Walk for Life

Walk for Life

The new gadget on the sidebar of my blog is for fundraising for Walk for Life. It is an annual event that raises money to support the Crisis Pregnancy Center in our area. I will be walking with my family for the fourth year in a row. My goal is to raise $1000 to support things that CPC provides for its clients such as baby supplies, prenatal care, counseling, and other things for women who are pregnant and possibly seeking an abortion. The CPC gives women alternatives to abortion to help save lives.

If you would like to support me please just click on the link that will take you to my fundraising page. It is totally secure and will put money directly into the hands of the CPC for the Walk for Life. If you'd like more information on the Walk for Life, follow this link to learn more about the great work that they do. www.cpcfriends.com

The pictures above are from last year's walk.

Wordless Wednesday

There's nothing better than a 2 year old who loves to play in a dog crate. :)
Just so you all know - the door was NOT latched.

My karate kid

He did it. He finally earned his first karate belt. The first color is white. He actually earned it some time ago. With all of the sickness going around our house I have neglected to post this - much less anything else. He also has already earned one stripe. To get his next belt he needs to earn four stripes total that go on his belt - then we will have a new belt. He is really doing well in karate. I couldn't be more pleased with the program. He has made a new little friend too. His buddy actually joined the same day as Monkey did. It didn't take anytime for them to become thick as thieves. They even get into trouble together. Both of them have a tendency to goof off. Thankfully, the sensei is patient and really does a great job with the Little Dragons. The students open up in prayer, warm ups, learn karate moves and practical life skills (i.e. stranger danger, crossing the street, manners, etc.) and close in prayer. Teamwork and encouragement of team members is always promoted. I love it! How awesome that a business uses/teaches sport centered entirely around glorifying Christ! Here are some pictures of him earning his white belt. Go Monkey! We are proud of you!

My new memory verse

The verses that continue to confront me definitely convict me in the area of teaching my children the way of the Lord. This verse especially ties in how vital it is for me to know and be in the WORD so that I can use it and live by it - so that all around me may know it - not only by the way I live - but by hearing it from me. My prayer is that I not only memorize the verse and meditate on it, but also that I MAY LIVE IT DAILY UNTIL THE LORD COMES!

Deuteronomy 11: 18-21
Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down and when you rise up. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, like the days of the heavens above the earth.

Oh Yeah! Wordless Wednesday!

Memories of times gone by.
Photos of my almost 5 year old at 2.

How to Feel Better

I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.
Ps. 9:2

We're feeling rather yucky at our house right now. Fevers, runny noses, infections, coughs. We had 2 doctor's appointments today, one for me, and one for Chops. I tested positive for strep again. Sam tested negative for the 5 minute culture. They are going to try to grow it in a dish overnight to see if he's positive. That won't come through until tomorrow.

So after our doctor's appointments we had to run to Target to fill prescriptions. All I wanted to do was stay in bed, but not what a sick mom gets to do when kids are sick too. Dropped off one prescription and picked up two. I picked up more disinfecting wipes, toothbrushes, bandaids, and some other necessary things. After checking out we needed some comfort food. Where do you go when you feel sick and don't want to go home and make lunch? Where do you eat when you need a pick me up? CHICK-FIL-A of course! Ahhhh! There's never a bad time for Chick-fil-A.

Now, with bellies full, a movie on, kids quiet and on the couch maybe I can get a bit of rest.

Oh No! Not Again!

The end of the month of January I had pneumonia. I don't know how I got it, however, the "how" doesn't matter. The fact that I got it must have worn me down quite a bit because three weeks later (middle of February) I caught strep throat from my darling 2 year old. He didn't mean to share it. It's just hard not to share germs when you're two; sipping from others' cups, having bites of shared food, putting everything in your mouth... it just happens.

It's two weeks since I was diagnosed. As a matter of fact, two weeks to the day. The Thursday that I stayed home from school to pump myself up on antibiotics I meticulously wiped everything down with Clorox wipes. I wiped doorknobs, lightswitches, phones, remotes, counters, handles, everything I could think of. I also washed all sheets and clothing and sprayed pillows with disinfectant. I bought new toothbrushes for every member of the family. I was confident that we killed it. With three of the four of us finishing up antibiotics I figured we had gotten the best of it. Chops and I finished our drugs this Saturday, while hubby - who wasn't as timely taking his antibiotics is still finishing.

But wait.

My older one spiked a fever at school yesterday. My husband picked him up, and I called the doctor to have him seen just because I knew what we had just come through. Monkey was the only one NOT to come down with the nasty fever, aches, and runny nose - not to mention the fiery sore throat that comes with the strep bug. The doctor swabbed his throat even though he didn't have a sore throat. Two swabs - one 5 minute test, one 24 hour test. The five minute test was negative.

My husband stayed home from work this morning so I could go teach my kids, and then I planned to come home to take the afternoon shift so Jeremy could go in to work. He called me at work this morning to inform me that the doctor's office called with information that the 24 hour test was positive. UGH!

And so, after my preschoolers went home on their bus I tied up some loose ends and then made my way home. Between school and home my throat started to feel sticky. I called to see if I could get in to see my doctor this afternoon to no avail. The next available appointment is 7:45 am tomorrow. It's mine.

By 4 o'clock this afternoon I could barely swallow. I phoned in my sick day to school and sent my lesson plans ahead (praise God for email). Now we wait.

In the mean time my Chopsy decided to do what a 2 year old does and found Josh's toothbrush. Of course, he put it in his mouth. He may be going to the doctor tomorrow too.

A milestone at our house

On this day, in the year of our Lord 2009, on the fifth day of the month of March

Chops pooped in the potty!

Hooray!

It's been a while

Okay, I'm back - after a long hiatus full of minor illness and blogger's block. It's just a matter of time. Time is very precious in my life right now. I seem to have very little time to do what I'd like to be doing. Not that I don't find being a mom (THE MOST IMPORTANT job I could ever have) unpleasurable - however there are those days when I say under my breath - "Calgon. Take me away, and return me to a tidy house where everyone is getting along and dinner is already made."

So since time is my topic for the day, I figured I'd post some photos from an earlier time. A time when life was a little less hectic. The shots are from my "getaway". I absolutely LOVE this place. When I pull in to the driveway I sigh and all of my cares go out the door. What's even more fun is that these pictures are of Monkey when he was just one and a half years old. It seems like just yesterday. Where has the time gone? With the craziness of motherhood -where sometimes life is so crazy that you have to include breathing on your to do list, otherwise - you won't have time for it - it's fun to just remember how life was at an earlier stage.

These are some of my favorites. I'm glad I found them.