Rock star

Yep. That’s what the munchkin called me tonight. A high school rock star.

Works for me. He can tell me I look like I’m in high school any day. 😉

You see, my mom bought me these cool jeans, we had a family date night tonight at Macaroni Grill, and I didn’t feel like straightening my hair. So, I let it go kinda wild, put on my cool new jeans & off we went. When the munchkin saw me, he said, “Mom! You look good. You look like a high school rock star!!!”

Awesome! He then informed me I should form a band. I should sing, he would dance & Daddy could play the drums. He thought we should call it: Laura & Her Boys. LOL!

Too funny! Let’s hope he continues to think I’m cool. Ha! Who am I kidding? 😉

 

Read Full Post »

The Chase

My son walked over to me last night, and asked, “Mom, did you used to have boys chasing you on the playground?”

Uh…what?

“Sometimes, yes…”

To which he responded, “Did you like it?”

What?!? LOL! 😉 “Ummm…once I realized it meant they liked me. Why do you ask?”

“Oh,” he said. “A few of us boys have girls chasing us at recess. I just wondered.”

Unbelievable. Seven-year-olds?!?! Boy, are we in trouble!

Read Full Post »

The Critter

As I’m taking out my contacts and getting ready for bed, my husband bursts into the bathroom and says, “Um, can you come downstairs and take a look at the animal on our front porch?”

Pardon me?

I follow him downstairs and peer outside into the inky blackness. Our front porch light is clearly illuminating the critter who is determinedly pulling up the grass along the edge of the sidewalk. It’s long bushy tail overpowers the rest of its fluid body, and I stare in awe as I realize it’s…a skunk.

Now…I grew up in farm country. Central Illinois. One of my best friends lives on a farm. I was there a lot. And, until this point in time, I have never seen a skunk up close and personal.

They’re adorable!!!! Really. For a rodent, they’re too cute! As we both watched the skunk pull up our lawn, my husband says, “Only us.” 😉

What’s odd is that we’re in the middle of a subdivision. We don’t have forest around us. We don’t even have farmland right near us. There are several houses between us and the nearest field. So…why, exactly did this lovely little skunk choose to build a nest under our porch?

The Extraction

The hubby contacts animal services the next day, and later that afternoon the man arrives to set the trap.

And then we wait.

Based on how the skunk was behaving, the animal services man believes it’s a female and she’s building a nest for, yep, you guessed it: babies. Lovely. Just what we need.

In the morning, we wake up to find the mama skunk in the trap. We, thankfully, were not around when animal services came back to remove the skunk. He called us, though. And, yes, there were babies.

Eight babies!!! He said they were each the size of a D battery. Wow. Eight of them. All under our porch.

Unbelievable. Well, at least we’re now skunk-free – even if we’re several hundred dollars shorter after paying for the extractions. Needless to say, that was one of the more unusual weekends we’ve had in awhile. And, I’m hoping no one else decides to inhabit the hole under our porch – at least until we can get it filled.

So, how about it? Any animal stories of your own you’d like to share? Let’s hear it. Drop me a line below, and let’s share our common grounds.

Read Full Post »

Friday Funny: Soooooo

While taking part in our nightly ritual of reading, the munchkin picked out his new favorite book, Rhyming Dust Bunnies, climbed onto my lap, settled in and began to read. Part way through the book, he came to a two-letter word and promptly stopped reading, focusing so hard on the word, I’m surprised a hole didn’t spring through the book from his laser-vision.

“Sound it out,” I gently encouraged him.

“Sss-ah. Sah,” he says, frowning. He tries again. “Sss-ah. Sah?” He says again even less convinced this time.

“Make it a long ‘o’ instead,” I instruct, thinking this will promptly result in the proper pronunciation of the word, “so.” After all, they’ve been learning about long vowel sounds and short vowel sounds at school.

Nope. Instead, I get: “Sss-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.” I think he carried the “long” vowel out for nearly 3 seconds, at which point I burst out laughing. “Not that kind of long vowel,” I get out through hiccuped laughter. “‘Oh,’ not ‘ah.”

“Ohhhh. I get it. Sss-oh. So.”

Bingo! What a nutball! Gotta love him.

On a separate, but related note, if you have young kids learning to read and have not been privileged enough to stumble across the Rhyming Dust Bunnies by Jan Thomas, I highly recommend it. It’s hilarious and up for an award.

Discovering Our Common Grounds

What funny stories do you have to tell? Let’s hear ’em! Drop me a comment below. 😉

Read Full Post »

I just can’t handle it! | Daily inspiration

Image by koalazymonkey

Have you ever felt like screaming that from the rooftops? I know I have. Others often comment on my ability to remain calm and patient under challenging circumstances. In reality, I think it’s just that I’m calm as long as I feel in control of a situation.

And sometimes, that’s just not possible. Sometimes, life comes at us hard, and all we can do is hold on tight. 😉

Today’s reading: Exodus 18:1-27

Dirty dishes lining the sink. Toys littering the floor like mini-landmines from kitchen to family room. Bills piling up. House to clean. PTO committee meeting to attend. Children to drop off at before school care. Children to pick up from school. Children to drive to volleyball, basketball, football, soccer, golf, cheerleading, karate, tumbling…you get the idea. Supper to fix. Lunches to make. Baths to give. Homework to supervise. Boo-boos to kiss. Spouses to talk to.

Oh…and work. Did I mention work? Yeah, that other stuff is just what many of us do after we get home from “work.” Like the other stuff doesn’t count as work? Hah!

*Whew.*

Share the Load

It’s no wonder we often feel overwhelmed and are running a bit low on patience, feeling as if throwing up our hands and throwing in the towel are our only options.

Moses felt the same way, and his father-in-law had the perfect solution: “…you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.” (Exodus 18:18)

So he didn’t. Instead, he shared the work. And you know what? That not only gave him much-needed time to focus on his top priorities, but also enabled others to grow in their responsibilities and God-given talent.

What “duties” are you holding onto that you could share with a family member, a friend, a coworker? Would it free up your time to focus on your top priorities? Would it enable someone else to grow in their life?

Maybe it’s time to say, “I just can’t handle it!” and turn it over to God.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

~Matthew 11:28

Discovering Our Common Grounds

Drop me a comment to share how you deal with all your to-do’s. Do you share the load? Rotate the chores? I’d love to hear your ideas and solutions. 🙂

Read Full Post »

Sprinkle in a Touch of Magic

Image by: S Baker

The other morning as I drove to work, I was marveling at the beauty of the world around me. The sun was rising, and it cast amazing hues of bright pink, rich purple, burnt orange and soft yellow on the clouds in the pale blue-gray sky.

As I continued on my way, I drove by several ponds, streams and winding creeks, all with thick layers of steam rising from the crisp, clean water. The birds seemed to be out in droves, all chirping and flitting around as if they hadn’t a care in the world.

And it occurred to me. Our Maker has sprinkled magic all around us. It’s in the cry of a newborn babe, the laugh of a child, the promise of first love, the wonder of marriage and the wisdom of old age. It’s in the air, the sky, the ground and the sea. It’s all around us, if we’d just open our eyes to the wonder of it…and pay attention.

Half the time I find myself driving to work on autopilot, taking for granted a shared smile with my spouse, a laugh with my son, a knowing look from my parents. And, yet, when we actually take the time to realize the true beauty of the world around us it’s nothing short of awesome.

So…as you’re out and about this weekend, remember to take a look at how God remembers to sprinkle in a touch of magic for us in this world before we join Him in His.

Read Full Post »

Why wouldn’t they just send an e-mail?

My parents recently returned from a 10-day cruise along the East coast beginning in Maine. During the course of their trip, they sent two postcards to my six-year-old.

When the first one arrived, he looked at it questioningly. “That’s their boat,” I explained. (It has only 25 cabins; so I’m classifying it a boat vs. a ship.) “And, on the back, they wrote you a note.”

I read the note, and he listened.

“This is a postcard,” I explained. “People send them to their family and friends while on vacation.”

This is met with a look of complete and utter puzzlement. Eyebrows raised, eyeballs rolling and head shaking, he says, “Why wouldn’t they just send an e-mail?”

Yep. And that’s the mind of a six-year-old. He just didn’t get it. But, when the second postcard arrived, he understood its purpose, was impressed that “mooses” could swim and that he could read most of the words written on the back of the card.

Generation gap. Personally, I love postcards. It’s something special that symbolizes vacation, fun and family. Maybe I’ll win him over…eventually. 😉

Read Full Post »

You Can Have My Piggy Bank, Mommy

Image: Daniel Y. Go

So this morning as we were driving to school, my five-year-old asked me why he wasn’t going to be a “walker” tomorrow and Friday. *Explanation: The one day I don’t work, I can take him to school; these days he’s considered a “walker.” All the other days of the week he’s considered a “busser.”*

His class is hosting a Mother’s Day Tea this Friday; so I’ve switched my work schedule to work Wednesday so I don’t have to work on Friday. He thought he’d get to be a walker Wednesday and Friday. *Heart. Sad.*

“Sorry, kiddo, nope. Just on Friday,” I explain.

Pause. “Oh.” Another pause. “Why does Sam get to be a walker everyday, then?” (Names changed to protect the innocent.)

“Well, Sam’s mom doesn’t work in an office. She stays at home and works there,” I say.

“Why do you work, then?” he asks.

“Mommy would love to stay home with you, but both Mommy and Daddy have to work so we can afford to live where we live, give you food and clothes and pay bills.”

“Well, then how can Sam’s mom stay home?”

“I’m not sure. They must be able to afford it,” I answer.

Long pause. “I’ll give you all the money in my piggy bank, Mommy. Then you can afford to stay home,” he says.

*Heart. Breaking.*

“Awww, that is so sweet, honey. Unfortunately, that probably wouldn’t be enough money to pay for all we have to pay for. But I wish it were.”

Read Full Post »

Bubbles

Image: Reini68

As I walk into the living room to check on the munchkin, I spy what looks suspiciously like spilled liquid on the sofa cushion. “Ah, munchkin? What’s this? Did you spill your water or something?” I ask calmly.

“Nope,” he says, eyes averted.

Okay…now I know something’s going on. “Okay…did your juice box spill, then?”

“Nope,” he says, eyes flick to me and then away again.

Right. Okay, time for a stronger approach. “Look, honey. I can see something spilled on the couch, I just need to know what it is so I can figure out how to clean it up. So…what is it? Water? Juice box? What?”

“Nothing, okay! Nothing,” he says frantically.

“I’m not going to be upset, hon–”

“Yes you will!” he interrupts. “You’ll be mad at me!”

Okay, now I know something’s going on. Accidents happen. Nothing to flip out over – especially something as simple as spilled food or drink. Come on. Get real. But he’s worried that I’ll be mad. Why?

“I promise I won’t be mad, honey. Please just tell me so I can clean it up,” I plead, again, calmly.

“BUBBLES!” he shouts, the word practically bursting from his mouth.

I stare, dumbfounded. “What? Um, bubbles?”

He nods, eyes downcast. “I took the bubbles out, and I knew I wasn’t supposed to. But I did it anyway. And they spilled. *Long pause.* I’m sorry.”

Lesson Learned

Aha. Well, connection made. He was upset because he knew he’d done something he was specifically told not to do – no opening/playing with the gigantic jar of bubbles in the house because the opening for the liquid is too big. Case in point.

Lesson learned.

“Oh. Um, I think some of it might have gotten on the pillows, too,” he says, smiling shyly and picking up two of the throw pillows that clearly show a lovely splash pattern on them. “I’ll help you, Mommy.”

Crazy munchkin.

The bubbles are gone, the couch is clean, and all is right in munchkinland again. Thank goodness.

Help others find this post:

Read Full Post »

Are you a worrier? Let it go. | Daily inspiration

Image: Leonard John Matthews

Are you a worrier? Do you have a worrier in your life? I have a few. 😉 It’s easy to get caught up in the anxiety of our troubles, isn’t it? What if this happens? What if that happens? What will we do? How will we get through it?

Giving Up Control

Here’s the thing, though. How often are the things we worry about within our control? Not all that often. So, where does the worry get us? No where.

Of course, understanding this and actually letting go are two different things. Intellectually, we get that we shouldn’t worry about something that’s out of our control. Emotionally, how do we let go of something that makes us anxious, nervous, worried?

We turn it over to God.

The Weight is Lifted

I don’t know about you, but for me, it sometimes takes awhile to understand why I’m so stressed out. Why I feel like there’s a weight on my shoulders that won’t leave. And then I clue in: Aha. It’s not up to me. Why am I worrying about it?

Pray

And that’s when I pray. I simply ask God to take this burden. I give it to him. And I visualize it, too. I ‘see’ myself handing over that worrisome bundle of angst to God. I place it at his feet and ask him to deal with it.

You know what happens? What happens each and every time I’ve ever done this? The weight disappears. Almost instantly. It’s gone. He has it now; not me. And every time I’m amazed. Every single time.

Why is that? You’d think after all these years, I’d clue in. But, no. It takes me awhile. Does that mean the anxiety and worry never threaten to resurface? Absolutely not. Does it mean that the situation causing all the worry immediately vanishes? Unfortunately, no. But it does mean that someone else is trying to work it out for me. I’m not on my own, anymore.

Of course, I never really was.

What worries are you holding on to today? Isn’t it time to let them go? Turn them over to God. See what happens, you just might be surprised.

Today’s Reflection

One-year reading track: For those of you joining me on the one-year track reading, today’s post is a bit different. I skipped ahead a bit and read a few at a time. Here they are: Genesis 42-43; 44-46; 47-50

Focused reading: Today’s post was inspired by the story of Joseph and his brothers when they reconnect. Check out: Genesis 50:15-21

Help others find this post:

Read Full Post »