Turning the Girls into Convicts

Well, I was attempting today to get a really funny Christmas card shot. I had this brilliant idea that on the way to pick up Rebecca from her friend "M's" house we pass by a prison. On a sign on the road about 1/4 mile away is posted "Prison Area Do Not Pick Up HitchHikers". I mean who can resist that!

I dressed up Regan (whose only requirements are that an outfit be shiny and have velvet) and packed up about five outfits for Rebecca to choose from (she's my diva child after all) and headed to the neighboring town with my camera and my gameplan. Well Rebecca hated all the choices that I brought....first flaw in the plan. Luckily "M" had a dress at their weekend farm that suited her just perfectly.

Then for some reason I had to teach the girls the sign for hitchiking which they both could not get???? Okay, I'm sorry how hard is it to stick your thumb out in the direction you want to go? I guess I should focus on the fact that my girls had no idea what it was to begin with, so I did not have to worry about them attempting it in the near future.

Next came the problem that I did not anticipate......The fact that it was virtually impoosible to get a good picture of the girls and the sign. The sign was too tall and well they are just 10 and 13 year old girls, and Regan was in her wheelchair instead of her walker so she could use her thumb (still incorrectly) too. Here is that attempt

So what seemed like a really great attempt at a humorous Christmas card....I just couldn't get to translate properly....UGH! You can barely tell who the girls are they just look like sad blobs at the bottom of a really funny sign. Well I did manage to salvage the day with one really great closeup shot.

Avon: More than Make-up Giveaway

For years I have always associated the name of Avon with make-up, and skin-so soft. I also have good friends who swear by their anti-aging line. This last week I was introduced to their hair care line, and I have to admit I am hooked.

I first tried the Color Reviving Shampoo and coordinating Color Reviving Conditioner. They both left my hair soft, shiny, and the color was vibrant and healthy looking. It is wonderful to not have my hair feel like straw! My brunette locks have a lustrous shine to them.

Then I put the Dry Ends Serum to the test. Here were the two challenges that I used it on. First Rebecca needed a slicked back high ponytail look for her cheer competition with no flyaways. It worked perfectly without any effort at all. Secondly for Thanksgiving I wanted my look to be perfect as the hostess to our lively group of 35 guests for dinner. If it can tame my fine hair that always has a mind of it's own....that in itself should speak volumes. I love this stuff!

Avon included something else in their goody basket, that I was unable to test (so I had my mother check it out). This was their Grey Root Touch-up I am blessed to not have discovered one of these pesky little terrors on my head yet, so I shared the wealth with my awesome mom, and she will be my tester for this product.

Avon was generous to not only let me try out their hair care line....they are blessing my readers with a copy of each item that I got. Wouldn't it be nice to pamper your hair this holiday season?

One of my lucky readers will get their own hair pampering experience with:
one bottle of Color Reviving Shampoo
one bottle of Color Reviving Conditioner
one bottle of Dry Ends Serum
and two tubes of Grey Root Touch-up

To enter this contest please tell me your favorite Avon hair product in a comment and if you would like an extra entry than become a follower of this blog. This contest only open to United States Residents, and ends December 8, 2008 at midnight CST.

If you place an order with Avon before January 1st with an eRepresentitive then enjoy free shipping on any orders over $30 by entering in the code Jingle30.

******This Giveaway is now closed*********

Holiday Traditions: St. Nicholas

My mother grew up in Germany with the tradition of St. Nicholas. Now surprisingly enough I just found out in the last few years that this is kind of a big Catholic tradition.....I always grew up thinking it was just a German thing.

The story is that on December 5th (St. Nicholas Eve) children are supposed to leave letters in their shoes for St Nicholas expressing their Christmas wishes, and he picks them up and leaves you a small surprise in return for your letter. My mother tells me the German tradition is to leave a piece of candy and fruit. If you were currently on the naughty list you would be left with coal to warn you to straighten up before Christmas arrives.

When we were growing up we were the only children I knew who did this tradition hence the reason I assumed it was German. Oddly enough we always insisted on this tradition even through high school and college when we were old enough to know better. I am pretty sure it is just because my sister, brother and I look for any reason to get presents.

When John Mark and I moved to our current town that has a large Catholic population, and it is just common for everyone to celebrate St. Nicholas Day, although some of my friends think it is funny that I do this with my girls and we are Methodist.

To Sue or not to Sue Weigh in

Today I took Rebecca to a good friend of hers from summer camp. She and M met two years ago in their cabin and they were both low juniors (the newbies) at camp. Curiously enough they also shared a common bond, in that they both have disabled siblings. Today when I dropped her off at their weekend retreat I stopped and chatted with Joan (the mom) for a while. It is sometimes really comforting to connect with other parents of disabled children to share heartaches, trials, and triumphs.

Anyway Joan asked the question of whether Regan's birth was doctor error, or just a natural circumstance. I quickly assured her ours was due to natural circumstance, but I felt that if I had answered differently I would have gotten a law office referral. I have a really hard time with the rampant lawsuits in our country due to medical malpractice. I have to still do everything I would be doing with Regan whether it would have been doctor mishap, or my own body. I don't think I could have sued anyone, because I have an awesome child with a few minor distractions. It hasn't made my life harder.....just different.

We have never filed for social security for her, and she is just on our regular insurance like her sister. Yes it is sometimes tough, and we have gone through extremely lean years where extra money would be nice, but I just can't seem to come to terms with the fact that I could have sued someone for it...or I could be taking it from a government which is already strapped to the hilt.

This evening there was a commercial for a law firm encouraging people with mesothelioma to call them. First I had to look up what that even was, and secondly it appeared to be yet another reason to sue people. I have to admit I was a little sad. I feel blessed by my life, not cursed...and I take what comes in stride and move forward. I do not blame the world for my problems, I just figure out a way to solve them. I wish more people did the same.

Book Review and Giveaway

I adore reading and you will find books spilling over in every room in my home. Sometimes I think I live in a library.....but to be honest, not all books are what I term "shelfworthy". There are the books who get shelf space because they are yet to be read, and those that get space because they are so good that I (or John Mark) will read them again. The other unfortunate books find there way to my garage sale/paperback exchange box. The book Queen of The Road by Doreen Orion is shelfworthy which is the highest praise I can give.

This novel follows the hilarious and sometimes poignant adventures of Doreen and her husband as they embark on a one year sabbatical tour of the United States in a refurbished bus. First let me say that I admire Doreen for overcoming her fears of such an odious undertaking, and turning it into an experience of self discovery. Every chapter starts off with a cocktail recipe reminiscent of the story to come. I must admit I can't wait to make Elusive Moose and Love me Bender.

I really enjoyed the history involved in some of the locations, and probably my favorite part was their stay at the Nudist RV resort. I half to admit a little disappointment that they were not as enchanted with Texas as I am....but hey I understand we Texans are not everyone's cup of tea. Finally, Doreen has left me with a burning desire to visit Savannah, and experience that city in all it's glory.

Lazy Saturday or Not?

After sleeping for nine hours......For those of you that know me that is a lot! I am typically a 6 hour a night person because I have waaaaaaaaay to much energy. This morning I am slowly working up motivation. To do What? Well here is my momentary list.
1. John Mark left for St Louis so I would like to clean up all the junk I piled in our bedroom, and start boxing up all the garage sale stuff and put it in the back of his office for storage.
2. Pull out Christmas from the attic and start sorting through those boxes and setting up.
3. Get Rebecca packed up and away from staring at the television screen ( I think she is turning into a human tv stand. She is spending the day/night with a good friend of hers from summer camp who has a nearby weekend retreat.
4. Get to Wal-Mart and pick up a few of the items I was in too much of a brain fogg to remember to pick up yesterday....like wrapping paper for all the stuff I bought.
5. I have book review and another contest to post at some point today....plus a few more assignments I need to complete since I had basically taken a two day sabbatical.
6. At some point I would love to scrapbook and play with my new toy (sigh)
Oh well time to get moving!

Black Friday Rocked my Socks!

My friends and I left the house at 3:00am to drive the 45 minutes to the nearest "city". We had not slept at all due to other circumstances, but we were armed with our list, and the knowledge that Wal Mart was price matching everyone! No need to even shop at some of our regular stops....in fact this is this first year ever I did not even step foot into Target because, I price matched all their deals at Wal Mart while I was there. I did get my Cricut......and it is awesome! I did have people following me in the parking lot just for my cart (that was a first for me).

We ate Breakfast at Sam's....then off to Kohls. We had a wonderful time there, and got the girls such cute clothes for Christmas! Then to the mall where i had actually already purchased my stuff at Best Buy at 2:30 am online.....and it was just waiting for me to pick up. No lines no fuss! We got all our typical mall deals, and then I was home by noon.

I want to apologize to my gal Dorsey...who I was hoping to meet up with for lunch...it is always cool to get to meet one of your favorite bloggers....but I was exhausted, and could only text her a feeble apology. I finally got to sleep for about an hour this afternoon, and am looking forward to my pillow right now. I do have some funny Black Friday anecdotes that I will share tomorrow.

Yes, that is the back of my Honda Odyssey this morning....but it really isn't all mine. I did have a car full of some of my favorite frugal gal pals!

Something Worth Standing in Line for

Okay, I am seriously excited....my sweetie had an awesome poker night, and came home and said "That cricut machine you want for Christmas.....giddyup, it's yours!" Isn't he the best! I have wanted one of these forever. I have watched that infomercial at least a dozen times, and been caught with drool dripping from my chin. Wal-Mart is offering the macdaddy limited cricut deal and I am bound and determined to nab one even if I have to resort to pushing and shoving a bit (pacifism is for wussies). So my schedule looks like Kohls at 4:00 am, Wal-Mart at 5:00 am, and Target at 6:00 am......I can't stop grinning!

Build-a-Bear Wii Game Giveaway and Celebrity Bear Auction

I am excited to be hosting my first contest and generate support for a worthwhile cause. My girls are very fond of their own Build-A-Bear stuffed animals. Regan has a bear that she dressed in a wizard costume whom she calls Barry Potter (I know very Punny). Rebecca has both a Rabbit named Rainbow in Olympic gymnast gear and a monkey she calls Queenie who wears a diva outfit. Build-A-Bear is truly a great company that I support.

Build-a-Bear has teamed up with Wii to produce one of the hottest games this Holiday Season, Build-A-Bear Workshop® A Friend Fur All Seasons! Up to four players can personalize a virtual animal, play mini games, and dress and accessorize their in-game friends. Depending on the outfits and accessories chosen, the virtual Build-a-Bear character will act differently. How fun is that?

Thanks to my good friends at Family Review Network and the The Game Factory I am able to give one of my lucky readers their very own copy of the Build-A-Bear Workshop® A Friend Fur All Seasons Wii game valued at $39.99. This game can be found at most retailers including Target, Amazon, and WalMart.

To go along with the season of giving The Game Factory is hosting an auction on Ebay with Build-A Bear Wii games and custom made Build-A-Bear animals that were created by celebrities to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House of Southern California. These one-of-a-kind bears were built by celebrities like Tori Spelling & Dean McDermott, the Jonas Brothers, James Gandolfini, Melissa Joan Hart, Bonnie Hunt, Mitchel Musso, Meaghan Jette Martin and more. Needless to say my girls would really like me to bid on the Jonas Brothers Bear.

I can't wait to see how many entries I get on my first ever contest! This contest is for United States and Canadian residents only. Contest Ends December 6th at Midnight.
Here are all the ways you can enter
1. Visit the Ebay auction and tell me which bear you would bid on. One entry
2. Visit the The Game Factory and tell me what your favorite game feature is. One extra entry
3. Blog about this contest on your blog and come back and tell me about it. Please include Ebay auction information as well. One extra entry
4. Become a follower of my blog. One extra entry

Everyone has at least four chances to win this game in time for the holidays so Good Luck!

A special Thank you to the Family Review Network for this opportunity.

The Dateable Standards

My girls were trying on my wedding ring tonight and speculation about their own future engagement rings and requirements of future spouses. They both know our little rule of five when it comes to evaluating whether or not the male species is worthwhile or not. It helps give a minimum standard and scale to rank all the boys they know. Now these are our own personal rule of thumb.....so take it in stride and make any adjustments to suit your own needs.

1. Must love God and have faith.
2. Must be smart
3. Must be kind
4. Must be funny
5. Must come from a loving environment.

The girls are always evaluating pretty much every boy they meet (the curse of having boy-crazy girls). Rebecca will say well he meets three out of five requirements....I guess he just doesn't cut it....or he meets all the requirements plus bonus points for being really cute! You know all I can really ask for my girls is to have a wonderful future, but it is nice that they already come with a set of standards in place....let's hope they hold up through the teen years.

The Bounce House

Well with Thanksgiving on Thursday the most important question coming from the kids is will the bounce house be there? My parents and aunt/uncle purchased this house two years ago for all the grandkids/nieces. It was the one giant Christmas gift for everyone to be excited about. The kids (and adults) just love it as we pull it out for every holiday, and have it for birthdays if needed. So far the girls have not even asked about food, but they sure have asked for this.

Headed to the House of Mouse

2bits, 4 bits, 6 bits, a dollar
All for the Flyers
Stand up and holler!
(can you tell I was a cheerleader of the 80's)

I mean who doesn't want to spend their Sunday with hundreds of screaming girls in hoochie mama uniforms, and stage makeup that just makes me cringe. Despite all of that I have a ten year old who just absolutely loves cheerleading. From the tiny little outfits, to those outrageous facials, and even down to the tips of her spirit fingers (whoops my 80's is showing again). So today we headed to San Marcos, Texas to scream our little lungs out and to perform all kinds of tumbling and stunts that defy the laws of physics.

Out of the eight squads in their category of competition, theirs placed 1st! So we had to pose for tons of pictures. Oooh and Aaaah over the trophy, and best of all contemplate whether we want to take 18 girls to Disney World for the Final Competition.....because that is what 1st place landed them....an invitation into the national event.

So I have a blissfully happy 10 yr old, and I am surrounded by moms who are wondering which bank we should rob on the way home to fund this kind of trip in this kind of economy. Now that would be a great national news headline "Crazy Texas Cheer Moms Rob Bank to Pay for Disney Trip". If you have a better headline....I want to hear it.

Aren't I Special?

Hey Look everyone. I have a pretty Portuguese award to add to my awesome trophy list. I love blog awards because first of all that means people actually read me (I can't quite wrap my head around that). Secondly that people like me enough that they want to acknowledge me. Now if I could just make people subscribe to me too I would not be going through my paranoid delusions. Well that's another post for another time. In the meantime here is what that awesome award means in English.

“This blog invests and believes, in ‘proximity’ [meaning, that blogging makes us ‘close’ - being close through proxy]. These blogs are all charming and they aim to show the marvels of friendship. Let’s give more attention to them! So with this prize we must deliver it to eight bloggers that in turn must make the same thing and put this text.”

I will be adding the blogs I want to pass this award to sometime tomorrow evening, because in the meantime I have to get a good night sleep because tomorrow I am officially a Texas Cheer mom....with Rebecca's first competition of the competitive cheer season.

*edited to add*
Okay home now, and will post about the competition a little later.
Blogs I want to celebrate today:

The Princess & the Monkey
Here on Columbia Ave.
It's five-o-clock somewhere
Back Where I Come From
Misadventures in Baby Raising
Saving with Style
Bloggin' Mama
Great Mom's Think Alike

The Countdown Begins...

Yes I know I should probably focus just a bit on the crowd of people coming to my house for Thanksgiving.....but honestly I am just to excited for Black Friday. I am online checking daily at bfads.net. It already has all the ad screenshots for my favorite stores, so that I con cross reference that with my spreadsheet Christmas Lists. I am also shopping for several people who do not want to brave the crowds, and being paid to do that for them. It makes it completely worthwhile to be paid to do one of my favorite things in the world, shop. But probably the very best thing about this day is that I get to spend it with good friends and no kids. It is almost my dream girls day out (I say almost because there are no spas or cabana boys on Black Friday......yet). So yes, I have to finish getting my house ready for the 30 people descending on Thursday. I need to finalize the menu, iron the linens, set up the china, make placecards, divine alcoholic concoctions, and plenty of kid friendly activities.....but when the crowds disperse....it is my time, Yeah Me!

I don't Understand the Appeal of Uncrustables

I have been a BzzAgent for many years, and have gotten some really great campaigns, but honestly I just don't get the appeal of the latest campaign I signed up for. I agreed to Bzz about Smuckers Uncrustables, but let's be honest here, I was thinking easy free lunch for the girls. In reality, it is not that difficult to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and my kids don't mind the crusts. We got our coupon for a free box and headed to the store. I was amazed to see that a box of frozen PB&J sandwiches was definitely not cheaper because I could easily buy a loaf of bread and get said jars of toppings, and come out way ahead. Well the girls liked them and they thought they were okay. Not great, they were not begging me to go to the grocery store to get more of them. I mentioned them to some of my friends who are BzzAgents because are always willing to be each others reports for different campaigns, especially duds like this one. Overall, I was really disappointed, and will not purchase them on my own or recommend them.

You Can't Always Get What You Want

Well with Regan's birthday being tomorrow I thought I would tell you about some of the things she has asked for on her list. Now I should preface this by explaining that she has no concept of money (it really is the math part of her brain that doesn't function well due to her cerebral palsy). She is also my obsessed child, and when she gets ideas in her head....it can take years to find their way out of her daily conversations (exhausting). Her obsession at the moment is technology beyond our family budget. I am seriously not kidding when I tell you these are things she has asked us to get her.
 the ceiling above her bed. Then she could lay there and watch TV to her hearts content.

2. She would like a mini fridge filled with little debbies, root beer, and steak so she can snack on when she feels like. What a diet, that just sounds disgusting to me.

3. She would like a laptop in her room that has internet on it so she doesn't have to ask for permission to use my computer in the family room. Ummmmm not going to happen because safety mom is on the watch.

4. She would like her own Iphone, because I will not download games on mine for her to play with at the gym in the evenings. She then could call my sister and grandmother daily much to their joy and amusement.

5. She would like a Wii because the Playstation 2 a friend gave us for free is boring and doesn't have bowling on it like her cousins Wii does.

Have you noticed a trend here.....Regan is going out of her way to make sure we spend the most money possible to keep her inactive, and I guess eventually the size of Rhode Island on the little debbie and rootbeer diet.

I love being active and so does the rest of my family. We make Regan work a lot in her walker coming and going all the time and since she has been wheelchair bound for the last two weeks due to her foot fracture...she has been loving life. I am ready for this child to walk again, and not be motivated to be the eternal couch potato. The answer to whether or not we will be getting her anything on her birthday list is a resounding NO!

A GT Thanksgiving and Bonus Riddle

Today in honor of Thanksgiving we took the Gifted and Talented Class to the back pasture (yes our school has a pasture, doesn't everyone's) to find items in nature and offer their own 3-D rendition of a turkey out of them. The kids found all kinds of great bark, berries, fungi, leaves, and pebbles to build their Turkeys out of. Some kids are making it an image on Construction paper, and some are trying more of the free-form sculpture. Either way it is a fun activity for any kid to do, and there is no wrong answer. If you are looking for a great project (or just want to get the rugrats out of the house for a bit) this is perfect. Hopefully next week I can post some turkey sculpture pics for all to try and identify and enjoy.

Riddle for the day:A man is trapped in a room. The room has only two possible exits: two doors. Through the first door there is a room constructed from magnifying glass. The blazing hot sun instantly fries anything or anyone that enters. Through the second door there is a fire-breathing dragon. How does the man escape?

Desparately Seeking Alice

This weekend I finally broke down...opened up my piggy bank and called my friend Christy to have her come clean for me. Now this is not Christy's full time job she is just one of those insane wonderful people who just genuinely loves to clean and she will do it for a few select friends just for a little extra income from time to time. I am pretty sure when she walked through my front door she did not realize the hell challenge that faced her.

She spent over four hours here on Saturday, and another four Sunday afternoon, and she still has my girls and husband wandering around in a daze. Rebecca remarked, "I didn't even know you were supposed to clean the outside of the trash cans in the house. I thought they were supposed to look like that because they were for trash." I guess that gives everyone some indication of the type of housekeeper I am.

It has prompted me to realize more than ever though what I truly want for Christmas. I want Alice!

Someone who genuinely enjoys the mundane tasks that are really not my God given natural talents. I need a smiley face to clean, cook, grocery shop, and she can even keep her little man Sam the butcher on the side (the little hoochie mama).

I am in desperate need of my very own Alice....anyone want to hook me up?

13 Facts in Honor of Regan

Well Regan will turn the big Thirteen on Thursday and It has been an incredible journey for us. It is absolutely amazing how much she has made a huge difference in our lives. Thirteen years ago today I went into labor at 24 weeks, and was sent from my small town hospital to the city of Houston by ambulance. Here are Thirteen amazing facts about that very scary week for me in history.

1. John Mark and I had been married exactly six months when I started getting contractions, although I had no idea that was what was happening. We were newlyweds, in a new town, new house, and John Mark and I were both in new jobs. In other words young and clueless.

2. My In-laws rushed to be with us in the emergency room, but ended up being delayed at our hospital and not being able to follow us immediately because my dear Mother in law fainted, and they insisted on keeping her for a moment.

3, In the ambulance on the way to Houston (2 1/2 hours away) the only thing I can remember is that the blood pressure cuff broke, and it kept filling up with air and not stopping...it was painful.

4. I was taken to ST. Luke's hospital in Houston because it is connected by hallways to Texas Children's Hospital and the NICU unit there.

5. The "brilliant" plan was to invert me to have gravity keep her in so for the next four days my feet were above my head, and my face was quite red.

6. I was given so many different baby boosting drugs, just in case she came early that I have no idea to this day everything I took.

7. I was more depressed about not being able to wash my hair, and looking like a greasy red-faced mess than anything else, that finally one of the nurses took pity on me, and washed my hair for me in a sink....but still upside down.

8. We had not agreed on a baby name yet, but knew she was a girl, so John Mark agreed that I could name her my favorite name in the whole world Regan Elisabeth. Regan is a last name in our family genealogy (I am also a huge republican so bonus!) and Elisabeth makes her the fourth generation of oldest girls with that as a middle name. I am Christine Elisabeth.

9. We lasted upside down for four days, and then she was delivered by cesarean so that no more trauma to her would be caused.

10. She weighed 1 pound 6 ounces at birth, and looked so tiny that my dad dubbed her the red wrinkled frog. With all the tubes and monitors on her, you could barely see skin...but it was bright red.

11. After I gave birth, and they rushed her to the NICU I had a fever and couldn't see her for two more days, so I watched a lot of video on her that John Mark, and my parents took for me.

12. There are about five different things you have to do before entering a NICU, and all of them take forever when you are anxious to see your child.

13. The initial things that were wrong, was her lungs had not developed yet in the womb, and her brain had suffered a low grade bleed. Which we later (two years later) found out is sometimes early code for cerebral palsy.

Wow that's a lot of stuff! I am truly blessed by my sweet Regan, and although she is as stubborn and obsessive as they come, she is the best almost-thirteen year old I know.

Celebrate Good Times...Come On!

Well I am celebrating with Ice Tea and a Taco Salad right now....and a little bit of Kool and the Gang because I have been showed the love and I get to pass it on! WooHoo, I love letting my fellow bloggers know how much I admire them and their blogs. Thank you Elizabeth at Three Channels who always manages to inspire me and make me laugh all in one blog. She is on my must read daily list, and I highly recommend you going to check her out. Today she has actually blessed me with two awards...I can't wait to pay them forward to some of my favorite blogs!

The qualifications to receive the award are:
A. Display a cheerful attitude.
B. Love one another.
C. Make mistakes.
D. Learn from others.
E. Be a positive contributor to the blog world.
F. Love life.
G. Love kids.

The Rules:

1. Must link it back to the creator.
2. Post the rules.
3. Choose 5 people to give it to.
4. Recipients must fill the characteristics above.
5. Create a post to share this.
6. You must thank the winner.

My five picks are:

Dunhaven Place
Ramblings of a Texas Housewife
Clayson Family
Who Put me In Charge of These People
Come Via our House

My second award also compliments of the awesome
Elizabeth (now head to her blog to enjoy her as much as I do).

Now, here are the *rules* that go along with this award:

1. Put the award up on your blog
2. Add a link to the person who awarded it to you
3. Nominate at least seven other blogs
4. Add links to these blogs on your blog
5. Leave a message for your nominee on their blog

And I pass this award along to some of my favorite followers (I didn't mean that to sound like some kind of cult....sorry).

Mom to Tweens
Queen-Size Funny Bone
Mias Motivation
My Weekly Beef
Pumpkin Patch Creations
Mama and Hustler????
Searching For my Inner Skinny

Disgruntled Darlings

Okay you wouldn't know it to look at them, but apparently my children are poor unfortunate souls, whose mother just is the queen of mean. The reason this time? I will not let them have televisions or computers in their bedrooms, and apparently those were high on their Christmas lists.

I am a huge believer in the family being together when we are at home. My computer is smack dab in my living room where there is nothing to hide...and John Mark does not care for computers at all so the only people I am battling for mine is the girls (I always win).

The TV is right here also which works perfectly during the day when no one but me is home...it plays in the background of my blogging or scrapbooking usually on some sort of movie channel with few to no commercials. If it were up to me we would only have one television too...but John Mark had to put his foot down on that one.

Several years ago we celebrated Christmas at my house, and my Mother, Aunt and I were so excited because AMC was going to be running a musical marathon all day long. We couldn't have been happier flitting from Oklahoma, to The Music Man, and Singing in the Rain, but John Mark was furious! You see we were completely oblivious to the fact the he missed all kinds of football games that were showing all day long. The day after Christmas he bought a TV for our room. Technically if you do not like what is on the living room television...you could go back to our room for a second choice. That is the limit to what I will have for televisions in my house....no amount of begging will change that.

Decorating: The Children's Table

I love having a children's table at Thanksgiving. This year we will have seven little darlings around ours. The trick is making the kids table a fun place but not so boisterous that the adults are constantly having to monitor them. Before the big meal make sure there is an activity to keep the kids occupied (more specifically away from all adults who could use a break and a drink). Here are some great kids activities that can easily turn into their own personal table decorations.

1. Make their own place mats. For younger children you can have pre-printed turkeys to color and glue on construction paper. For the older kids, send them out to collect leaves and do crayon rubbings through the paper or my personal favorite weaving two different fall colors of construction paper together.


2. Make their own centerpiece. An easy one is pine cone turkeys, because besides the pine cones really all you need is a few fake feathers or leaves to use as feathers,a little bit of construction paper, and some stick on googly eyes. If you want to add a pipe cleaner waddle or feet, that can be quite cute too.


3. If you still have children in need of more items to decorate their table with then go with the ever popular paper chains. Take several strips of autumn colored construction paper, and let the kids write or draw what (or who) they are thankful for on each strip, and then connect the strips and see how long it grows.

Deep Fried Turkey....Texas Style

We are among the thousands of families who have given up the traditional Oven Roasted Turkey in favor of Deep Fried...absolute yumminess. John Mark and I had been married for about two years, when I had heard rumors and whispers of people deep frying turkeys. I had at the time assumed it was a Louisiana or East Texas Cajun thing. Then we had the opportunity to taste it for ourselves, and we decided to join the others who are bucking tradition.

John Mark is in charge of all meat for Thanksgiving (isn't he the cutest?) and that includes ribs, brisket, sausages, and deep fried Turkey. I am in charge of turkey prep. Now there are a lot of people who will swear by injections and all kinds of "fancy" stuff, but I love the natural flavor of the meat so I don't do this.

I get one small box of Bisquick and add salt, pepper, cayenne, garlic powder, and paprika to it. After cleaning out the insides, I pat down the turkey with my Bisquick mixture. Then it gets sent to John Mark. He fries it in peanut oil at about 350 degrees. You fry it for 3 minutes per pound of turkey. When you pull it out you have a wonderfully crispy coated skin, and the juiciest turkey you just wouldn't believe.

If you haven't made the jump to deep fried....take the chance. You won't regret it!

I am not a Brace Face

On Monday while I was busy with Regan getting her x-rays on her foot and finding out about her fracture....My other darling Rebecca, was getting her braces off. Hooray! One less bill at our house now. But seriously, Last year we had noticed that her teeth were funky looking coming in not quite straight. She had also started doing that whole "Mona Lisa" smile thing with her mouth closed. She said her teeth were so ugly that she didn't want to smile anymore. That just broke my heart, because good self-esteem is on the road to being a ruler of all she sees well-rounded child.

Our first trip to the Orthodontist confimed that her mouth was too small for all of her permanent teeth that were trying to push their way in. So basically they were coming in on top of each other. The Orthodontist put an expander in her mouth, and then in February she got her braces. Now not even a year later her teeth have been streched along her gums to properly fit in any new permanent teeth coming her way, and since she has two loose ones at the moment, we hope to see them fall into place exactly where we have paid for them they should be.

To help keep things in order she also got a retainer, and they look nothing like those big pink ugly plastic things I can remember. Rebecca picked out a zebra stripe with her name on it in hot pink. It is actually quite trendy and fun...who knew?


Did anyone of my readers have to wear the ugly big pink retainers, huge metal braces that you were in fear of lip-lock with your boyfriend, or the night gear alien looking stuff? Really please share all your horror stories to the delight fascination of all my readers.

Hairy and Hurting No More

Well do you remember the Sasquatch who used to live with me? I sometimes refer to her as Rebecca my 10 yr old, whom I dedicated my post Sneaky Shaving to. Honestly it just wasn't a battle I felt like fighting anymore. So we finally consented to letting her shave because apparently it was a "big deal" and "we just don't get it". Thank goodness right to my rescue with all her new nicks and cuts that she is now getting as she begins this endless shaving journey, we have Nick Stick from Pacific Shaving Company.
This is really so handy to have around the house not only for my new household shaver, but for any small little scrape you might have. It completely stops the bleeding quickly, and is a self sterilizing roll-on. It has immediately become Rebecca's new shaving best friend. Since she insists getting prickly is not an option, she is shaving daily (yes I know that phase will end soon enough), and she can't seem to get the hang of not nicking her ankles. So as soon as she steps out of the shower this is the first thing she reaches for.


Now I really can't mention Pacific Shaving Company without telling you about one of my personal favorite product they make. They have this fantastic All Natural Shaving Oil that takes the place of using soap or shaving cream, for one of the most moisturizing shaves you will ever have. I love this oil, because just a few drops will take care of each leg, I haven't yet been able to convince my husband to switch over, so he doesn't realize what he is missing out on, but that is fine by me, because then I don't have to share!

Riddle me This?

These last few weeks with the gifted and talented group at school have been a real joy. The younger group is focusing on writing stories, poems, and illustrations to show the four seasons.

One of my 1st graders said to me today. "Do you know why I like to come to GT on Tuesday's so much"?

"I don't know , why don't you tell me, A?"

"Because you always let us speak our most interesting thoughts without making us raise our hands."

I just had to laugh. I like to run a very round circle open discussions while we work on our projects, and the kids just always come up with the coolest ideas.....even if they sometimes have to be fleshed out a little.

My older group just finished their Paper mache planets, and we are suspending them from the library ceiling for all the classes to enjoy. I can't wait to move onto our next project. I will share more about that next week.

Riddle for the day: We are five little items of an everyday sort you will find us all in "a tennis court".

The Bad Mom Award goes to....

Well it is official this award goes to me today, because I have made my 12 yr old walk a week on a fractured foot. I have ignored her complaints all week long, and insisted she stop being a drama queen just because she twisted her ankle a little bit. Here is how it went down...

Last week we went to watch The UT/Texas Tech game at friends of ours house where Regan insisted on getting to wrestle with John Mark on the floor just like her sister and friend were getting too. About three minutes into the girls VS. John Mark wrestling session Regan burst into tears and told us her ankle hurt. Well I placed her on the couch with me and took a look at it. Nothing swollen bruised, not, or otherwise abnormal....as far as I was concerned she was fine. John Mark carried her to the car when we left because it was still hurting.

The next day we were getting ready for church, and she is still complaining about her ankle. we are convinced she twisted it, and of course all being from athletic backgrounds we know the best thing to do is walk on it and work it out. Even on Monday when her Physical Therapist looked at it, she said it was probably twisted. All week long we have made her walk in her walker from classes, do her tap class, saw two therapists..and even by the end of the week she was walking better, but still complaining that it hurt.

Finally, last night we were settling in for a movie, and I was taking off her braces, socks, and shoes, and her foot was swollen...for the first time. This morning it was still swollen, so we dusted off her wheelchair, and took her to get x-rayed, and off to our family doctor. Where he took one look and announced a small fracture in the bone. In fact he said it was already beginning to heal itself, but she was to stay off her feet through Thanksgiving, and she would not need a cast or anything else, just to take it easy and let it heal.

Anyone else need a bad mom award and want to suffer in misery with me? I am in such guilt right now it is awful!

Finding Black Friday Ads early

One of the best ways to strategize Black Friday is to know what is coming out in the sales ads before the paper hits your driveway. With the recession these days it is more important than ever to stretch that Christmas budget as far as it can go.

My favorite website for early viewing is bfads. They already have Sears, Toys R Us and Lowe's, and Walgreens up to name a few. This site is great to start your comparison shopping, and make those Christmas lists ready to go. Make sure you are getting some early lists from people you have to buy for anyway so that you can plan your best shopping strategy to accommodate your list.

bfads also has forums in place where people are discussing the best deals on on high tech items like laptops, and plasma screen televisions. They will also know return policies, and who does price matching.

If you can start your strategy as early as possible you will have a lot less work to do on Thanksgiving so that you can spend that time really enjoying all of your family.

Where's Martha when you need her?

Well today I decided if I were going to make my hovel home look like Martha Stewart stopped by in time to decorate for the 40 people coming for Thanksgiving, well I needed to get my butt moving. Alas, I am the most unmotivated cleaner you have ever met. I would much rather scrapbook, read, blog, eat bonbons.....than even look at my vaccuum cleaner.

Regan was forced into submission volunteered to scrub bathroom floors and toilets, and Rebecca was bribed negotiated a small salary to work on rooms other than her own. I had this great idea that I would organize my scrapbooking area which is located smack in the middle of my dining room, and figure out how to clean it up, and relocate quite a bit of it so that I can once again see the floor vaccuum and do some tidying up.

Well in the midst of my organization skills in full mode, I began to see potential pages for clients in my mind....so I got a little sidetracked. Ummmmmm now I really can't see the floor...and Regan pretty much gave up on her space, I think Rebecca left her sweeping piles still all over the living room tile before she left for a birthday party....

On the plus side I made some money scrapbooking today.


I think I should spend it on having someone come clean my house.

The Agony and the Irony

This morning I woke up in pain. Since I am known to grind my teeth and clench them (this is how I show frustration, so do not judge) I figured my TMJ was acting up again....but of course I have to deal with that later. John Mark is in San Antonio, and I have to get two girls ready for school and drive them. Then I have my car oil to get changed, buy groceries, run a birthday party at the gym, and do a mystery shop. I do not have time for my health today.....but since it is Friday, I am not dealing with this pain throughout the weekend.

I am a health ignorer...do you know people like me? I hate to go to the doctor or dentist, I despise checkups, and I will eventually go to something, if I just can't figure out how to solve it myself. This morning the pain was so bad that my girls saw me in tears, so I had to get something done about it, or I knew I would stress them out. Our dentist is a family friend so he insisted I come right in first thing that morning, and much to my joy took one x-ray, and said...."no wonder your TMJ is in overtime, your back tooth has nearly cracked, and we need to get you to an oral surgeon for a root canal."

What?!!?!!

I don't have time for this. I have a full schedule til after Thanksgiving, and my teeth are just not my priority (even though I know they should be). He prescribed for me an antibiotic, and pain meds (that I will only take at night, because I hate anything that might impair my judgments).

So my active life has caused me to finally crack (literally), and I have no time to deal with it because there is too much going on!

The Great Stuffing Debate

Thanksgiving has to have certain foods for me to make me feel like I am celebrating correctly....Turkey, Stuffing, Cranberry Sauce, and dessert. After that I am willing to negotiate a ton of different sides, and we usually do have about 10 other sides to choose from, but the most controversy comes from stuffing.

When I was very young I can't remember stuffing being a big deal, basically because my mother is German...and I am pretty sure they could care less, and my dad will eat anything placed in front of him. I know that for years when we would share Thanksgiving with the Seifert Family the stuffing was homemade and had hard boiled eggs chopped into it and celery. It was served with a giblet gravy. Then I have fond memories of Aunt Janet's stuffing, that has all kinds of fabulous herbs, and flavors. I think it is an oyster stuffing....but I could be wrong, I never asked for the recipe (stuffing is something I am never in charge of).

When I married John Mark he of course came with his own stuffing, that his mother lovingly makes with turkey broth and bread....but still a different flavor from the other ones I have grown up with. With the combined efforts of bringing both sides of the families to us for Thanksgiving for at least the last 10 years the stuffing has continued to ba a side dish issue. There are too many people who like their own specific versions. To solve this problem we are a two stuffing Thanksgiving. My mother in law brings us a tray of her stuffing that she makes, and my Aunt Janet brings her stuffing. Our guests have two to choose from and there are no hurt feelings...because everyone has different tastes. What kind of stuffing does your family embrace...are we the only weird ones with stuffing issues? I am curious to know.

By the way...I did try and find an attractive stuffing photo, but apparently it is one of those foods that just doesn't photograph well...who knew?

Merry Early Christmas to Me

Tonight my family and I headed to the local "big city' about 45 minutes away to have a family evening together. My darling husband was also intent on buying me my Christmas gift (He is terrible about actually waiting til Christmas. So guess what I got?

an Iphone
(squeals again for the hundredth time tonight)

I was telling him that I thought it would be cheaper for us to get rid of our land line and home long distance, and just move strictly to cell phones. Well I knew he had taken it seriously my idea to get rid of a few unnecessary bills that we didn't really use much anymore.

Then he really "heard" me when I was telling him how much I liked my friend Becky's IPhone because I checked on my blog, picked up a paid posting assignment, and checked my email, all from her phone.

It also helped that his really good friend Robert had just gotten one, and showed him how he could keep track of the market, his appointment calendar, and never miss an opportunity.

So today we went to AT&T with the girls and I couldn't quit grinning! On the way home I went through my emails, and downloaded some really cool applications, and I am perfectly happy with my Christmas Gift. I have the best husband!

TMI ...Again

I am beginning to think people enjoy me revealing all kinds of secrets, because this is the third time in three weeks that I have been tagged! This time the credit goes to my friend Erin at The Mom Buzz. So I am to reveal eight new things that I hope endear me more to you people and not turn you away!

1. I have to have Dark Chocolate covered Marzipan in my Christmas Stocking, and in my Easter basket or I will not be a happy camper (hmmm in reflection maybe the secret should be that I am 36 and still have a stocking and easter basket).
2. I think Orlando Bloom is a hottie (sorry my darling) but only as a beautiful blonde elf in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. I was almost disappointed when I saw him normally.
3. For several years as a teenager, I had a really strange knife phobia (thanks for that reminder Jen). I would refuse to cut my own food, or wash them when we washed dishes as part of our chores. My darling sister once threatened me using a butcher knife and I promptly poured an entire pitcher of orange juice over her head.
4. I can't stand birds, not really afraid of them....I just don't like them at all, especially seagulls at the beach. I think it has to do with Alfred Hitchcock's movie, "The Birds".
5. I wake up everyday at 6:30 in the morning....in a great mood and ready to face the day. I don't like sleeping in at all, i always feel like I am missing out on life, if I don't get up and face it wholeheartedly.
6. I think I have read the entire Chronicles of Narnia series at least 10 times. My favorite one is "The horse and his boy".
7. If I could have any job in the world, and I was not a mother.....I would be an archeologist. I have a passion for adventures and lost civilizations. I would be a female version of Indiana Jones.
8. I have outlines to three novels, but everytime I try and actually write something it goes in the trash.....but the outlines and ideas completely rock!


Blogs I am Tagging

1. Lisas Command Post
2. Ordinary Moms
3. Via Family Fun Times
4. Ms Frugal McDougal
5. Mom to Tweens

Fantastic Contraption and a Riddle

First of all, I am perfectly aware it is Wednesday, but I had a few emails from readers, looking for my Tuesday riddle. I kind of got caught up in watching election coverage, and neglected my Gifted and Talented weekly posting. That being said....I have a really cool site for you.

Fantastic Contraption is an online Physics puzzle game. Each level gets more and more difficult as you use some simple laws of physics to solve each puzzle. Rebecca played this game for hours one day, and it is a really great challenge for anyone to try.

Riddle:An archaeologist finds a coin dated 48 B.C. How did he know it was a fake?

Fancy Nancy Frightening Halloween

I guess I forgot about the obligatory Halloween post, but I began to feel guilty when I was reading other parenting blogs, that it could possibly look like I don't care about my children. Well with Regan being in Jr. High this year she was relegated to handing out candy with me at the pumpkin patch trail. Rebecca dressed as one of her favorite book characters "Fancy Nancy" went around the trail with her friend "K"....to find candy, and also to find cute boys who said they would be at the trail that night too

Then after handing out over 1000 pieces of sugar individually wrapped, and running out before the pumpkin patch trail was over (shame on me) I grabbed the girls and ran to be one of the first families to hit the local "good neighborhoods". You know there are some streets where you won't get any good stuff, and some streets where every house can afford to be super generous.

Regan went home to John Mark, because our house never gets trick or treaters (it is kind of a remote location). I took Rebecca and her entourage which now included three other girls who all swore they could not bear to be apart from each other while they walked from house to house. After a great work out of over a mile of house walking we dropped of kids at their proper homes and went out to eat (meeting up with Regan and John Mark).

John Mark had a brilliant idea during dinner to secretly call friends of ours who live in the country, to drive down their road, and have them jump out and scare the girls. I am all for terrifying my children whenever possible, so it sounded like a great plan.......That is until you realize that sometimes Regan can get completely FREAKED OUT. We drove down their driveway with our headlights off and and out they came with creepy lights, sheets, wigs, and costumes running around the truck and howling like crazy. John Mark and I are laughing hysterically. Rebecca and her friend K both think it is very fun and cool.....and Regan is sobbing. Okay bad judgement call on my part. I thought she might handle it better being 12 and all, it took her a while to calm down, and realize who it was, and get the joke....but next year I will think twice before planning scary events for my child. ...And the bad mom award goes to me!

Regan, Use Your Feet!

This is probably the most common thing you can hear me yell at Regan all day, every day. To some of you it may seem a little odd for me to be yelling "Use your feet!" to my 12 yr old (sorry Regan, almost 13 yr old), but it is one of the most frustrating parts of her cerebral palsy.

She walks quite well in her walker, and you can't tell in the top photo because she is standing tall and proud.....but look at this one.....

Do you see how she is hunched over and putting her weight on her arms? This is quickly becoming more of our reality, and it drives me crazy for two reasons.

1. It is completely fixable with a little hard work and dedication on Regan's part....but she hates hard work, and she will be the first to tell you that.
2. Doctor's have told us for years that she puts way to much weight on her arms, and because of this would have a hard time moving to crutches or walking on her own.

The second one really frustrates me, because there seems to be no "cure" for her. They do not make walkers that just support around the waist, or under her arms, that will still move in small spaces, or adhere to the laws of physics. So I have to threaten, cajole, bribe....Regan to work and try even though it is "hard work".

Regan's Physical Therapist informed me the other day if she gets much taller and heavier, she could conceivably topple forward, and she suggested we might start looking at a power chair for her. Regan thinks that sounds like fun.....and a lot less work. I think that is not what we have been fighting for, and to me a girl who can walk by herself in a swimming pool and is still young enough to be retrained with proper medical help, just needs to work harder....not take the easy route. So yell it with me everyone...."Regan, use your feet!"

My Foray into E-Vites

Well November is upon us, and it is time for my holiday. Why is it mine? Well it has become tradition for both sides of the family to converge at my house for Thanksgiving. We usually seat anywhere from 30-40 people every year, and have a wonderful day, but it does take a little bit of organization on my part.

The first thing I have to make sure of is that everyone on mine and John Mark's side of the families understand that we are hosting again, and they are all invited. This invitation extends to parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, siblings and their families, and also has included siblings in-laws (does that make sense). We also have several family friends who have no extended family in the area to eat with, and they are included too. John Mark and I can't stand it if you have no one to share a meal with.

This year I have decided that E-vites is the way to go, so I am trolling through sites to find a fun invitation. I should have all my RSVP's by the end of the week and can start dividing up food and drink responsibilities.

Church Christmas Plays Season

This will be my eighth year as the Director of the Methodist Church Christmas play. Or as I like to refer it the continual humiliation of my girls all in the name of Christian fun.

Every year they beg me to give them the choice parts with the most lines that they swear they will remember. And then I spring the news...."Well the main character this year is going to be a Goat" or cow or donkey..... Several years ago a few extraordinary seamstresses made us a lot of wonderful animal costumes, that I love to showcase year after year.

Of course they have played nearly every role available in the nativity. Rebecca even played baby Jesus her first year (on Benadryl of course) and slept peacefully through out the play. My favorite character of Regan's was as an unwanted Christmas tree. She was so stinkin cute!

This year I have plethora of kids from ages 4-8, so I am looking at adapting Christmas poetry into the nativity scene. Wish me luck!