Ephesians 6:1

I have to say, to hear my kids learn and recite Bible verses, enjoy Bible stories and learn about God is one of the best things about being a parent. It's my prayer that Luke, Hannah and Andrew will each come to accept God's gift of salvation and have an intimate relationship with their Savior.

A VeggieTale Misconception

This morning, Luke woke up quite early. He didn't ask to get out of bed, but did ask for the hall light to be on. Evidently, he used it to look at books before getting up at a more appropriate time. Here is the conversation we had when he got up and said good morning.

Me: What were you doing?
Luke: Reading my Bible
Me: Do you know Mommy was reading her Bible this morning?
Luke: Mmhmm
Me: What were you reading?
Luke: Jonah (his favorite story. I knew he was going to say that) and the giant (his next favorite story)
Me: and David
Luke: and pickles (yes, I guess that is the proof that there has been VeggieTale watching in our house lately)

Andrew's First Steps

This is the week life changed for our family. Andrew began crawling. He took his first steps on Thursday and has only gotten a bit better each day. He has gotten much more efficient, but still has a ways to go. Now, our lives are going to change. I have three little bodies that are now mobile. Plus, Luke and Hannah will need to learn to keep things out of his reach. I've already heard those words come out of their mouths "No, Andrew" or something along those lines. Andrew's life has also changed. It's a whole new world once you can crawl and with that comes discipline. It seems like with all of mine that the day they begin to crawl is about the same day they are told "no" with an added incentive. Andrew is no different. Last night, the heater fascinated him and he got told "no" in a very obvious way. He sat back and cried. I think he may have been tired, but he will soon learn what's ok and what's not ok. It's no wonder as to why "no" is one of the first words a baby learns to say :(

Amazing Race

I have to admit that one of my favorite shows on TV is "The Amazing Race". I don't know why, but it is. This season is no different. Due to a misunderstanding on my part, I thought Tivo was going to record it, but it didn't last Sunday. I was quite disappointed. When I checked, it was to re-air Friday evening on the Travel Channel so I just got the first episode last night (yes, I know I could have watched it online, but there is something about sitting on the couch in front of a TV that I enjoy a bit more). Anyway, I digress. I think they have a good cast this season. I'm always disappointed, frustrated and sickened that they seem to have to have their token gays, but the other ones I think might be entertaining. I also don't understand the concept as to why dating couples think they will find out whether they are compatible on The Amazing Race. The last time I checked, the show does not show what daily life is like on a realistic level. Anyway. . . I have to admit that I loved the outcome of the first episode. (don't read this if you have it recorded and you still haven't watched it) The one couple that I wasn't too keen on did get eliminated. Plus, I usually have a clear favorite for the show and this season it didn't take me long to pick them out. I really like the mother and the deaf son (Margie and Luke). I thought they had almost better communication than some of the other teams. For now, that will be the team that I will be rooting for along the way. It was exciting to see them win the first leg.

Curious

I have to admit, I was "spying" on my neighbors. Actually, I wouldn't say it's spying since our back door has a wide open view of this yard. Today, this is what I saw. I know the picture is small, but if you click on it, I think you'll see there are four ducks in the yard. I had seen them a week or two ago when some rain was moving into the area so I didn't get a good picture. I thought this sunny afternoon would give me a better picture. All of that to say, why do our neighbors have ducks? We live in a land locked state, in a land locked city, in a land locked yard! They were not there for just a visit because I've also seen cages for them to stay in. Oh, my curious mind wonders. I guess I might just have to meet them and ask to put my wonders to a rest.

Starting Young

Need I say more?!

A Rambling Thought

Since we've moved and been new to a community twice in so many years, I have had this thought a few times. Many people don't know me in the church I attend maybe for a variety of unrelated reasons and I often wonder as to what they think of me attending church on my own. Do they wonder if I'm divorced, wonder if my husband is not a believer, etc.? When Chris went on his first deployment, I had these thoughts one of the first weeks I went to church by myself. I then had an angry thought that if they wanted to think the worst of me than so be it. It was their fault for not asking and coming to a conclusion without knowing the circumstances. Since then, Chris has been deployed a couple of more times and recently I've struggled with the same thought. I think I've gotten over the angry stage. However, I need to not worry about what other people think. Instead, my thoughts have been quite sad. Have I had those same thoughts regarding other ladies I see in the congregation who are not accompanied by a spouse? I ask for forgiveness if I have. Plus, this shouldn't even be a concern of mine in a church of all places. Church is especially supposed to be a place where God's love is evident and we should love no matter what.

Sorry for the rambling, but there is a bit of method to the madness that may not be evident in the writing.

Thoughts of Spring

Spring is my very favorite season. I love the thought of greener days ahead, bright budding flowers, warmer - not hot - days and in general the new birth that is all around. Plus, the drab, dreary days of winter are no more. I once heard our college president, Jay Kessler, say in one chapel message that the change in seasons is a sign of God's faithfulness to us. To me, that is so true!

As you can see, there are a variety of "serious" reasons as to why I like spring, but here are a couple more. First, I really need spring to get here so Luke can wear shorts. He has worn out his jeans and I'm not sure patches are going to be much help at this point. It also won't be too much longer and his pants won't be long enough. I've decided shorts are the answer to that problem since I don't want to buy jeans that he would only wear a few short weeks. Thankfully, he does have one good looking pair of jeans that have been saved for those occasions when the sight of little boy knees aren't quite as appropriate. Second, I desire spring to come so we can do away with the coats. That one item of clothing can add a good 3-5 minutes for me to get out the door. Plus, once we're out the door, I find it sometimes challenging to squeeze the child and the coat into the car seat. No coats would solve all those issues.

Looking forward to spring in my corner of the world. I hope you enjoy it as much as I am going to!

Secrets of Coupon Clipping

Some of you may know that I like to use coupons - at least whenever it is possible. I started doing this shortly after we were married. Chris had heard Ellie Kay speak on the topic and proceeded to get me a couple of her books to read. The one regarding money was called Shop, Save and Share. It is an excellent resource and easy read on a variety of ideas on how to save money. She also wrote another easy and very applicable read called Heroes at Home for anyone in the military or has family in the military. She is the wife of a retired Air Force pilot so that was another point of connection for me. Anyway, I digress. . .

This morning I had on Good Morning America and they highlighted a couple of ladies that do coupon parties. They charge $25 for you to go to a party and they teach you how to use coupons. Now, I just don't get charging people money to teach them how to save money. That just doesn't make sense to me. So, I thought I'd share some of the same things that they highlighted on the show this morning, that Ellie Kay taught me six years ago and that I've learned along the way. Now, I don't want to bore you, but I was feeling convicted of not sharing some of the things that I have been so blessed with. By the way, I also think it is fun to find a great deal. Also, all of you who live in the Indianapolis area, you have an awesome shopping experience there. You can find tons of deals. These are available around the country, but not nearly as many as in Indianapolis.

Here are some of the things I do to find the best deals - in no certain order so I hope this makes sense.

• Clip coupons anywhere you find them - Sunday paper, magazines, internet (smart source, coupons.com and websites of brands that you may use ie. Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, etc) and packaging on containters
• If getting coupons from the internet try printing the coupon more than once. Then, if you do find a good deal then you can buy more than one item. Some sites do let you just print one, but some will let you print at least two.
  
• Use coupons on items that are on sale!! That will give you the most bang for your buck.
  
• I keep all coupons I find until they expire because you might find some great deals on things you normally may not purchase and these can be given to food pantries or charities.
• Find a good way that works for you to organize your coupons. I simply put mine in alphabetical order, but many put theirs in order of how the store is organized. There are other ways outlined on the internet that may work better for you. Just find a system that works for you - no one else is going to use it anyway!
• Shop at stores that double coupons if at all possible.
• Check your store's coupon policy. Some stores will double all coupons, but some only will double one coupon for an item (for example if you have two $.25 coupons for dish soap, they will double one to $.50, but the other will only be $.25) Some stores may also have a limit on how many coupons they will double.
• If you are military, shop your commissary as well. The prices are mostly cheaper on most items. They don't double coupons, but some great deals can still be found.
• Store coupons and manufacturer's coupons can be used for the same item (for example, a Walgreens coupon for $.50 off Dawn can be used with a $.25 manufacturer's coupon on the same item for a total savings of $.75 on that item)
• Walgreens and CVS have great deals and many items each month can be gotten for free (Rite Aid might as well, but we only had those in Georgia and I didn't go when I was there)
• There are several websites/blogs that tell you of "the deals" of that week. The stores that I've seen are Target, Wal-Mart, Walgreens, CVS, Kroger (& their affiliates)
• There are also electronic coupons (shortcuts.com and p&gesaver.com) that can be loaded onto your grocery discount card. Again, check your store for their policy, but our Kroger affiliate will use an electronic coupon and a paper coupon for the same item. (for example, there might be a $2.00 electronic coupon for Pampers along with a $1.50 coupon for the same Pampers for a total savings of $3.50) I don't know what stores do this, but Kroger does and their affiliates.
• Find some websites/blogs to follow that will help your search and save time. I think there are tons out there so you might want to find one for your area. These sites usually have links to other sites that may also be of help to you. I find that I could spend a lot of time just surfing to find deals with the links that just these two sites provide. Money Saving Mom and Coupon Mom
  
• It also helps if you are not brand specific. For example, if you will only eat Kraft salad dressing you might not find as many deals on salad dressing as when you were willing to eat a variety of brands.
• Finally, if you do find a great deal and you have several coupons for that item, don't hesitate to use all of them. If you have to store it, that is fine. It's better to pay little or nothing now and store it than to pay full price when you do need it.

OK, that is all that I can think of for the moment. I'm sure there is more info out there, but this is enough info to keep me busy and well stocked with coupons. If you have any further info or sites that you find helpful, please let me know. Happy shopping and saving money!!

Rainbow

Thankfully, we have been just a hop, skip and jump from some of the severe storms passing through our region this afternoon. So much so, that we were in a privileged spot to be raining and sunny at the same time setting up the perfect rainbow. It actually turned out to be to be a complete double rainbow. It was even more fun because Luke had asked me to read his Little Golden Book "Noah's Ark". When I finished, I thought there might be one. When we looked out the window, there it was. The main rainbow lasted for quite awhile as well. I'm guessing it stuck around for a good 20-30 minutes. What a neat promise God gave us in rainbows!

Daddy Flies

Today, our friend, Miss Shelly, came to work with the kids for our home visits through our school system. They really enjoy the time she comes. I think they like someone else to be here and to interact with. Anyway, today she was doing an assessment on Hannah and I just wanted to share what she did. Miss Shelly gave her a strip of paper with pictures of a cat, dog, horse, bird and a man (Daddy to Hannah). She then proceeded to have her point to the animals when she gave the sound they made. Then, she asked Hannah this question, "Which one of those flies?" Without missing a beat, Hannah said, "Daddy". Hannah then went on to explain that Daddy flies an airplane up in the sky. She never did point to the bird!

Touched

Many of you know that we have been extremely challenged to find a church to call home. While Chris is gone, we decided to attend the same church and I'm also planning to go to MOPS and their Ladies' Bible study. (We'll reevaluate things when Chris gets home.) Actually, I did all of that last week for the first time. I just have to say that I have already been deeply touched by the people in this church. Yesterday, I went to Sunday School and a couple we had briefly met last week sat beside me. One of the first things she asked me was if I needed anything. Now, I'm not really one to burst into tears in front of random people unless I've gotten to really know them. However, it was all I could do to keep the tears from falling down my cheek. No, I didn't need anything, but just to have a name and phone number in my possession of someone that I feel like I could trust that could be here in just a few short minutes if I needed it was a gesture that I deeply appreciate. When Chris deployed last fall, I knew very few people and didn't have anyone that I could call if I did have an emergency. God provides - even for the smallest of details!

Since our church search has been so challenging, it has become more clear to me as to what type of church I would like to be a part of. I would like to be a part of a church that puts actions to its words and welcomes the outsiders in (of course this is in addition to Bible based & applicable teaching, genuine worship and a good children's ministry). I really appreciate it when people talk beyond the required "Hi". I feel like many in this church have done that. As I learn these lessons, I hope I, too, can do the same for the others and welcome them with open arms.

Murphey's Law

I think I'm going to reword Murphey's Law to say "Whatever will go wrong, will tend to happen when your husband is gone."

Things really are going fine, but it seemed like the instant Chris walked out the door the computer decided to have a problem. If you know Chris at all, you know that he is Mr. Gadget Man and his computer is his hobby. It's just his "thing". I might add, that he is quite good at it as well! Anyway, our internet decided that it wouldn't work so that meant that I had to make the dreaded call to see if they would fix their problem. Now, I'm a big girl and quite capable of making this call, but I don't have the foggiest idea as to what I'm talking about. So, Chris gave me some thoughts on the matter that certainly helped our cause. Chris, of course, knew all along that it was their problem and not ours. They had to send out a technician, though, to verify this. Thankfully, I didn't have to be too technically savvy to somewhat understand the problem and what they are doing to fix the problem.

I guess all of that to say, we are back in business with the computer and for that I am quite thankful!

Can it be true?

The other day, I couldn't believe that I had a teenager tell me that my shirt was "sweet" and "trippin'" (that's a good thing right?!)

Like Brother, Like Sister

I think it might be the age of my two eldest children, but they can be quite funny sometimes. Hannah's latest is being nearly a complete Luke copycat. There have been several examples over the last couple of days that I can't think of at the moment, but I will share the most recent. Luke cut his finger this morning. It wasn't a bad cut by any stretch of the imagination, but I put a band aid on it because I wasn't sure what he'd cut it on. So, I put a bit of antibiotic stuff and the coveted "Clifford" band aids. I've never really put band aids on the kids so this was quite the novelty! Anyway, a few minutes later I could tell Hannah wanted one and was searching for an owie to be covered. She had a spot on her thumb a few days ago that is now nearly healed, but I went ahead & put a band aid on her finger just to appease her. Not only was she copying about the band aid, but when I went to take the picture, it was even funnier. I had to tell Luke to move so I could get a picture of Hannah. He then proceeded to back up. You guessed it, Hannah backed up to so much so that I had to follow her. Thankfully, there was a wall there!

Integrity

Or maybe I should say the lack of integrity. I have been so irritated, upset, annoyed or you can put any word along those lines in there regarding the lack of integrity in the leadership of our country. I know this is not a new thing, but the recent headlines have been filled with a governor who tried to sell a senate seat and other leaders of our nation who were nominated for higher positions who simply didn't pay their taxes. I don't get it! (Even as I'm writing this, I'm getting upset!) When they do get caught, they say "I'm sorry". It makes me wonder if they are truly sorry for their actions or if they are just sorry that they got caught. I want the men and women that lead our country to be men and women of integrity - not allowing for all this other stuff to sway their opinions on moral and ethical decisions that they are making for our country.

I do have to say, though, that I did hear one tiny story in the midst of all the other junk that many news outlets probably didn't even carry. It was regarding the pilot who landed on the Hudson River. He had called a library saying that he wouldn't get their book returned because it had been in the crash. The anchors seemed astounded that this man would even think to do that. For me, that is an act of integrity many people could learn from!

Thoughts on Obedience

As in any house with toddlers, teaching obedience is something that occurs every day and most likely several times in any given day. I am also trying to teach our little ones to obey the first time. Now, they aren't perfect and I know they never will be, but that doesn't change the fact that I need to continue to teach them to obey. As I discipline them, it has really made me think about my relationship with my Lord and Savior, Jesus. Jesus calls us to obey, but how many times do I simply not obey or obey after being told to do something a dozen times?! It makes me sad when I have to discipline my children. I can't even begin to imagine how sad it makes God when I don't obey Him.

Superbowl Party

Well, I'm sure the rest of the world wouldn't classify our Superbowl Party as a "party", but we had a good time anyway. We started out our party with Superbowl "food" - chips and the high fat cheese dip that is so tasty. Then, we watched the opening drive that resulted in a touchdown for the Steelers. After that, we kind of watched it on and off. However, when halftime came around, we got out our 3D glasses for the movie trailer and commercial. (Plus, I'll keep mine out because I really enjoy watching Chuck which is to be in 3D tonight). It was quite funny trying to explain how this worked with the kids. I'm still not sure that what they saw looked any different to them than what they usually see. As you can tell from the picture, Hannah had her fingers on her lenses most of the time. Luke on the other hand, had the right idea, but had his glasses on backwards. I think we got that resolved before the actual 3D stuff started, though. I can't say that they were too impressed by the whole thing. Somewhere in there, we took the kids to bed. Chris & I worked on some stuff until the end of the game grabbed our attention and I have to say that for the most part, it was a very enjoyable game and evening.

Winter Reprieve

We had a nice surprise on Saturday - temperatures that were around 70 degrees. So, to take advantage of the spring like weather, we loaded the kids up after their naps (since it's only about 70 for maybe an hour in the afternoon) and headed to the zoo. I had never been to a zoo in the winter so I really didn't know what to expect. First, you can imagine it was quite busy since the weather was so nice. However, it wasn't so busy that you couldn't see the animals. Second, the animals that we did see were quite active unlike the summertime when it's so hot nothing wants to move. In the top picture, we're all watching the penguins play - except Andrew who thinks the camera is much more entertaining. Luke was happy to pose with this lion statue. He's rather into lions right now - at least the fact that they roar. So, he was excited that we got to see them. We had a great time together as a family!