Needing Inspiration

Today (which is now yesterday as it took me awhile to post!) I almost let the enemy of my soul keep me in bed.  I REALLY did not want to get up this morning to go to bootcamp.  The alarm went of, I went into the bathroom.  I looked at my workout clothes and decided I just didn't feel like it.  I got back in bed.  All I could think was "You can't afford to only have ONE workout this week!" "You are just going to beat yourself up" "You'll feel better if you go..."  Shut UP already, OK, OK, I'm getting up!

I got in the car and this song was playing, tell me this doesn't pump you up!! Don't miss listening, this is a seriously GREAT song for the blues! I wish I had more time to just embed the link!  Ugh...

Then I worked out and went to breakfast and had fellowship with other boot campers!  I would have totally missed that! This is a really great group of women, and I am SO glad I signed up 2 years ago and now they are part of my life.  Truly a blessing in the most unexpected place!  On the field I said, "I really want a mushroom, spinach, tomato and egg white omlette (I used to get them all the time at Silver Diner when I was living in DC), and guess what, that exact thing was on the menu!  God is so good, even in the little things :)

Last night we talked about taking kids and cousins to Ft. Worth Kids Museum.  I kind of pooh poohed it because I didn't "feel" like it.  Still wasn't feeling it this morning, but my mother-in-law said they were going anyway so of course, then I was like "Well, be that way, I'M GOING!"  I AM SO GLAD I DID! It was awesome, better than awesome.  Perfect for my kids and the cousins.  Something for every age and we went to see BUGS in the IMAX.  Another thing I whaa whaaed about.  It was great.  I ended up getting us a year's membership!

Here are some pics of a GREAT day!!

Started out with lunch at the Ft. Worth Botanical Gardens.  

 Samuel taking a liking to soccer, Ava looking on!

 Then to the Ft. Worth Art and Science Museum for kids.

The Dino Dig was so fun!

After looking at these pictures, it makes me wonder how many other great memories I may have missed with my bad attitude :(  

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?

A precious friend asked me to take two of her 5 girls (that is out of a total of 16, only  5 are left at home) to stay with us for the week.  This is the 2nd time we have done this and I am still in awe that anyone would leave their children with me!  Especially this super duper, uber diligent, merciful, sweet wonderful mom.  The girls are already poring over my cooking magazines that are still in plastic wrap because I never get to them.  So, it will be Gourmet week here, but I told them they have to recognize all the ingredients in order for us to tackle it!  It should be interesting.  The first visit, within the first hour we had a bloodletting with the apple corer and the youngest lost a tooth.  So far we have not had any incident, so I am counting this a good visit!  I am also currently pouring over "organizing a craft room" blogs and Goggles.  Update to come...

Oh the Joy's of Eavesdropping

What is the 2nd most dysfunctional place in America (Walmart is #1 of course!)?  You guessed it, McDonald Land Playground.
I often wonder when I see young girls dressed in skirts the size of postage stamps, if a parent actually stood in a department store and thought to herself "My little Jenny would look so cute in that!" Or shorts where the in-seem was an afterthought. Are there women out there that think men's hormones and eyesight become connected once they reach, say, 25?  Or did they borrow that get up from a friend whose dumb mother thought that, the way I did growing up?
My mother, was no dummy.
Well, this was one of the many topics discussed at the table behind me, somewhere between cousin Johnny's inability to stay out of prison and the 5 women he has impregnated (I am sure he is over 25), and sister Sally's drug rehab merri-go-round.
This group has much advice for the poor souls who were their kin.  They rationalized that little Jenny should be allowed to wear short skirts, otherwise they are going to have a problem on their hands.  I am SO SICK OF THAT RATIONALE!  Fashion is driven by Hollywood folks, the MORAL DREGS OF SOCIETY.  Not by some talented, fashion forward, God fearing youth, OK.  Why do you think most teenage Mouskateers end up in rehab or jail?!
They also thought little Bobby should be allowed to have girls in his room as long as the door is open.  But maybe not little Jenny, only if there is a "group", then they can shut the door!  OK, since when did 13 year olds become trusting chaperones?
OK folks, does somebody need sex education 101?  Where is there a parent out there!  Didn't they see the Super Bowl commercial?  I think parents look at their little babies (wearing a size 11 Nike) and think "He doesn't have those thoughts"! Uh, yeah, maybe if your son is a eunuch!   Especially when Little Missy Wearing a Postage Stamp comes around.  Or look at their little bundle of joy (now in a size 7 juniors) and think "Oh, she's on the honor roll and doesn't even have her braces off, their just friends"  Didn't you see Juno?!  OK, may be SHE doesn't have that in mind, no, SHE's thinking romance, he's thinking...when is that mother going to get out of the hallway!
OK, maybe I just have a dirty mind.  Maybe I was the only teenager who looked for EVERY UNSUPERVISED MOMENT in my youth to "be loved"by that eunuch son of yours.  You're probably right.  I'm just sayin...

Milestones

We cleaned the house today!!!!!  We've been stuck here for 3 days now and finally decided to make good use of the time.  We ventured out to McDonalds for the kids to get a break, everything in town is closed except McDonalds and Walmart just about.  So then we went...to Walmart!  Got snow boots for the kids that they won't wear past this week but at least they won't cry when their feet start to thaw out anymore as I had them playing in the snow in rain boots.
Samuel and Ava have almost completed their daily chore chart!  So now I have to think of a treat, yikes!  That was unexpected.  I think Wesley and I did almost all the chores for the month today!
I bought Jillian Michaels Shred It With Weights, and then of course had to buy the kettlebell recommended, and also Jackie Warner's Personal Training With Jackie.  I am actually excited about it.  A lot of videos are 40 minutes or more, I have to get it done while kids are in the tub or watching a couple Episodes of Backyardigans so it has to be sneaky quick!  And yes, I will leave my kids in the tub for 30 minutes as long as no one is crying or drowning!
Jillian says that I could lose up to 5 lbs. a week.  Ok, that's a bit excessive and I am not buying into that marketing.  I know that I would have to be eating tuna out of a can and dry low carb bread, and maybe a carrot stick for that to happen, but one pound would be nice.  Jackie's cover says she charges $400 per session, and yet, I can have her in my home for $10?  I think that is a bargain, except they use words like "torching", which I think is so creepy.  I hate "gym talk".
I was starting to panic because I had not spent any time this week with Samuel doing his AWANA homework, which is like 2 minutes, but he is a hard one to focus.  AND, we are about 12 weeks behind because we started a season late.  They assured me he could double up on his scripture memorization, which, I am sure he COULD, but WOULD he?  Or better, would I!  I mean, he can't read, he is only 4, so it's up to me to tell him what it says.  Why am I giving myself something else to do?  Does it really matter at 4?  Maybe not, but I LOVE this program as I volunteered for a year before I was married.  And those other little 4 year olds aren't going to know what chapter he is one, like they care!  So I'm going to chill out.  Then I realized this Sunday night is super bowl, so there is NO AWANA!  Football to the rescue.

Little Miss Perfect: Un-Parenting

Little Miss Perfect: Un-Parenting

Samuel was on the RED FACE today in Mother's Day Out. For clarification, that is the worst face. He is normally on green, the best face and loves to get praise for that. Turns out he likes to tell everyone about being on the red face too. He just like an AA meeting. Loves to sing the praise, but loves the war story just as well.