And here we go, another week of random photos. If you want to keep track of my photos, you can subscribe to the Project 365 RSS feed.
1. MK, doing what he does best – being blonde. *grin* This was taken at one of our weekly ice cream outings.
2. This is what the kids do when they eat lunch on the weekends – they sit at the kitchen computer (yes, we have a computer in our kitchen, hush) and watch YouTube videos. My kids are never very far from a computer monitor.
3. The husband. Snuggling under a blanket (Hey! He needs a snuggie! I wonder if he would wear one?) and resting for a change. My husband is a man who is constantly in motion. So, he completely exhausts himself. This is his body’s way of MAKING him slow down and rest. I get so impatient with him sometimes – RELAX dude!
4. Ah, the infamous hat. Ever since my nephew came over at Christmas sporting a funky-looking bowler hat, my boys have wanted one. We hadn’t had any luck finding one until a friend of GD’s stayed over this past weekend wearing one and told us where he bought his. GD ended up changing his mind about buying one (he weighed the pros and cons of spending his own money and decided it wasn’t worth the money, is he my child or what?!) but MK instantly fell in love with this hat and has in fact, not taken it off since. He would wear it to school if they would allow it.
5. These are the Valentine cookies I made (HA! That makes it sound like I actually made these things from scratch when in fact, I tore open a package and laid those suckers out on the pan – my kind of cooking!!) for the boys’ lunches. I make their lunches every day and I actively LOOK for things to embarrass them in front of their buds. *evil laugh*
6. GD has shop class this semester and he asked his dad to help him with this difficult cut. This was a challenge for GD because the boy has never handled any sort of “man” tool before and he wasn’t sure how to go about it. Though this class makes me nervous (BUZZ saw!!), it’ll be good for him. He needs to learn how to work basic tools. I like these practical classes.
7. Me. I’m getting ready to pick up the boys from school. It was an early day that day and after I picked them up, we swung by the husband’s office, picked him up and then we went and applied for our passports.
One of our local high schools put together an anti-drug video for parents. The first part is a principal welcoming parents to one specific high school, but if you’ll hang in there, you’ll see testimonies from kids who did drugs and their parents, along with signs to watch out for and tips on how you can help your child through his/her teenage years.
We would all like to pretend that nothing like this would ever happen to our children, but the fact is, they are exposed to drugs and alcohol, on some level, nearly every day they are away from us. It’s our job to teach them, to watch them and to be there for them if, or when, they make bad decisions.
My boys are great. My boys are also human. And some of the stories they have come and told me would curl your hair. It’s bothered me and when they weren’t looking, I’ve cried. And I’ve prayed that God would give them the strength, courage and wisdom to make the right choice if, or when, they ever face a drug or alcohol situation.
Whenever the boys spend the night with friends, I always remind them that if they become uncomfortable, at any point during the night, I don’t care what time it is, they are to call me and I would come and get them, no questions asked. It pains me to even give this option, but reality sucks sometimes.
Don’t think that just because your children are home schooled or go to a private school that they won’t have to deal with this at some point. Denying this would ever happen to your child is unrealistic and would mostly likely hurt them in the long run. I’m not saying to be scared. I’m not saying to watch over them with military precision. But I am saying to be aware of what is going on with your teenagers – they may look, and occasionally act, like adults, but they are not. They are confused and scared and they need you more than ever.
I realize this is one of those subjects that no one likes to talk about, but it needs to be addressed. And children need to hear our thoughts about drugs and alcohol because even though they may deny it with their dying breath, they need us to be strong and they need our rules, and beliefs, to guide them.
Anyway, I thought there might be some parents out there that might benefit from watching this video. I know it’s made me more aware of my children’s behaviors and though my boys don’t like my rules or the fact that I ask a lot of questions or that I watch them like a hawk, tough. I love them and it’s my job.
Okay, so if you follow me on Twitter, this isn’t exactly ground-breaking news. But, after looking a little closer at the application, I just couldn’t resist talking a bit more about it.
It’s called PMS Buddy and it’s an application you can put on your iPhone to help you keep track of your wife/girlfriend/friend’s monthly cycle.
PMSBuddy.com is a free service created with a single goal in mind: to keep you aware of when your wife, girlfriend, mother, sister, daughter, or any other women in your life are closing in on “that time of the month” – when things can get intense for what may seem to be no reason at all.
For women, this is a great way to give people in your life a heads-up of when you might be feeling a bit irritable without having an awkward conversation.
What’s more, we will not only keep you informed, but will give you some free advice on what to do about it. With PMSBuddy.com, there is no reason to ever be blindsided by PMS again.
PMSBuddy.com – Saving relationships, one month at a time!
I don’t know why, but I find this hilarious!! I mean seriously, how helpful would it be for the men in your life to have advance warning of when that time of the month is getting close! HAHA! They could then brace for the impending storm, I suppose.
And I REALLY cracked up over the “threat index” – this gauges how severe the woman who is menstruating is likely to be at a given time.
I really do feel sorry for men. I mean, we KNOW we’re being unreasonable at times. And we just FEEL bitchy, sometimes. We honest to God can’t help it – we can try and control it and redirect our energies into other things, but overall, it’s just a physical reaction. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve had to simply leave the room because I felt my temper reaching that critical boiling over point, that scream like an evil banshee witch moment. You can relate to the banshee, right? I’m not the only one who gets a tad *ahem* out of control, right?!
And I’ve gotten better about warning my husband – “I have zero sense of humor right now. In fact, my sense of humor is in the negatives right now so back off … please.” I usually grit my teeth when I add the please.
My husband has learned to watch the calendar. And he has learned that when I’m in the negative-patience zone to play it safe and not piss me off. It usually only lasts about two days, max. After that, it’s like I’ve been talked from the edge of a very tall building and I feel better, more normal and relaxed. It’s hard to explain, but I’m certain the women out there know what I mean.
And just think, I’m old enough to be on the verge of menopause. Whee! Aren’t you lucky you don’t live with me!!
I think they should make something like this, only in a watch form, or something equally female-friendly. Then I could wear it and whenever it sensed I was going into the PMS zone, it could shock me out of my mood or flash emergency messages like, “SHUT UP RIGHT NOW!” or “If you say that, you’ll regret it for MONTHS!” or, “If you will be nice and courteous to your family for just a little longer, I’ll give you candy” sort of thing.
Anyway, I just thought this application was funny. I wonder if it actually helps the men?
I’ve been trying to Twitter at least two interesting stories a day in addition to a few things I’m up to. If you would like to follow my Twitters, please do!
I’m thinking there might be a giveaway exclusive to my Twitter followers very soon.
WHICH, leads me to this poll. If you have a few moments, can you please leave me your opinion? Thank you!
I watch this and ALL I can think about is doggie slobber, bad breath, soiled car seats and sour dog smell.
I’m seriously freaking out here.
And I’m seriously done talking about dogs for awhile. I honestly need to turn my attention to other matters. This subject has dominated my brain for days now.
THANK YOU to everyone who took the time to give me some doggie advice. You’ve given me plenty to think about. But now I must turn my thoughts to other projects or else my head is going to explode.
Well, we got the ball rolling on our passport paperwork today. The kids had early release so as soon as I picked them up from school we went and picked the husband up from work and drove to the post office. We had filled out the paperwork ahead of time and printed it off, so we got through fairly fast. Though we were there for nearly an hour, it was mainly because of the young girl in front of us.
The post office lady kept asking her questions about her adoption and why her name appeared differently on certain documents. I felt bad for her because there she is, airing her dirty laundry in front of us. I just pretended not to pay attention hoping to ease her embarrassment a bit.
We had to buy the passport books, as opposed to the card. That cost more money. Bummer. But, now we’ll have passports that are good for 10 years (though the lady said that technically, they’re good for 15 years until they expire) and if we need to renew them, we don’t have to actually go back to the post office, we can do it by mail. AND, it won’t cost as much. So who knows, maybe we’ll need passports again in our twilight years.
She also kept our birth certificates. I wasn’t expecting that and in fact, I sort of freaked out walking out of the office without them, but the lady said they would mail them back to us, separate from the passport books, so … I hope that happens. I’ve spent the majority of my life keeping careful tabs on our birth certificates so to not have them, is … disorienting.
Oh, by the way, if you need to know how to apply and what documents you need to apply for a passport, you can find that information here.
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The husband and I are seriously talking about the dog issue. And I’m still a reluctant participant in all of this, but if I can arm myself with as much information as I can, beforehand, I think I can handle this better. We didn’t get a chance to talk much last night about it – we don’t want the kids to know we’re seriously talking because if it doesn’t go through, I don’t want them to be disappointed.
I’ve been researching. In fact, I spent the majority of yesterday afternoon researching. I’ve got a few breeds in mind already, and when I read up on their characteristics and how trainable they are, I’m really liking my selections.
A HUGE THANK YOU to Oregonsunshine for all of her advice/information!!!! We’ve been exchanging emails – well, I’ve been asking questions and she’s been kind enough to answer them (and then some!) so she’s given me PLENTY to think about.
I’ve also been researching training methods and dog mentality. I never knew they were so complicated! But a lot of what I read made sense to me and now I think I understand the importance of correctly handling a dog – my action directly affect how they act and respond.
I do have some questions for you, dear reader. But before I ask these questions, let me tell you what the husband and I would like in a dog:
1. Good natured / easy going.
2. Loveable
3. Intelligent
4. Playful (but not overly so)
5. Active (but not overly so)
6. Mid-sized, but smallish (large dogs are OUT)
7. Preferably short, soft hair but I’m not opposed to taking it to get groomed periodically, especially if the animal has longer hair.
8. Not a yapper
9. Fairly easy to train
10. Gentle
We would prefer a puppy, simply because we think it might be easier to bond with a puppy (?), but we’re certainly not opposed to an older dog, if it’s the breed we decide upon. We will absolutely check the pounds, but we’re also going to look into breeders.
We have no intention of buying a dog until after June, so there is plenty of time to really do the research and look around before we make a final decision.
My questions for you are:
1. Based on the above criteria, can you suggest a breed?
2. Male or female?
3. Can you suggest any training books? Remember, I’m a total newbie here.
4. Do you have any idea where I can find breeders for southwest Missouri?
5. What sorts of “extras” would we need to get started? Crate, toys, etc.
6. What sort of food is best for a puppy? For an older dog?
Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. I’m learning a lot from my research, but it really helps to hear from experienced people.
Crap. I just remembered, I need to take my movies back, they’re due in two hours.
Can you raise moral and ethical children without God and without religion?
Personally, I don’t think so. However, there is no right or wrong answer here. It all depends on your personal beliefs. I will not sit here and preach to you about what I think is right for YOU. It’s presumptuous, arrogant and quite frankly, none of my business. Only YOU know what is right for YOUR family. Only YOU know what’s in YOUR heart (well, God knows, if you believe in him).
This profoundly personal and private issue was brought up on Dr. Laura’s YouTube channel. And considering I hope my children/grandchildren read my blog in years to come in order to learn a little more about me and my choices, I’d like to share my personal experience with you.
If you don’t like Dr. Laura, then don’t watch. I know she can be arrogant, self-righteous and even flippant at times, but don’t pay attention to the theatrics, pay attention to the message behind the theatrics. In fact, I even wrote my own personal disclaimer about Dr. Laura, if you care to read it.
Either way, this post is not about Dr. Laura, it’s about the issue she talks about. I’m simply using her opinion as a springboard for this topic because I do think what she talks about are issues that should be addressed, in general. So, if you have a problem with Dr. Laura, the person, then please, take it elsewhere. If you just feel compelled to go off on a tangent about Dr. Laura and don’t stick to the topic, then your comment will be deleted. Thanks.
If you’re new to this blog – HI! I’m a Christian, welcome to my blog. Given this knowledge, it shouldn’t come as any surprise to you that we have raised our boys to love and respect God and His wonderful, perfect son, Jesus Christ.
But it didn’t start out that way.
I’ve talked about how I got involved with the Truth or Tradition ministry in the past – I certainly won’t go into it again. In a nutshell, we don’t go to church. We haven’t stepped foot in a church in oh gosh, decades. And we have no desire to go to church. Church, the institution and on the surface, is a good thing. It’s an opportunity to bring together fellow believers, to minister and bless the body of the church, Jesus Christ. That’s a good thing.
However, what we don’t like about church is the politics, the corruption, the tendency to get off topic and even use the word of God as a personal platform to promote personal agendas. It’s also astounding, to me, how often the word of God gets stretched all out of proportion therefore misguiding people and God’s nature and His intentions for us.
I’m not saying all preachers/pastors are like that. I’m only telling you my personal experience. My husband and I personally prefer to study scripture, to break it down and study the content, traditions and God’s original meaning. We really enjoy tracing the origins of the Bible back to it’s original language so that we may correctly divide and understand the Word of God.
Because of our feelings about church, we’ve never taken our children to church. And in fact, we didn’t really start getting serious about teaching our children about God and Jesus until about ten years ago.
I remember the exact moment we decided to start actively getting our boys involved in religion. We were at one of my husband’s family gatherings. As is our custom, we were all standing around the table preparing to pray. All of the nieces and nephews were pretty young, most of them older than Dude and Jazz, but a few younger, and all of the kids bowed their heads, except for ours. They looked around at everyone curiously, they didn’t really know what was going on because we hadn’t prayed in our own house.
I was ashamed and embarrassed that our children didn’t know how to pray.
As if often the case, my husband and I left the gathering thinking the same thing – it was time to introduce our boys to our wonderful Lord and Savior.
My husband contacted the good folks at Truth or Tradition and they sent us videos and various other teaching materials so that we could get started with our Bible study classes at home.
And that’s what we do, every Sunday, I wake the boys up at 7:30 to make sure they are good and awake for our session, and at 9:00 a.m. SHARP (my husband is rather particular about this), we start our study session while sitting around our dining room table. We watch a teaching presented by John Schoenheit, and then we take turns reading a chapter out of the new Testament, followed by a discussion about what it means and how it affects our lives.
I can honestly say, with conviction and utter confidence, that our boys are better people because of our initiative to raise them knowing God. They are confident, kind, considerate and God-fearing (which is actually translated respecting – you shouldn’t fear God) Christians who know how they should live their lives. They are motivated to please God because it ultimately blesses them and the people around them.
They understand that God has commanded them to respect and honor us, their parents, and as a result, we have a better relationship with them.
We are very aware that our children watch and mimic us, so my husband and I work very hard to set good examples for the boys by living our lives according to God’s will.
We exercised our free will, WE CONSCIOUSLY CHOSE, to learn more about God and to accept His son as our personal Lord and Savior. As a result of our willingness to live more Godly lives, we are truly happy and truly blessed.
It’s my firm belief that our children will grow up and lead successful lives because we made the effort to introduce them to God and His wonderful, exalted Word. They know right from wrong. They have developed a moral compass (and I’ve seen proof of that this past year). They are better people because of our God.
So my personal answer to the above question? Sure, you can raise children without knowing God or any sort of religion, but do you think the children are better off NOT knowing? I would much rather give my children the advantage of some sort of starting point – if, later in life, they choose to reject what we’ve taught them, that is their choice. But for now, they have something to base future opinions, and decisions, on.
— I’m eating tuna and crackers. Even though I’m not particularly fond of tuna, I need the protein because tonight is a workout night and I need the energy to do both Turbo Jam and walk.
— I just finished updating several school websites and posting their February newsletters. (I LOVE doing school websites!)
— Just got a mass email from GD’s math teacher – he has his first geometry test tomorrow. *gulp*
— I read this article on BoingBoing about Life at Wal-Mart, (if you click over, be sure and read the comments, there’s an interesting dialogue going on over there), which lead me to this dude’s website and now I can’t stop thinking about “The American Dream.” I agree with Adam, achieving the American Dream isn’t so much about economic or social issues, but rather, our attitudes and willingness to work for it.
True, life isn’t fair. True, life sucks sometimes. True, some of us have to work harder because we’re stuck in less-than-ideal circumstances, but I think we waste more time complaining about it and not enough time doing something about it. The bottom line is, are we willing to endure the discomforts and inconveniences in order to grab that golden ring and succeed in life? I wonder …
— I just got an email from the husband – he wants to know if we can compromise on this dog issue. If we fence in the backyard, would I be willing to have a dog then? My very first reaction to reading his email was annoyance. Leave it alone, my mind screamed. But then right on the heels of that thought was stop being so selfish, Karen. All three of your guys want a dog, who died and made you Queen of the house?
I’m being selfish. I’m feeling bad. I’m caving.
I need to get over myself. I need to stop focusing on the negative aspects of having a pet and think about the (few) positive aspects of having a pet.
So, I’ve been researching … stay tuned. This is going to get interesting.
— I’m now on my way to the bank and then I’m going to brave this store (I always feel so old when I go into these types of stores) and see if I can’t find a fedora for GD. His buddy stayed over Friday night and of course, he came over wearing a very cool black fedora and GD’s mouth started watering. If I’m successful at finding one, I’ll post a picture of him wearing it later.
— I set up a poll in my sidebar. It’s about BlogHer. Since BlogHer is in Chicago and about 8 hours from where I live, I could easily drive there. So going for me, is plausible. The only thing is, do I want to? If you have a few minutes, can you take my poll? I’m curious to know if anyone that visits this blog is going. I’ve left an open-ended option on the poll so please fill in your own answers. I don’t know, I have mixed feelings about going …
— PU – it smells awfully fishy in here … *cough*
UPDATE: GD changed his mind on a hat. However, MK bought this one:
Not a fedora, but more of a bowler. It suits him. NOW can we drop the hat issue? Please?!
Write From Karen 