Need I say more?

Perhaps maybe this ...

Free Paint

Go get you some: Free Paint

Happy Father's Day, Mom!

I am 33. It has been 15 years since I legally became an adult. Therefore, I find it ironic (and highly appropriate) that this weekend my Mom received a child support check from my dad. Happy Father's Day, Mom! You certainly deserve the honor ... and the money.

QOTD: Future careers for your kids

If you were to guess right now, what would you guess your child(ren)'s future career will be?

Jacob will be an astrophysicist or something related to space that doesn't involve direct contact with people and lots of computer time. He will probably volunteer to be in the first colony on Mars - as long as their is Internet access, cable TV and chocolate milk.

Molly will be the dictator of a small third world country where she can make everyone simultaneously worship AND hate her. Or perhaps she will be the next Anna Wintour (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Wintour). Either way, she will rule.

Autism Acceptance or Autism Eradication?

"It is incomprehensible to me how a parent can advocate for awareness while making every attempt to eradicate autism. While they are advocating for modalities that allegedly recover their children from autism, what does this do to the efforts of those of us who are simultaneously advocating for awareness and social acceptance?"

From Adonya Wong at Healing ... Through the Eyes of Autism

Wings to fly ...

Tonight, Jacob has the opportunity to spend the night at camp. He, surprisingly, is wanting to do it. He tends to be a bit of a "mama's boy" at times -- he cries if I am not there to read to him before bed. So this is a big step -- dare I say a glimpse of his burgeoning independence? Ack. I don't know if I am ready to let him go. I know its cliche to say but I swear it was just yesterday that he was just a chubby toddler. And what about his promise to live with me forever and sleep in my bed until he is 25? (Yes, I know .. its a little weird ... but he was so earnest in saying it.)

Jacob and I have an extremely close relationship. Perhaps its because he was my first child and for almost three years it was just him. He was the one who divided my life into pre-motherhood and motherhood. Perhaps its our shared interests. We both love computers and reading. We can both be stubborn and will only dig in deeper the more you push us.

I really don't know what it is but I find his growing up to be so hard. I want him to find his own way but at the same time I don't want to let go of him. I don't plan to become one of those obsessive Moms -- I promise I will push him out of the nest long before he is 25. But sometimes I wish I could stop time for just a minute so that we can cuddle longer and read more stories together. Because today I got a glimpse of that not-so-distant future when I will no longer be the center of his universe.

(And this is the post my future daughter-in-law will point to when she tells him why she can't stand me, LOL.)

Your Love is Strong ...

The first time I heard the song "Your Love is Strong" by Jon Foreman, I was instantly attracted to the raw emotion of it. Its a great song and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

The post in which you suddenly become insanely jealous of my life ...

My kids are gone all day every day this week at camp. From 7:40 a.m. to 5:20 p.m., I am blissfully and totally ALONE.

My plans so far are to do a lot of nothing followed by another heaping scoop of more nothing. Well, I might throw in some reading (Pretty in Plaid by Jen Lancaster - funniest writer EVER), movie watching (Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns) and I will exercise. But only when I want to exercise and definitely not early in the morning.

I might even nap. Naps are my friend and I haven't hung out with my friend in a few weeks.

Did I mention Dave is gone all week too? (And if you are a stalker or a murderer or robber, don't think this is an open invite to come over -- I have mad kung-fu skills AND I am from Detroit. I could hurt you. Bad.)

I would keep blogging but I think it constitutes as doing something -- and that's just not on the agenda this week. ;)

Are you waiting?

I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
and in his word I put my hope.
Psalm 130:5-6 (NIV)

We are all waiting on something -- the laundry to be done, the new job to come, the economy to change, our relationships to get better and countless other things. If you know me well enough, you have an idea of what I am waiting for right now. Sometimes, as my friend's Dad used to say, the minutes seem like hours. The tricky part of waiting, especially when it involves something major, is to remain faithful that God has it under control. We start to bargain with Him, plead with him and otherwise question His perfect timing. Sometimes we even reject Him and try to handle things on our own. I suppose in a way that is what makes us human -- the constant desire to be in control of all things. I wish I could wave a magic wand and everything I wait on would appear.

Then again, I wonder if part of the joy in it finally happening is because of the waiting.

The little green monster

What do you do when jealousy rears its ugly head and sets up camp in your heart? I have to admit, I am struggling with a bit of it myself right now. I've gotten myself into a situation (emotionally speaking) that I said I would not. Instead of lifting someone up, I am wanting to knock them down. What do you when Mr. Green comes to your house? I've prayed to God to remove the sin from my heart but I have to admit, its still lurking.

I noticed ...

I get a lot more hits when I tick people off. Or at least talk about people ticking me off. Guess its true -- drama rules. I need to think of something new and dramatic to write about. For now, I will leave you with some pictures of the kids from our trip to the zoo. Moments after these pictures were taken, the kids freaked out ... because well 100 birds is really flippin' freaky. Not to mention the exponential potential for getting pooped on.

My new love ... don't tell Dave!

I have a new love in my life. This love makes me feel pretty. It knows exactly what I need and want. Even better, its sitting right next to me and its NUDE ... I am even willing to share a picture of this new love in my life:



WAIT! As lovely as the model may be, she is not my new love. No, my heart belongs to the tank top she is wearing ... the Yummie Tummie tank. (Mine is nude color.)

I heard some buzz about these tanks on a few blogs -- they promise to rid you of your muffin top (without plastic surgery or a crash diet). I had to try it. Despite working out six days a week and watching what I eat, I can't seem to get rid of the muffin top. So when it came in the mail this morning, I was eager to try it on.

And guess what ... its all true! I am wearing it right now and the muffin top is hiding and the tummy is flat. Now I don't recommend you forgo a healthy lifestyle for a Yummie Tummie but if you are like me and need a little extra help, this is the product for you.

Athlete, I am not.

The neighbors were hosting an impromptu kids versus adults baseball game this evening. I gladly signed up for head cheerleader as my athletic skills are nil. Seriously, my own mother begged my gym teacher to let me sit out for everything but the most necessary of activities. Instead, I sorted his countless baseball cards. I wasn't even very good at that since I distinctly remember tripping over my own feet and dropping them all.

School's out for summer ...

Its the first day of summer vacation and the weather is not cooperating. Its cool, rainy and 58 degrees. We had a busy weekend so I think one day of vegging out is just what the doctor ordered. As it is, June looks to be busy, busy and more busy between summer camps, visits from family and friends, and our second annual Myrtle Beach trip. July and August are filling up as well.

I am not sure how I feel about being so busy because it means summer will fly by. But the alternative is a long, boring summer where the kids and I get on each other's nerves. I pick option A. ;)

Baby steps ...

Someone recently called me a "baby Christian" after hearing I was just baptized in 2006. I know the term is sometimes used to describe new Christians or those who are "stuck" in their walk early on. The term ruffles my feathers especially when referring to a new Christians.

My issues is that it sets up a superior/inferior relationship amongst people. "You are a baby, I am the adult" so therefore more mature than the person being called the "baby". Am I a new(er) believer? Yes. Do I have a long way to go to becoming more Christ like? Absolutely. Does that make me a baby? No.

It doesn't matter if you are a new believer or grew up in the church, if we are still on earth we have a long way to go in our walk. Life is a continuous learning process for everyone. I have just as much to learn from someone who has been a Christian for 60 years as I do someone who has been one for 60 minutes. Every person brings their unique perspective and personality into their Christian life. Look at Paul -- he was a new believer but he was no "baby" in his walk with Christ.

Instead of attempting to label someone, how about next time you try listening and learning something from them instead? You might just be amazed at what they have to say.

Winner of the book ...

is Catherine!

Congratulations to you! I will be sending your book out shortly. :)

Thanks to all who commented. It was fun to run a contest so I will be doing it again in the future.

Cold Tangerines

When I am not busy writing about celebrities, I like to spend as much time as I can reading a good book (and sometimes a not-so-good book). A neighbor recommended Cold Tangerines by Shauna Niequist. I haven't had the chance to read the book but the excerpts on her page have piqued my interest. I think this book will fall into the good category.



Shauna is graciously giving away copies of her book to anyone who comments on it via Facebook, Twitter, their blog or possibly even sky writing (though you'd have to officially verify that last option with her). Since Shauna is sharing, I figure I might as well do it too. (Ok, this was her idea, not mine.) Comment on this post with your the name and artist of a song that makes you think of your child (or children). Shauna writes about a song that reminds her of her oldest son in the book. I will randomly pick a winner through very official means -- your name in a hat pulled out by my lovely assistant Molly.

In case you are wondering what I would say, I can't hear "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" by The Beatles without thinking of the drive to the NICU to visit my Molly. It was one of the songs I'd sing to myself in the car. It was a nice upbeat song during a scary time.

Get in shape, girl!

(Thanks to Catherine for reminding me of that bit of 1980s nostalgia.)

I am a bit of a celebrity news junkie. Its not one of my prouder hobbies but one I am willing to admit (its all about transparency, my friends). So anyway, there's a little buzz about Melissa Joan Hart having lost weight recently (I know you are thinking WHO? Its Sabrina the Teenage Witch, folks). She was 155 pounds (gasp!) and now is 113 pounds. She did a front page article for People magazine talking about how fat she felt blah blah blah.



There are so many things about the article that I could complain about so I will start with this: The media again is pushing the idea that skinny is better. Poor Melissa was miserable being an average-size (yes, 12 is average in the U.S.) but look how happy she is now that she is at the low end of her BMI (even at 5'2 she is near the bottom end of her healthy weight). Good gravy! The woman had just given birth to a child. It takes nine months to gain and nine months to lose. Unless of course you are in Hollywood and you lose it in two days. What happened to promoting healthy habits for teenage girls? Is that so yesterday? I understand that obesity is an issue in the U.S. However, the answer to obesity is not going to the other extreme. I eat fairly well and I exercise six days a week. I am not a pencil nor will I ever be one. Being healthy and in shape does not mean you have to be a size 0.

The other issue that rubs me wrong is that she is getting accolades for having lost the weight. People, she is a celebrity -- granted a B- or even C-lister. She has a personal trainer, a nutritionist, a chef and a nanny to watch her kids while she works out. I don't care what anyone says, its easier for her (or any celebrity). Why should we applaud her? I'd rather applaud my friends with their two, three or four kids and no nanny who still manage to exercise. Their personal trainer is a DVD of Jillian Michaels and they are their own chef. Those are the women who really have to work hard at exercising and being healthy because there is no one to help them.

I will applaud Melissa -- and any other celebrity -- once she has to do it on their own. Until then -- sorry to say -- I am not impressed.

Laying it out for ya ...

If you come to this blog expecting some great moral discussions, you will surely be disappointed. If you came expecting me to wax poetic about a great political matter, you might want to leave now. In fact, if you came with any expectations you will probably not have them met. There are a ton of great bloggers out there who do a much better job. I am not telling you stop visiting my blog -- by all means stop by if all you are looking for is random moments in my life and mind. I got ya covered on that one. I am not even saying that I won't sometimes delve into issues deeper than whether a refrigerator is a TV or not. There are some topics near and dear to my heart that fire me up at times. For now, though, those issues are not the sole focus of this blog -- more like parts of the bigger whole.

So lower your expectations, sit back and enjoy the peek into my cluttered mind.

What a great idea!

I saw this program on the Today Show this morning and I think its a wonderful idea.

Operation Special Delivery provides volunteer doulas to the wives or partners of deployed soldiers, severely injured soldiers or those who have lost their life. If you don't know what a doula is it is a person who provides emotional and physical support to the laboring woman.

Check out their website and consider donating to them.