Friday Funnies

In honor of my proud Scottish heritage and for all my friends with similar ancestry, I give you today's Friday Funnies... presented to me by my loving English hubby. Have a good laugh! And a great Friday!

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So an Englishman, and Irishman and a Scotsman went into bar. They each ordered a whiskey, and each of the drinks came out with a fly in it.

The Englishman looked into his glass and shook his head in disgust. "Ugh, I cannot drink this," he said.

The Irishman looked into his glass and proclaimed the same thing, pushing the fly-laden drink away.

The Scotsman looked into his glass and grabbing the fly, he shook it. "Spit it out! Spit it out!" he shouted.

On Being Fairy Tooth-ful...

Edward showing off a few "gaps" last September.
Well, it happened again.

*Yikes!*

Our bigger boy lost another tooth...and the Tooth Fairy forgot to call...again. Whooops.

Now, mind you, Edward decided the night he lost it that he was too "attached" (no pun intended) to it to put it out that night. So who can blame the poor Tooth Fairy for forgetting to reschedule him into her busy itinerary? Especially when she didn't even know the actual night he decided that maybe he could possibly part with said tooth.......

But I digress.

Imagine my surprise (and shame) when Edward came down the morning after the chosen evening and said that "she" didn't come...again. Ooops.

He asked me to e-mail her again to remind her again to "come back" for his tooth.

I told him she was "used" to him keeping the tooth several days afterwards and just needed a little "hint" as to when he was ready to give up his tooth. (She only has a little brain...being fairy-sized and all.) And I promised to "e-mail" her.

Sigh.

All better, right?

Nope.

I forgot to "e-mail" her...which meant she didn't come back again.........

Ugh.

So whilst he was busily playing outside and I was busily chatting with Stuart on the phone, the Tooth Fairy paid him a visit and exchanged his tooth for 8 shiny coins.

And this is what she found inside the bag with his tooth:

She (the Tooth Fairy) wrote back (of course) and said, "Dear Edward: I think you will be surprised. Love, The Tooth Fairy."

Oh, the webs we weave...again.

Wordless Wednesday

Thanks for the Memories

There are some things in life that are clearly "rites of passage" for kids.

Learning silly sayings and songs are among them.

Stuart taught the kids the "Siamese National Anthem" awhile back. I found this out when they came home from a "daddy-date" and proudly sang it for me....much to my chagrin and embarrassed giggles. (Of course, Stuart got the "look" from me...and a swat on the arm. *wink-grin*)

The words follow the same logic as the saying: "Look down your shirt and spell..."

......

(You didn't really think I'd type them out, did you? *grin*)

Okay. Okay. So the kids totally didn't get it, but Stuart made them promise NOT to ever, ever, ever share the song with anyone but us. That meant no grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends, etc.

They weren't sure why, but they agreed.

So imagine our shock and embarrassment when Edward came home from our homeschool group and told us he taught this song to one of his teachers...who beforehand thought it might be a fun cultural lesson to share with the class.

I tried not to overreact as I sucked in my breath, smiled carefully, and said, "Oh....what did she think?"

He shrugged and said, "She just said, 'Oh, how interesting.'" He seemed a bit confused by our reaction so we decided that we had to tell him what the words really meant when slurred together...

......

Sigh.

These are the times to remember so that you learn when it's wise NOT to share some memories with your kids...

More Muggy Monday Musings

And then there was one...

One Monday left in July that is.

Happy Monday! The final one in July. Next week is August... already.

And it's a muggy Monday, that's for sure. I think traditional Summer finally decided to arrive. (And I, for one, would not have been disappointed had it decided to stay away this year.) Sigh.

We've had lots of thunderstorms lately...so the gardens are filling with lots of weeds. Ugh. I guess it's time to spend some quality time in the flowerbeds.

The kids chose to make some homemade gifts for Ethan, and Edward finally got the chance to finish his: a fringe-edged (Is that even a word? It is now.) blanket. Emily had started hers -- a mini scrapbook -- before he was born last year and has already enjoyed sharing it with him. He "thanked" -- rewarded -- both of them with plenty of happiness at their thoughtfulness.

Speaking of Ethan... The kid is ready to take off...literally. He has been sneaking unassisted steps here and there, and today he took three steps from me to the table. It was like "look, Mom, no hands." Egads. I'm definitely not ready for that stage just yet. Neither of my older two were climbers...and I'm very worried that once he gets his sturdy legs running this guy might be different. But he's growing and changing and chatting up a storm now so there's no holding him back. It's really exciting and fun to watch. Well, from his siblings' point-of-view anyway....my mommy-view is having to quell alarms that keep going off in my head as I remember the older two...

August is ramping up with activities. Our church is holding an "adventure camp" the same week as the Reading Fair...so the kids will be pretty busy that week, I think. Then Emily has another visit to the spine doctor in Wilmington, Delaware, just to check on her scoliosis. She's grown over 5 inches since last October, so we're hoping nothing has changed too much. We also have our annual 4-H club picnic, which comes in the form of a night swimming party.

Stuart and I will resume our "Monday Movie Night" tonight with a selection from the library again. I think we might watch the newest Indiana Jones movie though he's already seen that so we'll see. I have to remind myself of the joys of borrowing movies for free from our local library. In our effort to save money, we sometimes forget that you can't get much cheaper than free. *wink-grin* My laundry folding time has found me just finished with Season 1 of 24 again, and now I'm rewatching Season 7. It's fun to see the huge changes in the main character, Jack. I can't wait for Season 8!

Speaking of shows... Stuart introduced me to a fantastic new show on the Syfy channel called Warehouse 13. It's awesome. Check it out online for free. We watched all three episodes and now we have to wait until later in the week for the next new one. Sigh.

Still, good things come to those who wait.

Until next Monday...ciao!

Saturday Sweethearts

Friday Funnies

Found by my friend Angel, this is sure to bring a chuckle on this humid Friday. Dedicated to all the moms out there who have "been there, own this"... And if you haven't, be GLAD! *wink-grin*

Enjoy, and have a funny Friday!

Mirror, Mirror...

I think how we perceive the world around us is formed early in our lives by our upbringing, our genetics, and even our personality.

But peers have a lot of influence on our thoughts and feelings, too, beginning at that magically age called "puberty."

It's like suddenly there are a thousand mirrors pointed directly at us, all of them with scrutinizing surfaces.

Still...

I've always been fascinated by mirrors.

Maybe it's because my grandmother has so many of them around her house, and it made her house seem enormous to me when I was smaller. It always reminded me of Lewis Carroll's story, Alice Through the Looking Glass... Was there really a whole other world located just beyond that thin piece of glass?

That said, I've never understood how the "Mirror" in Snow White knew that Snow White was the most beautiful. I mean, she was definitely lovely and very sweet, but most beautiful?

I was always taught that beauty is the eye of the beholder. It's how/what we perceive beauty to be...not necessarily fact or truth. What one person deems as beautiful might be considered homely or plain to another.

And that's okay.

People are always entitled to their opinions. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. We can hold fast to our own opinions, while respecting the other "beholder's" feelings.

And think about it. If everyone did that maybe then our world would reflect a nicer place?

Wordless Wednesday

New...from Hellish Kitchens...

An awesome new recipe brought to you by "Hellish Kitchens" a.k.a. mine.

Make some pizza dough...enough for one pie. If desired, brush garlic butter over dough and prebake it for 10 minutes at 400 degrees F. (Or buy one ready-made.)

Spread grated sharp cheddar cheese over it and top with a box of Kraft mac-n-cheese. Bake for another 15 minutes at the same temp.

Allow to stand for 5 minutes before slicing.

I just have to say -- despite the heavy carbs/starchiness of this -- it tastes...

...A-W-E-S-O-M-E!

For a variation and better nutrition, next time I'm going to add some sort of meat to get some protein in there.

On Monday Musings and a Tired Brain

Happy Monday!

Happy Monday? Already?

At the risk of continuing to sound like a broken record: I cannot believe that it's Monday again already.

The weeks are certainly whizzing by!

Sigh.

The weather has been so fantastic this Summer -- cooler than usual and much less humid. We've enjoyed plenty of outside time for a change...and still NO air conditioning! Woooooooo-hoooooo!

Not much to report since my brain is still so overtired from Friday's movie/sleepover with the kids. Oh, yeah. We had an awesome time with the kids and their movie nights. Sadly, I could not seem to stay awake long enough to chat with my daughter afterwards. I guess I'm getting old. *sniff*

We didn't watch any movies tonight since Stuart is out of town on a business trip until Friday. *sniff-sniff*

But, on a more positive note, the kids and I will enjoy a week's worth of mac-n-cheese for dinner. Yeehaw... I know. I know. It's not healthy. But it's only a week. And it happens every now and again. So... I'm not worried.

It's very very late and my brain has gone to bed without me. So I'll end this until next Monday...which is sure to be here before we know it.

Sigh.

I promise to be more "newsy" then.

Somber Sunday - Update (Monday)

Please keep this man, Robert Miller, in your prayers. He's the husband of a dear friend of ours from church. He was in a motorcycle accident two Sundays ago, and his condition keeps deteriorating. But we know that God is in control. He has Robert in His Hands.

For updates: http://robertmillerupdates.blogspot.com/

UPDATE: Robert passed away this (Monday) afternoon. Please keep his family in your prayers. He left behind a wife, Tracy, and three beautiful kids. Please pray for his mother and his sisters and their families. Such a hard time.

Swing Along with Me

One of the hundreds millions billions of reasons I enjoy being a parent is being able to share some of my past interests with my kids.

I got a Target giftcard for my birthday and decided to invest in a CD of Big Band music -- a favorite of interest of mine since I was a kid.

I put the CD on the player in the car, and it was instant love for my kids. It wasn't long before they were "be-bopping" with Glenn Miller and singing along to "Minnie the Moocher."

Obviously, it's catchy music, and it's hard not to dance along with it. But their real love for it was cemented when they begged for me to put the CD back on the next day and on many car trips that followed.

It's one of those little joys and warm fuzzies that makes being a parent so much fun...and all the more worth it.

Friday Funnies

Something silly to bring a smile. Enjoy!

And I hope you had a funny Friday!

Love Factor

"When did you first fall in love with your kids?"

I encountered this question the other day and stopped to ponder it.

Fall in love? Like I did with my spouse?

Hmmm....

I guess I'd never thought about it those terms, but I was certain I "fell in love" with each of them at birth when our midwife flopped their still-wet bodies up on my chest for me to greet for the first time.

Then another question came into my head: When did I fall out of love with them?

There's no doubt that being a parent can be hard work. Sometimes you end a day in tears of despair, wanting to pound your head against the wall, thinking there is no hope of ever penetrating the thickness of your child's head and heart to get him/her to remember and obey the Important Things.

But being in love with someone means wholeheartedly accepting him for who he is -- warts and all -- recognizing that he is a flawed human with a sinful nature (a "work in progress" if you will) and fiercely loving him despite this. It means giving allowance for said faults and cheering him on to do better next time. It may even mean looking the other way sometimes when a fault begins to bug you, always remembering to forgive as Christ has forgiven you.

It's also recognizing that if that person can love you unabashedly in such a way, who are you to even remotely consider not loving him back in the same way?

It can be tough...but it's so worth it.

Sometimes we forget that kids are just kids. They do things, they think (or unthink) things, they say things just because they are kids. The world is so big and new and exciting/daunting to them. They are moving inwardly and outwardly at 100 m.p.h. sometimes. Their brains (and mouths) are full of the whys and whats and hows of life...sometimes so crowded that they forget the Important Things they were told to say or do or remember.

But you know what?

Somehow -- despite the crowdedness of their brains -- they always seem to remember to give a smile or a hug or a kiss or a cuddle. Somehow -- despite the speed of their metabolism -- they never forget how to love us.

Afterall, isn't that what we felt when we first met them?

Wordless Wednesday

10 Months Down...

2 to go....

Ethan Samuel is 10 months old today!!

Mighty Fine (and Late) Monday Musings

Happy Monday! Happy 2nd Monday in July...

(You'll have to forgive my absence on the first Monday of the month...and the week that followed. I had a few ideas for posts but simply lacked inspiration. A bit of a blog drought, I think...no wait. I took a blog vacation. Yeah, that's what it was. A planned time-out to re-juice. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. *wink-grin*)

Anyways...

We've been enjoying some wonderful Summer weather. Some people said that scientists are linking the cooler weather to a volcano that erupted. I'm not too picky as to the reason...and I'll happily keep the cooler temperatures and lower humidity.

We continued our Monday Movie night last week with 12 Rounds, which was a good movie but a bit cheesy at times. Stuart's co-worker also lent us Gran Torino. That was an awesome movie! A great performance from Clint Eastwood especially.

In other news...

Well, there isn't much other news. Our Summer is slowing down considerably, which is what I was hoping for. Slower times so that the kids could experience BOREDOM. Isn't that a rite of passage for kids?

Our car was out of commission most of last week. We still had the smaller, older one, but it's pretty hard to fit all of us in that one so we just stayed home. Never a bad plan, right? Stuart fixed the minivan on Thursday, and it passed its annual inspection/emissions testing with flying colors. I'm so thankful for a hubby who can do such stuff!

Our friend, Rachel, and her son, Francis, visited us from Washington state last Thursday. It was so much fun to see them and catch up after so many years. The kids played some "Monopoly - Here and Now" while we enjoyed some tea and homemade cinnamon bread, and then we took a walk to the playground for some fun outside time.

The kids are growing, growing, growing. I think it has something to do with the summer air or such. Our 11-year-old, Emily hit a whopping 5 feet 7 inches already. (She's grown 5 inches since last October. Amazing, huh?) Edward is 4 feet 6 1/2 inches, which at 8 years old is taller than usual but not quite keeping up with the gargantuan sizes of his sister and brother. And Ethan is 31 inches -- off the charts as usual. I worry about Edward's and Ethan's growth spurts when they happen. I'm not sure how we'll afford the groceries. Fortunately there's nearly 8 years between them so Edward will be full grown by the time it hits Ethan.

Speaking of the kids, we introduced them to the Andy Griffith Show over the weekend. I found a DVD of the show at the dollar store. Nice clean fun...and a bit silly at times but still a true American classic. They love it!

Speaking more of the kids, the older two are just about to finish the first section of their Summer Bridge books. Their prize for this stint? A sleepover/movie night with Mom and Dad respectively. They've been working hard for the last 15 days, trying to get their work done. So I think it's a fitting reward for our Summer Scholars. More on that to follow, no doubt.

Ethan turns 10 months tomorrow. It's hard to imagine in two short months he'll be one year old. I can't fathom the fact that he's growing up so quickly. Even as he practices standing without holding and crawls like a speedracer...and babbles words like "Umm" and "hi" -- more than just sounds. Some days I feel like I'm left spinning in the dust of these little people who are racing to grow up on me.

Bittersweet yet exciting times ahead....

Sunday Sweeties

Happy Birthday, America!!

Happy 4th of July!
One of my favorite songs from when I was a little girl.

God bless America,
Land that I love,
Stand beside her and guide her
Through the night with a light from above;

From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans white with foam,
God bless America,
My home, sweet home.

God bless America,
My home, sweet home.

~ Irving Berlin

Friday Funnies

In honor of our 4th of July celebrations tomorrow, I bring you a "seasonal" Friday funnies.

A little film done with LEGO to teach you about the events that led to our fight for independence from England. Enjoy!!

Wordless Wednesday