Naissa's Question

While playing the "Would You Rather" game at the dinner table, Naissa asked us her own question:

"What's the funniest thing you never did see?"

We started to laugh and share when she blurted out the "correct answer"!

"A clown juggling sheep!"

Now if anyone ever asks you what the funniest thing you never did see is....you can tell them!

This has been quite the week. Of course I only know this because of what others have told me. I, myself have been home sick and miserable all week. I am thinking of taking next week off to make up for the missed vacation this week!
My friend Kathy (aka - miracle mom) I am told was to have a defibrillator (sp?) put in yesterday and could be going home sooner than I am over this stinkin' cold! I didn't even get to visit her! ha! So when you think of it give God some praise for He is Good!

Yesterday morning my Aunt Evelyn died. She was in the hospital, but she's been in and out a few times so I didn't know this time was that different. I didn't get to visit her either.
My Uncle Pete has been in the hospital up in Berkeley. He is 98 years old! I remember him saying at his 95th Birthday party how he's not been sick his entire life. Isn't that just crazy?!! Here I am, sick all week long, and I was sick 2-3 weeks ago too! What's up w/that?
Pete is not expected to make it much longer, he's just hanging on, and I can't go visit him! I don't know if I'm contagious or not. I've been taking cough medicine and nose medicine and throat medicine and I'm probably building up an immunity to all these drugs and they will be useless to me! I am frustrated that I have not been able to "be there" for anyone. I was just thinking how I was sick when my grandma (dad's mom) died in the hospital. I wasn't able to go see her. I hate not getting to say goodbye.

My kids are getting better (knock on wood). At least they are feeling well enough to raid the Easter candy that's hidden (apparently not well) in our room. Isaac alone, has eaten 4 of the bubble tape gums that were for Easter. He denies it but the powder is all over his face and clothes....it's those cute little hand prints that give him away. Our friend gave us each a See's Candies egg, the good stuff! I don't know when but Isaac helped himself to all of them, leaving only bits and pieces of a couple egg shells (chocolate, of course). The evidence was found under his bed! No wonder the toys don't fit under the bed...he's got a stash of goodies under there!!

This morning I woke up and took some medicine and everyone piled in my bed to watch a video. (Jim went to work) I got drowsy but figured that it would be okay because everyone was right there with me, occupied by the TV. So I allowed myself to fall asleep. 3 hours later (yes, THREE) I was brought back to consciousness with the sound of crying. Not a cry I hear too often so I responded. Isaac's finger was bleeding. Not the kinda of bleeding where you have to squeeze the crap out of your finger to get it to bleed, but the kind where you could catch it in a cup kinda bleeding. I grabbed some kleenex (because they've been my constant companion this week) and then I grabbed up Isaac. I held the kleenex on his finger for about 10 seconds (maybe?) and he was ready to go play. Naissa then walked in holding a big sharp knife stuck in the middle of a dirty old orange! In my sweet mama voice I nearly scared her senseless as I hollered, "What the french toast are you doing with that knife?!!!" She caught her breath and simply said, "Isaac did it!" At this point I had this fuzzy nudging in my head that something was familiar but I just couldn't put my finger on it yet so I asked Isaac how he cut his finger (why it hadn't occurred to me to ask this before...I don't know). He said, "With a knife". I asked what he was doing with a knife when he knew he wasn't supposed to touch them and he said, "I wanted fwuit" (not a typo)
I looked at the dirty old orange that Jade had taken from Naissa (because it had a big sharp knife stuck in it) and vaguely remembered Isaac saying something about picking fruit (fwuit). When I asked, he confirmed that he had gone in the back yard and picked the oranges off our tree. He then was trying to cut them open for "you and me mom". Of course, that makes sense. I've seen Bill Cosby when he tells the story of his kid trying to sneak a cookie. When his kid gets caught, his excuse is "I'm getting a cookie for YOU". That's my boy! He also has a high tolerance for pain. Once when I was at the store, Jim found Isaac under the kitchen table with the bread knife and little cuts all over his hands. He was trying to cut an apple and there was blood all over! He wasn't even making a sound! I think the stubborn has gone through his blood and toughened him up! (lol!)

I am ashamed to say that I am just now reading "The Magician's Nephew". I have owned the entire Chronicles of Narnia books for years and have only read "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe". I always thought I would read them aloud to my kids, hasn't happened. I haven't even seen the movie "Narnia" yet, but we own it. I think Jade and Zack have seen it.

Last night we watched "Oklahoma" and "State Fair". This probably sounds funny but I consider it such a blessing to have kids who love musicals! We have the best times watching them together and singing the songs later. I already need to borrow a hand to count the times we've seen "Hairspray"! We're going to watch another one tonight....not sure which one yet.

Does this cold make my nose look big??

I thought it was just allergies.
Maybe it started out that way.
It's now worse.
And
Jim's got it.
Isaac's got it.
Naissa's got it.
Zack's got it.
I've got it.
Jade might even have it.
I hate it.
It makes me gag.
It dulls my hearing.
It dulls my smelling. (not always a bad thing)
It dulls my taste buds.
It even affects my speech.
It keeps us up at night.
It makes Jim snore louder.
I don't understand where it all comes from.
How do our bodies produce so much of it?
I know you know what I'm talking about.
It's not just a Loper thing.
It's not even just a human thing.
Some of our cat's have had it.
It should be considered one of "those" four letter words.
It can make you miserable.
It's can be contagious too.
I'm sick of it.

SNOT.

the good the bad and the ugly...but not in that order

No, we did not get a dog! This is our neighbor's dog (the Ugly), who came through the fence into our yard! Our cat Harley felt it was her duty to "protect" the family and the yard by standing, somewhat puffed up (probably to make her more tough) at the edge of the patio where the dog could see her. I could not get her to come inside, she was going to stand her ground. This drove the dog crazy. He just paced back and forth yapping away. When I would get closer he would growl and bark at me and me being the "dog lover" that I'm NOT....told it to shut the heck up and get out of my yard before I got a stick to beat it with! (just kidding about the beating part....I said it but that was just to make me look/sound as tough as my cat). I got bored with this dog quickly and was getting ready to go introduce myself to the neighbors and tell them to come get their little beast, when I looked out and saw the dog was gone. Hmmm.... Harley was still refusing to move from her post. I went to examine the fence and the barking started up again. It was just like in the cartoons where the bottom of the fence is not attached and the critters just push it forward to get through and then it goes back down as if it weren't broken. So I called Jim to let him know what he needed to fix when he got home and went about my business. It wasn't long before that dog was back in our yard yapping again! Okay....this is getting old! Back and forth the dog went and each time it was in our yard it acted lost as if it didn't know how it got on the wrong side of the fence. Well Jim fixed the fence when he got home and we haven't had any extra beasts in our yard since. It's a good thing too because our neighbors also have chickens!
Minnie Pearl has been keeping me company at night. She is coming out of her shell and I don't think it will be too long before she actually goes outside. She's already discovered underneath the house and she goes through the cat door into the garage. It won't be long before we are a cat box free home!! (it'll be in the garage....but not in the house) Harley, Josiah and Grizabella are already going outside everyday....just one more to go.
Not sure if I will decorate around this one or paint over it (eventually). It cracks me up how my "brilliant" children always write their own names on something that is going to get them into trouble. You would think they might try to disguise it, draw a picture instead or sign someone elses name. This is the back of our front door. It's written in pencil (or light pen) so it's actually not that easy to see. When you see it in person, you can sure make out the name of the guilty party though! (Naissa)
We went to our friends wedding tonight. (The Good) It was beautiful. Being the non-traditionalist that I am, I enjoyed the music played while Allyson walked down the aisle with her dad. It made it more beautiful I think. During the ceremony they played Rascal Flatts song, "Bless the Broken Road". Tim and Allyson did many things that I've seen at other weddings, unity candles, communion, personalized vows. But they also did something I've not seen...after they exchanged rings, Tim presented Leah (Allyson's daughter) with a heart pendant that had their three birthstones in it. Because I was caught up with emotion at this precious moment, I cannot remember all the words that were said about it. It was the part of the wedding where I had to carefully keep wiping my eyes to keep my mascara from running. This marriage is a God thing! Those who know their stories know this to be true. God is good.
As beautiful as the wedding was we were there with a heavy heart. Happy and Sad at the same time. I'm used to juggling multiple emotions, living in a spaghetti style world where everything inter-mingles with everything else.....but Jim, being the wonderful man (key word = man) he is, truly functions in a waffle style world, where everything has it's own compartment or box and is kept separate. So while I can laugh and cry somewhat simultaneously, I think Jim has to sorta jump back and forth with it all. So I've shared the Good (the wedding) and I've shared the Ugly (the dog) now I will share just a little of the Bad (see below).
My dear friend Kathy stopped breathing early Friday morning. She's been on a breathing tube undergoing all kinds of tests. The doctors are talking about putting in a defibrillator behind her heart early in the week. We are praying for her to improve quickly so that the breathing tube can come out. It has been so cool to see our friends from all over, step in and pray for her. God is good!
Yes, God is good. And I'm tired.

what a good day

If you take away the fact the we all had to get up earlier this morning and that at least 4 of us didn't get breakfast......then today has been a great day. Today was the Kindergarten Field Trip to the FSU Farm, Jim, Isaac and I all went along. Jim and I have both gone to the farm with various kids and even though there's no rides or kettle corn, it's still kinda fun to see the farm animals. The smell was only unbearable near the dairy cows, a combination of sulfur, perm solution and old men toots. One of the little girls in our group announced for all to hear, "Eeww! It smells like my daddy's farts!" It was hard not to laugh. I brought my camera along, thinking I would get some great pictures of Naissa and Isaac petting some horses and sheep. Only thing, they weren't interested in getting close to the animals, let alone petting them. So I have this picture below, of Naissa up on the fence.....funny thing is there are no animals on the other side, just a tractor! lol!

Isaac had fun! He had the girls holding his hands and dad giving him a ride on his shoulders and he got to have snacks with all the Kindergartners. Good Times.
Afterwards...we ate lunch, Naissa and Isaac watched the Brady Bunch, Jim did some things for work, Jade and Zack came home, my parents brought me a Shamrock Shake, Zack went to Tae Kwon Do and I took a nap! Unfortunately by me taking a nap, it allowed Naissa and Isaac time and freedom to dump two huge tubs of toys, scatter the clean and once folded laundry across the room as well as 8 boxes of raisins and little dried fruit all over everything in the room!

Tonight was also Open House for Kindergarten. My dad came and walked to the school with us and Jim's dad met us at the school. Both grandma's were sick and not feeling well. The room was decked out in colorful pictures and things the kids had made. Naissa gave us the tour, read a couple books to us and showed us all the things she had made. She spent some time giggling with her friends too. It is so nice to have a backyard. For the past 4 years our backyard was a 5 x 55 foot dirt yard that we put fake grass over so the kids could "play" back there without bringing in the dirt constantly. We basically stored our sandbox, slide and bikes back there. Our "front" yard was basically dirt, pine trees and the alley where we parked our cars. So I am so happy to have GRASS!!! Isaac would play outside all day long if I let him. Yesterday he practiced with his nun chucks. He kept asking me, "Which one is faster mom?" Uh....that one? He's such a cute ninja!

These Eclectic Thoughts of Mine

I am trying to focus on the positive, or at least those things that make me smile and not scream or cry! It doesn't come easy to an Eeyore personality like myself. I try to play the "Glad" game on a weekly basis, to counter my "woe is me" attitude. I have to say I haven't always been an Eeyore. I don't remember having a gloomy 'tude as a child. Only after many heartaches in my life have I become this way. There is a saying I heard from my brother several years ago that comes to mind whenever NOTHING seems to be going right or how I think it should......(WARNING: Bad Language To Follow)

"Life's a bitch, then you step in shit"

I guess it's just a crude way of saying, "when it rains, it pours" but when I'm feeling like Alfalfa, like the sky has opened up and God has looked down and said I hate you....then it makes me feel better to use the bad language. It seems to touch on my deeper emotions. I identify more with dog poo on your foot than rain on your umbrella.

For whatever reason, I am having more trouble getting over things at this time in my life. I have a new set of OVER USED WORDS. No longer is it, "that's funny" now I'm heard saying, "OF COURSE". I've had a lot of practice with sarcasm.

OF COURSE Jim was laid off, we just bought our first house

OF COURSE we lost our health insurance and our kids were put on medi-cal

OF COURSE we are several months behind on everything

OF COURSE Jim's contractor's license is taking the full 8 weeks and maybe more due to a misunderstanding about fingerprinting and a background check

OF COURSE I live in a PIGSTY....we're PIGS

OF COURSE my favorite cat was killed, he brought me much joy

OF COURSE after buying a white tux shirt they have to have a black one too (and w/o notice)

OF COURSE Isaac got bit by a dog and got stitches in his face on Christmas Eve

OF COURSE we are now getting bills for over $1300 for it

OF COURSE I was pulled over by a cop (1st time) and blinded by his flood light and had blurry blotchy vision for 15 minutes afterwards but still had to finish driving home.......because my brake light was out

OF COURSE Jim was sleeping in the passenger seat during all of it

OF COURSE Jim's car starts leaking, needs smogged and tags are due

OF COURSE I woke up WET w/a child in my bed, because it was time to change the sheets anyway

OF COURSE we have time to go to the Zoo, since our card expired last August

OF COURSE Isaac pooped in his underwear....we only told him to PEE in the toilet!!!

OF COURSE Minnie Pearl goes under the house through a hole in the wall (where Jim is working on the tub) because she just had surgery and isn't supposed to go outside for 3 days and it's only been ONE day.

OF COURSE I am the one who stays up and tries to coax her out until 2am

OF COURSE Minnie Pearl eats/chews/tears up paper....but not any ol' paper....just the important ones that need to be turned in to other people (She also bites holes in book pages)

OF COURSE Isaac is still up right now at 3am because he slept earlier ( I think Zack is up too)

OF COURSE I have developed a sarcastic sense of humor....I expect the worse so that the outcome is always better and I won't be disappointed

OF COURSE I would express myself to Jim "about" God and my questions Why and Why Not's and the radio would play a song that not only answered some of them but gave me a peace

OF COURSE My GOD is big enough to handle every detail of my life

OF COURSE I freely express myself here, the good the bad and the ugly

OF COURSE these are only a few pieces of "poo" I have on my shoe

OKAY. ENOUGH. I'M MOVING ON.

I AM glad the sun is coming out, though I hate being hot! I love Autumn most. I like Spring but I have allergies that can make it miserable. Summer is too hot. Winter too cold and gloomy. Autumn is like baby bear's porridge....JUST RIGHT! I am looking forward to planting my garden in a couple weeks. I'm thinking of having a yard sale so I can buy flowers and fruits and vegetables(to plant and grow). I need to declutter even more. It's hard.

My new motto: WWPD?

What would Pollyanna do? (or say)

Like I said, I play the "Glad" game quite often. I tend to go straight for the negative, the downer, the worst part and then I move up from there...shooting for the positive, the happy, good part. It's not always easy, like Pollyanna, sometimes I have to really stretch to come up with something.

So I go through my lists....

Jim getting laid off = Now he can start his own business like he really wants to do

Having NO money = Has helped us to know the difference between needs and wants (see....that's like saying the good thing about Sunday is that you have 7 more days till it comes 'round again) It's also given us an opportunity to be on the receiving end and allow others to bless us (which blesses everybody) (go figure)

I'd like to say we've become more dependent on God to meet our needs but I'd be partially lying. The reason we are dependent is because we have had no other choice. It has not been easy to "wait and see" what, how and when God's gonna come through for us.

Where does is say that He even will? That has been my question for months now. I believe God is able to do great and mighty things. I know He can help us in our times of need. BUT Will He? Will He allow us to lose our house? Will our kids not get swim lessons ?Will they not get to be in band? Will they not be able to get braces? Will they be made fun of by their peers because they don't have "cool" clothes? Will He allow what I consider "bad" things to happen so that we learn something else? Is it about learning at all?
It rains on the good and the bad, I know. Because of the fall we've got sin, we live in an imperfect world. But why does everything seem so lopsided? Is it because we are the only ones talking about it? Admitting it? It's not easy, I fear rejection. But I can't lie and say I can afford to do things that I can't. Why does everything seem to come down to money? Why is it said that money can't buy happiness but the lack of it can make you miserable? I don't want my life to be about money. (or lack of it) I don't want my life to be about cleaning up the clutter we live in, every waking moment of my life, that I'm not worrying about money. How did I get here?

Helen Keller said, "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing". I want adventure. I love adventure. I am the thrill seeker in the family. I love roller coasters, the bigger the drop the better! I went sky diving! Awesome, except for the endless knots in my hair afterwards. I felt the most free while riding the bumps on my friends quad. I long to ride again. "For once you have tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. For there you have been and there you will long to return" - Leonardo Da Vinci

I don't know why I complain as much as I do about the roller coaster which is known as my life. "I happen to like the roller coaster" (Parenthood)

Beth Moore says "Our souls are fitted for excitement and intrigue and though we sometimes scream and shut our eyes, we will one day get off the roller coaster and shout, "What A Ride!" We were created in the image of God. By Him. For Him. Too much comfort too long bores a God fashioned soul. Questions are good. They leave lots of space for God to fill in the blanks far beyond our imaginations. What we see with our eyes and understand with our minds is never the only thing God has going." I wouldn't say I'm living in "Comfort" it's more like boredom. Tired of the same ol' same ol'.

How can I feel so lost and out of sorts and then when a song comes on the radio, like "You are God alone" and it's like the light has been turned on and I can see my way again. My anxiety is instantly calmed in a way I cannot explain.

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. -Jeremiah 29:13

"To live will be an awfully big adventure" (Peter Pan)

"Just enjoy the Ozzy and keep your mouth shut" (SNL)

Have a nice day!

"Thanks for noticing me!" - eeyore

Oh Wow! Nickel Arcade

We went to the Coleman boy's birthday bash at the Oh Wow! Nickel Arcade. Just like in the dollar store where everything is a dollar....everything in the nickel arcade is a nickel....and yet I couldn't help thinking each time we tried a new game or "ride", "How much does this one cost?"
Zack roamed free playing all sorts of games. Naissa and Isaac were a little more limited in what they could do (and reach). They had fun on the motorcycles and the skee ball. They could barely get the ball to go over the edge to score ZERO points. Zero points = Zero tickets. The "fun" didn't last long, so we moved on.
I was happy that Cameron remembered me. I only see them a couple times a year. Nicholas turned 8 and Christopher and Cameron turned 7. It was good to see Ruth, Ang~'s mom as well as Muffy and Tay Tay...who is all "growed up" with a beautiful little girl of her own! Ang~'s brothers were there too and Randon, her oldest has grown into a handsome young man, taller than all of us! (he's 16)
Ang~ and I became friends our freshman year in high school. We were both in the band and at the beginning of the year we didn't like each other! During concert season we were given seats next to each other and the laughter and friendship hasn't stopped since. We've been through tons together. She is one of my dearest friends who no matter how long we are apart we just pick up where we left off when we are together again! We were laughing about all the pictures we took of Randon and Leesha when they were little, I need to find those. It was nice to feel "home" again, even in the midst of a gazillion crazy kids playing nickel games.

It was the funniest thing watching Isaac and Naissa play skee ball. Here's a clip.....

JOG-A-THON

JOG-A-THON

Naissa's first. Zack's third. Our ninth w/eight more to go.

Naissa & Leah w/their reward for "jogging"

We didn't ask everybody to sponsor the kids this year. With everyone helping us in so many other ways, I just couldn't ask for more. My expectations of lame were met. Zack and all the other 4th graders came out to run, were given instructions, the music began and off they ran. For two songs. Some Disney song, like a Hilary Duff song and then the theme song from Holes. Then it was over. The kids brought in their popsicle sticks in for counting. The majority of kids I saw, had 6 sticks, meaning they ran 6 laps. A couple of kids had less and a two kids had more. It was very short. 6 laps. Wow. It's a good thing Zack's grandparents were giving a set amount. What if they had sponsored him at 25 cents a lap? He'd only bring in $1.50. That's what we did back in my JOG-A-THON days, but we ran a lot longer....hence the "-A-THON" part. I always ran between 15 and 20 laps, which still doesn't sound like much but again, that was "Back Then" so it was worth more.

Isaac and I hung out and watched the next grade run. They ran for 2 1/2 songs. Not sure why. Then came Kindergarten. Naissa looked so cute "stretching" with her class, getting ready to run. Again, they lined up, were given instructions, the music began and they started running. Funny thing though....the track has a nice worn area, where the kids had been running all morning. The Kindergartner's ran in single file along the worn out area. When the kid in front stopped and walked, all the kids stopped and walked. Thankfully the Kindergarten teachers were running to and that helped the kids break out of the follow the leader mode. It was funny though. They ran for 3 songs. Naissa brought in her sticks for counting. 6 sticks. 6 laps. Just like Zack.

Funny thing, when the kids brought home their slips of paper with how many laps they ran, Naissa's said "6" but Zack's said "12". I asked Zack about this and he said they doubled everybody's.
So why did they run again? Why don't they just send home donation envelopes?

Whatever?!?!

Sunshine On My Shoulders, Makes Me Happy

I am so happy the sun has been out this week. I'm sure it will start raining now that I've said that so I think I'll wait to wash my car.

The boys had so much fun just playing in the backyard the other day. All of a sudden the grass is growing and the flowers are budding. The daffodils point their faces towards the sun and seem to follow it as it crosses the sky. Piles of leaves cover the ground under our unknown nut trees. As I started to rake them up I was met by a little dog, poking it's face through the fence. (picture below) Thank God it was a little dog. The thing would not stop barking. Harley, (our cat) jumped up on the fence to taunt the little booger. She seemed to know it was all bark. We will need to board up the fence in a few spots. The dog is cute, but I'm not a dog person. (especially after Isaac got bit) Our neighbors also have chickens loose in their backyard. Dogs and chickens. Hmmm........

There is a lot going on right now. Some things require physical attention, like driving kids to their activities, making phone calls to health insurances, schools, banks and such, helping kids w/homework, feeding everybody etc.... Some things only require the use of the mind (at times harder than the physical), like helping a child write a paper, finding the information and transforming it into their own words without doing it yourself, figuring out our taxes, reading through bank info and credit card info so as not to get screwed. Some things are more emotional than anything else. Helping your children deal with mean kids w/o telling your children to just cuss them out or beat 'em up. (jk) The fighting between sibs. A loved one dying. Nothing you can do about it. Chicken soup ain't gonna help. It also touches on the spiritual, because you walk through your day praying for them to know Jesus. These are the hardest of all.....on me anyway. More on that later...for now I'm going to enjoy the SUNSHINE!! (and maybe sing some John Denver)