Open Letter Friday - Dear Body

A blogger I follow started this idea and I thought I'd play along with her. Feel free to play along too. I bet you will feel better when you get it off your chest. And please link me up so I don't miss your post!

Dear body,
While I appreciate all the years of service you have provided, and acknowledge that you and I have been inseparable over the years, I do wish to file a formal complaint today. For starters, I would greatly appreciate you not hanging on to every single calorie I enjoy. Remember the good ol' days when we could pig out and stay thin? Let's work like that again. I don't pig out anymore, yet I am not staying thin! What gives, body?  Also, I realize we aren't 18 25 32 anymore, but we aren't 80 either, so waking up with aches and pains is unacceptable. I'm serious here. I'm not going to stand for this much longer. Oh, and these gray hairs and wrinkles...they must stop immediately. I am not ready to be old. I'm putting my foot down! You have been good to me, body, don't fail me now!
Hugs and Kisses,
Me

PS.  A good night's sleep (without the help of Melatonin or Nyquil) would also be fabulous....in case you were wondering ;)

Wordless Wednesday: "I have a hairy chest."

linking up with Angry Julie

Owie!

The kiddos were out back cutting on some wood tonight when Princess P starts screaming. I know I have talked about her "false alarm" screaming before but this was definitely a hurt scream. I ran out and she is holding her finger and Captain C is leading her in telling her, and me, that she is ok. It was a small cut, less than an inch...but it was DEEP. I have never felt woozie with an injury before but I about passed out tonight. I don't know what it was about that little, gaping cut but it makes me gag to think about it...did I mention it was deep? Oh my. So we get it doctored up and decide that we don't need stitches, then get P distracted talking about her day. Big Daddy mentioned her tetanus and I couldn't remember if that was the one I skipped last time so called the dr to check. While I am telling the nurse what happened, P says, "It's ok. It wasn't a chain saw, just a hand saw." Phew, thanks honey.

I am crossing lumberjack off of all of their lists of possible future professions. I don't think I can handle a real injury!

thank you, swagbucks

It truly makes me happy to get a bargain. I am slightly obsessed with finding the best deal on things, which sometimes paralyzes me where I don't buy anything (which I'm sure Big Daddy appreciates). Tricky T has been wanting to learn to play piano. I figure that I can teach him the basics to make sure it is something that does interest him, and then he can take lessons for real. I have been searching for the perfect keyboard for months (I don't want a real piano unless he gets serious). We have talked to several people, who are so helpful, but I just can't commit to one without making sure I have checked every corner of the earth for a better deal on the perfect one. My friend is letting us borrow hers for a bit to make sure T even likes playing, so next up was the books. I knew what I wanted but again, I wanted to find a deal. Well...I just got a deal! I bought them on amazon.com and they happened to be buy 3 get 1 free right now and free shipping on $25. It came to $26 for the 4 books so I got the free shipping. Then they adjusted for the free book, making it $20. Then I had $15 in swagbucks that I used, making it $5 shipped for 4 books. I am a happy chic right now!

This was my first time to cash in any swagbucks...for real, folks, that is the easiest money ever! DO IT! I'm going to keep building it up for Christmas. I always search things through swagbucks instead of google and get points everyday for that. Super easy!

Open Letter Friday (on Saturday)- Dear xxx-xxx-xxxx

A blogger I follow started this idea a few weeks back, and I thought I'd play along with her. Feel free to play along too. I bet you will feel better when you get it off your chest. And please link me up so I don't miss your post!

Dear xxx-xxx-xxxx,
I am going to assume that you desperately need to talk to me, since you call 44 times a day. I respect that. However, I am a busy lady so if you really need to talk to me, you are going to need to a) not call early or late....nothing to do with being busy, that just ticks me off and I don't answer....or b) leave a message! I ask very nicely on the machine, and I mean it. Believe it or not, I don't always have time to answer the phone, and normally don't answer if it doesn't have a name on there. So please...leave.a.message...or just leave.me.alone.
Much love,
Leslie

(I wrote this yesterday and I guess I forgot to post it! oops.)

2 little monkeys...

Please, don't anyone tell my kids that it is Fall Break for public schools this week. We are still having school so I can use the days off later, when I am swamped with work. They are working so well this week...even if they aren't sitting in a desk!

Shortly after this, Terrific T told me his leopard Webkinz had been "excommunicated from Webkinz World". I do love homeschooling!

Wordless Wednesday: Hot Chocolate on a Cool Morning

{Pretend there are no words in this post. This is, after all, Wordless Wednesday ;) But I have to share that a sweet, sweet friend surprised me with this awesome mug. It makes my day better when I use it! xoxo}

Book Review: Heaven is for Real By Todd Burpo

This is the amazing, true story of a little boy's glimpse into heaven during a very scary and life-threatening surgery when he is almost 4 years old.  As time passes, he begins sharing little bits about his time in heaven with his family, including things that happened before he was even born. He matter-of-factly shares things about Jesus, angels, people who have passed away before him, and even the devil that amazes his parents and will amaze you. 

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and highly recommend it. It was a very easy read (I read it in a night) and fascinating to me to hear, from a child, what heaven is like. Our family had the privilege of hearing Don Piper speak last year and my children have been interested in hearing more about heaven. They are upstairs reading this book together right now! Thank you for sharing Colton's story and a little piece of heaven with us.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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end of official review

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Now for the personal stuff...I signed up with booksneeze.com a few months ago after seeing it on someone's blog (I don't remember who or I would give you props here). I looked that day and didn't see any books that interested me and forgot about it. For some reason (haha...), I checked the site one day last week and there was one book there. When I refreshed the page later in the day, this book had been added. It definitely interested me so I requested it. It was waiting in my mailbox yesterday when we got home from CC. I started a few chapters while the kids and friends played out front. Last night, I got in bed and couldn't stop reading it. A few chapters in, when Colton is really sick, their family spent the night at a friend's house in CO. That friend was one of my college roommates parents! How crazy that I "happened" to pick that book that day and then know someone in the true story. I love how God works.

little this...little that

Princess P got up today and asked if she could "wear a long sleeve skirt" to CC. Sure, sweetie. Some things I just don't have the heart to correct her on. This was too cute to correct..."thumb toe" for big toe is another that I might never correct.

We are learning about planets for the next few weeks at CC. Tricky T, in particular, has been obsessed with planets for the past few years. Big Daddy thought it was funny to teach why he giggles every time he gets to the 7th planet in line. Even P knows and thinks it is so funny. Thankfully, I didn't know it was planet day before we went or I might have shown up after science and missed out on a cool experiment. So, I just sucked it up and prayed that some kids weren't getting an anatomy lesson from my 7 year old. I only heard T showing P a card with all the planets on it and asking her where Uranus is. I think we have a few more weeks of planets and then we are in the clear. If we don't get kicked out of CC first ;)

Captain C walked in while Big Daddy had the news on the other night. While Big Daddy was trying to find the remote and turn it off, they told about a lady who "stole a donut from a truck, urinated in public, and was soliciting sex." Captain C said, "WOW....I can't believe she stole a donut from someone's truck!!" HAHA...you can see what is "unacceptable" in his book!

Dear God. From T.

Terrific T was throwing a bit of a fit today over having to do math. I told him he could throw his fit downstairs but not to come back up (where C and P were doing school), until he was done. A few minutes later, Wondermutt comes in with a napkin hanging out of her collar. It said, "Mom. Can you please help me?" Nice. If I thought he really needed any help, I would have...but he didn't...and I didn't. He then started throwing paper airplanes up the stairs with the same plea. So hard to not just go help him...but again, he really didn't need any help so I stayed strong. No idea where he gets his stubbornness from ;) I came downstairs about 20 minutes later and he was done (and had made 100% on it) and showed me a note. He said when I wouldn't come help, he wrote a note to God instead...and He helped! His note said:

"To God. From {Terrific T}. I pray to you, Lord God. Please hear my prayer. Please Lord God, please help me do my math. Please Lord God and every other school thing too. Please Lord God. Thank you for Jesus. Amen."

I'm not going to lie, that brought a tear or two to my eyes. I'm so glad my kids know Who to turn to when they need help....even when their parents don't think they need help.

Open Letter Friday - Dear Kids

A blogger I follow started this idea a few weeks back, and today, when I was having my shower interrupted for the umpteenth time, I thought I'd play along with her. Feel free to play along too. I bet you will feel better when you get it off your chest. And please link me up so I don't miss your post!

So here is my first open letter....

Dear precious, beautiful children of mine,
     I love you more than life itself and would do absolutely anything humanly possible for you, which is evident by the sports practices and games we sit through, movies we watch with you, annoying friends of yours that we put up with, minivan I drive, etc, etc. etc. I love you so so much! Remember that. Now, here's the dealio, unless you are experiencing a life threatening emergency (ie. fire or blood), I don't need you to visit me every time I am in the shower. Think "absence makes the heart grow fonder" and give me that 10 minutes a day every other day. Seriously, guys, what do you expect me to do when I am mid-rinse and you come in yelling that your brother is a meanie? And is it really necessary to tell me, again while I am IN the shower, that you are hungry? I am not Kramer and I'm not hiding all the good food in the shower. Go find something....or better yet, go do what I told you to do before I jumped in and I promise you won't starve before I get out. Guys, work with me here...surely it is not too much to ask to have a nice peaceful shower in the morning (or afternoon, depending on the day!).
Hugs and kisses,
Mom

Who needs cable?

I picked up some headbands at the store today and Princess P is apparently very easily entertained!

 

 ...VERY easily entertained!

Confession time...

Nothing puts me to sleep quite like listening to one of the kids read. It is brutal! I need to record them to play at night when I am having trouble nodding off. Terrific T used to ask if I wanted him to read to me when I would be trying to nap and I swear I never made it past the first two pages. If it is school, I try to be the one reading, so the kids don't get smarter than me ;) However, today Captain C was finishing up reading a book on Shakespeare to us. [side note for my homeschool friends: It is cheaper through the Usborne site but I couldn't get it to link directly to it. This whole series is awesome. We have read several for school already this year and have a few more to go. I wish I had bought them all!] Anyway, while C was reading, T and I laid on the couch in the school room to listen and I woke up when C asked if he could go play on the computer. Oops. Totally missed the last chapter and apparently I wasn't the only one ;o)

Wordless Wednesday: Some light reading

jr high

I'll be honest, Jr. High isn't exactly my favorite age. I haven't even loved Captain C being 10 and he isn't in there yet. It is such an in between age really. Not quite a kid but not quite a teen. [Ironically, Big Daddy and I met in a youth group. We were both out of college and my sister and her hubby were teaching in the youth group with Big Daddy and his roommate. My sis invited me to come...and sorta set us up. We met at a youth workers dinner, started dating 3 weeks later, got engaged about 2 months later and married 5 months later. That was over 13 years ago.] So when Big Daddy approached me about helping teach jr high on Sunday evenings, I wasn't too keen on the idea. But then it started to grow on me...a little. I know he loves youth and I wanted to be supportive of him, and to not be serving separately so much (he works with youth on Wed nights and I work with the children). So tonight, I ventured back into the youth department and guess what? I liked it. It is definitely different than the 2 year old class we teach on Sunday mornings but I think I am going to enjoy it. I am not teaching, just hanging out with the girls while another lady teaches (she did great!)....and even played the first game of kickball I have played in a long time. It was fun. I am looking forward to getting to know these great girls and watching God transform them into the young ladies He wants them to be.

treasures

Big Daddy's Mamaw is about to move out of her home and is cleaning out some old things. The kids went down yesterday and they asked them if they would like any of it. Oh man. My kids love "things"....collections of anything are cool to them. They came home with some very cool collections. I usually urge them to limit their collections but I love things that have meaning or belonged to our grandparents, so I'll let them keep most of this stuff. Princess P got a few different pieces of jewelry, which I loved. She picked out 3 clip on earrings...3 different earrings. She thought they clipped on clothes so didn't take the matching pair to each. We'll have to call them and ask them to set them aside for her for our next visit ;) Today, she got ready for church and I noticed that this pin would match her outfit so we added it in. It matched perfectly :)

Captain C picked out some keychains (most of these really were generic but a few were keepers!) and pocket knives that he and T split. I think these are pretty cool. They both love pocket knives and knowing they were papaw's makes these special.

Which leaves TerrificT. Not sure if you have noticed, but T marches to his own drummer sometimes. He picked out Papaw's old glasses, various broken watches (one that works...he likes that!), and an old Gideon Bible. After Papaw passed away (before the kids were born), Big Daddy was given his suits. Each one had at least one of these little New Testaments in it. When T was little, he carried these everywhere. Kind of fitting that he got a new one. He wore out his old one from loving on it so much!

These are some very special treasures that they will cherish forever.

Wordless Wednesday: Fair Time

See more Wordless Wednesday posts here.

so.very.tired

My schedule is way too packed these days. I honestly am not sure how I am going to survive the next week month, but am going to cling to Phil. 4:13 and believe that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. That being said.....I'm tired!
Yesterday, we had to be in the next town over at 10am for C's football game, then back over there at 3:30 for an awesome birthday party, followed by a short portrait party (6 families in 2 hours). By the time I picked up dinner for the fam and was home, it was 8pm. I was pooped. I went to bed about 10 and crashed hard...until 5am, when we woke to something beeping. It sounded like an alarm clock just beep, beep, beeping constantly. Big Daddy got up and looked around and stepped outside and realized that it was coming from outside. ARGH. How rude for someone to be beeping and wake us up. We turned on the vent in the bathroom to drown out the noise and went back to sleep for 2 more hours. When we got up, it was still going strong. Seriously, what the heck? We were all getting ready for church and Big Daddy went outside to look around in the day light and comes in....you ready for this?...with the smoke detector from the motorhome! I am not even kidding. The batteries had died in that stupid thing and we could hear it beep, beep, beeping inside our house! I am praying that our neighbors happened to be out of town (I know it is a stretch that they would ALL be out of town but I am still praying that). How embarrassing (and annoying)! Why don't these things happen at 5pm and not 5am?
As soon as Amazing Race is over tonight, I'm heading back to bed. I have got to be rested for tomorrow....CC and then seeing Third Day at the fair - woohoo!