OK, you must know that my need to control is deeply rooted! I'm not sure how or when those seeds originally took root, but they are firmly planted in me.
So...
Two days ago Cowboy refilled the toilet paper in our bathroom and it's the "wrong" way. I told myself that it was no big deal. I was going to force myself to live with it this way until the roll was empty. I even contemplated pulling every last square off the roll and throwing them in the trash just so I could put a new roll on the "right" way, without actually changing the roll that was there. But, I prevailed!!! I was not going to give in to that desire to control.
Until today. I couldn't take it any longer!!! What's wrong with me??? I changed the roll so that it was facing the "right" way and I felt such a peace throughout my being. Sad, huh?
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Friday, April 17, 2009
My Sunshine
OK, so yesterday after my frustrations I blogged about, I took this sweet video of Little I. This will put a smile on your face--GUARANTEED!
Thursday, April 16, 2009
For the Love of Pete--Are you Kidding Me???
OK, do you remember the unfortunate fate of one of Cowboy's grill tools a few weeks ago? The event happened again just a few minutes ago! Same child, same incident with the toilet paper holder, but I wasn't going to surrender another grill tool of Cowboy's. So...I spent five minutes wandering aimlessly through the house for the perfect retriever. Well, it wasn't perfect, but I wound up using this Tupperware egg-dyeing spoon thingy.
When I say it wasn't perfect, you get it, right? I had a thorough hand-washing immediately following the event before I sat down to the laptop to vent!!!
On another note...
Do you know how frustrating it is as a foster parent to be told that your foster child's case in court will be heard at 10 and when you and your husband arrive PLENTY early you've missed the whole event? Then you find out that the foster child's mother's attorney dared to call you and your husband neglectful, suggesting you're the reason the said child is not gaining weight!!! Part of me wants to completely throw in the towel and go straight adoption to have another permanent member of our family!!! Seriously--it's not worth it! We weren't even able to be in the courtroom to defend ourselves. I love it when the biological families act like we're the enemy! Wake up, people, your own actions (or lack of actions) caused DHS to remove your children from your home! My job is to simply care for the child while he is in DHS custody.
URGH! Obviously I need to vent--sorry to anyone who expected something light-hearted or sweet! It's just not happening today, or at least right now.
When I say it wasn't perfect, you get it, right? I had a thorough hand-washing immediately following the event before I sat down to the laptop to vent!!!
On another note...
Do you know how frustrating it is as a foster parent to be told that your foster child's case in court will be heard at 10 and when you and your husband arrive PLENTY early you've missed the whole event? Then you find out that the foster child's mother's attorney dared to call you and your husband neglectful, suggesting you're the reason the said child is not gaining weight!!! Part of me wants to completely throw in the towel and go straight adoption to have another permanent member of our family!!! Seriously--it's not worth it! We weren't even able to be in the courtroom to defend ourselves. I love it when the biological families act like we're the enemy! Wake up, people, your own actions (or lack of actions) caused DHS to remove your children from your home! My job is to simply care for the child while he is in DHS custody.
URGH! Obviously I need to vent--sorry to anyone who expected something light-hearted or sweet! It's just not happening today, or at least right now.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Birthday Season is Quickly Approaching
OK, as you can tell by my Lilypie tickers, birthday season is around the corner for my family. So in the midst of trying to successfully wrap up this school year, plan our next school year, and search for great deals on curricula, I'm thinking of those party plans.
This year Miss B is requesting a mud party. SERIOUSLY? Where am I going to have a mud party? I'm sure my dad would let us come to the farm and dig a pit to fill with water to make our mud. But, then we'd have the issue of restrooms. Would a bunch of middle school girls really be OK with going outside? I doubt it! So, I've got myself a quandry. Her mind is made up and I doubt she'll change it. She is her mother's daughter.
C-Man wants a million different things for his party. He has a tough time making decisions (we have to time him on the toy aisle at Target) and this is no different. So far he's mentioned an architect party, Star Wars party, a mud party (he was accused of cheating), laser tag, ....
Little I doesn't care!!! How refreshing is that? He'll just be happy to have his 4 cousins over who are close in age and eat sweets with them.
I've got to get on the ball or I'll never be ready for the madness that is our late-May to mid-June birthday bonanza!
This year Miss B is requesting a mud party. SERIOUSLY? Where am I going to have a mud party? I'm sure my dad would let us come to the farm and dig a pit to fill with water to make our mud. But, then we'd have the issue of restrooms. Would a bunch of middle school girls really be OK with going outside? I doubt it! So, I've got myself a quandry. Her mind is made up and I doubt she'll change it. She is her mother's daughter.
C-Man wants a million different things for his party. He has a tough time making decisions (we have to time him on the toy aisle at Target) and this is no different. So far he's mentioned an architect party, Star Wars party, a mud party (he was accused of cheating), laser tag, ....
Little I doesn't care!!! How refreshing is that? He'll just be happy to have his 4 cousins over who are close in age and eat sweets with them.
I've got to get on the ball or I'll never be ready for the madness that is our late-May to mid-June birthday bonanza!
Saturday, April 11, 2009
The Price I Pay for a Good Haircut
Being the good mama that I am, I had hair appointments for C-Man and Little I at the end of this week so that they will look handsome for Easter.
C-Man's haircut was a no-brainer. He needed a trim so that he can continue to grow it out again. He misses his longer hair (and I do too). Because my sister is our stylist he was able to walk across the street to her house and get a nice trim.
Little I, however, is a different story. We went back to see Tony yesterday. He's the barber who gave Little I his great triangles several weeks back. Anyway, here's how it went...
I left our house with all 3 boys at 4:05 in order to (hopefully) get to the shop on time. We pulled in the parking lot at 4:32 for a 4:30 appointment. We all unloaded, no doubt being watched on the TV inside the shop. (Yes, there are security cameras in the parking lot). The building has bars on the front door and the windows are all covered. We made it in and I noticed the sign propped up on the floor by the front desk area. "No children allowed unless they are receiving services." OOPS--I broke that rule.
We made our way over to the chairs where we would patiently wait our turn. I politely told Tony Little I had arrived for his 4:30 appointment and we began our wait. Things to do while we waited:
Watch BET (all kid-friendly shows--HA!)
Talk to each other
Notice that Tony is finished with the guy in the chair---YAY!!!
OOPS--too late--a teenage boy and his younger brother snuck in before us saying that they had called for a 4:30 appointment. Tony said, "No. I have Little I down for an appointment, but I'll go ahead and take care of you guys now." ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
Wait some more
2 police officers enter the shop (where there are 27-30 people) and ask if there was anyone named Kevin, Cam, or Cameron there. Everyone got quiet when they walked in. Did I mention that up until this point C-Man and I were the only 2 white people? Now there were 4 of us, but I would've preferred to have NOT been associated to these 2 jerks! The officers stood there at the front of the shop looking at all the people. After about 4-5 minutes one officer walked over to a gentleman sitting near us and said, "What's your name?" The gentleman told him his name was Ollie. He asked Ollie if he had any ID on him. Ollie didn't. Then the officer asked if he ever went by Kevin or Cam or Cameron. Ollie didn't. He asked how to spell his name. The gentleman spelled his name just as clearly as anyone else who'd had their name for 45 or more years. The officer at this point walked back by his partner. After a couple more minutes they decided to make one more statement before leaving. "Thanks for all you help." As soon as they were gone, the chatting and laughing began. I can't say that I blame them. They were just going about their day-to-day business and were ALL treated as if they'd done something wrong.
All I can think about now is that my sweet Little I will most likely experience this hatred someday! What you won't be able to tell by looking at him is that he was raised in a loving family who've taught him how to be a responsible citizen as well as a godly young man. You can't know what a person is like by looking at them!
Little I finally sat down in Tony's chair at 5:30. By the time he was finished at 6, we only had time to drive-thru for dinner on our way to church.
I'm not sure we'll be going back to Tony's shop again. He gives an incredible haircut, but I don't know that I want to go through all of that again.
C-Man's haircut was a no-brainer. He needed a trim so that he can continue to grow it out again. He misses his longer hair (and I do too). Because my sister is our stylist he was able to walk across the street to her house and get a nice trim.
Little I, however, is a different story. We went back to see Tony yesterday. He's the barber who gave Little I his great triangles several weeks back. Anyway, here's how it went...
I left our house with all 3 boys at 4:05 in order to (hopefully) get to the shop on time. We pulled in the parking lot at 4:32 for a 4:30 appointment. We all unloaded, no doubt being watched on the TV inside the shop. (Yes, there are security cameras in the parking lot). The building has bars on the front door and the windows are all covered. We made it in and I noticed the sign propped up on the floor by the front desk area. "No children allowed unless they are receiving services." OOPS--I broke that rule.
We made our way over to the chairs where we would patiently wait our turn. I politely told Tony Little I had arrived for his 4:30 appointment and we began our wait. Things to do while we waited:
Watch BET (all kid-friendly shows--HA!)
Talk to each other
Notice that Tony is finished with the guy in the chair---YAY!!!
OOPS--too late--a teenage boy and his younger brother snuck in before us saying that they had called for a 4:30 appointment. Tony said, "No. I have Little I down for an appointment, but I'll go ahead and take care of you guys now." ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
Wait some more
2 police officers enter the shop (where there are 27-30 people) and ask if there was anyone named Kevin, Cam, or Cameron there. Everyone got quiet when they walked in. Did I mention that up until this point C-Man and I were the only 2 white people? Now there were 4 of us, but I would've preferred to have NOT been associated to these 2 jerks! The officers stood there at the front of the shop looking at all the people. After about 4-5 minutes one officer walked over to a gentleman sitting near us and said, "What's your name?" The gentleman told him his name was Ollie. He asked Ollie if he had any ID on him. Ollie didn't. Then the officer asked if he ever went by Kevin or Cam or Cameron. Ollie didn't. He asked how to spell his name. The gentleman spelled his name just as clearly as anyone else who'd had their name for 45 or more years. The officer at this point walked back by his partner. After a couple more minutes they decided to make one more statement before leaving. "Thanks for all you help." As soon as they were gone, the chatting and laughing began. I can't say that I blame them. They were just going about their day-to-day business and were ALL treated as if they'd done something wrong.
All I can think about now is that my sweet Little I will most likely experience this hatred someday! What you won't be able to tell by looking at him is that he was raised in a loving family who've taught him how to be a responsible citizen as well as a godly young man. You can't know what a person is like by looking at them!
Little I finally sat down in Tony's chair at 5:30. By the time he was finished at 6, we only had time to drive-thru for dinner on our way to church.
I'm not sure we'll be going back to Tony's shop again. He gives an incredible haircut, but I don't know that I want to go through all of that again.
Friday, April 10, 2009
This Post May Contain TMI (too much information)
Well, today I had my lovely bi-annual "boob appointment," as my kids call it.
All is well!:) We have to keep an eye on the spot that is 7 cm in size. No change, no growth, happy day! These ultrasound appointments are not nearly as fun as the ones when I was able to see a precious life growing and taking form inside of me. They are more fun, though, than the pics I had taken when I had an ovarian cyst rupture.
I also thought I had found a new spot that needed to be checked. No worries there, either, just dense tissue (which I happen to have LOTS of).
On another note, Cowboy and I are wearing dark clothing today to remind us of the horrible death our sweet Jesus died for our sins. We will wear our bright clothes on Easter to celebrate His resurrection and our eternal life in Him!
All is well!:) We have to keep an eye on the spot that is 7 cm in size. No change, no growth, happy day! These ultrasound appointments are not nearly as fun as the ones when I was able to see a precious life growing and taking form inside of me. They are more fun, though, than the pics I had taken when I had an ovarian cyst rupture.
I also thought I had found a new spot that needed to be checked. No worries there, either, just dense tissue (which I happen to have LOTS of).
On another note, Cowboy and I are wearing dark clothing today to remind us of the horrible death our sweet Jesus died for our sins. We will wear our bright clothes on Easter to celebrate His resurrection and our eternal life in Him!
Monday, April 6, 2009
West Side Story--Little I Version
Apparently yesterday while I was on an adoptive couples marriage retreat Little I was engaged in a bit of a brawl. He didn't get injured and there was no physical contact. This was a DANCE OFF.
SS, a 5-year old, and Little I were battling for several minutes. I'm so grateful for video cameras!!! I would have been heartbroken to have never seen this brawl. The video is about 6 minutes long and there's a whole lot of, "Take this!", "Check this out!", and "Check it!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSsix4NGgiU
I am not technically savvy enough to put the video on this post, but check it out if you've recently emptied your bladder!
Enjoy
SS, a 5-year old, and Little I were battling for several minutes. I'm so grateful for video cameras!!! I would have been heartbroken to have never seen this brawl. The video is about 6 minutes long and there's a whole lot of, "Take this!", "Check this out!", and "Check it!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSsix4NGgiU
I am not technically savvy enough to put the video on this post, but check it out if you've recently emptied your bladder!
Enjoy
Friday, April 3, 2009
RSF
We're probably the only family around who still has the old CD of Right Said Fred's "I'm Too Sexy" song.
Anyway, today C-Man and Little I were headed outside to jump on the trampoline and C-Man was looking for some good tunage to listen to while they jumped.
I found the CD and knew it'd be a hit.
My boys jumped for a good hour listening to that CD over and over again. I could also hear Little I screaming to the top of his lungs, "I'M TOO SEXY!"
I'm a proud mama!
By the way, the whole CD consists of:
1. 7" VERSION
2. EXTENDED CLUB MIX
3. BETTY'S MIX
4. INSTRUMENTAL
5. CATWALK MIX
6. TUSHAPELLA
7. SPANISH VERSION
Can you imagine? The whole thing was just different renditions of the same song.
I'm too sexy for this post....
Anyway, today C-Man and Little I were headed outside to jump on the trampoline and C-Man was looking for some good tunage to listen to while they jumped.
I found the CD and knew it'd be a hit.
My boys jumped for a good hour listening to that CD over and over again. I could also hear Little I screaming to the top of his lungs, "I'M TOO SEXY!"
I'm a proud mama!
By the way, the whole CD consists of:
1. 7" VERSION
2. EXTENDED CLUB MIX
3. BETTY'S MIX
4. INSTRUMENTAL
5. CATWALK MIX
6. TUSHAPELLA
7. SPANISH VERSION
Can you imagine? The whole thing was just different renditions of the same song.
I'm too sexy for this post....
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Miss B's Mouth
OK, Miss B just saw that I was posting about C-Man's cavity and asked me to tell everyone that she had no cavities.
This is true! No cavities!!! She has, however, had 11 or 14 (I have a horrible memory) teeth pulled by the dentist and is on her 2nd set of braces. ;)
Speaking of her mouth, she has spoken such kindness over the past week and a half. Her words have been like honey! What a blessing! She's precious and I'm proud of the young lady she is.
Proverbs 16:24
Pleasant words are a honeycomb,
sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.
This is true! No cavities!!! She has, however, had 11 or 14 (I have a horrible memory) teeth pulled by the dentist and is on her 2nd set of braces. ;)
Speaking of her mouth, she has spoken such kindness over the past week and a half. Her words have been like honey! What a blessing! She's precious and I'm proud of the young lady she is.
Proverbs 16:24
Pleasant words are a honeycomb,
sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.
C-Man's 1st Cavity
Well, today it happened. The dentist found C-Man's first cavity. C-Man was in hysterics by the time Little I and NoBo woke up from their van nap and Miss B & I decided to head on in to the waiting area with the little ones until our cleaning times. I went into the room and spoke with him. He was so upset, wondering how bad the cavity would hurt. I explained, just as the dentist and hygienist had, that the cavity was not hurting him now, but would eventually cause major problems.
Because our dentist, who's a friend of ours, practices on the other side of town from where we live, I decided to have him fill the cavity for C-Man today. I have to say it's absolutely hysterical to hear the descriptions of what laughing gas is doing from an 8-year old boy who's never had it before.
"I don't like this feeling." I tried to remind him it was going to relax him.
"It feels like I'm in bed." Well, he was lying down in a chair but I knew he wasn't speaking of that. I really believe he was speaking of that I'm so tired and have no idea what's going on feeling.
"I don't like the sound." I couldn't figure that one out. I think it was making a hissing sound.
"I don't like how it makes me feel." Good--maybe you'll never look to foreign substances to numb you. (I didn't actually tell him this, but I thought it).
Then we got to the numbing stuff. He didn't enjoy this either.
Next came the shot. C-Man kept asking Dr. R, "What are you doing?" The good doctor was wise enough to not answer this question as C-Man kept asking. Instead, he and I continued with our conversation. At one point he told C-Man he was probably just feeling a little pinch. After the needle was out, he informed C-Man that he had just put the tooth to sleep. A few minutes later C-Man said, "I can't feel my tooth." Dr. R reminded him that he had put his tooth to sleep.
C-Man then began to panic about when Dr. R was putting the cavity in. This made me crack up. He was told that the cavity would be taken out and a filling would replace it. C-Man was given the choice of tooth-colored filling or silver filling. He chose silver.
I'm sorry to say that this probably won't be his last filling. I'm afraid he may have my teeth. I now have a mouth full of silver as evidence of past cavities. Cowboy has the good teeth--not a cavity until adulthood. Seriously, it makes me sick!
That's all for today--just ramblings of fillings and such.
But...it does make me think of the pain of sin in our lives. When sin makes its home in our hearts, it decays us. When we recognize its presence in our lives and ask God for forgiveness, he comes in and does the sometimes painful job of drilling away the decay. Although our sins can be easily forgiven by God, there are still consequences we have to live with. Sometimes the drilling seems to be slow. We wonder if we'll ever get out of the chair and on with our lives. Other times the drilling seems to be done quickly, but with no numbing. The best part is what God does with that spot after he drills away the decay. He fills that crevace with His grace and mercy. The pain of wrong choices is taken away and in its place is a deeper, more real relationship with the Creator of the Universe. I just love living in the shade of God's mercy.
Psalm 40:11
Do not withhold your mercy from me, O LORD;
may your love and your truth always protect me.
Because our dentist, who's a friend of ours, practices on the other side of town from where we live, I decided to have him fill the cavity for C-Man today. I have to say it's absolutely hysterical to hear the descriptions of what laughing gas is doing from an 8-year old boy who's never had it before.
"I don't like this feeling." I tried to remind him it was going to relax him.
"It feels like I'm in bed." Well, he was lying down in a chair but I knew he wasn't speaking of that. I really believe he was speaking of that I'm so tired and have no idea what's going on feeling.
"I don't like the sound." I couldn't figure that one out. I think it was making a hissing sound.
"I don't like how it makes me feel." Good--maybe you'll never look to foreign substances to numb you. (I didn't actually tell him this, but I thought it).
Then we got to the numbing stuff. He didn't enjoy this either.
Next came the shot. C-Man kept asking Dr. R, "What are you doing?" The good doctor was wise enough to not answer this question as C-Man kept asking. Instead, he and I continued with our conversation. At one point he told C-Man he was probably just feeling a little pinch. After the needle was out, he informed C-Man that he had just put the tooth to sleep. A few minutes later C-Man said, "I can't feel my tooth." Dr. R reminded him that he had put his tooth to sleep.
C-Man then began to panic about when Dr. R was putting the cavity in. This made me crack up. He was told that the cavity would be taken out and a filling would replace it. C-Man was given the choice of tooth-colored filling or silver filling. He chose silver.
I'm sorry to say that this probably won't be his last filling. I'm afraid he may have my teeth. I now have a mouth full of silver as evidence of past cavities. Cowboy has the good teeth--not a cavity until adulthood. Seriously, it makes me sick!
That's all for today--just ramblings of fillings and such.
But...it does make me think of the pain of sin in our lives. When sin makes its home in our hearts, it decays us. When we recognize its presence in our lives and ask God for forgiveness, he comes in and does the sometimes painful job of drilling away the decay. Although our sins can be easily forgiven by God, there are still consequences we have to live with. Sometimes the drilling seems to be slow. We wonder if we'll ever get out of the chair and on with our lives. Other times the drilling seems to be done quickly, but with no numbing. The best part is what God does with that spot after he drills away the decay. He fills that crevace with His grace and mercy. The pain of wrong choices is taken away and in its place is a deeper, more real relationship with the Creator of the Universe. I just love living in the shade of God's mercy.
Psalm 40:11
Do not withhold your mercy from me, O LORD;
may your love and your truth always protect me.
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