went looking for a substitute. Bananas are sweet-ish, but no crunch. Cauliflower has crunch though, so I went with that. That's when I discovered that you have to eat a lot of cauliflower before you will feel full from just eating cauliflower.
2. Cauliflower full-ness doesn't last very long.
3. Cauliflower for breakfast will make you crave cupcakes from the local bakery.....the dark chocolate cake, caramel filling, toasted coconut on top kind.
4. This kind
5. Babies cutting 5 teeth at the same time are not so much fun. I sorta could have guessed that, but thanks to #7 I know it for sure.
6. There is not enough Tylenol in the world to make a baby cutting 5 teeth at once feel better.
7. Staying up at night to rock a teething baby will pretty much assure that my brain is wide awake and that I won't be able to sleep for the rest of the night.
8. I can sing at the top of my lungs and make tons of noise while washing the dishes and cleaning the kitchen at 2 AM and not a single person will wake up.
9. If I turn on the TV even on the I-can-barely-hear-it volume, 2 children will awaken upstairs, come to find me, and demand cartoons.
10. Nail polish remover won't get nail polish out of carpets.
11. Carpet cleaner and a determined 8 year old will.
12. A clean rag and a warm iron will get lip gloss off the same carpet.
13. The next person who gives my 8 year old make-up will get a smack upside the head.
14. I'm not even kidding about that smack.
15. When the ADD kicks in, my shopping list looks like this : carpet shampooer, spray paint, tooth paste, fabric glue, Worcestershire sauce, and a Lego guy.
16. I will remember the Lego guy and forget the toothpaste.
17. You can't spot clean a stain on the sofa. It will only reveal how filthy the rest of the upholstery is.
18. Steam cleaning the sofa is an all day project. Don't listen to people who tell you it's only an hour or two. They lie.
19. Stir fried veggies and brown rice make a yummy lunch.
20. I think I need some more right now.
.
2. Cauliflower full-ness doesn't last very long.
3. Cauliflower for breakfast will make you crave cupcakes from the local bakery.....the dark chocolate cake, caramel filling, toasted coconut on top kind.
4. This kind
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| If my husband is reading this, they're called Samoas. I love you! |
5. Babies cutting 5 teeth at the same time are not so much fun. I sorta could have guessed that, but thanks to #7 I know it for sure.
6. There is not enough Tylenol in the world to make a baby cutting 5 teeth at once feel better.
7. Staying up at night to rock a teething baby will pretty much assure that my brain is wide awake and that I won't be able to sleep for the rest of the night.
8. I can sing at the top of my lungs and make tons of noise while washing the dishes and cleaning the kitchen at 2 AM and not a single person will wake up.
9. If I turn on the TV even on the I-can-barely-hear-it volume, 2 children will awaken upstairs, come to find me, and demand cartoons.
10. Nail polish remover won't get nail polish out of carpets.
11. Carpet cleaner and a determined 8 year old will.
12. A clean rag and a warm iron will get lip gloss off the same carpet.
13. The next person who gives my 8 year old make-up will get a smack upside the head.
14. I'm not even kidding about that smack.
15. When the ADD kicks in, my shopping list looks like this : carpet shampooer, spray paint, tooth paste, fabric glue, Worcestershire sauce, and a Lego guy.
16. I will remember the Lego guy and forget the toothpaste.
17. You can't spot clean a stain on the sofa. It will only reveal how filthy the rest of the upholstery is.
18. Steam cleaning the sofa is an all day project. Don't listen to people who tell you it's only an hour or two. They lie.
19. Stir fried veggies and brown rice make a yummy lunch.
20. I think I need some more right now.
.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Mother of the Year Submission!
Alert the committee! I have this year's award sewn up! Don't even think that you've got a shot at it. Puh-lease...I'm measuring my head for the MOTY tiara right now.
Earlier today, I got all over my 12 year old (in front of the neighbors) for flopping all over the couch and being dramatic in the way only a pre-teen boy can be.
"Are you sick?" I grilled him. "No? Then knock it off. What is wrong with you today?"
Imagine that at least 20 times interspersed with his protestations that he is fine followed by a heavy sigh. I finally sent him to his room because "You're starting to tick me off with the flopping and the sighing. Go to bed until you can figure out how to behave in front of people."
Don't you wish you'd had such a loving mother?
102.7
That was his temp. The kid has a crazy sky high fever and I'm all up in his chili about flopping around. Go to bed!!!!!!!! For all that is holy, you're sick! Go to bed!
I'm going to sit here and drown my guilt in fresh, warm tortillas and wait for the committee to call.
Earlier today, I got all over my 12 year old (in front of the neighbors) for flopping all over the couch and being dramatic in the way only a pre-teen boy can be.
"Are you sick?" I grilled him. "No? Then knock it off. What is wrong with you today?"
Imagine that at least 20 times interspersed with his protestations that he is fine followed by a heavy sigh. I finally sent him to his room because "You're starting to tick me off with the flopping and the sighing. Go to bed until you can figure out how to behave in front of people."
Don't you wish you'd had such a loving mother?
102.7
That was his temp. The kid has a crazy sky high fever and I'm all up in his chili about flopping around. Go to bed!!!!!!!! For all that is holy, you're sick! Go to bed!
I'm going to sit here and drown my guilt in fresh, warm tortillas and wait for the committee to call.
3 1/2 Time Outs.....Actually on a Tuesday!
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| Helping LarryD take over the internet one meme at a time! |
1.
#2 has decided that he's going to run cross country this year with the homeschool track team. It's the perfect sport for a family with crazy schedules. He'll train at home and then run in the weekend meets under our homeschool association's banner. He came to me and said, "Hey, Mom, you used to run. Can you help me?" I was delighted to in no small part because I've been looking for a running partner who can get me going in the morning, since there are few naggers better than preteen boys, I was in! We're on day 2 of our training. While I can outrun him easily in distance and endurance so far, his legs sure are a lot younger than mine. I want springy 12 year old legs again!
2.
#5 is thrilled to be starting school this year. He'll be in pre-K/Kindergarten. He's been eagerly watching his books arrive in the mail and excitedly flipping through them. I love his newbie enthusiasm! I'm not sure he understands the concept of homeschooling completely though, in spite of growing up in a homeschooling household. He wants to take his math to Sunday School and is certain that he needs a lunchbox to eat in our cafeteria.
3.
The Catholic Writers' Guild Conference is next week here in the Dallas area. I'm thrilled to be going and learning more about how to be a good (and maybe professional) writer, but I'm nervous too. I've never left the baby for that long, and she's not great about taking a bottle. I can pump it and leave it, but here's hoping that Oma can get her to take it. (Fingers crossed!)
3.5
Are you going to be at the Conference? I'd love to meet up and get to put names and faces together. Besides, I've just been dying to talk to someone about
Monday, August 20, 2012
Good Enough
It's been a long weekend of preparing for school and readying my house to transform back into a classroom. It's hard to believe that we're beginning our 11th year of homeschooling. How can it have gone by so quickly? It seems like just last week that I had #1 sitting at our kitchen table in Moore as I taught her to carefully write her alphabet.
Her handwriting is just as awful now as it was at 4 years old. Poor girl. It's one of the few things she wasn't ever able to learn, good penmanship. When #2's handwriting was atrocious, I thought that perhaps I should just teach them to type and let go of the dream of legibility. Then came along #3 who, despite vision issues, can write better than the first two, and #4 whose handwriting is beautiful perfection. The sisters who taught me would have been proud if I had written half as well, especially since she is a lefty.
Isn't it funny how all that works? Same curriculum. Same methods. Same teacher (and I actually am less patient now because more people need my attention.) Vastly different results.
Isn't that how parenting is though? We pour our efforts, love, and time into these children and have no clue as to the results. Some of them turn out exactly as we hoped, and others are a gorgeous mess. I'm learning to see the beauty in all of it. I'm learning to look for the good and not get frustrated by the imperfections. It's a bit hard for the control freak I am to step back and realize that they will never be exactly what I hope for them to be. Not a single one will ever match up to my perfect dreams for them. Ever.
It doesn't matter a single bit.
I'm not trying to raise perfect human beings. That's already been done once, and I'm not the girl chosen for the task. I'm trying to raise good enough children.
Good enough to sing the praises of their Heavenly Father
Good enough to do the work He has planned for them to do
Good enough to love each other
Good enough to love us too
Good enough to be a blessing to the world whether in big ways like Mother Theresa, or small ways no one ever sees
Good enough to be exactly the people God wants for them to be
While I, in my vanity, wish for perfection for them, to shield them from the pain and heartbreaks which life will bring them. I know in all honesty that it is not what God wishes for them. He knows that it is the challenges they face which will shape them into who He has called them to be. He wants them to be themselves. Flawed. Imperfect. A little quirky. Truly themselves. Wondrously created. Atrocious handwriting and all.
Her handwriting is just as awful now as it was at 4 years old. Poor girl. It's one of the few things she wasn't ever able to learn, good penmanship. When #2's handwriting was atrocious, I thought that perhaps I should just teach them to type and let go of the dream of legibility. Then came along #3 who, despite vision issues, can write better than the first two, and #4 whose handwriting is beautiful perfection. The sisters who taught me would have been proud if I had written half as well, especially since she is a lefty.
Isn't it funny how all that works? Same curriculum. Same methods. Same teacher (and I actually am less patient now because more people need my attention.) Vastly different results.
Isn't that how parenting is though? We pour our efforts, love, and time into these children and have no clue as to the results. Some of them turn out exactly as we hoped, and others are a gorgeous mess. I'm learning to see the beauty in all of it. I'm learning to look for the good and not get frustrated by the imperfections. It's a bit hard for the control freak I am to step back and realize that they will never be exactly what I hope for them to be. Not a single one will ever match up to my perfect dreams for them. Ever.
It doesn't matter a single bit.
I'm not trying to raise perfect human beings. That's already been done once, and I'm not the girl chosen for the task. I'm trying to raise good enough children.
Good enough to sing the praises of their Heavenly Father
Good enough to do the work He has planned for them to do
Good enough to love each other
Good enough to love us too
Good enough to be a blessing to the world whether in big ways like Mother Theresa, or small ways no one ever sees
Good enough to be exactly the people God wants for them to be
While I, in my vanity, wish for perfection for them, to shield them from the pain and heartbreaks which life will bring them. I know in all honesty that it is not what God wishes for them. He knows that it is the challenges they face which will shape them into who He has called them to be. He wants them to be themselves. Flawed. Imperfect. A little quirky. Truly themselves. Wondrously created. Atrocious handwriting and all.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
3 1/2 time outs...the bridal shower
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| Helping LarryD take over the internet one meme at a a time! |
I was just sitting here this morning thinking "for whom could I throw a party?" ( Don't you love how my thinking includes proper grammar and the word "whom"? Me too. ) And that's when I ran across two brides-to-be who could use a little help. That's where you come in. You're the help. Yay you! You get to help!
Then I mentioned it to LarryD and he offered to co-host the shower! I mean....he offered to help give the brides away!
1.
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| Bride-to-be #1 |
2.
What? Another nun to be? You got it! |
| Bride-to-Be #2 |
3.
Nuns!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love them! Ever since Sr Katherine taught me in first grade and Sr Philomena with her Irish brogue in high school...... There's something about a woman in a habit that just makes me smile. |
3.5
How can you help? Money, prayers, blog about them, spread the word, or even
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Prayer Request
I don't like to ask unless it's important, and it is.
My sister in law, who is 24 weeks pregnant with my niece, has developed kidney stones. She has a stone in her kidney right now which is too big for her to pass, 1.5 cm, and she is too pregnant for them to break it up and take it out. The stone is keeping the kidney from draining properly, so they are putting a stent in it this morning and will remove the stone after the baby is born (hopefully in December.)
Can you please pray for the safety of my sister in law and my niece as they go into surgery this morning, and for my sweet baby brother who loves them so? Can you also pray for the wisdom and skill of the medical staff, that God will guide them in their work of healing?
Thank you,
me
**********Update****
Thank you for the prayers! My sil is out of surgery and home. She's still pregnant, and the baby is still healthy. She'll be sore for a few more days, but is feeling stronger already.
Thank you and God bless you all!
My sister in law, who is 24 weeks pregnant with my niece, has developed kidney stones. She has a stone in her kidney right now which is too big for her to pass, 1.5 cm, and she is too pregnant for them to break it up and take it out. The stone is keeping the kidney from draining properly, so they are putting a stent in it this morning and will remove the stone after the baby is born (hopefully in December.)
Can you please pray for the safety of my sister in law and my niece as they go into surgery this morning, and for my sweet baby brother who loves them so? Can you also pray for the wisdom and skill of the medical staff, that God will guide them in their work of healing?
Thank you,
me
**********Update****
Thank you for the prayers! My sil is out of surgery and home. She's still pregnant, and the baby is still healthy. She'll be sore for a few more days, but is feeling stronger already.
Thank you and God bless you all!
Monday, August 13, 2012
With Singing
"All my soul, with singing, offered for a sacrifice to thee." ~Eia, Jesu Adorande, John Mauburn. 1494
All my soul. With singing.
Singing.
It's the paradox of Christianity in a simple phrase, isn't it? Joyful sacrifice. Let me give to Him everything that I am. Let me offer to Him my very soul.
But let me do it singing.
It is so easy to fall into the trap of thinking of sacrifice of any kind as a burden, as painful, or unpleasant. When is doesn't have to be. It isn't even supposed to be. He asks nothing less than what He has already given to us, which is everything we are, have, or ever will be. All of it is His. Let us then give it back into His hands, with a song of praise upon our lips.
Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God Ps147:7
Are you singing to Him today? Is is a slow and melancholy tune, or one full of hopefulness? Does your life become a dirge or are you bursting forth with "Alleluias"? Do you sound with the choirs of angels, or are you sounding forth on the songs of men?
All my soul, with singing.........
What kind of tune will yours be?
All my soul. With singing.
Singing.
It's the paradox of Christianity in a simple phrase, isn't it? Joyful sacrifice. Let me give to Him everything that I am. Let me offer to Him my very soul.
But let me do it singing.
It is so easy to fall into the trap of thinking of sacrifice of any kind as a burden, as painful, or unpleasant. When is doesn't have to be. It isn't even supposed to be. He asks nothing less than what He has already given to us, which is everything we are, have, or ever will be. All of it is His. Let us then give it back into His hands, with a song of praise upon our lips.
Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God Ps147:7
Are you singing to Him today? Is is a slow and melancholy tune, or one full of hopefulness? Does your life become a dirge or are you bursting forth with "Alleluias"? Do you sound with the choirs of angels, or are you sounding forth on the songs of men?
All my soul, with singing.........
What kind of tune will yours be?
Friday, August 10, 2012
Facebook Photos
It's Friday morning and I feel in the need for a moment of confession. Not the kind that calls for a priest, although I'm sure I need that, too. I just need this moment to say "Hi. My name is Rebecca, and I'm addicted to looking at my friends' Facebook photos."
Not really even the photos of my real friends, but the people I know. I love Facebook photos. I sit in my chair, nursing the baby, and pick a friend whose albums I can peruse. I learn so much about people from the photos they post. Most of all, I get a glimpse of them.
There's a casual confortableness to FB photos that we don't have with pictures we have around our houses or even with the way we show ourselves to the world. They're usually not perfect or staged. Mine aren't even in focus half of the time. The charm of them is that they are real. They are genuine moments from our lives. Usually the things which make us really and truly laugh out loud, and so we share them.
Oh, there are the posed pictures of smiling faces like this
But the ones I like are these
The pictures of children just being themselves
The photos of their hobbies
I see pictures of wedding dresses being sewn, grandchildren being hugged, new cars shown off, vacations being enjoyed.
Every last one is a window into the lives of the people I know and the people I "know." Please keep the pictures coming, especially the ones where you stop posing and are your own wonderful self. I like them all. If you're on my FB list, thank you for sharing your little corner of the world with me. It looks like a wonderful place to be!
My wish for you all is that you live your life with the humor, excitement, and authenticity of your blurry, shaky, awful, and wonderful FB photos.
Not really even the photos of my real friends, but the people I know. I love Facebook photos. I sit in my chair, nursing the baby, and pick a friend whose albums I can peruse. I learn so much about people from the photos they post. Most of all, I get a glimpse of them.
There's a casual confortableness to FB photos that we don't have with pictures we have around our houses or even with the way we show ourselves to the world. They're usually not perfect or staged. Mine aren't even in focus half of the time. The charm of them is that they are real. They are genuine moments from our lives. Usually the things which make us really and truly laugh out loud, and so we share them.
Oh, there are the posed pictures of smiling faces like this
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| Yes, this one is my family |
The pictures of children just being themselves
 | |
| the tongue sticking out kills me |
The photos of their hobbies
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| like chicken raising |
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| learning how to bake |
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| or holding up the moon |
I see pictures of wedding dresses being sewn, grandchildren being hugged, new cars shown off, vacations being enjoyed.
Every last one is a window into the lives of the people I know and the people I "know." Please keep the pictures coming, especially the ones where you stop posing and are your own wonderful self. I like them all. If you're on my FB list, thank you for sharing your little corner of the world with me. It looks like a wonderful place to be!
My wish for you all is that you live your life with the humor, excitement, and authenticity of your blurry, shaky, awful, and wonderful FB photos.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
3 1/2 Time Outs Tuesday - The Olympics....kind of
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| Helping LarryD take over the internet one meme at a time! When I feel like it. |
1.
The Olympics have been going on. Have you heard? It's on all the time. I have somewhere close to a million channels on the TV, but the Olympics is on all the time. I've tried watching it. I really have. I even tried some of the less popular sports like fencing. I want to like fencing. Funky outfits, swords, blinky lights.....it has all of the ingredients necessary to be THE MOST AWESOME SPORT EVER!!!!It so isn't. The fencers stand in position with their swords until the referee says go. Then they try and poke each other with their sticks. Poke. The little lights blink and they get back into the starting position again. They wait for the ref to say go. Poke. Back into the starting position. The first one to poke the other one 15 times wins. It take like half an hour to get to 15. It's the getting back into the starting position and waiting that takes up all the time.
I wanted a sword fight! A little bit of daring do! I got .....poke......
It was a sad disappointment, I'll tell you that.
2.
After my fencing disappointment, I decided to stay away from the Olympics. I prefer to think of them as athletes! When I saw that they could medal in ping pong.....seriously? Ping Pong? You want to be that gold medalist? "What did you medal in?" "Ping Pong."Really?
Really, really?
3.
Fine. Whatever. I'm a snob. I can handle all that. Know what my snobbery cost me? The Badminton scandal.There was a huge badminton scandal and I missed it. Thanks to my disappointment with fencing, I decided that badminton was just a lamer version of tennis, and watching tennis is almost as bad as watching golf which is right up there with paint drying in watchability.
So I looked at my schedule and saw "Badminton" and decided to read a book instead. Thank goodness there were Homemade Highlights so that I could catch up on all I had missed.
3.5.
The moral learned is not to judge a sport by its wimpy reputation. One man's sword is another woman's shuttlecock. Or as my grandmother used to always say
Friday, August 3, 2012
No....Mommy Do It
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| My Early Warning System |
His grandmother shook her head and clucked "spoiled" under breath when she heard it last week. I know the truth though. She's right....only it's a sure sign that it's me who is spoiled and not him.
I've noticed with my children that the more time I spend doing "my" things, the clingier they become. The less time I'm home, the more they whine and demand my attention. #6's neediness is nothing more than a giant alarm blaring that I've been taking too much advantage of having in house child care, and not focusing enough attention on loving him. He's my canary in a gold mine, my early warning system, telling me that my priorities have gone seriously awry.
Life is hectic bordering on frenzy taking care of all the people in this house. I will admit that when I run to the grocery store, there is a part of me which is thrilled to be alone for the half hour or longer that I'm there. I love the silence of my car away from the constant chatter of children on the days when it's just too darn hot to let them go outside. (It was 111* yesterday.) We all get cooped up, the volume rises, and I start to feel claustrophobic in the noise. It must be time to run an errand!!!!!!!! And I can, because there are babysitters living in my house!
Which leaves my 3 year old (Can he really be this old already?)feeling abandoned and left behind.
The big kids can go to friends' houses. His mom can go to the store (and often takes his baby sister with her). #5 is at Grandma's house. Which means that #6 gets left behind all day by people who are going other places, living big adventures, and never including him in them. The poor boy is feeling a bit abandoned, and a little unloved. Which is so totally my fault.
It would not hurt me to spend time every day playing with him on the floor. The bathrooms have waited this long for scrubbing, another half hour won't make them worse. I could take him with me on errands instead of waiting for naptime or leaving him here when he's awake. "It's easier and faster" really isn't an excuse. It's a cop out. It means I'm being lazy, and he's paying the price for it. Which means that all of us are paying the price in whining 3 year old boy.
He huffed "Not fair" this morning as his big brothers set off on their bikes, and he's right. His life hasn't been fair lately. It's my job to fix that. We're getting out of our pajamas and then my newly designated shopping buddy and I are heading out to buy milk, and listen to the awful kid music he loves turned up full blast. And for him....I might even sing along.
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